Identification of functionally important miRNA targeted genes associated with child obesity trait in genome-wide association studies.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered thousands of genetic variants that are associated with complex human traits and diseases. miRNAs are single-stranded non-coding RNAs. In particular, genetic variants located in the 3'UTR region of mRNAs may play an important role in gene regulation through their interaction with miRNAs.

Identifying Putative Causal Links between MicroRNAs and Severe COVID-19 Using Mendelian Randomization.

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused millions of deaths worldwide. Early risk assessment of COVID-19 cases can help direct early treatment measures that have been shown to improve the prognosis of severe cases. Currently, circulating miRNAs have not been evaluated as canonical COVID-19 biomarkers, and identifying biomarkers that have a causal relationship with COVID-19 is imperative.