CircRNA-associated ceRNA networks (circCeNETs) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic airway disorder, which is mostly brought on by cigarette smoke extract (CSE), is a leading cause of death which has a high frequency. In COPD patients, smoking cigarette could also trigger the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of airway remodeling. One of the most significant elements of environmental contaminants that is linked to pulmonary damage is fine particulate matter (PM2.5). However, the basic processes of lung injury brought on by environmental contaminants and cigarette smoke are poorly understood, particularly the molecular pathways involved in inflammation. For the clinical management of COPD, investigating the molecular process and identifying workable biomarkers will be important. According to newly available research, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are aberrantly produced and serve as important regulators in the pathological processes of COPD. This class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) functions as microRNA (miRNA) sponges to control the levels of gene expression, changing cellular phenotypes and advancing disease. These findings led us to concentrate our attention in this review on new studies about the regulatory mechanism and potential roles of circRNA-associated ceRNA networks (circCeNETs) in COPD.

Evaluation of the Expression of Infection-Related Long Noncoding RNAs among COVID-19 Patients: A Case-Control Study

Background and Aims

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a worldwide pandemic, activates signaling cascades and leads to innate immune responses and secretion of multiple chemokines and cytokines. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a crucial role in inflammatory pathways. Through our search on the PubMed database, we discovered that existing research has primarily focused on examining the regulatory impacts of five lncRNAs in the context of viral infections. However, their role in regulating other conditions, including SARS-CoV-2, has not been explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the expression pattern of lncRNAs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and their potential roles in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Potentially significant competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks of these five lncRNAs were found using online in-silico techniques.

Methods

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood samples of the control group consisted of 45 healthy people, and a total of 53 COVID-19-infected patients in case group, with a written informed consent, was collected. PBMCs were extracted, and then, the RNA extraction and complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis was performed. The expression of five lncRNAs (lnc ISR, lnc ATV, lnc PAAN, lnc SG20, and lnc HEAL) was assessed by real-time PCR. In order to evaluate the biomarker roles of genes, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn.

Results

Twenty-four (53.3%) and 29 (54.7%) of healthy and COVID-19-infected participants were male, respectively. The most prevalent symptoms were as follows: cough, general weakness, contusion, headache, and sore throat. The results showed that three lncRNAs, including lnc ISR, lnc ATV, and lnc HEAL, were expressed dramatically higher in the case group compared to healthy controls. According to ROC curve analysis, lnc ATV has a higher AUC and is a better biomarker to differentiate COVID-19 patients from the healthy controls. Then, using bioinformatics methods, the ceRNA network of these lncRNAs enabled the identification of mRNAs and miRNAs with crucial functions in COVID-19.

Conclusion

The considerable higher expression of ISR, ATV, and HEAL lncRNAs and the significant area under curve (AUC) in ROC curve demonstrate that these RNAs probably have a potential role in controlling the host innate immune responses and regulate the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2. However, these assumptions need further in vitro and in vivo investigations to be confirmed.

The use of nanoparticles in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer, dental applications and tissue regeneration: a review

The emergence of nanotechnology as a field of study can be traced back to the 1980s, at which point the means to artificially produce, control, and observe matter on a nanometer level was made viable. Recent advancements in technology have enabled us to extend our reach to the nanoscale, which has presented an unparalleled opportunity to directly target biomolecular interactions. As a result of these developments, there is a drive to arise intelligent nanostructures capable of overcoming the obstacles that have impeded the progress of conventional pharmacological methodologies. After four decades, the gradual amalgamation of bio- and nanotechnologies is initiating a revolution in the realm of disease detection, treatment, and monitoring, as well as unsolved medical predicaments. Although a significant portion of research in the field is still confined to laboratories, the initial application of nanotechnology as treatments, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostic equipment has now obtained endorsement for commercialization and clinical practice. The current issue presents an overview of the latest progress in nanomedical strategies towards alleviating antibiotic resistance, diagnosing and treating cancer, addressing neurodegenerative disorders, and an array of applications, encompassing dentistry and tuberculosis treatment. The current investigation also scrutinizes the deployment of sophisticated smart nanostructured materials in fields of application such as regenerative medicine, as well as the management of targeted and sustained release of pharmaceuticals and therapeutic interventions. The aforementioned concept exhibits the potential for revolutionary advancements within the field of immunotherapy, as it introduces the utilization of implanted vaccine technology to consistently regulate and augment immune functions. Concurrently with the endeavor to attain the advantages of nanomedical intervention, it is essential to enhance the unceasing emphasis on nanotoxicological research and the regulation of nanomedications' safety. This initiative is crucial in achieving the advancement in medicine that currently lies within our reach.

Combination of spironolactone and sitagliptin improves clinical outcomes of outpatients with COVID-19: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

There are evidences showing that sitagliptin and spironolactone can potentially improve the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 cases. In this observational study on acutely symptomatic outpatient COVID-19 cases, we investigated the effects of spironolactone and sitagliptin on the outcomes of the disease.

METHODS

This is a prospective, naturally randomized cohort study. We followed mild to moderate symptomatic COVID-19 patients, who were treated with either combination (spironolactone 100 mg daily and sitagliptin 100 mg daily) or standard (steroid, antiviral and/or supportive care) therapy up to 30 days. The primary outcome was hospitalization rate. The secondary outcomes included ER visit, duration of disease, and complications, such as hypoglycemia, low blood pressure or altered mental status.

RESULTS

Of the 206 patients referred to clinics randomly, 103 received standard therapy and 103 treated with combination therapy. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics, except for slightly higher clinical score in control group (6.92 ± 4.01 control, 4.87 ± 2.92 combination; P < 0.0001). Treatment with combination therapy was associated with lower admission rate (5.8% combination, 22.3% control; P = 0.0011), ER visits (7.8% combination, 23.3% control; P = 0.0021) and average duration of symptoms (6.67 ± 2.30 days combination, 18.71 ± 6.49 days control; P ≤ 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of sitagliptin and spironolactone reduced duration of COVID infection and hospital visits better than standard therapeutic approaches in outpatients with COVID-19. The effects of combination of sitagliptin and spironolactone in COVID-19 patients should be further verified in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Association of Dietary Acid Load With Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Iranian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains one of the leading health challenges worldwide. A combination of genetic and environmental factors has been implicated in the etiology of MetS. Diet is a changeable environmental risk factor, and dietary modifications could significantly reduce the incidence and mortality of numerous diseases, including MetS. Certain dietary factors may contribute to MetS by affecting the acid-base balance within the body. This study examined the association of dietary acid load (DAL) with MetS and its components in Iranian adults. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 on 6356 Iranian adults aged 35-70 years. Potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) as two indicators of DAL were calculated based on nutrient intake data from validated food frequency questionnaires. MetS and its components were defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the associations between DAL and MetS and its components. Age, energy intake, physical activity, education, marital status, home ownership, socioeconomic status, history of obesity-related disease, and calcium supplements were included in model I. Further adjustment in model II was made for body mass index. Results Higher NEAP scores were associated with increased odds of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the crude model (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01-2.56, p trend = 0.06) in women, which was confirmed in the adjusted models. In model I, women in the last quintile of NEAP had 54% greater odds of having hypertriglyceridemia compared to the first quintile (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.007-2.36, p trend = 0.02). This association was still significant and even stronger after further adjustment for BMI (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.01-2.40, p trend = 0.01). In addition, in model I, men in the fourth quintile of NEAP had 5.68-fold greater odds of hyperglycemia compared to the first quintile (OR: 5.68, 95% CI: 1.18-27.25, p trend = 0.11). Similar results were found in the fully adjusted model (OR: 5.89, 95% CI: 1.19-28.99, p trend = 0.54). Conclusion There was no significant association between DAL and MetS. DAL was positively associated with the odds of low HDL-C and hypertriglyceridemia in women. Moreover, moderate DAL (NEAP) was associated with an increased odds of hyperglycemia in men.

