scholarly journals Plasma Fibulin-3 as a Potential Biomarker for Patients with Asbestos-Related Diseases in the Han Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaoqiang Jiang ◽  
Shibo Ying ◽  
Wei Shen ◽  
Xianglei He ◽  
Junqiang Chen ◽  
...  

Fibulin-3 has been reported as a potential biomarker for mesothelioma. However, little is known about the diagnostic efficacies of fibulin-3 for asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) in China. This study was to investigate the utility of fibulin-3 for asbestos exposure and ARDs. A total of 430 subjects were recruited from Southeast China, including healthy individuals, asbestos-exposed (AE) individuals, and patients with pleural plaques (PP), asbestosis, and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Plasma fibulin-3 was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Linear regression analyses were applied to explore the influencing factors of fibulin-3. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the cutoff values. The median fibulin-3 level of subjects in the mesothelioma group was higher than that in other groups. Subjects in the asbestosis group had higher median fibulin-3 level than those in the control group. A higher fibulin-3 level was found in the group with ≥10 years of asbestos exposure as compared with control groups. The AUCs of fibulin-3 for distinguishing MPM subjects from control, AE, PP, and asbestosis subjects were 0.92, 0.88, 0.90, and 0.81, respectively. Our study provided evidence that fibulin-3 could be a potential biomarker for the early screening of MPM, but not of other nonmalignant ARDs in Chinese populations.

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. BIC.S6040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulia A. Savitskaya ◽  
Genaro Rico ◽  
Luis Linares ◽  
Roberto González ◽  
René Téllez ◽  
...  

Background Tumor immunology research has led to the identification of a number of tumor-associated self antigens, suggesting that most tumors trigger an immunogenic response, as is the case in osteosarcoma, where the detection of natural serum IgM antibodies might achieve the diagnosis of osteosarcoma. Natural IgM antibodies to tumor-associated proteins may expand the number of available tumor biomarkers for osteosarcoma and may be used together in a serum profile to enhance test sensitivity and specificity. Natural IgM antibodies can be consistently detected in the peripheral blood sera months to years before the tumor is diagnosed clinically. The study of the level of a potential biomarker many months (or years) prior to diagnosis is fundamentally important. Integrated circulating and imaging markers in clinical practice treating osteosarcoma have potential applications for controlling tumor angiogenesis. Objectives To study the expression of natural IgM antibodies to the tumor antigens of angiogenesis in the peripheral blood sera of osteosarcoma patients and healthy individuals, and to develop serum-based predictive biomarkers. Methods Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from 117 osteosarcoma patients and 117 patients with other tumors. All diagnosis was histologically confirmed. Staging of patients was performed according to the Enneking Surgical Staging System. The control group consisted of 117 age- and sex- matched healthy individuals. In this study, novel immunoconjugates were designed, synthesized and then used to develop a rapid, specific and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method to detect angiogenin (ANG)–IgM directly in the peripheral blood sera of humans. Results Serum ANG–IgM levels are significantly higher in osteosarcoma patients than in healthy individuals ( P < 0.005). Serum ANG–IgM levels varied widely, but were highly dependent on the concentration of IgM (r = 0.85; P < 0.0005). We found ANG–IgM in the sera of 85% of newly diagnosed osteosarcoma patients and ANG–IgM levels were significantly higher in osteosarcoma patients compared to any other tumors ( P < 0.001). Conclusions These results demonstrated that the combined biomarker ANG–IgM has greater sensitivity and specificity in early diagnosis of osteosarcoma patients than the traditional biomarkers (ANG and vascular endothelial growth factor). Circulating ANG–IgM immune complexes can potentially serve as a biomarker for increased risk of osteosarcoma, because relatively high serum levels were also detected in otherwise healthy individuals with a first degree family history of osteosarcoma and in patients with a diagnosis of benign conditions. Immunological aspects of angiogenesis for managing osteosarcoma will have a practical value in early diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring response to antiangiogenic therapy.


