Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by malformation of cortical structures, which often lead to epilepsy, and include cortical dysplasia (FCD), hemimegalencephaly (HME) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Lung cancer associated transcript 1 (LUCAT1) is a long noncoding RNA and has been identified as a negative feedback regulator of interferon I and inflammatory cytokine expression in myeloid cells; the anti-inflammatory protein nuclear receptor 4A2 (NR4A2) was identified as a LUCAT1-binding protein involved in regulating splicing and processing of mRNAs. NR4A2 inhibits the inflammatory process driven by NF-κB. It was observed that cells lacking LUCAT1 expression had their splicing of immune genes altered, with reduced expression of NR4A2 (altered splicing on exon 7) in those cells lacking LUCAT1, as shown by ChIRP-MS assay in THP-1 cells.

Trastuzumab-based chemotherapy has demonstrated clinical benefits in the treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. There is a percentage of patients who do not respond to therapy and have a poorer prognosis than those who respond. To better understand the mechanisms behind trastuzumab resistance, researchers in China studied the role of transcription elongation factor A protein-like 9 (TCEAL9) in resistance to trastuzumab-based chemotherapy in HER+ breast cancer.

Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and CDK6, such as palbociclib, have significantly improved progression-free survival of several breast cancer types, such as hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative luminal breast cancers, with about 40% being unresponsive or refractory to therapy; the main cause of resistance is the selection of mutant clones in the target oncoprotein.

Researchers from Fudan University presented data from a study that aimed to assess the significance of a newly found long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1), in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis.

TSC22 domain family member 3 (TSC22D3) is a glucocorticoid-induced gene that plays a key regulatory role in immunosuppression and cell proliferation. Its prognostic usefulness in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has not been deeply investigated yet.

Several studies have indicated that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath can be altered by lung cancer and serve as identifiable biomarkers. A limitation of using these VOCs as clinical biomarkers has been the fact that hundreds of such molecules are present in exhaled breath and it is experimentally challenging to monitor the molecular concentration changes of all the VOCs and further use them in lung cancer detection.

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found a sexual dimorphism of depression based on the different expression of a molecule that could be developed as a therapeutic strategy. “There is a big sex difference in depression. Women are much more likely to have depression than men. They tend to have different subsets of symptoms. They tend to respond better to different antidepressants, and the depression tends to be more severe,” Orna Issler, the first author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told BioWorld. Their project, directed by Eric Nestler, a professor of neuroscience and director of the Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, had the aim to understand the biology of these sex differences of depression and to find therapeutic targets for it.

Several studies have indicated that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath can be altered by lung cancer and serve as identifiable biomarkers. A limitation of using these VOCs as clinical biomarkers has been the fact that hundreds of such molecules are present in exhaled breath and it is experimentally challenging to monitor the molecular concentration changes of all the VOCs and further use them in lung cancer detection.

In a study published on Nov. 30, 2022, in PLOS One, researchers at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, analyzed the metabolic carbonyl compounds present in exhaled breath of the patients and developed a machine learning approach involving relevant VOC selection and use in cancer patient classification model training.