Diagnostic Marker In Patients Research Articles

Polarized Circulating Tumor Cells as a Diagnostic Marker in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Study

Polarized Circulating Tumor Cells as a Diagnostic Marker in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Study

Role of microRNA-363 during tumor progression and invasion.

Recent progresses in diagnostic and therapeutic methods have significantly improved prognosis in cancer patients. However, cancer is still considered as one of the main causes of human deaths in the world. Late diagnosis in advanced tumor stages can reduce the effectiveness of treatment methods and increase mortality rate of cancer patients. Therefore, investigating the molecular mechanisms of tumor progression can help to introduce the early diagnostic markers in these patients. MicroRNA (miRNAs) has an important role in regulation of pathophysiological cellular processes. Due to their high stability in body fluids, they are always used as the non-invasive markers in cancer patients. Since, miR-363 deregulation has been reported in a wide range of cancers, we discussed the role of miR-363 during tumor progression and metastasis. It has been reported that miR-363 has mainly a tumor suppressor function through the regulation of transcription factors, apoptosis, cell cycle, and structural proteins. MiR-363 also affected the tumor progression via regulation of various signaling pathways such as WNT, MAPK, TGF-β, NOTCH, and PI3K/AKT. Therefore, miR-363 can be introduced as a probable therapeutic target as well as a non-invasive diagnostic marker in cancer patients.

An important diagnostic marker of acute myocardial infarction patients: Plasma miRNA133 levels.

The objective of this study was to explore changes in miRNA133 levels as a basis for clinical diagnostic markers in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of 100 chest pain patient cases admitted to a hospital from June 2021 to December 2022 were used. The study involved the selection of 50 patients: 25 patients with unstable undetermined heart pain and 25 healthy subjects were included in the control group of 50 patients with non-AMI patients. Meanwhile, 50 patients with AMI were designated as the experimental group. Changes in miRNA133 levels in patients' plasma were analyzed for expression using quantitative fluorescence analysis. When the serum TPI, plasma NT-ProBNP, glycosylated hemoglobin, and plasma D-dimer index values were compared between the control and experimental groups, there was a statistically significant difference (P < .05). mi-RNA-133 had a mean plasma level value of 2.60 ± 1.01, the mean level value of mi-RNA-133 in patients with non-AMI was 1.34 ± 1.18, and the patients in the AMI group showed significantly high values of the mean plasma level of mi-RNA-133. The relative expression level value of cTnl in patients with AMI was 10.84 ± 12.64. Of the specificity and sensitivity diagnostics, mi-RNA-133 had the best diagnostic effect. The area under mi-RNA-133 in the regression curve was 95.4%, the specificity of the whole combination of indicators was 89.4% and the sensitivity was 100%. Finally, the correlation between mi-RNA-133 and white blood cell count (WBC) and TG was statistically significant (P < .05). In conclusion, changes in the level of mi-RNA-133 may be an important marker for diagnosing the status of patients with AMI, while a faster and more accurate method will emerge along with the improvement of the detection technology, and at the same time, due to the variability of the study cases and other limitations, further research will be carried out subsequently.

Role of Α-L-Fucosidase as a Diagnostic Marker versus Α-Fetoprotein in HCC Post Viral Cirrhotic Patients

