Identification and Characterization of Circulating microRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the expression of a large panel of microRNAs, already known and validated in other ortopedic pathologies and bone metabolism, in the plasma of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) patients. The deregulated microRNAs identified will be then validated and computational analyzes will determine their potential involvement in the metabolism of bone and/or cartilage tissue in order to correlate the results obtained with the clinical data of the AIS patients. The investigators aimed to develop a microRNAs panel to further validate in a larger population of AIS patients in order to produce a device for the diagnosis and prognosis of Molecular-based AIS.
⁃ Cases:
• Age between 11-17 years
• Diagnosis of idiopathic scoliosis with a Cobb angle\> 10 °
• Minimum follow-up of two years
• Clinical data and radiological tests available and no surgical treatment prior to enrollment in the study
⁃ Controls:
• Age between 11-17 years
• Healthy subjects not affected by orthopedic and oncological diseases