Objective To explore the change of serum levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) in the early stage of multiple trauma, and their predictive efficacy for acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods The multiple trauma patients admitted between February 2020 and July 2021 were prospectively selected, and they were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group according to whether they developed AKI within 72 h after injury. The serum levels of NGAL, TIMP-2, and IGFBP-7 measured at admission and 12, 24, and 48 h after injury, the Acute Pathophysiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ) score, intensive care unit duration, rate of renal replacement therapy, and 28-day mortality rate were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 51 patients were included, including 20 in the AKI group and 31 in the non-AKI group. The APACHE Ⅱ at admission (20.60±3.57 vs. 11.61±3.44), intensive care unit duration [(16.75±2.71) vs. (11.13±3.41) d], rate of renal replacement therapy (35.0% vs. 0.0%), and 28-day mortality rate (25.0% vs. 3.2%) in the AKI group were higher than those in the non-AKI group (P<0.05). The serum levels of NGAL and IGFBP-7 at admission and 12, 24, and 48 h after injury in the AKI group were all higher than those in the non-AKI group (P<0.05). For the prediction of AKI, the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves and 95% confidence intervals of serum NGAL, TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 12 h after injury were 0.98 (0.96, 1.00), 0.92 (0.83, 1.00), and 0.87 (0.78, 0.97), respectively. Conclusion Serum NGAL, TIMP-2, and IGFBP-7 have high predictive efficacy for AKI secondary to multiple trauma, and continuous monitoring of serum NGAL can be used for early prediction of AKI secondary to multiple trauma.
Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection, with high fatality rate and complex pathogenesis. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential to improving the prognosis of patients with sepsis. This review briefly describes the basic pathogenesis of sepsis, and summarizes the current new technologies for detecting sepsis from two aspects: pathogen detection and host immune status detection, such as digital polymerase chain reaction, biosensors, fluorescent probes, single-cell RNA sequencing, and enzyme-linked immunospot assay. By comprehensively analyzing and applying these new techniques, it is helpful to improve the efficiency and accuracy of early diagnosis of sepsis and improve the clinical treatment effect of patients.
Objective To explore the diagnostic value of a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motifs (ADAMTS)-9 in acute aortic dissection (AAD). Methods A total of 328 patients with acute onset of chest pain within 24 hours were enrolled in West China Hospital from January 2015 to June 2016 and according to the results of computed tomography angiography they were divided into an AAD group (n=172, 107 males, 65 females, mean age of 50.4±13.1 years) and a control group (n=156, 89 males, 67 females, mean age of 54.9±14.7 years). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was used to measure the level of ADAMTS-9. Results Patients in two groups had no significant difference in age, gender, smoke history, hypertension history, total cholesterol, triacylglyceride and hemoglobin (P>0.05). But systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly higher in the AAD group than those in the control group (P<0.05, respectively). The level of ADAMTS-9 was significantly higher in the AAD group than that in the control group (249.4±186.8 ng/mlvs. 78.2±48.6 ng/ml,t=11.107, P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that ADAMTS-9 (156.7 ng/ml) was predictive in the diagnosis of AAD with sensitivity of 0.942 and specificity of 0.628. Conclusion ADAMTS-9 might be an effective and important biomarker in diagnosis of AAD.
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.
Objective To understand the dynamic changes of inflammatory indicators in the peripheral blood of patients with malignant cerebral edema at different time points after acute cerebral infarction, and provide a basis for early prediction and prevention of malignant cerebral edema. Methods Consecutive patients with acute cerebral infarction within 24 h of onset who were admitted to the Department of Neurology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University between January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2018 were collected. The basic clinical data of the patients were collected, and the data of inflammatory cells (white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute lymphocyte count, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio) and acute phase reactants (blood glucose, fibrinogen, albumin, and fibrinogen to albumin ratio) were dynamically collected at admission and 1, 3, and 7 d after admission, respectively. Differences between groups were compared using generalized estimating equations. Results A total of 798 patients with acute cerebral infarction were included, of whom 93 (11.65%) developed malignant cerebral edema. At all time points examined, the white blood cell counts, absolute neutrophil counts, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios were higher in the malignant cerebral edema group than those in the non-malignant cerebral edema group (Wald χ2=63.737, P<0.001; Wald χ2=91.848, P<0.001; Wald χ2=75.197, P<0.001); 1 and 3 d after admission, the absolute lymphocyte counts were lower in the malignant cerebral edema group than those in the non-malignant cerebral edema group (Wald χ2=18.580, P<0.001). The blood glucose levels were higher in the malignant cerebral edema group compared with the non-malignant cerebral edema group 1, 3, and 7 d after admission (Wald χ2=16.722, P<0.001); no significant between-group effect was found in the albumin levels (Wald χ2=3.643, P=0.056); the fibrinogen levels were significantly different between groups 3 d after admission (Wald χ2=8.923, P=0.003), and the fibrinogen to albumin ratios differed between the two groups 3 and 7 d after admission (Wald χ2=6.739, P=0.009). Dynamic analysis of multiple time points in the malignant cerebral edema group found that these inflammatory markers mostly reached their extreme values 3 d after admission. Conclusions Compared with the non-malignant cerebral edema group, the inflammatory cell-related indicators (except lymphocytes) and the acute phase inflammatory reactant-related indicators in malignant cerebral edema patients are significantly higher, and the absolute lymphocyte count is significantly lower. Three days after admission to hospital is probably the most significant time point for the change of each inflammatory indicator.