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the third cause of cancer-related mortality world- wide. The incidence of HCC is on the increase, and it is a major threat to our modern life. Epidemiological studies have indicated that HCC are related to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Aim of the Work To evaluate the role of AFU as a diagnostic marker versus AFP in HCC post viral cirrhotic Egyptian patients. Patients and Methods This study had been carried out on 90 subjects, age range 21-75 year selected from Internal medicine and Hepatology outpatient clinics and inpatient wards at Ain shams university hospitals from January 2022 to June 2022. Results We found that serum levels of AFU were highest in patients of group A with HCC (129.867 ± 32.997 μl U/ml) compared to those with liver cirrhosis (33.433± 14.818 μl U/ml) with P value &amp;lt; 0.001 and the control groups (3.177 ± 1.199 μl U/ml) with P value &amp;lt; 0.001. Similarly alpha fetoprotein its serum levels were much higher in the HCC group (4688.223±11490.009 ng/ml) compared to the cirrhotic patients (4.407±3.107 ng/ml) with P value 0.02 Also, compared to healthy individuals (2.623±1.566 ng/ml) with p value 1.00. We found that there is No significant statistical correlation between serum AFP and AFU in our studied HCC and cirrhotic patients (R 0.332, P 0.073 for HCC and R 0.222, P 0.238 for cirrhotic). Regarding the negative correlation between serum AFU level and AFP level in order to predict the diagnostic value, sensitivity and specificity of both of them in term of tumor size, our study show that for AFU when the best cut off value was &amp;gt;52μl U/ml the sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 90% while for AFP when the best cut off value was &amp;gt; 10.5 ng/ml the sensitivity was 96.67% and specificity 96.67%. AFU is a promising serum tumor marker for HCC diagnosis and can be combined with AFP. Conclusion We concluded from this study that: Serum AFP was highly significant increase in HCC patients compared to cirrhotic and healthy controls, this is in agreement with many several reports that consider AFP in high serum levels as diagnostic for HCC combined with triphasic CT abdomen or dynamic MRI. Serum AFU levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC and mildly elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis compared to the control group. So it can be used as a tumor marker for HCC diagnosis. No correlation between AFU and laboratory data and child score. AFU was not influenced by clinical condition of the liver itself but with HCC. Around 40% of HCC patients have normal or low AFP level so AFU may be useful as a diagnostic marker in those patients. Serum AFP is the standard tumor marker used in clinical practice for diagnosis and surveillance of HCC in cirrhotic patients in spite of normal and low AFP HCC patients that may reach 40%. Sensitivity and specificity of AFU was nearly similar to sensitivity and specificity of AFP. Combined use of AFU with AFP or possibly other markers will improve the diagnostic field and can help in early detection of HCC in surveillance programms.

Transcriptomic analysis identifies the shared diagnostic biomarkers and immune relationship between Atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm based on fatty acid metabolism gene set.

Epidemiological research has demonstrated that there is a connection between lipid metabolism disorder and an increased risk of developing arteriosclerosis (AS) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, the precise relationship between lipid metabolism, AS, and AAA is still not fully understood. The objective of this study was to examine the pathways and potential fatty acid metabolism-related genes (FRGs) that are shared between AS and AAA. AS- and AAA-associated datasets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and the limma package was utilized to identify differentially expressed FRGs (DFRGs) common to both AS and AAA patients. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted on the (DFRGs), and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established. The selection of signature genes was performed through the utilization of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and random forest (RF). Subsequently, a nomogram was developed using the results of the screening process, and the crucial genes were validated in two separate external datasets (GSE28829 and GSE17901) as well as clinical samples. In the end, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was utilized to assess the immune cell patterns in both AS and AAA. Additionally, the correlation between key crosstalk genes and immune cell was evaluated. In comparison to control group, both AS and AAA patients exhibited a decrease in fatty acid metabolism score. We found 40 DFRGs overlapping in AS and AAA, with lipid and amino acid metabolism critical in their pathogenesis. PCBD1, ACADL, MGLL, BCKDHB, and IDH3G were identified as signature genes connecting AS and AAA. Their expression levels were confirmed in validation datasets and clinical samples. The analysis of immune infiltration showed that neutrophils, NK CD56dim cells, and Tem cells are important in AS and AAA development. Correlation analysis suggested that these signature genes may be involved in immune cell infiltration. The fatty acid metabolism pathway appears to be linked to the development of both AS and AAA. Furthermore, PCBD1, ACADL, MGLL, BCKDHB, and IDH3G have the potential to serve as diagnostic markers for patients with AS complicated by AAA.

Linking the Defect of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor Subunit Delta Gene to the Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer

Abstract Introduction: There is primitive data suggest the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit delta (GABRD) in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. This research aimed to investigate the role of GABRD in patients with microsatellite instability (MSI)-associated colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: In total, 58 patients diagnosed with MSI-associated adenocarcinoma of colorectal cancer participated in this study. The level of GABRD expression in both cancerous and noncancerous colonic and rectal tissue was done first by immunohistochemistry and then confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, GABRD expression level was correlated with other pathologic parameters of patients. Results: Overall, 72.41% of cases expressed a high level of GABRD at the genetic level, and 67.24% expressed GABRD at the protein level. Moreover, the adjacent normal tissue did not show specific expression of GABRD protein by immunohistochemical analysis. Also, this study demonstrates a significant correlation between GABRD expression to the advanced stages of MSI-associated adenocarcinoma of colorectal cancer. Conclusion: GABRD can be a new and important diagnostic marker in patients with MSI and can be targeted for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer having MSI. Further studies with larger sample sizes and in vitro studies will be of great value to uncover the pathway by which this gene controls the defect in mismatch repair (MMR) genes.

