The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) in 1993 followed by developments and discoveries in small RNA biology have redefined the biological landscape by significantly altering the longstanding dogmas that defined gene regulation. These small RNAs play a significant role in modulation of an array of physiological and pathological processes ranging from embryonic development to neoplastic progression. Unique miRNA signatures of various inherited, metabolic, infectious, and neoplastic diseases have added a new dimension to the studies that look at their pathogenesis and highlight their potential to be reliable biomarkers. Also, altering miRNA functionality and the development of novel in vivo delivery systems to achieve targeted modulation of specific miRNA function are being actively pursued as novel approaches for therapeutic intervention in many diseases. Here we review the current body of knowledge on the role of miRNAs in development and disease and discuss future implications.

With the rapid development of the World Wide Web, electronic word-of-mouth interaction has made consumers active participants. Nowadays, a large number of reviews posted by the consumers on the Web provide valuable information to other consumers. Such information is highly essential for decision making and hence popular among the internet users. This information is very valuable not only for prospective consumers to make decisions but also for businesses in predicting the success and sustainability. In this paper, a Gini Index based feature selection method with Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier is proposed for sentiment classification for large movie review data set. The results show that our Gini Index method has better classification performance in terms of reduced error rate and accuracy.

Recreational and medical use of cannabis among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals has increased in recent years. In simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaques, chronic administration of ⌬9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (⌬ 9 -THC) inhibited viral replication and intestinal inflammation and slowed disease progression. Persistent gastrointestinal disease/inflammation has been proposed to facilitate microbial translocation and systemic immune activation and promote disease progression. Cannabinoids including ⌬ 9 -THC attenuated intestinal inflammation in mouse colitis models and SIV-infected rhesus macaques. To determine if the anti-inflammatory effects of ⌬ 9 -THC involved differential microRNA (miRNA) modulation, we profiled miRNA expression at 14, 30, and 60 days postinfection (days p.i.) in the intestine of uninfected macaques receiving ⌬ 9 -THC (n ‫؍‬ 3) and SIV-infected macaques administered either vehicle (VEH/ SIV; n ‫؍‬ 4) or THC (THC/SIV; n ‫؍‬ 4). Chronic ⌬ 9 -THC administration to uninfected macaques significantly and positively modulated intestinal miRNA expression by increasing the total number of differentially expressed miRNAs from 14 to 60 days p.i. At 60 days p.i., ϳ28% of miRNAs showed decreased expression in the VEH/SIV group compared to none showing decrease in the THC/SIV group. Furthermore, compared to the VEH/SIV group, THC selectively upregulated the expression of miR-10a, miR-24, miR-99b, miR-145, miR-149, and miR-187, previously been shown to target proinflammatory molecules. NOX4, a potent reactive oxygen species generator, was confirmed as a direct miR-99b target. A significant increase in NOX4 ؉ crypt epithelial cells was detected in VEH/SIV macaques compared to the THC/SIV group. We speculate that miR-99b-mediated NOX4 downregulation may protect the intestinal epithelium from oxidative stress-induced damage. These results support a role for differential miRNA induction in THC-mediated suppression of intestinal inflammation. Whether similar miRNA modulation occurs in other tissues requires further investigation. IMPORTANCE Gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease/inflammation is a hallmark of HIV/SIV infection. Previously, we showed that chronic treatment of SIV-infected macaques with ⌬9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (⌬ 9 -THC) increased survival and decreased viral replication and infection-induced gastrointestinal inflammation. Here, we show that chronic THC administration to SIV-infected macaques induced an anti-inflammatory microRNA expression profile in the intestine at 60 days p.i. These included several miRNAs bioinformatically predicted to directly target CXCL12, a chemokine known to regulate lymphocyte and macrophage trafficking into the intestine. Specifically, miR-99b was significantly upregulated in THC-treated SIV-infected macaques and confirmed to directly target NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), a reactive oxygen species generator known to damage intestinal epithelial cells. Elevated miR-99b expression was associated with a significantly decreased number of NOX4...

Macrophages and microglia are the major cell types infected by human immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in the central nervous system. Microglia are likely infected in vivo, but evidence of widespread productive infection (ie, presence of viral RNA and protein) is lacking. This conclusion is controversial because, unlike lymphocytes, macrophages and microglia cannot be discreetly immunophenotyped. Of particular interest in the search for additional monocyte/macrophage-lineage cell markers is CD163; this receptor for haptoglobin-hemoglobin (Hp-Hb) complex, which forms in plasma following erythrolysis, is expressed exclusively on cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage. We examined CD163 expression in vitro and in vivo by multiple techniques and at varying times after SIV infection in macaques with or without encephalitis. In normal and acutely SIV-infected animals, and in SIV-infected animals without encephalitis, CD163 expression was detected in cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage , including perivascular macrophages , but not in parenchymal microglia. However , in chronically infected animals with encephalitis , CD163 expression was detected in activated microglia surrounding SIV encephalitis lesions in the presence of Hp-Hb complex , suggesting leakage of the blood-brain barrier. CD163 expression was also induced on microglia in vitro after stimulation with Hp-Hb complex. We conclude that CD163 is a selective marker of perivascular macrophages in normal macaques and during the early phases of SIV infection; however, later in infection in animals with encephalitis, CD163 is also expressed by microglia, which are probably activated as a result of vascular compromise.

Cannabis use is frequent in HIV-infected individuals for its appetite stimulation and anti-inflammatory effects. To identify the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with these effects, we simultaneously profiled micro-RNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression in the colon of chronically simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques administered either vehicle (VEH/SIV; n = 9) or Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC; THC/SIV; n = 8). Pro-inflammatory miR-130a, miR-222, and miR-29b, lipopolysaccharide-responsive miR-146b-5p and SIV-induced miR-190b were significantly upregulated in VEH/SIV rhesus macaques. Compared to VEH/SIV rhesus macaques, 10 miRNAs were significantly upregulated in THC/SIV rhesus macaques, among which miR-204 was confirmed to directly target MMP8, an extracellular matrix-degrading collagenase that was significantly downregulated in THC/SIV rhesus macaques. Moreover, THC/SIV rhesus macaques failed to upregulate pro-inflammatory miR-21, miR-141 and miR-222, and alpha/beta-defensins, suggesting attenuated intestinal inflammation. Further, THC/SIV rhesus macaques showed higher expression of tight junction proteins (occludin, claudin-3), anti-inflammatory MUC13 , keratin-8 (stress protection), PROM1 (epithelial proliferation), and anti-HIV CCL5 . Gomori one-step trichrome staining detected significant collagen deposition (fibrosis) in the paracortex and B cell follicular zones of axillary lymph nodes from all VEH/SIV but not in THC/SIV rhesus macaques, thus demonstrating the ability of Δ 9 -THC to prevent lymph node fibrosis, a serious irreversible consequence of HIV induced chronic inflammation. Furthermore, using flow cytometry, we showed that Δ 9 -THC suppressed intestinal T cell proliferation/activation (Ki67/HLA-DR) and PD-1 expression and increased the percentages of anti-inflammatory CD163 + macrophages. Finally, while Δ 9 -THC did not affect the levels of CD4 + T cells, it significantly reduced absolute CD8 + T cell numbers in peripheral blood at 14 and 150 days post-SIV infection. These translational findings strongly support a role for differential miRNA/gene induction and T cell activation in Δ 9 -THC-mediated suppression of intestinal inflammation in HIV/SIV and potentially other chronic inflammatory diseases of the intestine.