Good Diagnostic Marker Research Articles

Associations between plasma markers and symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with breast cancer

Background and purposeAmong patients with solid tumors, those with breast cancer (BC) experience the most severe psychological issues, exhibiting a high global prevalence of depression that negatively impacts prognosis. Depression can be easily missed, and clinical markers for its diagnosis are lacking. Therefore, this study in order to investigate the diagnostic markers for BC patients with depression and anxiety and explore the specific changes of metabolism.Method and resultsThirty-eight BC patients and thirty-six matched healthy controls were included in the study. The anxiety and depression symptoms of the participants were evaluated by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and lipocalin-2 (LCN2) were evaluated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and plasma lactate levels and metabolic characteristics were analyzed.ConclusionThis study revealed that GFAP and LCN2 may be good diagnostic markers for anxiety or depression in patients with BC and that plasma lactate levels are also a good diagnostic marker for anxiety. In addition, specific changes in metabolism in patients with BC were preliminarily explored.

Advancing microbial diagnostics: a universal phylogeny guided computational algorithm to find unique sequences for precise microorganism detection.

Sequences derived from organisms sharing common evolutionary origins exhibit similarity, while unique sequences, absent in related organisms, act as good diagnostic marker candidates. However, the approach focused on identifying dissimilar regions among closely-related organisms poses challenges as it requires complex multiple sequence alignments, making computation and parsing difficult. To address this, we have developed a biologically inspired universal NAUniSeq algorithm to find the unique sequences for microorganism diagnosis by traveling through the phylogeny of life. Mapping through a phylogenetic tree ensures a low number of cross-contamination and false positives. We have downloaded complete taxonomy data from Taxadb database and sequence data from National Center for Biotechnology Information Reference Sequence Database (NCBI-Refseq) and, with the help of NetworkX, created a phylogenetic tree. Sequences were assigned over the graph nodes, k-mers were created for target and non-target nodes and search was performed over the graph using the depth first search algorithm. In a memory efficient alternative NoSQL approach, we created a collection of Refseq sequences in MongoDB database using tax-id and path of FASTA files. We queried the MongoDB collection for the target and non-target sequences. In both the approaches, we used an alignment free sliding window k-mer-based procedure that quickly compares k-mers of target and non-target sequences and returns unique sequences that are not present in the non-target. We have validated our algorithm with target nodes Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Monkeypox and generated unique sequences. This universal algorithm is a powerful tool for generating diagnostic sequences, enabling the accurate identification of microbial strains with high phylogenetic precision.

Possible Association Between Vaspin Serum Levels and C-Reactive Protein in Obese Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Objective To investigate the levels of vaspin and C-reactive protein in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and to assess their potential as diagnostic markers for the condition. Methods Ninety adult women were involved in the study, fifty of whom were obese women diagnosed with PCOS, while forty women served as healthy controls in an observational, case-control study. Blood samples were obtained from the participants, and all of them were questioned by the researcher. Vaspin and C-reactive protein serum levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specialized kits. Results The study found a significant increase in vaspin and C-reactive protein serum levels in women in the PCOS group compared with controls, with P-values of <0.000 and 0.006, respectively. Vaspin serum level showed an AUC of 0.835, indicating it is a very good diagnostic marker for PCOS, while C-reactive protein had an AUC of 0.635, making it a moderate diagnostic marker for PCOS. The study also found a significant correlation between vaspin (pg/ml) and C-reactive protein (mg/l) with a P-value of 0.006. Conclusion The study found a significant increase in vaspin (pg/ml) and C-reactive protein (mg/l) serum levels in females with PCOS compared to control groups, with a significant positive correlation between the two biomarkers in PCOS. This suggests that vaspin and C-reactive protein may serve as useful diagnostic markers for PCOS.

