Cancer is one of the greatest threats facing our society, being the second leading cause of death globally. Currents strategies for cancer diagnosis consist of the extraction of a solid tissue from the affected area. This sample enables the study of specific biomarkers and the genetic nature of the tumor. However, the tissue extraction is risky and painful for the patient and in some cases is unavailable in inaccessible tumors. Moreover, a solid biopsy is expensive and time consuming and cannot be applied repeatedly. New alternatives that overcome these drawbacks are rising up nowadays, such as liquid biopsy. A liquid biopsy is the analysis of biomarkers in a non-solid biological tissue, mainly blood, which has remarkable advantages over the traditional method; it has no risk, it is non-invasive and painless, it does not require surgery and reduces cost and diagnosis time. The most studied cancer non-invasive biomarkers are circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes. These circulating biomarkers play a key role in the understanding of metastasis and tumorigenesis, which could provide a better insight into the evolution of the tumor dynamics during treatment and disease progression. Improvements in isolation technologies, based on a higher grade of purification of CTCs, exosomes, and ctDNA, will provide a better characterization of biomarkers and give rise to a wide range of clinical applications, such as early detection of diseases, and the prediction of treatment responses due to the discovery of personalized tumor-related biomarkers.

Blood-Based Cancer Biomarkers in Liquid Biopsy: A Promising Non-Invasive Alternative to Tissue Biopsy

NK cell-based immunotherapy for cancer.

Long Non-coding RNAs and Their Roles in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.

PVT1 has been suggested as playing important roles in diverse biological processes including tumorigenesis. However, the clinical significance and biological function of PVT1 in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to identify the role of PVT1 in SCLC. The expression of PVT1 was examined in SCLC tissues and cell lines through real-time PCR. Meanwhile, the relationship of PVT1 expression levels with clinical characteristics of 120 SCLC patients was analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between PVT1 expression and prognosis of SCLC patient. The biological function of PVT1 on tumor cell growth and mobility were explored through MTT, colony formation, Transwell migration and invasion assays in vitro. In our results, PVT1 expression was markedly higher in SCLC tissues and cell lines than in normal lung tissues and normal bronchial epithelial cell lines (both P 0.05). In conclusion, PVT1 could serve as a new biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for SCLC patients.

LncRNA PVT1 overexpression is a poor prognostic biomarker and regulates migration and invasion in small cell lung cancer.

// Ruiling Chen 1,* , Gangyang Wang 1,* , Ying Zheng 1 , Yingqi Hua 1 and Zhengdong Cai 1 1 Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Bone Tumor Institute, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Zhengdong Cai, email: // Yingqi Hua, email: // Keywords : osteosarcoma; lncRNA; pathogenesis; biomarkers; therapeutic targets Received : October 12, 2016 Accepted : January 09, 2017 Published : January 18, 2017 Abstract Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with more than 200 nuleotides, have been explored to participate in various cancer types including osteosarcoma (OS), which is the most common kind of primary bone tumors with high morbidity in infants and adolescents. These oncogenic or tumor suppressive lncRNAs regulate OS pathogenesis, such as cell growth, proliferation, invasion, migration, metastasis and cell apoptosis, serve as independent prognostic biomarkers or play a significant role in multidrug resistance (MDR) in OS cells. In this review, we attempt to dissect the participation of lncRNAs in pathogenesis of OS and their potential clinical values, and also provide an outlook for viable biomarkers and therapeutic targets in OS.

/pdf/long-non-coding-rnas-in-osteosarcoma-yvpoh0so97.pdf

Long non-coding RNAs in osteosarcoma

Numerous long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been discovered as a result of advances in sequencing methods in genomic research. Recent evidence indicates that lncRNAs may serve as gene regulators via various mechanisms, such as translational control. Dysregulation of lncRNAs contributes to the development and progression of several human diseases, notably lung cancer, which is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated death. Recent studies have identified key roles for molecules such as p53 and polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) in carcinogenesis and the anti-carcinogenic action of lncRNAs. These findings point to the potential of lncRNAs as prospective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in lung cancer. In this review, we consider the functions of lncRNAs in translational control and discuss their involvement in lung cancer via p53, PRC2, and other pathways. We also consider the effects of modulating the levels and functions of lncRNAs. Further characterization of these lung cancer-associated lncRNAs will provide a better understanding of their potential roles as therapeutic targets.

Long non-coding RNA functions in lung cancer

Natural killer (NK) cells, which can exert early and powerful anti-tumour and anti-viral responses, are important components of the innate immune system. DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM-1) is an activating receptor molecule expressed on the surface of NK cells. Recent findings suggest that DNAM-1 is a critical regulator of NK cell biology. DNAM-1 is involved in NK cell education and differentiation, and also plays a pivotal role in the development of cancer, viral infections and immune-related diseases. However, tumours and viruses have developed multiple mechanisms to evade the immune system. They are able to impair DNAM-1 activity by targeting the DNAM-1 receptor-ligand system. We have reviewed the roles of DNAM-1, and its biological functions, with respect to NK cell biology and DNAM-1 chimeric antigen receptor-based immunotherapy.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/imm.12516

Critical roles of co-activation receptor DNAX accessory molecule-1 in natural killer cell immunity.

Palmar hyperhidrosis involves excessive sweating of the palms, with no known etiology. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) is a safe and effective treatment for palmar hyperhidrosis, but compensatory hyperhidrosis is a common complication after ETS, leading to reduced patient satisfaction and postoperative quality of life. However, the appropriate level of the sympathetic chain to target with ETS to achieve maximum efficacy and reduce the risk of compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) is controversial. In this systemic review, we investigated the appropriate level of sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis. PRISMA guidelines were implemented to complete a systematic review. We performed a computerized systematic literature search using PubMed and EMBASE from January 1990 to July 2016. We chose the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool and the methodological index for non-randomized studies tool for examining study bias. A total of 4075 citations were identified, of which 91 were eligible for inclusion, including 68 observational studies and 23 comparative trials. In observational studies, sympathectomies showed similar efficacies for curing PH at different levels. However, T2-free groups (i.e., at levels T3, T4, or T3–T4 combined) could render a lower risk of Horner’s syndrome (0 vs. 1.21 ± 0.49%, p = 0.036) and CH (28.75 ± 7.25 vs. 57.46 ± 3.86, p = 0.002) compared with T2 involved. In comparative trials, there were 12 studies describing the comparison between T2-free ETS and T2 involved, and 9 of 12 (75%) showed T2-free ETS could reduce the incidence of CH. Overall, lowering the level and limiting the extent of sympathectomy could reduce the incidence of complications. Cumulative data from more than 13,000 patients suggest that ETS is a safe, effective, and reproducible procedure with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Currently available evidence suggests that T2-free ETS may reduce the incidence of compensatory hyperhidrosis without compromising success rates and safety.

Optimal targeting of sympathetic chain levels for treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis: an updated systematic review

Viral infections can alter host transcriptomes by manipulating host splicing machinery. Despite intensive transcriptomic studies on SARS-CoV-2, a systematic analysis of alternative splicing (AS) in severe COVID-19 patients remains largely elusive. Here we integrated proteomic and transcriptomic sequencing data to study AS changes in COVID-19 patients. We discovered that RNA splicing is among the major down-regulated proteomic signatures in COVID-19 patients. The transcriptome analysis showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces widespread dysregulation of transcript usage and expression, affecting blood coagulation, neutrophil activation, and cytokine production. Notably, CD74 and LRRFIP1 had increased skipping of an exon in COVID-19 patients that disrupts a functional domain, which correlated with reduced antiviral immunity. Furthermore, the dysregulation of transcripts was strongly correlated with clinical severity of COVID-19, and splice-variants may contribute to unexpected therapeutic activity. In summary, our data highlight that a better understanding of the AS landscape may aid in COVID-19 diagnosis and therapy.

/pdf/abnormal-global-alternative-rna-splicing-in-covid-19-3gid0y64.pdf

Peng Xiong

Papers

Long non-coding RNA functions in lung cancer

Critical roles of co-activation receptor DNAX accessory molecule-1 in natural killer cell immunity.

Optimal targeting of sympathetic chain levels for treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis: an updated systematic review

Abnormal global alternative RNA splicing in COVID-19 patients

Circ-GSK3B up-regulates GSK3B to suppress the progression of lung adenocarcinoma