Search

Renal dysfunction is a common complication of sepsis. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of sepsis with renal insufficiency are crucial for improving patient outcomes. Diagnostic markers can help identify patients at risk for sepsis and AKI, allowing for early intervention and potentially preventing the development of severe complications. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression difference of urinary microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) in elderly patients with sepsis and secondary renal insufficiency, and to evaluate their diagnostic value in these patients. In the present study, RNA was extracted from urine samples of elderly sepsis-related acute renal damage patients and the expression profiles of several miRNAs were analyzed. In order to evaluate the expression profile of several miRNAs, urine samples from elderly patients with acute renal damage brought on by sepsis were obtained. RNA extraction and sequencing were then performed on the samples. Furthermore, multiple bioinformatics methods were used to analyze miRNA profiles, including differential expression analysis, and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis of different miRNA target genes, to further explore miRNAs that are suitable for utilization as biomarkers. A total of four miRNAs, including hsa-miR-31-5p, hsa-miR-151a-3p, hsa-miR-142-5p and hsa-miR-16-5p, were identified as potential biological markers and were further confirmed in sepsis using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The results of the present study demonstrated that the four urinary miRNAs were differentially expressed and may serve as specific markers for prediction of secondary acute kidney injury in elderly patients with sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular aspects of genotypic variation in nitrogen (N) utilization efficiency (NUtE) of wheat are largely unknown. A greenhouse experiment was designed to study the expression patterns of five genes ( TaGS1c ; TaGS2a ; TaAlaAT ; TaASN1 and TaPPDK ) involved in N metabolism in two wheat genotypes with high and low NUtEs. N-efficient (YM18) and N-inefficient (XY6) wheat genotypes were planted at low N (no N application) and high N (0.3 g N kg −1 soil) treatments. Shoots were sampled at the F3 (tillering), F7 (jointing), F10 (heading) and F11 (grain filling) stages, and expression of the five genes was quantified using real-time, reverse transcription PCR (polymerase chain reaction). The higher grain NUtE of YM18 compared to XY6 was attributed to its higher N remobilization efficiency. The expression of the five genes showed significant seasonal dynamics, and expression of genes TaGS1c , TaAlaAT and TaPPDK in YM18 increased significantly and were higher than that in XY6 at reproductive growth under either low or high N treatments. These genes may contribute to the high N remobilization efficiency of YM18 and serve as potential targets to enhance NUtE of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study was designed to detect the expression level of thimet oligopeptidase (THOP1) protein in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and investigate its correlation with clinicopathologic features and prognosis. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was used to determine the expression of THOP1 protein in 120 NSCLC specimens and 53 distant normal lung tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting were employed to measure the expression of THOP1 in 16 pairs of primary NSCLC and corresponding normal tissues. Results: Analysis of immunohistochemical staining suggested low THOP1 expression was found in 71 (59.2%) of the 120 NSCLC specimens and significantly correlated with positive lymph node metastasis (P = 0.048). However, low THOP1 expression was found in 22 (41.5%) of the 53 normal lung tissues. Chi-square test suggested that the expression of THOP1 was significantly higher in the normal lung tissues than that in the NSCLC specimens (P = 0.032). Real-Time PCR and western blotting showed that NSCLC specimens had decreased THOP1 mRNA and protein expression compared to corresponding normal tissues. Univariate analysis demonstrated that low THOP1 expression significantly predicted decreased 5-year disease-free survival (P = 0.038) and overall survival (P = 0.017). In addition, positive lymph node metastasis (P = 0.025) and advanced TNM stage (P = 0.009) significantly predicted decreased 5-year overall survival. However, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that only low THOP1 expression retained its significance as an independent prognostic factor for unfavorable 5-year disease-free survival (P = 0.046) and overall survival (P = 0.021). Conclusions: THOP1 may have clinical potentials to be employed as a promising biomarker to identify individuals with better prognosis and a novel antitumor agent for therapy of patients with NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]