scholarly journals Urinary MCP-1 and TWEAK as non-invasive markers of disease activity and treatment response in patients with lupus nephritis in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mothusi W Moloi ◽  
Jody A Rusch ◽  
Fierdoz Omar ◽  
Udeme Ekrikpo ◽  
Collet Dandara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Induction Therapy ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Response Monitoring ◽  
Mixed Ancestry ◽  
Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 ◽  
Spot Urine ◽  
Novel Biomarkers

Abstract Background: Treatment of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) requires judicious use of immunosuppression. Novel biomarkers may be useful for monitoring disease activity and treatment response. We assessed the utility of urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (uMCP-1) and urinary tumour necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (uTWEAK) for disease activity and treatment response monitoring in South Africans with LN.Methods: We recruited consenting patients with active LN confirmed on kidney biopsy. Urinary levels of MCP-1 and TWEAK were assayed at baseline and after completion of induction therapy using ELISA methods. We also collected relevant demographic, clinical and biochemical data for patients included in this study.Results: The mean age of patients in this study was 29.8 ± 10.7 years, 60% were patients of mixed ancestry, 70% had proliferative LN and mean spot urine proteinuria at baseline was 0.37 (0.18-0.59) g/mmolCr. At completion of induction therapy, the level of uMCP-1 had reduced to 314.5 (IQR: 197.0 – 622) pg/mgCr from a baseline of 1092.7 (IQR: 578.6-1848) pg/mgCr (P=0.06) while uTWEAK had reduced to 36.0 (IQR: 17.0-88.0) pg/mgCr from 159.0 (IQR: 88.5-295.5) pg/mgCr (P=0.03). For patients reaching early complete or partial remission (n=17), both biomarkers had significantly declined in their urine: uMCP-1 (p=0.018) and uTWEAK (p=0.015). There was no reduction of both biomarkers in patients not achieving remission and no association between uMCP-1 or uTWEAK with renal histological features.Conclusion: Our study shows that uMCP-1 and uTWEAK are elevated in patients with active LN, correlated with the remission status (response to treatment) at the end of induction therapy and can therefore be useful for monitoring disease activity and treatment response.

scholarly journals Urinary MCP-1 and TWEAK as non-invasive markers of disease activity and treatment response in patients with lupus nephritis in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mothusi W Moloi ◽  
Jody A Rusch ◽  
Fierdoz Omar ◽  
Udeme Ekrikpo ◽  
Collet Dandara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Induction Therapy ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Response Monitoring ◽  
Mixed Ancestry ◽  
Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 ◽  
Spot Urine ◽  
Study Results

Abstract Background: Treatment of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) requires judicious use of immunosuppression. Novel biomarkers may be useful for monitoring disease activity and treatment response. We assessed the utility of urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (uMCP-1) and urinary tumour necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (uTWEAK) for disease activity and treatment response monitoring in South Africans with LN. Methods: We recruited consenting patients with active LN confirmed on kidney biopsy. Urinary levels of MCP-1 and TWEAK were assayed at baseline and after completion of induction therapy using ELISA methods. We also collected relevant demographic, clinical and biochemical data for patients included in this study. Results: The mean age of patients in this study was 29.8 ± 10.7 years, 60% were patients of mixed ancestry, 70% had proliferative LN and mean spot urine proteinuria at baseline was 0.37 (0.18-0.59) g/mmolCr. At completion of induction therapy, the level of uMCP-1 had reduced to 314.5 (IQR: 197.0 – 622) pg/mgCr from a baseline of 1092.7 (IQR: 578.6-1848) pg/mgCr (P=0.06) while uTWEAK had reduced to 36.0 (IQR: 17.0-88.0) pg/mgCr from 159.0 (IQR: 88.5-295.5) pg/mgCr (P=0.03). For patients reaching early complete or partial remission, both biomarkers had significantly declined in their urine: uMCP-1 (p=0.018) and uTWEAK (p=0.015). There was no reduction of both biomarkers in patients not achieving remission and no association between uMCP-1 or uTWEAK with renal histological features. Conclusion: Our study shows that uMCP-1 and uTWEAK are elevated in patients with active LN, correlated with the remission status (response to treatment) at the end of induction therapy and can therefore be useful for monitoring disease activity and treatment response.

