EDITORIAL for BJP themed issue "noncoding RNA therapeutics".

This article is part of a themed issue Non-coding RNA Therapeutics. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.

Blood CD45/CD3 lymphocyte-released extracellular vesicles and mortality in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a major public health concern. Growing evidence shows that plasma of COVID-19 patients contains large numbers of circulating extracellular vesicles (cEVs) that correlate with disease severity and recovery. In this study, we sought to characterize the longitudinal cEV signature in critically ill COVID-19 patients during hospitalization and its relation to mortality risk.

Multiomic biomarkers after cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest is a sudden cessation of heart function, leading to an abrupt loss of blood flow and oxygen to vital organs. This life-threatening emergency requires immediate medical intervention and can lead to severe neurological injury or death. Methods and biomarkers to predict neurological outcome are available but lack accuracy.

Guidelines for mitochondrial RNA analysis.

Mitochondria are the energy-producing organelles of mammalian cells with critical involvement in metabolism and signaling. Studying their regulation in pathological conditions may lead to the discovery of novel drugs to treat, for instance, cardiovascular or neurological diseases, which affect high-energy-consuming cells such as cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, or neurons. Mitochondria possess both protein-coding and noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, and piwi-interacting RNAs, encoded by the mitochondria or the nuclear genome.

Smartphone use and cerebro-cardio-vascular health: opportunity or public health threat?

Graphical AbstractImpact of smartphone (over)use on cerebro-cardio-vascular health.

CD66b/CD68 circulating extracellular vesicles, lactate dehydrogenase and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio can differentiate coronavirus disease 2019 severity during and after infection.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major public health burden. We hypothesised that circulating extracellular vesicles (cEVs), key players in health and disease, could trace the cell changes during COVID-19 infection and recovery. Therefore, we studied the temporal trend of cEV and inflammatory marker levels in plasma samples of COVID-19 patients that were collected within 24 h of patient admission (baseline, n = 80) and after hospital discharge at day-90 post-admission (n = 59).

Cardiovascular history and risk of idiopathic Parkinson's disease: a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD), while often associated with its distinctive motor symptoms, can also exert a notable impact on the cardiovascular system due to the development of severe autonomic dysfunction. One of the initial indicators of PD is the appearance of cardiovascular dysautonomia. As such, it is vital to monitor and manage cardiovascular health of individuals with PD, as it may have clinical implications in the development of commonly recognized motor and non-motor aspects of the disease.

Increased [F]FDG uptake in the infarcted myocardial area displayed by combined PET/CMR correlates with snRNA-seq-detected inflammatory cell invasion.

Combined [F]FDG PET-cardiac MRI imaging (PET/CMR) is a useful tool to assess myocardial viability and cardiac function in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, we evaluated the prognostic value of PET/CMR in a porcine closed-chest reperfused AMI (rAMI) model. Late gadolinium enhancement by PET/CMR imaging displayed tracer uptake defect at the infarction site by 3 days after the rAMI in the majority of the animals (group Match, n = 28).

Biomarkers of food intake and their relevance to metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) constitutes a prevalent risk factor associated with non communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A major factor impacting the etiology of MetS is diet. Dietary patterns and several individual food constituents have been related to the risk of developing MetS or have been proposed as adjuvant treatment.

Circular RNA regulatory role in pathological cardiac remodelling.

Cardiac remodelling involves structural, cellular and molecular alterations in the heart after injury, resulting in progressive loss of heart function and ultimately leading to heart failure. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a recently rediscovered class of non-coding RNAs that play regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of the role of circRNAs in the processes governing cardiac remodelling may set the ground for the development of circRNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Development of a long noncoding RNA-based machine learning model to predict COVID-19 in-hospital mortality.

