Isolation of Acanthamoeba Genotype T4 from a Non-Contact Lens Wearer from the Philippines

We report the case of a 76-year old Filipino male who presented with pain, redness, and blurring of vision of the right eye. Corneal scraping was done and sent to the St. Luke’s Research and Biotechnology Group for detection and identification of the infectious agent. Morphological detection was performed by allowing the organism from the scraping to grow in 1.5% non-nutrient agar plate with heat-killed E. coli. Trophozoites with acanthopodia and double-walled cysts characteristic of Acanthamoeba were observed within the first and second week of observations, respectively. Molecular identification of the amoebae at the genus level based on the presence of Acanthamoeba-specific amplimer S1, ASA.S1 confirmed the morphological identification. Genotyping through sequence revealed that the organism belonged to T4, which is the genotype commonly present in the eye of keratitis patients

Association of Circulating Serum miR-34a and miR-122 with Dyslipidemia among Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

<div><p>Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) covers a spectrum of diseases from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, with approximately 20% risk of progressing to fibrosis and cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to compare the relative expression levels of circulating miR-21, miR-34a, miR-122, miR-125b and miR-375 between healthy controls and NAFLD patients, and to assess the feasibility of microRNAs as potential biomarkers for NAFLD. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate circulating serum miRNAs as potential diagnostic markers for NAFLD. Twenty-eight clinically diagnosed and histologically-confirmed NAFLD patients, as well as 36 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The relative expression of serum microRNAs were calculated using the comparative cycle threshold with spiked-in <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> miR-39 as exogenous internal control. Serum levels of miR-34a and miR-122 were significantly higher in NAFLD patients than in healthy controls (<i>P</i> = <0.0001). Positive correlations were observed between serum miR-34a with very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and triglyceride levels. However, the expression levels of miR-34a and miR-122 did not correlate with the histological features of NAFLD. Interestingly, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that miR-34a and miR-122 are potential markers for discriminating NAFLD patients from healthy controls with an area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.781 and 0.858, respectively. Serum levels of miR-34a and miR-122 were found to be significantly higher among NAFLD patients, and were positively correlated with VLDL-C and triglyceride levels. Thus, circulating miR-34a and miR-122 can be used as potential biomarkers for discriminating NAFLD patients from healthy controls. Larger cohorts are required to validate the utility of miR-34a and miR-122 in monitoring liver injury.</p></div

ROC curve analysis for serum miR-34a, miR-122 and ALT.

<p>The AUC for serum miR-34a, miR-122 and ALT are 0.781, 0.858 and 0.832, respectively.</p

Relative expression levels of serum miR-34a, miR122 and histological features of NAFLD patients.

<p>Relative expression levels of serum miR-34a, miR122 and histological features of NAFLD patients.</p

Diagnostic performance of serum miR-34a, miR-122 and ALT in healthy controls and NAFLD patients.

<p>Diagnostic performance of serum miR-34a, miR-122 and ALT in healthy controls and NAFLD patients.</p

Relative expression of serum miR-34a and miR-122 among healthy controls and NAFLD patients at various degree of inflammation.

<p>The <i>P</i> values were calculated according to Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s multiple comparison post-test. In the boxplots, the vertical lines indicate the range and the horizontal boundaries of the boxes represent the first and third quartile. The lines inside the boxes denote the medians. * p>0.01–0.05; ** p = 0.001–0.01; *** p<0.001.</p

Demographic and clinical characteristics of healthy controls and NAFLD patients.

<p>Demographic and clinical characteristics of healthy controls and NAFLD patients.</p

Relative expression of serum miR-34a and miR-122 among healthy controls and NAFLD patients according to stage of fibrosis and combined stages of fibrosis.

<p>The <i>P</i> values were calculated according to Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s multiple comparison post-test. In the boxplots, the vertical lines indicate the range and the horizontal boundaries of the boxes represent the first and third quartile. The lines inside the boxes denote the medians. * p>0.01–0.05; ** p = 0.001–0.01; *** p<0.001.</p

Relative expression of serum miR-34a and miR-122 among healthy controls and NAFLD patients at various degree of liver steatosis.

<p>The <i>P</i> values were calculated according to Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s multiple comparison post-test. In the boxplots, the vertical lines indicate the range and the horizontal boundaries of the boxes represent the first and third quartile. The lines inside the boxes denote the medians. * p>0.01–0.05; ** p = 0.001–0.01; *** p<0.001.</p