Infection versus disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with fever

Backgroundto detect the role of procalcitonin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate to c-reactive protein (ESR/CRP) ratio, neutrophils-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the diagnosis of infection in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with fever, their diagnostic value to differentiate between infection and disease activity, and their correlation with disease activity.MethodsForty SLE patients and forty healthy control cases were included in the study. Disease activity was assessed by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2 K), and quality of life was assessed by Lupus QoL. A bacterial infection was detected by clinical symptoms and positive culture results. Laboratory tests were done for all patients and controls: complete blood count (CBC), ESR, CRP, and procalcitonin (PCT). NLR, PLR, and ESR/CRP ratios were calculated.ResultsThere was a statistically significant difference between infected SLE patients and non-infected SLE patients regarding PCT (p < 0.001), ESR (p = 0.002), CRP (p = 0.005), ESR/CRP ratio (0.002), and NLR (p = 0.023). PCT, ESR, CRP, and NLR were positively correlated with the presence of infection in SLE patients, while the ESR/CRP ratio was negatively correlated. There was no significant correlation with the SLEDAI-2 K score. Logistic regression analysis revealed that PCT was the best significant predictor of infection (OR 224.37, 95% CI 8.94–5631.35). PCT was a good predictor of infection, with a cut-off value of 0.90 ng/ml, which gave the best combination of sensitivity (84.62%) and specificity (85.71%).ConclusionPCT, ESR/CRP ratio, and NLR provide good diagnostic markers for the diagnosis of infection and can distinguish between infection and disease flare in SLE patients with fever.

Upregulation of the tumor suppressor gene LIN9 enhances tumorigenesis and predicts poor prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma

BackgroundLIN9, a gene associated with various cancers, is considered a tumor suppressor. However, the role of LIN9 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess the role of LIN9 in the occurrence and prognosis of LUAD. MethodsUsing three-tier HTSeq count RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we assessed LIN9 expression for the LUAD dataset using the DESeq2 R package and RT-qPCR experiments. Biological functions were assessed using gene set enrichment analysis (clusterProfiler and GOplot). The expression of LIN9 and the infiltration of immune cells were assessed by Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. We conducted correlation study using clinical characteristics and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The predictive value of LIN9 was determined using univariate and multivariate Cox regression as well as Kaplan-Meier analysis. Additionally, functional studies were conducted to validate its role in the progression of LUAD. ResultsExpression of LIN9 was significantly elevated in LUAD, primarily influencing cell cycle, division, and signaling pathways. High LIN9 expression correlated positively with the infiltration of Th2 cells and inversely with that of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Furthermore, LIN9 was associated with older age and advanced clinical stages, posing risks to overall, progression-free, and disease-specific survival. LIN9 served as a good diagnostic marker, particularly in females, patients aged over 65, and those with clinical N1–3 and M1 stages. Elevated LIN9 expression enhanced proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUAD cells. ConclusionHigh LIN9 expression potentially contributes to LUAD occurrence through cell cycle regulation and chromosomal modification. It promotes the malignant characteristics of LUAD cells and holds prognostic value for affected patients.

Thoracic fluid content as a useful diagnostic marker of resting dyspnoea in patients hospitalised due to acute heart failure

Background: Dyspnoea is one of the most common symptoms in the emergency department, and identification of its cause may require complex diagnostic tests. In everyday practice, some concerns arise when the reported dyspnoea is not fully compatible with objective measures in additional tests. This study was performed to evaluate which objective diagnostic markers differentiate patients admitted to hospital due to acute heart failure with and without resting dyspnoea, with a special emphasis on haemodynamic parameters measured by impedance cardiography. Methods: This study enrolled patients over 18 years of age who were hospitalised due to acute heart failure. The admission evaluation included haemodynamic profiling by ICG, with special emphasis on parameters characterising afterload (systemic vascular resistance index), cardiac function (cardiac index; stroke index), and congestion (thoracic fluid content). Results: The study population consisted of 102 patients, mostly men (76.5%), with a mean age of 71.4 ± 12.5 years and a left ventricle ejection fraction of 37.3 ± 14.1%. Patients with dyspnoea at rest (n = 41), in comparison with those without this symptom (n = 61), presented with poorer clinical states: more frequent orthopnoea (p = 0.002), tachypnoea (p = 0.001), palpitations (p = 0.004), and peripheral hypoperfusion (p = 0.0005), higher concentration of high-sensitivity troponin T (p = 0.021), and higher thoracic fluid content (p = 0.003). No significant differences were noted for haemoglobin, creatinine, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, heart rate, blood pressure, chest X-ray, left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac index, stroke index, or systemic vascular resistance index. Conclusions: Thoracic fluid content assessed by impedance cardiography was found to be a good diagnostic marker for differentiating patients admitted to hospital due to acute heart failure with and without resting dyspnoea, and was superior to chest X-rays, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and left ventricle ejection fraction.

Deregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in laryngeal cancer: A retrospective observational study.

Laryngeal carcinoma (LC) is reported to have a higher incidence rate among all types of head and neck cancers around the globe. Mechanisms resulting in the pathogenesis of LC are complicated due to involvement of invasion and metastasis and there is a need to understand this complicated multistep process. Numerous molecules including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in regulating metastatic mechanisms. Furthermore, activation and expression of different classes of MMPs have been observed in multiple pathological and physiological events including inflammation, invasion, and metastasis. Among all members of MMPs, matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) have been frequently reported to correlate with tumor pathogenesis. The present study is designed to check the involvement of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in LC pathogenesis. 184 laryngeal tumor samples along with adjacent uninvolved healthy sections were collected to check the expression deregulation of the above-mentioned gene in LC using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Real-time PCR and IHC analyses showed the significant upregulation of MMP-2 (P < .0001) and MMP-9 (P < .0001) genes in laryngeal tumors compared to controls. Spearman correlation showed the positive correlation of expression deregulation of selected MMPs with advanced TNM stage [MMP-2, (P < .0001); MMP-9, P < .0001] and smoking status [MMP-2 (P < .0001); MMP-9 P < .0001] in laryngeal pathogenesis. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed the good diagnostic/prognostic value of said markers in laryngeal cancer patients. The present study showed that significant upregulation of selected MMPs was found associated with an increased risk of laryngeal cancer and can act as good diagnostic markers for the detection of said disease.

Human Amylin as a Novel Diagnostic Marker for Hypothyroidism in Iraqi Patients

الأميلين هو هرمون ببتيد تفرزه خلية البنكرياس مع الأنسولين. بصفته هرمونًا عصبيًا صماويًا يرسل إشارة محددة إلى الدماغ ، فإن الأميلين ضروري للحفاظ على التوازن في عملية التمثيل الغذائي . كان الهدف من الدراسة الحالية هو تحديد دور الأميلين كعلامة تشخيصية لقصور الغدة الدرقية. تم تقسيم 120 عينة إلى مجموعتين المجموعة الاولى (80 مريض بقصور الغدة الدرقية) والمجموعة الثانية (40 شخصًا سليمًا) . زادت مستويات الأميلين بشكل ملحوظ في المجموعة المصابة بقصور الغدة الدرقية مقارنة بمحموعة الاصحاء ، وفقًا للبيانات (P &lt;0.001) ، ارتفعت مستويات الأميلين في الدم في المرضى العراقيين المصابين بقصور الغدة الدرقية . يعد الأميلين علامة تشخيصية جيدة لقصور الغدة الدرقية بأكبر قدر من الدقة والحساسية مع القيمة المقطوعة 51.

Diagnostic and prognostic role of LINC01767 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary contributor to cancer-related mortality on a global scale. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. Long noncoding RNAs are emerging markers for HCC diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic target. No study of LINC01767 in HCC was published. To conduct a multi-omics analysis to explore the roles of LINC01767 in HCC for the first time. DESeq2 Package was used to analyze different gene expressions. Receiver operating characteristic curves assessed the diagnostic performance. Kaplan-Meier univariate and Cox multivariate analyses were used to perform survival analysis. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox was used to identify the prediction model. Subsequent to the validation of LINC01767 expression in HCC fresh frozen tissues through quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction, next generation sequencing was performed following LINC01767 over expression (GSE243371), and Gene Ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes/Gene Set Enrichment Analysis/ingenuity pathway analysis was carried out. In vitro experiment in Huh7 cell was carried out. LINC01767 was down-regulated in HCC with a log fold change = 1.575 and was positively correlated with the cancer stemness. LINC01767 was a good diagnostic marker with area under the curve (AUC) [0.801, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.751-0.852, P = 0.0106] and an independent predictor for overall survival (OS) with hazard ratio = 1.899 (95%CI: 1.01-3.58, P = 0.048). LINC01767 nomogram model showed a satisfied performance. The top-ranked regulatory network analysis of LINC01767 showed the regulation of genes participating various pathways. LASSO regression identified the 9-genes model showing a more satisfied performance than 5-genes model to predict the OS with AUC > 0.75. LINC01767 was down-expressed obviously in tumor than para-tumor tissues in our cohort as well as in cancer cell line; the over expression of LINC01767 inhibit cell proliferation and clone formation of Huh7 in vitro. LINC01767 was an important tumor suppressor gene in HCC with good diagnostic and prognostic performance.

