The Human Genome Project revealed that >90% of the human genome was found to transcribe non-coding RNAs, including micro RNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). lncRNAs have been identified to play a crucial role in cancer progression. Thyroid cancer (TC) is a common type of endocrine cancer; however, the functional roles of lncRNAs in TC have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study investigated whether LINC01420 was upregulated in TC tissues, compared with normal thyroid tissues, and the results suggested that LINC01420 may play a regulatory role in TC. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that LINC01420 was associated with translation, rRNA processing, mRNA splicing, regulation of transcription, DNA repair and double-strand break repair. Furthermore, the exact role of LINC01420 in TC was explored by performing a loss-of-function assay, which revealed that the knockdown of LINC01420 inhibited TC cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. The findings of the present study provide a novel insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying TC development. Moreover, they suggest that LINC01420 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of TC, and that increased LINC01420 expression levels show potential as a prognostic marker for the disease.

Thyroid cancer (THCA) is one of the most common types of endocrine cancer worldwide. However, the mechanisms underlying THCA progression have not been fully elucidated. Recent studies have demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in human diseases, and are involved in regulating various biological processes. Furthermore, several reports have indicated that lncRNAs serve important roles in THCA. In the present study, a dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas was used to analyze the expression levels and the clinical information of small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) in THCA. Starbase was used to construct the competing endogenous RNA network. The Molecule Annotation System was used to analyze the data from Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases. Furthermore, cell proliferation and cell cycle assays were used to detect the functions of SNHG7 in THCA. The present study revealed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that SNHG7 is markedly upregulated in THCA samples following analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets. SNHG7 expression was higher in advanced stage compared with early stage THCA samples. In addition, high expression levels of SNHG7 were associated with shorter survival times in THCA patients compared with low expression levels. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that SNHG7 was associated with the processes of ‘protein translation’, ‘viral life cycle’, ‘RNA processing’, ‘mRNA splicing’, ‘histone ubiquitination’, ‘endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi vesicle-mediated transport’, ‘sister chromatid cohesion’, ‘DNA damage checkpoint regulation’, ‘translation’ and ‘the spliceosome’. Additionally, knockdown of SNHG7 significantly inhibited thyroid cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in vitro. Taken together, the results obtained in the present study suggested that SNHG7 may serve as a novel therapeutic and prognostic target for THCA.

The present study analyzed the surgical method and clinical effects of capsular bag relaxation surgery (CBRS) for the treatment of capsular contraction syndrome (CCS), which usually occurs post-phacoemulsification. The retrospective case study comprised of a total of 25 patients (25 eyes) who developed CCS after phacoemulsification and subsequently underwent CBRS. Among these patients, 15 patients (15 eyes) received actinoid relaxing incisions and 10 patients (10 eyes) underwent a second continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis. Postoperative naked-eye visual acuity was determined and compared with preoperative naked-eye visual acuity. Size changes of the transparent zone of the anterior capsule opening were observed under a slit lamp, as well as the anterior and posterior capsular membrane conditions and position of the intraocular lens (IOL). In addition, the presence of any subjective symptom, including glare or monocular diplopia, was investigated. A final 6-month postoperative follow-up was conducted for each patient. Visual acuity of all operated eyes improved to various extents. Notably, glare and monocular diplopia were no longer evident and patients could observe things clearly. Visual differences pre-and post-surgery were statistically significant (u=5.143, P<0.01). In addition, capsular bag shrinkage and relaxation were revealed under a slit lamp, the area of the transparent zone of the anterior capsule opening was expanded and the IOL remained centered. To conclude, CBRS is an effective treatment method for patients with CCS who are not suitable to receive laser treatment.