Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent cancer diagnosed in men worldwide. The detection methods for PCa are either unreliable, like prostate-specific antigen (PSA), or extremely invasive, such as in the case of biopsies. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity for reliable and less invasive detection procedures that can differentiate between patients with benign diseases and those with cancer. In this matter, microRNAs (miRNAs) are suggested as potential biomarkers for cancer. MiRNAs have been found to be dysregulated in several different cancers, and these genetic alterations may present specific signatures for a given malignancy. Here, we examined the expression of miR141-3p, miR145-5p, miR146a-5p, and miR148b-3p in human tissue samples of PCa ( n = 41) and benign prostatic diseases (BPD) ( n = 30) using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We combined the expression results with patient clinicopathological characteristics in logistic regression models to create accurate PCa predictive models. A model including information of miR148b-3p and patient age showed relevant prediction results (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.818, precision = 0.763, specificity = 0.762, and accuracy = 0.762). A model including all four miRNAs and patient age presented outstanding prediction results (AUC = 0.918, precision = 0.861, specificity = 0.861, and accuracy = 0.857). Our results represent a potential novel procedure based on logistic regression models that utilize miRNA expressions and patient age to assist with PCa diagnosis.

Breast cancer (BCa) is one of the leading causes of death in women with these types of malignancies. Early detection is pivotal to improve prognosis and reduce mortality. Several proteins and genes have been proposed as biomarkers for cancer; however, further studies are required before a molecule is accepted as a definitive biomarker. This study was aimed at investigating the expression of survivin variants S-WT, S-2B, and S-ΔEx3, as well as adipokines LEP and ADIPOQ in breast cancer. Breast samples were obtained from patients with ( ) and without ( ) BCa, and relative gene expression was assessed by RT-qPCR. S-WT and S-2B showed a significant increase in BCa samples ( and , respectively) and in high-aggressiveness BCa ( and , respectively). Despite S-ΔEx3 expression remained globally unchanged, when dividing BCa samples according to the stage, this gene showed a significant tendency to increase towards more advanced stages, and the exact opposite effect was observed for LEP. Furthermore, LEP expression showed a negative correlation with S-2B ( ) and S-WT ( ), and in the same manner, ADIPOQ was negatively related with these two survivin variants ( and , respectively). Interestingly, S-ΔEx3 expression appears unaffected by LEP and ADIPOQ expressions. Our results highlight the importance of investigating specific variants of a given gene, as sequence variation may grant different correlation with other important structures and diseases.

Prostate cancer (PCa) represents a significant cause of cancer-associated mortality in the male population worldwide and constitutes a multifactorial disease influenced by genetic and epigenetic factors. Deregulation of genes such as AR and PTEN, as well as alteration in the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR-145-5p and miR-148b-3p, has been observed in this pathology. This study aimed to explore the correlation between the expression of miR-145-5p, miR-148b-3p, and PTEN in prostate tissue, providing initial insight into their potential interaction in cancer biology. We analyzed 71 samples, comprising 41 from patients with confirmed prostate cancer (PCa group) and 30 from patients with benign prostatic disease (BPD group). Our findings demonstrated a statistically significant association between both miRNAs and the PTEN gene, specifically between miR-148b-3p and PTEN (p = 0.00001) and between miR-145-5p and PTEN (p = 0.0078). These findings support the hypothesis that reduced levels of these miRNAs may be linked to PTEN regulation in prostate pathologies and underscore their potential relevance in PCa biology.

Background: Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by progressive destruction of the supporting tissues of the teeth. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key post-transcriptional regulators of immune and inflammatory responses; however, their coordinated expression patterns in periodontal disease remain incompletely understood. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of miR-141-3p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-148b-3p in periodontal disease and to explore their potential co-regulation in relation to periodontal inflammation. Methods: Gingival samples were collected from individuals with periodontal disease and periodontally healthy controls. miRNA expression levels were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR using TaqMan assays and normalized to miR-191-5p. Relative expression was calculated using the ΔΔCt method. Statistical analyses included group comparisons and correlation analyses to assess relationships among miRNA expression levels. Results: miR-146a-5p expression was significantly reduced in periodontal disease compared with healthy controls (p < 0.05), while miR-141-3p showed a consistent downward trend without reaching statistical significance. No significant differences were observed for miR-148b-3p expression between groups. Notably, strong positive correlations were identified among the three miRNAs, indicating coordinated expression patterns independent of disease stage or grade. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate altered expression of miR-146a-5p and coordinated regulation of miR-141-3p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-148b-3p in periodontal disease. These results support the concept that miRNAs act within regulatory networks rather than as isolated markers and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of miRNA-mediated regulation in periodontal inflammation.