Dysregulated neutrophil extracellular traps and haemostatic biomarkers as diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets in periprosthetic joint infection.

Aims: Bacterial infection activates neutrophils to release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in bacterial biofilms of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the increase in NET activation and release (NETosis) and haemostasis markers in the plasma of patients with PJI, to evaluate whether such plasma induces the activation of neutrophils, to ascertain whether increased NETosis is also mediated by reduced DNaseI activity, to explore novel therapeutic interventions for NETosis in PJI in vitro, and to evaluate the potential diagnostic use of these markers.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 107 patients in the preoperative period of prosthetic surgery, 71 with a suspicion of PJI and 36 who underwent arthroplasty for non-septic indications as controls, and obtained citrated plasma.

Delving into the clinical impact of NETs in pediatric cancer.

Pediatric cancer, a complex and heterogeneous group of diseases, continues to challenge medical research and treatment strategies. Despite advances in precision medicine and immunotherapy, certain aggressive subtypes of pediatric cancer are resistant to conventional therapies, requiring further exploration of potential therapeutic targets. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), net-like structures released by neutrophils, have emerged as a potential player in the pediatric cancer landscape.

Frailty Changes After Liver Transplantation. Results From a Spanish Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Until now, there has been limited evidence, primarily from US cohorts, focusing on frailty as a patient-oriented outcome after liver transplantation (LT). Our study aimed to explore the relationship between pre- and post-LT frailty in a multicenter European cohort of outpatients with cirrhosis undergoing LT.

Methods: We conducted a prospective analysis of data from 180 LT recipients recruited between 2018 and 2020 from 5 Spanish centers.

Calprotectin as a new inflammatory marker of abdominal aortic aneurysm: A pilot study.

Introduction: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a relevant clinical problem due to the risk of rupture of progressively dilated infrarenal aorta. It is characterized by degradation of elastic fibers, extracellular matrix, and inflammation of the arterial wall. Though neutrophil infiltration is a known feature of AAA, markers of neutrophil activation are scarcely analyzed; hence, the main objective of this study.

Age-Related Differences in the Presentation, Management, and Clinical Outcomes of 100,000 Patients With Venous Thromboembolism in the RIETE Registry.

Introduction: Although older adults represent a significant proportion of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), the data on the impact of age-related differences in the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of VTE are scarce.

Methods: We analyzed data from the RIETE registry database, an ongoing global observational registry of patients with objectively confirmed VTE, to compare patient characteristics, clinical presentation, treatments, and outcomes between elderly (≥70 years) vs. non-elderly (<70 years) patients.

Changes in sleep-disordered breathing from the acute to the stable phase of pulmonary embolism: The ESAET study.

Background: /Objective: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may change from the acute to stable phase of some cardiovascular disorders, but little is known whether these dynamic changes also exist in pulmonary embolism (PE). This study aimed to analyze the changes in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from the acute to stable phase of PE as well as the factors associated.

Patients/methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal and multicenter study of consecutive adults requiring hospitalization for non-hypotensive acute PE, with a protocol including clinical, imaging (transthoracic echocardiography [TTE] and computed tomography), blood tests and a sleep study within 48 h of diagnosis of PE.

Role of Syndecans in Ovarian Cancer: New Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers and Potential Therapeutic Targets.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the eighth cancer both in prevalence and mortality in women and represents the deadliest female reproductive cancer. Due to generally vague symptoms, OC is frequently diagnosed only at a late and advanced stage, resulting in high mortality. The tumor extracellular matrix and cellular matrix receptors play a key role in the pathogenesis of tumor progression.

Bladder cancer patients have increased NETosis and impaired DNaseI-mediated NET degradation that can be therapeutically restored .

Background: Neutrophils, key players of the immune system, also promote tumor development through the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in a process called NETosis. NETs are extracellular networks of DNA, histones and cytoplasmic and granular proteins (calprotectin, myeloperoxidase, elastase, etc.) released by neutrophils upon activation.

New Roles for Old Friends: Involvement of the Innate Immune System in Tumor Progression.

The association between the immune system and tumor progression has attracted much interest in the research community in recent years [...

FAMetA: a mass isotopologue-based tool for the comprehensive analysis of fatty acid metabolism.

The use of stable isotope tracers and mass spectrometry (MS) is the gold standard method for the analysis of fatty acid (FA) metabolism. Yet, current state-of-the-art tools provide limited and difficult-to-interpret information about FA biosynthetic routes. Here we present FAMetA, an R package and a web-based application (www.

Increased levels of NETosis biomarkers in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients' biofluids: Potential role in disease diagnosis and management.

