{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,26]],"date-time":"2025-10-26T15:10:49Z","timestamp":1761491449118,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]],"date-time":"2022-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659657600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Health Research and Development and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Research (KAKENHI)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["15K08445"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["15K08445"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Host-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) play important regulatory roles in schistosomiasis-induced hepatic fibrosis. This study analyzed selected serum miRNAs among Filipino schistosomiasis japonica patients with ultrasound (US)-detectable hepatic fibrosis. A prospective cohort study design with convenience sampling was employed from 2017 to 2019. The study sites were eight endemic barangays in Leyte, Philippines. Eligible chronic schistosomiasis patients with varying severities of hepatic fibrosis were enrolled in the cohort and serially examined at 6, 12, and 24 months from baseline. Baseline serum miR-146a-5p, let-7a-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-93-5p, and miR200b-3p were measured using RT-qPCR. A total of 136 chronic schistosomiasis patients were included in this prospective cohort study. Approximately, 42.6% had no fibrosis, 22.8% had mild fibrosis, and 34.6% had severe fibrosis at baseline The serum levels of the antifibrotic miR-146a (p &lt; 0.0001), miR-150 (p = 0.0058), and let-7a (p &lt; 0.0001) were significantly lower in patients with hepatic fibrosis while the profibrotic miR-93 (p = 0.0024) was elevated. miR-146a-5p (AUC = 0.90, 95% CI [0.84, 0.96], p &lt; 0.0001) has the most promising potential to differentiate patients with (n = 78) versus without (n = 58) hepatic fibrosis. The baseline level of serum miR-146-5p was significantly different in patients with progressive fibrosis (n = 17) compared to those who never developed fibrosis (n = 30, p &lt; 0.01) or those who had fibrosis reversal (n = 20, p &lt; 0.01) after 24 months. These findings demonstrate the potential utility of serum miRNAs, particularly of miR-146a, as a supplementary tool for assessing hepatic fibrosis in chronic schistosomiasis japonica patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics12081902","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,7]],"date-time":"2022-08-07T21:03:50Z","timestamp":1659906230000},"page":"1902","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers of Hepatic Fibrosis in Schistosomiasis Japonica Patients in the Philippines"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0956-334X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ian Kim B.","family":"Tabios","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines"},{"name":"College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Ermita, Manilla 1000, Philippines"},{"name":"Laboratory of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9204-0602","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcello Otake","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4535-8837","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ourlad Alzeus Gaddi","family":"Tantengco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Ermita, Manilla 1000, Philippines"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3969-2660","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raffy Jay C.","family":"Fornillos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Masashi","family":"Kirinoki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4374-8070","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Megumi","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Health Sciences, Niigata University, 2-746 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata City 951-8518, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Raniv D.","family":"Rojo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Ermita, Manilla 1000, Philippines"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ian Kendrich C.","family":"Fontanilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuichi","family":"Chigusa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for International Cooperation, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6116-1818","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul Mark B.","family":"Medina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Ermita, Manilla 1000, Philippines"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mihoko","family":"Kikuchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lydia R.","family":"Leonardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines"},{"name":"University of the East Office of Research Coordination, Manila 1008, Philippines"},{"name":"College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, Ermita, Manilla 1000, Philippines"},{"name":"University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Graduate School, Quezon City 1100, Philippines"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1016\/S0001-706X(00)00122-4","article-title":"The Global Status of Schistosomiasis and Its Control","volume":"77","author":"Chitsulo","year":"2000","journal-title":"Acta Trop."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"936128","DOI":"10.1155\/2012\/936128","article-title":"A National Baseline Prevalence Survey of Schistosomiasis in the Philippines Using Stratified Two-Step Systematic Cluster Sampling Design","volume":"2012","author":"Leonardo","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. 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