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Liver transplantation is still associated with a high risk of severe complications and post-operative mortality. This study examines the predictive value of the preoperative C-reactive-protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) regarding perioperative morbidity and mortality in deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT) recipients. In total, 390 DDLT recipients between 05/2010 and 03/2020 were eligible. Predictive abilities of CAR were examined through receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. Groups were compared using parametric and non-parametric tests as appropriate. Independent risk factors for morbidity and mortality were identified using uni- and multivariable logistic regression analyses. A good predictive ability for CAR was shown regarding perioperative morbidity (comprehensive complication index >= 75, Clavien-Dindo score >= 4a) and 12-month mortality, with an ideal cut-off of CAR = 26%. Patients with CAR>26% had significantly higher median CCI scores (60 vs. 43, P < 0.001), longer intensive care unit (ICU, 5 vs. 4 days, P < 0.001) and hospital (28 vs. 21 days, P < 0.001) stays and higher 12-month mortality rates (20% vs 6%, P < 0.001). Multivariable analyses identified CAR>26%, pre-OLT inpatient hospitalization (including ICU) and post-operative red blood cell transfusions as independent predictors of severe cumulative morbidity (CCI >= 75). Preoperative CAR might be a reliable additional tool to predict perioperative morbidity and mortality in DDLT recipients.

International journal of molecular sciences 23(22), 13806 (2022). doi:10.3390/ijms232213806 special issue: "Special Issue "Molecular Frontiers in Transplantation-Induced Ischemia Reperfusion Injury" / Special Issue Editor: Dr. Raphaël Thuillier, Guest Editor", Published by Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel

Cancers 14(3), 720 (2022). doi:10.3390/cancers14030720 special issue: "Special Issue "Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Liver Disease" / Special Issue Editors: Dr. Adriaan J. van der Meer, Guest Editor; Dr. Dave Sprengers, Guest Editor", Published by MDPI, Basel

Background Accumulating evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important participants in cancer progression. However, the biological processes and underlying mechanisms of circRNAs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are unclear. Method CircRNAs were verified by Sanger sequencing. Colony formation, 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU), and Transwell assays were performed to investigate the effect of circBFAR on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of PDAC cells in vitro. RNA pull-down assays were conducted to verify the binding of circBFAR with microRNA miR-34b-5p. Results In the present study, we identified a novel circRNA (termed as circBFAR, hsa_circ_0009065) that was upregulated in a 208-case cohort of patients with PDAC. The ectopic expression of circBFAR correlated positively with the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and was related to poorer prognosis of patients with PDAC. Moreover, circBFAR knockdown dramatically inhibited the proliferation and motility of PDAC cells in vitro and their tumor-promoting and metastasis properties in in vivo models. Mechanistically, circBFAR upregulated mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) expression via sponging miR-34b-5p. Additionally, circBFAR overexpression increased the expression of MET and activated downstream phosphorylation of Akt (Ser 473) and further activated the MET/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which ultimately promoted the progression of PDAC cells. Importantly, application of MET inhibitors could significantly attenuate circBFAR-mediated tumorigenesis in vivo. Conclusions Our findings showed that circBFAR plays an important role in the proliferation and metastasis of PDAC, which might be explored as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for PDAC.

Additional file 3. Supplementary Methods.

Additional file 10: Figure S3. Full uncut original pictures.

Additional file 4: Figure S1. Silencing circBFAR inhibit proliferation, migration and invasion of PDAC cells in vitro.

Additional file 9: Table S6. The sequences of primers used in this study.

Additional file 8: Table S5. Univariate and multivariate analysis of Disease-free Survival for circBFAR expression in PDAC patients.

Additional file 6: Table S3. Correlation between circBFAR expression and clinicopathologic characteristics of PDAC patients.

Additional file 5: Figure S2. The identification and confirmation downstream target gene of miR-34b-5p and knockdown efficiency in PDAC cells.

Additional file 2: Table S2. The sequences of oligonucleotides and probes used in this study.