Artificial intelligence for disease diagnostics still has a long way to go.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can sometimes resolve difficulties that other advanced technologies and humans cannot. In medical diagnostics, AI has the advantage of processing figure recognition, especially for images with similar characteristics that are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. However, the mechanisms of this advanced technique should be well-addressed to elucidate clinical issues.

Identification and validation of functional roles for three MYC-associated genes in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Aberrations in MYC underlie a large proportion of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) cases; however, MYC is difficult to target because of its undruggable structure. We aimed to uncover MYC-associated molecular targets to provide new strategies for LIHC treatment.

Methods: LIHC transcriptome datasets and clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas.

Effect of low-dose radiation on thyroid function and the gut microbiota.

Background: The thyroid-gut axis has a great influence on the maintenance of human health; however, we know very little about the effects of low-dose ionizing radiation (LDR) on thyroid hormone levels and gut microbiota composition.

Aim: To investigate the potential effects of low-dose X-ray radiation to male C57BL/6J mice.

Methods: Peripheral blood was collected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and stool samples were taken for 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing after irradiation.

Scientific research competitiveness in hospitals: A narrative review of major hospital ranking systems in China.

Background And Aims: Several hospital ranking systems have been created in China recently, but there is still a lack of comprehensive analysis of the weight and significance of scientific research in hospital ranking. The present study aimed to identify and analyze the role of scientific research competitiveness in various hospital ranking systems in China.

Methods: Over 200 materials published between 2010 and 2020 and related to three mainstream hospital ranking systems in China were reviewed.

Liquid biopsy in lung cancer: significance in diagnostics, prediction, and treatment monitoring.

Primary lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Approximately 60% of lung cancer patients have distant metastasis at the initial diagnosis, so it is necessary to find new tumor markers for early diagnosis and individualized treatment. Tumor markers contribute to the early diagnosis of lung cancer and play important roles in early detection and treatment, as well as in precision medicine, efficacy monitoring, and prognosis prediction.

Long non-coding RNA NORAD promotes pancreatic cancer stem cell proliferation and self-renewal by blocking microRNA-202-5p-mediated ANP32E inhibition.

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are key regulators in the processes of tumor initiation, progression, and recurrence. The mechanism that maintains their stemness remains enigmatic, although the role of several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been highlighted in the pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs). In this study, we first established that PCSCs overexpressing lncRNA NORAD, and then investigated the effects of NORAD on the maintenance of PCSC stemness.

MiR-9-1 Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis by Targeting UHRF1 in Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is listed as the most common reason for cancer-related death all over the world despite diagnostic improvements and the development of chemotherapy and targeted therapies. MicroRNAs control both physiological and pathological processes including development and cancer. A microRNA-9 to 1 (miR-9 to 1) overexpression model in lung cancer cell lines was established and miR-9 to 1 was found to significantly suppress the proliferation rate in lung cancer cell lines, colony formation in vitro, and tumorigenicity in nude mice of A549 cells.

Exosomal microRNA-15a from mesenchymal stem cells impedes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via downregulation of SALL4.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous tumor with an increased incidence worldwide accompanied by high mortality and dismal prognosis. Emerging evidence indicates that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes possess protective effects against various human diseases by transporting microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs). We aimed to explore the role of exosomal miR-15a derived from MSCs and its related mechanisms in HCC.

The power and the promise of circRNAs for cancer precision medicine with functional diagnostics and prognostic prediction.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a large class of covalently closed circRNA. As a member of competitive endogenous RNA, it participates in the regulation of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network and plays an important role in the regulation of physiology and pathology. CircRNA is produced by the reverse splicing of exon, intron or both, forming exon or intron circRNA.

Protein disulfide isomerase inhibits endoplasmic reticulum stress response and apoptosis via its oxidoreductase activity in colorectal cancer.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), a principal endoplasmic reticulum resident oxidoreductase chaperone, is known to play a role in malignancies. This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism by which PDI regulates endoplasmic reticulum stress and the apoptosis signaling pathway in colorectal cancer (CRC). We determined the expression of PDI in CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues.

MicroRNA-499 serves as a sensitizer for lung cancer cells to radiotherapy by inhibition of CK2α-mediated phosphorylation of p65.

The present study aimed to define the tumor-suppressive role of microRNA-499 (miR-499) in lung cancer cells and its underlying mechanism. First, qRT-PCR analysis revealed poor expression of miR-499 in clinical samples and cell lines of lung cancer. Next, we performed loss- and gain-of-function experiments for the expression of miR-499 in lung cancer cells exposed to irradiation (IR) to determine the effect of miR-499 expression on cell viability and apoptosis as well as tumor growth.

microRNA-873 inhibits self-renewal and proliferation of pancreatic cancer stem cells through pleckstrin-2-dependent PI3K/AKT pathway.

