The Correlation of miR-671-5p with Diagnosis and Prognosis in Multiple Myeloma.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the value of miR-671-5p in multiple myeloma (MM) in diagnostics and prognosis and developed a potential biomarker to improve the prognosis of MM. METHODS: Plasma cells were isolated from bone marrow samples of 80 MM patients, in which miR-671-5p levels were determined. The correlation between miR-671-5p expression with serum creatinine, ß-2-microglobulin, lactate dehydrogenase, bone lesions, International Staging System staging, chromosomal abnormalities, and albumin was analyzed. The association between miR-671-5p expression with progression-free survival and overall survival in MM patients was determined. RESULTS: miR-671-5p expression was reduced and predicted an increased risk of MM. miR-671-5p expression was negatively correlated with serum creatinine, ß-2-microglobulin, lactate dehydrogenase, bone lesions, International Staging System staging, and chromosomal abnormalities, and positively correlated with albumin. miR-671-5p expression was augmented in complete response patients and overall response rate patients, and differentiated CR and ORR patients from Non-CR and Non-ORR patients. Furthermore, miR-671-5p low expression was associated with unfavorable progression-free survival and overall survival in MM patients. CONCLUSIONS: In a word, miR-671-5p is associated with worsening clinical properties, increased ISS staging, unfavorable chromosomal abnormalities, and poor prognosis in MM patients.

Clinical characteristics of inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Sichuan province.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in serious concerns in China and abroad. To investigate clinical features of confirmed and suspected patients with COVID-19 in west China, and to examine differences between severe versus non-severe patients. METHODS: Patients admitted for COVID-19 between January 21 and February 11 from fifteen hospitals in Sichuan Province, China were included. Experienced clinicians trained with methods abstracted data from medical records using pre-defined, pilot-tested forms. Clinical characteristics between severe and non-severe patients were compared. RESULTS: Of the 169 patients included, 147 were laboratory-confirmed, 22 were suspected. For confirmed cases, the most common symptoms from onset to admission were cough (70·7%), fever (70·5%) and sputum (33·3%), and the most common chest CT patterns were patchy or stripes shadowing (78·0%); throughout the course of disease, 19·0% had no fever, and 12·4% had no radiologic abnormality; twelve (8·2%) received mechanical ventilation, four (2·7%) were transferred to ICU, and no death occurred. Compared to non-severe cases, severe ones were more likely to have underlying comorbidities (62·5% vs 26·2%, P = 0·001), to present with cough (92·0% vs 66·4%, P = 0·02), sputum (60·0% vs 27·9%, P = 0·004) and shortness of breath (40·0% vs 8·2%, P <  0·0001), and to have more frequent lymphopenia (79·2% vs 43·7%, P = 0·003) and eosinopenia (84·2% vs 57·0%, P = 0·046). CONCLUSIONS: The symptoms of patients in west China were relatively mild, and an appreciable proportion of infected cases had no fever, warranting special attention.