Protooncogenic Role of ARHGAP11A and ARHGAP11B in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Two Promising Breast Cancer Biomarkers

Invasive duct carcinoma (IDC) is one of the most common types of breast cancer (BC) in women worldwide, with a high risk of malignancy, metastasis, recurrence, and death. So far, molecular patterns among IDC cases have not been fully defined. However, extensive evidence has shown that dysregulated Rho family small GTPases (Rho GTPases) including Rho GTPase activating proteins (RhoGAPs) have important roles in the invasive features of IDCs. In the current study, we analyzed the expression levels of two RhoGAP genes, ARHGAP11A and ARHGAP11B, in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) breast cancer (BRCA) and also our 51 IDC tumors compared to their matched normal tissues using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Our TCGA data analysis revealed higher expression of ARHGAP11A and ARHGAP11B in various cancers comprising BCs. Also, we found correlations between these genes and other genes in TCGA-BRCA. Moreover, our methylation analysis showed that their promotor methylation had a negative correlation with their overexpression. QPCR revealed their significant upregulation in our tumor samples. Furthermore, we found that the expression level of ARHGAP11A was considerably lower in women who were breastfeeding. Moreover, it had overexpression in cases who had regular menstrual cycles and early age (younger than 14) at menarche. However, ARHGAP11B had a higher expression in HER2-positive tumors versus HER2-positive and ER-positive tumors. Our study found possible protooncogenic roles for these genes and their involvement in IDC pathogenesis and malignancy. Therefore, they can be considered novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for IDC.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells expression of miR-200c, miR-125b, miR-27b, miR-203, and miR-155 in patients with significant or insignificant coronary artery stenosis

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the principal causes of death worldwide. Among several predisposing factors, inflammation and inflammatory genes play a significant role in disease pathogenesis. Inflammatory microRNAs, small noncoding RNAs involved in regulating inflammation, are promising candidates for understanding pathogenesis of CAD and developing diagnostic biomarkers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the alteration of miR-200c, miR-125b, miR-27b, miR-203 and, miR-155 in patients suffering from coronary artery stenosis and insignificant coronary artery stenosis compared to healthy subjects. In this study we compared expressions of five inflammatory miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 72 patients suffering significant coronary artery stenosis (CAD), 74 individuals without coronary artery disease and 30 individuals with insignificant coronary artery stenosis (ICAD). After blood collection, PBMCs were isolated and RNA was extracted. Gene expression levels were assessed by SYBR green based real-time PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using R program. Expression levels of miR-200c, miR-203, and miR-155 were lower in subjects with ICAD than that in CAD patients and subjects of the control group. MiR-125b was downregulated in CAD and ICAD groups compared to the control group. PBMC miR-27b was upregulated in the CAD group as compared to the ICAD and control groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis verified potential of three miRNAs in separating subjects with ICAD from CAD patients and healthy individuals. In conclusion, this original investigation suggested that altered expression of these five miRNAs may serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker discriminating clinical presentations of coronary artery diseases.

Potential roles of inflammasomes in the pathophysiology of Psoriasis: A comprehensive review

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease whose pathophysiology is attributed to both innate and adaptive immune cells and molecules. Despite the crucial roles of the immune system in psoriasis, it cannot be categorized as an autoimmune disease because of the lack of main signs of autoimmunity, such as specific antibodies, well-defined antigens, and autoimmune genetic risk factors. The presence of some cellular and molecular properties, such as the presence of neutrophils in skin lesions and the activation of the innate immune system, attributes psoriasis to a group of diseases called autoinflammatory disorders. Autoinflammatory diseases refer to a group of inherited disorders whose main manifestations are recurrent fever, a high level of acute-phase reactant, and a tendency for inflammation of the skin, joints, and other organs like the nervous system. In most autoinflammatory disorders, it has been seen that complexes of the high-molecular-weight protein named inflammasomes have significant roles. The inflammasome complex usually is formed and activated in the stimulated immune cell cytoplasm, and its activation consequently leads to inflammatory events such as producing of active caspase-1, mature interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-18 and can cause an inflammatory programmed cell death called pyroptosis. Since the identification of inflammasomes, it has been shown that there are close links between them and hereditary and acquired autoinflammatory diseases like psoriasis. In this review, we aim to focus on well-defined inflammasome and their role in the pathophysiology of psoriasis.

The potential roles of Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus

BACKGROUND

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T cell-mediated chronic autoimmune disease, whose pathogenesis and etiology are not entirely understood. OLP is characterized by subepithelial lymphocyte infiltration and elevated intra-epithelial lymphocytes. The majority of lamina propria lymphocytes are CD4⁺ T cells. CD4⁺ helper T (Th) cells play a crucial role in activating CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) through interactions and cytokine production. Th1 and Th2 cells are well-accepted to be associated with OLP pathogenesis. However, OLP treatment is challenging yet, the more information we have about the pathology of OLP, the easier it will be treated. With the discovery of Th17 cells in recent years and the demonstration of their role in autoimmune disease, many researchers started to investigate the role of Th17 in the pathogenesis of OLP.

METHODS

To make up this review, studies covering the role of TH17 in different types of lichen planus were selected from major databases.

RESULTS

As we review in this article, Th17 cells and their signature cytokines play an important role in OLP pathogenesis. As well, utilizing some anti-IL-17 antibodies showed promising results in improving the disease; however, more studies are still needed to better understand and treat OLP.

Potential roles of NLRP3 inflammasome in the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease

There is a heterogeneous group of rare illnesses that fall into the vasculitis category and are characterized mostly by blood vessel inflammation. Ischemia and disrupted blood flow will cause harm to the organs whose blood arteries become inflamed. Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most prevalent kind of vasculitis in children aged 5 years or younger. Because KD's cardiovascular problems might persist into adulthood, it is no longer thought of as a self-limiting disease. KD is a systemic vasculitis with unknown initiating factors. Numerous factors, such as genetic predisposition and infectious pathogens, are implicated in the etiology of KD. As endothelial cell damage and inflammation can lead to coronary endothelial dysfunction in KD, some studies hypothesized the crucial role of pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of KD. Additionally, pyroptosis-related proteins like caspase-1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1 and IL-18, lactic dehydrogenase, and Gasdermin D (GSDMD) have been found to be overexpressed in KD patients when compared to healthy controls. These occurrences may point to an involvement of inflammasomes and pyroptotic cell death in the etiology of KD and suggest potential treatment targets. Based on these shreds of evidence, in this review, we aim to focus on one of the well-defined inflammasomes, NLRP3, and its role in the pathophysiology of KD.

Expression analysis of hsa_circ_0020397, hsa_circ_0005986, hsa_circ_0003028, and hsa_circ_0006990 in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a prevalent heterogeneous kidney cancer. So far, different genes have been reported for RCC development. However, its particular molecular mechanism remains unclear. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs, are involved in numerous biological processes in different malignancies such as RCC. This study aims to assess the expression and underlying mechanism of four circRNAs (hsa_circ_0020397, hsa_circ_0005986, hsa_circ_0003028, hsa_circ_0006990) with possible new roles in RCC. In the experimental step, we investigated the expression of these four circRNAs in our RCC samples using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In the bioinformatics step, the differential expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs), and miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were obtained from the GEO datasets using the GEO2R tool. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and hub genes were identified by Cytoscape. Molecular pathways associated with hub genes were detected using KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Then, we utilized the ToppGene database to detect the relationships between DEmiRNAs and hub genes. Furthermore, interactions between circRNAs and DEmiRNAs were predicted by the StarBase and circinteractome databases. Finally, a circRNA-DEmiRNA-hub gene triple network was constructed. Our results revealed that the expression of hsa_circ_0020397, hsa_circ_0005986, and hsa_circ_0006990 was downregulated in RCC tissues. Moreover, these circRNAs had a significantly lower expression in patients with a history of kidney disease. Furthermore, hsa_circ_0003028 and hsa_circ_0006990 showed higher expression in the tumor of participants with Lymphovascular/perineural invasion and oncocytoma type, respectively. Based on bioinformatic results, 15 circRNA-DEmiRNA-hub gene ceRNA regulatory axes were predicted, which included three hub genes, five miRNAs, and four selected circRNAs. In conclusion, the current work is the first to emphasize the expression of the hsa_circ_0020397, hsa_circ_0005986, hsa_circ_0003028, and hsa_circ_0006990 in RCC patients presents a novel perspective on the molecular processes underlying the pathogenic mechanisms of RCC.

