1 4058 63 MARKERS OF REJECTION OF A LUNG ALLOGRAFT: STATE OF THE ART. CHRONIC LUNG ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION (CLAD) AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY 50% OF ALL LUNG TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS BY 5 POST-OPERATIVE YEARS AND IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN LUNG TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS. EARLY CLAD DIAGNOSIS OR IDEALLY PREDICTION OF CLAD IS ESSENTIAL TO ENABLE EARLY INTERVENTION BEFORE SIGNIFICANT LUNG INJURY OCCURS. NEW TECHNOLOGIES HAVE EMERGED TO FACILITATE BIOMARKER DISCOVERY, INCLUDING EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION AND SINGLE-CELL RNA SEQUENCING. THIS REVIEW EXAMINES NEW AND EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR BIOMARKER DISCOVERY AND THE CURRENT STATE OF RESEARCH ON BIOMARKERS FOR IDENTIFYING LUNG TRANSPLANT REJECTION. 2022 2 5147 24 POTENTIAL ROLES OF LONG NONCODING RNAS AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS IN ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION. ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION IS THE MOST PREFERRED TREATMENT OPTION FOR END-STAGE ORGAN DISEASES; HOWEVER, ALLOGRAFT REJECTION IS THE MAJOR HURDLE IN SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM TRANSPLANT SURVIVAL. IN SPITE OF DEVELOPING BETTER HLA MATCHING AND MORE EFFECTIVE IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE REGIMEN, ONE-YEAR GRAFT SURVIVAL HAS BEEN INCREASED BY NEARLY 90% AND THE INCIDENCE OF ACUTE REJECTION BY ONE-YEAR POST-TRANSPLANTATION HAS BEEN DECREASED BY 12.2% IN THE LAST DECADES, CHRONIC ALLOGRAFT REJECTION HAS REMAINED AS ONE OF THE MAJOR OBSTACLES TO THE LONG-LASTING SURVIVAL OF THE TRANSPLANTED ALLOGRAFT. THEREFORE, SEEMINGLY PREVENTING THE ALLOGRAFT REJECTION AND INDUCING IMMUNOLOGICAL TOLERANCE AGAINST TRANSPLANTED ALLOGRAFTS IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY GOALS IN TRANSPLANTATION RESEARCH TO ENABLE LONG-LASTING GRAFT SURVIVAL. VARIOUS MECHANISMS SUCH AS LONG NONCODING RNAS (LNCRNAS) HAVE BEEN PROPOSED THAT INDUCE IMMUNE TOLERANCE BY MODULATING THE GENE EXPRESSION AND REGULATING INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES DURING TRANSPLANTATION. BESIDES, BECAUSE OF INVOLVEMENT IN REGULATING EPIGENETIC, TRANSCRIPTIONAL, AND POST-TRANSLATIONAL MECHANISMS, LNCRNAS COULD AFFECT ALLOGRAFT STATUS. THEREFORE, THESE MOLECULES COULD BE CONSIDERED AS THE POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR PREDICTION, PROGNOSIS, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF GRAFT REJECTION. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE NONINVASIVE PREDICTIVE BIOMARKERS HOLD PROMISE TO OVERCOME THE CURRENT LIMITATIONS OF CONVENTIONAL TISSUE BIOPSY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF REJECTION. HENCE, THIS REVIEW AIMS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF LNCRNAS AND THEIR FUNCTION TO FACILITATE DIAGNOSIS, PROGNOSIS, AND PREDICTION OF THE RISK OF GRAFT REJECTION, AND THE SUGGESTIVE THERAPEUTIC CHOICES AFTER TRANSPLANTATION. 2022 3 2615 22 EPIGENETICS: TIME TO TRANSLATE INTO TRANSPLANTATION. SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN IDENTIFYING GENETIC LOCI ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIFACTORIAL DISORDERS, INCLUDING VARIANTS THAT SEEM TO IMPACT OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SOLID ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION. DESPITE THESE ADVANCES, MUCH OF THE HERITABILITY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHRONIC DISEASE PROCESSES REMAINS UNEXPLAINED. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS MAY EXERT THEIR EFFECT INDEPENDENTLY OR COMPLEMENTARY TO GENETIC VARIANTS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS CAN CHANGE GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT ALTERING THE DNA SEQUENCE. THESE MODIFICATIONS ARE DYNAMIC, POTENTIALLY HERITABLE, AND CAN BE INDUCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI OR DRUGS. THE IMPACT OF EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA ON THE OUTCOMES OF ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION IS CURRENTLY POORLY UNDERSTOOD. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS CAN OCCUR DURING PERIODS OF ILLNESS; THESE MAY PERSIST AND POTENTIALLY INFLUENCE ALLOGRAFT OUTCOMES. