5), temperature (37°C), dissolved oxygen, agitation speed (500 rpm), inoculation timing (cell diameter 12-13 μm), media feeding regimen, and cell seeding density (5 × 106  cells/ml). The final pure RBCs showed appropriate functions compared with fresh donor RBCs, confirming that manufacturing mature RBCs with reproducibility is possible.Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), reprogrammed from human somatic cells, hold the capacity to differentiate into most human body cells. iPSCs can be differentiated into retinal organoids, a three-dimensional structured retina containing various retinal cells. Patient-specific retinal organoids provide a powerful disease model to recapitulate the disease to study the pathogenesis of inherited retinal dystrophies, to screen or discover new drugs, and most importantly to supply an unlimited cell source for retinal regeneration.Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative disease which was described originally in 1988 by dr Frank Benson. PCA is characterized by progressive deficits in higher visual functions while episodic memory and speech are relatively preserved. Studies have shown that the neuropathologic findings in most cases are consistent with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, patients with PCA show greater occipitoparietal atrophy on neuroimaging compared with the more prominent mesiotemporal atrophy in patients with amnestic AD. Until recently, diagnostics were based mainly on clinical experience due to the lack of validated diagnostic criteria. In 2017, new consensus criteria for the diagnosis and classification of PCA were published. In this article we make a brief review of the disease and describe a 58 year old man with complex visual deficits and apraxia who was ultimately diagnosed with PCA.The primary cilium is a non‑motile cellular structure extending from the apical membrane of epithelial cells that is involved in several processes due to its ability to receive and elaborate different signals. Ciliogenesis and its obliteration are essential for proliferating cells, and several signalling pathways are responsible for their regulation. In fact, the primary cilium is a central hub for numerous signalling pathways implicated in a variety of biological processes, such as the Hedgehog, mammalian target of rapamycin and Wnt pathways. Loss of primary cilia has been recently correlated with different types of tumours, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). K‑Ras and HDAC2 were recently identified as possible ciliogenesis regulators in PDAC, likely acting through Aurora A kinase (AURKA) which, in turn, controls inositol polyphosphate‑5‑phosphatase E. However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying this regulatory effect remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the regulation of the main genes involved in primary cilia assembly/resorption was reconstructed showing the links with the Hedgehog and phosphoinositide 3‑kinase/AKT pathways. Finally, by analysing gene expression databases, the regulatory genes that have high probability to be associated with prognosis, histological grade and pathological stage in patients with PDAC have been highlighted. However, further experimental studies are required to reach definitive conclusions on the roles of these genes. mTOR phosphorylation Improving our understating of ciliogenesis and its regulators may help develop ciliotherapies using histone deacetylase and AURKA inhibitors, which may induce re‑differentiation of tumour cells into normal cells by reducing tumour growth or inducing apoptosis of cancer cells.Cholangiocarcinoma is the most common biliary duct malignancy and the second most common primary liver cancer, accounting for 10‑20% of hepatic malignancies. With high mortality and poor prognosis, the 5‑year survival rate of cholangiocarcinoma is only 10%. A previous study demonstrated a significant association between aspirin use and a decreased risk of cholangiocarcinoma. However, the effect of aspirin on cholangiocarcinoma remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of aspirin on cholangiocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Three cholangiocarcinoma cell lines were used to analyze the effect of aspirin on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and the regulation of microRNAs. MicroRNAs are known to regulate the development and progression of various types of cancer. An HuCCT‑1 xenograft model was used for the in vivo study. It was determined that aspirin inhibited the proliferation of human cholangiocarcinoma cells (except TKKK cells). Aspirin induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase and regulated cell‑cycle related proteins in cholangiocarcinoma cells (HuCCT‑1 cells) but did not induce apoptosis. The expression of miR‑340‑5p was significantly upregulated after treatment, and overexpression of miR‑340‑5p inhibited the proliferation of HuCCT‑1 cells and decreased the levels of cyclin D1. TKKK cells had low miR‑340‑5p expression, which may explain why aspirin had no effect on their proliferation. In vivo, aspirin reduced the growth of xenografted tumors. In conclusion, the present study indicated that aspirin partially inhibited cholangiocarcinoma cell proliferation and tumor growth by inducing G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest, potentially through the miR‑340‑5p/cyclin D1 axis.The severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus‑2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) poses a threat to human life worldwide. Since early March, 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19), characterized by an acute and often severe form of pneumonia, has been declared a pandemic. This has led to a boom in biomedical research studies at all stages of the pipeline, from the in vitro to the clinical phase. In line with this global effort, known drugs, currently used for the treatment of other pathologies, including antivirals, immunomodulating compounds and antibodies, are currently used off‑label for the treatment of COVID‑19, in association with the supportive standard care. Yet, no effective treatments have been identified. A new hope stems from medical oncology and relies on the use of immune‑checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). In particular, amongst the ICIs, antibodies able to block the programmed death‑1 (PD‑1)/PD ligand-1 (PD‑L1) pathway have revealed a hidden potential. In fact, patients with severe and critical COVID‑19, even prior to the appearance of acute respiratory distress syndrome, exhibit lymphocytopenia and suffer from T‑cell exhaustion, which may lead to viral sepsis and an increased mortality rate.