Factors Influencing Early Diagnosis and Poor Prognosis of Dysphagia After Senile Ischemic Stroke.

Dysphagia is often a long-term problem after ischemic stroke, which are often accompanied by complications and results in poor outcome. This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors associated with the prognosis of dysphagia after senile ischemic stroke and evaluate the diagnostic performance of crucial factors. A total of 192 elderly ischemic stroke patients (96 patients without dysphagia with average age of 69.81 ± 4.61years and 96 patients with dysphagia with average of 70.00 ± 6.66years) were enrolled in the retrospective study. The clinical factors of the patients were collected and recorded for chi-square analysis and logistic analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of international normalized ratio (INR) and homocysteine (Hcy) in senile ischemic stroke patients. The age, cough reflex, history of stroke, mechanical ventilation, eating posture, insufficient elevation of the larynx, standard swallowing assessment (SSA) score, Hcy value, and INR were closely related to endpoint events of patients with dysphagia. The joint model (combined INR and Hcy value) can increase the area under the curve (AUC) value (0.948) with higher sensitivity and specificity for predicting patients with dysphagia occurred endpoint events.The influencing factors for older ischemic stroke patients with dysphagia include age, cough reflex, history of stroke, mechanical ventilation, eating posture, insufficient elevation of the larynx, SSA score, Hcy value, and INR. INR and Hcy were independent risk factors for prognosis and diagnostic markers for patients with dysphagia after senile ischemic stroke.

Significance of serum ferritin and De Ritis ratio in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as diagnostic markers.

To ascertain the significance of serum ferritin and De Ritis ratio as diagnostic markers in patients of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. The comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from February to October 2022 at the Radiology Department of Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised individuals aged 30-65 who were divided into 3 groups. Healthy controls formed group I, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus formed group II and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were in group III. Blood 5ml was withdrawn and assessed for alkaline phosphatase, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and ferritin. De Ritis ratio was calculated and subjected to intergroup comparison. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Of the 210 subjects, 110(52.4%) were males and 100(47.6%) were females, with 70(33.3%) in each of the three groups. Group I had 38(54.3%) females and 32(45.7%) males with mean age 37.50±4.513. In group II, there were 27(38.6%) females and 43(61.4%) males with mean age 45.86±9.646, while in group III there were 35(50%) females and 35(50%) males with mean age 54.01±9.243 years. Serum ferritin levels were significantly increased in patient groups II and III compared to control group I (p<0.05). De Ritis ratio was markedly raised in groups II and III compared to group I (p<0.05). Ferritin was significantly correlated to age, weight, height, fasting blood glucose, haemoglobin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase and bilirubin (p<0.05). De Ritis ratio had a significant correlation with body mass index and fasting blood glucose (p<0.05). Serum ferritin and De Ritis ratio were found to be useful diagnostic indicators for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, highlighting their importance in improving disease screening.

Can Ischemia-Modified Albumin Be a Helpful Marker in the Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Childhood Intussusception?

Intussusception is the invagination of a proximal segment of the intestine into a more distal segment. The present study aimed to determine the sensitivity of the ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) and the correlation between IMA and the severity of intestinal ischemia in intussusception cases. Thirty-six consecutive children aged between 0 and 16 years presenting with the clinical and radiological features of intestinal obstruction caused by intussusception were enrolled in the study. The age- and sex-matched control group was composed of patients undergoing outpatient surgery. The patients were categorized as cases of type I (ileoileal), type II (ileocecal), and type III (colocolic) based on the ultrasonography findings. The mean IMA level of the intussusception group was 179.13 ± 220.33 ng/mL, whereas the mean level was found as 89 ± 70.9 ng/mL in the control group. When the patients were categorized as ileoileal, ileocecal, and colocolic, the mean IMA levels were detected as 235.65 ± 268.14 ng/mL, 174.46 ± 212.8 ng/mL, and 46.95 ± 19.56 ng/mL, respectively. There was a moderate correlation between the invaginated segment lengths measured by the surgeon during the operation and IMA levels. Our study findings reveal that IMA can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic marker in patients presenting with symptoms and signs suggestive of intussusception. Thus, patients can be screened for mechanical bowel obstruction due to intussusception and may be referred to pediatric surgery centers earlier for further examination.

