PDCD4 and gastric cancer: Moreover, we observed that cell apoptosis was increased by miR-23a/b inhibitors and decreased by miR-23a/b mimics in gastric cancer cells and that the restoration of PDCD4 expression attenuated the anti-apoptotic effects of miR-23a/b in gastric cancer cells, indicating that PDCD4 is a direct mediator of miR-23a/b functions.