Minerva medica
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of mortality worldwide. Clinical features of the disease include exertional dyspnea and chronic cough, while persistent airflow obstruction detected at spirometry is the defining element of the disease. ⋯ The recent GeneCOPD study suggested that a proportion of this population might present significant radiological features of respiratory disease. This commentary article focuses on the possible future role of chest imaging, including ultrasound of the respiratory muscles, integrated with additional functional tests, such as body plethysmography and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide of the lungs (DLCO), in a multidimensional assessment of COPD.
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A long non-coding RNA H19 has been reported to be aberrantly regulated in a wide range of cancers. This meta-analysis was performed to explore the potential value of H19 as a biomarker for cancer prognosis. ⋯ This meta-analysis showed that overexpression of H19 might potentially serve as a reliable biomarker for poor prognosis in different types of cancers.
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MALAT1 (Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1), a newly discovered long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), has been reported to be overexpressed in various cancers. However, the clinical value of MALAT1 in digestive system cancers is unclear. This study was designed to investigate the potential value of MALAT1 as a prognostic biomarker in digestive system cancers. ⋯ lncRNA MALAT1 may serve as a potential novel prognostic biomarker in digestive system cancers.
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The purpose of this study is to identify predictive markers for abnormal glucose metabolism in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). ⋯ HbA1c, hs-CRP, LAP index, and TG could be useful predictive markers for abnormal glucose metabolism (IGT/NIDDM) in Korean PCOS women.
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Single nucleotide polymorphism in miRNAs can alter its expression, thus lead to the development of cancers. Numerous studies have explored the association between miR-149 gene rs2292832 polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk, but the results remains inconsistent. So, we performed this pooled analyses in order to get a precise result. ⋯ Our meta-analysis supports that the miR-149 gene rs2292832 polymorphism contributed to the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma from currently available evidence. However, a study with a larger sample size is needed to further evaluate gene-environment interaction on MiR-149 gene rs2292832 polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk.