Role of microRNAs in fluoropyrimidine-related toxicity: what we know.

Although more than half a century has passed since the discovery of fluoropyrimidines, they are still used in the treatment of many types of cancer, and it is estimated that annually two million patients undergo fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. The toxicity resulting from the use of fluoropyrimidines affects about 30-40% of patients, which in some cases may prove to be lethal. The key player in fluoropyrimidine toxicity is DPD activity, and patients with deficits are more likely to develop significant adverse events. In addition to genotyping DPYD variants associated with DPD deficiency, overexpression of miR-27 has also been shown to be a predictive factor for fluoropyrimidine toxicity. This review aims to relate what we know so far about the involvement of miRNA in fluoropyrimidine toxicity and to open new perspectives in this field.

Role of pentraxin-3 in risk assessment of patients with metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays a major role in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its progression. Recent studies have shown that pentraxin-3 (PTX-3), osteoprogerin (OPG), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are key factors in MetS pathophysiology, but evidence for endorsing their clinical use is currently unclear and insufficient. AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the association between the inflammatory biomarkers' levels and the severity of MetS. METHODS: The study was observational, transversal, prospective, cohort, and analytical type. We enrolled 80 patients (M:F = 1, mean age = 55 ± 10.77 years) who met MetS criteria. The study protocol included: medical history, physical examination, 6-min walk test distance (6MWTD), biochemical tests, electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and carotid ultrasonography. We also performed plasmatic measurement of PTX-3, OPG, and TNF-α, in addition to standard biochemical tests. RESULTS: Subjects with severe MetS had higher values of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (p < 0.001, p = 0.001). PTX-3 levels were significantly higher in patients with severe MetS (p = 0.03) and the values were not influenced by age or gender. OPG positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.264, p = 0.018). 6MWTD was lower in patients with severe MetS (p = 0.005), whereas CCA-IMT was higher in this group of patients (p = 0.005). In addition, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for PTX-3 identified a cut-off value of 10.7 ng/dl that differentiates between mild and severe MetS [AUC 0.656; sensitivity =47.1% (95% CI = 36.1%-62.3%); specificity = 78.9% (95% CI = 54.4%-93.9%)]. CONCLUSION: PTX-3 was correlated with the severity of MetS, with other inflammatory parameters and cardiovascular tests. CCA-IMT and 6MWTD are useful in differentiating between mild and severe MetS.