Diagnostic, prognostic and predictive value of cell-free miRNAs in prostate cancer : A systematic review

Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Endzeliņš et al.Prostate cancer, the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in males worldwide, is estimated to be diagnosed in 1.1 million men per year. Introduction of PSA testing substantially improved early detection of prostate cancer, however it also led to overdiagnosis and subsequent overtreatment of patients with an indolent disease. Treatment outcome and management of prostate cancer could be improved by the development of non-invasive biomarker assays that aid in increasing the sensitivity and specificity of prostate cancer screening, help to distinguish aggressive from indolent disease and guide therapeutic decisions. Prostate cancer cells release miRNAs into the bloodstream, where they exist incorporated into ribonucleoprotein complexes or extracellular vesicles. Later, cell-free miRNAs have been found in various other biofluids. The initial RNA sequencing studies suggested that most of the circulating cell-free miRNAs in healthy individuals are derived from blood cells, while specific disease-associated miRNA signatures may appear in the circulation of patients affected with various diseases, including cancer. This raised a hope that cell-free miRNAs may serve as non-invasive biomarkers for prostate cancer. Indeed, a number of cell-free miRNAs that potentially may serve as diagnostic, prognostic or predictive biomarkers have been discovered in blood or other biofluids of prostate cancer patients and need to be validated in appropriately designed longitudinal studies and clinical trials. In this review, we systematically summarise studies investigating cell-free miRNAs in biofluids of prostate cancer patients and discuss the utility of the identified biomarkers in various clinical scenarios. Furthermore, we discuss the possible mechanisms of miRNA release into biofluids and outline the biological questions and technical challenges that have arisen from these studies.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Solubility of uric acid in lithium chloride solutions

The solubility of anhydrous uric acid was measured in 0.30 mol dm−3 LiCl solutions as a function of hydrogen ion concentration at 25 and 37°C. No influence of the lithium ion on the solubility of uric acid was detected. The “litholytic” effect of lithium reported in literature can possibly be explained by the higher solubility of lithium hydrogenurate as compared to other alkali metal hydrogenurates

Контроль забруднення водних об’єктів біогенними сполуками на основі дослідження фітопланктону

Водні ресурси є національним багатством України і визначають можливості розвитку більшості галузей господарського комплексу. В даний час, збільшується водоспоживання та підвищуються вимоги до якості води, а також спостерігається тенденція до зниження в Україні запасів прісних вод та їх прогресуючого забруднення шкідливими стоками. Актуальність теми викликана необхідністю розроблення нових методів та засобів контролю стану водних об’єктів на основі біоіндикації по фітопланктону, оскільки для традиційних, наприклад, автоматизованої мікроскопії, характерні низькі значення швидкодії та вірогідності контролю. Метою дослідження є підвищення швидкодії та вірогідності забруднення водних об’єктів біогенними сполуками на основі біоіндикації по фітопланктону.Водные ресурсы являются национальным богатством Украины и определяют возможности развития большинства отраслей хозяйственного комплекса. В настоящее время, увеличивается водопотребление и повышаются требования к качеству воды, а также наблюдается тенденция к снижению в Украине запасов пресных вод и их прогрессирующего загрязнения вредными стоками. Актуальность темы вызвана необходимостью разработки новых методов и средств контроля состояния водных объектов на основе биоиндикации по фитопланктона, поскольку для традиционных, например, автоматизированной микроскопии, характерны низкие значения быстродействия и достоверности контроля. Целью исследования является повышение быстродействия и достоверности загрязнения водных объектов биогенными соединениями на основе биоиндикации по фитопланктона.Water resources are a national wealth of Ukraine and determine the capabilities of most branches of economic complex. Currently, increased water consumption and increased demands on water quality, and a tendency to decline in Ukraine fresh water reserves and their progressive contamination of harmful effluents. Actuality is due to the development of new methods and tools for monitoring of water bodies based on bioindication by phytoplankton as traditional, such as automated microscopy, characterized by low values ​​of performance and reliability monitoring. The study is to improve performance and reliability of water pollution from nutrients bioindication by phytoplankton

Techniques associated with exosome isolation for biomarker development: Liquid biopsies for ovarian cancer detection

Ovarian cancer is the leading gynecological malignancy worldwide. This is attributed to the fact that the disease is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the survival rates drop from approximately 90% (detection at an early stage) to 20%. Furthermore, ovarian cancer is not associated with overt physical symptoms. Thus, there is an urgent need for a highly sensitive and minimally invasive biomarker for the early detection of ovarian cancer. However, this continues to remain an unmet clinical need, as several proposed techniques have shown low sensitivity and specificity, with poor positive and negative predictive values. The quest for an ideal biomarker has bought exosomes to the forefront. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles of an endocytic origin, which can encapsulate genetic information, in the form of proteins and miRNAs. They are released by multiple cell types and are involved in intercellular communication, through the transfer of their cargo. The process of exosome biogenesis allows for the packaging of molecules from both membranous and cytosolic origins. Therefore, exosomes are representations of the releasing cell, and thus provide an insight into the cellular environment. Furthermore, exosomal encapsulation of molecules such as proteins and miRNAs can prevent degradation, making exosomes an ideal biomarker source. Thus, this chapter provides an overview of ovarian cancer, the potential of exosomes as an early detection biomarker, and the different methods associated with the isolation of different vesicle subpopulations, and exosome enrichment