MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that do not have coding functions but play essential roles in various biological processes. In lung cancer, miRNAs affect the processes of tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and resistance to treatment by regulating gene expression. Tumor-suppressive miRNAs inhibit oncogenic pathways, while oncogenic miRNAs, known as oncomiRs, promote malignant transformation and tumor growth. These dual roles position miRNAs as critical players in lung cancer biology. Studies in recent years have shown the significant potential of miRNAs as both prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers. Circulating miRNAs in plasma or sputum demonstrate specificity and sensitivity in detecting early-stage lung cancer. Liquid biopsy-based miRNA panels distinguish malignant from benign lesions, and specific miRNA expression patterns correlate with disease progression, response to treatment, and overall survival. Therapeutically, miRNAs hold promise for targeted interventions. Strategies such as miRNA replacement therapy using mimics for tumor-suppressive miRNAs and inhibition of oncomiRs with antagomiRs or miRNA sponges have shown preclinical success. Key miRNAs, including the let-7 family, miR-34a, and miR-21, are under investigation for their therapeutic potential. It should be emphasized that delivery difficulties, side effects, and limited stability of therapeutic miRNA molecules remain obstacles to their clinical use. This article examines the roles of miRNAs in lung cancer by indicating their mechanisms of action, diagnostic significance, and therapeutic potential. By addressing current limitations, miRNA-based approaches could revolutionize lung cancer management, offering precise, personalized, and minimally invasive solutions for diagnosis and treatment.

Amelanotic melanoma (AM) is a subtype of hypomelanotic or completely amelanotic melanoma. AM is a rare subtype of melanoma that exhibits a higher recurrence rate and aggressiveness as well as worse surveillance than typical melanoma. AM shows a dysregulation of melanin production, cell cycle control, and apoptosis pathways. Knowing these pathways has an application in medicine due to targeted therapies based on the inhibiting elements of the abovementioned pathways. Therefore, we summarized and discussed AM biochemical and molecular induction pathways and personalized medicine approaches, clinical management, and future directions due to the fact that AM is relatively rare. AM is commonly misdiagnosed. Hence, the role of biomarkers is becoming significant. Nonetheless, there is a shortage of biomarkers specific to AM. BRAF, NRAS, and c-KIT genes are the main targets of therapy. However, the role of BRAF and KIT in AM varied among studies. BRAF inhibitors combined with MAK inhibitors demonstrate better results. Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting CTLA-4 combined with a programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) show better outcomes than separately. Fecal microbiota transplantation may overcome resistance to immune checkpoint therapy of AM. Immune-modulatory vaccines against indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and PD ligand (PD-L1) combined with nivolumab may be efficient in melanoma treatment.

The liver is one of the most common sites for metastasis, which involves the spread from primary tumors to surrounding organs and tissues in the human body. There are a few steps in cancer expansion: invasion, inflammatory processes allowing the hepatic niche to be created, adhesions to ECM, neovascularization, and secretion of enzymes. The spread of tumor cells depends on the microenvironment created by the contribution of many biomolecules, including proteolytic enzymes, cytokines, growth factors, and cell adhesion molecules that enable tumor cells to interact with the microenvironment. Moreover, the microenvironment plays a significant role in tumor growth and expansion. The secreted enzymes help cancer cells facilitate newly formed hepatic niches and promote migration and invasion. Our study discusses pharmacological methods used to prevent liver metastasis by targeting the tumor microenvironment and cancer cell colonization in the liver. We examine randomized studies focusing on median survival duration and median overall survival in patients administered placebo compared with those treated with bevacizumab, ramucirumab, regorafenib, and ziv-aflibercept in addition to current chemotherapy. We also include research on mice and their responses to these medications, which may suppress metastasis progression. Finally, we discuss the significance of non-pharmacological methods, including surgical procedures, radiotherapy, cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and transarterial embolization (TAE). In conclusion, the given methods can successfully prevent metastases to the liver and prolong the median survival duration and median overall survival in patients suffering from cancer.

