Effects of Volume Overload and Current Techniques for the Assessment of Fluid Status in Patients with Renal Disease.

Volume overload is an important, may be the foremost, independent prognostic factor determining the outcome of hemodialysis patients. Therefore, it is crucial to measure fluid status of these patients and avoid volume overload. This review aims to evaluate volume overload, its effects on patients with renal diseases and current methodologies measuring volume status in the body. These techniques will be first classified as clinical evaluation and non-clinical and/or instrumental techniques, which includes biomarkers, ultrasonography, relative blood volume monitoring, bioimpedance, echocardiography, pulmonary artery catheterization, esophageal and/or suprasternal Doppler, and blood viscosity. Advantages and limitations of these different techniques will be reviewed extensively by comparing each other. At last, insights gained from this review can highlight the future prospects in this active area of research.

Sox2: regulation of expression and contribution to brain tumors.

Tumors of the CNS are composed of a complex mixture of neoplastic cells, in addition to vascular, inflammatory and stromal components. Similar to most other tumors, brain tumors contain a heterogeneous population of cells that are found at different stages of differentiation. The cancer stem cell hypothesis suggests that all tumors are composed of subpopulation of cells with stem-like properties, which are capable of self-renewal, display resistance to therapy and lead to tumor recurrence. One of the most important transcription factors that regulate cancer stem cell properties is SOX2. In this review, we focus on SOX2 and the complex network of signaling molecules and transcription factors that regulate its expression and function in brain tumor initiating cells. We also highlight important findings in the literature about the role of SOX2 in glioblastoma and medulloblastoma, where it has been more extensively studied.

DICER governs characteristics of glioma stem cells and the resulting tumors in xenograft mouse models of glioblastoma.

The RNAse III endonuclease DICER is a key regulator of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis and is frequently decreased in a variety of malignancies. We characterized the role of DICER in glioblastoma (GB), specifically demonstrating its effects on the ability of glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) to form tumors in a mouse model of GB. DICER silencing in GSCs reduced their stem cell characteristics, while tumors arising from these cells were more aggressive, larger in volume, and displayed a higher proliferation index and lineage differentiation. The resulting tumors, however, were more sensitive to radiation treatment. Our results demonstrate that DICER silencing enhances the tumorigenic potential of GSCs, providing a platform for analysis of specific relevant miRNAs and development of potentially novel therapies against GB.