Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine
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Detection of hemoglobin (Hb) variants represents an important issue for diagnosis and adequate treatment of hemoglobinopathies. The Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing analyzer (Capillarys) by Sebia is routinely used in our clinical laboratories to detect Hb variants in peripheral blood (PB). This automated method separates Hb fractions by capillary electrophoresis, giving a spectrophotometric measure of their relative proportion. ⋯ We confirmed the performance of the method by analyzing erythroid lysates from thalassemic patients' cultures. Our study demonstrated that the Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing manual method is comparable to the automatic one. The analysis is very robust at low Hb concentrations, as in erythroid cultures from patients affected by hemoglobinopathies, representing a useful tool also in translational research.
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The ratio of cystatin C (cysC) to creatinine (crea) is regarded as a marker of glomerular filtration quality associated with cardiovascular morbidities. We sought to determine reference intervals for serum cysC-crea ratio in seniors. Furthermore, we sought to determine whether other low-molecular weight molecules exhibit a similar behavior in individuals with altered glomerular filtration quality. ⋯ The cysC-crea ratio was significantly predictive of mortality and subjective overall morbidity at follow-up in logistic regression models adjusting for several factors. The cysC-crea ratio exhibits age- and sex-specific reference intervals in seniors. In conclusion, the cysC-crea ratio may indicate the relative retention of biologically active low-molecular weight compounds and can independently predict the risk for overall mortality and morbidity in the elderly.
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Targeted nucleases are widely used as tools for genome editing. Two years ago the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated Cas9 nuclease was used for the first time, and since then has largely revolutionized the field. ⋯ Several studies recently used CRISPR/Cas9 to successfully modulate disease-causing alleles in vivo in animal models and ex vivo in somatic and induced pluripotent stem cells, raising hope for therapeutic genome editing in the clinics. In this review, we will summarize and discuss such preclinical CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy reports.
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Recent efforts to broadly apply genetics to clinical practice have been driven by the rapid advancement of genomic technologies and the discovery of genes associated with disease risk, progression, and treatment response. Yet there remain valid concerns about the complexities and limitations that confront the popular notion of clinical utility of genetics in personalized medicine. ⋯ The excitement of discovery and applications to diagnostics are well described in each of the articles in this issue. Yet, each article appropriately acknowledges the limitations that need to be overcome to apply new knowledge to clinical practice.
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Recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in human cancers. However, the function of lncRNAs and their downstream mechanisms are largely unknown in the molecular pathogenesis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). In the present study, we performed transcriptomic profiling of ICC and paired adjacent noncancerous tissues (N) by using lncRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) microarrays. ⋯ Our results suggested that the lncRNA expression profiling in ICC tissues is profoundly different from that in noncancerous tissues. Thus, lncRNA may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for ICC. Furthermore, the combined assessment of lncRNA and mRNA expressions might predict the survival of patients with ICC.