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Introduction. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major threat to human health. Due to the limited accuracy of the current TB diagnostic tests, it is critical to determine novel biomarkers for this disease. Circulating exosomes have been used as diagnostic biomarkers in various diseases. Objective of the Study. In this pilot study, we examined the expression of miRNAs as biomarker candidates for the diagnosis of TB infection. Methods. Serum-derived exosomes were isolated from TB patients and matched control subjects. The expression of miR-484, miR-425, and miR-96 was examined by RT-PCR methods. Results. The expression of miR-484, miR-425, and miR-96 were significantly increased in serum of TB patients which correlated with the TB infection level. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed the diagnostic potency of each individual serum exosomal miRNA with an area under the curve AUC=0.72 for miR-484 (p<0.05), 0.66 for miR-425 (p<0.05), and 0.62 for miR-96 (p<0.05). Conclusion. These results demonstrate that exosomal miRNAs have diagnostic potential in active tuberculosis. The diagnostic power may be improved when combined with conventional diagnostic markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. miRNAs contribute to a variety of essential biological processes including development, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Circulating microRNAs are very stable and have shown potential as biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. microRNA-208b expression was increased in the blood of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and has been proposed as a biomarker for early diagnosis. In this pilot study, we investigate the potential of circulating miR-208b as a prognostic biomarker of 6-month survival in AMI patients. Methods. Plasma samples from 21 patients and 8 age- and gender-matched healthy adults were collected, and circulating levels of miR-208b were detected using quantitative real-time PCR. Results. miR-208b levels were higher in healthy control subjects (9.6-fold; P≤0.05). Within the AMI patients, the levels of miR-208b were significantly lower in the survivor versus nonsurvivor group (fold change = 6.51 and 14.1, resp.; P≤0.05). The Kaplan-Meier curve revealed that the 6-month survival time was significantly higher among AMI patients with a relative expression of miR-208b lower than 12.38. The hazard ratio (HR) for the relative expression of miR-208b (<12.38 was the reference) was 5.08 (95% CI: 1.13–22.82; P=0.03). Conclusion. Our results showed that elevated miR-208b expression was associated with reduced long-term survival in AMI patients. These pilot data indicate the need for a large follow-up study to confirm whether miR-208b can be used as a predictor of 6-month survival time after AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]