Disease Markers
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Acceptance rate6%
Submission to final decision131 days
Acceptance to publication42 days
CiteScore3.700
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Impact Factor-

Determination of Tumor Marker Screening for Lung Cancer Using ROC Curves

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 Journal profile

Disease Markers publishes papers related to the identification of disease markers, the elucidation of their role and mechanism, as well as their application in the prognosis, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

 Editor spotlight

Chief Editor Paola Gazzaniga is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Her core research focuses on liquid biopsies in patients with solid tumors.

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Research Article

Plasma microRNA-320c as a Potential Biomarker for the Severity of Knee Osteoarthritis and Regulates cAMP Responsive Element Binding Protein 5 (CREB5) in Chondrocytes

Objective. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a commonly known prevalent joint disease, with limited therapeutic methods. This study aimed to investigate the expression of plasma microRNA-320c (miR-320c) in patients with knee OA and to explore the clinical value and potential mechanism of miR-320c in knee OA. Methods. Forty knee OA patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. The levels of plasma miR-320c and plasma inflammatory cytokines were measured by real-time PCR or ELISA. Correlations of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores and cytokine levels with the miR-320c expression level were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Then, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyse the diagnostic value of miR-320c in OA. Finally, the interaction of miR-320c and cAMP responsive element binding protein 5 (CREB5) was determined using a luciferase reporter assay, and the effect of CREB5 on the cAMP pathway was assessed. Results. The expression level of plasma miR-320c was significantly higher in OA patients than in healthy controls (). The increased plasma miR-320c level was positively correlated with the WOMAC score (r = 0.796, ) and the plasma interleukin (IL)-1β (r = 0.814, ) and IL-6 (r = 0.695, ) levels in patients with OA. ROC curve analysis demonstrated the relatively high diagnostic accuracy of plasma miR-320c for OA. Furthermore, the luciferase reporter assay results showed that miR-320c regulates CREB5 expression by binding to the CREB5 3′-untranslated region. Moreover, suppression of CREB5 significantly reduced the expression levels of c-fos and c-jun. Conclusion. Our results indicate that plasma miR-320c may serve as a potential novel predictor of the severity of knee OA and that miR-320c may play an important role in the pathogenesis of OA through inhibiting the cAMP pathway by targeting CREB5.

Review Article

Assessment of Antioxidant Enzyme Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) in Oral Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. The present article aims to comprehensively review the existing literature on superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels, an antioxidant enzyme, in oral cancer. Method. An extensive literature search was conducted across various databases, including PubMed, Wiley Online Library, Science Direct, and Cross Reference, spanning 1998–2023. At the outset, 1,177 articles were initially identified, and 907 studies were excluded due to irrelevance or duplication of the research question. Subsequently, 270 articles underwent screening evaluation, resulting in the selection of 85 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Following this, 68 articles underwent a full-text comprehensive assessment, and ultimately, 39 were chosen for data extraction. The risk of bias in the designated articles was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Finally, 13 studies were meticulously selected, offering consistent data for the ensuing meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was executed using comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) version 3 software (Bio Stat Inc., Englewood, NJ, USA). The meta-analysis findings revealed a statistically significant decrease in SOD levels in both erythrocyte samples () and tissue samples () among individuals with oral cancer (OSCC) compared to the normal control group. Conversely, the analysis of three studies on salivary samples demonstrated a significant increase () in SOD levels in the oral cancer group compared to the healthy controls. Conclusion. This systematic review underscores a statistically significant decline in SOD levels observed across diverse bio-samples in individuals with oral cancer, indicating an excess of oxidative stress (OS). Additional research is needed to delve into the relationship between SOD levels and clinic–pathological prognostic markers within the oral cancer cohort. Such investigations have the potential to significantly contribute to the development of prognostic tools grounded in OS, thereby guiding strategies for treatment planning.

Review Article

Circulating Nucleic Acids in Colorectal Cancer: Diagnostic and Prognostic Value

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer in the world and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality. DNA (cfDNA/ctDNA) and RNA (cfRNA/ctRNA) in the blood are promising noninvasive biomarkers for molecular profiling, screening, diagnosis, treatment management, and prognosis of CRC. Technological advancements that enable precise detection of both genetic and epigenetic abnormalities, even in minute quantities in circulation, can overcome some of these challenges. This review focuses on testing for circulating nucleic acids in the circulation as a noninvasive method for CRC detection, monitoring, detection of minimal residual disease, and patient management. In addition, the benefits and drawbacks of various diagnostic techniques and associated bioinformatics tools have been detailed.

