An Insight into the Arising Role of MicroRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Future Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes a frequent highly malignant form of primary liver cancer and is the third cause of death attributable to malignancy. Despite the improvement in the therapeutic strategies with the exploration of novel pharmacological agents, the survival rate for HCC is still low. Shedding light on the multiplex genetic and epigenetic background of HCC, such as on the emerging role of microRNAs, is considered quite promising for the diagnosis and the prediction of this malignancy, as well as for combatting drug resistance.

Exploiting Autophagy-Dependent Neoantigen Presentation in Tumor Microenvironment.

Autophagy constitutes a well-known homeostatic and catabolic process that is responsible for degradation and recycling of cellular components. It is a key regulatory mechanism for several cellular functions, whereas its dysregulation is associated with tumorigenesis, tumor-stroma interactions and resistance to cancer therapy. A growing body of evidence has proven that autophagy affects the tumor microenvironment, while it is also considered a key factor for function of several immune cells, such as APCs, T-cells, and macrophages.

The Emerging Role of MicroRNAs and Autophagy Mechanism in Pancreatic Cancer Progression: Future Therapeutic Approaches.

Pancreatic cancer constitutes the fourth most frequent cause of death due to malignancy in the US. Despite the new therapeutic modalities, the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is considered a difficult task for clinicians due to the fact that is usually diagnosed in already advanced stages and it is relatively resistant to the current chemotherapeutic agents. The molecular background analysis of pancreatic malignant tumors, which includes various epigenetic and genetic alterations, opens new horizons for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Abnormalities in Cu and Zn levels in acute hepatitis of different etiologies.

Background: Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) are essential trace elements which play an important role in various biological processes. Zn deficiency is common in liver diseases while Cu deficiency is rarely reported. To determine whether serum Cu and Zn concentrations differed in acute hepatitis, compared to controls and investigate possible correlations of Cu and Zn values with etiology and severity of liver diseases.