Circular RNA circ_0000615 knockdown suppresses the development of nasopharyngeal cancer through regulating the miR-338-3p/FGF2 axis.

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a type of head and neck cancer with a high rate of metastasis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were reported to be related to the development of human cancers. This research aimed to investigate the functional mechanism of circRNA circ_0000615 in NPC. The gene expression was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was employed to assess cell proliferation ability. Transwell assay was used to measure cell migratory and invasive abilities. Furthermore, the interaction between miR-338-3p and circ_0000615 or fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) was predicted by starBase v.2.0 and then confirmed by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Besides, the mouse xenograft experiment was carried out to explore the effect of circ_0000615 on tumor growth in vivo. We detected increased levels of circ_0000615 and FGF2, along with a decreased level of miR-338-3p in NPC tissues and cells. Circ_0000615 knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT of NPC cells. Interestingly, circ_0000615 interacted with miR-338-3p, and miR-338-3p targeted FGF2. Circ_0000615 inhibited miR-338-3p expression to upregulate the FGF2 level. Furthermore, both miR-338-3p depletion and FGF2 overexpression weakened the effect of circ_0000615 knockdown on NPC cell progression. Besides, circ_0000615 knockdown repressed tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that circ_0000615 knockdown suppressed the growth of NPC cells via modulating miR-338-3p/FGF2 axis, providing a theoretical basis for the treatment of NPC.

Long non-coding RNA Tubulin Alpha 4B (TUBA4B) inhibited breast cancer proliferation and invasion by directly targeting miR-19.

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a significant member of the non-coding RNA family. New evidence has shown that it plays a pivotal role in the processes of tumor genesis and development. According to previous verification, the lncRNA Tubulin Alpha 4B (TUBA4B) is a tumor-associated molecule, but how TUBA4B expresses and functions in breast cancer is still not clear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted this study to examine what expression and biological role TUBA4B plays in breast cancer. The expression of TUBA4B was measured in breast cancer samples and cell lines. CCK8 assays and transwell assays were used for evaluating the effects of TUBA4B on breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. Luciferase reporter assays were used for identifying the direct target of TUBA4B. RESULTS: According to the results, TUBA4B was largely downregulated in breast cancer samples and cell lines. The functional analysis demonstrated that breast cancer cells proliferation and invasion could be inhibited by overexpression of TUBA4B. The results of Luciferase reporter assays indicated that TUBA4B directly targeted miR-19, which could rescue the effects of TUBA4B on breast cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that TUBA4B was downregulated in breast cancer and suppressed proliferation and invasion of breast cancer by targeting miR-19.

Efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus radiofrequency ablation (RFA; experimental group) versus RFA treatment (control group) in patients receiving palliative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. To summarize the available evidence, we used the Review Manager 5.1 software to perform a meta-analysis of English-language articles published in public databases prior to 2014. Based on 6 studies that met the inclusion criteria, a total of 531 (experimental group, 272; control group, 259) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the experimental group had a higher 3-year survival rate [risk ratios (RRs) = 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.94; P < 0.05] and a higher 2-year survival rate (RR = 1.11; 95%CI = 1.01-1.23; P < 0.05) than the control group. In the overall meta-analysis, the overall RRs were 2.02 (95%CI = 1.40-2.91; P < 0.05) and 1.63 (95%CI = 1.06-2.51; P < 0.05) for 3- and 5-year recurrence-free survival, respectively. Furthermore, the overall meta-analysis showed an overall RR of 0.75 (95%CI = 0.60-0.93; P < 0.05) for the incidence of tumor progression and an overall RR of 1.19 (95%CI = 0.33-4.33; P > 0.05) for the major complication rate. In a sensitivity analysis, the above mentioned meta-analytic estimates were unchanged by the removal of 1 study at a time. The meta-analysis suggested that the experimental group had a higher survival rate, a higher recurrence-free survival rate, and a lower incidence of tumor progression than the corresponding control group.