Maternal serum Sortilin-1 level as a potential biomarker for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Objective: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most common liver disease related to pregnancy in women. Sortilin-1 is a sorting receptor belonging to the vacuolar protein sorting 10 (Vps10p) domain family, and recent studies have shown that Sortilin-1 has a distinct role in the pathogenesis of biliary fibrosis and cirrhosis. We aimed to evaluate maternal serum Sortilin-1 level as a potential biomarker in pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis.Materials and methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted. We enrolled 80 pregnant women, 49 with the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and 31 healthy controls. Then, we measured maternal serum Sortilin-1 levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and compared them between groups.Results: The mean Sortilin-1 level in the ICP group was higher than control group (3.3 ± 1.7 ng/mL vs. 2.0 ± 0.6 ng/mL, respectively, p < .001). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis based on maternal serum Sortilin-1 levels to predict the presence of ICP was 85.3% controls [area under the curve (AUC), 0.853; 95% CI, 0.738-0.938, p < .001]. The optimal cutoff value of Sortilin-1 was 2.24 ng/mL (71.4% sensitivity and 74.2% specificity) to detect intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.Conclusion: Elevated maternal serum Sortilin-1 levels are associated with ICP and can be used as a disease biomarker. Sortilin-1 levels can be combined with total bile acids, transaminases, and blood coagulation profile in the follow-up of ICP.

The role of cytokeratin 19 levels in the determination of endometriosis stages

OBJECTIVE/AIM

Endometrisosis, one of the most common gynecological disease, is characterized by the presence of endometriotic tissue outside of uterine cavity. The development and the validation of a simple blood biomarker specific and sensitive for endometriosis may facilitate the rapid and the accurate diagnosis of the disease and thus early treatment. Cytokeratin expression changes during epithelial differentiation and this expression is important for the modulation and the control of cell cycle regulation, tumor cell motility and apoptosis. Cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) is expressed in most simple epithelial cells and their malignant counterparts. The aim of this study is to investigate serum CK-19 expression levels in patients with endometriosis and to determine the diagnostic role of CK-19 levels in differentiating various stage of endometriosis.

METHODS

Ctytokeratin-19 expression and level were studied in 70 endometriosis patients and 50 volunteers by ELISA and RT-PCR. ROC analysis was performed by comparing all stages with each other and with the control group.

RESULTS

The CK-19 levels were significantly higher in the endometriosis groups than that of the control group by ELISA and RT-PCR. A significant (p < .05) difference was observed in endometriosis patients according to the stages.

CONCLUSION

Based on our data, it suggests that Cytokeratin-19 may have a potential role in the development of endometriosis.

Circulating levels of Elabela in pregnant women with missed abortion

ObjectiveThis study aimed to detect Elabela concentrations in the serum of Missed abortion (MA) and compare them with the healthy pregnancies.Materials and methodsThis retrospective case-control study was performed in the second affiliated hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University March 2019 to September 2019. A total of 108 healthy (35 early, 36 middle and 37 late) pregnant women and 25 (early gestational stage) MA patients were involved. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. The concentration of plasma Elabela was examined using ELISA.ResultsThe level of plasma Elabela was increased in early and middle stages and decreased in late stage of healthy pregnant women. Maternal serum Elabela levels were significantly lower in MA patients (4.59 ± 1.23 ng/mL) compared to healthy pregnant women (5.77 ± 1.21 ng/mL, p < 0.01).ConclusionMaternal circulating levels of Elabela were significantly lower in MA patients than in healthy pregnant women. We consider that Elabela might be a crucial biomarker of the pathophysiologic process in MA.

Reference intervals for serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol of a population with normal glucose tolerance in Jiangsu Province

BACKGROUND

Serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) is a new glycemic marker which can reflect glucose fluctuation over 3 to 7 days and is now increasingly used to monitor glucose control and to screen for diabetes. However, 1,5-AG has not been widely used in China due to lack of epidemiological support. Our study aims to establish the reference intervals for a population with normal glucose tolerance in Jiangsu Province and to explore the determinants of these intervals.

METHOD

The study enrolled 646 healthy adults aged 20 to 70 years in Jiangsu Province in 2018 after oral glucose tolerance test. 1,5-AG, fasting and 2-hour glucose, UA, liver enzyme, serum lipid, creatinine, and glycosylated hemoglobin were measured. We calculated reference intervals using the parametric method and examined the relationship between 1,5-AG and influence factors.

RESULTS

The average age of the participants was 50.5 ± 9.0 years, and 69.5% of them were females. The reference intervals were 15.8 to 52.6 μg/mL for males and 14.3 to 48.0 μg/mL for females. Among females, the reference intervals were 13.9 to 45.3 and 14.6 to 49.6 μg/mL for menopausal and postmenopausal females, respectively. Males showed higher 1,5-AG concentrations than females, and postmenopausal females had higher 1,5-AG than menopausal females. There was a positive correlation between uric acid and 1,5-AG in both genders. Positive correlation between 1,5-AG and age was only observed in females.

