Small RNA-seq analysis of serum miRNAs in patients with severe COVID-19

The clinical course of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) displays a wide variability, ranging from completely asymptomatic forms to diseases associated with severe clinical outcomes. To reduce the incidence COVID-19 severe outcomes, innovative molecular biomarkers are needed to improve the stratification of patients at the highest risk of mortality and to better customize therapeutic strategies. MicroRNAs associated with COVID-19 outcomes could allow quantifying the risk of severe outcomes and developing models for predicting outcomes, thus helping to customize the most aggressive therapeutic strategies for each patient. Here, we analyzed the circulating miRNA profiles in a set of 12 hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, with the aim to identify miRNAs associated with in-hospital mortality. Overall design: MicroRNA expression profile obtained from small RNA-sequencing of serum samples of 12 COVID-19 patients (6 survivors, 6 deceased) with multifocal interstitial pneumonia and requiring oxygen therapy.

新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）的临床病程呈现广泛异质性，涵盖从完全无症状感染到伴严重临床结局的各类表型。为降低新型冠状病毒肺炎重症结局的发生率，亟需创新型分子生物标志物，以优化高死亡风险患者的风险分层，并实现治疗策略的个体化定制。与新型冠状病毒肺炎预后相关的微小核糖核酸（MicroRNAs）可用于量化重症结局风险、构建预后预测模型，进而辅助为每位患者制定最具针对性的强化治疗方案。本研究纳入12例重症新型冠状病毒肺炎住院患者，对其循环miRNA表达谱进行分析，旨在筛选与住院死亡相关的MicroRNAs。
研究设计：通过小RNA测序（small RNA-sequencing）技术，对12例合并多灶性间质性肺炎且需氧疗的新型冠状病毒肺炎患者（6例存活、6例死亡）的血清样本进行检测，获取其miRNA表达谱。