Minichromosome Maintenance family (MCMs), as replication licensing factors, is involved in the pathogenesis of tumors. Here, we investigated the expression of MCMs and their values in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MCMs were analyzed in 105 samples including normal livers (n = 15), cirrhotic livers (n = 40), HCC (n = 50) using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) (Cohort 1). Significantly up-regulated MCMs were verified in 102 HCC and matched peritumoral livers using PCR (Cohort 2), and the correlations with clinical features and outcomes were determined. In addition, the focused MCMs were analyzed in parallel immunohistochemistry of 345 samples on spectrum of hepatocarcinogenesis (Cohort 3) and queried for the potential specific role in cell cycle. MCM2–7, MCM8 and MCM10 was significantly up-regulated in HCC in Cohort 1. In Cohort 2, overexpression of MCM2–7, MCM8 and MCM10 was verified and significantly correlated with each other. Elevated MCM2, MCM6 and MCM7 were associated with adverse tumor features and poorer outcomes. In Cohort 3, MCM6 exhibited superior HCC diagnostic performance compared with MCM2 and MCM7 (AUC: 0.896 vs. 0.675 and 0.771, P < 0.01). Additionally, MCM6 other than MCM2 and MCM7 independently predicted poorer survival in 175 HCC patients. Furthermore, knockdown of MCM6 caused a delay in S/G2-phase progression as evidenced by down-regulation of CDK2, CDK4, CyclinA, CyclinB1, CyclinD1, and CyclinE in HCC cells. We analyze MCMs mRNA and protein levels in tissue samples during hepatocarcinogenesis. MCM6 is identified as a driver of S/G2 cell cycle progression and a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker in HCC.

A disposable and portable electrochemical sensor was fabricated by integrating vertically-ordered silica mesoporous films (VMSF) and electrochemically reduced graphene (ErGO) on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). Such VMSF/ErGO/SPCEs could be prepared by a simple and controllable electrochemical method. Stable growth of VMSF on SPCE could be accomplished by the introduction of an adhesive ErGO nanolayer owing to its oxygen-containing groups and two-dimensional (2D) planar structure. An outer VMSF layer acting as a protective coating is able to prevent the leakage of the inner ErGO layer from the SPCE surface. Thanks to the electrostatic permselectivity and anti-fouling capacity of VMSF and to the good electroactive activity of ErGO, binary nanocomposites of VMSF and ErGO endow the SPCE with excellent analytical performance, which could be used to quantitatively detect doxorubicin (DOX) in biological samples (human serum and urine) with high sensitivity, good long-term stability, and low sample amounts.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is one of the most difficult procedures in general surgery which involves the removal and reconstruction of many organs. PD is the standard surgical method for malignant tumors of the head, uncinate process and even the neck of the pancreas. During PD surgery, it often involves the removal and reconstruction of blood vessels. This is a clinical review about vascular resection and reconstruction in PD surgery.

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignancy with poor survival. Different cell types in the tumor microenvironment participate in the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC. This study aimed to analyze the immune microenvironment of HCC and its relationship with clinical outcomes. Methods: We analyzed HCC RNA-seq for cell type identification and prognosis by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts using CIBERSORTx. The interaction between B cells and macrophages in HCC was analyzed using a Hepa1-6 orthotopic transplantation mouse model and flow cytometry. The effect of Zinc finger protein 296 (ZNF296) on the interaction of B cells and macrophages was verified using human HCC tissues analyzed through western blot, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and multiplex immunofluorescence. A comparative analysis of immune cells associated with HCC prognosis was performed using RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), bulk multimodal data, and single-cell transcriptomic data from existing HCC single-cell transcriptomic data employing the Single Cell Inferred Site Specific Omics Resource for Tumor Microenvironments (SCISSOR). Results: Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) RNA-seq analysis of TCGA showed that high eosinophil infiltration promoted HCC progression. The proportion of B cells correlated with that of macrophages (r=-0.24) and affected the infiltration and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression of macrophages in HCC. ZNF296 may participate in the interaction between B cells and macrophages to accelerate the HCC progression by regulating PAFAH1B3 and H2AFX. Moreover, ZNF296 expression positively correlated with LAG3 (r=0.27) and CTLA4 (r=0.31) expression levels. Among the immune cell phenotypes related to survival and death identified by SCISSOR analysis, T cells correlated with an excellent prognosis of HCC. The normal function of liver and dendritic cells was also associated with a good prognosis in HCC. Conclusions: This study analyzed the interaction of the immune microenvironment with HCC prognosis, identifying ZNF296 as a promising diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.

Original Article Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma arising in non- cirrhotic liver: a national-wide retrospective cohort study with propensity score matching analysis in China Qiang Wei, Nan Xu, Yunguo Lei, Yisu Song, Zhisheng Zhou, Shengjun Xu, Xuanyu Zhang, Shusen Zheng, Jun Chen, Xiao Xu