scholarly journals Platelet Serotonin Concentration Is Associated with Illness Duration in Schizophrenia and Chronological Age in Depression

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-586
Author(s):  
Vjekoslav Peitl ◽  
Biserka Getaldić-Švarc ◽  
Dalibor Karlović
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Count ◽  
Blood Platelets ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Serotonin Concentration ◽  
Illness Duration ◽  
Peripheral Model ◽  
Platelet Serotonin

Objective Impaired serotonergic neurotransmission has been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression and schizophrenia. Blood platelets have been used for years as a peripheral model of neuronal serotonin dynamics. The objective was to investigate platelet count and serotonin concentration in patients with depression and schizophrenia, in an attempt to ascertain their clinical usefulness.Methods 953 participants were included in the study, 329 patients with depression, 339 patients with schizophrenia and 285 healthy controls. ELISA was used to assess platelet serotonin concentrations.Results There were no statistically significant differences among groups regarding age, total platelet count and serotonin concentration. Linear regression analyses revealed inverse correlations between platelet serotonin concentration and age of patients with depression and healthy individuals, as well as between platelet serotonin concentration and illness duration in patients with schizophrenia. In other words, longer illness duration in patients with schizophrenia, and higher age in patients with depression and healthy individuals was associated with lower platelet serotonin concentrations.Conclusion Platelet count and serotonin concentration did not prove to be of diagnostic value in differentiating patients and healthy individuals. However, illness duration in patients with schizophrenia may be associated with reduced concentrations of platelet serotonin.

FRI0600 DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF SERUM CONNECTIVE TISSUE GROWTH FACTOR IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 906-907
Author(s):  
R. Jiaqi ◽  
J. Zhao ◽  
L. Sun ◽  
Z. MA ◽  
X. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Interstitial Lung Disease ◽  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Connective Tissue Growth Factor ◽  
Rheumatic Diseases ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Healthy Individuals

Background:Many autoantibodies are found in the serum of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, including RF, ACPA and so on, which are essential for the disease diagnosis and prognosis judgment. However, 20-30% of patients are still seronegative, so more investigations are needed to find new biomarkers in RA.Objectives:To investigate the prevalence of serum connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and the association with the clinical features in RA patients.Methods:Serum samples were obtained from 180 patients with RA, 168 patients with other rheumatic diseases, including 43 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 34 osteoarthritis (OA), 17 primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), 20 ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 23 psoriatic arthritis (PsA), 6 reactive arthritis (ReA), 20 systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 5 systemic vasculitis (SV), and 64 healthy individuals in Peking University Third Hospital. The clinical and laboratory data of patients with RA were collected. Levels of CTGF in serum were measured by ELISA. The cut-off value of CTGF was determined by 95 percent of the concentration of the healthy controls. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 24.0 software. Associations between CTGF and the clinical features of RA were evaluated.Results:The prevalence of serum CTGF among RA patients (33.89%) was significantly higher than those of SLE (9.3%), OA (0%), AS (0%), pSS (0%), PsA (0%), ReA (0%), SSc(5%), SV(0%) and healthy controls (4.69%) (p<0.0001). The mean titer of serum CTGF in RA was also significantly higher than those in other rheumatic diseases and healthy controls (p<0.001). At the cutoff value of 264.30 pg/ml, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of serum CTGF for RA were 33.89%, 96.55%, 88.41% and 55.45% respectively. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody (p<0.001), rheumatoid factor (p<0.001), IgG (p=0.025) and IgM (p=0.004) in CTGF-positive patients were higher than those in CTGF-negative patients. Besides, more patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) were found in CTGF-positive RA.Conclusion:Serum CTGF, as a novel biomarker, has certain diagnostic value for RA. Further studies are necessary to get more knowledge for the diagnostic performance of CTGF in RA.References:[1] Ramazani Y, et al. (2018) Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) from basics to clinics. Matrix Biol 68-69:44-66.[2] Nozawa K, F et al. (2009) Connective tissue growth factor promotes articular damage by increased osteoclastogenesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis research & therapy 11 (6):R174.[3] Yang X, et al. (2017) Serum connective tissue growth factor is a highly discriminatory biomarker for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis research & therapy 19 (1):257.[4] Wei JL, et al. (2018) Role of ADAMTS-12 in Protecting Against Inflammatory Arthritis in Mice By Interacting With and Inactivating Proinflammatory Connective Tissue Growth Factor. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, NJ) 70 (11):1745-1756.[5] Tang X, et al. (2018) Connective tissue growth factor contributes to joint homeostasis and osteoarthritis severity by controlling the matrix sequestration and activation of latent TGFbeta. Ann Rheum Dis 77 (9):1372-1380.Fig 1.Distribution of serum CTGF in RA, other rheumatic diseases and healthy control. Serum sample were from 180 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 168 patients with other rheumatic diseases and 64 healthy individuals (HC). Levels of serum CTGF were measured by CTGF ELISA kit. The cut-off value was 263.30 pg/mL (black horizontal dotted line); ***p <0.001Table 1. Demographic, clinical and laboratory features of total RA patients and grouped with serum CTGF.Abbreviations: RA=rheumatoid arthritis; SJC=swollen joint count; TJC=tender joint count; ESR=erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP=C-reactive protein; DAS=disease activity score; CCP=cyclic citrullinated peptid; RF=rheumatoid factor. CTGF=connective tissue growth factor; ILD= interstitial lung diseaseDisclosure of Interests:None declared

