| 1. |
- Korhonen, Otto, et al.
(author)
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Outlier analysis for acute blood biomarkers of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury
- 2024
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In: Journal of Neurotrauma. - 0897-7151 .- 1557-9042. ; 41:1-2, s. 91-105
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blood biomarkers have been studied to improve the clinical assessment and prognostication of patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (mo/sTBI). To assess their clinical usability, one needs to know of potential factors that might cause outlier values and affect clinical decision making. In a prospective study, we recruited patients with mo/sTBI (n = 85) and measured the blood levels of eight protein brain pathophysiology biomarkers, including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B), neurofilament light (Nf-L), heart-Type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), interleukin-10 (IL-10), total tau (T-Tau), amyloid b40 (Ab40) and amyloid b42 (Ab42), within 24 h of admission. Similar analyses were conducted for controls (n = 40) with an acute orthopedic injury without any head trauma. The patients with TBI were divided into subgroups of normal versus abnormal (n = 9/76) head computed tomography (CT) and favorable (Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended [GOSE] 5-8) versus unfavorable (GOSE <5) (n = 38/42, 5 missing) outcome. Outliers were sought individually from all subgroups from and the whole TBI patient population. Biomarker levels outside Q1-1.5 interquartile range (IQR) or Q3 + 1.5 IQR were considered as outliers. The medical records of each outlier patient were reviewed in a team meeting to determine possible reasons for outlier values. A total of 29 patients (34%) combined from all subgroups and 12 patients (30%) among the controls showed outlier values for one or more of the eight biomarkers. Nine patients with TBI and five control patients had outlier values in more than one biomarker (up to 4). All outlier values were > Q3 + 1.5 IQR. A logical explanation was found for almost all cases, except the amyloid proteins. Explanations for outlier values included extremely severe injury, especially for GFAP and S100B. In the case of H-FABP and IL-10, the explanation was extracranial injuries (thoracic injuries for H-FABP and multi-Trauma for IL-10), in some cases these also were associated with abnormally high S100B. Timing of sampling and demographic factors such as age and pre-existing neurological conditions (especially for T-Tau), explained some of the abnormally high values especially for Nf-L. Similar explanations also emerged in controls, where the outlier values were caused especially by pre-existing neurological diseases. To utilize blood-based biomarkers in clinical assessment of mo/sTBI, very severe or fatal TBIs, various extracranial injuries, timing of sampling, and demographic factors such as age and pre-existing systemic or neurological conditions must be taken into consideration. Very high levels seem to be often associated with poor prognosis and mortality (GFAP and S100B).
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| 2. |
- Newcombe, Virginia F J, et al.
(author)
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Post-acute blood biomarkers and disease progression in traumatic brain injury.
- 2022
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In: Brain : a journal of neurology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1460-2156. ; 145:6, s. 2064-2076
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is substantial interest in the potential for traumatic brain injury to result in progressive neurological deterioration. While blood biomarkers such as glial fibrillary acid protein and neurofilament light have been widely explored in characterising acute traumatic brain injury, their use in the chronic phase is limited. Given increasing evidence that these proteins may be markers of ongoing neurodegeneration in a range of diseases, we examined their relationship to imaging changes and functional outcome in the months to years following traumatic brain injury. Two-hundred and three patients were recruited in two separate cohorts; six months post-injury (n=165); and >5 years post-injury (n=38; 12 of whom also provided data ∼8 months post-TBI). Subjects underwent blood biomarker sampling (n=199) and magnetic resonance imaging (n=172; including diffusion tensor imaging). Data from patient cohorts were compared to 59 healthy volunteers and 21 non-brain injury trauma controls. Mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy were calculated in cortical grey matter, deep grey matter and whole brain white matter. Accelerated brain ageing was calculated at a whole brain level as the predicted age difference defined using T1-weighted images, and at a voxel-based level as the annualised Jacobian determinants in white matter and grey matter, referenced to a population of 652 healthy control subjects. Serum neurofilament light concentrations were elevated in the early chronic phase. While GFAP values were within the normal range at ∼8 months, many patients showed a secondary and temporally distinct elevations up to >5 years after injury. Biomarker elevation at six months was significantly related to metrics of microstructural injury on diffusion tensor imaging. Biomarker levels at ∼8 months predicted white matter volume loss at >5 years, and annualised brain volume loss between ∼8 months and 5 years. Patients who worsened functionally between ∼8 months and >5 years showed higher than predicted brain age and elevated neurofilament light levels. Glial fibrillary acid protein and neurofilament light levels can remain elevated months to years after traumatic brain injury, and show distinct temporal profiles. These elevations correlate closely with microstructural injury in both grey and white matter on contemporaneous quantitative diffusion tensor imaging. Neurofilament light elevations at ∼8 months may predict ongoing white matter and brain volume loss over >5 years of follow up. If confirmed, these findings suggest that blood biomarker levels at late time points could be used to identify traumatic brain injury survivors who are at high risk of progressive neurological damage.
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| 3. |
- Tuure, Juho, et al.
(author)
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Late Blood Levels of Neurofilament Light Correlate With Outcome in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury.
- 2024
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In: Journal of neurotrauma. - 1557-9042. ; 41:3-4, s. 359-368
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neurofilament light (NF-L) is an axonal protein that has shown promise as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarker. Serum NF-L shows a rather slow rise after injury, peaking after 1-2 weeks, although some studies suggest that it may remain elevated for months after TBI. The aim of this study was to examine if plasma NF-L levels several months after the injury correlate with functional outcome in patients who have sustained TBIs of variable initial severity. In this prospective study of 178 patients with TBI and 40 orthopedic injury controls, we measured plasma NF-L levels in blood samples taken at the follow-up appointment on average 9 months after injury. Patients with TBI were divided into two groups (mild [mTBI] vs. moderate-to-severe [mo/sTBI]) according to the severity of injury assessed with the Glasgow Coma Scale upon admission. Recovery and functional outcome were assessed using the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE). Higher levels of NF-L at the follow-up correlated with worse outcome in patients with moderate-to-severe TBI (Spearman's rho=-0.18; p<0.001). In addition, in computed tomography-positive mTBI group, the levels of NF-L were significantly lower in patients with GOSE 7-8 (median 18.14; interquartile range [IQR] 9.82, 32.15) when compared with patients with GOSE <7 (median 73.87; IQR 32.17, 110.54; p=0.002). In patients with mTBI, late NF-L levels do not seem to provide clinical benefit for late-stage assessment, but in patients with initially mo/sTBI, persistently elevated NF-L levels are associated with worse outcome after TBI and may reflect ongoing brain injury.
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