Also, clinical relationships of IL-17 and IL-17 receptor family cytokines in HCC are still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated high expression of IL-17 and IL-17RE were promising predictors for poor outcome of HCC after resection, and activated human HSCs induced in vitro expansion of IL-17 producing CD4+ T cells, therefore indicating the intrinsic association among various inflammatory/immune cells and cytokines involved in the progress of tumor. Materials and methods Patients and specimens All archival

specimens were obtained from 300 consecutive HCC patients after surgical resection in 2007 (Table 1). A total of 111 serum samples of preoperative and postoperative this website (at 5 days) HCC and preoperative haemangioma patients were prospectively learn more collected at our hospital from January to July in 2011. Haemangioma patients had normal liver function in this cohort relative to normal, age matched donors. The experimental protocols

described in this study complied with the Ethics Review Committee of Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, and every patient provided written informed consent before enrollment. Table 1 Peritumoral and intratumoral IL-17RE expression according to characteristics of 300 HCC patients Characteristics Peritumoral IL-17RE Intratumoral IL-17RE     Low high p Low high p     n = 176 n = 124   n = 221 n = 79   Gender Male 144 109 0.197 187 66 0.857   Female 32 15 34 13     Age(years) ≤53 90 67 0.640 121 36 0.190

  >53 86 57 100 43     ALT(U/L) ≤75 154 109 1.000 193 70 0.844   >75 22 15 28 9     AFP(ng/ml) >20 104 87 0.52 138 53 0.498   ≤20 72 37   83 26   Hepatitis history Yes 130 88 0.601 62 20 0.769   No 46 36 159 59     Cirrhosis Yes 155 110 1.000 199 66 0.152   No 21 14 22 13     Vascular invasion Yes 38 46 0.004 61 23 0.884   No 138 78 160 56     Encapsulation Yes 89 68 0.483 114 43 0.695   No 87 56 107 36     Number Single 155 108 0.859 196 67 0.425   Multiple 21 16 25 12     Size(cm) ≤5 122 72 0.50 145 49 0.585   >5 54 52 76 30     Differentiation I-II 128 92 0.793 166 54 0.299   III-IV 48 32 55 25     TNM stage I 129 73 0.012 150 52 0.780   II-III 47 51 71 27     IL-17RE: interleukin-17receptor E; AFP: alpha Rutecarpine fetoprotein; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; TNM, tumor-node-metastasis. Tissue microarray design and immunocytochemistry TMAs were constructed as described previously [20]. All patients were monitored postoperatively until January 2012. The total numbers of positive cells of each core were evaluated by two independent investigators blind to clinical outcome and knowledge of the clinicopathologic data. Positive staining cells were screened (100X) and four most representative areas were observed (400X) to count using a Leica DMLA light microscope (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany). Data were expressed as the mean (±SE) number cells for one computerized 400X microscopic field based on the triplicate samples obtained from each patient.