A Paradigm to Identify Biomarkers with Tissue Specificity and Disease Causality.

The journey of a biomarker from analytical and clinical validation to clinical and public health utility is laden with a host of challenges. This opinion piece and innovation analysis presents an approach to biomarker discovery and development with a focus on tissue specificity and disease causality, using the case of hepatic disease.

Serum CHI3L1 Levels Predict Overall Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients after Hepatectomy.

The Chitinase 3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) is currently used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. However, its prognostic value for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the CHI3L1 in HCC patients after hepatectomy.

miR-433 Inhibits Glioblastoma Progression by Suppressing the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway Through Direct Targeting of .

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly malignant brain tumor where new biomarkers and drug targets are much needed in the oncology clinic. miR-433 was identified as a tumor-suppressing miRNA in several different types of human cancer. However, the integrative biology of miR-433 in GBM is still largely unknown.

Immunological Findings in a Group of Individuals Who Were Poor or Non-Responders to Standard Two-Dose SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been declared a pandemic. However, data on the poor or non-responders to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the general population are limited. The objective of this study was to comprehensively compare the immunological characteristics of poor or non-responders to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the 18-59-year group with those in the ≥60-year group using internationally recognized cut-off values.

Comparison of immune response to SARS-COV-2 vaccine in COVID-recovered versus non-infected Individuals.

To determine the antibody levels at 6 months in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals in COVID-recovered versus non-infected groups to determine the need to administer booster COVID vaccine in each group. Prospective longitudinal study. Pathology Department, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore for a period of eight months from July 2021 to February 2022.

Multi-Omics and Artificial Intelligence-Guided Data Integration in Chronic Liver Disease: Prospects and Challenges for Precision Medicine.

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a significant planetary health burden. CLD includes a broad range of liver pathologies from different causes, for example, hepatitis B virus infection, fatty liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or the metabolic associated fatty liver disease. Biomarker and diagnostic discovery, and new molecular targets for precision treatments are timely and sorely needed in CLD.

Expression of 5-methylcytosine regulators is highly associated with the clinical phenotypes of prostate cancer and DNMTs expression predicts biochemical recurrence.

In patients with prostate cancer (PCa), there is a high rate of overdiagnosis and frequent overtreatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more accurate prediction of biochemical recurrence (BCR). DNA methylation regulation patterns play crucial roles in tumorigenicity, progression, and treatment efficacy in PCa.

Digital Transformation in Personalized Medicine with Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Medical Things.

Digital transformation is impacting every facet of science and society, not least because there is a growing need for digital services and products with the COVID-19 pandemic. But the need for digital transformation in diagnostics and personalized medicine field cuts deeper. In the past, personalized/precision medicine initiatives have been unable to capture the patients' experiences and clinical outcomes in real-time and in real-world settings.

Exome sequencing identified six copy number variations as a prediction model for recurrence of primary prostate cancers with distinctive prognosis.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common type of malignancy, which represents one of the leading causes of death among men worldwide. Copy number variations (CNVs) and gene fusions play important roles in PCa and may serve as markers for the prognosis of this condition.

Methods: We have presently conducted an analysis of CNVs and gene fusions in PCa, using whole exome sequencing (WES) data of primary tumors.

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Putative Predictors of Recurrent Prostate Cancer with High Accuracy.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly common cancer among men but lacks robust diagnostics that can predict disease recurrence after initial treatment, for example, with radical prostatectomy. Recent advances in genomics and next-generation sequencing heralded the discovery of biomarkers such as the androgen receptor gene () splice events, the gene fusion, long noncoding RNA and for PCa prognosis. Still, the question of why some patients experience recurrence, whereas others do not introduce marked uncertainty for both patients and physicians.

Novel Serum Biomarkers for Noninvasive Diagnosis and Screening of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease-Related Hepatic Fibrosis.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing global public health concern and becoming the leading cause of liver disease worldwide. The estimated global prevalence of NAFLD is ∼25% depending on the country and the assessment method used to establish the diagnosis. Meta-analyses suggest that the highest prevalence is in the Middle East (31.

