[Potential of non-coding RNA as biomarkers in heart failure]

Heart failure is a major public health problem with an estimated prevalence of 1-2% in the adult population in developed countries. Despite some progress, the prognosis of heart failure is associated with high mortality. There is a need for prognostic markers for heart failure, such as circulating biomarkers, in order to better identify individual heart failure patients with high risk of early death, and to improve the selection of patients for invasive treatment with limited availability such as heart transplantation. Among the non coding RNA family, we investigated the potentiality of long non coding RNAs (lncRNA) as potential biomarkers in heart disease. We observed that the plasmatic levels of the lncRNA named LIPCAR may predict early mortality in patients with heart failure independently of the etiology and may improve clinical-decision making for a more personalized treatment of "high-risk" patients.

[microRNA: new diagnostic and therapeutic tools in liver disease?]

microRNA are small non coding RNA, which negatively regulate the expression of their targets. Due to their various targets, miRNAs play a key role in number of physiological processes and in oncogenesis. The identification of specific miRNA signatures in various types of tumours, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), highlights the dual role of miRNA, both oncogenes and tumour suppressors. Here, we review the current knowledge concerning the deregulation of miRNA expression in liver disease. All studies focusing on miRNAs argue for their possible use as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic markers. Here, we preferentially discuss the promising therapeutic strategies based on miRNAs that have been tested in HCC.