Prognosis Of Fibrosis Research Articles

The Diagnostic and Predictive Value of Biomarkers for Pulmonary Fibrosis in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019.

In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly in older people, dysregulated immune response and aberrant repair can result in varied severity secondary pulmonary fibrosis (PF). By detecting some indicators, the occurrence and prognosis of fibrosis can be measured, providing directions for COVID-19 treatment. The research study lasted for 3 months and involved 88 COVID-19 patients. According to the chest radiological examination, 47 (53.41%) individuals were found to have no PF, while 41 (46.59%) showed PF. Clinical data such as inflammation markers, imaging findings, blood gas analysis, and hospital stay length were collected. With area under the curve values of 0.7413, 0.7741, and 0.7048, respectively, and the study of the receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that mucin 1 (MUC1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and CXC chemokine receptor 10 (CXCL10) could diagnose the presence of COVID-19 PF. To evaluate the possibility of PF following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection, we established particular values for MUC1, CEA, and CXCL10 (1.296 ng/ml, 4.315 ng/ml, and 32.77 ng/ml, respectively). The survival curve for hospital days indicated that the length of hospital stays positively correlated with these three factors (P < 0.01). Transforming growth factor-beta did not correlate significantly with the severity of COVID-19 or PF. The results of this study suggested that the MUC1, CEA, and CXCL10 can be employed to explore the severity of secondary PF in COVID-19.

Recent advances in miR-200c and fibrosis in organs

In the fibrosis and pterygium of lung, liver, kidney, peritoneum or skin, miR-200c was aberrantly expressed. It has been shown that the regulatory effect of miR-200c on fibrosis in organ was involved in TGF-β-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The abnormal level of miR-200c in serum may be a basis for early diagnosis of lung fibrosis. Furthermore, miRNA mimics, miRNA agomir, and miRNA inhibitor are potential therapeutic tools for fibrosis. In present review, we summarize the recent progress in relevant studies on the expression and regulatory function of miR-200c and focus on its role in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of fibrosis in organ.

Metalloproteinase Inhibitor-1 Closely Correlates With the Severity of Liver Disease in Egyptian Patients

Background: Liver disease prevalence is high in Egypt and finding a reliable seromarker is needed for diagnosis and prognosis of fibrosis. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase -1 (TIMP-1) previously showed a good relation with fibrosis but few data are available from Egypt.Objective: To test the correlation of TIMP-1 to the degree of liver fibrosis in Egyptian patients with and without cirrhosis, and to test its values in different degrees of liver dysfunction.Methods: Forty Six adult patients (31 males and 15 females) with chronic liver disease were included in the current study, with age ranged from 42 –63 years were recruited from outpatient clinics at the National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University from February to July 2016, where sixteen patients had liver cirrhosis. Evaluationof the degree of fibrosis and liver dysfunction was done by clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and imaging tests (Ultrasound and Fibroscan) with/ without histological examinations. TIMP-1 was determined in plasma samples using the MAC15 TIMP-1 ELISA.Results: Median age was 51 years (42-63 years) and 67% were men. The primary cause of liver disease was hepatitis C, 89.1%. TIMP-1 values showed significant relation to the degree of fibrosis or cirrhosis assessed by liver biopsy or Fibroscan (p<0.001). Its level increases progressively with the development of encephalopathy and ascites and with the worsening of Child class (P=0.025, 0.018 and 0.039; respectively).Conclusion: TIMP-1 increases significantly with liver cirrhosis and its degree of increase correlates with the degree of liver dysfunction.