scholarly journals Urine TWEAK level as a biomarker for early response to treatment in active lupus nephritis: a prospective multicentre study

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thitima Benjachat Suttichet ◽  
Wonngarm Kittanamongkolchai ◽  
Chutipha Phromjeen ◽  
Sirirat Anutrakulchai ◽  
Thanachai Panaput ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Induction Therapy ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Complete Response ◽  
Early Response ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Urine Protein ◽  
Spot Urine

BackgroundTNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a proinflammatory molecule that plays a key role in active inflammation of lupus nephritis (LN). Urine TWEAK (uTWEAK) levels were found to be associated with renal disease activity among patients with LN. Here, we determined whether serial measurements of uTWEAK during induction therapy could predict treatment response or not.MethodsSpot urine samples were collected from patients with biopsy-proven active LN at time of flare, and 3 and 6 months after flare to assess the uTWEAK levels. All patients received standard immunosuppressive therapy and treatment response was evaluated at 6 months. The performance of uTWEAK as a predictor for treatment response was compared with clinically used biomarkers for patients with LN.ResultsAmong 110 patients with LN, there were 29% complete responders (CR), 34% partial responders (PR) and 37% non-responders (NR). On average, uTWEAK level was consistently low in CR, trended down by 3 months in PR and persistently elevated in NR. uTWEAK levels at month 3 were able to predict complete response at month 6 (OR adjusted for age, sex and creatinine=0.34 [95% CI 0.15 to 0.80], the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [ROC-AUC]=0.68, p=0.02). The optimal threshold for uTWEAK level at month 3 was 0.46 pg/mgCr, discriminating complete response with 70% sensitivity and 63% specificity. Combining uTWEAK and urine protein at month 3 improved predictive performance for complete response at 6 months (ROC-AUC 0.83, p<0.001).ConclusionsIn addition to urine protein, uTWEAK level at 3 months after flare can improve the accuracy in predicting complete response at 6 months of induction therapy.

scholarly journals Differences in rituximab use between pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists for the treatment of refractory lupus nephritis and renal flare in childhood-onset SLE

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mileka Gilbert ◽  
Beatrice Goilav ◽  
Joyce J. Hsu ◽  
Paul J. Nietert ◽  
Esra Meidan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Induction Therapy ◽  
Pediatric Nephrology ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Individual Treatment ◽  
Induction Treatment ◽  
Childhood Onset ◽  
Renal Flare ◽  
Treatment Plans

Abstract Background Consensus treatment plans have been developed for induction therapy of newly diagnosed proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus. However, patients who do not respond to initial therapy, or who develop renal flare after remission, warrant escalation of treatment. Our objective was to assess current practices of pediatric nephrologists and rheumatologists in North America in treatment of refractory proliferative LN and flare. Methods Members of Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) and the American Society for Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN) were surveyed in November 2015 to assess therapy choices (other than modifying steroid dosing) and level of agreement between rheumatologists and nephrologists for proliferative LN patients. Two cases were presented: (1) refractory disease after induction treatment with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide (CYC) and (2) nephritis flare after initial response to treatment. Survey respondents chose treatments for three follow up scenarios for each case that varied by severity of presentation. Treatment options included CYC, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), rituximab (RTX), and others, alone or in combination. Results Seventy-six respondents from ASPN and foty-one respondents from CARRA represented approximately 15 % of the eligible members from each organization. Treatment choices between nephrologists and rheumatologists were highly variable and received greater than 50 % agreement for an individual treatment choice in only the following 2 of 6 follow up scenarios: 59 % of nephrologists, but only 38 % of rheumatologists, chose increasing dose of MMF in the case of LN refractory to induction therapy with proteinuria, hematuria, and improved serum creatinine. In a follow up scenario showing severe renal flare after achieving remission with induction therapy, 58 % of rheumatologists chose CYC and RTX combination therapy, whereas the top choice for nephrologists (43 %) was CYC alone. Rheumatologists in comparison to nephrologists chose more therapy options that contained RTX in all follow up scenarios except one (p < 0.05). Conclusions Therapy choices for pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists in the treatment of refractory LN or LN flare were highly variable with rheumatologists more often choosing rituximab. Further investigation is necessary to delineate the reasons behind this finding. This study highlights the importance of collaborative efforts in developing consensus treatment plans for pediatric LN.

