Abstract
This study assessed the changes and clinical significance of microRNA-1 (miR-1) and inflammatory factors in the peripheral blood of children with acute-stage asthma. 100 children with acute-stage asthma (study group) and 100 healthy children (control group) were enrolled. For all enrolled children, the peripheral blood levels of miR-1, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured. The relative expression levels of miR-1 and IFN-γ in the peripheral blood of children in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group, whereas expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, and TNF-α were significantly higher. Moreover, these levels changed to a greater extent in patients with severe disease (P < 0.05). Further analyses showed that the miR-1 expression level positively correlated with IFN-γ and negatively correlated with IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, and TNF-α expression levels (P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis to identify diagnostic specificity and sensitivity showed that, for diagnosing exacerbation in asthma, the area under the curve (AUC) for miR-1 was the highest (AUC = 0.900, P < 0.05) of all tested markers; this held true for diagnosing severe asthma as well (AUC = 0.977, P < 0.05). Compared to healthy children, children with acute-stage asthma had a low miR-1 expression level and a Th1/Th2 imbalance in their peripheral blood. The changes were closely related, became more exaggerated with an increase in disease severity, and could be used as auxiliary variables for diagnosing asthma exacerbation and evaluating disease severity.
Highlights
Bronchial asthma is a chronic airway hyperresponsive disease associated with complex etiology and unclear pathogenesis
Multiple factors contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease, but recent research indicates it may exhibit polygenetic inheritance
The levels of miR-1 and the Th1-expressed cytokine IFN-γ in peripheral blood of children with acutestage asthma were significantly lower, whereas the expression levels of the Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, and TNF-α were significantly higher than levels in children without asthma
Summary
Bronchial asthma is a chronic airway hyperresponsive disease associated with complex etiology and unclear pathogenesis. Research on the genetic susceptibility and gene regulatory factors of asthma has become prevalent in the research community [1,2,3]. Childhood asthma is especially concerning, because the long-term prognosis of children with asthma is generally poor. This recurrent disease can be classified into 4 stages: acute onset, chronic persistent, clinical remission, and other. The acute onset stage is the “attack” period. During this stage, the patient may show sudden clinical symptoms, along with dyspnea, and the patient’s life may be at risk. Identifying biomarkers that can aid asthma diagnosis or enable better prognostic predications may facilitate improved outcomes, among children
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