ABSTRACT
Objectives: To investigate the clinical course and mid-term prognosis of neonates admitted with pleural effusion. Methods: Case records of 38 neonates admitted with pleural effusion were retrieved and analyzed. Results: 16 (42%) patients had congenital and 22 (58%) patients had acquired causes of pleural effusion. The most common causes of congenital pleural effusion and acquired pleural effusion were chylothorax (18%) and congestive heart failure (13%), respectively. Poorer outcome was observed with fetal hydrops, preterm birth (<34 weeks) and associated defects. Conclusions: Most of the neonates with pleural effusion have good outcome in the mid-term follow-up.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the expression pattern of microRNAs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with an attempt to identify the role of microRNA in the pathogenesis of SLE.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>SLE-related genes were searched from the published literatures. Using the microRNA target gene prediction databases, we predicted the putative microRNA targets in these SLE-related genes. For some of the corresponding microRNAs (hsa-miR-146a), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression levels of these microRNAs in PBMCs of SLE patients (SLE group) and healthy controls (control group).</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The discrepancy of cycle threshold of hsa-miR-146a in PBMCs was significantly higher in SLE group (4.52±1.18) than in control group (2.76±1.38) (P=0.02), and the expression level of hsa-miR-146a was significantly lower in SLE group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of hsa-miR-146a decreases in SLE patients, indicating that hsa-miR-146a may play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE.</p>