Int J Med Sci
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Comprehensive Transcriptome Profiling of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Patients with Sepsis.
Background: Sepsis, as a clinical emergency, usually causes multiorgan dysfunction and can lead to high mortality. Establishment of specific and sensitive biomarkers for early diagnosis is critical to identify patients who would benefit from targeted therapy. In this study, we investigated this syndrome by analyzing the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with sepsis and identified sepsis-specific biomarkers. ⋯ External validation of the four genes using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was consistent with the results of mRNA sequencing, revealing their potential in sepsis diagnosis. Conclusions: The transcriptome characteristics of PBMCs, which were significantly altered in sepsis patients, provide new insights into sepsis pathogenesis. The four identified gene expression changes differentiated patients with sepsis from healthy subjects, which could serve as a convenient tool contributing to sepsis diagnosis.
-
Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in recent years. Most lung cancers are often asymptomatic until advanced or metastatic stage. Therefore, looking for the diagnostic biomarker for early-stage lung cancer is quite significant. ⋯ Furthermore, miR-342-5p and miR-574-5p, but not miR-222-3p, had a significantly elevated expression level in carcinoma tissue compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissue (n = 8). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed the area under the curve (AUC) of combined miR-342-5p and miR-574-5p was 0.813 (95% CI: 0.7249 to 0.9009) with sensitivity and specificity of 80.0% and 73.2% respectively. In summary, circulating exosomal miR-342-5p and miR-574-5p have potential to serve as novel diagnostic biomarkers for early-stage LA.
-
The use of multipronged measures, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has greatly increased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we found the use of TCM and is positively correlated with the regional cure rate in China (R=0.77, P<10-5). We analyzed 185 commonly administered TCM recipes comprised of 210 herbs nationwide to reveal mechanistic insight. Eight out of the 10 most commonly used herbs showed anti-coronavirus potential by intersecting with COVID-19 targets. ⋯ We then analyzed 18 representative remedies based on molecular targets associated with 14 medical conditions over the disease course, e.g., pyrexia, coughing, asthenia, lymphopenia, cytokine storm, etc. The significant level of coherence (SLC) revealed, in part, the potential uses and properties of corresponding TCMs. Thus, herbal plants coordinate to combat COVID-19 in multiple dimensions, casting a light of hope before effective vaccines are developed.
-
Guava extracts purified from leaf and bark have many bio-active molecules with anti-cancer activities. In addition, lycopene-rich extracts obtained from red guava fruit can induce apoptosis in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and, therefore, hormone therapy and targeted therapy are not used in the clinic. ⋯ Cleaved caspase-3 and PARP were analyzed by western blotting. We found that red guava extracts can, through caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage signaling, induce apoptotic and necrotic death in TNBC cells. Our results thus show the therapeutic benefit of red guava extracts as a potential cancer treatment for TNBC in combination with doxorubicin or targeted therapy.
-
Sepsis is the leading cause of death worldwide. Timely administration of antibiotics is recognized as the cornerstone in the management of sepsis. However, inappropriate use of antibiotics may lead to adverse effects and the selection of drug-resistant pathogens. ⋯ Despite a good negative predictive value for bacterial infection, the utility of PCT-guided antibiotic initiation is conflicting at best. On the other hand, the use of PCT-guided antibiotic discontinuation has shown to reduce the duration of antibiotic use, the associated adverse effects, and to decrease the overall mortality. The current review discusses the history and pathophysiology of procalcitonin, synthesizes its utility in the diagnosis and management of sepsis, highlights its limitations and compares it with other biomarkers in sepsis.