Investigation of Circulating miRNA-133, miRNA-26, and miRNA-378 as Candidate Biomarkers for Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Background/Aim: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) involves increased muscular mass of the left ventricle due to increased cardiomyocyte size and is caused by cardiomyopathies. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in processes that contribute to heart disease. This study aimed to examine miRNA-133, miRNA-26 and miRNA-378 as candidate biomarkers to define prognosis in patients with LVH. Patients and Methods: The study group consisted of 70 patients who were diagnosed with LVH and 16 unaffected individuals who served as the control group. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze serum miRNA-133, miRNA-26, and miRNA-378 expression levels in LVH patients and the control group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic capability of miRNA-378. Results: When crossing threshold (CT) values were compared between patient and control samples, we found that there were no statistically significant differences in miRNA-133 and miRNA-26 CT values, while the miRNA-378 expression was significantly increased in LVH patients. ROC analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of miRNA-378 (AUC=0.484, p=0.0013) were significantly different between groups. Conclusion: We observed a statistically significant relationship between miRNA-378 expression levels and LVH, suggesting that circulating miRNA-378 may be used as a novel biomarker to distinguish patients who have LVH from those who do not

The use of bioactive factors to enhance bone regeneration. A narrative review.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Donos, N. , Dereka, X. and Calciolari, E. (2019), The use of bioactive factors to enhance bone regeneration. A narrative review. J Clin Periodontol. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1111/jcpe.13048, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpe.13048. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsAimThis reviewcritically appraisesthe available knowledge on the pre-clinical and clinical use of bioactive factorsfor bone regeneration in the cranial and maxillo-facial area.Materials and MethodsThe use of growth factors, amelogenins and autologous platelet concentrates (APCs) for bone regeneration wasreviewedin a systematic manner. More specifically,preclinical and clinical studies on ridge preservation, alveolar ridge augmentation, regeneration of peri-implant defects and sinus augmentation models were considered.ResultsAmongst different bioactive factors, the highest pre-clinical and clinical evidence of a positive effect on bone formation is associated with BMP-2 and the lowest with amelogenins. While APCs seem to accelerate clinical healing and reduce postoperative discomfort, there is insufficient and contrasting evidence of a significant effect on hard tissue regenerationfor the different clinical applications.ConclusionsAlthough there is increasing evidence that bioactive factors might enhance the bone regeneration process, the great heterogeneity of the available studies and the limited number of RCTs do not allow to draw robust conclusions. Issues that still need to be investigated include the optimal carriersfor bioactive agents (direct vs. indirect), the dosage, the timing of administration, as well as the possibility of combining different agents to promote synergistic effects