Search

Warming temperatures caused by climate change are predicted to vary temporally and spatially. For mid‐ and high‐latitude reptiles, the seasonal variation in warming temperatures experienced by embryos and hatchlings may determine offspring fitness, yet this has remained largely unexplored.To evaluate the independent and interactive influence of seasonal variation in warming temperatures on embryonic and hatchling development, we incubated eggs and reared hatchlings of a cold‐climate oviparous ectothermic species, the Heilongjiang grass lizard (Takydromus amurensis), following a 2 × 2 factorial design (present climate versus warming climate for embryos × present climate versus warming climate for hatchlings). We then evaluated embryonic and hatchling development, including hatching success, incubation period, initial hatchling body size, hatchling metabolic rate, growth rate and survival in the mesocosms.We found that warming temperatures shortened the incubation period and produced hatchlings with higher survival rates than those incubated under the present climate conditions. Similarly, hatchlings reared under a warming climate had similar growth rates and resting metabolic rates, but higher survival rates than those reared under the present climate. Hatchlings that experienced both warming incubation and warming growth conditions had the highest survival rates.This study revealed that moderate warming temperatures (Representative Concentration Pathway, RCP 4.5, 1.1–2.6°C) experienced by embryos and hatchlings interact to benefit hatchling fitness in cold‐climate oviparous ectotherms. Our study also highlighted the importance of integrating seasonal variation in warming temperatures when evaluating the responses to climate warming in multiple developmental stages in oviparous ectotherms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was aimed to identify tumor proteins that elicit a humoral response in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Autologous sera of 15 newly diagnosed patients with ESCC and age- and gender-matched 15 healthy controls were analyzed individually for antibody-based reactivity against proteins from 15 homogenized ESCC tissue mixture resolved by two-dimensional PAGE. One protein spot, which reacted with sera from ESCC patients but not with those from controls, was identified to be CDC25B by mass spectrometry and Western blotting. High expression of CDC25B was detected in ESCC cell lines and primary tumor tissues, but not in normal esophageal tissues. In addition, CDC25B expression was significantly higher in tumor tissue of patients with sera positive CDC25B-Abs than that of patients without CDC25B-Abs. Finally, anti-CDC25B antibodies were readily detectable in sera from 45 of 124 (36.29%) patients with ESCC, 13 of 150 (8.67%) patients with other types of cancer and 0 of 102 (0%) of healthy individuals. Thus, CDC25B autoantibodies may have clinical utility in ESCC screening and diagnosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

C27H33Cl3N4O4, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 7.1343(4) Å, b = 22.4930(10) Å, c = 9.7835(4) Å, β = 106.876(5), V = 1502.37(13) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0605, wRref(F2) = 0.1517, T = 179.99(10) K [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared newly developed delayed‐release oral tablets (test) of 30‐mg nifedipine (NFP) with its marketed counterpart (30 mg; reference) in healthy adult Chinese volunteers to assess the former's bioequivalence. This was a randomized, open‐label, four‐period, crossover trial study including fasting and fed trials. The participants were randomly administered test or reference formulations (1:1 ratio) throughout each period, with a 7‐day washout period. In the next session, they were administered the alternate products. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and WinNonlin software were used to evaluate the bioequivalence of the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of NFP and the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC). In total, 46 and 48 people participated in the fasting and postprandial trials. In both groups, the 90% confidence intervals of geometric mean ratios of Cmax, AUC from time zero to time t, and AUC from time zero to infinity were in the equivalence range (80%–125%). When NFP was administered concomitantly with a high‐fat meal, time to maximum concentration was approximately twofold earlier, absorption was approximately 4.8% less, and Cmax exhibited a slight change relative to those under fasting conditions. Moreover, no serious adverse events were recorded in the participants. The present findings confirm the bioequivalence of test and reference formulations of NFP