Alteration of the YY1/RKIP ratio is a frequent event in hepatocellular carcinoma

Epidemiology, risk factors, and natural history of hepatocellular carcinoma

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma is increasing in many countries. The estimated number of new cases annually is over 500,000, and the yearly incidence comprises between 2.5 and 7% of patients with liver cirrhosis. The incidence varies between different geographic areas, being higher in developing areas; males are predominantly affected, with a 2:3 male/female ratio. The heterogeneous geographic distribution reflects the epidemiologic impact of the main etiologic factors and environmental risk, which are the hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses. The percentage of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma attributable to HBV worldwide is 52.3% and is higher in Asia where the serop…

Gene expression profiling of human liver cancer cells following celecoxib tretment

FIBROSIS DIAGNOSTIC SCORES VALIDATION IN OBESE PATIENTS WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE

FIBROSIS DIAGNOSTIC SCORES VALIDATION IN OBESE PATIENTS WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE

Altered gene expression profiles in liver cancer cells upon sorafenib treatment

Effects of Liraglutide on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: An 8-Month Prospective Pilot Study

Expression of IAPs (Inhibitory of Apoptosis Proteins) and of their alternative splice variants in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells

IAPs (inhibitors of apoptosis proteins) might have a major role in the apoptotic resistance that marks many cancers. The studies on IAPs in human HCC have focused on survivin or XIAP, indicating that their new or increased expression in this tumor is associated with a more unfavorable prognosis. The present results corroborate these findings, emphasizing the role that the coordinated expression of different IAPs and alternative splice variants might play in the adverse biology of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cyclooxygenase- 2, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A and IL-6 genes SNPs and IL-6 serum levels in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

Entrapment of an EGFR inhibitor into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) improves its antitumor activity against human hepatocarcinoma cells

Background: In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), different signaling pathways are de-regulated, and among them, the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Tyrphostin AG-1478 is a lipophilic low molecular weight inhibitor of EGFR, preferentially acting on liver tumor cells. In order to overcome its poor drug solubility and thus improving its anticancer activity, it was entrapped into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) by using safe ingredients for parenteral delivery. Results: Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) carrying tyrphostin AG-1478 were prepared by using the nanoprecipitation method and different matrix compositions. The best system in terms of mean size, PDI, zeta…

Association between single nucleotide polymorphysms (SNPs) of IL-6, TNF-alpha and VEGF-A genes and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

CATIONIC SLN AS TARGETING GENE DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In the United States, the incidence of HCC has almost tripled during the past two decades and HCC has become one of the fastest growing cancers. While surgical removal of tumor tissues is an effective approach to protect relatively healthy liver tissue, it is only applicable to a small subset of HCC patients with specific pathological conditions, such as confined tumor mass without portal hypertension. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic strategies to treat this deadly disease. Systemic tumor-targeted gene delivery is attracting increasin…

Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the COX-2, TNF-alpha and VEGF-A genes and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma

Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the COX-2, TNF-a and VEGF-A genes, and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction: TNF-a, COX-2 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGFA) are mediators of inflammation and angiogenesis, all of them are abundantly produced in liver cirrhosis (LC). It was proposed that there is an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These allelic variants influence the transcriptional activity of these genes, and therefore the proteins levels. The VEGF-A pathway is a potential therapeutic target in HCC, and several anti-angiogenic agents have entered clinical trials in HCC. Aims: 1) To evaluate thè frequency of SNPs of COX-2, TNF-a and VEGF-A genes in patients with HCC vs LC patients and a control group (C). 2) To…

The novel NF-kB inhibitor DHMEQ suppresses the growth of human hepatic cancer cells though redox-dependent signaling

Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-6, TNF-alpha and VEGF-A genes, and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Background: Many studies have demonstrated the association between SNPs and susceptibility to the development of diseases such as autoimmune diseases and neoplasms. These allelic variations may involve regulatory and coding regions of cytokine genes and may influence their transcriptional activity and, as a consequence, their protein levels. Hepatocarcinogenesis is a multi-step and multi-factorial process in which both environmental and genetic factors are involved. Liver cirrhosis (LC) of both HBV or HCV origin is considered the most important risk factors for HCC. Objectives: We evaluated the frequency of genetic polymorphisms of the cytokines IL-6 and TNFalpha and of VEGF-A in a group of…