The Origin of P-selectin as a Circulating Plasma Protein

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (06) ◽  
pp. 1081-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Fijnheer ◽  
C J M Frijns ◽  
J Korteweg ◽  
H Rommes ◽  
J H Peters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Platelet Count ◽  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Endothelial Cell Activation ◽  
Bone Marrow Aplasia ◽  
Thrombocytopenic Purpura

SummaryP-selectin is a 140 kD protein found in the α-granules of platelets and the Weibel-Palade bodies of endothelial cells. On cell activation it is expressed on the cell surface and also secreted into plasma. Whether the circulating soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) originates from platelets, endothelial cells, or both, is not known. We studied the level of sP-selectin in diseases with different platelet counts, with or without evidence of endothelial cell activation. Endothelial cell activation was confirmed by the detection of sE-selectin and EDl-fibronectin. A significant positive correlation between platelet count and sP-selectin concentration was observed in healthy controls, and in patients with thrombocytopenia due to bone marrow aplasia, or with thrombocytosis (r = 0.85; n = 47; p <0.001). In patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) the sP-selectin concentration was 110 ± 39 ng/ml (n = 10), compared to 122 ± 38 ng/ml in healthy controls (n = 26). However, their mean platelet count was lower (58 X 109/1 versus 241 X 109/1 in the control group). Accordingly, the levels of sP-selectin expressed per platelet increased to significantly higher levels (2.0 ± 1.2 versus 0.6 ± 0.2 fg/platelet in the control group-; p <0.0001). This suggests increased platelet turnover in patients with ITP. High levels of sP-selectin were found in patients with sepsis (398 ± 203 ng/ml; n = 15) and with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP; 436 ± 162 ng/ml; n = 12). Compared with patients with ITP, the concentration of sP-selectin per platelet was higher in patients with sepsis (4.8 ± 4.3 fg/platelet; p <0.005) or TTP (17.1 ± 9.5 fg/platelet; p <0.001). Endothelial cells are very likely to be the source in these patients and the presence of endothelial cell activation was confirmed by increased levels of circulating E-selectin and ED 1 -fibronectin.This study suggests that platelets are the major source of circulating sP-selectin in healthy individuals. Endothelial cell activation is associated with an increased sP-selectin concentration per platelet.

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of nailfold capillaries by capillaroscopy in healthy volunteers

VASA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoerth ◽  
Kundi ◽  
Katzenschlager ◽  
Hirschl
Keyword(s):  
Scoring System ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Connective Tissue Diseases ◽  
Capillary Density ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Extreme Position ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Diffuse Loss ◽  
Density Results

Background: Nailfold capillaroscopy (NVC) is a diagnostic tool particularly useful in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic and connective tissue diseases. Although successfully applied since many years, little is known about prevalence and distribution of NVC changes in healthy individuals. Probands and methods: NVC was performed in 120 individuals (57 men and 63 women; age 18 to 70 years) randomly selected according to predefined age and sex strata. Diseases associated with NVC changes were excluded. The nailfolds of eight fingers were assessed according to standardized procedures. A scoring system was developed based on the distribution of the number of morphologically deviating capillaries, microhaemorrhages, and capillary density. Results: Only 18 individuals (15 %) had no deviation in morphology, haemorrhages, or capillary density on any finger. Overall 67 % had morphological changes, 48 % had microhaemorrhages, and 40 % of volunteers below 40 years of age and 18 % above age 40 had less than 8 capillaries/mm. Among morphological changes tortous (43 %), ramified (47 %), and bushy capillaries (27 %) were the most frequently altered capillary types. A semiquantitative scoring system was developed in such a way that a score above 1 indicates an extreme position (above the 90th percentile) in the distribution of scores among healthy individuals. Conclusions: Altered capillaries occur frequently among healthy individuals and should be interpreted as normal unless a suspicious increase in their frequency is determined by reference to the scoring system. Megacapillaries and diffuse loss of capillaries were not found and seem to be of specific diagnostic value.

scholarly journals Current management of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism in patients with thrombocytopenia: a retrospective cohort study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Squizzato ◽  
Silvia Galliazzo ◽  
Elena Rancan ◽  
Marina Di Pilla ◽  
Giorgia Micucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Count ◽  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Cerebral Metastasis ◽  
Bleeding Complications ◽  
Severe Thrombocytopenia ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Current Management

AbstractOptimal management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients with thrombocytopenia is uncertain. We described current management and clinical outcomes of these patients. We retrospectively included a cohort of cancer patients with acute VTE and concomitant mild (platelet count 100,000–150,000/mm3), moderate (50,000–99,000/mm3), or severe thrombocytopenia (< 50,000/mm3). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses explored the association between different therapeutic strategies and thrombocytopenia. The incidence of VTE and bleeding complications was collected at a 3-month follow-up. A total of 194 patients of whom 122 (62.89%) had mild, 51 (26.29%) moderate, and 22 (11.34%) severe thrombocytopenia were involved. At VTE diagnosis, a full therapeutic dose of LMWH was administered in 79.3, 62.8 and 4.6% of patients, respectively. Moderate (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.12–0.75), severe thrombocytopenia (OR 0.01; 95% CI 0.00–0.08), and the presence of cerebral metastasis (OR 0.06; 95% CI 0.01–0.30) were independently associated with the prescription of subtherapeutic LMWH doses. Symptomatic VTE (OR 4.46; 95% CI 1.85–10.80) and pulmonary embolism (OR 2.76; 95% CI 1.09–6.94) were associated with the prescription of full therapeutic LMWH doses. Three-month incidence of VTE was 3.9% (95% CI 1.3–10.1), 8.5% (95% CI 2.8–21.3), 0% (95% CI 0.0–20.0) in patients with mild, moderate, and severe thrombocytopenia, respectively. The corresponding values for major bleeding and mortality were 1.9% (95% CI 0.3–7.4), 6.4% (95% CI 1.7–18.6), 0% (95% CI 0.0–20.0) and 9.6% (95% CI 5.0–17.4), 48.2% (95% CI 16.1–42.9), 20% (95% CI 6.6–44.3). In the absence of sound evidence, anticoagulation strategy of VTE in cancer patients with thrombocytopenia was tailored on an individual basis, taking into account not only the platelet count but also VTE presentation and the presence of cerebral metastasis.