tablets under fasting and postprandial conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, are fatal neurodegenerative diseases that affect many mammals including humans and are caused by the misfolding of prion protein (PrP). A naturally occurring protective polymorphism G127V in human PrP has recently been found to significantly attenuate prion diseases, but the mechanism has remained elusive. We herein report that the hydrophobic chain introduced in G127V significantly inhibits amyloid fibril formation by human PrP, highlighting the protective effect of the G127V polymorphism. We further introduce an amino acid with a different hydrophobic chain (Ile) at the same position and find that G127I has similar protective effects as G127V. Moreover, we show that these two neutralizing mutations, G127V and G127I, significantly decrease the human PrP cytotoxicity resulting from PrP fibril formation, mitochondrial damage, and elevated reactive oxygen species production enhanced by a strong prion-prone peptide PrP 106-126. These findings elucidate the molecular basis for a natural protective polymorphism in PrP and will enable the development of novel therapeutic strategies against prion diseases. Image 1 • Neutralizing mutations modulate the liquid-liquid phase separation of the normal cellular prion proteinPrP. • Neutralizing mutations significantly inhibit the fibrillization of prion protein (PrP). • Neutralizing mutations protect against mitochondrial damage in cells. • Neutralizing mutations decrease reactive oxygen species production and cytotoxicity of PrP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to evaluate the bioequivalence of the newly developed delayed‐release oral suspension (test) 40 mg esomeprazole magnesium compared to its marketed counterpart (40 mg; reference) in healthy adult Chinese subjects. We conducted randomized, open‐label, two‐period, single‐dose, two‐way crossover trials over a 7‐day washout period, comprising a fasting trial and a fed trial. The subjects were administered the test or reference products in a 1:1 ratio at random throughout each period. Then, in the next session, they received the alternate products. Liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry and WinNonlin software were used to assess the bioequivalence of esomeprazole peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration–time curve (AUC). Overall, 33 subjects participated in the fasting trial and 42 subjects participated in the fed trial. Under both situations, the 90% confidence interval for the ratio of geometric means of Cmax, AUC0‐t, and AUC0‐∞ were within equivalence ranges (80%–125%). In these trials, no severe adverse events or protocol violations were observed. Moreover, when esomeprazole was administered while fed, the tmax was delayed, and both Cmax and AUC were reduced. The results of this research suggest that the test and reference formulations were bioequivalent under fasting and fed states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: OK-432, a streptococcal preparation, has been shown as an effective activator to induce human monocyte-derived dendritic cells maturation. During this process, the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 plays an important role. However, the signaling pathway involved in has not been fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the underlying mechanisms, by which OK-432 induced maturation of human monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs). We observed that exposure of immature MoDCs to OK-432 activated the p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathway, accompanied up-regulated the surface expression of maturation markers CD80, CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR, increased secretion of TNF-α, IL-12 and chemokine, IP-10. In addition, T cells stimulatory capacity was also enhanced. The maturation of MoDCs stimulated by OK-432 was inhibited by treatment with p38 pathway inhibitor, SB203580, or NF-κB pathway inhibitor, BAY-117082. Whereas, blocking of JNK pathway with SP600125 or ERK pathway with PD98059 did not influence OK-432-induced DCs maturation. Taken together, our data indicated that OK-432-induced DCs maturation was due, at least partly to the activation of p38 and NF-κB pathway. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to explore the bioequivalence of miglitol based on pharmacodynamic properties. The study was performed as a single‐dose, randomized, open‐label, 3‐period, 3‐way crossover trial over a 7‐day washout period. Forty‐eight subjects were randomly assigned into 3 groups: (1) miglitol test formulation/sucrose coadministration, (2) miglitol reference formulation/sucrose coadministration, and (3) sucrose administration alone. Serum glucose concentrations were measured by the hexokinase detection method. The peak serum glucose concentration (Cmax) and the area under the serum glucose concentration‐time curve through 4 hours (AUC0‐4h) were used as the main pharmacodynamic parameters to evaluate bioequivalence. The 90% confidence intervals for the geometric mean ratios of Cmax and AUC0‐4h were 94.81%‐101.07% and 98.82%‐100.72%, respectively, which were all within the bioequivalence range of 80.00%‐125.00%. The test and reference formulations of miglitol were pharmacodynamically bioequivalent during the trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the predictive value of chemokine CCL27 for identifying early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients within a population seropositive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) capsid antigen-specific IgA (VCA-IgA).Methods: CCL27 in plasma samples from 104 NPC patients, 112 VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors, and 140 VCA-IgA-negative normal subjects was measured by ELISA. Expression of CCL27 in nasopharyngeal tissue from 20 VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors and 20 NPC patients was examined by immunohistochemical staining.Results: Levels of CCL27 in the plasma of VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors (607.33 ± 218.81 pg/ml) were significantly higher than the levels in all NPC patients (437.09 ± 217.74, P = < 0.0001) and in the subset of patients with early stage NPC (463.85 ± 226.17, P = 0.0126). Plasma CCL27 levels were significantly lower in the VCA-IgA-negative normal subjects (358.22 ± 133.15 pg/ml) than in either the VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors (P < 0.0001) or the NPC patients (P = 0.0113). CCL27 protein was detected in 16 of 20 (80%) nasopharyngeal tissue samples from VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors and in 3 of 20 (15%) tumor tissue samples from NPC patients. There was no relationship between CCL27 levels and VCA-IgA titers or plasma EBV DNA content. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated that plasma CCL27 levels had a sensitivity of 67.00%, a specificity of 73.10%, and an area under the ROC of 0.725 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.657-0.793) for distinguishing between NPC patients and VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors. Further analysis showed that CCL27 levels could distinguish between early stage NPC patients and VCA-IgA-positive healthy donors with an area under the ROC of 0.712 (95% CI: 0.560-0.865), a sensitivity of 59.80%, and a specificity of 84.60%.Conclusions: Chemokine CCL27 could successfully identify NPC patients within a VCA-IgA-positive population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The pretreatment albumin and globulin ratio (AGR) was an inflammation-associated factor which was related to the overall survival in various malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of AGR in patients with gastric cancer. Method. This retrospective study included 862 cases pathologically diagnosed with gastric cancer. All patients were randomly divided into the testing group (431 cases) and validation group (431 cases). The relationships of AGR with clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Results. In the testing group, the median overall survival was 26.90 months and the cutoff value of AGR was 1.50 based on R language. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that lower AGR was correlated with poorer overall survival. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that AGR was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (HR: 0.584, 95% CI = 0.351–0.973, and p = 0.039). In the validation group, the median overall survival was 24.10 months. Lower AGR (≤1.50) also had a significantly poorer overall survival by Kaplan-Meier analysis. According to multivariate analysis, the AGR was also confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (HR: 0.578, 95% CI = 0.373–0.897, and p = 0.015). Conclusions. Our study suggested that the pretreatment AGR could be a prognostic biomarker for overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Three types of biflavonoids (1 – 9) were isolated from Selaginella trichoclada. • An IC 50 value of compounds 2 and 8 was 7.7 and 6.9 μΜ against MCF-7 cells, respectively. • Compound 8 could be expected to induce ferroptosis in MCF-7 cells through RNA-sequencing measure analysis. • Compound 8 could be a highly potent inhibitor for ACSL4 proteins. A new biflavonoid, (2′' S)-6′'-methyl-2′',3′'-dihydroochnaflavone (1), along with two known ochnaflavones (2 , 3), four known amentoflavones (4 – 7) and two known robustaflavones (8 , 9) were obtained from the 70% EtOH extract of Selaginella trichoclada. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses. Overall, compounds 1 – 9 displayed moderate cytotoxic effects against human breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines. Among them, compounds 2 and 8 exhibited relatively strong cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 cells with an IC 50 value of 7.7 and 6.9 μΜ, respectively. The results of RNA-sequencing and KEGG functional enrichment analysis showed that 8 could induce ferroptosis in MCF-7 cells by down-regulating the expression of ferroptosis-related genes including ACSL4, NOXO1, NOXA1, ACSL5, STEAP3, LPCAT3, ATG7 and TP53. Then 8 could inhibit the expression of ACSL4 proteins through molecule docking analysis, which showed a strong interaction of − 11.89 Kcal/mol binding energy. Those results indicate that 8 could be chemotherapy agents to fight drug resistance in breast cancer by down-regulating the expression level of ACSL4 proteins via ferroptosis, which needs to be further certified in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) mass screening trial using a combination of immunoglobulin A antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen and nuclear antigen-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in addition to indirect mirror examination in the nasopharynx and/or lymphatic palpation (IMLP) was conducted in southern China. Cantonese aged 30–59 years residing in 2 cities randomly selected by cluster sampling, Sihui and Zhongshan, were invited to participate in this screening from May 2008 through May 2010. Participants were offered fiberoptic endoscopy examination and/or pathologic biopsy if their serologic tests reached our predefined level of high risk or if results from the physical examination indicated possible cancer (i.e., were IMLP positive). A total of 28,688 individuals were voluntarily screened in the initial round. The overall NPC detection rate was 0.14% (41/28,688) with an early diagnosis rate of 68.3% (28/41) during the first year of follow-up. Thirty-eight of 41 cases (92.7%) were detected among the high-risk group, and 7 of 41 cases (17.1%) were detected among the IMLP-positive group. The 2 Epstein-Barr virus serologic tests by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay could be a feasible alternative for NPC screening in endemic areas. Further follow-up is needed to examine whether screening has an effect on decreasing mortality from NPC in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Increase of Serum amyloid A (SAA) level has been observed in patients with a variety of cancers. The objective of this study was to determined whether SAA level could be used as a prognostic parameter in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: SAA levels were measured by rate nephelometry immunoassay in 167 healthy controls and 167 ESCC patients prior to surgical resection. Statistical associations between clinicopathological observations and SAA levels were determined using the Mann–Whitney U test. The clinical value of SAA level as a prognostic parameter was evaluated using the Cox’s proportional hazards model.Results: SAA levels were significantly higher in patients with ESCC compared to levels in healthy controls(13.88 ± 15.19 mg/L vs. 2.26 ± 1.66 mg/L, P < 0.001). Elevation of SAA levels (≥ 8.0 mg/L) was observed in 54.5%(91/167) of patients with ESCC but not in healthy controls. SAA levels were associated with tumor size (P < 0.001),histological differentiation (P = 0.015), T classification (P < 0.001), clinical stage (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis(P < 0.001) and distant metastasis (P < 0.001), but not with the age and gender of the patients or tumor location.Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with an elevated level of SAA (≥ 8.0 mg/L) had significantly lower 5-year survival rate than those with non-elevated SAA (< 8.0 mg/L, log-rank P < 0.0001).Conclusions: An elevated level of preoperative SAA was found to associate with tumor progression and poor survival in patients with ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Six C-3′-C-6″ type of biflavonoids were isolated from S. trichoclada. • RF-A showed the strongest activity against MCF-7 cells among all isolated compounds. • RF-A induced the accumulation of ROS and Lipid peroxidation in MCF-7 cells. • RF-A induced ferroptosis in MCF-7 cells via the upregulation of VDAC2 protein. Breast cancer is one of the major malignant tumors in females, and currently, recurrence and metastasis are the main obstacles preventing effective breast cancer treatment. Biflavonoids of secondary metabolites from plants are excellent anticancer agents to fight sensitive and resistant breast cancer