A Novel PCR Method for Detecting ACE Gene Insertion/Deletion Polymorphisms and its Clinical Application

Harnessing GMNP-loaded BMSC-derived EVs to target miR-3064-5p via MEG3 overexpression: Implications for diabetic osteoporosis therapy in rats

Diabetic osteoporosis (DO) is a significant complication of diabetes, characterized by a decrease in bone mineral density and an increase in fracture risk. Magnetic nanoparticles (GMNPs) have emerged as potential drug carriers for various therapeutic applications. This study investigated the molecular mechanism of GMNPs loaded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) overexpressing MEG3 target miR-3064-5p to induce NR4A3 for treating DO in rats. Initial analysis was carried out on GEO datasets GSE7158 and GSE62589, revealing a notable downregulation of NR4A3 in osteoporotic samples. Subsequent in vitro studies demonstrated the effective uptake of BMSC-EVs-MEG3 by osteoblasts and its potential to inhibit miR-3064-5p, activating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway and thus promoting mitochondrial autophagy, osteoblast proliferation, and differentiation. In vivo, experiments using DO rat models further substantiated the therapeutic efficacy of GMNPE-EVs-MEG3 in alleviating osteoporosis symptoms. In conclusion, GMNPs loaded with BMSC-EVs, through the delivery of MEG3 targeting miR-3064-5p, can effectively promote NR4A3 expression, activate the PINK1/Parkin pathway, and thereby enhance osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, offering a promising treatment for DO.

A label-free strategy for visual genotyping based on phosphate induced coloration reaction

Genetic variation plays a crucial role in disease occurrence and development. However, current genotyping strategies not only require a long turnaround time for DNA purification, but also depend on sophisticated apparatus and complex data interpretation, which seriously limits their application in point of care diagnostic test scenarios. In this study, by integrating phosphate induced coloration reaction and loop-mediated isothermal amplification, a rapid and portable strategy for straightforward genotyping has been established to cater to the demand of precision medicine. By employing phosphate ions produced during the amplification as a signal generator, not only can the genotyping result be interpreted with only naked eye from a low-cost label-free strip, but also the amplification efficiency is increased to facilitate genotyping with a robust biological specimen ignoring DNA polymerase inhibitors. Moreover, the introduction of alkaline lysis for DNA release allows whole blood to be identified accurately avoiding DNA purification. As a proof of concept, the insertion/deletion polymorphisms of the angiotensin-converting enzyme, a crucial factor associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, has been selected as a model to evaluate the performance of this method. Accurate results can be obtained from as low as 1 ng genomic DNA within 30 min. For clinical specimen detection, a concordance rate up to 100% has been found compared with PCR-based electrophoresis. Thus, this novel strategy may serve as a promising tool for straightforward genotyping to provide timely diagnostic information, especially in resource-poor medical institutions.

Phosphate induced coloration reaction facilitates visual genotyping and the target variant can be accurately identified within 30 min from blood directly.