Evaluation of Circ_0000977-Mediated Regulatory Network in Breast Cancer: A Potential Discriminative Biomarker for Triple-Negative Tumors

Previous investigations have revealed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play pivotal roles in cancer development and progression by participating in several biological procedures, such as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. Recently, circRNAs have been proposed as non-invasive, stable, and affordable cell-free biomarkers for cancer screening and test monitoring. Although, their clinical usefulness vastly remains to be evaluated in breast cancer (BC). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), as the most challenging BC subtype, is an urgent requirement of identifying specific biomarkers and discovering the molecular mechanisms that lead to aggressive behaviors of tumor cells. The therapeutic strategies for TN patients have remained limited due to the impracticality of endocrine therapies and a remarkable portion of patients with TNBC experience recurrence, chemoresistance, and metastasis. TNBC Microarray expression profile analysis found that circ_0000977 is one of the most dysregulated circRNA in TNBC in comparison with non-TNBC. It could be a clue referring to the potential clinical utility of circ_0000977 in TNBC. The current study aims to assess the clinical implications and potential ceRNA regulatory network of circ_0000977 in TNBC. We confirmed circ_0000977 down-regulation in TNBC cell lines and tumors versus non-TNBC samples by real-time PCR. Subsequently, an assessment of the diagnostic value of circ_0000977 in plasma samples from triple-negative patients revealed a potential diagnostic cell-free biomarker in triple-negative BC. Finally, our integrative approach uncovered potential circ-0000977/miR-135b-5p/mRNAs regulatory network in TNBC. The inhibitory effect of miR-135b-5p on its downstream mRNAs was assessed by knocking down it in MDA-MB-231 cells. Functional and correlation analyses revealed APC and GATA3 could be regulated by circ_0000977/miR-135b-5p ceRNA axis, which presents valuable insight into circ-0000977-mediated gene silencing involved in the ceRNA network of TNBC. This study uncovered the potential clinical implication of circ_0000977 for the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC patients.

Altered Expression of hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 in Breast Cancer Representing Associations with BMI and Reproductive Factors

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), one of the recent subclasses of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), show pivotal functions in regulation of gene expression and have significant roles in malignancies including breast cancer (BC). This study was aimed to assess the hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 expression and role in BC, as well as the potential circRNA/miRNA/mRNA crosstalk in these contexts.

METHODS

The expression of hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 in 50 breast tumors and 50 normal tissues adjacent to the tumors was investigated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Finally, bioinformatics analyses were used to uncover hsa_circ_0001445, hsa_circ_0020397-miRNA-mRNA potential regulatory networks.

RESULTS

The hsa_circ_0001445 expression was considerably downregulated in malignant tissues compared to their normal counterparts (P=0.020), while the hsa_circ_0020397 showed an upregulated pattern (P<0.001). Additionally, it was observed that the higher expression of hsa_circ_0001445 was associated with hair dye avoidance (P=0.034) and normal body mass index (BMI) (P=0.016) while hsa_circ_0020397 over-expression had an important association with a lack of vitamin D consumption (P=0.039). On the other hand, lower expression of hsa_circ_0001445 was significantly associated with age at menarche ˂14 years (P=0.027). Our study also revealed that the two circRNAs have potential ability to regulate key mRNAs and miRNAs in competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks.

CONCLUSION

It is suggested that hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 with two opposite roles may be involved in BC development through sponging some miRNAs regulating ceRNA networks. However, their molecular interactions should be validated by further functional studies.

Anticancer traits of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)-Natural Killer (NK) cells as novel approaches for melanoma treatment

Owing to non-responsiveness of a high number of patients to the common melanoma therapies, seeking novel approaches seem as an unmet requirement. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells were initially employed against recurrent or refractory B cell malignancies. However, advanced stages or pretreated patients have insufficient T cells (lymphopenia) amount for collection and clinical application. Additionally, this process is time-consuming and logistically cumbersome. Another limitation of this approach is toxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) progress and neurotoxicity syndrome (NS). Natural killer (NK) cells are a versatile component of the innate immunity and have several advantages over T cells in the application for therapies such as availability, unique biological features, safety profile, cost effectiveness and higher tissue residence. Additionally, CAR NK cells do not develop Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and are independent of host HLA genotype. Notably, the NK cells number and activity is affected in the tumor microenvironment (TME), paving the way for developing novel approaches by enhancing their maturation and functionality. The CAR NK cells short lifespan is a double edge sword declining toxicity and reducing their persistence. Bispecific and Trispecific Killer Cell Engagers (BiKE and Trike, respectively) are emerging and promising immunotherapies for efficient antibody dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). CAR NK cells have some limitations in terms of expanding and transducing NK cells from donors to achieve clinical response. Clinical trials are in scarcity regarding the CAR NK cell-based cancer therapies. The CAR NK cells short life span following irradiation before infusion limits their efficiency inhibiting their in vivo expansion. The CAR NK cells efficacy enhancement in terms of lifespan TME preparation and stability is a goal for melanoma treatment. Combination therapies using CAR NK cells and chemotherapy can also overcome therapy limitations.

Applications of Metallic Nanoparticles in the Skin Cancer Treatment

Skin cancer is one of leading cancers globally, divided into two major categories including melanoma and nonmelanoma. Skin cancer is a global concern with an increasing trend, hence novel therapies are essential. The local treatment strategies play a key role in skin cancer therapy. Nanoparticles (NPs) exert potential applications in medicine with huge advantages and have the ability to overcome common chemotherapy problems. Recently, NPs have been used in nanomedicine as promising drug delivery systems. They can enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs, improve pharmacokinetic properties, modify bioavailability, and reduce drug metabolism. The high-efficient, nontoxic, low-cost, and specific cancer therapy is a promising goal, which can be achieved by the development of nanotechnology. Metallic NPs (MNPs) can act as important platforms. MNPs development seeks to enhance the therapeutic efficiency of medicines through site specificity, prevention of multidrug resistance, and effective delivery of therapeutic factors. MNPs are used as potential arms in the case of cancer recognition, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and colloidal mediators for magnetic hyperthermia of cancer. The applications of MNPs in the cancer treatment studies are mostly due to their potential to carry a large dose of drug, resulting in a high concentration of anticancer drugs at the target site. Therefore, off-target toxicity and suffering side effects caused by high concentration of the drug in other parts of the body are avoided. MNPs have been applied as drug carriers for the of improvement of skin cancer treatment and drug delivery. The development of MNPs improves the results of many cancer treatments. Different types of NPs, such as inorganic and organic NPs have been investigated in vitro and in vivo for the skin cancer therapy. MNPs advantages mostly include biodegradability, electrostatic charge, good biocompatibility, high drug payload, and low toxicity. However, the use of controlled-release systems stimulated by electromagnetic waves, temperature, pH, and light improves the accumulation in tumor tissues and improves therapeutic outcomes. This study (2019-2022) is aimed at reviewing applications of MNPs in the skin cancer therapy.

Individual genetic variability mainly of Proinflammatory cytokines, cytokine receptors, and toll-like receptors dictates pathophysiology of COVID-19 disease

Innate and acquired immunity responses are crucial for viral infection elimination. However, genetic variations in coding genes may exacerbate the inflammation or initiate devastating cytokine storms which poses severe respiratory conditions in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Host genetic variations in particular those related to the immune responses determine the patients' susceptibility and COVID-19 severity and pathophysiology. Gene polymorphisms such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interferons, TNF, IL1, IL4, IL6, IL7, IL10, and IL17 predispose patients to the severe form of COVID-19 or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2). These variations mainly alter the gene expression and cause a severe response by B cells, T cells, monocytes, neutrophils, and natural killer cells participating in a cytokine storm. Moreover, cytokines and chemokines SNPs are associated with the severity of COVID-19 and clinical outcomes depending on the corresponding effect. Additionally, genetic variations in genes encoding toll-like receptors (TLRs) mainly TLR3, TLR7, and TLR9 have been related to the COVID-19 severe respiratory symptoms. The specific relation of these mutations with the novel variants of concern (VOCs) infection remains to be elucidated. Genetic variations mainly within genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines, cytokine receptors, and TLRs predispose patients to COVID-19 disease severity. Understanding host immune gene variations associated with the SARS-COV-2 infection opens insights to control the pathophysiology of emerging viral infections.