Intrathecal IgM synthesis as a diagnostic marker in patients with suspected CNS lymphoma.

For CNS lymphomas (CNSL), there is a high need for minimally invasive and easily obtainable diagnostic markers. Intrathecal IgM synthesis can easily be determined in routine CSF diagnostics. The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the diagnostic potential of intrathecal IgM synthesis in primary and secondary CNSL (PCNSL and SCNSL). In this retrospective study, patients with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of PCNSL or SCNSL were compared with patients with other neurological diseases in whom CNSL was initially the primary radiological differential diagnosis based on MRI. Sensitivity and specificity of intrathecal IgM synthesis were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Seventy patients with CNSL were included (49 PCNSL and 21 SCNSL) and compared to 70 control patients. The sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CNSL were 49% and 87%, respectively, for the entire patient population and 66% and 91% after selection for cases with tumor access to the CSF system and isolated intrathecal IgM synthesis. In cases with MRI-based radiological suspicion of CNSL, intrathecal IgM synthesis has good specificity but limited sensitivity. Because of its low-threshold availability, analysis of intrathecal IgM synthesis has the potential to lead to higher diagnostic accuracy, especially in resource-limited settings, and deserves further study.

Sleep features in alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of polysomnographic findings in case-control studies

Background and objectivesAlcohol use disorder (AUD) is often linked to sleep problems, but previous studies on sleep abnormalities in AUD have produced inconsistent results. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of objectively measured sleep abnormalities in AUD and determine the impact of related and demographic factors on sleep disturbance. MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search of several databases from 1968 to 2023 to identify relevant studies. A total of 12 studies, consisting of 13 datasets, were included in the analysis. We extracted information on sleep microarchitecture, as well as demographic and clinical features, from each study. The GRADE approach was used to assess the reliability and strength of the evidence. ResultsPatients with AUD exhibited several sleep abnormalities, including longer sleep onset latency, lower sleep efficiency, increased stage 1 sleep, decreased stage 2 sleep, reduced slow wave sleep, and elevated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep density and first REM minute. The sleep patterns in individuals with AUD were also influenced by factors such as ethnicity, age, gender, and abstinence period. ConclusionsThis study is the largest quantitative assessment of impaired sleep as a diagnostic marker in patients with AUD. Understanding the sleep patterns of individuals with AUD can assist clinicians in developing effective treatment plans for managing sleep-related symptoms associated with AUD.

The Role of the AMH, SHBG and LH/FSH Ratio in the Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adolescent

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis is controversial in adolescents. Therefore, auxiliary markers are required for the diagnosis of PCOS. We aimed to evaluate whether luteinizing hormone (LH)/ follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, free androgen index (FAI), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels are a useful test to screen adolescents with PCOS and to investigate which of them has more diagnostic value in the PCOS diagnosis. Material and Methods: A total of 56 girls with PCOS and 70 healthy girls consisted in this study. Pediatric Endocrine Society criteria were used to diagnose PCOS. Clinical examinations and hormonal assays were performed. Results: The LH/FSH ratio, and FAI levels were detected significantly higher, and SHBG levels were detected significantly lower in the PCOS group than in the control group (p&amp;lt;0.001). The best marker for PCOS diagnosis was found as AMH. In all adolescents with PCOS, irrespective of obesity/overweight, significantly higher AMH levels were observed compared to the control subjects (p&amp;lt;0.001). Also, we measured a LH/FSH ratio cut-off value of 1.48 ng/ml with 77% sensitivity and 77% specificity to differentiate cases with PCOS from healthy controls. Conclusion: AMH, FAI, and LH/FSH ratio could be usefull and valuable tests for the PCOS diagnosis in the presence of the PCOS criteria. AMH was found to be the strongest diagnostic marker in patients with PCOS.

