The Potential Role of Small Nucleolar RNAs in Cancers - An Evidence Map.

Purpose: Cancer seriously endangers human health in every country of the world. New evidence shows that small nucleolar RNAs play important roles in tumorigenesis. Herein, we created this evidence map to systematically assess the impact of dysregulated snoRNAs on cancers. Methods: We searched four databases to February 2022 using the keywords, "carcinoma", "neoplasms", "tumor", "cancer", "snoRNA", and "small nucleolar rna". The research data were independently screened by two reviewers. Bubble plot, mind map, heatmap were used to depict the relationship between snoRNAs and cancers. Results: In total, 102 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this evidence map. In this study, we found that dysregulated snoRNAs were statistically associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of cancer patients, and affected tumor cell phenotypes. Abnormally expressed snoRNAs were associated with poor survival in cancer patients. Current research confirmed that snoRNAs have good diagnostic efficiency for cancers. snoRNAs could modulate biological processes and signaling pathways of different cancer cells by altering rRNA, regulating mRNA, and recruiting protein factors. Conclusion: Taken all together, ectopic snoRNAs may serve as new biomarkers for clinical assessment, diagnostic, prognostic prediction of cancer patients, and provide a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. This article provided a visual analysis of existing evidence on snoRNAs and cancers, which can offer useful information for different researchers interested in snoRNAs.

AGT May Serve as a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltration in Gastric Cancer.

Purpose: Angiotensinogen (AGT), as a component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), is associated with multiple risk factors for gastric cancer (GC). However, the relationship between AGT and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in GC remains elusive. Methods: AGT expression was analyzed based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Kaplan-Meier curve was employed to assess the role of AGT expression in gastric patients' prognosis. The association between AGT expression and tumor immune infiltration was further evaluated via exploring Tumour Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). We also used multiple public databases to analyse the aberrant methylation of AGT, construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) and gene ontology (GO) analyses. Results: AGT was overexpressed in GC tissues compared with normal gastric tissues (P<0.05). High AGT expression related with poorer overall survival of patients with GC, especially in advanced GC patients. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that AGT was associated with several immune cells (including B cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages), and AGT expression was also associated with the markers of NK cells, TAMs, Tregs, and so on (all P<0.05). Methylation analysis indicated that hypomethylation may lead to abnormal upregulation of the AGT. GO analysis showed that AGT and its related genes were enriched in systemic arterial blood pressure by hormone, regulation of blood volume by renin-angiotensin, NIK/NF-kappaB signaling, ficolin-1-rich granule and so on. Conclusion: AGT could act as a promising biomarker for prognosis and immune infiltration in GC.

Application of computed tomography, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, endobronchial ultrasound, and mediastinoscopy in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node staging of non-small-cell lung cancer: A protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Ruling out distant metastases, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)treatment depends on the results of mediastinal node staging (N staging). Several diagnostic methods play central roles in mediastinal N staging. This study is intended to evaluate the existing diagnostic methods and report quality, and to search for the best method for staging mediastinal lymph nodes. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies, including randomized controlled trials and retrospective studies. These studies report the application of computed tomography, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, endobronchial ultrasound, and mediastinoscopy in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node staging of NSCLC. The quality of the literature was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Study 2. The true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative of each study was extracted. The corresponding sensitivity, specificity, and other indicators were calculated and the Summary Receiver Operating curve was established. Then, head-to-head and indirect comparison meta-analyses will be conducted. RESULTS: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This study will provide basis for mediastinal lymph node staging of non-small cell lung cancer. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019145667.

Comparison of value of biomarkers in diagnosing lung cancer: An overview of systematic reviews protocol.

BACKGROUND: In both sexes combined, lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Furthermore, the incidence rate is increasing in many countries. Many lung cancer patients have a poor prognosis because they are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective methods for early diagnosis of lung cancer. Some systematic reviews have evaluated the value of biomarkers for diagnosing lung cancer. However, it remains unclear which biomarker has superior performance for early and accurate detection of lung cancer. This overview aims to assess the methodological and reporting quality of available systematic reviews and to find an optimal biomarker for diagnosing lung cancer. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase.com, the Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science to identify relevant systematic reviews including randomized controlled trials, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, or cohort studies that reported the value of biomarkers for diagnosing lung cancer. The methodological quality will be assessed using AMASAR-2 checklist, and the reporting quality will be assessed using PRISMA-DTA checklist. Bubble plot will be generated to map the biomarkers, methodological and reporting quality. The pairwise meta-analysis and indirect comparisons will be performed using STATA 13.0. RESULTS: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal CONCLUSION:: This overview will provide comprehensive evidence of different biomarkers for the diagnosis of lung cancer. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval and patient consent are not required as this study is an overview based on published systematic reviews.