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MicroRNA-208a is a cardiac specific oligo-nucleotide. We aimed at investigating the ability of microRNA-208a to diagnose myocardial infarction and predict the outcome of primary percutaneuos coronary angiography (PCI). Patients (n = 75) presented by chest pain were recruited into two groups. Group 1 (n = 40) had ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and underwent primary PCI: 21 patients had sufficient reperfusion and 19 had no-reflow. Group 2 (n = 35) had negative cardiac troponins (cTns). Plasma microRNA-208a expression was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and patients were followed for occurrence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE). MicroRNA-208a could diagnose of MI (AUC of 0.926). After primary PCI, it was superior to cTnT in prediction of no-reflow (AUC difference of 0.231, P = 0.0233) and MACE (AUC difference of 0.367, P = 0.0053). Accordingly, circulating levels of miR-208a can be used as a diagnostic marker of MI and a predictor of no-reflow and in-hospital MACE. Graphical abstract Receiver operating curve analysis of no-reflow prediction of miRNA208a, CK-MB and hs-Troponin T. MicroRNA-208a shows significantly higher prediction of no-reflow as compared to routine cardiac biomarkers.

Osteopontin (OPN), a bone-related protein, is present within the atherosclerotic plaques, most strikingly in calcified plaques. Valvular calcifications are accepted as a part of the spectrum of atherosclerosis and are associated with atherosclerotic calcification in the coronary arteries. The study aimed to evaluate the association of plasma OPN with the presence and extent of coronary stenosis, mitral annular calcification (MAC), and aortic valve sclerosis in stable angina patients. We studied 120 subjects who underwent coronary angiography because of ischemic chest pain. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was defined as > or = 50% stenosis in > or = 1 coronary artery. MAC and aortic valve sclerosis were detected by echocardiography. Lipid profile, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and OPN were measured in all studied subjects. Patients with CAD had increased plasma OPN when compared with those without CAD (P < 0.001). Plasma OPN levels were significantly positively correlated with atherogenic lipid profile, hsCRP, MAC grading, aortic valve sclerosis grading, and the number of stenosed coronary vessels in CAD patients. In multivariate analysis, OPN was an independent predictor of CAD (P = 0.01), MAC (P = 0.01), and aortic valve sclerosis (P = 0.04). In conclusion, OPN is an independent predictor of MAC and aortic valve sclerosis. Plasma OPN levels reflect the extent of coronary stenosis and can be used as a biomarker to identify patients with coronary atherosclerosis., ((c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)