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS INFLUENCE THE ACTIVATION, PROLIFERATION, AND DIFFERENTIATION OF THE IMMUNE CELLS INVOLVED IN ALLOGRAFT REJECTION. THE DONOR'S EPIGENOME MAY ALSO IMPACT TRANSPLANT SURVIVAL, AND INITIAL RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT PERITRANSPLANT CONDITIONS INDUCE RAPID EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION WITHIN THE ALLOGRAFT. FURTHER RESEARCH WILL HELP TO DEFINE THE IMPORTANCE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN TRANSPLANTATION. THIS WILL POTENTIALLY LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF USEFUL BIOMARKERS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL PHARMACOTHERAPIES. THIS REVIEW EXPLORES THE NATURE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION IN DISEASE AND THE EMERGING EVIDENCE FOR EPIGENETIC INFLUENCES ON ALLOGRAFT SURVIVAL. 2012 4 6013 28 THE APPLICATIONS OF DNA METHYLATION AS A BIOMARKER IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION IMPROVES PATIENT SURVIVAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE, LONG-TERM RESULTS ARE HAMPERED BY BOTH IMMUNE- AND NON-IMMUNE-MEDIATED COMPLICATIONS. CURRENT BIOMARKERS OF POST-TRANSPLANT COMPLICATIONS, SUCH AS ALLOGRAFT REJECTION, CHRONIC RENAL ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION, AND CUTANEOUS SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA, HAVE A SUBOPTIMAL PREDICTIVE VALUE. DNA METHYLATION IS AN EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS GENE EXPRESSION AND PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PROCESSES SUCH AS ISCHEMIA/REPERFUSION INJURY, FIBROSIS, AND ALLOREACTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSE. NOVEL TECHNIQUES CAN QUICKLY ASSESS THE DNA METHYLATION STATUS OF MULTIPLE LOCI IN DIFFERENT CELL TYPES, ALLOWING A DEEP AND INTERESTING STUDY OF CELLS' ACTIVITY AND FUNCTION. THEREFORE, DNA METHYLATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME AN IMPORTANT BIOMARKER FOR PREDICTION AND MONITORING IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF DNA METHYLATION AS A POTENTIAL BIOMARKER OF GRAFT SURVIVAL AND COMPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF SEVERAL DATABASES HAS BEEN CONDUCTED. THE NEWCASTLE-OTTAWA SCALE AND THE JADAD SCALE HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSESS THE RISK OF BIAS FOR OBSERVATIONAL AND RANDOMIZED STUDIES, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: TWENTY ARTICLES REPORTING ON DNA METHYLATION AS A BIOMARKER FOR KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION WERE INCLUDED, ALL USING DNA METHYLATION FOR PREDICTION AND MONITORING. DNA METHYLATION PATTERN ALTERATIONS IN CELLS ISOLATED FROM DIFFERENT TISSUES, SUCH AS KIDNEY BIOPSIES, URINE, AND BLOOD, HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY AND CHRONIC RENAL ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION. THESE ALTERATIONS OCCURRED IN DIFFERENT AND SPECIFIC LOCI. DNA METHYLATION STATUS HAS ALSO PROVED TO BE IMPORTANT FOR IMMUNE RESPONSE MODULATION, HAVING A CRUCIAL ROLE IN REGULATORY T CELL DEFINITION AND ACTIVITY. RESEARCH ALSO FOCUSED ON A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF THIS EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION ASSESSMENT FOR REGULATORY T CELLS ISOLATION AND EXPANSION FOR FUTURE TOLERANCE INDUCTION-ORIENTED THERAPIES. CONCLUSIONS: STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW ARE HETEROGENEOUS IN STUDY DESIGN, BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES, AND OUTCOME. MORE COORDINATED INVESTIGATIONS ARE NEEDED TO AFFIRM DNA METHYLATION AS A CLINICALLY RELEVANT BIOMARKER IMPORTANT FOR PREVENTION, MONITORING, AND INTERVENTION. 2022 5 3013 19 GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS OF CHRONIC ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS. CHRONIC ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF ALLOGRAFT LOST. CHRONIC ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION HAPPENS AS A RESULT OF COMPLEX INTERACTIONS AT THE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR LEVELS. GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS BOTH INFLUENCE THE EVOLUTION AND PROGRESSION OF THE CHRONIC ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION COULD BE CONSIDERED AS A THERAPEUTICALLY MODIFIABLE ELEMENT TO PAUSE THE FIBROSIS PROCESS THROUGH NOVEL STRATEGIES. IN THIS REVIEW, THE PUBMED DATABASE WAS SEARCHED FOR ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTICLES ON THESE NEW AREAS. 