Circular RNAs: pivotal role in the leukemogenesis and novel indicators for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematological malignancy and affected patients have poor overall survival (OS) rates. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with a unique loop structure. In recent years, with the development of high-throughput RNA sequencing, many circRNAs have been identified exhibiting either up-regulation or down-regulation in AML patients compared with healthy controls. Recent studies have reported that circRNAs regulate leukemia cell proliferation, stemness, and apoptosis, both positively and negatively. Additionally, circRNAs could be promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets in AML. In this study, we present a comprehensive review of the regulatory roles and potentials of a number of dysregulated circRNAs in AML.

The landscape of exosomal non-coding RNAs in breast cancer drug resistance, focusing on underlying molecular mechanisms.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Like many other cancers, BC therapy is challenging and sometimes frustrating. In spite of the various therapeutic modalities applied to treat the cancer, drug resistance, also known as, chemoresistance, is very common in almost all BCs. Undesirably, a breast tumor might be resistant to different curative approaches (e.g., chemo- and immunotherapy) at the same period of time. Exosomes, as double membrane-bound extracellular vesicles 1) secreted from different cell species, can considerably transfer cell products and components through the bloodstream. In this context, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including miRNAs, long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are a chief group of exosomal constituents with amazing abilities to regulate the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of BC, such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, migration, and particularly drug resistance. Thereby, exosomal ncRNAs can be considered potential mediators of BC progression and drug resistance. Moreover, as the corresponding exosomal ncRNAs circulate in the bloodstream and are found in different body fluids, they can serve as foremost prognostic/diagnostic biomarkers. The current study aims to comprehensively review the most recent findings on BC-related molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways affected by exosomal miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, with a focus on drug resistance. Also, the potential of the same exosomal ncRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis of BC will be discussed in detail.

Ulcerative Lesions: A Rare Cutaneous Manifestation of Brucellosis.

Brucellosis is a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans mainly via the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, and it can involve any organ all over the body. Here, we report a significant rare case of brucellosis with cutaneous manifestations in a 52-year-old male patient whose disease was diagnosed via a serology test. The patient received standard antibiotic treatment, and his cutaneous lesions healed quickly. Although the cutaneous manifestations of brucellosis are exceedingly rare, in case of encountering ulcerative lesions and other cutaneous findings, particularly in endemic areas, infection with brucellosis should be kept in mind as an important differential diagnosis.

Pericardial tuberculosis with an emphasis on empiric therapy in endemic areas for tuberculosis (a case report).

Pericardial tuberculosis (TB) is rare, but has particularly severe complications and a high mortality rate when not treated. Prompt treatment of pericardial TB is important and can be life-saving. We report a 13-year-old girl with massive pericardial effusion and negative workup for TB, who was empirically treated with an excellent response.