scholarly journals Role of microRNA-21 and microRNA-155 as biomarkers for bronchial asthma

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrin Mohamed Mohamed Abd Elhamed ElKashef ◽  
Sohair El-Attar Ahmad ◽  
Youssef Mohamed Amin Soliman ◽  
Marwa Salah Mostafa

MicroRNA (miRNA)-21 and miRNA-155 are important regulators of gene expression of different immunological molecules. This study aimed to investigate the role of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 as biomarkers in asthma by comparing their serum expression levels in asthmatic patients to those in healthy controls and correlating their levels with serum IL-4. The expression levels of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. Serum levels of IL-4 were determined using ELISA. Asthmatic patients showed significantly higher serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 expression levels compared to controls. A statistically significant positive correlation between the expression levels of miRNA-21 and IL-4 serum levels in asthmatic patients was detected. Nonetheless, no correlation was detected between miRNA-155 expression and each of IL-4 and miRNA-21. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that at a cut-off value of 1.37, the sensitivity of miRNA-21 as an asthma biomarker was 100% and the specificity was 95%. At a cut-off value of 1.96, the sensitivity of miRNA-155 as an asthma biomarker was 100% and the specificity was 100%. It can be concluded that miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 are potential non-invasive biomarkers in the diagnosis of eosinophilic asthma and its response to therapy.

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 598
Author(s):  
Norhan A. Sabbah ◽  
Wael M. Abdalla ◽  
Walid A. Mawla ◽  
Nagla AbdAlMonem ◽  
Amal F. Gharib ◽  
...  

Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most important factor in deciding its prognosis, so the need to develop an accurate screening test is a must. P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI) RNA-823 (piR-823) is one of the first piRNAs recognized to be linked to malignancy. We aimed to investigate the expression levels of piR-823 in both serum and tissues of colorectal cancer patients and the ability to use its serum level as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker to detect colorectal cancer. We determined piR-823 expression levels in 84 serum samples of CRC patients, 75 serum samples of healthy controls, and biological specimens obtained from the 84 patients with colorectal cancer from both the tumor tissues and the normal neighboring tissues using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR. We showed that piR-823 had significantly higher serum and tissue expression levels in CRC patients compared to the controls. We observed a significant positive correlation between piR-823 serum levels and the staging of CRC, with significantly higher levels exhibiting advanced stages of CRC (III and IV). This translates into poorer differentiation and lymph node metastasis. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) test showed 83.3% sensitivity and 89.3% specificity at a cut-off value of >5.98-fold change, with an area under the curve of 0.933 (p < 0.0001) concerning the ability of piR-823 in diagnosing patients with colorectal carcinoma. piR-823 expression is upregulated in colorectal cancer patients’ serum and tissues, and it can be used as a diagnostic noninvasive biomarker for CRC.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edyta Machura ◽  
Maria Szczepanska ◽  
Katarzyna Ziora ◽  
Dariusz Ziora ◽  
Elzbieta Swietochowska ◽  
...  

Very little is known about the role of adipokines in atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. This study aimed at analyzing the serum levels of resistin, apelin, and visfatin in children with AD in relation to body weight, AD severity, and gender. Serum concentration of adipokines was measured in 27 children with AD and in 46 healthy subjects. Selected biochemical parameters were evaluated and skin prick test was performed. Serum levels of resistin and apelin were significantly higher, whereas serum visfatin concentration was significantly lower in children with AD versus healthy controls, although an increase in resistin levels was exclusively demonstrated in boys. In AD group, a significant increase in apelin levels in girls was documented. There was no relationship between adipokines levels and the degree of allergic sensitization. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the serum apelin cutoff value differentiating children with AD from those without was >137.8 pg/mL. Resistin and visfatin cutoff values were >3.8 ng/mL and ≤ 2.13 ng/mL, respectively. Apelin and visfatin can serve as excellent indicators to distinguish children with AD from those without disease.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Xingchen Fan ◽  
Minmin Cao ◽  
Cheng Liu ◽  
Cheng Zhang ◽  
Chunyu Li ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), with noticeable stability and unique expression pattern in plasma of patients with various diseases, are powerful non-invasive biomarkers for cancer detection including endometrial cancer (EC). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify promising miRNA biomarkers in plasma to assist the clinical screening of EC. METHODS: A total of 93 EC and 79 normal control (NC) plasma samples were analyzed using Quantitative Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) in this four-stage experiment. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic value. Additionally, the expression features of the identified miRNAs were further explored in tissues and plasma exosomes samples. RESULTS: The expression of miR-142-3p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-151a-5p was significantly overexpressed in the plasma of EC patients compared with NCs. Areas under the ROC curve of the 3-miRNA signature were 0.729, 0.751, and 0.789 for the training, testing, and external validation phases, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the identified signature proved to be stable in the three public datasets and superior to the other miRNA biomarkers in EC diagnosis. Moreover, the expression of miR-151a-5p was significantly elevated in EC plasma exosomes. CONCLUSIONS: A signature consisting of 3 plasma miRNAs was identified and showed potential for the non-invasive diagnosis of EC.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohui Zong ◽  
Gaofeng Zeng ◽  
Ye Fang ◽  
Jinzhen Peng ◽  
Yong Tao ◽  
...  

Study Design.In this study, we investigated the role of IL-17 via activation of STAT3 in the pathophysiology of SCI.Objective.The purpose of the experiments is to study the expression of IL-17 and related cytokines via STAT3 signaling pathways, which is caused by the acute inflammatory response following SCI in different periods via establishing an acute SCI model in rat.Methods.Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan hind limb locomotor rating scale was used to assess the rat hind limb motor function. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression levels of IL-17 and p-STAT3 in spinal cord tissues. Western blotting analysis was used to determine the protein expression of p-STAT3 in spinal cord tissue. RT-PCR was used to analyze the mRNA expression of IL-17 and IL-23p19 in the spleen tissue. ELISA was used to determine the peripheral blood serum levels of IL-6, IL-21, and IL-23.Results.Compared to the sham-operated group, the expression levels of IL-17, p-STAT3, IL-6, IL-21, and IL-23 were significantly increased and peaked at 24 h after SCI. The increased levels of cytokines were correlated with the SCI disease stages.Conclusion.IL-17 may play an important role in promoting spinal cord neuroinflammation after SCI via activation of STAT3.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh hosseinpour-soleimani ◽  
Gholamreza Khamisipour ◽  
Zahra Derakhshan ◽  
Bahram Ahmadi

Abstract Background Currently, the role of serum-based biomarkers such as microRNAs in cancer diagnosis has been extensively established. This study aimed to determine expression levels of bioinformatically selected miRNAs and whether they can be used as biomarkers or a new therapeutic target in patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Materials and Methods The expression levels of serum miR-22, miR-122, miR-217, and miR-367 in 21 ALL patients and 21 healthy controls were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the associated area under the curve (AUC) was used to assess candidate miRNAs' diagnostic value as a biomarker. Results The results showed that miR-217 was markedly decreased in patients with ALL compared to controls. Moreover, miR-22, miR-122, and miR-367 were found to be upregulated. Furthermore, ROC analysis showed that serum miR-217 and miR-367 could differentiate ALL patients from the healthy individuals, while miR-22 has approximate discriminatory power that requires further investigation. Conclusion Collectively, the results suggested that miR-217 may play a tumor suppressor role in ALL, whereas miR-22, miR-122, and miR-367 could function as an oncogene. Overall, miR-22, miR-217, and miR-367 could be considered possible biomarkers for the early diagnosis of ALL.


2021 ◽  
pp. 112972982110573
Author(s):  
Yuan-Hsi Tseng ◽  
Min Yi Wong ◽  
Chih-Chen Kao ◽  
Chien-Chao Lin ◽  
Ming-Shian Lu ◽  
...  

