Objective To review the research progress of cartilage ol igomeric matrix protein (COMP). Methods Domestic and abroad l iterature about COMP was reviewed and summarized. Results COMP was one of the osteoarthritis (OA) biomarkers of being widely studied. Most studies in recent years could draw the conclusion that COMP was associated with OA. COMP was the foremost biomarker among investgated biomarkers. It could been continuously expressed and predicted knee OA progression. Conclusion Precisely what role COMP plays in OA pathogenesis remains unclear, using COMP as a tool to early diagnose OA more studies would be needed.
With the exacerbation of aging population in China, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing rapidly. AD is a chronic but irreversible neurodegenerative disease, which cannot be cured radically at present. In recent years, in order to intervene in the course of AD in advance, many researchers have explored how to detect AD as early as possible, which may be helpful for effective treatment of AD. Imaging genomics is a kind of diagnosis method developed in recent years, which combines the medical imaging and high-throughput genetic omics together. It studies changes in cognitive function in patients with AD by extracting effective information from high-throughput medical imaging data and genomic data, providing effective guidance for early detection and treatment of AD patients. In this paper, the association analysis of magnetic resonance image (MRI) with genetic variation are summarized, as well as the research progress on AD with this method. According to complexity, the objects in the association analysis are classified as candidate brain phenotype, candidate genetic variation, genome-wide genetic variation and whole brain voxel. Then we briefly describe the specific methods corresponding to phenotypic of the brain and genetic variation respectively. Finally, some unsolved problems such as phenotype selection and limited polymorphism of candidate genes are put forward.
Circular RNA (circRNA) is a non-coding RNA which exists widely in eukaryotic cells with a structure of covalently closed continuous loop. Its generation, characteristics and functions have received extensive attention, making it one of the hot spots in the field of non-coding RNA research. Many studies have found that circRNA plays an important role in the development of various diseases including cardiovascular disease, nervous system disease and cancer. Cardiovascular disease is a worldwide common disease with high incidence and poor prognosis. Its exact pathogenesis has not been found, which blocks the development of cardiovascular disease treatment. In this review, we summarize the loop-forming mechanisms, the functions and the progress of current researches of circRNA in cardiovascular diseases.
ObjectiveTo explore the predictive value of N-terminal-pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) for postoperative early outcomes in infants with aortic coarctation (CoA).MethodsA retrospective study was conducted in 344 children with CoA admitted to our hospital from September 2014 to October 2017, including 206 males (59.9%) and 138 females (40.1%), with an average age of 0.2-60.0 (7.1±10.6) months. The levels of NT-proBNP, clinical characteristics, imaging data and early follow-up results were collected and analyzed.ResultsCompared with the normal NT-proBNP group, there were statistical differences in age, the proportion of RACHS-1≥3, the proportion of preoperative pneumonia and dysplastic aortic arch, preoperative cardiac function, left ventricular wall thickness, left ventricular dilatation, hospital stay, ICU duration, ventilator duration, duration of vasoactive drugs use, delayed chest closure, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP), postoperative cardiac insufficiency in the abnormal NT-proBNP group (P<0.05). According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, NT-proBNP level (>3 000 pg/mL) was an independent risk factor for prolonged ICU duration [OR=3.17, 95%CI (1.61, 6.23)], prolonged ventilator duration [OR=5.84, 95%CI (2.86, 11.95)], prolonged use of vasoactive drugs [OR=2.22, 95%CI (1.22, 4.02)], postoperative cardiac insufficiency [OR=3.10, 95%CI (1.64, 5.85)]; NT-proBNP level (> 5 000 pg/mL) was an independent risk factor for delayed chest closure [OR=3.55, 95%CI (1.48, 8.50)].ConclusionNT-proBNP level in children with CoA can be affected by many factors, including age, complexity of congenital heart disease, preoperative cardiac insufficiency, et al. The level of NT-proBNP has predictive value for postoperative early outcomes.
To solve the problem that the method based on tumor morphology or overall average parameters of tumor cannot conduct the early evaluation of tumor treatment response, we proposed a voxel-wise method. The voxel-wise method uses the method combining rigid and elastic registration algorithm to align the tumor area before and after treatment on the images which are acquired by the dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). We calculated voxel-wise volume transport constant (Ktrans) using pharmacokinetic model, and designed a threshold d to get the volume fraction of voxels which Ktrans increased significantly (F+), Ktrans decreased significantly (F-) or had no significant change (F0). Linear regression analysis was performed to get the correlation between volume fractions and pathological tumor cell necrosis rate (TCNR). We then determined the ability of volume fractions to evaluate treatment response at early stage by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. We performed experiments on 10 patients with soft tissue sarcomas. The results indicated that F- had significant negative correlation with TCNR (R2=0.832 8, P=0.0002), F0 has significant positively correlation with TCNR (R2=0.788 4, P=0.0006). In addition, F-(AUC=0.905,P=0.053), F0 (AUC=0.857,P=0.087) had a good ability in early tumor treatment response evaluation. Therefore, F- and F0 can be used as effective imaging biomarkers for early evaluation of tumor treatment.
Objective To investigate activated toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) signaling pathway involved in pathophysiological mechanisms of type A aortic dissection (TAAD). Methods Specimens of full-thickness ascending aorta wall from the TAAD patients (n=12) and the controlled donors (n=12) were collected. Western blotting was used to examine the associated proteins' expression of TLR4 signaling pathway. Blood samples from TAAD (n=43) and controlled patients (n=50) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the circulating plasma cytokines levels of interleukin-1β (L-1β). Results In the aortic wall of TAAD, expression levels of TLR4 and protein expression of major molecule significantly elevated, and activated macrophages increased. Furthermore, elevated IL-1β levels were observed in the TAAD patients’ plasma compared with the control plasma. Multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that elevated IL-1β could be a novel and promising biomarker with important diagnostic and predictive value in the identification of TAAD. Conclusion Activated TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway regulates inflammatory response to involve in pathophysiological mechanisms of type A aortic dissection and its regulated inflammatory products have important predictive value for patients with TAAD.
Tear fluid, as an important ocular surface fluid, can effectively reflect both ocular and systemic metabolic states through its compositional changes, making it an ideal source for discovering disease biomarkers. Current tear collection methods mainly include the Schirmer strip test and microcapillary collection, while detection technologies encompass enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, protein chip technology, mass spectrometry, Olink targeted proteomics, and bead-based multiplex assays. Studies have shown that various biomarkers in tear fluid—such as proteins, cytokines, and chemokines that are closely associated with the pathophysiological processes of fundus diseases including diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, age-related macular degeneration, retinopathy of prematurity, and uveitis, demonstrating potential as indicators for early diagnosis, disease assessment, and therapeutic monitoring. As a non-invasive and convenient detection tool, tear analysis shows broad application prospects in the diagnosis and treatment of fundus diseases. However, further optimization of collection and detection techniques, along with large-scale clinical studies to validate the clinical utility of tear biomarkers, is still needed to promote their standardization and widespread adoption in clinical practice.