| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Elhai, M, et al.
(author)
-
Outcomes of patients with systemic sclerosis treated with rituximab in contemporary practice: a prospective cohort study
- 2019
-
In: Annals of the rheumatic diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 78:7, s. 979-987
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To assess the safety and efficacy of rituximab in systemic sclerosis (SSc) in clinical practice.MethodsWe performed a prospective study including patients with SSc from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) network treated with rituximab and matched with untreated patients with SSc. The main outcomes measures were adverse events, skin fibrosis improvement, lung fibrosis worsening and steroids use among propensity score-matched patients treated or not with rituximab.Results254 patients were treated with rituximab, in 58% for lung and in 32% for skin involvement. After a median follow-up of 2 years, about 70% of the patients had no side effect. Comparison of treated patients with 9575 propensity-score matched patients showed that patients treated with rituximab were more likely to have skin fibrosis improvement (22.7 vs 14.03 events per 100 person-years; OR: 2.79 [1.47–5.32]; p=0.002). Treated patients did not have significantly different rates of decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC)>10% (OR: 1.03 [0.55–1.94]; p=0.93) nor in carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) decrease. Patients having received rituximab were more prone to stop or decrease steroids (OR: 2.34 [1.56–3.53], p<0.0001). Patients treated concomitantly with mycophenolate mofetil had a trend for better outcomes as compared with patients receiving rituximab alone (delta FVC: 5.22 [0.83–9.62]; p=0.019 as compared with controls vs 3 [0.66–5.35]; p=0.012).ConclusionRituximab use was associated with a good safety profile in this large SSc-cohort. Significant change was observed on skin fibrosis, but not on lung. However, the limitation is the observational design. The potential stabilisation of lung fibrosis by rituximab has to be addressed by a randomised trial.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Willemse, E. A. J., et al.
(author)
-
Pre-analytical stability of novel cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers
- 2019
-
In: Clinica Chimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-8981. ; 497, s. 204-211
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Stability of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition under different pre-analytical conditions is relevant for the diagnostic potential of biomarkers. Our aim was to examine the pre-analytical stability of promising CSF biomarkers that are currently evaluated for their discriminative use in various neurological diseases. Pooled CSF was aliquoted and experimentally exposed to delayed storage: 0, 1, 2, 4, 24, 72, or 168 h at 4 °C or room temperature (RT), or 1–4 months at −20 °C; or up to 7 freeze/thaw (f/t) cycles, before final storage at −80 °C. Eleven CSF biomarkers were screened using immunoassays, liquid chromatography, or enzymatic methods. Levels of neurogranin (truncP75), chitinase-3-like protein (YKL-40), beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymatic activity, theobromine, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine-like 1 (SPARCL-1) and homovanillic acid (HVA) levels were not affected by the applied storage conditions. 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) levels linearly and strongly decreased after 4 h at RT (−10%) or 24 h at 4 °C (−27%), and with 6% after every f/t cycle. 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) (−29% after 1 week at RT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels (5-HIAA) (−16% after 1 week at RT) were reduced and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels (+22% after 1 week at RT) increased, but only after >24 h at RT. Ten out of eleven potential CSF novel biomarkers showed very limited change under common storage and f/t conditions, suggesting that these CSF biomarkers can be trustfully tested under the pre-analytical conditions present across different cohorts. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
|
|
| 6. |
- Henstrom, M., et al.
(author)
-
Functional variants in the sucrase-isomaltase gene associate with increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome
- 2018
-
In: Gut. - : BMJ. - 0017-5749 .- 1468-3288. ; 67:2, s. 263-270
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective IBS is a common gut disorder of uncertain pathogenesis. Among other factors, genetics and certain foods are proposed to contribute. Congenital sucraseisomaltase deficiency (CSID) is a rare genetic form of disaccharide malabsorption characterised by diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating, which are features common to IBS. We tested sucrase-isomaltase (SI) gene variants for their potential relevance in IBS. Design We sequenced SI exons in seven familial cases, and screened four CSID mutations (p.Val557Gly, p. Gly1073Asp, p.Arg1124Ter and p.Phe1745Cys) and a common SI coding polymorphism (p.Val15Phe) in a multicentre cohort of 1887 cases and controls. We studied the effect of the 15Val to 15Phe substitution on SI function in vitro. We analysed p.Val15Phe genotype in relation to IBS status, stool frequency and faecal microbiota composition in 250 individuals from the general population. Results CSID mutations were more common in patients than asymptomatic controls (p=0.074; OR=1.84) and Exome Aggregation Consortium reference sequenced individuals (p=0.020; OR=1.57). 15Phe was detected in 6/7 sequenced familial cases, and increased IBS risk in case-control and population-based cohorts, with best evidence for diarrhoea phenotypes (combined p=0.00012; OR=1.36). In the population-based sample, 15Phe allele dosage correlated with stool frequency (p=0.026) and Parabacteroides faecal microbiota abundance (p=0.0024). The SI protein with 15Phe exhibited 35% reduced enzymatic activity in vitro compared with 15Val (p<0.05). Conclusions SI gene variants coding for disaccharidases with defective or reduced enzymatic activity predispose to IBS. This may help the identification of individuals at risk, and contribute to personalising treatment options in a subset of patients.
|
|
| 7. |
- Boulo, S., et al.