Tools for predicting COVID-19 outcomes enable personalized healthcare, potentially easing the disease burden. This collaborative study by 15 institutions across Europe aimed to develop a machine learning model for predicting the risk of in-hospital mortality post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. Blood samples and clinical data from 1286 COVID-19 patients collected from 2020 to 2023 across four cohorts in Europe and Canada were analyzed, with 2906 long non-coding RNAs profiled using targeted sequencing.

Navigating the path of reproducibility in microRNA-based biomarker research with ring trials.

The development of microRNA (miRNA)-based biomarkers has gained significant attention due to their potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic applications. However, the reproducibility of miRNA biomarker research faces unique challenges, primarily due to the influence of pre-analytical and analytical factors. The absence of standardized procedures contributes to inconsistencies across studies, alongside challenges in reference gene selection, data analysis methods and miRNA profiling platforms.

Targeting noncoding RNAs to treat atherosclerosis.

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are pivotal for various pathological processes, impacting disease progression. The potential for leveraging ncRNAs to prevent or treat atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular diseases is of great significance, especially given the increasing prevalence of atherosclerosis in an ageing and sedentary population. Together, these diseases impose a substantial socio-economic burden, demanding innovative therapeutic solutions.

The science behind soft skills: Do's and Don'ts for early career researchers and beyond. A review paper from the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129.

Soft skills are the elementary management, personal, and interpersonal abilities that are vital for an individual to be efficient at workplace or in their personal life. Each work place requires different set of soft skills. Thus, in addition to scientific/technical skills that are easier to access within a short time frame, several key soft skills are essential for the success of a researcher in today's international work environment.

Addressing the unsolved challenges in microRNA-based biomarker development: Suitable endogenous reference microRNAs for SARS-CoV-2 infection severity.

Circulating cell-free microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for medical decision-making. Suitable endogenous controls are essential to ensure reproducibility. We aimed to identify and validate endogenous reference miRNAs for qPCR data normalization in samples from SARS-CoV-2-infected hospitalized patients.

Evolution of journal clubs: fostering collaborative learning in modern research.

Journal clubs have been a staple in scientific communities, facilitating discussions on recent publications. However, the overwhelming volume of biomedical information poses a challenge in literature selection. This article provides an overview of journal club types and their efficacy in training potential peer reviewers, enhancing communication skills, and critical thinking.

Non-coding RNAs as therapeutic targets and biomarkers in ischaemic heart disease.

The adult heart is a complex, multicellular organ that is subjected to a series of regulatory stimuli and circuits and has poor reparative potential. Despite progress in our understanding of disease mechanisms and in the quality of health care, ischaemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally, owing to adverse cardiac remodelling, leading to ischaemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Therapeutic targets are urgently required for the protection and repair of the ischaemic heart.

Multicomponent (bio)markers for obesity risk prediction: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Despite international efforts, the number of individuals struggling with obesity is still increasing. An important aspect of obesity prevention relates to identifying individuals at risk at early stage, allowing for timely risk stratification and initiation of countermeasures. However, obesity is complex and multifactorial by nature, and one isolated (bio)marker is unlikely to enable an optimal risk stratification and prognosis for the individual; rather, a combined set is required.

Recommendations for detection, validation, and evaluation of RNA editing events in cardiovascular and neurological/neurodegenerative diseases.

RNA editing, a common and potentially highly functional form of RNA modification, encompasses two different RNA modifications, namely adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) and cytidine to uridine (C-to-U) editing. As inosines are interpreted as guanosines by the cellular machinery, both A-to-I and C-to-U editing change the nucleotide sequence of the RNA. Editing events in coding sequences have the potential to change the amino acid sequence of proteins, whereas editing events in noncoding RNAs can, for example, affect microRNA target binding.

A Machine Learning Model Based on microRNAs for the Diagnosis of Essential Hypertension.

Introduction: Hypertension is a major and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Essential, primary, or idiopathic hypertension accounts for 90-95% of all cases. Identifying novel biomarkers specific to essential hypertension may help in understanding pathophysiological pathways and developing personalized treatments.