Clinical Applicability of Tissue Polypeptide Antigen and CA-125 in Gynecological Malignancies.

Nowadays there still is no sufficient screening tool for ovarian and uterine cancer. The current study aimed to investigate whether cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) or the combination of both markers are able to act as screening tools for ovarian or uterine cancer. A total of 275 blood samples from different cohorts (ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, benign control group) were prospectively drawn and analyzed. Established biomarkers TPA and CA-125 showed elevated serum concentrations in patients with malignant tumors as compared to healthy women and women with benign diseases. In ROC curve analyses, both biomarkers were well able to discriminate between malignant and healthy, benign or overall non-malignant cases in the whole sample, with AUCs of 0.842 and above. While TPA was the best diagnostic marker in patients with uterine cancer, CA 125 was the best in patients with ovarian cancer. TPA and CA-125 both showed promising results for the detection of gynecologic malignancies. The combination of CA-125 and TPA did not improve sensitivity in comparison to single markers.

Biochemical markers of neurodegeneration in patients with cerebral small vessel disease and Alzheimer's disease

Introduction. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) as well as the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their comorbidities are the most common causes of cognitive impairments (CIs).&#x0D; Objective: to evaluate the predictive power of the biochemical neurodegeneration markers in patients with CSVD and AD.&#x0D; Materials and methods. We assessed the following neurodegeneration markers in 68 patients with CSVD (61.0 8.6 years; 60.3% males), 17 patients with AD (65.2 8.3 years; 35.3% males), and 26 healthy volunteers (59.9 6.7 years; 38.5% males): neuron-specific enolase (NSE), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), neurofilament light polypeptide (NEFL) in blood (for all patients) and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF; in patients with CSVD and AD). We assessed the predictive power of those markers with ROC analysis.&#x0D; Results. As compared to the control group, serum GFAP in patients with CSVD showed its predictive power at 0.155 ng/ml (sensitivity 74%; specificity 70%). Serum NEFL 0.0185 ng/ml (sensitivity 82%; specificity 96%) and NSE 4.95 g/ml (sensitivity 77%; specificity 71%) showed their predictive power in patients with AD. CSF GFAP 1.03 ng/ml (sensitivity 84%; specificity 88%), CSF NSE 19.10 g/ml (sensitivity 88%; specificity 91%), serum NEFL 0.021 ng/ml (sensitivity 71%; specificity 76%), serum NSE /CSF NSE ratio 0.273 ng/ml (sensitivity 87%; specificity 88%) help differentiate CSVD from AD.&#x0D; Conclusions. We found that serum GFAP can be a useful diagnostic marker in patients with CSVD, while serum NEFL and serum NSE can help identify the AD. In addition, CSF GFAP and CSF NSE as well as serum NEFL and serum NSE/CSF NSE can help differentiate CSVD from AD. We can use those markers in clinical and research practice to identify the vascular and neurodegenerative causes of CIs and their comorbidities, which is of a great importance in developing specific treatment and predicting the course of the disease.

Study of Clinical Utility of miRNA-31 in Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer in Egyptian Patients

Abstract Background Bladder cancer ranks as one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, with a rising incidence and prevalence; also it is accompanied by a high morbidity and mortality. BC is a complex disease with several molecular and pathological pathways, thus reflecting different behaviors depending on the clinical staging of the tumor and molecular type. Objective To evaluate the clinical utility of miRNA-31 in plasma as an early novel diagnostic marker for patients with bladder cancer, in comparison to cystoscopy with histopathology as a conventionally used technique for cancer detection. Patients and Methods This study was performed on a total of 45 subjects selected from Urosurgery department at Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI) and Ain shams university hospitals in the period from January to October 2020. They were divided into the following groups: Group 1: 30 Bladder cancer (BCA) patients diagnosed by clinical examination, laboratory investigations (Urine cytology, urine analysis, complete blood count, liver &amp; kidney functions) &amp; cystoscopy with histopathology. Group 2: 15 apparently healthy volunteers matched in age and sex with the patients taken as the control group. Results It is found that miRNA 31 is abnormally expressed in cancer cells and play an important role in cancer development. It functions as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor in different cancer types which made it a candidate for our study. The present study revealed a statistical significance of miRNA-31 upregulation in plasma of late BC patients in comparison with early BC patients and control group, but there was no significance between its upregulation in the plasma of early BC patients in comparison with the control group. This shows that circulating miRNA-31 in plasma can be used as a prognostic biomarker for BC. Conclusion The present study revealed that the circulating miRNA-31 in plasma has no role as a diagnostic biomarker for BC.