Recent studies have emphasized microRNAs (miRs) as crucial regulators in the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer that continues to be one of the deadliest malignancies with few effective therapies. The study aimed to investigate the functional role of miR-873 and its associated mechanism to unravel the biological characteristics of pancreatic cancer stem cells in tumor growth. The expression patterns of pleckstrin-2 (PLEK2) and miR-873 were detected in the pancreatic cancer tissues.

microRNA-320b suppresses HNF4G and IGF2BP2 expression to inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth of lung cancer.

We examined the effect of microRNA-320b (miR-320b) on tumor growth and angiogenesis in lung cancer and also determined its downstream molecular mechanisms. Lung cancer tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected from 66 patients with lung cancer. miR-320b expression was experimentally determined to be expressed at low level in cancer tissues.

Comprehensive analysis to identify DLEU2L/TAOK1 axis as a prognostic biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors that are harmful to human health. Increasing evidence has underscored the critical role of the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks among various human cancers. However, the complexity and behavior characteristics of the ceRNA network in HCC were still unclear.

Systematic analysis using a bioinformatics strategy identifies SFTA1P and LINC00519 as potential prognostic biomarkers for lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Lung cancer has high incidence and mortality rates, in which lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a primary type of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The aim of our study was to discover long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with diagnose and prognosis for LUSC. RNA sequencing data obtained from LUSC samples were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA).

Inhibition of USP14 Deubiquitinating Activity as a Potential Therapy for Tumors with Deficiency.

Functional elimination of p53 is a common feature of a large percentage of human malignancies. Here, we report the development of a pharmacological strategy aimed at restoring p53 function and its use for targeted therapy in p53-deficient mice. Specific inhibition of deubiquitinases ubiquitin-specific peptidase 14 (USP14) resulted in durable tumor regressions of autochthonous lymphomas and sarcomas in p53-deficient mice without affecting normal tissues, and therapeutic response was correlated with an increase in the ubiquitination of constitutive photomorphogenesis 9 (COP9) signalosome subunit 5 (COPS5), a key negative regulatory effector for p53.

Prognostic implications of decreased microRNA-101-3p expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

To investigate the expression level of microRNA-101-3p (miR-101-3p) and its possible association with progression, prognosis and chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to verify the expression in 327 NSCLC and 42 adjacent normal lung tissues, of which 42 viable tissues were paired with nearby normal lung tissues. Based on the Cox regression model, univariate and multivariate analyses were used to address the factors that had effects on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rate.

Reduced hsa-miR-124-3p levels are associated with the poor survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hsa-MicroRNA-124a-3p (hsa-miR-124-3p) is involved in tumor progression in certain malignant tumors. However, its function and clinical implication in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not yet been illustrated. In this study, we explored the expression and prognostic value of hsa-miR-124-3p in patients with HCC.

miR-30 Family Reduction Maintains Self-Renewal and Promotes Tumorigenesis in NSCLC-Initiating Cells by Targeting Oncogene TM4SF1.

Increasing evidence indicates that tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are responsible for the occurrence, development, recurrence, and development of the drug resistance of cancer. MicroRNA (miRNA) plays a significant functional role by directly regulating targets of TIC-triggered non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but little is known about the function of the miR-30 family in TICs. In this study, we found the miR-30 family to be downregulated during the spheroid formation of NSCLC cells, and patients with lower miR-30a/c expression had shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

MicroRNA‑mRNA integrated analysis based on a case of well‑differentiated thyroid cancer with both metastasis and metastatic recurrence.

The incidence of well‑differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) is rapidly increasing. Poor survival follows distant metastasis (DM) and recurrence. In the present study, we aimed to analyze the expression alterations in different stages of WDTC and the regulatory mechanism of DM and the recurrence of DM.

Tumor suppressive microRNA-124a inhibits stemness and enhances gefitinib sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting ubiquitin-specific protease 14.

Increasing evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant functional role by directly regulating respective targets in cancer stem cell (CSC)-induced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression and resistance to therapy. In this study, we found that hsa-miR-124a was downregulated during spheroid formation of the NSCLC cell lines SPC-A1 and NCI-H1650 and NSCLC tissues compared with normal lung cells and tissues. Patients with lower hsa-miR-124a expression had shorter overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS).

MicroRNA-33a downregulation is associated with tumorigenesis and poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

In order to examine the prognostic significance of miR-33a in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), total RNA was extracted from 149 HCC biopsies, 36 of which were paired with para-carcinoma tissues, and miR-33a expression was measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results demonstrated that miR-33a expression was decreased in HCC biopsies compared with normal liver tissue samples. It was also demonstrated that miR-33a expression was significantly associated with tumor foci number.