Author(s):  
Mounir M El-safty ◽  
Hala Mahmoud ◽  
Eman Sa Zaki ◽  
Howaida I Abd-alla

  Objective: Salmonella enteritidis ghosts (SEGs) is a non-living empty bacterial cell envelopes which were generated using a different concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) 6.4 mg/mL and evaluated as a vaccine candidate in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chicken. SEGs have been produced by chemical-mediated lysis and evaluated the potential efficacy of chemically induced SEG vaccine and its ability to induce protective immune responses against virulent S. enteritidis challenge in SPF chickens.Methods: SPF chickens were divided into three groups: Group A (non-vaccinated control), Group B (vaccinated with prepared vaccine), and Group C (vaccinated with commercial vaccine).Results: Vaccination of SPF chicken with SEGs induced higher immune responses before and after virulent challenge. SPF chicken vaccinated with SEGs showed increasing in serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibodies. During the vaccination period, Groups B and C showed higher serum antibody titer compared to Group A. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NaOH was capable of inducing non-living SEGs, and it has successfully generated non-living SEGs by MIC of NaOH.Conclusion: It is a one-step process which means easy manufacturing and low production cost compared to protein E-mediated lysis method. Chemically induced SEG vaccine is a highly effective method for inducing protective immunity. This study strongly suggests that SEGs will be a permissive vaccine, as the method of inhibition of S. enteritidis was safe and cheaper than other methods, and it gave a good protection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jiahuan Tong ◽  
Zhisong Wu ◽  
Yuchen Wang ◽  
Qingxun Hao ◽  
Haoge Liu ◽  
...  

Objective. The study aims to research the interventional effect and mechanism of astragaloside IV (Ast) synergizing with ferulic acid (FA) on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) induced by bleomycin in mice. Methods. The mice were randomly divided into seven groups with 10 mice in each group, namely, a sham operation group, a model group, a miRNA-29b (miR-29) group, a miR-29b negative control group (NC group), a FA group, an Ast group, and a combination group. A mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis was established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin. Samples were collected after 28 days of continuous administration. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson staining were used to observe pathological changes in the lung tissue, and the degree of fibrosis was evaluated using the hydroxyproline content. Changes in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and Smad3 in the lung were observed using immunohistochemistry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the serum. PCR was used to detect the expression of the miR-29b, TGF-β1, Smad3, and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) genes. Western blotting was used to detect the content of the TGF-β/Smad3 protein. Results. Ferulic acid combined with astragaloside IV reduced the degree of pulmonary fibrosis and the synthesis of hydroxyproline in lung tissue. The combination of the two also regulated the oxidative stress response , TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway and miR-29b in lung tissue. Conclusion. Astragaloside IV combined with ferulic acid regulated the oxidative stress of lung tissues and TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling through miR-29b, thereby reducing the degree of pulmonary fibrosis. This provides a reference direction for the clinical treatment of IPF patients.


2007 ◽  
Vol 156 (5) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michèle d’Herbomez ◽  
Gérard Forzy ◽  
Catherine Bauters ◽  
Catherine Tierny ◽  
Pascal Pigny ◽  
...  

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the performance of each variable, to define the optimal diagnostic thresholds and to determine the relative value of assaying chromogranin A (CgA). Design: Prospective study. Methods: Two groups of patients were studied: a control group of 71 patients and a group of 63 patients with a histologically-proven pheochromocytoma (52 pheochromocytomas and 14 paragangliomas). Fourteen of the patients had a family history of the disease. Eleven variables were assayed in each patient, i.e. the plasma and urinary concentrations of amines and their derivatives, and the CgA serum concentration. Results: The study of the control group showed that all the serum assays gave false positive results (from 6 to 23%), as did four of the six urinary assays (from 2.9 to 12.3%). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves varied from 0.689 to 0.992. The variables relating to the epinephrine pathway were significantly less expressed in the hereditary diseases than in the sporadic cases. The diagnostic thresholds of the three most efficient variables have been raised. Conclusions: Plasma determinations of metanephrines are now an easy and convenient tool for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. However, in our study the best specificity was obtained with the urinary tests rather than with the plasma assays while the highest sensitivities were for the normetanephrine assays. The assay of CgA was highly efficient in diagnosing pheochromocytomas in the absence of renal insufficiency. By combining it with fractionated metanephrine assays, the sensitivities of the latter were increased.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunjin Sohn ◽  
Hye-Sun Lim ◽  
Yu Jin Kim ◽  
Bu-Yeo Kim ◽  
Joo-Hwan Kim ◽  
...  

