There was no significant difference between the two groups. The ROC analysis also revealed that the serum level of SSP411 could not effectively differentiate benign disease from the normal individuals. We speculated that this bias was Pazopanib attributed to the insufficient sample size, especially for the benign group. Similarly, no significant correlation was observed between the serum levels of SSP411 and lymph node metastasis or neural invasion in CC, which may also be attributed to the small sample size of the negative patients. Further research is required to characterize the function of SSP411. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that 2-DE-based quantitative proteomic approaches are feasible for the discovery of disease biomarkers in bile. SSP411 represents a novel promising potential serum biomarker for CC. A study with a larger series of CC patients, including early stage patients, with a longer follow-up is currently in progress at our center to confirm the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of SSP411. The shorter limit of these wavelengths borders on the visible light spectrum, and the longer limit is adjacent to microwaves in the light spectrum. Within the infrared spectrum, there are five distinct categories: near infrared, shortwavelength infrared, mid-wavelength infrared, long-wavelength infrared, and far infrared region. Recent studies have suggested the use of infrared light as therapy for an array of diseases, including dermatologic conditions, photoaging, wound healing, alopecia areata and temporal mandibular joint pain. Near infrared light transmitted by light emitting diodes has been found to increase in vitro cell growth of mouse fibroblasts, rat osteoblasts, rat skeletal muscle cells, and normal human epithelial cells. Near infrared light has also been found to accelerate wound healing in both mice and humans, possibly via upregulation of transforming growth factor -beta 1 and matrix metalloproteinase -2 content. In terms of mechanism of action, a systemic effect may be responsible for some of the therapeutic value of infrared light. Interestingly, the growth promoting activity of the entire circulating blood is enhanced by local infrared irradiation. Blood from human volunteers whose sacral skin had been irradiated with visible and infrared polarized light was found to increase proliferation of in vitro keratinocytes. Similar results were obtained with blood that was irradiated in vitro. The authors hypothesized that transcutaneous photomodification of a small amount of blood in superficial skin vessels may lead to rapid rise of the growth promoting activity of the entire circulated blood, possibly via release of growth factors from blood cells. One factor that may be released is nitric oxide. Nearinfrared light irradiation has been shown to increase nitric oxide production in cultured rat and mouse cardiomyocytes, and protect them from injury at the onset of reoxygenation following hypoxia. NO has a number of effects on cells, including a role in apoptotic pathways, and may promote or antagonize apoptosis depending on its concentration and the cellular redox state. Despite prior research that has shown beneficial effects in treating stroke patients with infrared irradiation, limited data exists that demonstrates the ability of infrared light to pass through the soft tissue and bone of the skull. In fact, in dermatology textbooks, 600–1064 nm wavelength light is commonly depicted as penetrating no further than the dermis.