Circulating MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer Detection and Metastasis Development Prediction.

Prostate Cancer (PCa) overdiagnosis and overtreatment, as a consequence of the limited specificity of current detection and prognostication methods, remains a major challenge in clinical practice. Therefore, development and validation of new molecular biomarkers amenable of detecting clinically significant disease is crucial. MicroRNAs (miRNA) deregulation is common in cancer, constituting potential non-invasive biomarkers for PCa detection and prognostication.

Predictive and Prognostic Value of Selected MicroRNAs in Luminal Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BrC) is the most frequent malignancy and the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Approximately 70% of BrC are classified as luminal-like subtype, expressing the estrogen receptor. One of the most common and effective adjuvant therapies for this BrC subtype is endocrine therapy.

Moving tissue spectral window to the deep-ultraviolet via optical clearing.

The optical immersion clearing technique has been successfully applied through the last 30 years in the visible to near infrared spectral range, and has proven to be a promising method to promote the application of optical technologies in clinical practice. To investigate its potential in the ultraviolet range, collimated transmittance spectra from 200 to 1000 nm were measured from colorectal muscle samples under treatment with glycerol-water solutions. The treatments created two new optical windows with transmittance efficiency peaks at 230 and 300 nm, with magnitude increasing with glycerol concentration in the treating solution.

The Complex Interplay between Metabolic Reprogramming and Epigenetic Alterations in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy affecting the kidney. Current therapies are mostly curative for localized disease, but do not completely preclude recurrence and metastization. Thus, it is imperative to develop new therapeutic strategies based on RCC biological properties.

A robust ex vivo method to evaluate the diffusion properties of agents in biological tissues.

A robust method is presented for evaluating the diffusion properties of chemicals in ex vivo biological tissues. Using this method that relies only on thickness and collimated transmittance measurements, the diffusion properties of glycerol, fructose, polypropylene glycol and water in muscle tissues were evaluated. Amongst other results, the diffusion coefficient of glycerol in colorectal muscle was estimated with a value of 3.

Comparative study of the chemiluminescence of coelenterazine, coelenterazine-e and Cypridina luciferin with an experimental and theoretical approach.

Imidazopyrazinone is a typical scaffold present in marine bioluminescence, in which thermal energy is converted into excitation energy in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. In fact, the imidazopyrazinone scaffold is a common link among organisms of eight phyla. The characterization of the light emission mechanism is essential for the development of future applications in bioimaging, bioanalysis and biomedicine.

DNA methylation profiling as a tool for testicular germ cell tumors subtyping.

Aim: Assess differential patterns of selected five genes' promoter methylation among testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) subtypes.

Materials & Methods:  CRIPTO, HOXA9, MGMT, RASSF1A and SCGB3A1 promoter methylation levels were evaluated by quantitative methylation-specific PCR in 161 TGCT and 16 controls. Associations between clinicopathological parameters and promoter methylation levels were assessed, and receiver operating characteristics curve analysis was performed.

A DNA Methylation-Based Test for Breast Cancer Detection in Circulating Cell-Free DNA.

Background: Breast cancer (BrC) is the most frequent neoplasm in women. New biomarkers, including aberrant DNA methylation, may improve BrC management. Herein, we evaluated the detection and prognostic performance of seven genes' promoter methylation (, , , , , and ).

Germ cell tumour subtypes display differential expression of microRNA371a-3p.

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, mostly affecting young men. Curability rates are high and adequate treatment relies on careful and accurate pathological and clinical assessment. Indeed, TGCTs' histopathological subtyping is critical for adequate therapeutic decision.

A multiplatform approach identifies miR-152-3p as a common epigenetically regulated onco-suppressor in prostate cancer targeting .

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in men worldwide. MicroRNAs are globally downregulated in PCa, especially in poorly differentiated tumors. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive.

Influence of HOTAIR rs920778 and rs12826786 genetic variants on prostate cancer risk and progression-free survival.

Aim: Evaluate the impact of the single nucleotide polymorphisms rs920778 and rs12826786 in the long noncoding RNA HOTAIR in the susceptibility and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Patients & Methods: HOTAIR single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism in 151 PCa cases and 180 cancer-free controls. Odds ratio, 95% CIs and prognostic significance were calculated.

MicroRNA-27a-5p regulation by promoter methylation and MYC signaling in prostate carcinogenesis.

Upregulation of MYC and miRNAs deregulation are common in prostate cancer (PCa). Overactive MYC may cause miRNAs' expression deregulation through transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms and epigenetic alterations are also involved in miRNAs dysregulation. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the role of regulatory network between MYC and miRNAs in prostate carcinogenesis.

Methylation-Specific PCR.

Cytosine methylation is a DNA modification generally associated with transcriptional silencing. Factors that regulate methylation have been linked to human disease, yet how they contribute to malignancies remains largely unknown. Methylation of DNA can change the functional state of regulatory regions, but does not change the Watson-Crick base pairing of cytosine.

MiR-193b promoter methylation accurately detects prostate cancer in urine sediments and miR-34b/c or miR-129-2 promoter methylation define subsets of clinically aggressive tumors.

Background: Contemporary challenges of prostate cancer (PCa) include overdiagnosis and overtreatment, entailing the need for novel clinical tools to improve risk stratification and therapy selection. PCa diagnosis and prognostication might be perfected using epigenetic biomarkers, among which aberrant DNA methylation of microRNA promoters has not been systematically explored. Herein, we identified aberrantly methylated microRNAs promoters in PCa and assessed its diagnostic and prognostic biomarker potential.

ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma with urinary bladder involvement diagnosed in urine cytology: A case report and literature review.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is an aggressive T-cell neoplasm. It rarely involves the urinary bladder, with just twelve cases reported thus far and only one being ALK-negative. Immunophenotyping (particularly for ALK) is mandatory, both for prognostic and therapeutic reasons.

The epigenetics of testicular germ cell tumors: looking for novel disease biomarkers.

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are a group of heterogeneous, biologically diverse and clinically challenging neoplasms. Despite the relatively low incidence and mortality rates, a subgroup of patients with disseminated disease relapse after conventional therapy and have a dismal prognosis. Moreover, TGCT afflict mostly young men and have therapeutic peculiarities, with some patients showing resistance to cisplatin-based treatments and others being troubled by irreversible side effects, such as infertility.

Epigenetic disruption of miR-130a promotes prostate cancer by targeting SEC23B and DEPDC1.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that mediate post-transcriptional gene silencing, fine tuning gene expression. In an initial screen, miRNAs were found to be globally down-regulated in prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines and primary tumours. Exposure of PCa cell lines to a demethylating agent, 5-Aza-CdR resulted in an increase in the expression levels of miRNAs in general.

Epigenetic modulators as therapeutic targets in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common non-cutaneous malignancies among men worldwide. Epigenetic aberrations, including changes in DNA methylation patterns and/or histone modifications, are key drivers of prostate carcinogenesis. These epigenetic defects might be due to deregulated function and/or expression of the epigenetic machinery, affecting the expression of several important genes.

Deciphering the function of non-coding RNAs in prostate cancer.

The advent of next-generation sequencing methods is fuelling the discovery of multiple non-coding RNA transcripts with direct implication in cell biology and homeostasis. This new layer of biological regulation seems to be of particular importance in human pathogenesis, including cancer. The aberrant expression of ncRNAs is a feature of prostate cancer, as they promote tumor-suppressive or oncogenic activities, controlling multicellular events leading to carcinogenesis and tumor progression.