scholarly journals Serum neurofilament light as a biomarker in progressive multiple sclerosis

Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (10) ◽  
pp. 436-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raju Kapoor ◽  
Kathryn E. Smith ◽  
Mark Allegretta ◽  
Douglas L. Arnold ◽  
William Carroll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Tissue Fluid ◽  
Neurofilament Light Chain ◽  
Neurofilament Light ◽  
Novel Biomarkers ◽  
Active Inflammation

There is an unmet need in multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy for treatments to stop progressive disability. The development of treatments may be accelerated if novel biomarkers are developed to overcome the limitations of traditional imaging outcomes revealed in early phase trials. In January 2019, the International Progressive MS Alliance convened a standing expert panel to consider potential tissue fluid biomarkers in MS in general and in progressive MS specifically. The panel focused their attention on neurofilament light chain (NfL) in serum or plasma, examining data from both relapsing and progressive MS. Here, we report the initial conclusions of the panel and its recommendations for further research. Serum NfL (sNfL) is a plausible marker of neurodegeneration that can be measured accurately, sensitively, and reproducibly, but standard procedures for sample processing and analysis should be established. Findings from relapsing and progressive cohorts concur and indicate that sNfL concentrations correlate with imaging and disability measures, predict the future course of the disease, and can predict response to treatment. Importantly, disease activity from active inflammation (i.e., new T2 and gadolinium-enhancing lesions) is a large contributor to sNfL, so teasing apart disease activity from the disease progression that drives insidious disability progression in progressive MS will be challenging. More data are required on the effects of age and comorbidities, as well as the relative contributions of inflammatory activity and other disease processes. The International Progressive MS Alliance is well positioned to advance these initiatives by connecting and supporting relevant stakeholders in progressive MS.

scholarly journals The Multi-biomarker Disease Activity test for assessing response to treatment strategies using methotrexate with or without prednisone in the CAMERA-II Trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud Jurgens ◽  
Mary Safy-Khan ◽  
Maria de Hair ◽  
Johannes Bijlsma ◽  
Paco Welsing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Activity ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Treat To Target ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Gradual Improvement ◽  
Signed Rank Test ◽  
Response Profiles

Abstract ObjectivesThe CAMERA-II trial compared two tight-control, treat-to-target strategies, initiating methotrexate with prednisone (MTX+pred) or MTX with placebo (MTX+plac), in early RA-patients. The multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) blood test objectively measures RA disease activity with a score of 1−100. In CAMERA-II, response profiles of the MBDA score, its individual biomarkers and DAS28 were assessed.MethodsWe evaluated 92 patients from CAMERA-II of whom clinical data and serum for MBDA testing at baseline and ≥1 timepoint from months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 or 12 were available. Changes (∆) from baseline for DAS28 and MBDA score and comparisons of ∆DAS28 and ∆MBDA score over time within the MTX+pred versus the MTX+plac strategy, were tested for significance with t-tests. Changes in biomarker concentration from baseline to months 1−5 were tested with Wilcoxon signed rank test and tested for difference between treatment arms by Mann-Whitney U test. ResultsMBDA and DAS28 showed similar response profiles, with gradual improvement over the first 6 months in the MTX+plac group, and in the MTX+pred group faster improvement during month 1, followed by gradual improvement. The 12 MBDA biomarkers could be grouped into 4 categories of response profiles, with significant responses for 4 biomarkers during the MTX+plac strategy and 9 biomarkers during the MTX+pred strategy.ConclusionsMBDA tracked treatment response in CAMERA-II similarly to DAS28. More individual MBDA biomarkers tracked treatment response of MTX+pred than of MTX+plac. Four response profiles could be observed.

