Circular RNAs: characteristics, functions, mechanisms, and potential applications in thyroid cancer / ARN circulares: características, funciones, mecanismos y posibles aplicaciones en el cáncer de tiroides

Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies, and its incidence has increased globally. Despite extensive research, the underlying molecular mechanisms of TC remain partially understood, warranting continued exploration of molecular markers for diagnostic and prognostic applications. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently garnered significant attention owing to their distinct roles in cancers. This review article introduced the classification and biological functions of circRNAs and summarized their potential as diagnostic and prognostic markers in TC. Further, the interplay of circRNAs with PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin, MAPK/ERK, Notch, JAK/STAT, and AMPK pathways is elaborated upon. The article culminates with an examination of circRNA's role in drug resistance of TC and highlights the challenges in circRNA research in TC.(AU)

Circular RNAs: characteristics, functions, mechanisms, and potential applications in thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies, and its incidence has increased globally. Despite extensive research, the underlying molecular mechanisms of TC remain partially understood, warranting continued exploration of molecular markers for diagnostic and prognostic applications. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently garnered significant attention owing to their distinct roles in cancers. This review article introduced the classification and biological functions of circRNAs and summarized their potential as diagnostic and prognostic markers in TC. Further, the interplay of circRNAs with PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Wnt/ß-catenin, MAPK/ERK, Notch, JAK/STAT, and AMPK pathways is elaborated upon. The article culminates with an examination of circRNA's role in drug resistance of TC and highlights the challenges in circRNA research in TC.

A case report of acute suppurative thyroiditis caused by Clostridium perfringens.

A 42-year-old woman inadvertently discovered a neck mass, which caused pain. Initially, she was treated with antibiotics at a local clinic; however, this treatment did not alleviate the symptoms. She visited the authors' outpatient clinic for further treatment and underwent thyroid ultrasonography, which revealed a mixed echo nodule. On day 4 after admission, surgery was performed to remove the diseased thyroid tissue and levofloxacin (0.4 g/day) was infused. Bacterial culture confirmed infection with Clostridium perfringens. Subsequently, the treatment was switched to ceftriaxone sodium (2 g/day) according to the results of the drug sensitivity test. Following treatment, the patient recovered fully and was discharged. She was then followed up with after discharge. Ultrasonography, laboratory testing and clinical manifestations did not indicate obvious abnormalities.

Surgical Steps of Gasless Transaxillary Endoscopic Thyroidectomy: From A to Z.

In the past 30 years, the incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has been increasing rapidly and has become one of the most common malignant tumors in females. Currently, the main surgical treatment for DTC is standard open thyroidectomy (SOT) via a traditional Kocher mid-cervical incision, but postoperative neck scarring was associated with significantly worse health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores. To offer better cosmesis, robotic/endoscopic thyroidectomy via cervical, axillary, anterior chest, breast, postauricular, or transoral approaches have been developed over the past 20 years. In general, gasless transaxillary endoscopic thyroidectomy (GTET) has advantages in terms of convenience, clarity of vision, and aesthetic incision. The current work aims to provide a step-by-step description of GTET, supported by a high-quality, pictorial guide.

The Overdiagnosis of Thyroid Micropapillary Carcinoma: The Rising Incidence, Inert Biological Behavior, and Countermeasures.

The incidence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) has exponentially increased in the past three decades. The 2014 World Cancer Report stated that, among the new cases of thyroid carcinoma, >50% are PTMC. The incidence of thyroid cancer was growing by 20.1% annually in China. Most of PTMC have low risk and excellent prognoses. It must be realized that the problem of overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer is quite serious. In this article, we summarized the phenomenon and the cause of "overdiagnosis" of PTMC, the progress of clinical management, and the countermeasures.

Nutrient deposition over the past 60 years in a reservoir within a medium-sized agricultural catchment.

