Post-surgery sequelae unrelated to disease progression and chemotherapy revealed in follow-up of patients with stage III colon cancer.

Background: We studied the poorly-known dynamics of circulating DNA (cir-nDNA), as monitored prospectively over an extended post-surgery period, in patients with cancer.

Methods: On patients with stage III colon cancer (N = 120), using personalised molecular tags we carried out the prospective, multicenter, blinded cohort study of the post-surgery serial analysis of cir-nDNA concentration. 74 patients were included and 357 plasma samples tested.

Association of the immediate perioperative dynamics of circulating DNA levels and neutrophil extracellular traps formation in cancer patients.

Objectives: Elevated circulating DNA (cirDNA) concentrations were found to be associated with trauma or tissue damage which suggests involvement of inflammation or cell death in post-operative cirDNA release. We carried out the first prospective, multicenter study of the dynamics of cirDNA and neutrophil extracellular trap (NETs) markers during the perioperative period from 24 h before surgery up to 72 h after curative surgery in cancer patients.

Methods: We examined the plasma levels of two NETs protein markers [myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE)], as well as levels of cirDNA of nuclear (cir-nDNA) and mitochondrial (cir-mtDNA) origin in 29 colon, prostate, and breast cancer patients and in 114 healthy individuals (HI).

Neutrophil extracellular traps have auto-catabolic activity and produce mononucleosome-associated circulating DNA.

Background: As circulating DNA (cirDNA) is mainly detected as mononucleosome-associated circulating DNA (mono-N cirDNA) in blood, apoptosis has until now been considered as the main source of cirDNA. The mechanism of cirDNA release into the circulation, however, is still not fully understood. This work addresses that knowledge gap, working from the postulate that neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) may be a source of cirDNA, and by investigating whether NET may directly produce mono-N cirDNA.

Persistence of neutrophil extracellular traps and anticardiolipin auto-antibodies in post-acute phase COVID-19 patients.

In the early phase of the pandemic, we were among the first to postulate that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play a key role in COVID-19 pathogenesis. This exploratory prospective study based on 279 individuals showed that plasma levels of neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase and circulating DNA of nuclear and mitochondrial origins in nonsevere (NS), severe (S) and postacute phase (PAP) COVID-19 patients were statistically different as compared to the levels in healthy individuals, and revealed the high diagnostic power of these NETs markers in respect to the disease severity. The diagnostic power of NE, MPO, and cir-nDNA as determined by the Area Under Receiver Operating Curves (AUROC) was 0.