Biomarkers of Cytokine Release Syndrome Predict Disease Severity and Mortality From COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Background: Data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in immunocompromised kidney transplant recipients (KTR) remain scanty. Although markers of inflammation, cardiac injury, and coagulopathy have been previously associated with mortality in the general population of patients with COVID-19, their prognostic impact amongst KTR with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has not been specifically investigated.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study of 49 KTR who presented with COVID-19.

Differential diagnostic value of total alpha-synuclein assay in the cerebrospinal fluid between Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies from the prodromal stage.

Background: Several studies have investigated the value of alpha-synuclein assay in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients in the differential diagnosis of these two pathologies. However, very few studies have focused on this assay in AD and DLB patients at the MCI stage.

Methods: All patients were enrolled under a hospital clinical research protocol from the tertiary Memory Clinic (CM2R) of Alsace, France, by an experienced team of clinicians.

Cytokine release syndrome-associated encephalopathy in patients with COVID-19.

Background And Purpose: Neurological manifestations in coronavirus disease (COVID)-2019 may adversely affect clinical outcomes. Severe COVID-19 and uremia are risk factors for neurological complications. However, the lack of insight into their pathogenesis, particularly with respect to the role of the cytokine release syndrome (CRS), is currently hampering effective therapeutic interventions.

Early Inflammatory Markers for the Diagnosis of Late-Onset Sepsis in Neonates: The Nosodiag Study.

Early diagnosis is essential to improve the treatment and prognosis of newborn infants with nosocomial bacterial infections. Although cytokines and procalcitonin (PCT) have been evaluated as early inflammatory markers, their diagnostic properties have rarely been compared. This study evaluated and compared the ability of individual inflammatory markers available for clinician (PCT, semi-quantitative determination of IL-8) and of combinations of markers (CRP plus IL-6 or quantitative or semi-quantitative determination of IL-8) to diagnose bacterial nosocomial infections in neonates.

Cerebrospinal fluid Alzheimer biomarkers can be useful for discriminating dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease at the prodromal stage.

Background: Differential diagnosis between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not straightforward, especially in the early stages of disease. We compared AD biomarkers (phospho-Tau, total-Tau, Aβ42 and Aβ40) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with DLB and AD, focusing especially on the prodromal stage.

Methods: A total of 1221 CSF were collected in different memory centres (ePLM network) in France and analysed retrospectively.

Comparison of capillary and arterial lactate levels in patients with shock.

Objective: Several guidelines recommend point-of-care lactate measurements for therapeutic decision-making in patients with shock. The aim of the study was to validate capillary lactate measurements with a bedside micromethod in patients with shock.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

Effect of Carbidopa on 18F-FDOPA Uptake in Insulinoma: From Cell Culture to Small-Animal PET Imaging.

Unlabelled: Patient premedication with carbidopa seems to improve the accuracy of 6-F-fluoro-3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (F-FDOPA) PET for insulinoma diagnosis. However, the risk of PET false-negative results in the presence of carbidopa is a concern. Consequently, we aimed to evaluate the effect of carbidopa on F-FDOPA uptake in insulinoma β-cells and an insulinoma xenograft model in mice.

Diagnostic Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers (Phospho-Tau181, total-Tau, Aβ42, and Aβ40) in Prodromal Stage of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) symptoms are close to those of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the differential diagnosis is difficult especially early in the disease. Unfortunately, AD biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and more particularly Aβ1 - 42, appear to be altered in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). However, the level of these biomarkers has never been studied in the prodromal stage of the disease.

[Evaluation of the interest of procalcitonin in the diagnosis of chorioamnionitis in preterm premature rupture of membranes. An observational and prospective study].

Introduction: Diagnosis of chorioamnionitis (CA) is difficult because all clinical and biological signs are rarely concordant. According to recent literature, PCT could act as a specific marker of bacterial infection. Our main objective was to assess whether PCT could improve our management of patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM), allowing earlier and more specific diagnosis for CA.

Compartmentalization of Inflammatory Response Following Gut Ischemia Reperfusion.

Objective/background: Gut ischemia reperfusion (IR) is thought to trigger systemic inflammation, multiple organ failure, and death. The aim of this study was to investigate inflammatory responses in blood and in two target organs after gut IR.

Methods: This was a controlled animal study.

Chromogranin A-derived peptides are involved in innate immunity.

New endogenous antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from chromogranin A (CgA) are secreted by nervous, endocrine and immune cells during stress. They display antimicrobial activities by lytic effects at micromolar range using a pore-forming mechanism against Gram-positive bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts. These AMPs can also penetrate quickly into neutrophils (without lytic effects), where, similarly to "cell penetrating peptides", they interact with cytoplasmic calmodulin, and induce calcium influx via Store Operated Channels therefore triggering neutrophils activation.

Vasostatin-I, a chromogranin A-derived peptide, in non-selected critically ill patients: distribution, kinetics, and prognostic significance.

Purpose: Chromogranin A (CGA) is released in the plasma during life-threatening illnesses. Its N-terminal 1-76 peptide, vasostatin-I (VS-I), has never been assessed in critically ill patients. Our aim was to examine whether the admission VS-I concentration has prognostic significance without having to specify a primary diagnosis.