Subclinical mastitis in Jersey dairy cows and its effects on productivity and inflammatory markers

This study assessed the effect of subclinical mastitis on the productivity and inflammatory markers in Jersey dairy cows. Blood, milk, and milk yield data were collected from 59 Jersey dairy cows reared under a semi-extensive system. Milk samples were collected from individual collectors and evaluated for their somatic cell count (SCC), lactose (Lact), protein, fat, total and defatted dry extracts (DDE), casein, freezing point, and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels. After milking, blood was collected by puncturing the coccygeal arteriovenous complex. In the serum samples, the inflammatory biomarkers paraoxonase-1, albumin, and total plasma protein levels were analyzed using colorimetric methods. Samples of the entire diet provided and pastures were submitted for bromatological analysis. Additionally, the body condition score, number of lactations, milk yield, days of lactation, calving interval, number of inseminations until conception, calving-conception interval, and days of pregnancy were analyzed. The cows were categorized based on their SCC into a subclinical mastitis group (SubG), with SCC levels greater than or equal to 200,000 cells/mL, and a control group (CG), with SCC levels below 200,000 cells/mL. Blood metabolic variables, milk quality, and milk production data were analyzed using multivariate regression, analysis of variance, and logistic regression using the SAS® program. The multivariate regression analysis revealed that several markers, such as Lact, total protein, and casein, influenced milk composition, predicting over 97% of the data. The SubG showed lower concentrations of Lact (4.37 vs. 4.47%; P = 0.0002), MUN (20.55 vs. 23.85 mg/dL; P = 0.02), and DDE (9.24 vs. 9.50%; P = 0.02) compared with the CG; moreover, animals in the SubG had a higher number of lactations compared with those in the CG (4.30 vs. 2.69; P = 0.0039). Cows with a Lact content lower than 4.265% (quartile 25%), compared with those with Lact content greater than 4.565% (quartile 100%), were 52 times more likely to have subclinical mastitis. Jersey dairy cows with subclinical mastitis have lower Lact, urea, and defatted dry extract levels in their milk as well as a higher number of lactations. Therefore, Lact levels in milk serve as a good diagnostic marker of subclinical mastitis in Jersey cows. Subclinical mastitis in Jersey dairy cows did not decrease milk yield nor effect reproductive performance.

Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock Admitted in an ICU of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Early intervention and predicting outcome has become a cornerstone in the treatment of sepsis as this may ensure the difference between survival and mortality. Both C-reactive protein and Procalcitonin have long been identified as good diagnostic markers of sepsis but their prognostic value is still a matter of debate. This study aims to find this particular point out. Objectives: Objective of this current study is to see the relationship of Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein respectively with the outcome of the patients with sepsis and septic shock and to compare their usefulness as predictors of outcome. Methods: This study was carried out in Intensive Care Unit of BIRDEM General Hospital, Shahbag, Dhaka for a period of one year. All consecutive patients with sepsis and septic shock were enrolled as study subjects during this period according to selection criteria. At the time of diagnosis that is at zero hour of development of sepsis or septic shock both C-reactive protein and Procalcitonin were measured and it was repeated at 24 hours. Data were collected in preformed data collection sheet and analyzed by the SPSS. Results: In this study, total 170 patients were enrolled as a case of sepsis or septic shock. The mean age was 59.5 ± 15.8 with a range between 20-96 years. Fifty seven (34%) patients had septic shock either during admission or during the first 24 hour of ICU stay and 46 (27.1%) patients did not survive their illness. The mean SOFA score was 6.30±2.18, mean duration of ICU stay 5.5.±2.98 days and mean MAP was 83.73±24.49 mmHg and 98 patients (57.65%) patients were ventilated during their admission. Diabetes mellitus had majority among co-morbidities with 147 (86.4%) patients having diabetes mellitus. Finally after calculating the cut off values from Youden’s index C-reactive protein was found to be more sensitive and Procalcitonin more specific as predictors of outcome. Conclusion: This study concludes that both Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein can individually predict outcome in sepsis and septic shock and one is not inferiorto the other.The dynamic changes of both these biomarkers over first 24 hours were also strongly associated with outcome. It was noted that while C-reactive protein was more sensitive, Procalcitonin was more specific. Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2024; 12 (1): 4-10