CHI3L1 promotes tumor progression by activating TGF-β signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

CHI3L1 (YKL40) is a secreted glycoprotein and elevated serum CHI3L1 level has been proved to be associated with poor prognosis in many human cancers. However, the mechanism of how CHI3L1 causes poor prognosis in cancers is still unknown. Here, considering that CHI3L1 is a liver specific/enriched protein, we use hepatocellular carcinoma as a model to study the function of CHI3L1.

The comparison genomics analysis with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells under 3D and 2D cell culture conditions.

GBM, the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumors which needs new research approach to reveal the underline molecular mechanism of tumor progression. The 3D in vitro tumor model can be a simple and effective way to study tumor characteristics with ability to replicate of the tumor milieu. In the current study, we adopted the DNA microarray to analyze the gene expression of GBM tumor cells cultured under 2D cell culture flasks and 3D PLA porous scaffolds for 4,7 and 14 days.

An androgen response element driven reporter assay for the detection of androgen receptor activity in prostate cells.

The androgen receptor (AR) transcription factor plays a key role in the development and progression of prostate cancer, as is evident from the efficacy of androgen-deprivation therapy, AR is also the most frequently mutated gene, in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). AR has therefore become an even more attractive therapeutic target in aggressive and disseminated prostate cancer. To investigate mechanisms of AR and AR target gene activation in different subpopulations of prostate cancer cells, a toolkit of AR expressor and androgen response element (ARE) reporter vectors were developed.

Whole genome sequencing of matched tumor, adjacent non-tumor tissues and corresponding normal blood samples of hepatocellular carcinoma patients revealed dynamic changes of the mutations profiles during hepatocarcinogenesis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the third most deadly disease worldwide and HBV is the major factor in Asia and Africa. We conducted 9 WGS (whole genome sequencing) analyses for matched samples of tumor, adjacent non-tumor tissues and normal blood samples of HCC patients from three HBV positive patients. We then validated the mutations identified in a larger cohort of 177 HCC patients.

Axitinib blocks Wnt/β-catenin signaling and directs asymmetric cell division in cancer.

Oncogenic mutations of the Wnt (wingless)/β-catenin pathway are frequently observed in major cancer types. Thus far, however, no therapeutic agent targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling is available for clinical use. Here we demonstrate that axitinib, a clinically approved drug, strikingly blocks Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancer cells, zebrafish, and Apc(min/+) mice.

Context dependent regulatory patterns of the androgen receptor and androgen receptor target genes.

Background: Expression of the androgen receptor (AR) is associated with androgen-dependent proliferation arrest and terminal differentiation of normal prostate epithelial cells. Additionally, activation of the AR is required for survival of benign luminal epithelial cells and primary cancer cells, thus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) leads to apoptosis in both benign and cancerous tissue. Escape from ADT is known as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

[Target-resequencing to identify microRNA-associated SNP and predict the effect of SNP on microRNA function in colorectal cancer patients].

Objective: To identify SNPs in the miRNA genes in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and to investigate their association with CRC.

Methods: DNAs were isolated from 30 CRC tumor tissues and 30 tumor-adjacent tissues, and subjected to target capture using a custom miRNA chip covering 685 miRNA genes from NimbleGen. The captured DNAs were then sequenced using the Illumina's sequencing technology, and the data were analyzed.

CHI3L1 Is a Liver-Enriched, Noninvasive Biomarker That Can Be Used to Stage and Diagnose Substantial Hepatic Fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis is a major disease that is primarily caused by hepatitis virus infections, toxins, and alcohol abuse. Diagnosing and staging liver fibrosis are critical in guiding the treatment of chronic liver diseases, according to several international and Chinese guidelines. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing and staging liver fibrosis, but it is invasive and suffers from several limitations.

Characterisation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell microRNA in hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Unlabelled: Hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is a life-threatening condition and the mechanisms of its development and progression remain unclear. The aim of this study was to define the characteristics of peripheral blood mononuclear cell microRNAs in patients with HBV-ACLF. In this study, novel microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with HBV-ACLF were characterised by high-throughput sequencing and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).