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The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is considered the standard therapy for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However, information regarding the efficacy of lenvatinib or sorafenib in combination with TACE for patients with uHCC is limited. The present study involved a systematic search for randomized controlled trials on the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library online databases to compare the use of TACE combined with either lenvatinib or sorafenib, and monotherapy using either lenvatinib or sorafenib for patients with uHCC. The network meta-analysis of the present study included eight randomized controlled trials involving 2,929 patients. The random-effects model was used, and hazard ratios and risk ratios with 95% CIs were calculated. Lenvatinib in combination with TACE provided the maximal overall survival (97.92%), progression-free survival (87.8%), objective response (96.68%) and disease control (96.27%) rates. The results of the present study indicated that, in the treatment of patients with uHCC, lenvatinib in combination with TACE showed a significantly improved efficacy when compared with sorafenib and TACE. Therefore, in the future, combination therapy of lenvatinib with TACE could be potentially prioritized over sorafenib with TACE for the treatment of patients with uHCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salvage liver transplantation (SLT) is an effective treatment option for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (rHCC) following primary curative treatment (CUR). However, its efficacy remains controversial compared to that of CURs, including repeat liver resection (RLR) and local ablation. This meta-analysis compared the efficacy and safety of these procedures. A systematic literature search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for studies investigating SLT and CUR was performed. Outcome data, including overall and disease-free survival, tumor response, and operative and postoperative outcomes, were independently extracted and analyzed by two authors using a standardized protocol. Fifteen cohort studies comprising 508 and 2050 patients with rHCC, who underwent SLT or CUR, respectively, were included. SLT achieved significantly longer overall survival than both CUR (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.56, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.45–0.68; I2 = 34.6 %, p = 0.105) and RLR (HR: 0.64, 95 % CI: 0.49–0.84; I2 = 0.0 %, p = 0.639). Similar significantly better survival benefits were observed compared with CUR (HR: 0.30, 95 % CI: 0.20–0.45; I2 = 51.1 %, p = 0.038) or RLR (HR: 0.31, 95 % CI: 0.18–0.56; I2 = 65.7 %, p = 0.005) regarding disease-free survival. However, SLT resulted in a longer operative duration and hospital stay, larger amount of blood loss, higher rate of transfusion and postoperative morbidity, and slightly higher postoperative mortality than CUR. SLT was associated with better long-term survival than CUR or RLR in patients with rHCC after primary curative treatment. • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. • Salvage liver transplantation and other local curative treatments are effective options for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma following primary curative treatment. • In this study, we conducted the a systematic review and meta-analysis of the two treatments options. • Salvage liver transplantation provides significant long-term survival advantages than local curative treatments for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with many different risk factors, both genetic and environmental. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Han Chinese identified three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs rs11038167, rs11038172, and rs835784) in the tetraspanins gene TSPAN18 as possible susceptibility loci for schizophrenia. Hoping to validate these findings, we conducted a case-control study of Han Chinese with 1093 schizophrenia cases and 1022 healthy controls. Using the LDR-PCR method to genotype polymorphisms in TSPAN18, we found no significant differences (P>0.05) between patients and controls in either the allele or genotype frequency of the SNPs rs11038167 and rs11038172. We did find, however, that the frequency of the ‘A’ allele of SNP rs835784 is significantly higher in patients than in controls. We further observed a significant association (OR  = 1.197, 95%CI  = 1.047–1.369) between risk for SCZ and this ‘A’ allele. These results confirm the significant association, in Han Chinese populations, of increased SCZ risk and the variant of the TSPAN18 gene containing the ‘A’ allele of SNP rs835784. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]