VEGFA and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Our previous studies found that compared with the normal control group, serum miR-154-5p expression in type 2 diabetic patients was significantly increased and positively correlated with UACR, HbA1c, and fibrosis factors (CTGF, VEGF, FN and TGFβ1) [9, 10], indicating that human circulating miR-154-5p was closely related to renal fibrosis.