Diagnosis of chronic heart failure by the soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide.

OBJECTIVE: Our study was to explore the roles between serum soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) while evaluating ventricular function to properly diagnose chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: In total, 197 CHF patients were recruited and classified into ventricular function's II, III, and IV groups, and 106 healthy people into normal control group. To detect concentrations of Sst2 and NT-proBNP, ELISA and electro-chemiluminescence immuno assay were implemented. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to determine the levels of the following: blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and uric acid (UA). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was adopted to detect the diagnostic value sST2 and NT-ProBNP in CHF and the logistic regression analysis involving the risk factors of CHF. RESULTS: Serum sST2 and NT-proBNP concentrations were increased significantly in the ventricular function's II, III, and IV groups in a manner dependent on concentration as opposed to the manner the normal control group occupied. The area under the curve (AUC) of sST2, found NT-proBNP and sST2+NT-proBNP to be 0.942 (95% CI: 0.917-0.966), 0.920 (95% CI: 0.891-0.948), and 0.968 (95% CI: 0.953-0.984), respectively. sST2, NT-proBNP, UA, and Cr were verified as important risk factors of CHF. CONCLUSION: Serum sST2 and NT-ProBNP could act as diagnostic indicators for CHF.

Transcriptomic analyses reveals a diverse venom composition in Agelena limbata (Araneae: Agelenaidae).

Spider venom is a natural source of diverse biomolecules, but due to technical limitations, only a small fraction has been studied. With the advancement of omics technologies, research on spider venom has broadened, greatly promoting systematic studies of spider venom. Agelena limbata is a common spider found in vegetation, known for constructing funnel-shaped webs, and feeding on insects such as Diptera and Homoptera. However, due to its small size and the difficulty in obtaining venom, the composition of Agelena limbata venom has never been studied. In this study, a transcriptomics approach was used to analyze the toxin components in the venom of Agelena limbata, resulting in the identification of 28 novel toxin-like sequences and 24 peptidases. Based on sequence similarity and differences in cysteine motifs, the 28-novel toxin-like sequences were classified into 10 superfamilies. According to the results annotated in the database, the 24 peptidases were divided into six distinct families, with the serine protease family being the most common. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the toxin-like sequences of Agelena limbata along with Psechrus triangulus and Hippasa lycosina. An analysis of the structural domains and motifs of Agelena limbata was also conducted. The results indicated that Agelena limbata is more distantly related to the other two species of funnel-web spiders, and that the toxin superfamily IX has a unique function compared to the other superfamilies. This study reveals the components of the Agelena limbata venom, deepening our understanding of it, and through bioinformatics analysis, has identified unique functions of the toxin superfamilies, providing a scientific basis for the development of bioactive drugs in the future.