Forensic Context

A study in human trauma patients demonstrated that the miR-449a was downregulated in plasma-derived exosomes from trauma patients compared to operative controls, where it is associated with the mitigation of neuroinflammation in spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury [Munley et al. DOI:10.1097/TA.0000000000004225]. A separate review established that hypoxia acts as a master regulator of microRNA biogenesis and activity, noting that the miR-449a is repressed under hypoxic conditions and targets SERPINE1 for fibrosis [Nallamshetty et al. DOI:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.05.022]. A study in humans demonstrated that the miR-449a was the top upregulated microRNA in plasma from patients with acute myocardial infarction compared to non-AMI controls, as identified by RNA sequencing and validated by qRT-PCR [Zhong et al. DOI:10.1002/jcla.23099].