Molecular landscape of LncRNAs in bladder cancer: From drug resistance to novel LncRNA-based therapeutic strategies.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common and serious type of cancer that ranks among the top ten most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Due to the high occurrence rate of BC, the aggressive nature of cancer cells, and their resistance to medication, managing this disease has become a growing challenge in clinical care. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of RNA transcripts that do not code for proteins and are more than 200 nucleotides in length. They play a significant role in controlling cellular pathways and molecular interactions during the onset, development and progression of different types of cancers. Recent advancements in high-throughput gene sequencing technology have led to the identification of various differentially expressed lncRNAs in BC, which indicate abnormal expression. In this review, we summarize that these lncRNAs have been found to impact several functions related to the development of BC, including proliferation, cell growth, migration, metastasis, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and chemo- and radio-resistance. Additionally, lncRNAs may improve prognosis prediction for BC patients, indicating a future use for them as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for BC patients. This review highlights that genetic tools and anti-tumor agents, such as CRISPR/Cas systems, siRNA, shRNA, antisense oligonucleotides, and vectors, have been created for use in preclinical cancer models. This has led to a growing interest in using lncRNAs based on positive research findings.

Stopping of the Downtrend of Tuberculosis in Iran, a Systematic Review of Associated Risk Factors.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health problem in developing countries. In recent decades, the incidence of the disease has been gradually reducing in Iran. However, the reducing incidence of the disease has stopped in the country during recent years. It could be due to an increase in immigration, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and the prevalence of drug-resistant strains. In order to prevent the spread of TB cases and control this disease, it is essential to identify the predisposing factors, which may be related to bacteria, host and environment. The objective of the present systematic review was to investigate the role of potentially effective factors in the increase in TB cases in the country. The epidemiological studies that had considered the risk factors for the development of TB in populations from different regions of Iran were reviewed systematically from the beginning of 2007 to the end of June 2017 in electronic databases. Upon evaluation of the literature, these 7 major risk factors were identified in twenty-five eligible studies, including poor living conditions, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), diabetes, migration, and smoking. In conclusion, the increase in predisposing risk factors for catching TB, especially the migration and Beijing strain, shows that in the absence of accurate monitoring, TB cases will increase in the near future in Iran.

Cytotoxic effect of rosemary extract on gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (KYSE30) cell lines.

AIM: The present study was conducted to survey the potential cytotoxic influence of freeze-dried aqueous extract of its fruits on gastrointestinal cell lines, namely AGS (human gastric carcinoma) and KYSE30 (human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. BACKGROUND: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a wild medicinal plant shown to have anticancer activity. Carnosic and rosmarinic acids are compounds, obtained from it through several extraction methods. METHODS: The aqueous extract of the fruits of R.officinalis was freeze-dried, and KYSE30 and AGS cancer cell lines were treated with crude extract. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts on the cell lines was examined using 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red assay. Apoptotic cells were detected with ethidium bromide/acridine orange (EB/AO). Cell-cycle distributions were evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: IC50 values were 4.1, 1.8 and 1.3 mg/mL for AGS cell lines after 24, 48 and 72 hours by MTT assay, respectively, and 4.4, 2.1 and 1.1 mg/mL by neutral red assay, respectively. IC50 values for KYSE30 cell lines were 600, 180 and 150 mg/mL after 24, 48 and 72 hours by MTT assay, and 860, 270 and 230 mg/mL by neutral red. EB/AO staining increased in apoptotic cells. After 24 h of treatment at different concentrations, significant increases and decreases in population were shown at G2/M and G1 phases, respectively. CONCLUSION: The aqueous extract of the fruits of R.officinalis was freeze-dried, and KYSE30 and AGS cancer cell lines were treated with crude extract. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts on the cell lines was examined using 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red assay. Apoptotic cells were detected with ethidium bromide/acridine orange (EB/AO). Cell-cycle distributions were evaluated by flow cytometry.