scholarly journals Serum complement levels as prognostic marker for monitoring treatment response in lupus nephritis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-102
Author(s):  
Saiful Bahar Khan ◽  
Rafi Nazrul Islam ◽  
Md Saif Bin Mizan ◽  
AKM Shahidur Rahman ◽  
Shah Md Zakir Hossain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Treatment Initiation ◽  
Complement C3 ◽  
P Value ◽  
Serum Complement ◽  
Systemic Lupus

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most common and serious manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that causes significant morbidity and mortality. Certain biomarkers for LN are sometimes able to assess treatment response in lupus nephritis. This study aimed to compare serum complement levels (C3 and C4) as markers of treatment response of LN and their relation to the LN class in renal biopsy. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Nephrology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2018 to August 2019. Twenty seven patients who were diagnosed with LN after kidney biopsy were included in this study. Serum complement levels (C3 and C4), 24 hours urinary total protein (24-hr UTP) and anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-ds DNA) were measured in all patients at baseline, 3 months and 6 months after treatment initiation. These biomarker values before and after treatment were compared between the proliferative and non-proliferative LN patients. Results: Serum C3 levels were significantly different between patients with proliferative LN (Class III and Class IV) and non-proliferative LN (Class V) at baseline (0.47 ± 0.32 g/l versus 0.89 ± 0.43 g/l, p=0.009) and levels changed significantly 6 months after treatment initiation (p<0.001) and likewise for serum C4 levels (0.10 ± 0.06 g/l versus 0.24 ± 0.26 g/l, p=0.040). The values of 24-hr UTP and anti-ds-DNA were significantly different 6 months after treatment with p value <0.05 in both groups but C3 (p<0.001) and renal Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (rSLEDAI) (p<0.001) were only significant in the proliferative group. On the other hand, after 6 months treatment, C4 levels became relatively higher but that was not significant in both groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: After 6 months of treatment, serum C3 and C4 levels increased towards normal in both LN groups. Serum C3 and C4 levels in patients with LN correlate with disease activity. Therefore, serum complement (C3 and C4) levels may be utilized as serological biomarkers for treatment response of LN. Birdem Med J 2021; 11(2): 97-102

CD62L on blood basophils: a first pre-treatment predictor of remission in severe lupus nephritis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Halfon ◽  
Delphine Bachelet ◽  
Guillaume Hanouna ◽  
Barbara Dema ◽  
Christophe Pellefigues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Induction Therapy ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Induction Treatment ◽  
Diagnostic Study ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Activation Markers ◽  
Class V ◽  
Fluorescent Intensity ◽  
Pre Treatment

Abstract Background Basophils were recently shown to contribute to lupus nephritis (LN). This study assessed blood basophil activation markers (BAMs) for the diagnosis of LN severity and as pre-treatment prognostic markers of the response to treatment in patients with severe LN. Method The diagnostic study included all the patients of a monocentric prospective observational cohort built with consecutive patients diagnosed with LN on the basis of a renal biopsy. The prognostic study selected patients of this cohort according to the following inclusion criteria: ≥18 years old, Class III or IV A ± C ± Class V or pure Class V LN at the time of inclusion and treated with an induction treatment for LN. Clinical data and BAMs were obtained at the time of the kidney biopsy. LN remission status was recorded 12 months after induction therapy initiation. Associations between baseline data and histological severity of LN or LN remission were assessed using logistic regression. Results No significant association was found between BAMs and the histological severity of LN in 101 patients. Among the 83 patients included in the prognostic study, 64 reached renal remission. CD62L expression on blood basophils at baseline was independently negatively associated with remission at 12 months [odds ratio = 0.26, 95% confidence interval 0.08–0.82, P = 0.02 for quantitative CD62L expression &gt;105 (geometric fluorescent intensity) gMFI]. CD62L &lt;105 gMFI was associated with a probability of 0.87 of LN remission in the next 12 months after the start of induction therapy. Conclusion Pre-treatment CD62L expression on blood basophils could be a first predictive biomarker of renal response to induction therapy at 12 months in patients with severe LN.