(author)
-
First amyloid β1-42 certified reference material for re-calibrating commercial immunoassays
- 2020
-
In: Alzheimer's and Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 16:11, s. 1493-1503
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Reference materials based on human cerebrospinal fluid were certified for the mass concentration of amyloid beta (Aβ)1-42 (Aβ42). They are intended to be used to calibrate diagnostic assays for Aβ42. Methods: The three certified reference materials (CRMs), ERM-DA480/IFCC, ERM-DA481/IFCC and ERM-DA482/IFCC, were prepared at three concentration levels and characterized using isotope dilution mass spectrometry methods. Roche, EUROIMMUN, and Fujirebio used the three CRMs to re-calibrate their immunoassays. Results: The certified Aβ42 mass concentrations in ERM-DA480/IFCC, ERM-DA481/IFCC, and ERM-DA482/IFCC are 0.45, 0.72, and 1.22μg/L, respectively, with expanded uncertainties (k=2) of 0.07, 0.11, and 0.18μg/L, respectively. Before re-calibration, a good correlation (Pearson's r>0.97), yet large biases, were observed between results from different commercial assays. After re-calibration the between-assay bias was reduced to<5%. Discussion: The Aβ42 CRMs can ensure the equivalence of results between methods and across platforms for the measurement of Aβ42. © 2020 the Alzheimer's Association
|
|
| 8. |
- Lewczuk, Piotr, et al.
(author)
-
Cerebrospinal fluid and blood biomarkers for neurodegenerative dementias: An update of the Consensus of the Task Force on Biological Markers in Psychiatry of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry.
- 2018
-
In: The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1814-1412. ; 19:4, s. 244-328
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the 12 years since the publication of the first Consensus Paper of the WFSBP on biomarkers of neurodegenerative dementias, enormous advancement has taken place in the field, and the Task Force takes now the opportunity to extend and update the original paper. New concepts of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the conceptual interactions between AD and dementia due to AD were developed, resulting in two sets for diagnostic/research criteria. Procedures for pre-analytical sample handling, biobanking, analyses and post-analytical interpretation of the results were intensively studied and optimised. A global quality control project was introduced to evaluate and monitor the inter-centre variability in measurements with the goal of harmonisation of results. Contexts of use and how to approach candidate biomarkers in biological specimens other than cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), e.g. blood, were precisely defined. Important development was achieved in neuroimaging techniques, including studies comparing amyloid-β positron emission tomography results to fluid-based modalities. Similarly, development in research laboratory technologies, such as ultra-sensitive methods, raises our hopes to further improve analytical and diagnostic accuracy of classic and novel candidate biomarkers. Synergistically, advancement in clinical trials of anti-dementia therapies energises and motivates the efforts to find and optimise the most reliable early diagnostic modalities. Finally, the first studies were published addressing the potential of cost-effectiveness of the biomarkers-based diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Pannee, Josef, 1979, et al.
(author)
-
The global Alzheimer's Association round robin study on plasma amyloid beta methods
- 2021
-
In: Alzheimer's & Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 13:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction Blood-based assays to measure brain amyloid beta (A beta) deposition are an attractive alternative to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based assays currently used in clinical settings. In this study, we examined different blood-based assays to measure A beta and how they compare among centers and assays. Methods Aliquots from 81 plasma samples were distributed to 10 participating centers. Seven immunological assays and four mass-spectrometric methods were used to measure plasma A beta concentrations. Results Correlations were weak for A beta 42 while A beta 40 correlations were stronger. The ratio A beta 42/A beta 40 did not improve the correlations and showed weak correlations. Discussion The poor correlations for A beta 42 in plasma might have several potential explanations, such as the high levels of plasma proteins (compared to CSF), sensitivity to pre-analytical sample handling and specificity, and cross-reactivity of different antibodies. Different methods might also measure different pools of plasma A beta 42. We, however, hypothesize that greater correlations might be seen in future studies because many of the methods have been refined during completion of this study.
|
|