Background: It is estimated that approximately 20–30% of women suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs). The disease is primarily bacterial, especially Escherichia coli, making antibiotics the standard treatment. Increasing antibiotic resistance of uropathogens reduces treatment effectiveness. Therefore, non-antibiotic approaches are increasingly being investigated for the management of rUTIs. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of currently available and emerging methods of treatment and prevention of rUTIs in women. Methods: This paper employs a narrative review with a structured literature search and synthesizes data from three major databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The review was conducted in accordance with the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) checklist. Scientific articles were searched using the following keywords: ‘recurrent urinary tract infections in women’, ‘antibiotic prophylaxis’, ‘immunoprophylaxis’, ‘urinary microbiome’. Results: Observational evidence has reported an association between continuous antibiotic prophylaxis and severe outcomes, including pyelonephritis and septicemia; however, these findings are susceptible to confounding by indication and should not be interpreted as evidence of a causal relationship. Clinical studies suggest that immunomodulatory approaches, such as OM-89 bacterial lysate, next-generation polybacterial mucosal vaccines (e.g., MV140), and oral immunostimulants, have potential to reduce the frequency of rUTI recurrences in women, although the strength and certainty of evidence vary between interventions. Bacteriophage therapy is an emerging and exploratory targeted approach supported by early clinical and experimental evidence, but its efficacy for preventing recurrent uncomplicated UTIs remains uncertain, though rapid development of phage resistance remains a potential limitation. Prophylactic strategies, including Lactobacillus-based probiotics, low-dose estriol, and microbiota transplantation, have shown preliminary or variable results, with limited evidence for rUTI prevention. In particular, findings on vaginal dysbiosis and microbiota modulation should not be interpreted as a direct evidence of rUTI prevention. Conclusions: While antibiotic therapy remains essential, continuous prophylaxis may contribute to antimicrobial resistance and disrupt microbial balance. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are still being studied. Several non-antibiotic strategies, including immunoprophylaxis and microbiome modulation, represent potential preventive approaches, whereas bacteriophage therapy and vaginal microbiota transplantation remain exploratory and require further clinical validation. Their preventive efficacy against rUTIs remains unestablished. Moreover, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), nanotechnology, molecularly targeted therapies, and precision medicine strategies are being investigated. Plant-based therapies may provide benefit, but their clinical efficacy remains to be established. Overall, further clinical studies are needed to confirm the preventive efficacy of these emerging approaches.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide. The growing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among Enterobacterales, particularly to β-lactam antibiotics, contributes to treatment failures and prolonged hospital stays. This single-center descriptive surveillance study aimed to evaluate the distribution of Enterobacterales recovered from culture-positive urine samples in the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Włocławek, Poland, and to determine the prevalence of β-lactam resistance phenotypes among these isolates. Urine culture results collected between January and December 2025 from all hospital wards and the outpatient urology clinic were retrospectively analyzed in this study, with 1090 positive urine cultures included. For a subset of 85 isolates, microbiological findings were additionally linked with patients’ clinical characteristics. Bacteria of the genus Escherichia were the most frequently isolated (53.8%), followed by Klebsiella (22.9%) and Proteus (14.2%), with the remaining Enterobacterales genera recovered at frequencies ranging from 0.6% to 4.5%. Most isolates presented no detectable β-lactam resistance phenotype; however, resistance mediated by β-lactamase production was observed in some of them. Phenotypic ESBL and AmpC producers accounted for 25.3% and 0.6% of isolates, respectively, whereas phenotypic carbapenemase-producing strains were detected less frequently, with MBL and KPC producers representing 1.4% and 0.3% of isolates, respectively. No clear associations were identified between patient characteristics and the occurrence of specific bacterial isolates or resistance mechanisms, which may be explained by the relatively homogeneous study population, the majority of whom were ≥70 years old (66/85; 77.6%) and had a similar burden of comorbidities. In conclusion, the current level of β-lactam resistance phenotypes among urinary Enterobacterales in our setting can be considered moderate. Nevertheless, continuous surveillance of local urine-derived bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance profiles remains essential for optimizing effective control strategies.