2016 6 2286 20 EPIGENETIC REGULATION IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION. KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION IS A STANDARD CARE FOR END STAGE RENAL DISEASE, BUT IT IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH A COMPLEX PATHOGENESIS INCLUDING ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY, INFLAMMATION, AND DEVELOPMENT OF FIBROSIS. OVER THE PAST DECADE, ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE HAS SUGGESTED A ROLE OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION, INVOLVING DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATION, AND VARIOUS KINDS OF NON-CODING RNAS. HERE, WE ANALYZE THESE RECENT STUDIES SUPPORTING THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION IN DIFFERENT PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION, I.E., ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY, ACUTE REJECTION, AND CHRONIC GRAFT PATHOLOGIES INCLUDING RENAL INTERSTITIAL FIBROSIS. FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, THEIR PATHOLOGICAL ROLES AND UNDERLYING MECHANISMS IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION MAY LEAD TO NEW STRATEGIES FOR THE DISCOVERY OF NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. 2022 7 2211 21 EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF KIDNEY GRAFT FIBROSIS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: TO OUTLINE RECENT DISCOVERIES IN EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS THAT HAVE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RENAL FIBROSIS FOLLOWING KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION. RECENT FINDINGS: THE CHARACTERIZATION OF RENAL FIBROSIS FOLLOWING KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION HAS SHOWN TGFBETA/SMAD SIGNALING TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE PROGRESSION TO CHRONIC ALLOGRAFT DYSFUNCTION. THE ONSET OF UNREGULATED PROINFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS ARE ONLY EXACERBATED BY THE DECLINE IN REGULATORY MECHANISMS LOST WITH PROGRESSIVE PATIENT AGE AND COMORBIDITIES SUCH AS HYPERTENSION AND DIABETES. HOWEVER, SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RECOGNITION OF EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MARKERS UPSTREAM OF ABERRANT TGFBETA-SIGNALING HAS SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR THE TREATMENT OF RENAL FIBROSIS. IN ADDITION, DISCOVERIES IN EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES AND THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THEIR CARGO HAS LAID NEW FRAMEWORK FOR THE POTENTIAL TO EVALUATE PATIENT OUTCOMES INDEPENDENT OF INVASIVE BIOPSIES. SUMMARY: THE CURRENT REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE MAIN FINDINGS IN EPIGENETIC MACHINERY SPECIFIC TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RENAL FIBROSIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL TO TRANSLATE INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE. 2021 8 777 18 CELL-FREE CIRCULATING EPIGENOMIC SIGNATURES: NON-INVASIVE BIOMARKER FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND OTHER AGE-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES. THE BURDEN OF CARDIO-VASCULAR AND OTHER AGE-RELATED NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES ARE RAPIDLY INCREASING WORLDWIDE. MAJORITY OF THESE CHRONIC AILMENTS ARE CURABLE, IF DIAGNOSED AT EARLY STAGES. CANDIDATE BIOMARKERS OF EARLY DETECTION ARE THEREFORE ESSENTIAL FOR IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS, PROMPT AND ACCURATE DISEASE DIAGNOSIS, AND TO MONITOR THERAPEUTIC RESPONSE. THE FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CIRCULATING NUCLEIC ACIDS THAT RECAPITULATE SPECIFIC DISEASE PROFILES IS NOW WELL ESTABLISHED. BUT SUBTLE CHANGES IN DNA SEQUENCE MAY NOT SOLELY REFLECT THE DIFFERENTIATION OF GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS OBSERVED IN DIVERSE SET OF DISEASES AS EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA PLAY A LARGER ROLE IN AETIOLOGY AND PATHO-PHYSIOLOGY. UNLIKE GENETIC MARKERS, KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY OF CIRCULATING EPIGENETIC SIGNATURES: METHYLATED DNA; MICRO RNA AND MODIFIED HISTONES ARE DEFICIENT. CHARACTERIZATION OF THESE NOVEL ENTITIES THROUGH OMICS-BASED MOLECULAR TECHNOLOGIES MIGHT PROMPT DEVELOPMENT OF A RANGE OF LABORATORY-BASED STRATEGIES, THEREBY ACCELERATING THEIR BROADER TRANSLATIONAL PURPOSE FOR EARLY DISEASE DIAGNOSIS, MONITORING THERAPEUTIC RESPONSE AND DRUG RESISTANCE. HOWEVER, LARGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR INNOVATION LIES IN DEVELOPING POINT-OF-CARE TESTS WITH ACCURATE DIAGNOSTIC AND HIGHER PROGNOSTIC SCORE THAT IS APPLICABLE FOR SCREENING OF HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS. 2017 9 3105 22 GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS IN LIVER FIBROSIS AND CIRRHOSIS. GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE IN THE PAST DECADE, AS THEY PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HYPOTHESIS-FREE EXPERIMENTS THAT CAN YIELD MAJOR INSIGHTS NOT PREVIOUSLY FORESEEN WHEN SCIENTIFIC AND CLINICAL QUESTIONS ARE BASED ONLY ON HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN APPROACHES. USE OF THESE TOOLS, THEREFORE, OPENS NEW AVENUES FOR UNCOVERING PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL PATHWAYS. LIVER FIBROSIS IS A COMPLEX DISEASE PROVOKED BY A RANGE OF CHRONIC INJURIES TO THE LIVER, AMONG WHICH ARE VIRAL HEPATITIS, (NON-) ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS AND AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. SOME CHRONIC LIVER PATIENTS WILL NEVER DEVELOP FIBROSIS OR CIRRHOSIS, WHEREAS OTHERS RAPIDLY PROGRESS TOWARDS CIRRHOSIS IN A FEW YEARS. THIS VARIETY CAN BE CAUSED BY DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS (FOR EXAMPLE, VIRAL GENOTYPE) OR HOST-FACTORS (GENETIC/EPIGENETIC). IT IS VITAL TO ESTABLISH ACCURATE TOOLS TO IDENTIFY THOSE PATIENTS AT HIGHEST RISK FOR DISEASE SEVERITY OR PROGRESSION IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHO ARE IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE THERAPIES. MOREOVER, THERE IS AN URGENT IMPERATIVE TO IDENTIFY NON-INVASIVE MARKERS THAT CAN ACCURATELY DISTINGUISH MILD AND INTERMEDIATE STAGES OF FIBROSIS. IDEALLY, BIOMARKERS CAN BE USED TO PREDICT DISEASE PROGRESSION AND TREATMENT RESPONSE, BUT THESE STUDIES WILL TAKE MANY YEARS DUE TO THE REQUIREMENT FOR LENGTHY FOLLOW-UP PERIODS TO ASSESS OUTCOMES. CURRENT GENOMIC AND PROTEOMIC RESEARCH PROVIDES MANY CANDIDATE BIOMARKERS, BUT INDEPENDENT VALIDATION OF THESE BIOMARKERS IS LACKING, AND REPRODUCIBILITY IS STILL A KEY CONCERN. THUS, GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD IN THE FIELD OF GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS, WHICH, IF SUCCESSFUL, COULD TRANSFORM THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC FIBROSING LIVER DISEASES. 2012 10 4830 22 OLD AND NEW BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION IN CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA. CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA AND VASCULAR DAMAGE ARE STRICTLY RELATED. BIOMARKERS OF VASCULAR DAMAGE HAVE BEEN INTENSIVELY STUDIED IN THE RECENT YEARS IN THE QUEST OF RELIABLE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS ABLE TO FACILITATE RISK STRATIFICATION AND EARLY DETECTION OF VASCULAR IMPAIRMENT. THE PRESENT STUDY IS A NARRATIVE REVIEW WITH THE AIM OF REVISING THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE ON CURRENT AND NOVEL MARKERS OF HYPERGLYCEMIA-INDUCED VASCULAR DAMAGE. AFTER A DISCUSSION OF CLASSIC TOOLS USED TO INVESTIGATE ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION, WE PROVIDE AN IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION OF NOVEL CIRCULATING BIOMARKERS (CHEMOKINES, EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES, AND EPIGENETIC AND METABOLOMIC BIOMARKERS). APPROPRIATE USE OF A SINGLE AS WELL AS A CLUSTER OF THE DISCUSSED BIOMARKERS MIGHT ENABLE IN A NEAR FUTURE (A) THE PROMPT IDENTIFICATION OF TARGETED AND CUSTOMIZED TREATMENT STRATEGIES AND (B) THE FOLLOW-UP OF CARDIOVASCULAR TREATMENT EFFICACY OVER TIME IN CLINICAL RESEARCH AND/OR IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. 2021 11 3028 19 GENETICS OF COMPLEX AIRWAY DISEASE. THE PAST 3 YEARS HAVE SEEN HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT GENETIC EFFECTS IDENTIFIED FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF COMMON COMPLEX DISEASES, INCLUDING THE AIRWAY DISORDERS OF ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. IT APPEARS THAT ONLY A PORTION OF THE GENETICALLY MEDIATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO COMPLEX DISEASES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, AND THERE IS MUCH LEFT TO BE DISCOVERED. THIS REVIEW BRIEFLY DESCRIBES THE RESULTS OF THE GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF ASTHMA AND GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE PARALLEL AND INCREASINGLY LARGE-SCALE STUDIES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. THE FUTURE IMPACT IS DISCUSSED OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES THAT ALLOW INCREASINGLY LARGE-SCALE GENE EXPRESSION STUDIES, NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING, AND GENOME-WIDE TESTING FOR EPIGENETIC EFFECTS. THE USE OF GENETIC TECHNOLOGY TO EXAMINE THE AIRWAY MICROBIOTA THAT INTERACT WITH THE MUCOSA IN HEALTH AND DISEASE IS DESCRIBED. 