Nuclear magnetic resonance–based targeted profiling of urinary acetate and citrate following cyclophosphamide therapy in patients with lupus nephritis

Lupus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 782-786
Author(s):  
Sujata Ganguly ◽  
Umesh Kumar ◽  
Nikhil Gupta ◽  
Anupam Guleria ◽  
Sanjukta Majumdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Nmr Spectroscopy ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Induction Therapy ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Aerobic Glycolysis ◽  
Urinary Citrate ◽  
Nuclear Magnetic

Objective Metabolomics, the study of global alterations in small metabolites, is a useful tool to look for novel biomarkers. Recently, we reported a reprogramming of the serum metabolomic profile by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy following treatment in lupus nephritis (LN). This study aimed to compare the urine excretory levels of citrate and acetate in patients with biopsy-proven LN before and six months after cyclophosphamide induction therapy and to evaluate their correlation with the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2K (SLEDAI 2K) and renal SLEDAI. Methods Urine obtained from LN patients ( N = 18, 16 female) at diagnosis and six months following induction therapy with cyclophosphamide and healthy controls (HC; N = 18, median age = 35 years, all female) were stored at –80°C. Metabolomic profiling was done using high resolution 800 MHz 1D 1H NMR spectroscopy. The urinary ratio of metabolites was calculated as (metabolite×1000)/creatinine. Disease activity was measured using the SLEDAI. Metabolomic profiles were compared between groups and correlated with clinical parameters. Results Compared to HC, LN patients had significantly lower median urinary citrate/creatinine levels (LN = 18.26, range 12.80–27.62; HC = 107.7, range 65.39–138.4; p < 0.0001) which significantly increased after six months of cyclophosphamide treatment (51.05, range 11.51–170.2; p = 0.03). LN patients also differed from HC by having a higher mean urinary acetate/creatinine ratio (LN = 17.44, range 11.6–32.7; HC = 9.61, range 7.97–13.71; p = 0.054) with a non-significant fall in values after six months of treatment. The Area under curve for differentiating LN from HC for urinary citrate was 0.9136, and urinary acetate was 0.6883. The urinary acetate levels correlated with SLEDAI ( r = 0.337, p = 0.048). Urinary citrate levels correlated positively with C3 ( r = 0.362, p = 0.03) and negatively with urine protein/creatinine ( r = −0.346, p = 0.039). Conclusions Urinary citrate, which reflects dampened aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, improved significantly and is a potential non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring treatment response in LN.

scholarly journals Defining the Path Forward for Biomarkers to Address Unmet Needs in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1451-1462
Author(s):  
Gerard Honig ◽  
Caren Heller ◽  
Andrés Hurtado-Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Disease Activity ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Response Monitoring ◽  
Disease Course ◽  
Bowel Diseases ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel

Abstract Despite major advances in the inflammatory bowel diseases field, biomarkers to enable personalized and effective management are inadequate. Disease course and treatment response are highly variable, with some patients experiencing mild disease progression, whereas other patients experience severe or complicated disease. Periodic endoscopy is performed to assess disease activity; as a result, it takes months to ascertain whether a treatment is having a positive impact on disease progression. Minimally invasive biomarkers for prognosis of disease course, prediction of treatment response, monitoring of disease activity, and accurate diagnosis based on improved disease phenotyping and classification could improve outcomes and accelerate the development of novel therapeutics. Rapidly developing technologies have great potential in this regard; however, the discovery, validation, and qualification of biomarkers will require partnerships including academia, industry, funders, and regulators. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation launched the IBD Biomarker Summit to bring together key stakeholders to identify and prioritize critical unmet needs; prioritize promising technologies and consortium approaches to address these needs; and propose harmonization approaches to improve comparability of data across studies. Here, we summarize the outcomes of the 2018 and 2019 meetings, including consensus-based unmet needs in the clinical and drug development context. We highlight ongoing consortium efforts and promising technologies with the potential to address these needs in the near term. Finally, we summarize actionable recommendations for harmonization, including data collection tools for improved consistency in disease phenotyping; standardization of informed consenting; and development of guidelines for sample management and assay validation. Taken together, these outcomes demonstrate that there is an exceptional alignment of priorities across stakeholders for a coordinated effort to address unmet needs of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases through biomarker science.

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