INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disorder, is currently a severe health threat. Previous studies have documented the altered expression of various miRNAs in RA patients. This study determined the expression of miR-124a in RA patients and estimated its diagnostic value for RA. METHODS Total 80 RA patients were enrolled as the study subjects and 36 patients with osteoarthritis were included, with another 36 healthy people as the controls. miR-124a expression levels in peripheral blood plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and synovial fluid were measured using RT-qPCR, followed by Pearson correlation analysis. Additionally, the association between miR-124a and major clinical indicators was assessed, such as rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28). The diagnostic efficacy of miR-124a expression in plasma, PBMCs, and synovial fluid for RA was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the difference in the area under the curve (AUC) was analyzed. RESULTS miR-124a was downregulated in RA patients and the expression levels of miR-124a in plasma, PBMCs, and synovial fluid showed a certain degree of positive correlation. miR-124a was inversely linked with RF, ESR, and DAS28. For the diagnosis of RA patients, the AUC of plasma miR-124a was 0.899 and the cut-off value was 0.800, with 68.75% sensitivity and 94.44% specificity; the AUC of miR-124a in PBMCs was 0.937, and the cut-off value was 0.805, with 82.50% sensitivity and 91.67% specificity; the AUC of miR-124a in plasma combined with PBMCs was 0.961, with a higher diagnostic value than independent plasma or PBMCs; the AUC of miR-124a in synovial fluid was 0.929, and the cut-off value was 0.835, with 80.00% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity. CONCLUSION miR-124a expression is downregulated in plasma, PBMCs, and synovial fluid of RA patients and has a high diagnostic value for RA.

中文翻译：

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类风湿关节炎患者外周血和滑液中miR-124a表达的诊断价值

简介 类风湿性关节炎 (RA) 是一种慢性自身免疫性疾病，目前对健康构成严重威胁。先前的研究已经记录了 RA 患者中各种 miRNA 表达的改变。本研究测定了 RA 患者中 miR-124a 的表达，并评估其对 RA 的诊断价值。方法 80例RA患者作为研究对象，其中36例骨关节炎患者，另36例健康人作为对照。使用 RT-qPCR 测量外周血浆、外周血单核细胞 (PBMC) 和滑液中 miR-124a 的表达水平，然后进行 Pearson 相关分析。此外，还评估了 miR-124a 与主要临床指标之间的关联，例如类风湿因子 (RF)、红细胞沉降率 (ESR) 和 28 个关节的疾病活动评分 (DAS28)。通过受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线评价血浆、PBMC和滑液中miR-124a表达对RA的诊断效能，并分析曲线下面积（AUC）的差异。结果 RA患者中miR-124a表达下调，且血浆、PBMC和滑液中miR-124a的表达水平呈一定程度的正相关。miR-124a 与 RF、ESR 和 DAS28 呈负相关。对于RA患者的诊断，血浆miR-124a的AUC为0.899，截断值为0.800，敏感性为68.75%，特异性为94.44%；PBMCs中miR-124a的AUC为0.937，截断值为0.805，敏感性为82.50%，特异性为91.67%；血浆中miR-124a联合PBMC的AUC为0.961，比单独血浆或PBMC具有更高的诊断价值；滑液中miR-124a的AUC为0.929，截断值为0.835，敏感性为80.00%，特异性为88.89%。结论 miR-124a在RA患者血浆、PBMC和滑液中表达下调，对RA具有较高的诊断价值。