Purinergic receptors are a key bottleneck in tumor metabolic reprogramming: The prime suspect in cancer therapeutic resistance

ATP and other nucleoside phosphates have specific receptors named purinergic receptors. Purinergic receptors and ectonucleotidases regulate various signaling pathways that play a role in physiological and pathological processes. Extracellular ATP in the tumor microenvironment (TME) has a higher level than in normal tissues and plays a role in cancer cell growth, survival, angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. In this review, we investigated the role of purinergic receptors in the development of resistance to therapy through changes in tumor cell metabolism. When a cell transforms to neoplasia, its metabolic processes change. The metabolic reprogramming modified metabolic feature of the TME, that can cause impeding immune surveillance and promote cancer growth. The purinergic receptors contribute to therapy resistance by modifying cancer cells' glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Limiting the energy supply of cancer cells is one approach to overcoming resistance. Glycolysis inhibitors which reduce intracellular ATP levels may make cancer cells more susceptible to anti-cancer therapies. The loss of the P2X7R through glucose intolerance and decreased fatty acid metabolism reduces therapeutic resistance. Potential metabolic blockers that can be employed in combination with other therapies will aid in the discovery of new anti-cancer immunotherapy to overcome therapy resistance. Therefore, therapeutic interventions that are considered to inhibit cancer cell metabolism and purinergic receptors simultaneously can potentially reduce resistance to treatment.

Upregulation of hsa_circ_0004812 promotes COVID-19 cytokine storm via hsa-miR-1287-5p/IL6R, RIG-I axis

Background

SARS‐CoV‐2 is one of the most contagious viruses in the Coronaviridae (CoV) family, which has become a pandemic. The aim of this study is to understand more about the role of hsa_circ_0004812 in the SARS‐CoV‐2 related cytokine storm and its associated molecular mechanisms.

Materials and Methods

cDNA synthesis was performed after total RNA was extracted from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 46 patients with symptomatic COVID‐19, 46 patients with asymptomatic COVID‐19, and 46 healthy controls. The expression levels of hsa_circ_0004812, hsa‐miR‐1287‐5p, IL6R, and RIG‐I were determined using qRT‐PCR, and the potential interaction between these molecules was confirmed by bioinformatics tools and correlation analysis.

Results

hsa_circ_0004812, IL6R, and RIG‐I are expressed higher in the severe symptom group compared with the negative control group. Also, the relative expression of these genes in the asymptomatic group is lower than in the severe symptom group. The expression level of hsa‐miR‐1287‐5p was positively correlated with symptoms in patients. The results of the bioinformatics analysis predicted the sponging effect of hsa_circ_0004812 as a competing endogenous RNA on hsa‐miR‐1287‐5p. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between hsa_circ_0004812, RIG‐I, and IL‐6R expressions, and also a negative expression correlation between hsa_circ_0004812 and hsa‐miR‐1287‐5p and between hsa‐miR‐1287‐5p, RIG‐I, and IL‐6R.

Conclusion

The results of this in‐vitro and in silico study show that hsa_circ_0004812/hsa‐miR‐1287‐5p/IL6R, RIG‐I can play an important role in the outcome of COVID‐19.

Investigation of BRCAness associated miRNA-gene axes in breast cancer: cell-free miR-182-5p as a potential expression signature of BRCAness

The concept of the ‘BRCAness’ phenotype implies the properties that some sporadic breast cancers (BC) share with BRCA1/2-mutation carriers with hereditary BC. Breast tumors with BRCAness have deficiencies in homologous recombination repair (HRR), like BRCA1/2-mutation carriers, and consequently could benefit from poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors and DNA-damaging chemotherapy. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) show a higher frequency of BRCAness than the other BC subtypes. Therefore, looking for BRCAness-related biomarkers could improve personalized management of TNBC patients. microRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal role in onco-transcriptomic profiles of tumor cells besides their suitable features as molecular biomarkers. The current study aims to evaluate the expression level of some critical miRNAs-mRNA axes in HRR pathway in tumors and plasma samples from BC patients. The expression levels of three multi-target miRNAs, including miR-182-5p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-498, as well as six downstream HRR-related protein-coding genes, have been investigated in the breast tumors and paired adjacent normal tissues by Real-time PCR. In the next step, based on the results derived from the previous step, we examined the level of cell-free miR-182-5p in the blood plasma samples from the patients. Our results highlight the difference between TNBC and non-TNBC tumor subgroups regarding the dysregulation of the key miRNA/mRNA axes involved in the HRR pathway. Also, for the first time, we show that the level of cell-free miR-182-5p in plasma samples from BC patients could be a clue for screening BC patients eligible for receiving PARP inhibitors through a personalized manner. Altogether, some sporadic BC patients, especially sporadic TNBC, have epigenetically dysregulated HRR pathway that could be identified and benefit from BRCAness-specific therapeutic agents.

A Proposed TUSC7/miR-211/Nurr1 ceRNET Might Potentially be Disturbed by a cer-SNP rs2615499 in Breast Cancer

Evidence and in silico analyses showed that TUSC7, miR-211, and Nurr1 may be involved in BC pathogenesis by ceRNET signaling axis. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of TUSC7/miR-211/Nurr1 ceRNET and rs2615499 variant as a novel cer-SNP in BC subjects. The expression assays were conducted by qPCR on tumor tissues (n = 50), tumor-adjacent normal tissues (TANTs) (n = 50), and clinically healthy control tissues (n = 50). The expression of TUSC7 and Nurr1 significantly decreased, but the level of miR-211 significantly increased in tumor tissues compared to TANTs and healthy normal tissues. Altered expression of TUSC7 and miR-211 was associated with poor prognosis of patients. The Nurr1 exhibited a double-edged sword-like activity in BC. In addition, TUSC7, Nurr1, and miR-211 expressions were significantly related to a novel BC-associated rs2615499 (A > C) located in the miR-211 binding site on Nurr1 3'-UTR. In the second part of the study, a case-control study was performed on BC patients (n = 100) and matched healthy controls (n = 100). The genomic DNA was isolated and genotyping was performed using Tetra-Primer ARMS PCR. The CC and AC genotypes were associated with higher expression levels of Nurr1 and worse outcomes of the disease. Our findings revealed that TUSC7 functions as a tumor suppressor in BC potentially via miR-211/Nurr1, which might be disturbed by the cer-SNP rs2615499. However, functional studies are needed to validate these results.

Potential Roles of Long Noncoding RNAs as Therapeutic Targets in Organ Transplantation

Organ transplantation is the most preferred treatment option for end-stage organ diseases; however, allograft rejection is the major hurdle in successful long-term transplant survival. In spite of developing better HLA matching and more effective immunosuppressive regimen, one-year graft survival has been increased by nearly 90% and the incidence of acute rejection by one-year post-transplantation has been decreased by 12.2% in the last decades, chronic allograft rejection has remained as one of the major obstacles to the long-lasting survival of the transplanted allograft. Therefore, seemingly preventing the allograft rejection and inducing immunological tolerance against transplanted allografts is one of the primary goals in transplantation research to enable long-lasting graft survival. Various mechanisms such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proposed that induce immune tolerance by modulating the gene expression and regulating innate and adaptive immune responses during transplantation. Besides, because of involvement in regulating epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-translational mechanisms, lncRNAs could affect allograft status. Therefore, these molecules could be considered as the potential targets for prediction, prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of graft rejection. It is suggested that the noninvasive predictive biomarkers hold promise to overcome the current limitations of conventional tissue biopsy in the diagnosis of rejection. Hence, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of lncRNAs and their function to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of the risk of graft rejection, and the suggestive therapeutic choices after transplantation.

Genetic variations in ATM and H2AX loci contribute to risk of hematological abnormalities in individuals exposed to BTEX chemicals

Background

Loci controlling DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) repair play an important role in defending against the harmful health effects of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), but their gene variants may alter their repair capacity. The aim of the current study was to determine the relationship of functional polymorphisms ATM‐rs228589 A>T, WRN‐rs1800392 G>T and H2AX‐rs7759 A>G in DBS repair loci with the abnormal hematological indices in workers who exposed to BTEXs.

Methods

We included 141 cases with one or more abnormal hematological parameters, who had been occupationally exposed to BTEX chemicals and 152 controls with a similar exposure condition but without any abnormal hematological parameters. Atmospheric concentrations of BTEXs were measured and whole blood samples were taken from the participants to determine hematologic parameters and SNP genotyping.

