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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to explore whether lncRNA expression profiles can predict prognosis of HCC patients with tumors.Expression of lncRNAs in HCC patients based on data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was examined by uni- and multivariate cox analysis to identify associations between clinical features and overall survival (OS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS). Based on our finding that both were independently associated with tumor status, we examined lncRNAs differentially expressed between patients with or without tumors. An lncRNA-based risk scoring system was developed to predict OS and RFS in tumor-positive patients, and it was assessed using uni- and multivariate cox analyses. Potential functions of the prognostic lncRNAs were explored.A risk scoring system to predict OS for HCC patients with tumors was developed based on the expression of six lncRNAs (AC090921.1, AC012640.1, AL158839.1, AL356056.1, AL359853.1 and C10orf91), and a corresponding scoring system to predict RFS was developed from nine lncRNAs (AL356056.1, AL158839.1, MIR7-3HG, AL445493.2, AP000808.1, AP003354.2, PLCE1-AS1, TH2LCRR and LINC01447). Both risk scoring systems gave areas under receiver operating characteristic curves0.7. Uni- and multivariate cox analyses showed that both risk scoring systems independently predicted survival even after adjusting for clinical factors. The lncRNAs related to OS may be involved in complement and coagulation cascades, while those related to RFS may be involved in the cell cycle.Risk scoring system based on these lncRNAs may be useful for predicting prognosis of tumor-positive HCC patients.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have different prognoses depending on whether or not they also have fibrosis. Since long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect tumor formation and progression, the present study aimed to investigate whether their expression might help predict the survival of patients with HCC. Expression profiles downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database were examined to identify lncRNAs differentially expressed (DElncRNAs) between HCC patients with or without fibrosis. These DElncRNAs were then used to develop a risk scoring system to predict overall survival (OS) or recurrence‑free survival (RFS). A total of 142 significant DElncRNAs were identified using data from 135 patients with fibrosis and 72 without fibrosis. For HCC patients with fibrosis, a risk scoring system to predict OS was constructed based on five lncRNAs (AL359853.1, Z93930.3, HOXA‑AS3, AL772337.1 and AC012640.3), while the risk scoring system to predict RFS was based on 12 lncRNAs (PLCE1‑AS1, Z93930.3, LINC02273, TRBV11‑2, HHIP‑AS1, AC004687.1, LINC01857, AC004585.1, AP000808.1, CU638689.4, AC090152.1 and AL357060.1). For HCC patients without fibrosis, the risk scoring system to predict OS was established based on seven lncRNAs (LINC00239, AC104971.4, AP006285.2, HOXA‑AS3, AC079834.2, NRIR and LINC01929), and the system to predict RFS was based on five lncRNAs (AC021744.1, NRIR, LINC00487, AC005858.1 and AC107398.3). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for all risk scoring systems exceeded 0.7. Uni‑ and multivariate Cox analyses showed that the risk scoring systems were significant independent predictors of OS for HCC patients with fibrosis, or of OS and RFS for HCC patients without fibrosis, after adjusting for clinical factors. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that, depending on the risk scoring system, highly associated genes were involved in pathways mainly associated with the cell cycle, chemokines, Th17 cell differentiation or thermogenesis. The findings of the present study indicate that risk scoring systems based on lncRNA expression can effectively predict the OS of HCC patients with fibrosis as well as the OS or RFS of HCC patients without fibrosis.

There is considerable interest in adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) as a means of organizing biological and toxicological information to assist in data interpretation and method development. While several chemical sectors have shown considerable progress in applying this approach, this has not been the case in the food sector. In the present study, safety evaluation reports of food additives listed in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Union were screened to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize toxicity induced in laboratory animals. The resulting database was used to identify the critical adverse effects used for risk assessment and to investigate whether food additives share common AOPs. Analysis of the database revealed that often such scrutiny of AOPs was not possible or necessary. For 69% of the food additives, the report did not document any adverse effects in studies based on which the safety evaluation was performed. For the remaining 31% of the 326 investigated food additives, critical adverse effects and related points of departure for establishing health-based guidance values could be identified. These mainly involved effects on the liver, kidney, cardiovascular system, lymphatic system, central nervous system and reproductive system. AOPs are available for many of these apical endpoints, albeit to different degrees of maturity. For other adverse outcomes pertinent to food additives, including gastrointestinal irritation and corrosion, AOPs are lacking. Efforts should focus on developing AOPs for these particular endpoints.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic muscle weakness and myositis with unknown etiology. IIM may affect the function of multiple organs and has a poor prognosis. In the present study, the causes of mortality in patients with IIM admitted to the Xiangya Hospital during the last 14 years were investigated. The investigation included an analysis of frequent causes of IIM, and of infections and associated complications. A cohort study was conducted on 676 patients with IIM that were admitted to Xiangya Hospital from January, 2001 to January, 2015. There were 49 patient mortalities (7.2% of the total cases), of which 34 mortalities were infection-associated and 15 were not infection-associated. The proportion of infection-associated IIM mortalities had increased since 2001. Of the 34 infection-associated mortalities, 31 cases (63.3%) were of fungal and bacterial infections, most frequently infecting the lungs and the blood. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii were the most commonly isolated pathogens, and co-infection with the two pathogens was observed in the majority of cases. In the IIM mortalities not associated with infection, there were 2 acute myocardial infarction cases, 2 acute interstitial lung disease cases, 4 malignancies and 1 case of each of the following: Arrhythmia, pneumothorax, ventilator weakness, pulmonary artery hypertension, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver failure and renal failure. Three mortalities were secondary to viral hepatitis in the present study. Pathogenic infection was the most frequent cause of mortality in patients with IIM. The remaining causes of mortality included secondary to heart failure, lung dysfunction and malignancy. Following the ubiquitous application of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants, the proportion of infection-associated mortalities increased in patients with IIM. Thus, in addition to focusing on the primary disease, infection should receive increased attention during clinical practice.

This study examined the relationships between life event stress, early maladaptive schemas, impulsivity and binge eating among adolescents and investigated the effects of early maladaptive schemas and impulsivity on the relationship between life event stress and binge eating. Specifically, we examined a moderated mediation model in which early maladaptive schemas mediated this relationship and impulsivity moderated the mediation effect. Life event stress, early maladaptive schemas, impulsivity and binge eating were investigated in a sample of 2172 seventh-, eighth- and tenth-grade middle and high school students (mean age = 14.55 years, standard deviation = 1.29). The results indicated that adolescents with greater life event stress, more early maladaptive schemas and higher levels of impulsivity displayed more severe binge eating. In addition, early maladaptive schemas mediated the relationship between life event stress and binge eating, while impulsivity moderated this relationship. Furthermore, impulsivity also moderated the mediation effect of early maladaptive schemas; as impulsivity levels increased, the strength of the association between life event stress and early maladaptive schemas increased. This study illustrates the importance of understanding individual differences and their effects on the relationship between life event stress and binge eating. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.