Изучение диагностических маркеров развития и прогрессирования диабетической ретинопатии

According to the literature, a pattern of increased activation of VEGF growth factors and a decrease in the level of BDNF in blood serum in the early stages of DR was revealed, which is a good diagnostic marker for detecting DR in the early stages. Purpose. To study the indicators of biomarkers (BDNF and VEGF) in the blood serum and features of retinal microcirculation in patients with type 2 diabetes in the absence of clinical signs and varying degrees of severity of DR and to determine their diagnostic and prognostic value. Material and methods. A clinical study was conducted among 252 people (n = 504), of which 168 patients with type 2 diabetes and 84 healthy individuals, the average age of which was 57.6 ± 7.8 years old, of which 52.6 % were men, 47,4 % women. Results and conclusion. As a result of the study, it was proved that a mild BDNF deficiency in the SC less than 0.62 ng/ml indicates general DR, and a BDNF level &lt; 0.22 ng/ml indicates the development of PDR and/or diabetic macular ischemia (DMA). Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, vascular growth factor VEGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF, biomarkers for the development of DR

TGFβ-induced EN1 promotes tumor budding of adenoid cystic carcinoma in patient-derived organoid model.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and basal cell adenoma (BCA) share many histological characteristics and often need a differential diagnosis in clinical pathology. Recently, we found homeobox protein engrailed-1 (EN1) was a potential diagnostic marker for ACC in an organoids library of salivary gland tumors (SGTs). Here we aim to confirm EN1 as a differential diagnostic marker for ACC, and further investigate the regulatory mechanism and biological function of EN1 in tumor progression. The transcriptional analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining were performed and revealed that EN1 was specifically and highly expressed in ACC, and accurately differentiated ACC from BCA. Furthermore, TGFβ signaling pathway was found associated with ACC, and the regulation of EN1 through TGFβ was detected in the human ACC cell lines and patient-derived organoids (PDOs). TGFβ-induced EN1 was important in promoting tumor budding in the PDOs model. Interestingly, a high level of EN1 and TGFβ1 in the budding tips was observed in ACC clinical samples, and the expression of EN1 and TGFβ1 in ACC was significantly associated with the clinical stage. In summary, our study verified EN1 is a good diagnostic marker to differentiate ACC from BCA. TGFβ-induced EN1 facilitates the tumor budding of ACC, which might be an important mechanism related to the malignant phenotype of ACC.

Mixed Connective Tissue Disease as Different Entity: Global Methylation Aspect.

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a very rare disorder that belongs in the rare and clinically multifactorial groups of diseases. The pathogenesis of MCTD is still unclear. The best understood epigenetic alteration is DNA methylation whose role is to regulate gene expression. In the literature, there are ever-increasing assumptions that DNA methylation can be one of the possible reasons for the development of Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases (ACTDs) such as systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to define the global DNA methylation changes between MCTD and other ACTDs patients in whole blood samples. The study included 54 MCTD patients, 43 SSc patients, 45 SLE patients, and 43 healthy donors (HC). The global DNA methylation level was measured by ELISA. Although the global DNA methylation was not significantly different between MCTD and control, we observed that hypomethylation distinguishes the MCTD patients from the SSc and SLE patients. The present analysis revealed a statistically significant difference of global methylation between SLE and MCTD (p < 0.001), SLE and HC (p = 0.008), SSc and MCTD (p ≤ 0.001), and SSc and HC (p < 0.001), but neither between MCTD and HC (p = 0.09) nor SSc and SLE (p = 0.08). The highest % of global methylation (median, IQR) has been observed in the group of patients with SLE [0.73 (0.43, 1.22] and SSc [0,91 (0.59, 1.50)], whereas in the MCTD [0.29 (0.20, 0.54)], patients and healthy subjects [0.51 (0.24, 0.70)] were comparable. In addition, our study provided evidence of different levels of global DNA methylation between the SSc subtypes (p = 0.01). Our study showed that patients with limited SSc had a significantly higher global methylation level when compared to diffuse SSc. Our data has shown that the level of global DNA methylation may not be a good diagnostic marker to distinguish MCTD from other ACTDs. Our research provides the groundwork for a more detailed examination of the significance of global DNA methylation as a distinguishing factor in patients with MCTD compared to other ACTDs patients.

