Study of long non-coding RNA and mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a worldwide health problem. The Micro- and macro-vascular complications are the major causes of morbidity and mortality of DM. Molecular regulation of mitochondrial fission/fusion cycles is being studied, but the results were not conclusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible functional role of lncRNA H19 and its relation to mitofusin-2 (Mfn-2) gene expression in diabetic rats with cardiac and renal complications. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic male, albino rats and a matched control group were investigated. Cardiac weights, blood pressure and ECG were recorded. Biochemical evaluation of cardiac and renal functions was performed. Molecular determination of lncRNA H19 and Mfn-2 gene expression and histological examination by light and electron microscopy for cardiac and renal tissues were performed. Diabetic rats showed a significant increase of left ventricle weight/whole body weight ratio, R wave voltage, and a significant decrease of blood pressure, heart rate, and P wave voltage. At the molecular level, lncRNA H19 and Mfn-2 mRNA showed altered expression with a statistically significant downregulation of Mfn-2 mRNA expression in renal tissues. In conclusion, the changes in lncRNA H19 and Mfn-2 mRNA expression may help better understanding of the pathogenesis of cardiac and renal dysfunctions associated with type 1 DM.

Role of a schistosoma haematobium specific microRNA as a predictive and prognostic tool for bilharzial bladder cancer in Egypt.

Urinary bladder cancer is a common malignancy in Egypt, thus reliable methodologies are required for screening and early detection. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression of a Schistosoma hematobium specific microRNA "Sha-miR-71a" and mitogen-associated protein kinase-3 (MAPK-3) in the urine samples of 50 bladder cancer patients and 50 patients with benign bilharzial cystitis. Fifty control subjects were also tested. Indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) diagnosed 70% of studied cancer cases as bilharzial associated bladder cancer (BBC), while histopathological examination detected only 18%. Urinary Sha-miR-71a & MAPK-3 revealed enhanced expression in BBC (p-value = 0.001) compared to non-bilharzial bladder cancer (NBBC) cases. Patients with chronic bilharzial cystitis exhibited a significant increase in gene expression compared to those with acute infection (p-value = 0.001). Sha-miR-71a and MAPK-3 showed good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of BBC when analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. They were also prognostic regarding malignancy grade. Both biomarkers showed a positive correlation. Our results revealed that IHA is a reliable test in the diagnosis of bilharziasis associated with bladder cancer, and that Sha-miR-71a and MAPK-3 provide non-invasive specific biomarkers to diagnose BBC, as well as a potential role in testing bilharzial patients for risk to develop cancer.