2011 12 728 18 CAN WE IDENTIFY PATIENTS WITH HIGH RISK OF OSTEOARTHRITIS PROGRESSION WHO WILL RESPOND TO TREATMENT? A FOCUS ON BIOMARKERS AND FRAILTY. OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA), A DISEASE AFFECTING DIFFERENT PATIENT PHENOTYPES, APPEARS AS AN OPTIMAL CANDIDATE FOR PERSONALIZED HEALTHCARE. THE AIM OF THE DISCUSSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF OSTEOPOROSIS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS (ESCEO) WORKING GROUP WAS TO EXPLORE THE VALUE OF MARKERS OF DIFFERENT SOURCES IN DEFINING DIFFERENT PHENOTYPES OF PATIENTS WITH OA. THE ESCEO ORGANIZED A SERIES OF MEETINGS TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF IDENTIFYING PATIENTS WHO WOULD MOST BENEFIT FROM TREATMENT FOR OA, ON THE BASIS OF RECENT DATA AND EXPERT OPINION. IN THE FIRST MEETING, PATIENT PHENOTYPES WERE IDENTIFIED ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF AFFECTED JOINTS, BIOMECHANICAL FACTORS, AND THE PRESENCE OF LESIONS IN THE SUBCHONDRAL BONE. IN THE SECOND MEETING, SUMMARIZED IN THE PRESENT ARTICLE, THE WORKING GROUP EXPLORED OTHER MARKERS INVOLVED IN OA. PROFILES OF PATIENTS MAY BE DEFINED ACCORDING TO THEIR LEVEL OF PAIN, FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION, AND PRESENCE OF COEXISTENT CHRONIC CONDITIONS INCLUDING FRAILTY STATUS. A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF DATA SUGGESTS THAT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING MAY ALSO ASSIST IN DELINEATING DIFFERENT PHENOTYPES OF PATIENTS WITH OA. AMONG MULTIPLE BIOCHEMICAL BIOMARKERS IDENTIFIED, NONE IS SUFFICIENTLY VALIDATED AND RECOGNIZED TO IDENTIFY PATIENTS WHO SHOULD BE TREATED. CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS ARE ALSO BEING MADE TO IDENTIFY GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS INVOLVED IN OA, BUT RESULTS ARE STILL LIMITED. THE MANY POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS THAT COULD BE USED AS POTENTIAL STRATIFIERS ARE PROMISING, BUT MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CHARACTERIZE AND QUALIFY THE EXISTING BIOMARKERS AND TO IDENTIFY NEW CANDIDATES. 2015 13 629 21 BIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC MECHANISMS OF COPD, ITS DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND RELATIONSHIP WITH LUNG CANCER. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) IS ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC ADULT DISEASES, WITH SIGNIFICANT WORLDWIDE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. ALTHOUGH LONG-TERM TOBACCO SMOKING IS A CRITICAL RISK FACTOR FOR THIS GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM, ITS MOLECULAR MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCLEAR. SEVERAL PHENOMENA ARE THOUGHT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE EVOLUTION OF EMPHYSEMA, INCLUDING AIRWAY INFLAMMATION, PROTEINASE/ANTI-PROTEINASE IMBALANCE, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND GENETIC/EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. FURTHERMORE, COPD IS ONE MAIN RISK FOR LUNG CANCER (LC), THE DEADLIEST FORM OF HUMAN TUMOR; FORMATION AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION ACCOMPANYING COPD CAN BE A POTENTIAL DRIVER OF MALIGNANCY MATURATION (0.8-1.7% OF COPD CASES DEVELOP CANCER/PER YEAR). RECENTLY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE RESEARCH BASED ON COPD AND LUNG CANCER MOLECULAR ANALYSIS HAS PROVIDED NEW LIGHT FOR UNDERSTANDING THEIR PATHOGENESIS, IMPROVING THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS, AND ELUCIDATING MANY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THESE DISEASES. OUR REVIEW EMPHASIZES THE BIOLOGICAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN COPD AND LUNG CANCER, THE ADVANCES IN THEIR MOLECULAR MECHANISMS' RESEARCH, AND THE STATE OF THE ART OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS. THIS WORK COMBINES MANY BIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC ELEMENTS INTO A SINGLE WHOLE AND STRONGLY LINKS COPD WITH LUNG TUMOR FEATURES. 