Investigation of LncRNA PVT1 and MiR-21-5p Expression as Promising Novel Biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The characteristics of ncRNA in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were observed to disclose a theoretical basis for further research on molecular markers for early warning of ASD. Children with ASD and normal control children were recruited to collect peripheral blood RNA samples. The concentration of PVT1 and miR-21-5p was quantitatively analyzed by qRT-PCR. Pearson correlation coefficient method was used to evaluate the link between PVT1 level and miR-21-5p level of the children. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to reckon the predictive value of PVT1, miR-21-5p, and their combination in ASD. The interconnection of PVT1 with miR-21-5p was represented by luciferase reporter assay. The targeted genes of miR-21-5p were predicted. The enrichment and protein interaction analysis of these genes was carried out to find the important core genes and analyze their value in ASD. In the disease group, the level of PVT1 was downregulated, while the content of miR-21-5p was upregulated. The expression level of serum miR-21-5p was negatively correlated with the level of PVT1. Luciferase reporter gene assay documented that PVT1 directly targeted miR-21-5p. ROC curve showed that PVT1, miR-21-5p, and their combination showed clinical value for disease diagnosis. The functional enrichment analysis showed that the targets of miR-21-5p participated in ASD by regulating related functions and pathways. Reduced expression of PVT1 and raised miR-21-5p were good diagnostic markers for ASD, which would provide a basis for effective prevention, early diagnosis, and early intervention of ASD.

Phosphotriesterase-related protein as a novel prognostic predictor for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth incidence of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer mortality in the world. Facing the ever-increasing population of HCC patients, there is still an urgent need to find good diagnostic and prognostic markers to explore new therapeutic targets. Phosphotriesterase-related (PTER) protein, an expressed protein in the liver and injured or ploycystic kidneys, was reported to be correlated with serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT). Our study aimed to investigate the expression of PTER protein in HCC patients and the association between PTER protein expression with clinicopathological features of HCC. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed in paired para-tumor and liver tumor tissues and HCC tissue microarray (TMA) to detect PTER protein expression. Correlation between PTER protein and prognostic factors were analyzed through univariate and multivariate analysis. We identified that PTER protein was significantly up-regulated in HCC tumors. Our data revealed that high PTER protein expression was associated with aggressive clinicopathological features of HCC, such as advanced tumor staging, vascular invasion, recurrence, and shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) time. Besides, in multivariate analyses, PTER protein was an independent predictor for OS (P=0.004) and DFS (P=0.013) for HCC patients. Meanwhile, the prognosis of patients with high PTER protein is much worse than those with low PTER protein expression. PTER protein expression is raised in HCC tissues and may be a potential prognostic predictor for HCC patients.

Increased expression of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 in astrocytomas of ascending grades.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway controls the monitoring and degradation of important proteins and is involved in several cellular processes, such as development, differentiation, and transcriptional regulation. Recent evidence has shown that ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), a member of the deubiquitinating enzyme family that removes ubiquitin from protein substrates, is overexpressed in many types of cancer. This study thus examined the expression of UCH-L1 in human astrocytoma tissues. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded astrocytoma samples were obtained from 40 patients, after which histopathological examination, typing, and grading were performed. The study group included 10 histologically normal brain tissues, which served as the control group, and 10 WHO grade II, 10 WHO grade III, and 10 WHO grade IV (glioblastoma) samples. Normal brain tissue samples were obtained from the histologically normal, non-tumoral portion of the pathology specimens. UCH-L1 expression was evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Astrocytoma tissues exhibited higher UCH-L1 expression compared to the control group. UCH-L1 overexpression increased significantly together with the increase in astrocytoma grades (from II to IV). UCH-L1 could be a good diagnostic and therapeutic marker for determining astrocytoma development and progression.