Results

Results showed that T allele of ATM‐rs228589 and G allele of H2AX‐rs7759 had a higher frequency in cases than controls (p = 0.012 and p = 0.001, respectively). Also, AT and TT genotypes of ATM‐rs228589 and AG and GG genotypes of H2AX‐rs7759 were higher in cases compared to controls. The AT and TT genotypes of ATM‐rs228589 have significant associations with a risk of hematological abnormalities in the codominant (AT vs. AA, p = 0.018), dominant (AT + TT vs. AA, p = 0.010) and overdominant (AT vs. AA + TT, p = 0.037) models. The GG and AG genotypes of H2AX‐rs7759 were in relation with increased risk of abnormal hematological indices under codominant (GA vs. AA, p = 0.009 & GG vs. AA, p = 0.005), dominant (AG + GG vs. AA, p = 0.001), and recessive (GG vs. AA + AG, p = 0.025) models.

Conclusions

These observations may help to understand the mechanisms of BTEX hematotoxicity and identify useful biomarkers of risk assessment for workers exposed to BTEX.

Potential roles of hsa_circ_000839 and hsa_circ_0005986 in breast cancer

Background

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of death among women around the world. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly discovered group of non‐coding RNAs that their roles are being investigated in BC and other cancer types. In this study, we evaluated the association of hsa_circ_0005986 and hsa_circ_000839 in tumor and adjacent normal tissues of BC patients with their clinicopathological characteristics.

Materials and methods

Total RNA was extracted from tumors and adjacent non‐tumor tissues by the Trizol isolation reagent, and cDNA was synthesized using First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Thermo Scientific). The expression level of hsa_circ_0005986 and hsa_circ_000839 was quantified using RT‐qPCR. Online in silico tools were used for identifying potentially important competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks of these two circRNAs.

Results

The expression level of hsa_circ_0005986 and hsa_circ_000839 was lower in the tumor as compared to adjacent tissues. The expression level of hsa_circ_0005986 in the patients who had used hair dye in the last 5 years was significantly lower. Moreover, a statistically significant negative correlation between body mass index (BMI) and hsa_circ_000839 expression was observed. In silico analysis of the ceRNA network of these circRNAs revealed mRNAs and miRNAs with crucial roles in BC.

Conclusion

Downregulation of hsa_circ_000839 and hsa_circ_0005986 in BC tumors suggests a tumor‐suppressive role for these circRNAs in BC, meriting the need for more experimentations to delineate the exact mechanism of their involvement in BC pathogenesis.

LncRNA–miRNA–mRNA Networks of Gastrointestinal Cancers Representing Common and Specific LncRNAs and mRNAs

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are responsible for approximately half of cancer-related deaths, highlighting the need for the identification of distinct and common features in their clinicopathological characteristics. Long ncRNA (lncRNAs), which are involved in competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks with critical roles in biological processes, constitute a substantial number of non-coding RNAs. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the similarities and differences in the ceRNA networks of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-GI cancers. We performed a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of ceRNA networks for TCGA-GI cancers in terms of the deferential mRNA, lncRNA, and miRNA expression levels, ceRNA networks, overall survival analysis, correlation analysis, pathological cancer stages, and gene set enrichment analysis. Our study revealed several common and distinct mRNAs and lncRNAs with prognostic values in these networks. It was specifically noteworthy that MAGI2-AS3 lncRNA was found to be shared in almost all GI cancers. Moreover, the most common shared mRNAs between GI cancers were MEIS1, PPP1R3C, ADAMTSL3, RIPOR2, and MYLK. For each cancer ceRNA network, we found that the expression level of a number of lncRNAs and mRNAs was specific. Furthermore, our study provided compelling evidence that several genes, most notably KDELC1, can act as novel proto-oncogenes in cancers. This, in turn, can highlight their role as new prognostic and therapeutic targets. Moreover, we found cell cycle and extracellular matrix structural constituent as the top shared KEGG and molecular function, respectively, among GI cancers. Our study revealed several known lncRNAs and known and unknown mRNAs in GI cancers with diagnostic and prognostic values.

Circular RNA-associated ceRNA network involved in HIF-1 signalling in triple-negative breast cancer: circ_0047303 as a potential key regulator

The aggressive and highly metastatic nature of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) causes patients to suffer from the poor outcome. HIF‐1 signalling pathway is a prominent pathway that contributes to angiogenesis and metastasis progression in tumours. On the contrary, the undeniable importance of circular RNAs (circRNAs) as multifunctional non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has been identified in breast cancer. These ncRNAs owing to their high stability and specificity have been becoming a hotspot in cancer researches. circRNAs act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and compete with mRNAs for shared miRNAs, thus modulate gene expression. Since the most dysregulated biological functions in TNBC are associated with cellular invasion, understanding the molecular pathogenesis of these processes is a crucial step towards the development of new treatment approaches. The purpose of this study is to undermine the circRNA‐associated ceRNA network involved in HIF‐1 signalling in TNBC using an integrative bioinformatics approach. In the next step, the novel circ_0047303‐mediated ceRNA regulatory axes have been extracted and validated across TNBC samples. We show that circ_0047303 has the highest degree in the circRNA‐associated ceRNA network and shows a significant up‐expression in TNBC. Moreover, our results suggest that circ_0047303 could mediate the upregulation of key angiogenesis‐related genes, including HIF‐1, EIF4E2 and VEGFA in TNBC through sponging the tumour‐suppressive miRNAs. The circ_0047303 could be a promising molecular biomarker and/or therapeutic target for TNBC.

Clinical values of two estrogen receptor signaling targeted lncRNAs in invasive ductal breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most frequent type of breast cancer (BC) in women, with a high clinical burden due to its high invasive properties. Despite of quickly emerging new data regarding the molecular heterogeneity of invasive cancers, far less is known about the molecular patterns among cases of IDC. An expanding body of evidence has demonstrated that dysregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is involved in the heterogeneity feature of BC.

METHODS

In this study, we analyzed the expression levels of two novel lncRNAs LOC100288637 and RP11-48B3 in 51 IDC tissues in comparison with adjacent non-cancerous tissues. And finally, bio-informatic evaluation has been done.

RESULTS

The results of quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that LOC100288637 and RP11-48B3 were significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues compared to normal samples (P = 0.0085 and P = 0.0002, respectively). Also, the two lncRNAs were overexpressed in both MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 BC cell lines, nevertheless, with a higher expression pattern in MDA-MB-231 than MCF7 cell line. Furthermore, LOC100288637 had an elevated expression level in HER-2 positive tumors compared to HER-2 negative tumors (P = 0.031). Interestingly, the lncRNA RP11-48B3.4 was upregulated in IDC subjects with the age at menarche &lt; 14 years compared to patients with the age at menarche 14 (P = 0.041). It was observed in another result that lncRNA RP11-48B3.4 is significantly upregulated in tumors with a lower histological grade compared to tumor samples with higher grades (P = 0.047). And finally, using bio-informatic evaluation, we found a predicted interaction between RP11-48B3.4 and mRNA zinc finger and BTB domain containing 10 (ZBTB10).

CONCLUSION

Altogether, our findings suggest that these lncRNAs with potential oncogenic roles are involved in the pathogenesis of IDC with clinical significance and they may therefore serve as novel markers for the dia-gnosis and treatment of IDC.

Expression profiles and functional prediction of long non-coding RNAs LINC01133, ZEB1-AS1 and ABHD11-AS1 in the luminal subtype of breast cancer

Background

Luminal breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent subtype accounting for more than 70% of BC. LncRNAs, a class of non-coding RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides, are involved in a variety of cellular processes and biological functions. Abberant expression is related to the development of various cancers, such as breast cancer. LINC01133, ZEB1-AS1, and ABHD11-AS1 were reported to be dysregulated in different cancers. However, their expression level in luminal BC remains poorly known. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential roles of these lncRNAs in BC, especially in luminal subtypes.

Methods

A comprehensive analysis was performed using the Lnc2Cancer database to identify novel cancer-associated lncRNA candidates. After conducting a literature review, three novel lncRNAs named LINC01133, ZEB1-AS1, and ABHD11-AS1 were chosen as target genes of the present study. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate the expression level of the mentioned lncRNAs in both luminal BC tissues and cell lines. Then, the correlation of the three mentioned lncRNAs expression with clinicopathological characteristics of the patients was studied. Moreover, several datasets were used to discover the potential roles and functions of LINC01133, ZEB1-AS1 and ABHD11-AS1 in luminal subtype of BC.

