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Infertility is a global health problem affecting about 15% of all couples, of which 50% are due to male infertility. Although the etiology of infertility is known in most infertile men, idiopathic male infertility remains a challenge. Therefore, there is a need for novel diagnostic methods to detect the underlying mechanisms and develop appropriate therapies. Recent studies have focused on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in male infertility. Circular RNAs (CircRNAs), a type of ncRNAs, are found to play a key role in the development of some pathological conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, autoimmune diseases, etc. Several studies have reported the presence of CircRNAs and their target genes in the human reproductive system. In addition, their expression in testicular tissues, sperm cells, and seminal fluid has been identified. Abnormal expression of CircRNAs has been associated with azoospermia and asthenozoospermia in infertile men. The present narrative review provides a brief description of the role of CircRNAs in spermatogenic cells, male infertility, and reproductive cancers. In addition, some CircRNAs have been identified as potential biomarkers for disease detection and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ARID1A, a bona fide tumor suppressor, is the third most mutated gene in human colorectal cancer. In this paper, we reported the identification of a novel mutation in one of 20 primary human colorectal cancer tumors. Sanger sequencing of the exon 3 of the ARID1A gene revealed a novel heterozygous non-sense mutation of the c.1653C>G. This resulted in the premature termination of the 2285 amino acid protein at the 551st codon. Mutation Taster predicted this novel mutation to be pathogenic. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the loss of ARID1A protein expression in cancerous tissues harboring ARID1A mutation. As far as we know, this is the first report on the mutation of ARID1A gene in an Iranian patient. This mutation can expand the spectrum of ARID1A gene pathogenic mutations among colorectal cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]