Relation between LRG1 and CD4+ T cells, cognitive impairment and neurological function in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Objective: To assess the relationship between LRG1 and CD4+ T cells, cognitive impairment and neurological function in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: Plasma LRG1 was detected by ELISA in 175 patients with AIS at baseline, day (D) 1, D7, month (M) 1 and M3. Results: LRG1 was negatively related to Th2 and Treg cells and positively linked to Th17 (all p < 0.05). LRG1 increased from baseline to D1, then decreased until M3 (p < 0.001). LRG1 at each assessment point was increased in patients with cognitive impairment or poor neurological function at M3 versus those without (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: LRG1 is linked to decreased Th2 and Tregs, increased Th17, cognitive impairment and nonideal neurological function recovery in patients with AIS.

Longitudinal Change of Plasma Retinol-Binding Protein 4 and its Relation to Neurological-Function Recovery, Relapse, and Death in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) promotes dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, inflammation, and atherosclerosis, etc. which may participate in the progression of acute ischemia stroke (AIS). This study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal change of RBP4 after disease onset and its correlation with prognosis in AIS patients. Plasma RBP4 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 402 AIS patients at admission, one day (D1), 3 days (D3), 7 days (D7), and 30 days (D30) after admission; and in 100 healthy controls after enrollment. The neurological-function recovery was evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3 months (M3); disease relapse and death were also recorded during a median 20-month follow-up in AIS patients. Our study revealed that RBP4 was elevated in AIS patients compared with healthy controls. RBP4 was related to a history of diabetes mellitus, a history of cardiovascular disease, and elevated National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score in AIS patients. Longitudinally, RBP4 was increased from admission to D1/D3, then reduced gradually to D30 in AIS patients. Notably, RBP4 at admission and D1 was elevated in AIS patients with mRS > 2 compared to those with mRS ≤ 2. Meanwhile, RBP4 at admission, D1, D3, D7, and D30 were all higher in AIS patients occurred relapse than those without; RBP4 at D3, D7, and D30 were also higher in AIS patients who died later than those who survived. In conclusion, plasma RBP4 originally elevates and continuously decreases during disease, which forecasts neurological-function recovery status, relapse, and death risk of AIS.

Long non-coding RNAs expression profile and functional analysis of acute ischemic stroke

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been evidenced to be associated with the development of multiple diseases. However, the expression pattern and function of lncRNAs in acute ischemic stroke remain unclear. To determine the differential expression of lncRNAs in acute ischemic stroke, we analyzed the expression profile of lncRNAs by high-throughput sequencing analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analyses were employed to analyze the gene function and identify enriched pathways of the differentially expressed lncRNAs. We also built an lncRNA-mRNA expression correlation network and verified the interactions of selected lncRNAs in acute ischemic stroke. To further confirm the results of the expression profile, 6 differentially expressed lncRNAs were randomly selected and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) performed. We identified 44,578 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs, including 228 upregulated and 16 downregulated lncRNAs. The qRT-PCR results showed that ENSG00000269900, ENSG00000196559, ENSG00000202198, ENSG00000226482, ENSG00000260539 (up), and XLOC_013994_2 (down) were abnormally expressed, which was consistent with the sequencing results. The upregulated expression of lncRNA ENSG00000226482 may activate the adipocytokine signaling pathway, resulting in acute ischemia stroke. In summary, we analyzed the lncRNAs expression profile in acute ischemic stroke patients and identified the functions and enriched metabolic pathways, proposing new insights into the diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for this disease.