MicroRNA-377 expression level as a marker of nephropathy in Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most dangerous complications of diabetes mellitus. To prevent these complications in diabetic patients monitoring of patients is a must. In last decades many authors were trying to investigate molecular biomarker to detect patients who are at risk. MicroRNA-377 is one of the promising biomarkers for prediction of diabetic nephropathy. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of miRNA-377 as early predictor of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Patients and methods: Seventy five patients with type 2 diabetes and 25 healthy control participants are enrolled in a case-control study. Clinical evaluation, and laboratory investigations including fasting plasma glucose, serum creatinine, fasting lipid profile, glycosylated hemoglobin, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albumin creatinine ratio, The expression of serum miRNA-377 was measured via quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: Expression of miR-377 could differentiate diabetic patients from healthy control as the expression of miR-377 was significantly higher in overall T2DM patients than in the healthy control (2.5 fold change, P<0.001), and was progressively increased in the normoalbuminuric group and further increased in the microalbuminuric and macroalbuminuric groups (1.92, 2.76, 3.38 fold change respectively, P<0.001). MiR-377 expression levels were positively correlated with diabetes duration, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1C, total cholesterol, LDL-C, triglycerides, creatinine and ACR, while miR-377 expression levels were significantly negatively correlated with HDL-C and eGFR.Conclusions: MiR-377 might act as a promising biomarker for prediction of development of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes patients

Neuron Specific Enolase in Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Does it Correlate with Impaired Consciousness and Disease Severity?

Background: Diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) is the leading cause of death in children with diabetes, especially when it is complicated by cerebral edema. The predictors of CNS dysfunction/injury are largely unknown. In many neurological disorders, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is a marker of neuronal damage. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of serum neuron-specific enolase as a marker of neuronal damage in patients with DKA.Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study with 90 DKA patients (aged 9.58 ± 2.89 years) presenting to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Children Hospital Zagazig University. Patients subjected to clinical history and examination including Glasco coma scale (GCS), blood glucose, serum electrolytes, blood PH and computed tomography of the brain for children with disturbed consciousness. Blood NSE at admission (baseline point) and after 24 hours of starting treatment of DKA (2-time points). Results: There was a significant difference between NSE level on admission and NSE level 24 hours after start of treatment. Patients with low GCS scores had higher serum NSE at baseline and 2-time points than those with normal CGS (P=0.001; P=0.053). Patients with moderate and severe DKA had higher NSE at baseline and 2-time points in comparison with those with mild DKA (P=0.001; P=0.098).Conclusions: Children with moderate to severe DKA and impaired consciousness had higher serum NSE. The high levels of NSE in patients with abnormal GCS, in the absence of cerebral edema on brain imaging indicate that NSE is a reliable marker of neuronal injury

Role of MicroRNA-155 as a Potential Biomarker for Allergic Rhinitis in Children

Background. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory state categorized by a disturbance of immunoregulatory mechanisms. MicroRNA-155 (miRNA-155) has an essential role in regulating gene expression and can mediate the allergic TH2 process. Objective. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the role of miR-155 as a biomarker in AR and correlate its level with the total nasal symptom score (TNSS) and the levels of serum interleukin-4 (IL-4). Methods. This study included 90 children: 45 with pollen-induced AR and 45 healthy controls. Serum miR-155 expression levels were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Human IL-4 ELIZA kits were used for the semiquantitative detection of the serum levels of IL-4. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the best cutoff values for the studied parameters for the diagnosis of AR. Results. The demographic characteristics of the two groups were matched with respect to age and sex. The AR case group included 23 (51.1%) males and 22 (48.9%) females, while the control group included 24 (53.3%) males and 21 (46.7%) females. The miR-155 level was increased in the serum of children with pollen-induced AR compared with controls (mean difference = 2.8, p<0.001). A significant positive correlation between the serum expression level of miR-155 and TNSS in children with AR was detected (r = 0.494, p<0.001). However, no significant correlation was identified between the expression of miR-155 and that of IL-4. At a cutoff value of 1.09, the sensitivity of miR-155 as a biomarker for AR was 100%, and the specificity was 71.1%. Conclusion. MiR-155 expression levels were elevated in the serum of AR children. Therefore, miR-155 could be used as a biomarker in AR diagnosis