Background: Taspase 1 (TASP1) is a highly conserved protease involved in site-specific proteolysis. Existing researches have revealed a link between TASP1 expression and carcinogenesis. However, limited data are available regarding the prognosis and functions of TASP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Western Blotting and qRT-PCR were employed to evaluate the level of TASP1 in HCC cell lines and clinical specimens. TASP1 expression was further calculated in clinical specimens by immunohistochemistry and the mRNA level of TASP1 in HCC was analyzed using Oncomine and UALCAN databases. The TASP1 promoter methylation modification was shown via MEXPRESS and UALCAN. The association between TASP1 expression and postoperative prognosis was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis in clinical patients. The effect of TASP1 on HCC prognosis was analyzed via Kaplan-Meier plotter, GEPIA and UALCAN. Additionally, the regulators, kinases, miRNA and transcription factor targets of TASP1 were identified using LinkedOmics. Moreover, cBioPortal was used to detect the genetic alteration of TASP1. Finally, TIMER was utilized to assess the relation between TASP1 and the immune cell infiltration, whereas the correlation of TASP1 with three immune factors was detected through TISIDB. Results: TASP1 expression was increased in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues. CNV and DNA methylation of TASP1 were changed. Survival analysis revealed that high TASP1 expression was correlated with overall survival (OS). Functional network analysis about TASP1 in HCC showed that the double-strand break repair, peptidyl-threonine modification, spindle organization, peptidyl-lysine modification and microtubule-based movement were modulated. Furthermore, TASP1 expression revealed puissant relation to the infiltration of immune cells and three immune factors in HCC. Conclusion: These data indicate that TASP1 may act as a potential prognostic marker in HCC and regulate HCC via multiple mechanisms.

Background: Lysosomes play an important role in the pathological processes of cancer development. However, its effects on the prognosis and tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Therefore, we aim to explore the novel molecular subtypes of HCC via lysosome-related genes (LRGs) for prognosis and therapy prediction in this study. Methods: Using the data of TCGA, differential expression and survival analyses were performed. Consequently, 109 key LRGs were obtained and 374 HCC samples were clustered into two groups: C1 and C2. A three-gene prognostic prediction nomogram was constructed using WCGNA and Cox regression analyses. Furthermore, pathway enrichment conditions, immune infiltration, immune checkpoint expression, and drug sensitivity were analyzed for the two subtypes. RT-qPCR was also used to validate the expression of the selected key LRGs. Results: Key LRGs were highly expressed in the C1 subtype, and their prognosis was worse. The degree of immune cell infiltration and pathway enrichment results were also significantly different between the two subtypes. Furthermore, the three-gene prognostic prediction nomogram including LAPTM4B, PRKCD and LPCAT1, had a relatively high prognostic prediction ability. Meanwhile, the expression of immune checkpoints, human leukocyte antigen, and TIDE score were higher in the C1 subtype, suggesting that immune evasion was more likely to occur in this subtype. Drug sensitivity analysis showed that several drugs were more sensitive to C1 subtypes and might serve as drug candidates for these patients. Conclusion: We identified two novel molecular subtypes of HCC based on LRGs, and found that the LRGs related subtypes demonstrated significant efficacy in predicting the prognosis and therapeutic outcomes for patients with HCC. Moreover, a novel prognostic prediction nomogram was also developed, which possessed excellent prognostic prediction capabilities. We hope the novel LRG-related subtypes and nomogram of HCC would provide new insights and guidelines for clinical practice in the future.

Objective. To evaluate the application of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) combined with multislice spiral CT (MSCT) in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with gastric eminence lesions. Methods. A total of 160 patients with gastric eminence lesions enrolled in our hospital from June 2018 to June 2021 were included and received EUS and MSCT. The results of the two examinations and the postoperative pathological results were compared. Results. The common pathological types of gastric eminence lesions include polyps and stromal tumors, with the most common sites of lesions in the gastric antrum, followed by the fundus of the stomach and the gastric body. Gastric eminence lesions mostly originate from the mucosal layer and muscularis mucosa, accounting for 83.13 of the total. With pathological results as the gold standard, the detection rate of MSCT was 90.63, and that of EUS was 78.13. With the joint diagnosis as a reference, the receiver operating curve (ROC) revealed a higher diagnostic efficiency of MSCT and EUS. Conclusion. The accuracy of MSCT in the diagnosis of gastric eminence lesions is significantly higher than that of EUS, both of which can offer useful guidance for the choice of endoscopic treatment methods. The combination of MSCT and EUS examination before endoscopic gastroscopy may provide a better treatment efficacy on gastric protruding lesions with high safety.