Tissue and serum miR-149-3p/5p in hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Correlation with disease severity and inflammatory markers.

This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of tissue and serum miR-149-3p and miR-149-5p in hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A total of 35 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, 12 Crohn's disease (CD) patients, and 25 healthy controls were included in the study. The miRNAs expressions were measured in tissue and serum samples using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Inflammatory biomarkers were measured, including serum albumin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and fecal calprotectin. MiR-149-3p and miR-149-5p were significantly decreased in the inflamed areas of both CD and UC patients compared to tissue controls, which was consistent with decreased serum levels in IBD patients compared to healthy controls. When distinguishing UC patients from healthy controls, serum miR-149-3p showed 74% sensitivity and 96% specificity, while serum miR-149-5p exhibited 63% sensitivity and 96% specificity. In the CD versus healthy control comparison, miR-149-3p achieved 100% sensitivity and 96% specificity, while miR-149-5p demonstrated 92% sensitivity and 96% specificity. In the UC versus CD comparison, miR-149-5p showed 75% sensitivity and 77% specificity, while miR-149-3p displayed 67% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Significant correlations were identified between the tissue and serum expression of miR-149-3p/5p and disease activity scores, as well as inflammatory biomarkers in both CD and UC patients. Decreased expression of miR-149-3p and miR-149-5p is associated with disease activity in IBD patients. These miRNAs demonstrate diagnostic potential and may serve as biomarkers for monitoring disease activity in IBD.

Identification of Senescence-Related Subtypes, the Development of a Prognosis Model, and Characterization of Immune Infiltration and Gut Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer.

Cellular senescence is associated with tumorigenesis, and the subtype and prognostic signatures of senescence-related genes (SRGs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and gut microbiota have not been fully determined. Analysis of 91 SRGs obtained from the GSEA and MSigDB, and mRNA sequencing of genes in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases enabled the identification of two distinct molecular types of colorectal cancer (CRC). Patient samples were clustered into two subtypes, with Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showing significant differences in patient survival between the two subtypes. Cluster C2 was associated with patient clinicopathological features, high immune score, high abundance of immune infiltrating cells and somewhat high abundance of bacteria. A risk model based on eight SRGs showed that a low risk score was characterized by inhibition of immune activity and was indicative of better prognosis in patients with CRC. In combination with clinical characteristics, risk score was found to be an independent prognostic predictor of survival in patients with CRC. In conclusion, the present study showed that senescence-related subtypes and a signature consisting of eight SRGs were associated with CRC patient prognosis, as well as with immune cell infiltration and gut microbiota. These findings may enable better prediction of CRC patient prognosis and facilitate individualized treatments.