Introduction: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the second most frequent gynecological malignancy but the most lethal, partially due to the spread of the disease through the peritoneal cavity. Recent evidence has shown that, apart from their role in immune defense through phagocytosis and degranulation, neutrophils are able to participate in cancer progression through the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in a process called NETosis. NETs are composed of DNA, histones, calprotectin, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase and the NETosis process has been proposed as a pre-requisite for the establishment of omental metastases in early stages of HGSOC.

The Genetic Diversity and Dysfunctionality of Catalase Associated with a Worse Outcome in Crohn's Disease.

Chronic gut inflammation in Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with an increase in oxidative stress and an imbalance of antioxidant enzymes. We have previously shown that catalase (CAT) activity is permanently inhibited by CD. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is any relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CAT enzyme and the potential risk of CD associated with high levels of oxidative stress.

The metabolomic differential plasma profile between dialysates. Pursuing to understand the mechanisms of citrate dialysate clinical benefits.

Currently, bicarbonate-based dialysate needs a buffer to prevent precipitation of bicarbonate salts with the bivalent cations, and acetate at 3-4 mmol/L is the most used. However, citrate is being postulated as a preferred option because of its association with better clinical results by poorly understood mechanisms. In that sense, this hypothesis-generating study aims to identify potential metabolites that could biologically explain these improvements found in patients using citrate dialysate.

Combined Liver-Kidney Transplantation in High Immunologic Risk Recipients: Kidney Graft Evolution.

Background: Candidates for combined liver-kidney transplant frequently present pretransplant HLA sensitization in most cases related to elevated prior transfusion requirements. The urgency criterion and the evidence of the protective effect at the immunologic level of the liver graft open the possibility of carrying out the combined transplant in patients with an incompatible crossmatch. The single-center experience presented here describes the patient profile and kidney graft evolution observed in this highly sensitized group.

Comparative Study of 2 Extended-Release Tacrolimus Formulations in Kidney Transplantation.

Background: During the 1900s, tacrolimus became the mainstay immunosuppressive agent to prevent rejection after kidney transplant. Subsequently, an extended-release tacrolimus (ER-Tac) formulation was developed to improve adherence, and its generic version has been marketed over the last years. This study examines the differences in efficacy and safety between the generic ER-Tac (Conferoport) and the reference brand-name drug (Advagraf).

Impact of Acetate versus Citrate Dialysates on Intermediary Metabolism-A Targeted Metabolomics Approach.

Acetate is widely used as a dialysate buffer to avoid the precipitation of bicarbonate salts. However, even at low concentrations that wouldn't surpass the metabolic capacity of the Krebs tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, other metabolic routes are activated, leading to undesirable clinical consequences by poorly understood mechanisms. This study aims to add information that could biologically explain the clinical improvements found in patients using citrate dialysate.

LC-MS metabolomics of urine reveals distinct profiles for non-muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: Bladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequent malignancies worldwide. Novel non-invasive markers are needed to diagnose and stage BC with more accuracy than invasive procedures like cystoscopy. To date, no study has identified urine metabolites characteristic of all BC stages.

Applicability of the Thrombin Generation Test to Evaluate the Hemostatic Status of Hemophilia A Patients in Daily Clinical Practice.

Hemophilia A (HA) is a rare bleeding disorder caused by factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency due to various genetic mutations in the gene. The disease severity inversely correlates with the plasma levels of functional FVIII. The treatment of HA patients is based on FVIII replacement therapy, either following a prophylactic or on-demand regime, depending on the severity of the disease at diagnosis and the patient's clinical manifestations.

Biomarkers of Venous Thromboembolism Recurrence after Discontinuation of Low Molecular Weight Heparin Treatment for Cancer-Associated Thrombosis (HISPALIS-Study).

The most appropriate duration of anticoagulant treatment for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (CAT) remains unclear. We have conducted a prospective multicenter study in CAT patients with more than 6 months of anticoagulant treatment to predict the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence after anticoagulation discontinuation. Blood samples were obtained when patients stopped the anticoagulation, at 21 days and at 90 days.

A Series of 14 Polish Patients with Thrombotic Events and PC Deficiency-Novel c.401-1G>A PROC Gene Splice Site Mutation in a Patient with Aneurysms.

Objectives: Protein C (PC) deficiency is an inherited thrombophilia with a prevalence of 0.5% in the general population and 3% in subjects with a first-time deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Here we report a series of 14 PC-deficient Polish patients with comprehensive clinical and molecular characteristics, including long-term follow-up data and a deep mutational analysis of the PROC gene.

Thrombospondins in human aortic aneurysms.

Thrombospondins are a family of matricellular proteins with a multimeric structure that is known to be involved in several biological and pathological processes. Their relationship with vascular disorders has raised special interest recently. Aortic aneurysms are related to the impairment of vascular remodeling, in which extracellular matrix proteins seem to play an important role.