Results

According to the qRT-PCR assay, the expression levels of LINC01133 and ZEB1-AS1 were decreased in luminal BC tissues and cell lines. On the other hand, ABHD11-AS1 was upregulated in the above-mentioned samples. The expression levels of LINC01133, ZEB1-AS1, and ABHD11-AS1 were not associated with any of the clinical features. Also, the results obtained from the bioinformatics analyses were consistent with qRT-PCR data. Functional annotation of the co-expressed genes with the target lncRNAs, protein–protein interactions and significantly enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways across luminal BC were also obtained using bioinformatics analysis.

Conclusions

Taken together, our findings disclosed the dysregulation of LINC01133, ZEB1-AS1, and ABHD11-AS1 in luminal BC. It was revealed that LINC01133 and ZEB1-AS1 expression was significantly downregulated in luminal BC tissues and cell lines, while ABHD11-AS1 was upregulated considerably in the mentioned tissues and cell lines. Also, bioinformatics and systems biology analyses have helped to identify the possible role of these lncRNAs in luminal BC. However, further analysis is needed to confirm the current findings.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-021-03026-7.

Perturbation of miR-146b and relevant inflammatory elements in esophageal carcinoma patients supports an immune downregulatory mechanism

BACKGROUND

Esophageal Cancer is known as one of the deadliest cancers worldwide with the squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) being the predominant subtype. There is a growing body of evidence linking the dysregulated microRNA (miRNA) pathway of immune cells to the progression of several tumors. In a previous study, we investigated molecular alterations pertaining to miR-146a and some components of NF-kB signaling pathway and proposed a possible immune downregulatory mechanism in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of ESCC patients. Here, we further scrutinized other components of this pathway by evaluating PBMC levels of miR-146b, TLR4, IL10, and TNFA.

METHODS

Gene expressions were quantified using RT-qPCR assays. To prevent the vulnerability of results to the expression instability of reference genes, nine additional transcripts were quantified, and stable reference genes for normalizing qPCR data were identified using the NormFinder and the geNorm algorithms. The efficiency-corrected normalized relative quantity values were used to compare gene expressions among study groups.

RESULTS

The PBMC expression of miR-146b and TNFA was downregulated in ESCC patients as compared to healthy subjects. While the level of TLR4 was not different among the study groups, the PBMC level of IL10 was upregulated in ESCC patients. Logistic regression analyses coupled with the ROC curve and cross-validation analysis suggested that PBMC expression may serve as potential candidate biomarker for discriminating ESCC patients from healthy subjects.

CONCLUSION

The present findings, in line with our previous report, propose a particular gene expression pattern in PBMCs of ESCC patients, providing evidence in support of an immune downregulatory mechanism.

Critical roles of microRNA-196 in normal physiology and non-malignant diseases: Diagnostic and therapeutic implications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a critical component of regulatory networks that modulate and fine-tune gene expression in a post-transcriptional manner. The microRNA-196 family is encoded by three loci in the human genome, namely hsa-mir-196a-1, hsa-mir-196a-2, and hsa-mir-196b. Increasing evidence supports the roles of different components of this miRNA family in regulating key cellular processes during differentiation and development, ranging from inflammation and differentiation of stem cells to limb development and remodeling and structure of adipose tissue. This review first discusses about the genomic context and regulation of this miRNA family and then take a bird's eye view on the updated list of its target genes and their biological processes to obtain insights about various functions played by members of the microRNA-196 family. We then describe evidence supporting the involvement of the human microRNA-196 family in regulating critical cellular processes both in physiological and non-malignant inflammatory conditions, highlighting recent seminal findings that carry implications for developing novel therapeutic or diagnostic strategies.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0044234 as distinct molecular signature of triple negative breast cancer: a potential regulator of GATA3

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in the initiation and development of breast cancer as functional non-coding RNAs (ncRNA). The roles of circRNAs as the competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to sponge microRNAs (miRNAs) have also been indicated. However, the functions of circRNAs in breast cancer have not been totally elucidated. This study aimed to explore the clinical implications and possible roles of circ_0044234 in carcinogenesis of the most problematic BC subtype, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), which are in desperate need of biomarkers and targeted therapies.

METHODS

The importance of circ_0044234 as one of the most dysregulated circRNAs in TNBC was discovered through microarray expression profile analysis. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to confirm the downregulation of circ_0044234 in triple negative tumors and cell lines versus non-triple negative ones. The bioinformatics prediction revealed that circ_0044234 could act as an upstream sponge in the miR-135b/GATA3 axis, two of the most dysregulated transcripts in TNBC.

RESULTS

Our experimental investigation of circ_0044234 expressions in various BC subtypes as well as cell lines reveals that TNBC expresses circ_0044234 at a substantially lower level than non-TNBC. The ROC curve analysis indicates that it could be applied as a discriminative biomarker to identify TNBC from other BC subtypes. Moreover, circ_0044234 expression could be an independent prognostic biomarker in BC. Interestingly, a substantial inverse expression correlation was detected between circ_0044234 and miR-135b-5p as well as between miR-135b-5p and GATA3 in breast tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

The possible clinical usefulness of circ_0044234 as a promising distinct biomarker and upcoming therapeutic target for TNBC have been indicated in this research. Our comprehensive approach revealed the potential circ_0044234/miR135b-5p/GATA3 ceRNA axis in TNBC.

Faculty retention in regional medical schools in Iran: a qualitative content analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Recruitment and retention of competent faculty members are important in maintaining and improving the quality of education and research performance of universities. The aim of the present study was to find out the faculty members' views, experiences, and attitudes to identify the reasons for faculty attrition and retention in regional medical schools in Iran.

METHODS

In this qualitative study, we used a content analysis method. The participants included 12 faculty members who had been transferred to type I universities, four faculty members who had applied for transfer, four with more than 10 years of experience and working in the type 3 universities with no intention to be transferred. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which were conducted either face-to-face or via phone calls. The interview was developed for this study (Supplementary file). To measure the trustworthiness of the data, we evaluated four components of credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability, as proposed by Lincoln and Guba.

RESULTS

The findings were classified into three categories and 14 subcategories. The first category was "retention facilitators" including four subcategories of facilitated communication, proximity to major universities, gaining experience, and support by authorities. The second category was "retention threats" including six subcategories of social infrastructure, individual dimension, occupation dimension, economic dimension, sense of respect, and executive management. The third category was "retention strategies" which included four subcategories of recruitment and promotion processes, inter-university collaboration with type I universities, facilitation of the scientific growth, and fulfilment of the safety needs.

CONCLUSION

Several factors play a role in the faculty members' retention in regional medical schools in Iran. Authorities can create a more positive environment by devising a suitable reward system, supporting academic activities, and increasing the level of faculty autonomy practically to develop a sense of belonging among them and reduce the intention to be transferred among their human resources.

A methylation signature at the CpG island promoter of estrogen receptor beta (ER-β) in breasts of women may be an early footmark of lack of breastfeeding and nulliparity

Although little is known regarding the mechanisms behind the onset of breast cancer (BC) through reproductive risk factors, new researches have highlighted some early tumor-related methylation footmarks in the breast tissue of apparently clinically healthy women as their potential epigenetic mechanism. Previous evidence supports that the estrogen receptor beta (ER-β), whose anti-cancer roles had already been revealed in BC, is downregulated in the breasts of healthy nulliparous women. Nevertheless, data on such a link about its methylation alterations have not been reported. The goal of current study was to determine possible methylation alterations at CpG island promoter of the ER-β gene, including promoter 0 N and exon 0 N, in relation to aspects of reproductive history in the healthy breasts. The DNA was extracted from the breasts of 120 subjects undergoing cosmetic mammoplasty. Thereafter, the methylation levels of targeted regions in ER-β gene were determined by using MeDIP-qPCR assay. The results revealed that ER-β exon 0 N had no methylation in 84.2 % of the women, whereas the rest, comprising 2.5 % and 13.3 % of the samples, showed a lower and higher of its methylation, respectively. Interestingly, nulliparous women were found to have an elevated methylation level of the ER-β exon 0 N than parous women (P = 0.036). Moreover, we observed a high methylation of the ER-β exon 0 N in the breasts of non-breastfeeding women compared to breastfeeding subgroup (P = 0.048). Likewise, the non-breastfeeding subgroup showed exon 0N high methylation in comparison to women with breastfeeding >24 months (P = 0.023). Finally, although we found that 6.67 % of the samples had a high methylation level at the promoter 0N, no any relationship was found between its methylation and reproductive history. These results may provide key clues to revealing the epigenetic mechanism through which the nulliparity and lack of breastfeeding influencing the risk factor of BC as well as introducing the potential new early prediction and prevention strategies. Although further investigations need to be done in order to gain a better understanding the roles of these epigenetic signatures.