SIX1 Downregulation Suppresses Self-renewal Capacity and THY1 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and SIX1 Dominate the Survival in Liver Cancer.

Sine oculis homeoprotein 1 exerts an essential role in embryonic development, and it was also identified to be reactivated in various types of mammalian cancer. The sine oculis homeoprotein 1 transcription factor was demonstrated to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition, regulate crucial genes associated with cancer progression, and increase the oncogenic potential of cells. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the role of sine oculis homeoprotein 1 in cancer. Sine oculis homeoprotein 1 gene expression was tested with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in different cancer types. Sine oculis homeoprotein 1 expression was suppressed by short hairpin RNA transduction in the SNU398 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. The effects of sine oculis homeoprotein 1 on cell proliferation, drug resistance, and sphere formation were assessed in shSIX1 cells. Immunohistochemical and in silico analyses were performed to determine the prognostic role of sine oculis homeoprotein 1 expression. The upregulated expression levels of sine oculis homeoprotein 1 were revealed to be correlated with the stage of the disease in breast, colon, and liver cancer, with liver cancer exhibiting the highest expression profile. Sine oculis homeoprotein 1 downregulation significantly affected cell proliferation and suppressed sorafenib resistance and sphere-forming ability. Furthermore, sine oculis homeoprotein 1 knockdown cells were identified to have decreased CD90 levels, essential for cancer stem cell properties. Finally, sine oculis homeoprotein 1 expression was a CD90-independent biomarker for the clinical prognosis of liver cancer. The results of this study showed that the knockdown of sine oculis homeoprotein 1 expression might help to prevent hepatocarcinogenesis by increasing drug sensitivity and controlling tumor sphere formation. Overall, these results indicated that sine oculis homeoprotein 1 expression might be useful as a diagnostic marker for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Serum NMR-Based Metabolomics Profiling Identifies Lipoprotein Subfraction Variables and Amino Acid Reshuffling in Myeloma Development and Progression.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological cancer. It is preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS)-an asymptomatic phase. It has been demonstrated that early detection increases the 5-year survival rate. However, blood-based biomarkers that enable early disease detection are lacking. Metabolomic and lipoprotein subfraction variable profiling is gaining traction to expand our understanding of disease states and, more specifically, for identifying diagnostic markers in patients with hematological cancers. This study aims to enhance our understanding of multiple myeloma (MM) and identify candidate metabolites, allowing for a more effective preventative treatment. Serum was collected from 25 healthy controls, 20 patients with MGUS, and 30 patients with MM. 1H-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy was utilized to evaluate serum samples. The metabolite concentrations were examined using multivariate, univariate, and pathway analysis. Metabolic profiles of the MGUS patients revealed lower levels of alanine, lysine, leucine but higher levels of formic acid when compared to controls. However, metabolic profiling of MM patients, compared to controls, exhibited decreased levels of total Apolipoprotein-A1, HDL-4 Apolipoprotein-A1, HDL-4 Apolipoprotein-A2, HDL Free Cholesterol, HDL-3 Cholesterol and HDL-4 Cholesterol. Lastly, metabolic comparison between MGUS to MM patients primarily indicated alterations in lipoproteins levels: Total Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, HDL Free Cholesterol, Total Apolipoprotein-A1, HDL Apolipoprotein-A1, HDL-4 Apolipoprotein-A1 and HDL-4 Phospholipids. This study provides novel insights into the serum metabolic and lipoprotein subfraction changes in patients as they progress from a healthy state to MGUS to MM, which may allow for earlier clinical detection and treatment.

