title: Circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers for endometriosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with endometriosis are detectable in the circulation and could serve as potential noninvasive biomarkers for endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four women with endometriosis and 24 women without the disease (controls).
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples collected from women undergoing laparoscopy for endometriosis and other benign gynecologic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total RNA extracted from serum and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to determine levels of miRNA let-7a-f and miR-135a,b.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of circulating let-7b and miR-135a were statistically significantly decreased in women with endometriosis compared with controls, and let-7d and 7f showed a trend toward down-regulation. Let-7b expression strongly correlated with serum CA-125 levels and showed the highest area under the curve of 0.691. When the patients were analyzed according to phase of the menstrual cycle, the expression of let-7b, 7c, 7d, and 7e was statistically significantly lower in the women with endometriosis during the proliferative phase. Using a logistic regression model, we evaluated the diagnostic power of differently expressed miRNAs; the combination of let-7b, let-7d, and let-7f during the proliferative phase yielded the highest area under the curve value of 0.929 in discriminating endometriosis from controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several circulating miRNAs are differentially expressed in the sera of women with endometriosis compared with controls. The combination of serum let-7b, 7d, and 7f levels during the proliferative phase may serve as a diagnostic marker for endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: SiHyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mutlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Grechukhina
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. Electronic address: hugh.taylor@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Hugh S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D035683:MicroRNAs; C487931:mirnlet7 microRNA, human
keywords: Biomarker; circulating miRNAs; diagnosis; endometriosis; let-7