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Expression Levels of miR-196a and miR-100 in Coronary Artery Disease Patients

As a chronic inflammatory disease, coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common cause of death worldwide. Dysregulation of microRNA expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) may contribute to CAD and serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker. Here, we evaluated PBMC expression of two CAD-related inflammatory miRNAs, miR-196a and miR-100, in PBMCs of CAD patients with significant stenosis (CAD, n: 72), patients with insignificant coronary stenosis (ICAD, n: 30), and controls (n: 74) and checked whether they can segregate study groups. MiRNA expression was evaluated using the standard stem-loop RT-qPCR method. MiR-196a expression was downregulated in ICAD compared to CADs and healthy groups. MiR100 expression levels were not different between groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis acquainted that miR-196a expression levels in PBMC could segregate CAD individuals or any of its clinical manifestations (i.e. unstable angina, stable angina, acute myocardial infarction) from ICADs. In conclusion, this study reported a distinct miR-196a expression pattern in PBMCs of all patient groups and recommended a biomarker potential for miR-196a in discriminating ICADs from CADs or healthy controls.

Expression and clinicopathological significance of AOC4P, PRNCR1, and PCAT1 lncRNAs in breast cancer

Long none coding RNAs (lncRNAs) AOC4P, PRNCR1, and PCAT-1 are dysregulated in various types of malignancies. However, their expression and clinicopathological significances are uncertain in breast cancer (BC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT- qPCR) was used to measure the expression levels of the selected lncRNAs in tumor tissues obtained from 50 BC patients compared to the normal adjacent tissues (NATs) and 50 clinically healthy normal tissues. Our results revealed a significant downregulation of AOC4P, however, upregulated PRNCR1 and PCAT1 were found in tumor tissues compared to NATs and clinically healthy normal tissues (P < 0.05). Interestingly, remarkable decreased expression of AOC4P was observed in NATs than clinically healthy normal tissues. Dysregulation of the lncRNAs was correlated with worse outcomes of patients. Furthermore, our data showed that the altered expression levels of lncRNAs AOC4P, PRNCR1, and PCAT1 might be occurred through the function of demographic and reproductive variables. Taken together, the altered regulation of AOC4P, PRNCR1, and PCAT1 may highlight their crucial roles in BC development and pathogenesis. Our findings also proposed demographic and reproductive variables as risk factors in BC through the possible influence on the expression of the studied lncRNAs. Nevertheless, further explorations are required to elucidate the more detailed functions of these lncRNAs in BC.

Integrative analyses of triple negative dysregulated transcripts compared with non-triple negative tumors and their functional and molecular interactions

Triple-negative (TN) tumors are a subtype of breast cancer with aggressive behaviors and limited targeted therapies. Microarray studies were not concerned with interactions and functional relations of dysregulated transcripts. Here, we aimed to conduct integrative strategy to analyze gene and miRNA available microarray data as well as bioinformatic analyses to catch a more inclusive picture of pivotal dysregulated transcripts and their interactions in TN tumors. Several online datasets and offline bioinformatic tools were used to detect differentially expressed (DE) transcripts, both protein and nonprotein coding, in TN compared with non-TN tumors and their functional and molecular interactions. Sixteen upregulated and 58 downregulated genes with a log fold change higher or equal to | 2 | were identified, including nine transcription factors. Coexpression network revealed EN1 as a hub gene, moreover Kaplan-Meier plotter survival analysis indicated that it was an appropriate prognostic marker for TN patients with breast cancer. Functional annotation analysis of protein-protein interaction network showed FOXM1 as an upexpressed and ESR1 as a downexpressed hub genes are suitable targets as far as antitumor protein therapy is concerned in TN breast cancers. The consensus analysis of two microRNA datasets revealed seven DE miRNAs. The gene-transcriptional factor (TF)-miRNA network revealed mir-135b and mir-29b are the hub nodes and involved in feedback loops with GATA3. This study suggests that dysregulated TFs and miRNAs have pivotal roles in regulation of TN oncotranscriptomic profile and might become both biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

The Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Expression of IDO and Qa2 Molecules in Dendritic Cells

Purpose: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to reduce the activity of immune cells, including dendritic cells (DCs). But the exact mechanism of mesenchymal inhibition of DCs is still unknown. In this study, the effect of mesenchymal cells on the expression of indoleamine dioxygenase (IDO) and Qa2 molecules in DCs was evaluated.

Methods: MSCs and DCs were respectively isolated from the bone marrow and spleen of BALB/c mice. Then DCs were co-cultured with MSCs in the present and absence of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Then the expression of mRNA and protein of IDO and Qa2 molecules were investigated in DCs that were treated with MSCs.

Results: The expression of IDO and Qa2 mRNA in DCs that were treated with MSCs did not significantly differ from the control group. The expression of IDO protein in DCs that were cocultured with MSCs (in 1:10 and 1:50 ratios) in absence of LPS was increased, although they were not statistically significant (P values: 0.24 and 0.18, respectively). The expression of Qa2 protein in DCs that were co-cultured with MSCs (in 1:10 and 1:50 ratios) in presence of LPS was increased, although they were not statistically significant (P-values: 0.09 and 0.33, respectively).

Conclusion: Our results denied the possibility that MSCs led to the induction of tolerogenic DCs by increasing the expression of the IDO and Qa2 immunomodulatory molecules.

The intricate role of miR-155 in carcinogenesis: potential implications for esophageal cancer research

MiRNAs have immerged as essential modulators of key cellular procuresses involved in post-transcriptional regulation of the human transcriptome. They are essential components of complex regulatory networks that modulate most important physiological functions of cells. MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is a multifaceted regulator of cell proliferation, cell cycle, development, immunity and inflammation that plays pivotal, and sometimes contradictory, roles in numerous cancers including esophageal cancer. Here, we review the intricate role of miR-155 in cancer by exemplifying carcinogenesis of various tumors, focusing on recent findings that may provide a link between miR-155 and esophageal cancer-related pathways.

miRNA Polymorphisms and Risk of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Recently extensive focus has been concentrated on the role of miRNAs in the initiation and progression of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCDs) which constitute a range of conditions including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs, especially coronary artery disease (CAD)), congenital heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs, especially the ischemic stroke (IS)). An increasing number of studies are evaluating the association between different miRNA polymorphisms and risk of CCDs, but results have been inconclusive. This study represents a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between miRNA polymorphisms and risk of CCDs. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were queried to identify eligible articles. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the association of miRNA polymorphisms with CCD susceptibility. A total of 51 eligible articles evaluating the association of 31 miRNA polymorphisms were identified. Meta-analysis was performed for six miRNA polymorphisms. miR-146a rs2910164 (30 studies: 13,186 cases/14,497 controls), miR-149 rs2292832 (Nine studies: 4116 cases/3511 controls), miR-149 rs71428439 (Three studies: 1556 cases/1567 controls), miR-196a2 rs11614913 (20 studies: 10,144 cases/10,433 controls), miR-218 rs11134527 (Three studies: 2,322 cases/2,754 controls) were not associated with overall CCD. miR-499 rs3746444 was associated with CCD (20 studies: 9564 cases/8876 controls). In the subgroups, rs2910164 and rs3746444 were only associated with CVDs, especially CAD. In conclusion, the results support the existence of a role for miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-499 rs3746444 in determining susceptibility to CCDs, especially CAD.

