Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by major social, communication and behavioural challenges. The cause of ASD is still unclear and it is assumed that environmental, genetic and epigenetic factors influence the risk of ASD occurrence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short 21-25 nucleotide long RNA molecules which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MiRNAs play an important role in central nervous system development; therefore, dysregulation of miRNAs is connected to changes in behaviour and cognition observed in many disorders including ASD. Based on previously published work, on diagnosing ASD using miRNAs, we hypothesized that miRNAs can be used as biomarkers in children with suspected developmental disorders (DD) including ASD within Bosnian-Herzegovinian (B&H) population. 14 selected miRNAs were tested on saliva of children with suspected developmental disorders including ASD. The method of choice was qRT-PCR as a relatively cheap method available in most diagnostic laboratories in low to mid-income countries (LMIC). Out of 14 analysed miRNAs, 6 were differentially expressed between typically developing children and children with some type of developmental disorder including autism spectrum disorder. Using the most optimal logistic regression, we were able to distinguish between ASD and typically developing (TD) children. We have found 5 miRNAs as potential biomarkers. From those, 3 were differentially expressed within the ASD cohort. All 5 miRNAs had shown good chi-square statistics within the logistic regression performed on all 14 analysed miRNAs. The accuracy of 5-miRNAs model training set was 90.2%, while the validation set had a 90% accuracy. This study has shown that miRNAs may be considered as biomarkers for ASD detection and may be used to identify children with ASD along with standard developmental screening tests. By combining these methods we may be able to reach a reliable and accessible diagnostic model for children with ASD in LMIC such as B&H.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, 21-24 nucleotides long, non-coding RNAs involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Using the array analysis on Arabidopsis thaliana infected with the Oil-seed Rape Mosaic Virus (ORMV), we have found 28 up-regulated miRNAs. From them, six were selected for further validation by Northern blot analysis: miRNA172a, miRNA161, miRNA167a&b, miRNA168a&b, miRNA171a, and miRNA159. In addition, 29 miRNAs were detected in plants exposed to drought stress, 13 of those detected miRNAs were up-regulated and 16 down-regulated miRNAs. Out of 29 differentially expressed miRNAs during the abiotic stress, six miRNAs (167a&b, 168a&b, 173, 171b&c, 399d and 447c) were chosen for Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis to confirm the array results. Interestingly, four out of these six miRNAs, 171b&c, 168a&b, 399d, and 447c, showed very high abundance of pri-miRNAs and pre-miRNAs. Furthermore, mature forms of miRNAs171b&c, 399d, and 447c, were not detectable in the rosette leaves, indicating that miRNA processing is tissue specific. In conclusion, using the array analysis we show that 28 miRNAs are involved in the plant response to viral infection and 29 miRNAs are involved in the regulation of drought stress. We also demonstrate that at least some miRNAs involved in the stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana are regulated at the maturation level. One such example is miRNA 171b&c. This miRNA is transcribed in all tissues, evidenced by its detected pri and pre-miRNA forms; however, its mature form is constitutively or transiently expressed depending on the tissue type.
A mumps outbreak reported from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina involved 7,895 cases between December 2010 and September 2012. This was the largest outbreak in the country since the introduction of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in 1980. The highest disease incidence was found among 15 to 19 year-olds. About 39% (3,050/7,895) of cases reported to be unvaccinated; the vaccination status of 31% (2,426/7,895) was unknown. A seroprevalence study among 150 asymptomatic contacts to mumps cases showed that about one third (45/150) were susceptible to mumps. Among 105 clinically suspected mumps patients hospitalised at the Clinical Centre of the University of Sarajevo, orchitis (60% of all males: 51/85) and meningitis (9%: 9/105) were the most common complications. Among 57 outbreak sequences obtained for the small hydrophobic gene, eight different variants of genotype G viruses were identified. The outbreak affected mainly age groups comprising individuals who were not vaccinated during or after the Bosnian war, as well as cantons with single dose immunisation policies until 2001. In addition to issues related to vaccination of individuals, differential responses to vaccines and vaccine strains, waning of antibodies and potentially also the genetically diverse variants of genotype G may have compounded the size and duration of the outbreak. Our report emphasizes the need for supplementary immunisation programmes in particular for adolescents and young adults.
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