Soy Gly m 8 sIgE Has Limited Value in the Diagnosis of Soy Allergy in Peanut Ara h 2-Sensitized Adults

Introduction: Recently, specific IgE (sIgE) sensitization against Gly m 8 (soy 2S albumin) has been described as a good diagnostic marker for soy allergy (SA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of Gly m 8 by determining the sensitization profiles based on the homologues soy allergens Bet v 1, Ara h 1, Ara h 2, and Ara h 3. Methods: Thirty soy-allergic adults were included; sIgE to total soy extract, Gly m 8, Gly m 4, Gly m 5, Gly m 6, Bet v 1, Ara h 1, Ara h 2, and Ara h 3 were determined. Sensitization patterns were analyzed and determined. The clinical relevance of sIgE of Gly m 8 sensitization was measured by assessing its capacity to degranulate basophils in Gly m8-sensitized patients by an indirect basophil activation test (iBAT). Results: Based on the sIgE patterns of sensitization, two groups of SA patients were identified: (i) peanut-associated SA group (all patients were sensitized to one or more of the peanut compounds) and (ii) non-peanut/PR-10-associated SA group (22 patients were sensitized to Gly m 4 and Bet v 1 but not to any of the peanut compounds). A high and significant correlation between total soy extract and Gly m 6 (R2 = 0.97), Gly m 5 (R2 = 0.85), and Gly m 8 (R2 = 0.78) was observed. A nonsignificant correlation was observed between the levels of sIgE of Gly m 8 versus Ara h2. The iBAT results showed that Gly m 8 did not induce basophil degranulation in any of the peanut-associated patients, indicating that the Gly m8 sensitizations were not clinically relevant. Conclusions: Gly m 8 was not a major allergen in the selected soy-allergic population. The iBAT results indicated that Gly m 8 was not able to induce basophil degranulation in sIgE Gly m 8-sensitized soy-allergic patients. Thus, Gly m 8 would have no added value in the diagnosis of SA in the present study population.

Morphological , Anatomical and Chemical Studies of Salvia Rosmarinus Spenn. Growing in Al- Marj (Libya)

Salvia rosmarinus Spenn (synonym: Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is economically and medically important and grows naturally in Al-Marj (Libya). Macro, micro morphological and chemical characteristics were studied. Leaf venation, leaf anatomy and chemical compounds of essential oils were carried out according to traditional methods. The objective of the present study is to provide detailed description of the characteristics of this species. Morphological charactersistics of leaves, calyx, corolla, stamens are useful for sectional and specific delimitations in Salvia. The leaf architecture characters of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary veins are good diagnostic markers for the identification and classification of species. Anatomical characters such as glandular and non- glandular trichomes , mesophyll structure, presence of hypodermis and structure of vascular bundles have been found to have taxonomic value. Cineol (32.38%) is main component of essential oil, followed by Camphor, β-pinene, borneol, Caryophyllene, α-terpineol and α-pinene. Chemical data in essential oils carried taxonomic value of Salvia species.

Signature of Serum miR-199a/b in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Objective: microRNAs (miRNAs) have important potential as biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). This study investigated the relationship between preoperative (preop) and postoperative (post-op) cardiac parameters and miRNA expressions in CABG. Methods: We analyzed a total of 94 individuals (CABG, n= 46 and healthy control, n=48). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT) was performed to determine plasma miRNA expressions (miR-21, miR-181a, miR-199a, miR-199b, and miR-320a-5p) in triplicates: before surgery, 1 hour after surgery, and 24 hours after surgery. The target genes and pathways of miRNA were determined using bioinformatic analysis. The biomarker potentials of miRNAs were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: All miRNAs were significantly downregulated (p &lt; 0.05). Troponin I, LVEF, CPK, and CK-MB were found to be statistically significant for operation groups (p &lt; 0.05). miRNA expressions and cardiac markers were associated with troponin I and/or CK-MB. In ROC analyses, miR-199a was a good diagnostic marker. CREBRF and ZNF704 genes may be a target for these miRNAs. Conclusions: Downregulation of miR-199a has a regulatory role in ischemia/reperfusion. They may contribute to CABG pathology through these two genes involved in signaling cascades to turn on protein response and ion binding.