Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42170264›Full record

ArticleTranslational lung cancer research2026

Beyond miRNAs: exploratory profiling of PIWI-interacting RNAs and small nucleolar RNAs in non-small cell lung cancer-related malignant pleural effusions.

Joel Gabàs, Rui Alves, José M Porcel, Anabel Sorolla

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational lung cancer research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Joel GabàsSystems Biology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8591-4490
Rui AlvesSystems Biology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-5184
José M Porcel *Pleural Medicine and Clinical Ultrasound Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Lleida, Spain.
Anabel Sorolla *Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8238-8763

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Small RNAs in pleural fluid (PF) are increasingly being explored as potential sources of biological insight in malignant pleural effusion (MPE). While several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been explored, the presence and potential diagnostic relevance of other small RNA species in PF, including PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), and transfer RNAs (tRNAs), remain largely unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the detection of piRNAs, snoRNAs, and tRNAs and whether differential expression analysis between BPE and MPE yields potentially biologically relevant information. Methods: In this exploratory pilot study, PF samples from eight patients [four with benign pleural effusions (BPEs) due to heart failure and four with MPE, including two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and two colorectal cancer (CRC) cases] underwent small extracellular vesicle (sEV) isolation and small RNA sequencing. Reads were mapped to dedicated reference databases, and differential expression was assessed using the Limma-Voom approach with false discovery rate correction by RNA class. Target prediction and pathway enrichment analyses were performed using specialized RNA repositories and gprofiler2. Results: Multiple classes of small RNAs, including miRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNAs, and tRNAs, were detected in sEVs isolated from all PF samples. After correction for multiple testing, statistically significant differences were observed only between BPE and NSCLC-derived MPE. Five miRNAs (miR-200c-3p, miR-1269a, miR-1246, miR-4455 and miR-141-3p), three piRNAs (piR-33165, piR-32165 and piR-33057) and one snoRNA (SNORA21) were significantly upregulated in NSCLC-related MPE. Exploratory analyses suggested that predicted targets of these small RNAs are associated with biological processes relevant to NSCLC. Conclusions: This study provides initial evidence that PF, specifically its sEV compartment, contains a broad spectrum of small RNAs beyond miRNAs and identifies a subset that is differentially expressed in NSCLC-associated MPE. Although limited by sample size, these findings support the feasibility of expanded small RNA profiling in PF and provide a foundation for future exploratory and validation studies.

Indexed as

liquid biopsyMalignant pleural effusion (MPE)PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA)small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA)transfer RNA (tRNA)

Identifiers

PMID42170264
PMCPMC13186648

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.