Diagnostic performance of microRNA-29a for colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Previous studies have revealed that the expression level of microRNA-29a (miR-29a) was remarkably different in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and healthy controls, indicating that miR-29a can be used as a diagnostic marker of CRC, but the results have been inconsistent. We conducted this meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic performance of blood-based miR-29a for CRC. We performed a systematic review of studies published over the past two decades to investigate the diagnostic performance of serum miR-29a for the diagnosis of CRC. QUADAS-2 was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. Performance characteristics (diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of accuracy) were pooled and examined using random-effect models. Five studies, which included 281 CRC patients and 299 healthy controls, met the inclusion criteria. The summary estimates for miR-29a in CRC diagnoses showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 0.59 (95%CI = 0.53-0.65), a specificity of 0.89 (95%CI = 0.85-0.93), and a diagnostic odds ratio of 12.22 (95%CI = 5.07-29.44). The area under curve and Q value for the summary receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.9128 and 0.8453, respectively. In conclusion, miR-29a may be a novel potential biomarker for CRC diagnosis.

Novel method to establish molecular identity using inter-simple sequence repeat markers in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cultivars.

Plant molecular identity (ID) is used to describe molecular characteristics of plants, which should contain all of the necessary information. Using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers, molecular ID can be described in a way that reflects the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions, annealing temperature, and the bands obtained in PCR amplification. A new complete molecular ID system is described in this study, which can be easily used and expanded to include more information. Using three cotton cultivars, we analyzed the products of PCR with ISSR primers and discussed the strategy for establishing their molecular ID. Using the segmented naming method, we designate the simple names and the full name systems of these three cultivars.