Tumor-derived exosomes: Potential biomarkers and therapeutic target in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women in many countries. Early detection of CRC helps to prevent the advanced stages of the disease, and may thereby improve the survival of these patients. A noninvasive test with high specificity and sensitivity is required for this. Exosomes are lipid bilayer membrane nanovesicles that are released into most body fluids and especially in the microenvironment of cancer. They carry various proteins, lipids, and nucleic materials such as DNA, RNA, messenger RNA (mRNA), and microRNA (miRNA), and may also alter the function of target cells. In this review, we aimed to describe the biogenesis, composition, function, and the role of tumor-derived exosomes in cancer progression. Moreover, their applications in tumor diagnosis and treatment are described, with a particular focus on CRC.

Therapeutic potential of targeting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The Wnt/ß-catenin pathway is an important, dysregulated pathway in several tumor types, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Although the activation of this pathway is an important component of normal development, its aberrant activation resulting from activating or inactivating mutations in the CTNNB1 gene locus, or in the negative regulators AXIN and APC involving stabilization of ß-catenin, and activation of target genes leads to a more aggressive phenotype, suggesting its potential value as a therapeutic target in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. A number of small molecule and biologic agents have now been developed for targeting this pathway. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the therapeutic potential of targeting the Wnt pathway with particular emphasis on preclinical/clinical studies in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Toll-like Receptors Signaling Pathways as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Cardiovascular Disease.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality, and associated with an important economic burden globally. Over the last decade, the prevalence of CVD has been rising globally, and is now associated with millions of death annually in both developed and developing countries. There is good evidence that the immune system is involved in the pathophysiology of CVD. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and their down-stream signaling pathways play an important role in the immune system. Recent studies have suggested that the TLRs are involved in atherogenesis, including stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemiareperfusion injury, cardiac remodeling and development of Heart Failure (HF). In this review we have summarized the recent studies investigating the role of TLRs in CVD and the potential for using TLRs signaling pathways as a therapeutic target in CVD.

miRNA Targeting Angiogenesis as a Potential Therapeutic Approach in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancers.

Angiogenesis refers to the formation of recent blood vessels, which is one of the characteristics of cancer progression and it has been deliberated as a putative target to the treatment of many kinds of cancers. The VEGF signaling substrate is very important for angiogenesis and is commonly high-regulated in tumors. As a result, this molecule has attracted the attention of most of the researchers to develop antiangiogenic therapies. We have presented that VEGF blockage in neoadjuvant setting via bevacizumab, aflibercept and sunitinib not only has revealed some promising benefits but also has shown a large negative outcome in the adjuvant trials. However, at an advanced stage of tumors, suppression of VEGF alone is inadequate to stop advancement, encouraging drug resistance, and probably enhancing metastasis and invasion in the tumor microenvironment, thereby suggesting the therapeutic potential of targeting angiogenic pathways in gastrointestinal cancers.

Humeral metastasis from a sacrococcygeal chordoma: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Chordomas are rare tumors of the skeletal system that arise from an intra-osseous benign precursor of notochordal cells. They are mainly locally aggressive. However, metastases to other sites, including the humeri, resulting in pathological fractures have been reported. We report the case of a patient with a metastatic chordoma that produced a pathologic fracture of the humerus. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 60-year-old Iranian woman who presented with a fracture of her right humerus following a minor trauma. She had a history of a sacrococcygeal chordoma. Histological and immunohistochemical studies of the fracture site suggested the diagnosis of a chordoma. CONCLUSIONS: Chordoma is a rare tumor and rarely metastasizes, but it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of epithelioid bone tumors. The only current effective treatment for this type of tumor is carbon ion therapy. There is currently no effective medical therapy available for advanced chordoma, and this type of tumor is not very responsive to radiotherapy.