Xiang Zhang,1 Danli Chen,2 Changmou Zhu,1 Xing Zhou,1 Hengshan Liu,1 Gaobo Zhu1 

1Department of Emergency and Trauma Surgery, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University & Yichang Central People’s Hospital, Yichang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University & Yichang Central People’s Hospital, Yichang, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Gaobo Zhu, Email zxjo390@163.com

Objective: Analysis of the Expression Significance and Relationship of Serum MicroRNA-542-3p (miR-542-3p) and Long Non-Coding RNA Taurine Upregulated Gene 1 (lncRNA TUG1) in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (STBI) and Their Predictive Value for Prognosis.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 193 TBI patients, including 95 STBI (Group A) and 98 non-STBI (Group B) cases. Serum miR-542-3p and lncRNA TUG1 levels were measured upon admission. STBI patients were followed for 6 months and divided into good or poor prognosis groups. Logistic regression, correlation analyses, and ROC curves were used to assess prognostic factors and diagnostic performance.
Results: Compared to Group B, Group A patients had significantly lower serum miR-542-3p levels and higher lncRNA TUG1 levels (P < 0.05). A negative correlation was observed between miR-542-3p and lncRNA TUG1 (r = – 0.607, P < 0.001). Among STBI patients, 33 (34.74%) had poor prognosis. Brain herniation, brainstem injury, hypoalbuminemia, and high lncRNA TUG1 were identified as independent risk factors, while high miR-542-3p was a protective factor (P < 0.05). Additionally, miR-542-3p levels were negatively correlated with poor prognosis (r = – 0.643), while lncRNA TUG1 showed a positive correlation (r = 0.621). ROC analysis showed AUCs of 0.846 for miR-542-3p, 0.823 for lncRNA TUG1, and 0.925 for their combination, indicating improved predictive accuracy with combined detection.
Conclusion: miR-542-3p is downregulated and lncRNA TUG1 upregulated in STBI. Both are significantly correlated with prognosis and offer strong predictive value, especially when combined.

Keywords: STBI, miR-542-3p, lncRNA TUG1, prognosis, biomarkers, predictive value