We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of an Elaeagnus glabra f. oxyphylla (EGFO) ethanol extract in mice with scopolamine-induced memory dysfunction. Fifty male mice were randomly divided into a normal control group, a scopolamine-treated group, a scopolamine and EGFO extract-treated group, and a scopolamine and tacrine-treated group. EGFO (50 or 100 mg/kg/day) was received for 21 days. Step-through passive avoidance and Y-maze tests were performed to examine the effects of treatment on learning and memory impairments. Acetylcholine (Ach) levels and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity were measured via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), nerve growth factor (NGF), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and apoptosis-related protein expression were determined via Western blot analysis. EGFO pretreatment significantly attenuated scopolamine-induced memory impairments, relative to findings observed in the scopolamine-treated group. Levels of cholinergic factors in the brain tissues were markedly attenuated in the scopolamine-treated group. EGFO treatment also attenuated neural apoptosis in scopolamine-treated mice by decreasing the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax, Bcl2, cleaved caspase-3, and TUNEL staining. These results suggest that EGFO improves memory and cognition in a mouse model of memory impairment by restoring cholinergic and anti-apoptotic activity, possibly via activation of CREB/NGF signaling.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Santana ◽  
Maria Alice Queiroz ◽  
Rodrigo Cerveira ◽  
Claudia Rodrigues ◽  
Ednelza Amoras ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) is etiologically associated with the chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) Annexin A1 (AnxA1) is an anti-inflammatory protein with proposed neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory functions. We hypothesized that ANXA1 gene expression may be dysregulated in HTLV-1-infected HAM/TSP patients.Methods: This study involved 37 individuals infected with HTLV-1, including 21 asymptomatic (AS) carriers and 16 with HAM/TSP, and a control group of 30 individuals negative for HTLV-1 and HTLV-2. For AS HTLV-1-positive and HAM/TSP patients, ANXA1 and formyl peptide receptor (FPR1, FPR2 and FPR3) expression and HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL) in peripheral blood cells were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and plasma AnxA1 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: ANXA1 gene expression was increased in the AS group compared with the HAM/TSP and control groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. FPR1 gene expression was higher in patients with HTLV-1 than in controls (AS, p= 0.0032; HAM/TSP, p< 0.0001). Plasma AnxA1 levels were higher in the AS group than in the HAM/TSP group (p= 0.0045), and PVL was higher in patients with HAM/TSP than in AS individuals (p= 0.0162). The use of a combined ROC curve using Annexin 1 levels and proviral load significantly increased the sensitivity and specificity to predict progression to HAM/TSP (AUC = 0.851 and AUC = 0.937, respectively, to AUC=1,000). Conclusions: Our results suggest that AnxA1 may be dysregulated in HAM/TSP patients. Serological detection of AnxA1 in association with proviral load may provide a prognostic biomarker for HTLV-1-associated neurodegenerative disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cai Xin ◽  
Tang Dongling ◽  
Chen Juanjuan ◽  
Li Huan ◽  
Hu Yuanhui ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is an urgent need for new serum biomarkers for early screening of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fibrinogen like protein 1 (FGL1) may develop the potential diagnostic value of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in HBV-related HCC. Methods The TCGA database was used to screen out genes related to liver cancer and perform differential expression analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence immunoassay were used to detect concentrations of FGL1 and AFP. Using immunofluorescence semi-quantitative method to detect the mean fluorescence intensity of FGL1. Result FGL1 is lower in tumor tissues than in normal tissues. The serum levels of FGL1 and AFP in patients with HBV-related HCC are significantly higher than others for each group. Compared with other groups, the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of FGL1 is higher than that of AFP when compared with the normal group, and the AUC of other groups is lower than that of AFP. The combination of the two can increase the AUC to 0.862 (95%CI, 0.786 ~ 0.918) in distinguishing benign liver disease from HBV-related HCC. The specificity of FGL1 and AFP in the diagnosis of HBV-related HCC is 98.39% and 70.97%, respectively. The specificity of the combination was 93.55%. In distinguishing the A and B stages in the BCLC staging, the combination of the two increased the AUC from 0.584 to 0.647. When distinguishing benign liver disease from HBV-related HCC, the AUC of FGL1 reached 0.849, with a specificity of 100%. Conclusion FGL1 can be used as a non-invasive biomarker for HCC. When combined with AFP, the diagnostic efficiency and specificity were improved.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2082
Author(s):  
Sang Wook Lee ◽  
Si Hyun Kim ◽  
Kwang Woo Lee ◽  
Woong Bin Kim ◽  
Hae Woong Choi ◽  
...  