Widespread dam construction has reduced the hydrological connectivity of catchments of various sizes. Nutrients lost from upper catchments can be intercepted by dams and deposited in reservoir sediments, and this reduces downstream nutrient transportation. Few previous studies have assessed historical nutrient deposition rates (NDRs) in man-made reservoirs. Using 137Cs and 210Pbex deposition chronologies, this paper examines the total nitrogen (TN), total phosphate (TP), and organic matter (OM) concentrations in six sediment cores recovered from Xujiaya reservoir (catchment area 580 km2), provides estimates of historical NDRs by referencing the original capacity curve, and explores temporal changes to the NDR since dam construction. The results show that anthropogenic sources resulted in the increase in nutrient concentrations in the upper parts of the cores, whereas natural sources were the main contributors to nutrient deposition across the whole reservoir. In addition, sediment supply from the catchment was the main source of the nutrients deposited in the reservoir, and the changing patterns of NDRs were overall regulated by sediment yields. The TN, TP, and OM profiles in the six cores, together with the historical NDRs, reflect the pattern of nutrient deposition in the reservoir derived from this agricultural catchment over the past 60 years. The results provide new insight into the effect of dam construction on nutrient deposition at a medium-sized catchment scale against a background of recent environmental change influenced by human activity.

CENPF promotes papillary thyroid cancer progression by mediating cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTHCA) accounts for ~85% cases of thyroid cancer and exhibits high incidence. Targeted therapy is an effective method to combat this disease; however, novel therapeutic targets are required. Centromere protein F (CENPF), a member of centromere proteins and a transient kinetochore protein, regulates various cellular processes such as cell migration and mitosis, and its upregulation has been observed in multiple types of cancer, including breast cancer and gastric cancer. However, the potential role of CENPF in PTHCA progression is remains unclear. The results of the current study demonstrated that CENPF expression was enhanced in human PTHCA tissues through IHC assays. Furthermore, the expression of CENPF was correlated with the prognosis and the clinicopathological features, including T stage (P=0.021) and intraglandular dissemination (P=0.042) in patients with PTHCA. CENPF regulated the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of PTHCA cells in vitro, which was confirmed through colony formation, MTT and flow cytometry assays, and affected tumor growth in vivo in mice. In conclusion, the current study reported the involvement of CENPF in PTHCA progression and provided a promising therapeutic target for PTHCA treatment.

Combining Organic Fertilizer With Controlled-Release Urea to Reduce Nitrogen Leaching and Promote Wheat Yields.

Soil deterioration, low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and environmental risks caused by excessive chemical N fertilizer use are key factors restricting sustainable agriculture. It is extremely critical to develop effective N management strategies that consider both environmental and agronomic benefits. From 2017 to 2019, a field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of combinations of organic fertilizers (OF, provided at 30, 50, and 70% of the total applied N) and controlled-release urea (CU) on the NUE, N leaching and wheat yield compared with the effects of urea and CU. The results suggested that OF released N slowly in the early stage and showed a significant residual effect, while CU released N quickly in the first 2 months. The OF substitutes with 30-50% CU increased wheat yield by 4.2-9.2%, while the 70%OF+30%CU treatment showed no significant difference relative to the urea treatment. The average maximum apparent NUE recovery (50.4%) was achieved under the 50%OF+50%CU treatment, but the partial factor productivity was not affected by the N type. As the OF application rate increased, the total carbon content increased, and the total N value decreased. The NO 3 - -N and NH 4 + -N concentrations in the OF+CU treatments were lower before the jointing stage but higher from the grain-filling to mature stages than those in the urea treatment. NO 3 - -N and NH 4 + -N were mainly concentrated in the 0-60-cm layer soil by OF substitution, and N leaching to the 60-100-cm soil layer was significantly reduced. Hence, the results suggest that the combination of 30-50% OF with CU synchronizes absorption with availability due to a period of increased N availability in soils and proved to be the best strategy for simultaneously increasing wheat production and reducing N leaching.

Exosomes Play an Important Role in the Progression of Plasma Cell Mastitis via the PI3K-Akt-mTOR Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Plasma cell mastitis (PCM) is one of the most frequently encountered inflammatory diseases of the nonlactating breast. However, its pathogenesis has remained unknown. METHODS: In this study, we observed the ultrastructure changes of PCM by a transmission electron microscope. The transcriptome expression difference of exosomes was detected by RNA-Seq; then, we confirmed the key difference genes by western blot and immunohistochemistry. Finally, we established the mouse PCM model by tissue homogenate injection to validate the role of exosomes on the progression of PCM. RESULTS: The analysis of the exosomal transcriptome expression difference between PCM and normal mammary tissues using RNA-Seq showed the differential genes and enrichment pathways involved in the course of PCM. The decreased HSP90AA1 and EEF2, excessive production of p-AKT, and p-mTOR were consistent with clinical specimens. Inhibition of exosome secretion significantly inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration, and the mammary duct had maintained a better structure in the PCM mouse model. CONCLUSION: Our results revealed the role of exosomes acting as critical signal introduction facilitators in the progression of plasma cell mastitis and identified potential key genes in the regulation of this process. These results will help to dissect the molecular mechanism of PCM and provide therapeutic targets.

