The human skin is a crucial organ that protects the organism from the outer environment. Skin integrity and health depend on both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors such as aging and genetic background contribute to weakened skin and disease susceptibility. Meanwhile, extrinsic factors including UV radiation, pollution, smoking, humidity, and poor diet also affect skin health and disease. On the other hand, healthy dietary patterns such as plant-based diets have gained popularity as a complementary therapy for skin health. A plant-based diet is defined as all diets based on plant foods, including an abundance of vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, fungi, and whole grains, with limited or no animal products or processed foods. However, some authors also exclude or limit processed foods in the definition. Recent research has shown that these diets have beneficial effects on inflammatory skin diseases. This review explored the beneficial effects of plant-based diets on inflammatory skin diseases and plant-based functional foods on healthy skin. In conclusion, plant-based diets and plant-based functional foods may have beneficial effects on skin health through the gut microbiome.

Background/Objectives: RA is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by systemic inflammation and progressive joint damage. Plant-based dietary interventions have recently emerged as complementary anti-inflammatory therapy for active RA. However, the molecular anti-inflammatory mechanisms of plant-based dietary patterns in these patients are still poorly understood. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of inflammation in chronic diseases. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the expression of lncRNAs and inflammatory genes in relation to the clinical response to following a plant-based dietary intervention in patients with active RA. Methods: A two-phase whole-blood gene expression analysis was conducted for patients with active RA before and after a 14-day plant-based dietary intervention. In the discovery phase, seven patients showing the greatest reduction in disease activity (DAS28-CRP) were selected, and the expression of 84 inflammatory genes and 84 lncRNAs was analyzed using RT² Profiler PCR Array platforms. In the validation phase, by adding 14 patients, we assessed 21 participants. Results: NUTM2A-AS1 was the only significantly overexpressed lncRNA in the discovery phase (p = 0.0435), while CCR3 was the only inflammatory gene showing significant expression change (p = 0.0156). In the validation phase, both NUTM2A-AS1 and CCR3 maintained the same pattern of overexpression, confirming their modulation after the 14-day plant-based dietary intervention (p = 0.0131 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that a 14-day plant-based diet was sufficient to modify the inflammatory circuits in patients with active RA, suggesting a potential dietary-mediated inflammatory modulation mechanism involving NUTM2A-AS1 and CCR3. Further studies are required to validate new hypotheses on the biological significance of the regulation of these transcripts and its clinical implications in RA management.

Background: Rejection continues to be the main cause of renal graft loss. Currently, the gold standard for diagnosis is an allograft biopsy; however, because it is time-consuming, costly, and invasive, the pursuit of novel biomarkers has gained interest. Variation in the expressions of miRNAs is currently considered a probable biomarker for the diagnosis of acute rejection. This study aimed to determine whether miR-150-5p in serum is related to microvascular damage in patients with acute antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR). Methods: A total of 27 patients who underwent renal transplantation (RT) with and without ABMR were included in the study. We performed the quantification of hsa-miR-150-5p, hsa-miR-155, hsa-miR-21, hsa-miR-126, and hsa-miR-1 in plasma by RT-qPCR. The expressions between the groups and their correlations with the histological characteristics of the patients with ABMR were also investigated. Results: miR-150-5p significantly increased in the plasma of patients with rejection (p < 0.05), and the changes in miR-150-5p were directly correlated with microvascular inflammation in the allograft biopsies. Clinical utility was determined by ROC analysis with an area under the curve of 0.873. Conclusions: Our results show that the patients with RT with ABMR exhibited increased expression of miR-150-5p compared to patients without rejection, which could have clinical consequences, as well as probable utility in the diagnosis of ABMR, and bioinformatics may help in unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying ABMR conditions.

Anxiety is a fear response that triggers a stress reaction with the purpose of defending against or avoiding danger, which is considered physiological, until it becomes excessive and persistent, affecting daily life activities. Non-coding RNAs have been explored in terms of their relationship with diseases, and several of them, such as miRNAs, have been found to be key factors in the development of diseases. Specifically, the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been implicated in the development of anxiety through various mechanisms such as nervous system development, synaptic function, neurotransmitter regulation, and neuroinflammation. However, several recent reviews have explored the roles of lncRNAs in various mental diseases (mainly in schizophrenia), and considering that existing reviews do not cover the interaction between lncRNAs and aspects such as neuroimmunity in anxiety disorder pathophysiology, the aim of this literature review is to summarize the current knowledge about the contributions of lncRNAs to the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. Additionally, we explore their potential applications in the diagnosis, as well as possible treatment approaches, of these disorders, challenges, and current limitations.

Subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (SCA) is an early stage of coronary artery disease (CAD) that often goes unrecognized until clinical events occur. Identifying circulating molecular biomarkers could improve early diagnosis and risk assessment in asymptomatic individuals. This study employed a two-phase approach to identify plasma extracellular vesicle (EV)-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with SCA. In the discovery phase, plasma samples from male participants were analyzed using Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 4.0 microarrays. Differentially expressed miRNAs were refined through bioinformatic analysis, cross-species comparison with murine data, and target gene prediction. In the validation phase, six candidate miRNAs were quantified by RT-qPCR in an independent cohort. Six miRNAs were differentially expressed between individuals with SCA and controls. Among these, the combination of miR-146b-5p, miR-4701-3p, and miR-1180-3p demonstrated a high discriminative capacity for SCA (AUC = 0.8281; sensitivity = 93.75%; specificity = 93.75%). Functional enrichment analysis revealed that predicted target genes are involved in key atherosclerosis-related pathways, including inflammation, lipid metabolism, and vascular remodeling. EV-derived miRNAs may serve as non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection of coronary atherosclerosis. These findings provide insight into the molecular processes underlying subclinical vascular disease and support the integration of EV-associated miRNAs into preventive cardiology strategies.

Background/Objectives: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as molecular mediators involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Given the influence of diet on gene expression and inflammation, plant-based diets represent a potential non-pharmacological strategy for modulating disease activity. This study aimed to explore and validate, through a bioinformatic-guided pilot approach, the regulation of miRNAs associated with RA in response to a 14-day plant-based dietary intervention. Methods: Candidate miRNAs were identified through differential expression analysis of the GSE124373 dataset using GEO2R and were further supported by a literature review. Target gene prediction and functional enrichment analyses were conducted to assess the biological relevance of these findings. Twenty-three RA patients followed a plant-based diet for 14 days. The clinical activity (DAS28-CRP), biochemical markers, and plasma expression of five selected miRNAs (miR-26a-5p, miR-125a-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-155-5p) were evaluated before and after the intervention using RT-qPCR. Results: Significant reductions were observed in DAS28-CRP scores, C-reactive protein, glucose, and lipid levels after 14 days of intervention. Three of the five miRNAs (miR-26a-5p, miR-125a-5p, and miR-155-5p) were significantly downregulated post-intervention. Bioinformatic analyses indicated that these miRNAs regulate immune–inflammatory pathways relevant to RA pathogenesis. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that a short-term plant-based dietary intervention may modulate circulating miRNAs and improve clinical and biochemical parameters in RA patients. These findings support further research into dietary strategies as complementary approaches for RA management.