Breast cancer-linked lncRNA u-Eleanor is upregulated in breast of healthy women with lack or short duration of breastfeeding

Recently, it has been revealed that estrogen-related reproductive factors are linked with some early gene expression lesions associated with malignancy in clinically healthy breasts. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the association of expression levels of estrogen-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) upstream Eleanor (u-Eleanor) and HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) with the different patterns of reproductive factors in breast tissue of healthy women. The subjects of this study were 98 cancer-free women who had undergone cosmetic mammoplasty. The expression levels of u-Eleanor and HOTAIR were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results of the current study showed that the women without a history of breastfeeding had a high-level expression of u-Eleanor compared with the women with a breastfeeding duration greater than 6 to 24 months (P = 0.03) as well as the women with a breastfeeding duration of more than 24 months (P = 0.005). Furthermore, a higher expression of u-Eleanor was found in the women with a short breastfeeding duration for 1 to 6 months than that in the women with a breastfeeding duration of greater than 24 months (P = 0.02). In the same way, the results of correlation test (r = -0.258; P = 0.036) and multivariate regression model (β = -0.321; P = 0.023) are indicative of a significant relationship of elevated expression of u-Eleanor with decreasing breastfeeding duration in the women. These findings could be important to identify the molecular mechanisms behind the relationship between a lack or short duration of the breastfeeding and the risk of breast cancer, which has previously been reported by epidemiological studies.

Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) cross talk and language in ceRNA regulatory networks: A new look at hallmarks of breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently occurring malignancy in women worldwide. Despite the substantial advancement in understanding the molecular mechanisms and management of BC, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in women. One of the main reasons for this obstacle is that we have not been able to find the Achilles heel for the BC as a highly heterogeneous disease. Accumulating evidence has revealed that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), play key roles in the development of BC; however, the involving of complex regulatory interactions between the different varieties of ncRNAs in the development of this cancer has been poorly understood. In the recent years, the newly discovered mechanism in the RNA world is "competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA)" which proposes regulatory dialogues between different RNAs, including long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), transcribed pseudogenes, and circular RNAs (circRNAs). In the latest BC research, various studies have revealed that dysregulation of several ceRNA networks (ceRNETs) between these ncRNAs has fundamental roles in establishing the hallmarks of BC development. And it is thought that such a discovery could open a new window for a better understanding of the hidden aspects of breast tumors. Besides, it probably can provide new biomarkers and potential efficient therapeutic targets for BC. This review will discuss the existing body of knowledge regarding the key functions of ceRNETs and then highlights the emerging roles of some recently discovered ceRNETs in several hallmarks of BC. Moreover, we propose for the first time the "ceRnome" as a new term in the present article for RNA research.

Expression levels of breast cancer-related GAS5 and LSINCT5 lncRNAs in cancer-free breast tissue: Molecular associations with age at menarche and obesity

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a major class of the human transcriptome which play crucial roles in the key biological processes of both normal and malignant breast cells. Although the aberrant expression of lncRNAs has been well-documented in breast cancer (BC), little is currently known about the association between their expression levels in the breast tissue of healthy women and BC risk factors, especially the reproductive or demographic characteristics that are among the most well-known BC risk modifiers. This study was an attempt to investigate the correlation between the expression levels of 2 breast cancer-related lncRNAs, including GAS5 and LSINCT5, and reproductive and demographic characteristics in 145 normal breast tissues that were obtained from women without breast cancer undergoing cosmetic surgery. Total RNA was extracted from fresh normal breast tissues, and the expression level of target lncRNAs was quantified using real-time qPCR. Differences in the mean normalized gene expression among the subgroups of different variables were analyzed. The expression levels of both genes was lower in the overweight-obese (BMI ≥ 25) subgroup than that in the normal BMI (BMI < 25) subgroup (GAS5 P = .019, LSINCT5 P = .036). Moreover, the expression level of GAS5 was negatively correlated with BMI (r: -.170, P: .041). The expression level of GAS5 was higher in women with late menarche (>13 years) than that with early menarche (≤13 years; P = .017). These findings may assist to obtain insights into the molecular mechanisms through which the reproductive or obesity-related estrogen changes contribute to the breast carcinogenesis. In conclusion, this study presents the first evidence for the presence of a link between the lncRNA expression and the reproductive or obesity related factors in the breast tissue of healthy women.

A link between expression level of long-non-coding RNA ZFAS1 in breast tissue of healthy women and obesity

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological and experimental literature indicates that the risk of breast cancer incidence is strongly linked to hormone-dependent factors, including reproductive history and obesity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the association between these factors and breast cancer risk are poorly understood. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine whether obesity and reproductive history are associated with expression levels of two breast cancer-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), namely ZFAS1 and SRA1 in cancer-free breast tissues of women.

METHODS

In the current research, 145 healthy women were recruited, and the quantitative expression levels of the two lncRNAs were determined through qPCR assay after gathering the mammoplasty breast tissue samples.

RESULTS

It was found that women with body mass index (BMI)≥30 kg/m² and BMI 25-29 kg/m² show a low expression of ZFAS1 compared to the BMI<25 kg/m² (P=0.031 and P=0.027, respectively). Then, the correlation analysis disclosed a negative correlation of ZFAS1 low expression with increasing BMI (r=-0.194, P=0.019). Interestingly, this analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between low expression of the ZFAS1 and high BMI in women with menarche age below 14 (r=-221; P=0.028). Lastly, it was also revealed that there was a negative association of the low expression level of ZFAS1 with increasing BMI in women through regression models (B=-0.048, P=0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest interesting clues about the links between high BMI and the expression levels of ZFAS1 in non-diseased breasts that may help us better understand the underlying mechanisms through which obesity contributes to breast carcinogenesis. However, such results need more validations in future research.

Association between polymorphism of GSTP1, GSTT1, GSTM1 and CYP2E1 genes and susceptibility to benzene-induced hematotoxicity

Occupational exposure to benzene has been associated with leukemia, anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Genetic susceptibility to benzene toxicity in humans may be related to variations in benzene metabolizing genes. The main objective of this study was to ascertain whether polymorphism of GSTP1, GSTM1, GSTT1 and CYP2E1 genes might influence susceptibility to the adverse effects of benzene among employees of a petrochemical plant. In this cross-sectional study, 124 employees of a petrochemical plant who had been occupationally exposed to benzene and had one or more abnormal hematological parameter (cases) and 184 subjects with a similar exposure scenario, free from any abnormal hematological parameters (referent) were studied. Atmospheric concentrations of benzene were measured and GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes were evaluated using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Additionally, GSTP1 and CYP2E1 genotypes were determined by PCR- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP). The frequency of null GSTT1 genotype in cases was significantly higher than that of referent group (32.3 vs. 18.5%, OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.23–3.56, p = 0.004). The mean value of platelets in subjects with null GSTT1 genotype was significantly lower than that of individuals with positive GSTT1 genotype (p = 0.015). Conversely, the mean value of leukocytes was significantly higher in subjects with null GSTM1 genotype as compared to those with positive GSTM1 genotype (p = 0.026). Logistic regression analysis showed that, subjects with null GSTT1 genotype had a significantly higher risk for hematological disorders, as compared to those with positive GSTT1 genotype (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.23–3.56). Moreover, subjects with both null GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes had a significantly higher risk for hematological disorders as compared to subjects with positive GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.14–4.8). The results of this study showed that, individuals carrying null GSTT1 or both null STT1 and GSTM1 genotypes had a higher risk and were more susceptible to benzene-induced hematological disorders.

Association of VDR gene polymorphisms with risk of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in an Iranian Kurdish population

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of VDR Apa-I, Bsm-I, Fok-I, Taq-I single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk in an Iranian Kurdish population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A population including of 118 patients and 124 healthy matched controls were recruited to the study. Genotyping of the SNPs was accomplished using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

RESULTS

The frequency of allele T of Fok-I (P = 0.003) and allele C of Taq-I (P = 0.0003) was significantly different between case and control subjects and showed significant association with risk of MS (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.23-2.76; OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.36-2.87, respectively). CT genotype (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.05-2.99) of Fok-I and CC genotype (OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.05-4.52) of Taq-I showed a predisposing effect. Combined TT+TC vs. CC for Fok-I (OR = 2.15, 95% = CI 1.29-3.60) and combined CC+TC vs. TT for Taq-I (OR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.51-4.40) were susceptibility genotypes for MS. Apa-I and Bsm-I were not significantly associated with risk of MS (OR < 1, P > 0.05) and any genotypes in any genetic models were not significantly different between cases and controls (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

As a result, Fok-I and Taq-I showed significant association with risk of MS, while Apa-I and Bsm-I were not observed to be related to the risk of the disease in this population.