scholarly journals The Importance of Platelet Glycoside Residues in the Haemostasis of Patients with Immune Thrombocytopaenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1661
Author(s):  
Andrés Ramírez-López ◽  
María Teresa Álvarez Román ◽  
Elena Monzón Manzano ◽  
Paula Acuña ◽  
Elena G. Arias-Salgado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Count ◽  
Sialic Acid ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Caspase Activity ◽  
Antibody Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity ◽  
Activation Markers ◽  
Platelet Surface ◽  
Mannose Binding ◽  
Transversal Study ◽  
Binding Lectin

Loss of sialic acid from the carbohydrate side chains of platelet glycoproteins can affect platelet clearance, a proposed mechanism involved in the etiopathogenesis of immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP). We aimed to assess whether changes in platelet glycosylation in patients with ITP affected platelet counts, function, and apoptosis. This observational, prospective, and transversal study included 82 patients with chronic primary ITP and 115 healthy controls. We measured platelet activation markers and assayed platelet glycosylation and caspase activity, analysing samples using flow cytometry. Platelets from patients with ITP with a platelet count <30 × 103/µL presented less sialic acid. Levels of α1,6-fucose (a glycan residue that can directly regulate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity) and α-mannose (which can be recognised by mannose-binding-lectin and activate the complement pathway) were increased in the platelets from these patients. Platelet surface exposure of other glycoside residues due to sialic acid loss inversely correlated with platelet count and the ability to be activated. Moreover, loss of sialic acid induced the ingestion of platelets by human hepatome HepG2 cells. Changes in glycoside composition of glycoproteins on the platelets’ surface impaired their functional capacity and increased their apoptosis. These changes in platelet glycoside residues appeared to be related to ITP severity.

scholarly journals Phenotypic and Functional Alterations of Immune Effectors in Periodontitis; A Multifactorial and Complex Oral Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 875
Author(s):  
Kawaljit Kaur ◽  
Shahram Vaziri ◽  
Marcela Romero-Reyes ◽  
Avina Paranjpe ◽  
Anahid Jewett
Keyword(s):  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Blood Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Ifn Γ ◽  
And Function

Survival and function of immune subsets in the oral blood, peripheral blood and gingival tissues of patients with periodontal disease and healthy controls were assessed. NK and CD8 + T cells within the oral blood mononuclear cells (OBMCs) expressed significantly higher levels of CD69 in patients with periodontal disease compared to those from healthy controls. Similarly, TNF-α release was higher from oral blood of patients with periodontal disease when compared to healthy controls. Increased activation induced cell death of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but not OBMCs from patients with periodontal disease was observed when compared to those from healthy individuals. Unlike those from healthy individuals, OBMC-derived supernatants from periodontitis patients exhibited decreased ability to induce secretion of IFN-γ by allogeneic healthy PBMCs treated with IL-2, while they triggered significant levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 by untreated PBMCs. Interaction of PBMCs, or NK cells with intact or NFκB knock down oral epithelial cells in the presence of a periodontal pathogen, F. nucleatum, significantly induced a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IFN-γ. These studies indicated that the relative numbers of immune subsets obtained from peripheral blood may not represent the composition of the immune cells in the oral environment, and that orally-derived immune effectors may differ in survival and function from those of peripheral blood.

scholarly journals Arginase 1 (Arg1) as an Up-Regulated Gene in COVID-19 Patients: A Promising Marker in COVID-19 Immunopathy

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afshin Derakhshani ◽  
Nima Hemmat ◽  
Zahra Asadzadeh ◽  
Moslem Ghaseminia ◽  
Mahdi Abdoli Shadbad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Roc Analysis ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Cdna Synthesis ◽  
Arginase 1 ◽  
Global Pandemic

