ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the potential role of deranged fecal microRNA (miRNA) pattern as a reliable warning signal of colorectal cancer (CRC), a subset of fecal CRC-related miRNAs was evaluated in CRC patients, before and after surgery, and in healthy controls. METHODS: Twenty CRC patients and 20 age/sex-matched healthy volunteers with negative colonoscopy entered the study. Cancer biopsy, colonic mucosa from the resected specimens, and fecal samples from patients and controls were screened for 13 miRNAs involved in CRC onset and progressions by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Postoperative evaluation of fecal miRNAs was carried out after a median follow-up of 18 months (range 12-30). RESULTS: Two out 13 miRNAs (RNU6B, miR-16-3p) were used as internal controls leaving 11 available for analysis. Cancer tissue contained significantly higher expression of all miRNAs, compared to normal mucosa (p < 0.05). Expression of preoperative levels of five fecal miRNAs, (miR-19-b-3p, miR-20a-5p, miR-21-3p, miR92a-3p, miR141) was significantly higher in CRC patients compared to controls and significantly decreased after curative surgery. Three out of these five miRNAs (miR20a-5p, miR21-3p, and miR141) returned to values comparable to normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: A set of three specific fecal miRNAs is overexpressed before surgery, and return within the normal range after cancer removal could be considered as an appealing opportunity for a new reliable tool for CRC secondary prevention. However, their role needs to be explored in large prospective trials and compared with the existing screening tools.
Subject(s)
Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics , Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery , Colorectal Surgery , Feces/chemistry , MicroRNAs/genetics , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Case-Control Studies , Demography , Female , Gene Expression Profiling , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Humans , Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism , Intestinal Mucosa/pathology , Male , MicroRNAs/metabolism , Middle Aged , RNA Stability/genetics , ROC Curve , Reproducibility of ResultsSubject(s)
Allergens/immunology , Antigens, Plant/adverse effects , Food Hypersensitivity/etiology , Mentha/adverse effects , Respiratory Hypersensitivity/etiology , Adult , Allergens/adverse effects , Angioedema , Antigens, Plant/immunology , Antigens, Plant/isolation & purification , Eating , Female , Food Hypersensitivity/diagnosis , Humans , Immunoglobulin E/immunology , Immunoglobulin E/metabolism , Oils, Volatile/adverse effects , Plant Extracts , Plant Leaves/adverse effects , Respiratory Hypersensitivity/diagnosis , Skin TestsABSTRACT
Thirty-nine consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 40 control subjects were studied by echocardiography in order to assess the incidence of cardiac involvement in this disease. The occurrence of anatomic lesions in our series was lower than that observed in other studies. No differences in mean values of left and right ventricular diastolic function indexes obtained by Doppler echocardiography were found between patients and controls. However, in 26% of patients with RA, left ventricular abnormalities probably secondary to myocardial fibrosis were observed.