2023 14 1958 17 EPIGENETIC AGING AND COLORECTAL CANCER: STATE OF THE ART AND PERSPECTIVES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. ALTHOUGH TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH HAS IDENTIFIED A LARGE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS INVOLVED IN COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) CARCINOGENESIS, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH BIOLOGICAL AGING IN COLORECTAL CELLS AND TISSUES IS NEEDED. HERE, WE AIM TO SUMMARIZE THE STATE OF THE ART ABOUT THE ROLE OF AGE ACCELERATION, DEFINED AS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EPIGENETIC AGE AND CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF CRC. SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT ACCELERATED BIOLOGICAL AGING IS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE RISK OF CANCER AND DEATH IN GENERAL. IN LINE WITH THESE FINDINGS, OTHER STUDIES HAVE SHOWN HOW THE ASSESSMENT OF EPIGENETIC AGE IN PEOPLE AT RISK FOR CRC COULD BE HELPFUL FOR MONITORING THE MOLECULAR RESPONSE TO PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS. MOREOVER, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER ABERRANT EPIGENETIC AGING COULD HELP IDENTIFY CRC PATIENTS WITH A HIGH RISK OF RECURRENCE AND A WORST PROGNOSIS, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO RESPOND POORLY TO TREATMENT. YET, THE APPLICATION OF THIS NOVEL CONCEPT IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY, AND FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED IN ANTICIPATION OF FUTURE APPLICATIONS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. 2020 15 3964 27 LONG NONCODING RNAS IN LUNG CANCER. DESPITE GREAT PROGRESS IN RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OPTIONS, LUNG CANCER REMAINS THE LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER-RELATED DEATHS WORLDWIDE. ONCOGENIC DRIVER MUTATIONS IN PROTEIN-ENCODING GENES WERE DEFINED AND ALLOW FOR PERSONALIZED THERAPIES BASED ON GENETIC DIAGNOSES. NONETHELESS, DIAGNOSIS OF LUNG CANCER MOSTLY OCCURS AT LATE STAGES, AND CHRONIC TREATMENT IS FOLLOWED BY A FAST ONSET OF CHEMORESISTANCE. HENCE, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR RELIABLE BIOMARKERS AND ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. WITH THE ERA OF WHOLE GENOME AND TRANSCRIPTOME SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES, LONG NONCODING RNAS EMERGED AS A NOVEL CLASS OF VERSATILE, FUNCTIONAL RNA MOLECULES. ALTHOUGH FOR MOST OF THEM THE MECHANISM OF ACTION REMAINS TO BE DEFINED, ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE CONFIRMS THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF LUNG TUMORIGENESIS. THEY ARE FUNCTIONAL ON THE EPIGENETIC, TRANSCRIPTIONAL, AND POSTTRANSCRIPTIONAL LEVEL AND ARE REGULATORS OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL KEY PATHWAYS INCLUDING CELL GROWTH, APOPTOSIS, AND METASTASIS. LONG NONCODING RNAS ARE GAINING INCREASING ATTENTION AS POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS AND A NOVEL CLASS OF DRUGGABLE MOLECULES. IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT WE ARE ONLY BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF TUMORIGENIC PROCESSES. THE CLINICAL INTEGRATION OF LONG NONCODING RNAS IN TERMS OF PROGNOSTIC AND PREDICTIVE BIOMARKER SIGNATURES AND ADDITIONAL CANCER TARGETS COULD PROVIDE A CHANCE TO INCREASE THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT. HERE, WE REVIEW THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE EXPRESSION, REGULATION, BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION, AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF LONG NONCODING RNAS IN LUNG CANCER. 2016 16 4325 19 MICRORNAS IN THE EVALUATION AND POTENTIAL TREATMENT OF LIVER DISEASES. ACUTE AND CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE CONTINUE TO RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF PATIENTS, ALONG WITH INCREASING BURDEN ON THEIR FAMILIES, SOCIETY AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. THIS IN PART IS DUE TO INCREASED INCIDENCE OF LIVER DISEASE ASSOCIATED FACTORS SUCH AS METABOLIC SYNDROME; IMPROVED SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PREDISPOSING CONDITIONS SUCH AS HIV; AS WELL AS ADVANCES IN THE FIELD OF TRANSPLANTATION AND ASSOCIATED CARE LEADING TO IMPROVED SURVIVAL. THE FACT THAT ONE DISEASE CAN RESULT IN DIFFERENT MANIFESTATIONS AND OUTCOMES HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF NOT JUST GENETIC PHENOMENON PREDISPOSING TO A CONDITION, BUT ADDITIONALLY THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS LEADING TO THE PHENOTYPE OF THE DISEASE. IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT PROVIDERS CONTINUE TO FACE DAILY CHALLENGES PERTAINING TO DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY, PROGNOSTICATION OF DISEASE SEVERITY, PROGRESSION, AND RESPONSE TO THERAPIES. A NUMBER OF THESE CHALLENGES CAN BE ADDRESSED BY INCORPORATING A PERSONALIZED APPROACH OF MANAGEMENT TO THE CURRENT PARADIGM OF CARE. RECENT ADVANCES IN THE FIELDS OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS HAVE PAVED THE WAY TO MORE ACCURATE, INDIVIDUALIZED AND PRECISE APPROACH TO CARING FOR LIVER DISEASE. THE STUDY OF MICRORNAS AND THEIR ROLE IN BOTH HEALTHY AND DISEASED LIVERS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF SUCH ADVANCES. AS THESE SMALL, NON-CODING RNAS WORK ON FINE-TUNING OF CELLULAR ACTIVITIES AND ORGAN FUNCTION IN A DYNAMIC AND PRECISE FASHION, THEY PROVIDE US A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE THE FIELD OF HEPATOLOGY. THE STUDY OF MICRORNAS IN LIVER DISEASE PROMISES TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT IN HEPATOLOGY AND IS LIKELY TO LAY THE FOUNDATION TOWARDS A PERSONALIZED APPROACH IN LIVER DISEASE. 