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been declared a global pandemic. It is well-established that SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to dysregulated immune responses. Arginase-1 (Arg1), which has a pivotal role in immune cells, can be expressed in most of the myeloid cells, e.g., neutrophils and macrophages. Arg1 has been associated with the suppression of antiviral immune responses. Methods: Whole blood was taken from 21 COVID-19 patients and 21 healthy individuals, and after RNA extraction and complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis, gene expression of Arg1 was measured by real-time PCR. Results: The qPCR results showed that the expression of Arg1 was significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.01). The relative expression analysis demonstrated there were approximately 2.3 times increased Arg1 expression in the whole blood of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed a considerable diagnostic value for Arg1 expression in COVID-19 (p = 0.0002 and AUC = 0.8401). Conclusion: Arg1 might be a promising marker in the pathogenesis of the disease, and it could be a valuable diagnostic tool.

scholarly journals A Circulating Exosome RNA Signature Is a Potential Diagnostic Marker for Pancreatic Cancer, a Systematic Study

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2565
Author(s):  
Yixing Wu ◽  
Hongmei Zeng ◽  
Qing Yu ◽  
Huatian Huang ◽  
Beatrice Fervers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Chronic Pancreatitis ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Validation Dataset ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Kras Mutations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Rna Signature

Several exosome proteins, miRNAs and KRAS mutations have been investigated in the hope of carrying out the early detection of pancreatic cancer with high sensitivity and specificity, but they have proven to be insufficient. Exosome RNAs, however, have not been extensively evaluated in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of circulating exosome RNAs in pancreatic cancer detection. By retrieving RNA-seq data from publicly accessed databases, differential expression and random-effects meta-analyses were performed. The results showed that pancreatic cancer had a distinct circulating exosome RNA signature in healthy individuals, and that the top 10 candidate exosome RNAs could distinguish patients from healthy individuals with an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.0. Three (HIST2H2AA3, LUZP6 and HLA-DRA) of the 10 genes in exosomes had similar differential patterns to those in tumor tissues based on RNA-seq data. In the validation dataset, the levels of these three genes in exosomes displayed good performance in distinguishing cancer from both chronic pancreatitis (AUC = 0.815) and healthy controls (AUC = 0.8558), whereas a slight difference existed between chronic pancreatitis and healthy controls (AUC = 0.586). Of the three genes, the level of HIST2H2AA3 was positively associated with KRAS status. However, there was no significant difference in the levels of the three genes across the disease stages (stages I–IV). These findings indicate that circulating exosome RNAs have a potential early detection value in pancreatic cancer, and that a distinct exosome RNA signature exists in distinguishing pancreatic cancer from healthy individuals.

scholarly journals The expression of miR-211-5p in atherosclerosis and its influence on diagnosis and prognosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxia Zhang ◽  
Huiyun Wang ◽  
Yu Xia
Keyword(s):  
Roc Curve ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Survival Curve ◽  
Prognostic Significance ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Cox Regression Analysis ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of miR-211-5p in atherosclerosis (AS) by detecting the expression level in serum of patients with AS. Methods A total of 85 healthy controls and 90 asymptomatic AS patients participated in this study. The expression level of miR-211-5p in all subjects were measured by qRT-PCR. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation of miR-211-5p with CRP and CIMT. The ROC curve was established to assess the diagnostic value of miR-211-5p in AS. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve and multivariate COX regression analysis were used to evaluate the prognostic significance of miR-211-5p in AS. Results The expression levels of miR-211-5p in AS patients were significantly lower than in healthy controls (P < 0.001), and miR-211-5p showed a significant negative correlation with CRP (r =  − 0.639, P < 0.001) and CIMT (r =  − 0.730, P < 0.001). The AUC of the ROC curve was 0.900, the specificity and the sensitivity were 84.7% and 78.9%, respectively, which indicating that miR-211-5p had diagnostic value for AS. Survival analysis showed that patients with low miR-211-5p expression were more likely to have cardiovascular end-point events (Log rank P = 0.013). Conclusion Serum miR-211-5p could be used as a new biomarker for the diagnosis of AS, and the low expression of miR-211-5p is associated with the poor prognosis of AS.

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