Purpose To investigate mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) mutations in optic neuritis of unknow reason (ONUR) and to assess the pathogenic and differential diagnostic values of screening for mt-DNA mutations in ONUR. Method Thirty patients with ONUR were screened for mt-DNA mutations by using SSCP,mutation-specific primer PCR and sequencing. Results mt-DNA mutations were found in 12 out of the thirty patients.All of the mutations were at 11778 position,but no one at 3460 and 15257. Conclusions Quite a number of patients (12/30,40%) with ONUR were caused actually by mt-DNA mutation．Screening for mt-DNA mutation in these patients has a pathogenic and differential diagnostic significance. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,2000,16:78-79)
Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a matrilineal hereditary optic neuropathy in which mitochondrial DNA mutations lead to retinal ganglion cell degeneration. At present, the treatment for LHON is limited. Early symptomatic treatment and medical treatment may improve the vision of patients. In recent years, rapid progress has been made in gene therapy. Many clinical studies have confirmed its safety and efficacy. Monocular gene therapy is helpful to improve the visual function of LHON patients, and it can also improve the visual acuity of uninjected eyes. Patients do not have serious eye or systemic adverse events during the treatment period, showing good safety and tolerance. Studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up time are needed to further verify the efficacy and safety of gene therapy in the future. Gene therapy is expected to become a safe and effective treatment, bringing hope to LHON patients.
【Abstract】Objective To explore the relation between the expression of telomerase and DNA ploidy with biliarypancreatic system cancer, so as to find a better way to diagnose and distinguish jaundice between malignance and benign disease.Methods Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were performed before operation in patients with obstructive jaundice. The bile and pancreatice juice were collected before ERCP. Biopsy specimens from part of patients were obtained during ERCP. All cancer specimens were possessed once again during operation and were assessed by the activity of telomerase and DNA ploidy. Results ① Telomerase positive rate 〔87.50%(56/64)〕 of tissue specimens in malignant obstructive jaundice were higher than that in benign obstructive jaundice 〔3.33%(2/60)〕，P=0.000. ② Telomerase positive rate〔71.88%(46/64)〕of Bile and pancreatice juice in malignant obstructive jaundice were higher than that in benign obstructive jaundice 〔3.33%(2/60)〕， P=0.000, tissue specimens obtained by endoscopy with malignant obstructive jaundice had detectable telomerase activity, positive rate was 83.33%（20/24）. ③ The rate of DNA heteroploid with malignant obstructive jaundice was 62.50%（40/64）, that of diploid can be seen in all patients with benign obstructive jaundice, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.000). ④ The rate of telomerase positive and DNA heteroploid in high differentiation tumor were significantly lower than in middlelow differentiation tumor （P=0.028，P=0.001）.Conclusion Applying the duodenoscope we collected the bile and pancreatic fluid before operation and obtain biopsy specimens whose telomerase activity and DNA ploid were detected. This is simple, safe, quick method which can identify the malignant and benign obstructive jaundice.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the circulating genome in mitochondria, and it is easy to accumulate oxidative damage, causing mitochondrial dysfunction, and then cell dysfunction, and even tissue and body pathological changes, leading to diseases. As a pro-inflammatory, inflammatory, and even predictive factor, mtDNA is directly involved in the inflammatory response and the pathogenesis of many diseases. This article aims to review the current pathogenesis of mtDNA damage and its pathogenic role in various human diseases.
Objective To investigate the expression level and methylation level of micro RNA-34b（miR-34b） gene in papillary thyroid carcinoma （PTC）， and to analyze the relationship between methylation and clinicopathological characters of PTC. Methods PTC tissues and tumor adjacent tissues were collected from 25 patients with PTC who underwent operation in Huai’an First People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from Sep. 2008 to Oct. 2010. Expression of miR-34b gene and level of methylation in gene promoter were detected by real time PCR and methylation-specific PCR in the 2 kinds of tissues， respectively. Results The expression value of miR-34b mRNA in PTC tissues was 0.85±0.05， which was significantly lower than those of tumor adjacent tissues （1.62±0.09）， P=0.030. There were methylation in 18 （72%，18/25） PTC tissues， and 10 （40%，10/25） in tumor adjacent tissues， and the ratio of methylation was higher in PTC tissues （P=0.021）. In PTC tissues， methylation was not related to age， gender， tumor size， TNM stage， and invasion of the capsule （P＞0.05）， but was related to lymph node metastasis （P＜0.05）. Ratio of methylation in patients with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than those of patients with no lymph node metastasis. Conclusion Methylation of miR-34b gene promoter is one of the reasons for inactivation of PTC， and it may be related to the development and metastasis of PTC， which needs to be further investigated.