Background: Elevated venous pressure during hemodialysis (VPHD) is associated with arteriovenous graft (AVG) stenosis. This study investigated the role of VPHD variations in the prediction of impending AVG occlusion. Methods: Data were retrieved from 118 operations to treat AVG occlusion (occlusion group) and 149 operations to treat significant AVG stenosis (stenosis group). In addition to analyzing the VPHD values for the three hemodialysis (HD) sessions prior to the intervention, VPHD values were normalized to mean blood pressure (MBP), blood flow rate (BFR), BFR × MBP, and BFR2 × MBP to yield ratios for analysis. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to measure relative variations. Results: The within-group comparisons for both groups revealed no significant differences in the VPHD mean and CV values among the three HD sessions prior to intervention. However, the CVs for VPHD/MBP, VPHD/(BFR × MBP), and VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) exhibited significant elevation in the occlusion group during the last HD session prior to intervention compared with both the penultimate and antepenultimate within-group HD data ( p < 0.05). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the CV for VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) was the only parameter able to discriminate between the last and the penultimate HD outcomes ( p < 0.001). According to a multivariate analysis, after controlling for covariates, CV for VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) >8.76% was associated with a higher risk of AVG thrombosis (odds ratio: 3.17, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Increasing the variation in VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) may increase the probability of AVG occlusion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1429-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai-Lun Hu ◽  
Hongcui Zhao ◽  
Zheying Min ◽  
Yilei He ◽  
Tianjie Li ◽  
...  

Kisspeptins are a family of neuropeptides that are essential for fertility. Recent experimental data suggest a putative role of kisspeptin signaling in the direct control of ovarian function. To explore the expression of KISS1 and KISS1 receptor (KISS1R) in human granulosa lutein cells and the potential role of KISS1/KISS1R system in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), we measured the concentration of KISS1 in follicular fluid, the expression of KISS1 and KISS1R in granulosa lutein cells, and the circulating hormones. The expression levels of KISS1 and KISS1R were significantly upregulated in human granulosa lutein cells obtained from women with PCOS. The expression levels of KISS1 in human granulosa lutein cells highly correlated with those of KISS1R in non-PCOS patients, but not in patients with PCOS, most likely due to the divergent expression patterns in women with PCOS. Additionally, the expression levels of KISS1 highly correlated with the serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). The expression levels of KISS1 and KISS1R, as well as the follicular fluid levels of KISS1, were not significantly different between the pregnant and nonpregnant patients in both PCOS and non-PCOS groups. In conclusion, the increased expression of KISS1 and KISS1R in human granulosa lutein cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of PCOS. The expression levels of KISS1 highly correlated with the serum levels of AMH. The KISS1 and KISS1R system in the ovary may not have a remarkable role in predicting the in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 0-10
Author(s):  
Dahai Xu ◽  
Chang Su ◽  
Liang Sun ◽  
Yuanyuan Gao ◽  
Youjun Li

Introduction and aim. Serum glypican-3 (GPC3) has been explored as a non-invasive biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, controversy remains on its diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and metaanalysis to evaluate the differential diagnostic accuracy of serum GPC3 between HCC and liver cirrhosis (LC) cases. Material and methods. After the strict filtering and screening of studies from NCBI, PUBMED, Clinical Trials, Cochrane library, Embase, Prospero and Web of Science databases, 11 studies were selected. All studies provided the sensitivity and specificity of GPC3 and the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the HCC and LC diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were determined and compared between GPC3 and AFP, which was set as a positive control. Results. Pooled sensitivity (95% CI) and specificity (95% CI) were 0.55 (0.52-0.58) and 0.58 (0.54-0.61) for GPC3, 0.54 (0.51-0.57) and 0.83 (0.80-0.85) for AFP, and 0.85 (0.81-0.89) and 0.79 (0.73-0.84) for GPC3 + AFP, respectively. The AUCs of GPC3, AFP and GPC3 + AFP were 0.7793, 0.7867 and 0.9366, respectively. GPC3 had a nearly similar sensitivity as AFP, while the specificity and AUC of GPC3 was lower than that of AFP. The combination of GPC3 and AFP yielded a better sensitivity and AUC than GPC3 or AFP. Conclusion. Serum GPC3 is inferior to AFP in the differential diagnosis between HCC and LC. However, the combination of GPC3 and AFP exhibited a much better performance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 94 (11) ◽  
pp. 843-850
Author(s):  
Anna F. Sheptulina ◽  
E. N. Shirokova ◽  
V. T. Ivashkin