cell lines. In this study, six C-3′-C-6″ biflavonoids, including one new robustaflavone A (1 , RF-A) and five known robustaflavone derivatives (2 – 6) , were isolated from Selaginella trichoclada for the first time. We aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of compounds 1 – 6 against human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Among the six compounds, RF-A showed the strongest activity, decreasing cell viability with an IC 50 value of 11.89 μΜ. Furthermore, RF-A strikingly induced MCF-7 nonapoptotic cell death through ferroptosis by enhancing the expression of VDAC2 channels and reducing the expression of Nedd4 E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to lipid peroxidation and ROS production. The results suggested that RF-A has potential as a novel breast cancer treatment through its regulation of the mitochondrial VDAC2 and Nedd4 pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoujin pill (ZJP), a medication used to treat gastrointestinal disorders since the 15th Century in China, have been reported to exert anti-depressant effects in various models. To assess the effects of ZJP on gastrointestinal function and depressive behavior in rats under chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to examine the underlying mechanisms related to brain–gut axis. The rats suffered the stressor once daily for 5 weeks. ZJP (0.6 and 1.2 g/kg) and fluoxetine (15 mg/kg) as positive control were administered to the rats through gastric intubation once daily for 5 consecutive weeks. The anti-depression effects were compared by performing sucrose preference tests and open field tests. Gastrointestinal motility was investigated by determining the gastrointestinal transit rate and by electrogastrogram. The serum levels of the gastrointestinal hormone (GAS, MOT, VIP, SP), inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6; , TNFα) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For monoamine neurotransmitters (NE, 5-HT, DA), the levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection in conjunction, which was applied on the samples taken from the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and striatum. The depression-like symptoms among rats under CUMS were significantly relieved by ZJP administration (0.6 and 1.2 g/kg). Gastrointestinal motility was also improved by restoring gastric electrical rhythm and promoting gastrointestinal propulsion. The ZJP at 0.6 g/kg dosage obviously up-regulated 5-HT and DA levels in hippocampus. The ZJP at 1.2 g/kg dosage could increase 5-HT and DA levels in hypothalamus, striatum, and hippocampus, while down-regulated the NE level in hypothalamus and hippocampus. ZJP also reversed the alterations in serum gastrointestinal hormones. Furthermore, treatment with ZJP significantly reduced levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and increased serum GLP-1 compared with the CUMS group. Fluoxetine also exerted similar anti-depressant effects in the absence of effects on gastrointestinal motility and the levels of serum hormone, inflammatory cytokine and GLP-1. ZJP imposed anti-depressant and gastrointestinal regulating functions in rats under CUMS, suggesting potential clinical application.. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated serum YKL-40 levels have been observed in various cancers. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of serum YKL-40 alone or in combination with the CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCCA tumor markers for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: YKL-40 was detected in ESCC cell lines and tissues by real-time RT-PCR, Western blotting and ELISA. YKL-40 protein expression was determined in 20 ESCC tumor tissues using immunohistochemistry. Serum YKL-40 was measured by ELISA in 126 healthy donors, 59 patients with benign esophageal diseases and 150 patients with ESCC. Serum CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCCA were determined by electrochemiluminescence.Results: YKL-40 mRNA and protein were observed in ESCC cancer cell lines, tissues and cell culture media, respectively. YKL-40 expression was observed in 17 of 20 ESCC samples (85%). Serum YKL-40 concentration was significantly elevated in patients with ESCC (Range: 6.95-502.10 ng/ml) compared with patients with benign diseases (Range: 1.21-429.30 ng/ml; P = 0.038) and healthy controls (Range: 2.56-132.26 ng/ml; P < 0.001). ROC curves demonstrated that serum YKL-40 has a sensitivity of 72.70%, a specificity of 84.13% and an AUC of 0.874 for the diagnosis of ESCC, which was superior to CEA (Sen: 8.00%; Spe: 96.80%, AUC = 0.652), CYFRA21-1 (Sen: 40.00%; Spe: 92.06%, AUC = 0.746) and SCCA (Sen: 32.67%; Spe: 94.44%, AUC = 0.789). The YKL-40 and