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Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a kidney illness characterized by excessive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia, which may lead to kidney failure and necessitate renal transplantation. End-stage renal disease, cardiovascular issues, and mortality are much more common in those with NS. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify potential new biomarkers associated with the pathogenesis and diagnosis of NS. The liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) metabolomics approach was applied to profile the metabolome of human serum of patients with NS. A total of 176 metabolites were significantly altered in NS compared to the control. Arginine, proline, and tryptophan metabolism; arginine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis were the most common metabolic pathways dysregulated in NS. Furthermore, alanyl-lysine and isoleucyl-threonine had the highest discrimination between NS and healthy groups. The candidate biomarkers may lead to understanding the possible metabolic alterations associated with NS and serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers.

ImportanceThere is limited evidence for therapeutic options for pediatric COVID-19 outside of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).ObjectiveTo determine whether the use of steroids within 2 days of admission for non–MIS-C COVID-19 in children is associated with hospital length of stay (LOS). The secondary objective was to determine their association with intensive care unit (ICU) LOS, inflammation, and fever defervescence.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study analyzed data retrospectively for children (<18 years) who required hospitalization for non–MIS-C COVID-19. Data from March 2020 through September 2021 were provided by 58 hospitals in 7 countries who participate in the Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study (VIRUS) COVID-19 registry.ExposureAdministration of steroids within 2 days of admission.Main Outcomes and MeasuresLength of stay in the hospital and ICU. Adjustment for confounders was done by mixed linear regression and propensity score matching.ResultsA total of 1163 patients met inclusion criteria and had a median (IQR) age of 7 years (0.9-14.3). Almost half of all patients (601/1163, 51.7%) were male, 33.8% (392/1163) were non-Hispanic White, and 27.9% (324/1163) were Hispanic. Of the study population, 184 patients (15.8%) received steroids within 2 days of admission, and 979 (84.2%) did not receive steroids within the first 2 days. Among 1163 patients, 658 (56.5%) required respiratory support during hospitalization. Overall, patients in the steroids group were older and had greater severity of illness, and a larger proportion required respiratory and vasoactive support. On multivariable linear regression, after controlling for treatment with remdesivir within 2 days, country, race and ethnicity, obesity and comorbidity, number of abnormal inflammatory mediators, age, bacterial or viral coinfection, and disease severity according to ICU admission within first 2 days or World Health Organization ordinal scale of 4 or higher on admission, with a random intercept for the site, early steroid treatment was not significantly associated with hospital LOS (exponentiated coefficient, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.81-1.09; P = .42). Separate analyses for patients with an LOS of 2 days or longer (n = 729), those receiving respiratory support at admission (n = 286), and propensity score–matched patients also showed no significant association between steroids and LOS. Early steroid treatment was not associated with ICU LOS, fever defervescence by day 3, or normalization of inflammatory mediators.Conclusions and RelevanceSteroid treatment within 2 days of hospital admission in a heterogeneous cohort of pediatric patients hospitalized for COVID-19 without MIS-C did not have a statistically significant association with hospital LOS.

As part of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) immune atlas pilot project, we compared immune cells of multiple myeloma bone marrow samples from 18 patients assessed by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), mass cytometry (CyTOF), and cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq) to understand the concordance of measurements among single-cell techniques. Cell type abundances are relatively consistent across the three approaches, while variations are observed in T cells, macrophages, and monocytes. Concordance and correlation analysis of cell type marker gene expression across different modalities highlighted the importance of choosing cell type marker genes best suited to particular modalities. By integrating data from these three assays, we found International Staging System stage 3 patients exhibited decreased CD4+ T/CD8+ T cells ratio. Moreover, we observed upregulation of RAC2 and PSMB9, in natural killer cells of fast progressors compared with those of nonprogressors, as revealed by both scRNA-seq and CITE-seq RNA measurement. This detailed examination of the immune microenvironment in multiple myeloma using multiple single-cell technologies revealed markers associated with multiple myeloma rapid progression which will be further characterized by the full-scale immune atlas project. Significance: scRNA-seq, CyTOF, and CITE-seq are increasingly used for evaluating cellular heterogeneity. Understanding their concordances is of great interest. To date, this study is the most comprehensive examination of the measurement of the immune microenvironment in multiple myeloma using the three techniques. Moreover, we identified markers predicted to be significantly associated with multiple myeloma rapid progression.