Objective To observe the oxidative damage of mtDNA, apoptosis and expression of adhesion molecules in retinal capillary cells of diabetic rat with different disease courses. Methods One hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group. The rats of experimental group were induced with streptozotocin (STZ) injection creating a diabetic model. Then they were divided into DR1m, DR2m DR3m group according to disease courses. The rats of control group were divided into NR1m, NR2m, NR3m group. Rat retinal capillaries were prepared, and then the contents of undamaged mtDNA were examined by Southern blot combined with Fpg. The expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 encoded by mtDNA and transcription factors A (mtTFA) mRNA were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Apoptosis and expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were detected by terminal dUT nick endlabeling (TUNEL) immuno-fluorescence and immunohistochemistry respectively. Results The contents of undamaged mtDNA in rats of DR1m, DR2m, DR3m were less than those of NR1m、NR2m、NR3m. The contents of undamaged mtDNA in diabetic rats decreased with the increase of disease courses. In addition, the mRNA levels of COX-1 and mtTFA were downregulated in diabetic rats. The positive cells of TUNEL and ICAM-1TUNEL and ICAM-1 in diabetic rats increased with the increase of disease courses. Conclusion With the increase of disease courses, mtDNA damage and apoptotic cells are increased, while the expression of mRNA encoded by mtDNA and ICAM-1 decreased in retinal capillary cells in diabetic rats.
ObjectiveRecent advancements in the researches on cholangiocarcinoma (CC) related genes methylation in CC were reviewed and the clinical significances of aberrant DNA methylation for the diagnosis and treatment of CC were discussed. MethodsRelevant literatures about the relation between CC-related genes methylation and CC published recently were collected and reviewed. ResultsThe genesis of CC resulted from abnormal expressions of many genes. Many researches had shown that the abnormal methylation of CC-related genes had a close relation with CC. Epigenetic alteration had been acknowledged as an important mechanism contributing to early CC carcinogenesis. ConclusionsAbnormal methylation of CC-related genes is related with CC. The detection of CC-related genes methylation might provide new specific biomarkers for early noninvasive diagnosis of this disease. Using epigenetic agents such as azacytidine to modulate the activities of DNA methyltransferase and reverse the methylation status of CC-related gene might be an attractive strategy for future treatment of CC, which could be combined with conventional therapies.
ObjectiveTo summarize the application of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MethodThe relevant literature on the application of cfDNA in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC both domestic and international was reviewed and summarized. ResultsThe cfDNA is an emerging biomarker in recent years. At present, the different detection methods had been reported in a large number of studies to detect abnormal methylation, hot spot mutation, gene copy number variation, quantitative detection of cfDNA concentration, etc. It was found that the cfDNA could be used in the management process of early diagnosis, treatment guidance, and efficacy evaluation of HCC patients. ConclusionscfDNA detection is a good tool in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC, which can help clinicians make-decisions and bring more possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC, which is of great significance for changing the current diagnosis and treatment of HCC. However, there are still many challenges in cost control, technology optimization, and standardization of evaluation indicators. With the continuous progress of molecular biology technology and artificial intelligence, the application of cfDNA in diagnosis and treatment of HCC will be further expanded, its advantages will be better played, and the related shortcomings will be gradually solved.
ObjectiveTo explore advances in clinical applications of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for early diagnosis of breast cancer.MethodReviewed on the latest literatures about studies of advances in clinical applications of ctDNA for early diagnosis of breast cancer.ResultsctDNA was a cell-free DNA generated by tumor cells that contained tumor-associated mutations and could dynamically reflect the entire picture of the tumor genome. It was a very important potential tumor biomarker. ctDNA had been widely used in a variety of tumors for early diagnosis, curative effect assessment, and prognosis evaluation due to its advantages such as small trauma and real-time monitoring, and its role in breast cancer had attracted more and more attention.ConclusionEarly diagnosis is critical to improve the breast cancer patients’ overall survival rate and ctDNA plays an important role in early diagnosis and early detection of recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical value of a combined diagnostic model integrating circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation markers and CT imaging features for differentiating benign and malignant lung nodules and for early lung cancer detection. This study pioneers a two-step multi-omics modeling approach to construct a robust diagnostic model. MethodsA retrospective cohort of 140 patients (70 malignant and 70 benign, confirmed by postoperative pathology) with lung nodules who underwent surgical treatment at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from January 2014 to December 2024 was included. Methylation profiles of 54 cfDNA regions were detected via targeted methylation sequencing. CT imaging features (e.g., nodule size, type, and signs) were extracted. A two-step modeling strategy was applied: ① imaging features were modeled directly using binary logistic regression, while methylation features were selected via LASSO regression before modeling; ② a combined model was constructed using the scores from both models. Model performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, with internal validation via Bootstrap (1000 iterations). ResultsAll patients were split into a training set (n=84) and a test set (n=56). In the test set, the combined model achieved an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.95], with both sensitivity and specificity reaching 82%. This outperformed the individual imaging model (AUC=0.74) and methylation model (AUC=0.82). ConclusionThe multi-omics combined diagnostic model significantly improved the ability to distinguish benign from malignant lung nodules, particularly for early-stage lesions like ground-glass opacities. Its non-invasive and high-sensitivity features provide a promising translational tool for lung cancer screening, with promising clinical application prospects.