2016 17 1048 23 CLINICAL EPIGENETICS AND ACUTE/CHRONIC REJECTION IN SOLID ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION: AN UPDATE. THE LACK OF A PRECISE STRATIFICATION ALGORITHM FOR PREDICTING PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK OF GRAFT REJECTION CHALLENGES THE CURRENT SOLID ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION (SOT) CLINICAL SETTING. IN FACT, THE ESTABLISHED BIOMARKERS FOR TRANSPLANTATION OUTCOMES ARE UNABLE TO ACCURATELY PREDICT THE ONSET TIME AND SEVERITY OF GRAFT REJECTION (ACUTE OR CHRONIC) AS WELL AS THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE TO IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE DRUGS. THUS, IDENTIFYING NOVEL MOLECULAR PATHWAYS UNDERLYING EARLY IMMUNOLOGICAL RESPONSES WHICH CAN DAMAGE TRANSPLANT INTEGRITY IS NEEDED TO REACH PRECISION MEDICINE AND PERSONALIZED THERAPY OF SOT. DIRECT EPIGENETIC-SENSITIVE MECHANISMS, MAINLY DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, MAY PLAY A RELEVANT ROLE FOR IMMUNE ACTIVATION AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS (E.G., ACTIVATION OF FIBROTIC PROCESSES) WHICH MAY BE TRANSLATED IN NEW NON-INVASIVE BIOMARKERS AND DRUG TARGETS. IN PARTICULAR, THE MEASURE OF DNA METHYLATION BY USING THE BLOOD-BASED "EPIGENETIC CLOCK" SYSTEM MAY BE AN ADDED VALUE TO THE DONOR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA PROVIDING AN ESTIMATION OF THE HEART BIOLOGICAL AGE AS WELL AS A PREDICTIVE BIOMARKERS. BESIDES, MONITORING OF DNA METHYLATION CHANGES MAY AID TO PREDICT ACUTE VS CHRONIC GRAFT DAMAGE IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION (KT) PATIENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, HYPERMETHYLATION OF GENES BELONGING TO THE NOTCH AND WNT PATHWAYS SHOWED A HIGHER PREDICTIVE VALUE FOR CHRONIC INJURY OCCURRING AT 12 MONTHS POST-KT WITH RESPECT TO ESTABLISHED CLINICAL PARAMETERS. DETECTING HIGHER CIRCULATING CELL-FREE DNA (CFDNA) FRAGMENTS CARRYING HEPATOCYTE-SPECIFIC UNMETHYLATED LOCI IN THE INTER-ALPHA-TRYPSIN INHIBITOR HEAVY CHAIN 4 (ITIH4), INSULIN LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 2 RECEPTOR (IGF2R), AND VITRONECTIN (VTN) GENES MAY BE USEFUL TO PREDICT ACUTE GRAFT INJURY AFTER LIVER TRANSPLANTATION (LT) IN SERUM SAMPLES. FURTHERMORE, HYPOMETHYLATION IN THE FORKHEAD BOX P3 (FOXP3) GENE MAY SERVE AS A MARKER OF INFILTRATING NATURAL TREG PERCENTAGE IN THE GRAFT PROVIDING THE ABILITY TO PREDICT ACUTE REJECTION EVENTS AFTER HEART TRANSPLANTATION (HTX). WE AIM TO UPDATE ON THE POSSIBLE CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF DNA METHYLATION CHANGES REGULATING IMMUNE-RELATED PATHWAYS UNDERLYING ACUTE OR CHRONIC GRAFT REJECTION IN KT, LT, AND HTX WHICH MIGHT BE USEFUL TO PREVENT, MONITOR, AND TREAT SOLID ORGAN REJECTION AT PERSONALIZED LEVEL. 2021 18 3399 20 HOW CAN GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS HELP THE NEPHROLOGIST IMPROVE THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS? DISCOVERY OF NOVEL IMPROVED TOOLS FOR DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION AND THERAPY OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) IS AN IMPORTANT TASK FOR THE NEPHROLOGY COMMUNITY AND IT IS LIKELY THAT SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS, TO A LARGE EXTENT, WILL BE BASED ON GENOMICS. THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE NUMBER OF GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES, MAJOR ADVANCES IN DNA SEQUENCING AND OMICS PROFILING, AND ACCELERATING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EFFORTS IN THIS AREA HAVE GREATLY EXPANDED THE KNOWLEDGE BASE NEEDED FOR APPLIED GENOMICS. HOWEVER, TRANSLATING AND IMPLEMENTING GENOTYPE-PHENOTYPE DATA INTO GENE-BASED MEDICINE IN CKD POPULATIONS IS STILL IN AN EARLY PHASE AND WILL REQUIRE CONTINUOUS RESEARCH EFFORTS WITH INTEGRATED APPROACHES AND INTENSIFIED INVESTIGATIONS THAT FOCUS ON THE BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS, WHICH CAUSATIVELY LINK A GENETIC VARIANT WITH THE DISEASE PHENOTYPE. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE REVIEW SOME CURRENT STRATEGIES TO UNRAVEL THESE TRANSLATIONAL GAPS AS WELL AS PROSPECTS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC METHODS INTO NOVEL CLINICAL PRACTICE. 2014 19 3958 21 LONG NON-CODING RNAS IN BONE METASTASIS: PROGRESSES AND PERSPECTIVES AS POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS. IN A PRECISION MEDICINE PERSPECTIVE, AMONG THE BIOMARKERS POTENTIALLY USEFUL FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF CANCERS, AS WELL AS TO DEFINE THEIR PROGNOSIS AND EVENTUALLY TO IDENTIFY NOVEL AND MORE EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC TARGETS, THERE ARE THE LONG NON-CODING RNAS (LNCRNAS). THE TERM LNCRNA IDENTIFIES A CLASS OF NON-CODING RNA MOLECULES INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION THAT INTERVENE AT THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL, POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL, AND EPIGENETIC LEVEL. METASTASIS IS A NATURAL EVOLUTION OF SOME MALIGNANT TUMOURS, FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CANCERS. ONSET AND DEVELOPMENT OF METASTASIS REPRESENTS A DETRIMENTAL EVENT THAT WORSEN THE PATIENT'S PROGNOSIS BY PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OMINOUS PROGRESSION OF THE DISEASE. DUE TO THE PECULIAR ENVIRONMENT AND THE BIOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES, BONE IS A PREFERENTIAL SITE FOR THE SECONDARY GROWTH OF BREAST, PROSTATE AND LUNG CANCERS. UNFORTUNATELY, ONLY PALLIATIVE AND PAIN THERAPIES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PATIENTS WITH BONE METASTASES, WHILE NO EFFECTIVE AND DEFINITIVE TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE. THE UNDERSTANDING OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BONE METASTASIS FORMATION AND PROGRESSION, AS WELL AS THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE PATIENT, ARE CENTRAL BUT CHALLENGING TOPICS IN BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE. THE IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MOLECULAR SPECIES THAT MAY HAVE A ROLE AS EARLY HALLMARKS OF THE METASTATIC PROCESS COULD OPEN THE DOOR TO THE DEFINITION OF NEW, AND MORE EFFECTIVE, THERAPEUTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC APPROACHES. NON-CODING RNAS SPECIES AND, PARTICULARLY, LNCRNAS ARE PROMISING COMPOUNDS IN THIS SETTING, AND THEIR STUDY MAY BRING TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF RELEVANT PROCESSES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE HIGHLIGHT THE ROLE OF LNCRNAS AS EMERGING MOLECULES IN MEDIATING THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF BONE METASTASES, AS POSSIBLE BIOMARKERS FOR CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS, AND AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS TO COUNTERACT CANCER SPREAD. 2023 20 6281 17 THE POTENTIAL FOR TARGETED REWRITING OF EPIGENETIC MARKS IN COPD AS A NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACH. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) IS AN AGE AND SMOKING RELATED PROGRESSIVE, PULMONARY DISORDER PRESENTING WITH POORLY REVERSIBLE AIRFLOW LIMITATION AS A RESULT OF CHRONIC BRONCHITIS AND EMPHYSEMA. THE PREVALENCE, DISEASE BURDEN FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, AND MORTALITY OF COPD CONTINUES TO INCREASE, WHEREAS NO EFFECTIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES ARE AVAILABLE. FOR MANY YEARS NOW, A COMBINATION OF BRONCHODILATORS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CORTICOSTEROIDS HAS BEEN MOST WIDELY USED FOR THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH PERSISTENT COPD. HOWEVER, THIS APPROACH HAS HAD DISAPPOINTING RESULTS AS A LARGE NUMBER OF COPD PATIENTS ARE CORTICOSTEROID RESISTANT. IN PATIENTS WITH COPD, THERE IS EMERGING EVIDENCE SHOWING ABERRANT EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC MARKS SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND MICRORNAS IN BLOOD, SPUTUM AND LUNG TISSUE. THEREFORE, NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES MAY EXIST USING EPIGENETIC THERAPY. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DESCRIBE AND SUMMARIZE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF ABERRANT EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC MARKS IN COPD. IN ADDITION, TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR RESTORATION OF EPIGENETIC MARKS ARE DESCRIBED, AS WELL AS DELIVERY MECHANISMS OF EPIGENETIC EDITORS TO CELLS. TARGETING EPIGENETIC MARKS MIGHT BE A VERY PROMISING TOOL FOR TREATMENT AND LUNG REGENERATION IN COPD IN THE FUTURE. 2018