According to WHO, obesity, a global pandemic, is an important cause of cancer. Obesity-induced adipose tissue expansion is associated with infiltration of immune cells which causessecretion of adipokines, chemokines, cytokines like IL-1,2,6,8, TNF-α, etc. The purpose of thisstudy is to provide a comprehensive review of the effects of obesity-induced inflammatorycytokines on breast cancer while discussing available therapeutics & chemotherapy in thetreatment of breast cancer. We discussed the identification of inflammatory biomarkers releasedby adipose tissue, and alterations in their pathway in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Our studyhelps in improving diagnostic accuracy, identifying targets of therapy, and suggesting usefullifestyle behaviors for this aspect. We conducted our research in PubMed to identify relevantjournal articles published within the last 10 years. We extracted pertinent data and discussedmajor signaling pathways regulated by inflammatory cytokines and adipokines in mediatingbreast cancer. Obesity involves different changes that may contribute to the development ofbreast cancer, such as excess inflammatory cytokines and chronic inflammation,hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and raised leptin and estrogens. It leads to a low-gradechronic inflammatory state in the body, which leads to increased estrogen and aromatase,increased growth proliferation, and angiogenesis. All of these contribute to the development ofbreast cancer, mostly ductal breast cancer and ER-positive breast cancer. Leptin antagonist,Adiponectin agonists, aromatase inhibitors, and lipid-lowering drugs have shown favorable resultsin the treatment of breast cancer. Metformin inhibits the IL-6 mRNA expression and activatesthe IL-1R expression which acts as an anti-inflammatory cytokine. In breast cancer cells,Metformin interferes with mTOR pathway signaling and decreases the expression of HER-2protein. Weight loss with exercise and reduced calorie intake reduces the risk of breast cancer inboth premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Early detection using “biomarkers” shows apromising improvement in the survival rate.

Abstract Gliomas may leverage alternate metabolic pathways in response to metabolism-targeted therapeutic intervention, all of which remain unexplored in the live human glioma, in situ. Defining emergent mechanisms of metabolic resistance in response to therapeutic challenge can help guide rational combinatorial therapies. To date, the metabolic response of gliomas in response to therapeutic intervention has remained poorly understood due to the relative inaccessibility of the live human tumor, in situ. Microdialysis is an underutilized tool that could be leveraged to overcome this longstanding challenge. Data from our ongoing intraoperative microdialysis trial have revealed an upregulation of polyamine metabolism and a novel glioma-associated metabolite, guanidinoacetate (GAA) -- a metabolite co-produced with ornithine, which is required for polyamine synthesis. In a Phase 0 trial, we will evaluate in situ glioma responses to polyamine depletion (difluoromethylornithine, DFMO) with or without blockade of polyamine uptake (AMXT 1501) to identify candidate extracellular biomarkers of target engagement and cytotoxicity in fifteen post-operative patients who have undergone a standard-of-care planned subtotal resection for high-grade glioma. Intraoperatively, high-molecular-weight catheters will be implanted into the residual tumor and brain adjacent to the resection cavity for post-operative longitudinal monitoring of extracellular metabolites via microdialysis. Polyamines and guanidinoacetate, a candidate biomarker of glioma-upregulated polyamine synthesis, will be monitored throughout therapeutic intervention from post-operative day (POD) 1 to POD5 via longitudinal microdialysis to determine live in situ glioma pharmacodynamic responses to polyamine depletion. Catheters will be removed on post-operative day five prior to discharge. We hypothesize that GAA will reflect local tumor production of polyamine metabolism. Additionally, in situ microdialysis in Phase 0 trials will allow for pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic, in addition to metabolic, monitoring, an opportunity which is rarely afforded in most clinical trials due to lack of access to the CNS.