CONCLUSION

We established reference intervals for 1,5-AG in Jiangsu Province, and the level of 1,5-AG is affected by sex, uric acid, and age.

[A review on muscle-specific microRNAs as the biomarker for Duchenne muscular dystrophy]

MicroRNA (miRNA) is a non-coding single-stranded RNA with a length of approximately 22 nucleotides and is mainly responsible for the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. At present, miRNA have become potential biomarkers for various diseases such as tumor, leukemia, and nervous system disease. Muscle-specific microRNAs are enriched in the skeletal muscle of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and also play an important role in the pathogenesis of DMD. Creatine kinase has limited specificity in the diagnosis of DMD since its level is not significantly associated with disease severity, and therefore, it is of great clinical significance to explore whether muscle-specific microRNAs can be used as ideal biomarkers for DMD. This article reviews the research advances in this field.

[Research advances in the biomarkers of brain damage in preterm infants]

While the survival rate of preterm infants has continually increased with the development of perinatal and neonatal monitoring techniques, the incidence of brain injury in preterm infants has been increasing, resulting in varying degrees of cognitive impairment and movement disorders. Measuring the biomarkers of brain damage is an important means to diagnose brain injury. The biomarkers can be divided into neuroglial damage markers, neuronal damage markers and other markers according to the features of injured cells. The biomarkers widely used in clinical practice include S100B protein, myelin basic protein and neuron-specific enolase. Recent studies have newly discovered a collection of markers that can suggest potential brain injury in preterm infants, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain protein, α-II spectrin breakdown products, chemokines, melatonin and urinary metabolomics. These biomarkers can contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of preterm brain injury, essential for improving neural development and prognosis. This article reviews the latest research advances in the biomarkers of preterm brain injury, in order to provide evidence for the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Performance of non-traditional hyperglycemia biomarkers by chronic kidney disease status in older adults with diabetes: Results from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

BACKGROUND

In people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), HbA1c may be a problematic measure of glycemic control. Glycated albumin and fructosamine have been proposed as better markers of hyperglycemia in CKD. In the present study we investigated associations of HbA1c, glycated albumin, and fructosamine with fasting glucose by CKD categories.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis was performed of 1665 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study participants with diagnosed diabetes aged ≥65 years. Spearman's rank correlations (r) were compared and Deming regression was used to obtain root mean square errors (RMSEs) for the associations across CKD categories defined using estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin:creatinine ratio.

RESULTS

Correlations of HbA1c, glycated albumin, and fructosamine with fasting glucose were lowest in people with severe CKD (HbA1c r = 0.52, RMSE = 0.91; glycated albumin r = 0.39, RMSE = 1.89; fructosamine r = 0.41, RMSE = 1.87) and very severe CKD (r = 0.48 and RMSE = 1.01 for HbA1c; r = 0.36 and RMSE = 2.14 for glycated albumin; r = 0.36 and RMSE = 2.22 for fructosamine). Associations of glycated albumin and fructosamine with HbA1c were relatively similar across CKD categories.

CONCLUSIONS

In older adults with severe or very severe CKD, HbA1c, glycated albumin, and fructosamine were not highly correlated with fasting glucose. The results suggest there may be no particular advantage of glycated albumin or fructosamine over HbA1c for monitoring glycemic control in CKD.

[Monitoring of kidney injury in preterm infants]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in the neonatal intensive care unit that causes a high mortality of preterm infants and various chronic kidney diseases in adulthood. Preterm infants have immature development of the kidneys at birth. The kidneys continue to develop within a specific time window after birth. However, due to various factors during pregnancy and after birth, preterm infants tend to develop AKI. At present, serum creatinine and urine volume are used for the assessment of kidney injury, and their early sensitivity and specificity have attracted increasing attention. In recent years, various new biomarkers have been identified for early recognition of AKI. This article reviews the features, risk factors, renal function assessment, and prevention/treatment of AKI of preterm infants, in order to provide a reference for improving early diagnosis and treatment of AKI in preterm infants and long-term quality of life.

[Current progress in research of circulating tumor cells]

Circulating tumor cells are tumor cells that spontaneously or, following operations, migrate into the peripheral blood circulation from the primary tumor or metastatic tumor. As diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in many types of cancers including breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer, circulating tumor cells contribute to the early diagnosis of cancers, drug resistance monitoring, prognostic assessment, survival analysis, detection of tumor recurrence and evaluation of drug efficacy to assist in treatment decision?making and adjustment of treatment plans. However, the current approaches to the detection of circulating tumor cells still have limitations, and the development of new detection methods with higher sensitivity and specificity will be helpful for better use of these cells. Herein the authors review the research progress in circulating tumor cells in terms of the detection techniques, clinical applications of circulating tumor cells, and their prospects in future clinical practice.