Interleukin-10 gene down-expression in circulating mononuclear cells during infusion of drotrecogin-α activated: a pilot study.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the gene expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in circulating mononuclear cells harvested from septic shock patients on drotrecogin-α activated (DAA) in order to determine whether this treatment has any effect on the inflammation phase.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in two intensive care departments. Blood samples were collected at inclusion (T1) and 36 hours later (T2) to measure plasma cytokines and the changes in intracellular TNF-α, IL-10 and IFN-γ mRNA expressions using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

Endogenous morphine levels are increased in sepsis: a partial implication of neutrophils.

Background: Mammalian cells synthesize morphine and the respective biosynthetic pathway has been elucidated. Human neutrophils release this alkaloid into the media after exposure to morphine precursors. However, the exact role of endogenous morphine in inflammatory processes remains unclear.

Detection of K-Ras mutations in tumour samples of patients with non-small cell lung cancer using PNA-mediated PCR clamping.

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), in particular adenocarcinoma, are often mixed with normal cells. Therefore, low sensitivity of direct sequencing used for K-Ras mutation analysis could be inadequate in some cases. Our study focused on the possibility to increase the detection of K-Ras mutations in cases of low tumour cellularity.

Emergency step-by-step specific immunotherapy in severe digoxin poisoning: an observational cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a step-by-step fixed dose of specific immunotherapy protocol in case of severe digoxin poisoning in an open uncontrolled prospective study.

Methods: Twenty consecutive patients were admitted because of severe digoxin poisoning. The inclusion criteria were: digoxin overdose and either life-threatening arrhythmia; high-degree atrioventricular block, ventricular arrhythmia, or bradycardia less than 50 bpm and hyperkalaemia (>5.

Diminution of Circulating CD4+CD25 high T cells in naïve Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease is considered to be caused either by an excess of T-cell effector functions and/or by a defective regulatory T-cell compartment. The aim of this study was to assess in Crohn's disease the frequency of circulating CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells that possess regulatory T-cell functions and CD4(+)CD25(low) T cells that contain activated T cells. Flow cytometry of peripheral blood was used to assess CD4(+)CD25(high) and CD4(+)CD25(low) T-cell frequencies in a cohort of 66 patients with Crohn's disease in comparison to 19 patients with ulcerative colitis and 31 healthy individuals enrolled as controls.

Serum concentration of chromogranin A at admission: an early biomarker of severity in critically ill patients.

Background: Chromogranin A (CGA), a stress marker released with catecholamines by the adrenal medulla, has never been associated with acute inflammation in critically ill patients.

Aim: To determine evidence for a link between serum concentration of CGA, biomarkers of inflammation, and outcome inpatients admitted with or without the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

Methods: At admission, we measured in 53 patients and 14 healthy controls the serum concentrations of CGA,procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein.

Prognostic value of chromogranin A at admission in critically ill patients: a cohort study in a medical intensive care unit.

Background: Risk assessments of patients should be based on objective variables, such as biological markers that can be measured routinely. The acute response to stress causes the release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla accompanied by chromogranin A (CGA). To date, no study has evaluated the prognostic value of CGA in critically ill intensive care unit patients.

Involvement of MET/TWIST/APC combination or the potential role of ossification factors in pediatric high-grade osteosarcoma oncogenesis.

Dysregulated cell growth or differentiation due to misexpression of developmental critical factors seems to be a decisive event in oncogenesis. As osteosarcomas are histologically defined by malignant osteoblasts producing an osteoid component, we prospected in pediatric osteosarcomas treated with OS94 protocol the genomic status of several genes implied in ossification processes. In 91 osteosarcoma cases, we focused on the analysis of the fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) TWIST, APC, and MET by allelotyping, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, gene sequencing, and protein polymorphism study.

KIT gene in pediatric osteosarcomas: could it be a new therapeutic target?

In our previous study, a frequent rearrangement at 4q12 has been identified by allelotyping in our large and homogeneous population of pediatric osteosarcomas and it was significantly linked to c-kit protein overexpression. To confirm and understand the involvement of KIT in this tumor, the next step of the study was designed to detect the potential mutations of KIT gene by sequencing the frequently mutated exons 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 17 and 21 and, in case of unmutated samples, to confirm the genomic amplifications of the wild-type receptor by real-time quantitative PCR (QPCR). A new microsatellite and QPCR targeting PDGFRA was also added to check the accuracy of the 4q11-12 locus.

Influence of drotrecogin alpha (activated) infusion on the variation of Bax/Bcl-2 and Bax/Bcl-xl ratios in circulating mononuclear cells: a cohort study in septic shock patients.

Objective: Drotrecogin alpha (activated) (DAA), or recombinant human activated protein C, is a new treatment in sepsis-induced multiple organ failure, leading to significant reduction in the mortality rate, thanks to its anticoagulant properties. It has been suggested that DAA has anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects in sepsis animal models. This study investigates the potential actions of DAA on circulating mononuclear cells apoptosis in human septic shock.

Cardio protective effect of glucose-insulin infusion on acute digoxin toxicity in rat.

Unlabelled: We recently observed a case of digoxin and insulin self-poisoning without cardiac repercussion. We raised the hypothesis that insulin may have a cardio-protective effect in case of digoxin toxicity. We have therefore evaluated the effect of glucose-insulin infusion on mortality and ECG abnormalities during acute digoxin toxicity in rats.