As urine is not sterile, inflammatory reactions caused by dysbiosis of the urinary microbiota may induce interstitial cystitis. A study was conducted to determine whether β-defensin 2 (BD-2), a specific antimicrobial peptide in the bladder, could be used as a novel diagnostic marker for ulcerative interstitial cystitis (IC). Urine samples from three female groups were examined: healthy controls (n = 34, Control group), non-Hunner type IC (n = 40, NHIC group), and Hunner type IC (n = 68, HIC group). Urine samples were collected via a transurethral catheter and assayed for BD-2 levels using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Under general or regional anesthesia, cystoscopy with diagnostic and therapeutic hydrodistension was performed in NHIC and HIC groups patients. These patients underwent a biopsy of the bladders. Based on the urinary specimens from 142 patients, BD-2 expression was found to be 18-fold higher in patients with Hunner type IC than in patients with non-Hunner type IC. The enhanced secretion of BD-2 exhibited a strong correlation with increased mast cell counts associated with bladder IC pathology. Enhanced urinary secretion of the antimicrobial peptide BD-2 from Hunner type IC patients associated with clinical phenotypes and demonstrated relatively robust levels to be used as a potential biomarker. Moreover, the increased urinary level of BD-2 may suggest a new possibility of biomarkers caused by dysbiosis of the urinary microbiota in ulcerative IC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 805-811
Author(s):  
O I Pikuza ◽  
A M Zakirova ◽  
T B Moroz

Aim. To assess the effectiveness of the screening approach by prescribing a streptotest to verify the etiological cause of tonsillopharyngitis in children. Methods. We observed 67 patients aged 7 to 11 with a history of recurrent respiratory infections. The incidence of acute respiratory infections varied from 8 to 12 times during the year preceding the examination. The main group consisted of 36 children who had tonsillopharyngitis with severe inflammation of the tonsils and plaque on the tonsils. The control group included 31 patients with acute tonsillopharyngitis with inflammatory changes in the tonsils and the absence of plaque. The observation and control groups were comparable and did not have statistically significant differences in gender and age. All patients underwent a common clinical, laboratory, and instrumental examination. Along with microbial culture, the special examinations included an express test (Dectra Pharm, France) for the presence of group A -hemolytic streptococcus. Results. All children underwent an etiological examination. The presence of a viral antigen was confirmed in 71.64% of children. 27.49% of patients in the control group and 30.72% of patients in the main group had positive results of the express test for group A -hemolytic streptococcus, taking into account the requirements for assessing this reaction. It was revealed a reliable direct relationship between the detected viral infection and the negative results of the streptatest test (r=0.86; p=0.03) for the control group, and a positive correlation of the confirmed presence of group A -hemolytic streptococcus in the main group as with both C-reactive protein (r=0.78; p=0.04) and with inflammatory markers in the general blood test. A combination of positive fluorescence of viral antigens based on the results of immunofluorescence and a positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for group A -hemolytic streptococcus was recorded in 7.46% of all patients. Clinical examples are given the justification of practical implementation of the express test for the quick diagnostic information. Conclusion. Differentiated etiological diagnosis of acute tonsillopharyngitis based on clinical symptoms and the levels of markers of bacterial inflammation is extremely difficult therefore laboratory criteria should be the justification for prescribing antibiotic therapy; currently, the most accessible is the streptatest for the detection of group A -hemolytic streptococcus, which allows confirming or denying the presence of group A -hemolytic streptococcus within a few minutes, which means that it is correct to prescribe antibacterial drugs to patients.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document