消化系肿瘤循环微小RNA研究进展

微小RNA(microRNA, miRNA)是一类内源性的、21-25个碱基长度的小分子非编码RNA, 在转录后水平调节靶基因mRNA表达, 并在多种肿瘤的发生和发展中过程中发挥重要的促癌或抑癌作用. 不同肿瘤类型有着各自特异性miRNA表达谱. 近来研究发现游离的miRNA可稳定地存在于血清和血浆中, 并作为一个潜在的非侵入性生物标志物, 该研究领域已成为当前临床研究的热点. 循环中的miRNA作为肿瘤相关生物标志物, 不仅可以反应早期肿瘤的存在, 而且可以检测肿瘤的发展、复发情况以及对药物敏感性. 这种"液体活检"的方法可提供非侵袭性的和持续表达的生物标志物, 并且为肿瘤患者个体化治疗提供一种新的策略. 本文综述了近几年循环miRNA在实体瘤尤其是消化系肿瘤的研究进展, 并探讨了其作为消化系恶性肿瘤潜在的诊断标志物或治疗靶点的发展前景.

Altered profile of serum microRNAs in pancreatic cancer-associated new-onset diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

New-onset diabetes mellitus in pancreatic cancer has been recognized as a paraneoplastic phenomenon caused by the existence of the tumor. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as non-invasive biomarkers for the detection of various cancers. In the present study, we hypothesized that a specific serum miRNA profile exists in pancreatic cancer-associated new-onset diabetes mellitus (PaC-DM).

METHODS

Initial screening of differentially expressed miRNAs in pooled serum samples from 25 PaC-DM patients, 25 non-cancer new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, and 25 healthy controls was performed by TaqMan low-density arrays (TLDA). A stem-loop quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to confirm the relative concentrations of candidate miRNAs in 80 PaC-DM, 85 non-cancer new-onset T2DM patients, and 80 healthy controls.

RESULTS

The TLDA identified 16 serum miRNAs that were significantly increased in PaC-DM samples. A combination of six serum miRNAs (miR-483-5p, miR-19a, miR-29a, miR-20a, miR-24, miR-25) was selected by qRT-PCR as a biomarker for PaC-DM. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the six-miRNA panel training and validation sets was 0.959 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.890-1.028) and 0.902 (95% CI 0.844-0.955), respectively. The combination of these six miRNAs enabled the discrimination of PaC-DM from non-cancer new-onset T2DM with an AUC of 0.885 (95% CI 0.784-0.986) and 0.887 (95% CI 0.823-0.952) for the training and validation sets, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The six-serum miRNA panel may have potential as a biomarker for the accurate diagnosis and discrimination of PaC-DM from healthy controls and non-cancer new-onset T2DM.

[Relationship between dental caries and salivary proteome by electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry in children aged 6 to 8 years]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between salivary proteome and dental caries and to promote the biomarker studies of dental caries susceptibility by comparing the salivary proteome of caries-active children and caries-free children with electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS).

METHODS

Ten caries-active children and ten caries-free children were sampled. The salivary proteome of the two groups was studied, and the differential protein between the two groups was analyzed by ESI-MS/MS after sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, filter-aided sample preparation, and liquid chromatography.

RESULTS

The concentration of salivary protein was higher in the caries-active group than in the caries-free group. The polypeptide counts of thecaries-active and caries-free groups were 602 and 481, which belonged to 286 and 227 proteins, respectively. The differential polypeptide count of the two groups was 361, and the differential protein count was 118. The detected proteins included matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), mucin-7 (MUC7), lactotransferrin (LTF), carbonic anhydrase 6 (CA6), azurocidin (AZU), and cold agglutinin.

CONCLUSION

The total salivary protein was higher in the caries-active group than in the caries-free group. The preliminary detection of differential proteins (MMP9, MUC7, LTF, CA6, AZU, and cold agglutinin) may lay some foundation for biomarker research of dental caries susceptibility.

[Relationship between dental caries and salivary proteome by electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry in children aged 6 to 8 years]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between salivary proteome and dental caries and to promote the biomarker studies of dental caries susceptibility by comparing the salivary proteome of caries-active children and caries-free children with electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS).

METHODS

Ten caries-active children and ten caries-free children were sampled. The salivary proteome of the two groups was studied, and the differential protein between the two groups was analyzed by ESI-MS/MS after sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, filter-aided sample preparation, and liquid chromatography.

RESULTS

The concentration of salivary protein was higher in the caries-active group than in the caries-free group. The polypeptide counts of thecaries-active and caries-free groups were 602 and 481, which belonged to 286 and 227 proteins, respectively. The differential polypeptide count of the two groups was 361, and the differential protein count was 118. The detected proteins included matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), mucin-7 (MUC7), lactotransferrin (LTF), carbonic anhydrase 6 (CA6), azurocidin (AZU), and cold agglutinin.

CONCLUSION

The total salivary protein was higher in the caries-active group than in the caries-free group. The preliminary detection of differential proteins (MMP9, MUC7, LTF, CA6, AZU, and cold agglutinin) may lay some foundation for biomarker research of dental caries susceptibility.