The specifics of CpG islets methylation of some genes of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes in breast cancer patients before and after treatment

Introduction. The growth of primary breast tumor morbidity in the last ten years and increased number of patients with disseminated breast cancer in the Republic of Kazakhstan require the search for methods of early diagnosis of malignant tumors. Determination of breast cancer markers in epigenetic studies allows to use them as diagnostic signs of the presence of malignant tumor and as predictors of treatment effectiveness in patients with this pathology.Aim. To perform a search for therapeutic and prognostic breast cancer markers.Materials and methods. The study included samples of biological material (peripheral blood) of 50 deemed healthy individuals and 103 patients with locally advanced and disseminated breast cancer receiving special therapy. The following methods were used: blood collection, DNA extraction, creation of DNA methylation profiles, sequencing, statistical data analysis.Results. The results of search for epigenetic mutations in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer showed their role as specific diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic markers with specificity 0.91 % and sensitivity 0.94 %. The hypothesis on therapeutic significance of identified earlier diagnostic markers in patients with breast cancer, namely hypermethylation of CpG islands associated with genes JAM3, C17orf64, MSC, C7orf51 and CpG island associated with intragene part of chromosome 5 (chr5: 77,208,034–77,329,434) was tested and confirmed.Conclusion. A correlation between DNA methylation characteristics and disease progression during treatment was shown. The study results can be used in clinical practice: epigenetic markers, such as methylation in the CpG islets associated with the JAM3, C17orf64, MSC, C7orf51 genes, and in the CpG islet associated with the intragenic site of chromosome 5 (chr5: 77,208,034–77,329,434) can be used as prognostic markers and therapeutic predictors of breast cancer.

Laboratory Diagnostic Tests in Patients with Sepsis

Background: Sepsis is a syndrome involving physiological, pathological, and biochemical abnormalities caused by infection and leads to the dysfunction of various organs, including the liver and kidneys. It can lead to high mortality rates. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the hepatic, renal, and coagulation diagnostic markers in patients with sepsis. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was performed on patients with sepsis admitted to Abadan and Khorramshahr educational hospitals during March 21 2019-March 19, 2020. The hospital information system (HIS) collected the information of 305 patients with sepsis, including hepatic, coagulation, and renal diagnostic factors, as well as age and gender. Results: It was observed that the mean of blood sugar (BS) (145.82 ± 105.10 mg/dL), BUN (29.64 ± 27.41 mg/dL), and creatinine (1.69 ± 1.9 mg/dL) in sepsis patients was higher than normal. In addition, the mean of diagnostic markers of the liver, including ALT (47.27 ± 76.63 U/L), AST (74.38 ± 163.96 U/L), LDH (684.69 ± 383.96 U/L), total bilirubin (1.39 ± 1.02 mg/dL), and direct bilirubin (0.60 ± 0.65 mg/dL), was higher than normal. The mean of PT (16.73 ± 9.31 sec) and INR (1.72 ± 1.53) was also higher than the normal level. Conclusions: In hospitalized patients with sepsis, BS, renal diagnostic markers, hepatic diagnostic markers, and coagulation markers are higher than normal, indicating the destructive effect of sepsis on kidney and liver function.

Serum angiopoietin 1 level in patients with severe COVID-19: An observational study

Background: Exocytosis of the endothelial storage granules, Weibel-Palade bodies, upon severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invasion with the consequent release of P-selectin and Von Willebrand factor, as well as several chemokines, results in hypercoagulability. Angiopoietin-2 is a chemokine stored in Weibel-Palade bodies; it is a context-dependent competitive antagonist of angiopoietin-1. Disruption of the angiopoietin/Tie2 pathway contributes to vascular dyshomeostasis in sepsis. This study aimed to investigate serum levels of angiopoietin-1 in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A total of 85 participants were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups: the first group included 45 patients with severe COVID-19, and the second group included 40 healthy individuals of comparable age and sex to serve as the control group. ELISA was used to measure serum angiopoietin-1 levels. Results: Serum angiopoietin-1 levels were significantly lower in patients with severe COVID-19 than in control subjects (14.52 (5.56) ng/ml and 30.56 (17.56) ng/ml, respectively; p &lt; 0.001). Moreover, at a cut-off value ≤21.05 ng/ml, serum angiopoietin-1 level had 97.8% sensitivity and 100% specificity in differentiating between severe COVID-19 patients and non-infected individuals (p-value &lt;0.001). Conclusions: Serum angiopoietin-1 levels were lower in patients with severe COVID-19 than in control subjects, and it has potential to be used as a diagnostic marker for patients with severe COVID-19.