Objective To explore key genes and mechanisms of depression aggravating Crohn disease. Methods In March 2023, the Public Health Genomics and Precision Health Knowledge Base and Gene Expression Omnibus database were used to identify the overlapping differentially expressed genes between Crohn disease and depression and the key genes were screened by Metascape, STRING, Cytoscape, and protein interaction network analysis. The Gene Expression Omnibus database was used to analyze the correlations between key genes and clinical pathologies such as Crohn Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity and intestinal microvilli length. Results There were 137 overlapping differentially expressed genes between Crohn disease and depression, and 25 key genes were further screened out. Among them, CREB1, FKBP5, MAPT, NTSR1, OXTR, PROK2, POMC, HTR2B, and PPARGC1A genes were significantly correlated with multiple clinical parameters. The functions of PROK2 and PROK2-related genes were mainly enriched in neutrophil and granulocyte migration, neutrophil and granulocyte chemotaxis, etc. Conclusions There are 25 key genes, especially CREB1, FKBP5, MAPT, NTSR1, OXTR, PROK2, POMC, HTR2B, and PPARGC1A, that possibly contribute to the establishment and deterioration of Crohn disease caused by depressive disorder. Among these genes, PROK2 showes the possibility of regulating immune cell (neutrophils and CD8+ T cells) infiltration.
Objective To summarize the research progress of microRNA in acute pancreatitis. Methods By reading the domestic and international literatures published in recent years, to summarize the research progress of microRNA in acute pancreatitis. Results In recent years, researches had found that microRNA could be used as a biomarker for acute pancreatitis to predict and determine the occurrence, development, and complications of acute pancreatitis. MicroRNA could regulate the programmed cell death of acute pancreatitis, and played an important role in the development of inflammation and complications, it also could be used as a therapeutic target for acute pancreatitis. Conclusions MicroRNA plays an important role in the development of acute pancreatitis. Researching the mechanism of microRNA in acute pancreatitis is helpful for the treatment and prevention of acute pancreatitis.
Delirium is an acute cognitive disorder caused by a variety of factors which lead to cerebral cortical dysfunction. At present the studies on the pathophysiology of delirium is still very few. But studies on serum biomarker of delirium can help to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanism of delirium, and the studies are significant for delirium diagnosis, severity classification and prediction of long-term outcome. This review examines three major groups of delirium related serum biomarkers: ① risk markers: those that are present or elevated prior to disease onset, including serum chemistries, genetic markers and so on; ② disease markers: those markers elevate with delirium onset and fall when delirium recovery, including acetylcholine and serum anticholinergic activity, serotonin, serum amino acids, and melatonin, interleukin, C-reactive protein; and ③ end products: those that rise in proportion to the consequences of disease, including S-100? and neuron specific enolase. The three markers mentioned above are helpful to further investigate the mechanism of delirium.
Retinoblastoma (RB), the most common primary intraocular malignancy in infants and young children, poses a serious threat to visual function and the life of children when systemic metastasis occurs. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a recently discovered class of non-coding RNA that mainly functions as competitive endogenous RNA by regulating gene expression through competing with microRNA. circRNA can function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, regulating various biological processes in RB cells, such as proliferation, migration, apoptosis, autophagy, and drug resistance, thereby providing new therapeutic targets for RB. In addition, the differential expression of circRNA in tumor tissues or exosomes is expected to be a potential biomarker for RB. Further studies and explorations are still needed for the functions and regulatory mechanisms of circRNA in RB to reveal their precise roles in organisms and potential clinical applications.
Objectives To evaluate the expression levels of serum microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) and microRNA-155 (miRNA-155) from patients and rats with pancreatic cancer, and to explore its value in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Methods The clinical materials and the serum samples from 18 patients with pancreatic cancer (pancreatic cancer group) and 12 patients with benign pancreatic disease (benign pancreatic disease group) admitted to Fujian Medical University Union Hospital between January 2016 and December 2016 were collected prospectively. The real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was performed to detect the levels of serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155. 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA)-induced pancreatic cancer rat models (n=20) and the models of the blank control group (sham operation, n=10) were established and the serum samples from the pancreatic cancer group and the blank control group were measured by the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, to detect the levels of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155. Results The median expression levels of serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were 1.99 (1.43–5.30) and 7.06 (4.98–21.48) in the pancreatic cancer group, as well as 1.28 (0.58–2.01) and 2.20 (1.76–3.02) in the benign pancreatic disease group. The expression levels of serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were significantly higher in the pancreatic cancer group (Z=–2.621,P=0.009; Z=–3.430,P=0.001). In animal studies, the rat models of pancreatic cancer were successfully established and 11 rats with pancreatic cancer were acquired, as well as 9 rats in the blank control group were acquired. The median expression levels of serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were 2.12 (1.33–2.72) and 16.45 (7.18–25.40) in the rat pancreatic cancer group, as well as 1.00 (0.45–1.60) and 1.49 (1.25–1.97) in the blank control group. The expression levels of serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were significantly higher in the rat pancreatic cancer group (Z=–2.621,P=0.009; Z=–3.609,P<0.001). For distinguishing pancreatic cancer from benign diseases, the best cutoff value of serum miRNA-21 level was 4.21 and the sensitivity and specificity were 75.0% and 61.1% respectively; the best cutoff value of serum miRNA-155 level was 4.67 and the sensitivity and specificity both were 83.3%. Conclusions The serum miRNA-21and miRNA-155 levels are elevated both in patients and rats with pancreatic cancer. Detection of serum miRNA-155 will be helpful to some extent to distinguish pancreatic cancer from benign diseases.