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MicroRNA-373 (miR-373) has been reported to be an oncogene in a number of solid human tumors. However, the role of miR‑373 in gastric cancer has not been completely elucidated and the mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we compared miR‑373 expression between clinical gastric cancer tissues and paired non‑tumorous tissues by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The impact of miR‑373 on proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer cells was additionally investigated. Hsa‑miR‑373 mimics were applied to mimic the function of endogenous miR‑373. A colony formation assay and flow cytometry were performed to analyze the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. Wound healing and Transwell invasion assays were employed to detect the migratory and invasive abilities of gastric cancer cells. Western blotting was used to test the expression of epithelial‑mesenchymal transition‑associated proteins. The results demonstrated that the level of miR‑373 in gastric cancer was upregulated compared with paired non‑tumorous tissues. It was confirmed that miR‑373 inhibited the migration and invasion of the gastric cancer cell lines SGC‑7901 and HGC‑27 by downregulating vimentin expression. The results of the present study demonstrated an oncogenic role of miR‑373 in the metastasis of human gastric cancer, and may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious medical condition associated with poor health outcomes. Autophagy is a conserved multistep pathway that serves a major role in many biological processes and diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that autophagy is induced in proximal tubular cells during AKI. Autophagy serves a pro‑survival or pro‑death role under certain conditions. Furthermore, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have therapeutic potential in the repair of renal injury. This review summarizes the recent progress on the role of autophagy in AKI and MSCs‑based therapy for AKI. Further research is expected to prevent and treat acute kidney injury.

Circulating miR-17-5p and miR-20a (miR-17-5p/20a) have been demonstrated to be elevated in the plasma of gastric cancer patients. However, the clinical significance of the circulating levels of these microRNAs (miRNAs), the predictive power for prognosis and application for monitoring of chemotherapeutic effects remain unclear. To this end, we measured plasma miR-17-5p/20a levels in unpaired pre-operative (n=65), post-operative (n=16) and relapse (n=6) gastric cancer patient groups. The 3-year overall survival rate for the unpaired pre-operative patients was recorded. The circulating levels of miR-17-5p/20a were also tested in paired pre-operative and post-operative plasma from 14 gastric cancer patients. We found that the concentrations of miR-17-5p/20a were significantly associated with the differentiation status and TNM stages of gastric cancer. The miRNA levels in the different groups reflected pathological tumor progression. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that high expression levels of miR-17-5p/20a were significantly correlated with poor overall survival. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the level of plasma miR-20a was an independent risk predictor for prognosis. An in vivo mouse tumor model was established and antagomirs against miR-17-5p/20a were applied as chemotherapeutics to perform tumor treatment. An assay of serum miR-17-5p/20a levels showed that the levels of serum miRNAs were notably reduced in post-treated mice with tumor volume regression. Taken together, the levels of circulating miR-17-5p/20a may be a promising non-invasive molecular marker for pathological progression, prediction of prognosis and monitoring of chemotherapeutic effects for gastric cancer.

Cell-free nucleic acids in plasma have been reported to be a novel tumor marker. However, their exact significance in gastric cancer is unclear. In the present study, we focused on circulating CXCR4 and Bmi-1 mRNA in plasma and evaluated their diagnostic values for patients with gastric cancer. CXCR4 and Bmi-1 mRNA levels, as well as levels of CEA and CA19-9 proteins, were determined in the plasma of 89 gastric cancer patients. The levels of these markers were significantly higher in cancer patients than in healthy subjects; however, there was a decrease in their expression after surgery. The sensitivity of detection for the combination of circulating CXCR4 and Bmi-1 mRNA was higher than the sensitivities of detection for CEA and CA19-9. In patients expressing both genes, CXCR4 and Bmi-1 mRNA levels were strongly correlated. Expression of the two circulating genes was also strongly correlated with the CEA level, and was significantly associated with the age of the patient, histological type, clinical stage, extent of cell differentiation and gastric cancer metastasis. Our results indicate that the combined expression of circulating CXCR4 and Bmi-1 mRNA represents a novel tumor marker, superior to traditional markers such as CEA and CA19-9, for the diagnosis and monitoring of gastric cancer.