Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Like many other cancers, BC therapy is challenging and sometimes frustrating. In spite of the various therapeutic modalities applied to treat the cancer, drug resistance, also known as, chemoresistance, is very common in almost all BCs. Undesirably, a breast tumor might be resistant to different curative approaches (e.g., chemo- and immunotherapy) at the same period of time. Exosomes, as double membrane-bound extracellular vesicles 1) secreted from different cell species, can considerably transfer cell products and components through the bloodstream. In this context, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including miRNAs, long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are a chief group of exosomal constituents with amazing abilities to regulate the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of BC, such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, migration, and particularly drug resistance. Thereby, exosomal ncRNAs can be considered potential mediators of BC progression and drug resistance. Moreover, as the corresponding exosomal ncRNAs circulate in the bloodstream and are found in different body fluids, they can serve as foremost prognostic/diagnostic biomarkers. The current study aims to comprehensively review the most recent findings on BC-related molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways affected by exosomal miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, with a focus on drug resistance. Also, the potential of the same exosomal ncRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis of BC will be discussed in detail.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), as covalently closed single-stranded noncoding RNA molecules, have been recently identified to involve in several biological processes, principally through targeting microRNAs. Among various neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), accumulating evidence has proposed key roles for circRNAs in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD); although the exact relationship between these RNA molecules and AD progression is not clear, they have been believed to mostly act as miRNA sponges or gene transcription modulators through correlating with multiple proteins, involved in the accumulation of Amyloid β (Aβ) peptides, as well as tau protein, as AD’s pathological hallmark. More interestingly, circRNAs have also been reported to play diagnostic and therapeutic roles during AD progression. Objective: Literature review indicated that circRNAs could essentially contribute to the onset and development of AD. Thus, in the current review, the circRNAs’ biogenesis and functions are addressed at first, and then the interplay between particular circRNAs and AD is comprehensively discussed. Eventually, the diagnostic and therapeutic significance of these noncoding RNAs is highlighted in brief. Results: A large number of circRNAs are expressed in the brain. Thereby, these RNA molecules are noticed as potential regulators of neural functions in healthy circumstances, as well as neurological disorders. Moreover, circRNAs have also been reported to have potential diagnostic and therapeutic capacities in relation to AD, the most prevalent ND. Conclusion: CircRNAs have been shown to act as sponges for miRNAs, thereby regulating the function of related miRNAs, including oxidative stress, reduction of neuroinflammation, and the formation and metabolism of Aβ, all of which developed in AD. CircRNAs have also been proposed as biomarkers that have potential diagnostic capacities in AD. Despite these characteristics, the use of circRNAs as therapeutic targets and promising diagnostic biomarkers will require further investigation and characterization of the function of these RNA molecules in AD.

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Objective This study has been designed to compare the rate of thromboembolic events during Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) with and without embolic protection devices (EPDs). So we systematically reviewed the literature to find and select studies that compared the rate of embolic events during CAS with and without embolic protection devices and conducted a meta-analysis to find which way is better. Methods Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were thoroughly searched. By using random-effects models, each estimation was executed. To assess the heterogeneity among the studies I2 index was used. Egger and Begg’s tests were applied to evaluate publication bias. Stata version 14.2 was used for the statistical analysis. Results For 25% of patients, EPD was used during CAS, and for 75%, did not. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and cigarette smoking was 77%, 37%, 40%, and 44%. 52% of included patients were symptomatic, and 48% of them were asymptomatic .The mortality rate reduced from 2% in the no_EPD subgroup to 1% among the EPD subgroup. The occurrence of all other complications was also reportedly higher in patients who did not receive EPD, including major stroke and MI, except for minor events, which were reported to be almost the same in both subgroups. Conclusion we found out that the use of EPD can help with reducing the occurrence of thromboembolic complications of CAS, including MI, major stroke, and death. Altogether, our results suggest that the benefits of using EPD during CAS outweigh its risks.