SCCA combination was better for diagnosing ESCC (Sen: 82.00%, Spe: 79.37%, PPV: 82.55 and NPV: 78.74; AUC = 0.917) than the YKL-40 and CEA combination (Sen: 74.00%, Spe: 83.20%, PPV: 84.09 and NPV: 72.73; AUC = 0.877), the YKL-40 and CYFRA21-1 combination (Sen: 82.00%, Spe: 77.78%, PPV: 81.46% and NPV: 78.40%; AUC = 0.897) or the CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCCA combination (Sen: 56.67%, Spe: 84.80%, PPV: 81.73 and NPV: 61.99; AUC = 0.831). Associations between serum YKL-40 levels and the clinic characteristics of ESCC were not significant, with the exception of age (p = 0.001).Conclusions: ESCC tumor cells and tissues express YKL-40. Serum YKL-40 may be a potential biomarker for ESCC. Serum YKL-40 in combination with SCCA significantly increases the sensitivity of detecting ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor-derived cytokines and their receptors usually take important roles in the disease progression and prognosis of cancer patients. In this survey, we aimed to detect the expression levels of MIF and CXCR4 in different cell populations of tumor microenvironments and their association with survivals of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: MIF and CXCR4 levels were measured by immunochemistry in tumor specimens from 136 resected ESCC. Correlation analyses and independent prognostic outcomes were determined using Pearson's chi-square test and Cox regression analysis.Results: The expression of CXCR4 in tumor cells was positively associated with tumor status (P = 0.045) and clinical stage (P = 0.044); whereas the expression of CXCR4 in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the expression of MIF in tumor cells and in TILs were not associated with clinical parameters of ESCC patients. High MIF expression in tumor cells or in TILs or high CXCR4 expression in tumor cells was significantly related to poor survival of ESCC patients (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of MIF or CXCR4 in tumor cells and the expression of MIF in TILs were adverse independent factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the whole cohort of patients (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression of MIF and CXCR4 in tumor cells were independent factors for reduced DFS and OS in metastatic/recurrent ESCC patients (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the expressions of MIF and CXCR4 in tumor cells and in TILs were significantly positively correlated (P < 0.05), and the combined MIF and CXCR4 expression in tumor cells was an independent adverse predictive factor for DFS and OS (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The expressions of MIF and CXCR4 proteins in tumor cells and TILs have different clinically predictive values in ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many kinetochore proteins have been shown to be associated with human cancers. The aim of the present study was to clarify the expression of Centromere protein H (CENP-H), one of the fundamental components of the human active kinetochore, in esophageal carcinoma and its correlation with clinicopathological features.Methods: We examined the expression of CENP-H in immortalized esophageal epithelial cells as well as in esophageal carcinoma cells, and in 12 cases of esophageal carcinoma tissues and the paired normal esophageal tissues by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In addition, we analyzed CENP-H protein expression in 177 clinicopathologically characterized esophageal carcinoma cases by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were applied to test for prognostic and diagnostic associations.Results: The level of CENP-H mRNA and protein were higher in the immortalized cells, cancer cell lines and most cancer tissues than in normal control tissues. Immunohistochemistry showed that CENP-H was expressed in 127 of 171 ESCC cases (74.3%) and in 3 of 6 esophageal adenocarcinoma cases (50%). Statistical analysis of ESCC cases showed that there was a significant difference of CENP-H expression in patients categorized according to gender (P = 0.013), stage (P = 0.023) and T classification (P = 0.019). Patients with lower CENP-H expression had longer overall survival time than those with higher CENP-H expression. Multivariate analysis suggested that CENP-H expression was an independent prognostic marker for esophageal carcinoma patients. A prognostic value of CENP-H was also found in the subgroup of T3 approximately T4 and N0 tumor classification.Conclusion: Our results suggest that CENP-H protein is a valuable marker of esophageal carcinoma progression. CENP-H might be used as a valuable prognostic marker for esophageal carcinoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]