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Background: Golgi protein 73 (GP73) is a promising biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It decreases after surgical resection, and resumes upon recurrence, indicating a potential indicator for the effectiveness of the treatment. But changes of GP73 after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) have not been reported so far. This study was to investigate the dynamic changes of GP73 in HCC patients after TACE treatment, and the possible underlying mechanisms in the cell cultures., Methods: Blood samples were collected from 72 HCC patients, before TACE, at day 1 and day 30 after TACE. GP73 levels were measured by Western blotting. The dynamic changes of GP73 were analyzed and compared with image changes and clinical data. The effects of chemotherapeutic agents (5-FU and pirarubicin) on GP73 expression were tested in three HCC cell lines (HepG2, HCCLM3 and MHCC97H)., Results: The GP73 level was significantly elevated at day 1 and day 30 after TACE in HCC patients compared with that before the procedure (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the two time points after TACE, nor correlation between GP73 levels and clinicopathological features, tumor metastasis, and patient survival. Pirarubicin, not 5-FU, significantly increased GP73 expression in three cell lines., Conclusions: Unlike surgical resection which decreases the GP73 level, TACE significantly increased GP73 expression in patients with HCC. No correlations were observed among GP73 levels, tumor characteristics and prognosis of patients with HCC.

Background: Postoperative liver failure remains a life-threatening complication. Preoperative evaluation of liver function is essential in reducing the complications after hepatectomy. However, it is difficult to accurately evaluate liver function before surgery because of the limitations of the liver function tests available. Recent advances in liver function tests improved the ability to assess liver function. The present review was to analyze these methods and their advantages., Data Sources: MEDLINE was searched using the terms of "liver function test", "liver function evaluation" and "galactosyl serum albumin". Relevant articles published in English and Chinese from 1961 to 2014 were reviewed., Results: Although serological tests are used frequently in practice, they reflect the degree of total liver damage or function, not the remnant of liver function. Child-Pugh score and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score assess whole liver function, and are particularly useful in determining whether patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis are candidates for resection or transplantation, but cannot determine the safe extent or removal. The indocyanine green and other metabolic quantitative liver function tests can evaluate functional hepatocytes, making them more accurate in predicting liver function. Computed tomography (CT) volumetry can provide anatomic information on the remnant liver volume but not on functional volume. 99mTc-galactosyl serum albumin scintigraphy, combined with single photon emission computed tomography, CT and three-dimensional reconstruction, may be a better quantitative measure of liver function, especially of remnant liver function., Conclusions: Tests used to evaluate liver functional reserve and to predict surgical risk have limitations. 99mTc-galactosyl serum albumin scintigraphy, which can more accurately evaluate the whole and regional liver function, may be promising in predicting resection margins and risks of liver failure.

To investigate the biological effect of mdm2 in human colorectal adenocarcinoma LoVo cells, three mdm2siRNA constructions were recombined and transient transfected into human colorectal adenocarcinoma LoVo cells with low differentiation character in vitro. The results showed that mdm2siRNA3 reduced mRNA level of mdm2 and protein level of mdm2, leading to proliferation inhibition on LoVo cells, and reduced tumor growth in nude mice. It was found that depletion of MDM2 in this pattern promoted apoptosis of LoVo cells and Cisplatin (DDP) treated in the mdm2siRNA3 transfected cell population would result in a substantial decrease by MTT colorimetry. Decreasing the MDM2 protein level in LoVo cells by RNAi could significantly inhibit tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo, which indicated that mdm2 gene played a definite role in the development and aggressiveness of human colon carcinoma. It also could be a therapeutic target in colorectal carcinoma. The synergistic activation of RNAi and cell toxicity agents indicated that the combination of chemotherapy and gene therapy will be a promising approach in the future.

Aim: Serum tumour markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and CA242 were investigated to evaluate the values of single and combined test in the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer., Methods: Pre-operative serum CEA, CA19-9 and CA242 were measured in 105 pancreatic cancers, 70 non-pancreatic malignancies and 30 benign pancreatic diseases., Results: The sensitivity of CA19-9 alone was the highest in pancreatic cancer patients (80%), but the specificity was significantly lower than that of CEA and CA242 (P<0.01). The combination of CEA and CA242 could increase the specificity to 92%. In serum CA242 positive patients, the survival time was remarkably shorter than that of patients with negative result (P<0.01). The survival time in patients with more than two markers positive expression of CEA, CA19-9 and CA242 was obviously shorter than that of only one or no marker positive expression (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The diagnostic rate of CA19-9 in pancreatic cancer is better than that of CEA and CA242. Combined detection of CEA and CA242 can improve the diagnostic specificity obviously. High levels of serum markers are associated with advanced stage of the disease. Patients with two or three markers positive expression of CEA, CA19-9, and CA242 simultaneously had a shorter survival time.

Since 1990, regulations and standards have changed considerably. This article is an update of the regulatory requirements for the thermal treatment of various waste streams. The waste categories covered, along with the laws they are governed under, include: Hazardous waste under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and under the Clean Air Act; municipal solid waste under Subtitle D of the RCRA; medical waste under Subtitle J of the RCRA; Superfund waste under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA); toxic waste under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); and sludge waste under the Clean Water Act (CWA).