Psoralen induced cell cycle arrest by modulating Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in breast cancer cells.

Psoralen could inhibit the proliferation of human breast cancer cells, however, the molecular mechanism was unclear. We evaluated the anti-proliferative effects of psoralen by MTT, plate colony formation assay and cell cycle analysis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The effects of psoralen on activation of Wnt/ß-catenin and the related target genes were examined by quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting and cell immunofluorescence. The tumor growth was conducted in BALB/c nude mice and the pathological changes of heart, liver and kidney were also observed. Our results demonstrate that psoralen significantly inhibited cell proliferation by inducing G0/G1 phase arrest in MCF-7 cells and G2/M phase arrest in MDA-MB-231 cells. The expression of Fra-1 was reduced and Axin2 was promoted both in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells after psoralen treatment. The cytoplasmic accumulation and nuclear translocation of ß-catenin were significantly reduced by psoralen. Psoralen increased the levels of phospho-(Y142) ß-catenin, while decreased the expression of total ß-catenin and its downstream target Fra-1 in vitro and vivo. Moreover, psoralen didn't cause any significant toxicity at the effective concentration. Overall, our results might provide theoretical basis for clinical application of psoralen in breast cancer.

Down-regulation of PARP1 by miR-891b sensitizes human breast cancer cells to alkylating chemotherapeutic drugs.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer is the most common invasive type of cancer among women. Role of different microRNAs (miRNAs) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) in breast cancer has been well established. This study aimed to explore the effects of miR-891b on sensitizing breast cancer cells to alkylating chemotherapeutic drugs through PARPs. METHODS: The expression of miR-891b and PARP1 in human breast cancer cells HCC1806 was overexpressed by transfection with their mimics or expressing vector. Then, the transfected cells were exposed to 40 µM N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) for 1 h. The correlation between miR-891b and PARP1 was detected by RT-qPCR, western blot, and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Besides, MTT assay and Annexin V assay were done to measure cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. RESULTS: PARP1 was a target of miR-891b, and it was negatively regulated by miR-891b. MiR-891b increased the sensitivity of the HCC1806 cells to the cytotoxic effects of MNNG through suppressing cell proliferation and increasing the percentage of apoptotic cells. Restoration of PARP1 activity in the HCC1806 cells led to loss of miR-891b mediated sensitivity of the HCC1806 cells to MNNG. CONCLUSION: MiR-891b increases the sensitivity of the breast cancer cells (HCC1806) to the cytotoxic effects of the chemotherapeutic agent MNNG by suppressing the expression of PARP1.

miR-490-3p inhibits the growth and invasiveness in triple-negative breast cancer by repressing the expression of TNKS2.

Identification of key genes driving the aggressiveness of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is important to develop effective therapies. In this study, we examined the expression and biological roles of microRNA (miR)-490-3p in TNBC. Our data showed that miR-490-3p-3p was underexpressed in TNBC compared with non-TNBC tissues (P=0.0021). Similarly, this miRNA was expressed at lower levels in TNBC cell lines than in non-TNBC cell lines. Gain-of-function studies revealed that miR-490-3p-3p overexpression inhibited cell growth and invasion in both MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 TNBC cells and impaired tumorigenesis of MDA-MB-231 cells in nude mice. Mechanistically, we found that miR-490-3p negatively regulated the expression of tankyrase 2 (TNKS2) via binding to its 3'-untranslated region and then blocked the activation of ß-catenin signaling. Importantly, overexpression of a miR-490-3p-resistant form of TNKS2 reversed miR-490-3p-mediated suppression of TNBC cell proliferation and invasion. Knockdown of TNKS2 via small interfering RNA technology was found to mimic the suppressive activity of miR-490-3p in MDA-MB-231 cells. Taken together, miR-490-3p is downregulated in TNBC and plays a suppressive role in cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and tumorigenesis. The tumor suppressive activity of miR-490-3p is largely mediated through downregulation of TNKS2 and inactivation of ß-catenin signaling. Thus, miR-490-3p may represent a potential therapeutic target for TNBC.