Research Article

Neutrophil–Lymphocyte and Platelet–Lymphocyte Ratios in Distinguishing Lung Cancer in People with HIV

Objective. The neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) demonstrate good diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing lung cancer patients from healthy individuals, primarily in HIV-negative populations. We determined the sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and area under the curve (AUC) of the NLR and PLR in discriminating between people living with HIV (PLWH) with and without lung cancer. Methods. This is a comparative analysis of secondary data. Cases were PLWH with lung cancer from a retrospective cohort treated at the Uganda Cancer Institute. Controls were unmatched PLWH without lung cancer who were randomly selected from three HIV clinics in Uganda. Se, Sp, and AUC analysis and determination of optimal cutoffs were performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results. Of 115 PLWH (18 cases and 97 controls), 83 (72.2%) were female, 110 (95.7) were on ART, and the median (IQR) age was 46 (38–51) years. The median (IQR) NLR was higher among cases than controls (3.53 (3.14–7.71) vs. 0.92 (0.67–1.09), ). Similarly, the PLR was higher among cases than controls (237.5 (177.8–361.6) vs. 123.6 (100.6–155.4), ). At a cutoff of 2.44, the respective Se, Sp, and AUC of the NLR were 87.5% (95% CI: 61.7%–98.4%), 100% (95% CI: 96.2%–100%), and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.85–1.00, ). Similarly, the respective Se, Sp, and AUC for the PLR were 75% (95% CI: 47.6%–92.7%), 87.2% (95% CI: 78.8%–93.2%), and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.70–0.93, ) at a cutoff of 196.3. Conclusion. The NLR and PLR discriminated PLWH with and without lung cancer and could be useful in PLWH with respiratory symptoms in whom lung cancer can easily be misdiagnosed as other lung pathology.

Research Article

Examining the Association of Rare Allelic Variants in Urate Transporters SLC22A11, SLC22A13, and SLC17A1 with Hyperuricemia and Gout

Genetic variations in urate transporters play a significant role in determining human urate levels and have been implicated in developing hyperuricemia or gout. Polymorphism in the key urate transporters, such as ABCG2, URAT1, or GLUT9 was well-documented in the literature. Therefore in this study, our objective was to determine the frequency and effect of rare nonsynonymous allelic variants of SLC22A11, SLC22A13, and SLC17A1 on urate transport. In a cohort of 150 Czech patients with primary hyperuricemia and gout, we examined all coding regions and exon–intron boundaries of SLC22A11, SLC22A13, and SLC17A1 using PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing. For comparison, we used a control group consisting of 115 normouricemic subjects. To examine the effects of the rare allelic nonsynonymous variants on the expression, intracellular processing, and urate transporter protein function, we performed a functional characterization using the HEK293A cell line, immunoblotting, fluorescent microscopy, and site directed mutagenesis for preparing variants in vitro. Variants p.V202M (rs201209258), p.R343L (rs75933978), and p.P519L (rs144573306) were identified in the SLC22A11 gene (OAT4 transporter); variants p.R16H (rs72542450), and p.R102H (rs113229654) in the SLC22A13 gene (OAT10 transporter); and the p.W75C variant in the SLC17A1 gene (NPT1 transporter). All variants minimally affected protein levels and cytoplasmic/plasma membrane localization. The functional in vitro assay revealed that contrary to the native proteins, variants p.P519L in OAT4 (), p.R16H in OAT10 (), and p.W75C in the NPT1 transporter () significantly limited urate transport activity. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of (1) the risk of urate transporter-related hyperuricemia/gout and (2) uric acid handling in the kidneys.

Research Article

Arterial Hypertension and Its Consequences Are the Main Predictors of Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source

Background and Purpose. Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) is a subcategory of cryptogenic stroke with high frequency of occurrence and insufficient understanding its risk factors leads to the lack of determined strategies for primary/secondary prevention. This study was aimed to identify the most prominent predictors of the ESUS and to generate the overall predictive model. Methods. We performed a hospital-based prospective cohort study with 1,317 enrolled participants. We compared patients and healthy volunteers according to the main demographic, anthropometric parameters, stroke risk factors, comorbidities, and data of clinical and instrumental examination. In order to balance the study and the control groups for age and sex, the propensity score matching was performed. In order to generate the overall predictive model, a multivariate analysis was performed using the binary logistic regression method. Results. The following predictors of ESUS were identified in current study: arterial hypertension (AH); increased heart rate and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP); the presence of conduction disturbance; the enlargement of left, right atrium, and left ventricle end-systolic length; increased intima–media thickness (IMT) in right and left common carotid artery (CCA); lowered Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoСA) cognitive scale score; the presence of subcortical microbleeds; central brain atrophy; the larger size of third ventricle; and the higher medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) score. The following risk factors were included in the final predictive model: the presence of AH (; OR = 12.98 (95% CI: 4.53–37.21)) and PASP (; OR = 1.13 (95% CI: 1.02–1.25)) and male sex (; OR = 2.771 (95% CI: 1.017–7.555)). The Nagelkerke’s pseudo-R-squared value was 0.404 and the significance of the Hosmer–Lemeshow test was 0.733, which indicate the goodness of the final logistic regression model. Conclusions. We propose that AH and its consequences are the main predictors of ESUS. The results of this study emphasize the importance of AH control for primary and secondary prevention of ESUS.

Disease Markers
 Journal metrics
See full report
Acceptance rate6%
Submission to final decision131 days
Acceptance to publication42 days
CiteScore3.700
Journal Citation Indicator-
Impact Factor-
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