Does maternal and cord blood miR-223 expression associate with prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and low regulatory T-cell numbers?
For the first time, we show that maternal tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy correlates with the level of miRNA-223 expression in blood, with an effect on children's cord blood Treg cell numbers and subsequent allergy risk.
Stem cell-like phenotypes are observed in EpCAM+ CTCs, and a preoperative CTC(7.5) of ≥2 is a novel predictor for tumor recurrence in HCC patients after surgery, especially in patient subgroups with AFP levels of ≤400 ng/mL or low tumor recurrence risk. EpCAM+ CTCs may serve as a real-time parameter for monitoring treatment response and a therapeutic target in HCC recurrence.