Aim: to evaluate the performance of non-invasive indices for the diagnosis of pronounced fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and autoimmune hepatitis - primary biliary cirrhosis variant (AIH-PBC). Methods: Data from 70 patients with AIH and 53 patients with AIH-PBC were analyzed retrospectively. Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), AST to platelet ratio (APRI) and platelet count to spleen diameter ratio (PLT/SPD) were calculated based on results of blood analyses and abdominal ultrasound. Results of the histological study of the liver with the assessment of the stage of fibrosis (according to the METAVIR score) were obtained for all patients. The diagnostic accuracy of the tests was evaluated based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results: 51 (72.8%) of the 70 AIH patients (median age [25th - 75th interquartile range] 41 years [27-51]) had markedfibrosis (≥F2) and 28 (40%) presented with cirrhosis. In the PBC-AIHgroup (n=53; median age 50years [43.5- 57]) 42 (79.2%) and 21 (39.6%) patients had marked fibrosis (≥F2) and cirrhosis (F4), respectively. PLT/SPD was superior to other indices studied for the discrimination between mild and severe fibrosis (≥F2) as well as between severe fibrosis and cirrhosis (F4) in AIH (AUROCs: 0.840 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.744-0.935] and 0.968 [0.934-1.000], respectively) and AIH-PBC (AUROCs: 0.752 [0.584-0.919] and 0.889 [0.800-0.979], respectively). Conclusion: The accuracy of the PLT/SPD index for diagnostics of ≥F2 is 79.1% and 76.9% and for diagnostics of F4 85.1% and 82.7% in AIH and AIH-PBC patients respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 827
Author(s):  
Asunción García-Sánchez ◽  
Miguel Estravís ◽  
Maria J. Martin ◽  
Jacqueline Pérez-Pazos ◽  
Cristina Martín-García ◽  
...  

Background: Precision medicine is a promising strategy to identify biomarkers, stratify asthmatic patients according to different endotypes, and match them with the appropriate therapy. This proof-of-concept study aimed to investigate whether gene expression in peripheral blood could provide a valuable noninvasive approach for the molecular phenotyping of asthma. Methods: We performed whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing on peripheral blood of 30 non-atopic non-asthmatic controls and 30 asthmatic patients. A quantitative PCR (qPCR) validation study of PTGDR2 that encodes for CRTH2 receptor, expressed in cells involved in T2 inflammation, was developed in a cohort of 361 independent subjects: 94 non-asthmatic non-atopic controls, 187 asthmatic patients [including 82 with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and 24 with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD)], 52 with allergic rhinitis, and 28 with CRSwNP without asthma. Results: PTGDR2 was one of the most differentially overexpressed genes in asthmatic patients’ peripheral blood (p-value 2.64 × 106). These results were confirmed by qPCR in the validation study, where PTGDR2 transcripts were significantly upregulated in asthmatic patients (p < 0.001). This upregulation was mainly detected in some subgroups such as allergic asthma, asthma with CRSwNP, AERD, eosinophilic asthma, and severe persistent asthma. PTGDR2 expression was detected in different blood cell types, and its correlation with eosinophil counts showed differences in some groups of asthmatic patients. Conclusions: We found that PTGDR2 expression levels could identify asthma patients, introduce a minimally invasive biomarker for adult asthma molecular phenotyping, and add additional information to blood eosinophils. Although further studies are required, analyzing PTGDR2 expression levels in peripheral blood of asthmatics might assist in selecting patients for treatment with specific antagonists.


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