miR-1975 serves as an indicator of clinical severity upon influenza infection

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Virology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Non-coding small RNAs play a role in host-pathogen interactions, including those with influenza viruses.
• Specific small RNAs may be dysregulated during influenza infection, potentially reflecting disease severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of Y RNA-derived small RNA, miR-1975, as a clinical severity indicator in influenza infections.
• To assess the correlation between miR-1975 levels in patient sera and hypoxemia status.

Main Methods:

• Quantification of miR-1975 in serum samples from influenza virus-infected patients and healthy volunteers using stem-loop RT-PCR.
• Correlation analysis of miR-1975 levels with clinical parameters such as hypoxemia, fraction of inspired oxygen, and ventilator days.
• Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to evaluate predictive value for hypoxemia and respiratory failure.

Main Results:

• miR-1975 levels were significantly higher in influenza virus-infected patients compared to healthy controls.
• Elevated miR-1975 levels were particularly pronounced in hypoxemic patients.
• miR-1975 levels correlated with the fraction of inspired oxygen and total ventilator days, and showed predictive value for hypoxemia and respiratory failure when combined with fever duration.

Conclusions:

• Circulating miR-1975 is upregulated during influenza virus infection.
• miR-1975 levels in serum show a significant correlation with clinical severity, including hypoxemia.
• miR-1975 holds promise as a valuable biomarker for predicting prognosis in influenza virus-infected patients.