Abstract INTRODUCTION Rapid, detailed feedback is needed to understand the individualized biological impacts of novel glioma therapies. We are performing glioma biomarker discovery by serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling from Ommaya reservoirs to determine how the CSF proteome can reveal early longitudinal intelligence regarding glioma status, biology, and therapeutic response. METHODS Global proteomic analysis of CSF was performed on the Somalogic platform − an aptamer-based technology for highly sensitive and specific analysis of over 7,000 proteins. Discovery analysis comprised of the top-500 ranked proteins in CSF from seven patients with high-grade gliomas (HGG) versus non-glioma controls. The top-500 HGG proteins were then preliminarily filtered to include only proteins that met two additional criteria of decrease with resection and increase with recurrence in individual paired patient samples. RESULTS Proteomic enrichment analysis revealed a conserved HGG CSF proteomic signature defined by 79 proteins, including ones known to be over-expressed in solid tumor malignancies, such as retinoblastoma binding protein 4, heat shock protein 90, and sorcin. The HGG proteomic signature was consistently enriched in an independent validation cohort consisting of 13 gliomas diverse in primary versus recurrent status, subtype, and grade, when compared to control CSF samples. Encouragingly, proteins in the HGG signature decreased in the two patients for whom CSF was collected prior to and after resection (both at POD16 and POD18) with decreased tumor burden. CONCLUSION Our preliminary data demonstrate the ability to gain detailed, individualized insights regarding glioma biology, tumor burden, and evolution through global CSF proteomics acquired from longitudinal neurosurgical access to unique gliomas.

The brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative dementias begin long before cognitive dysfunction develops, and in people with subtle cognitive complaints, clinicians often struggle to predict who will develop dementia. The public increasingly sees benefits to accessing dementia risk evidence (DRE) such as biomarkers, predictive algorithms, and genetic information, particularly as this information moves from research to demonstrated usefulness in guiding diagnosis and clinical management. For example, the knowledge that one has high levels of amyloid in the brain may lead one to seek amyloid reducing medications, plan for disability, or engage in health promoting behaviors to fight cognitive decline. Researchers often hesitate to share DRE data, either because they are insufficiently validated or reliable for use in individuals, or there are concerns about assuring responsible use and ensuring adequate understanding of potential problems when one’s biomarker status is known. Concerns include warning people receiving DRE about situations in which they might be compelled to disclose their risk status potentially leading to discrimination or stigma. The Advisory Group on Risk Evidence Education for Dementia (AGREEDementia) welcomes all concerned with how best to share and use DRE. Supporting understanding in clinicians, stakeholders, and people with or at risk for dementia and clearly delineating risks, benefits, and gaps in knowledge is vital. This brief overview describes elements that made this group effective as a model for other health conditions where there is interest in unfettered collaboration to discuss diagnostic uncertainty and the appropriate use and communication of health-related risk information.

Abstract Extramedullary disease in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), also known as myeloid sarcoma (MS), is an uncommon presentation of de novo AML. We analyzed medical records of patients in the Mayo Clinic database spanning between 1996 and 2021 who were diagnosed with de novo extramedullary AML. Survival outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazard models for univariate and multivariate analysis, respectively. With a median follow-up of 20.7 months, 83 patients with de novo MS were identified; 49 presented with synchronous MS and 34 with isolated MS. Next generation sequencing (NGS) revealed RTK-RAS pathway mutations in 44% of patients. Median overall survival (OS) was 25.3 months and 17.8 months in isolated and synchronous MS, respectively (p = 0.49). Variables associated with improved OS on univariate analysis included treatment with intensive chemotherapy (p < 0.001), normal or favorable risk karyotype (p = 0.001), age less than 60 years (p = 0.001), and a complete response to treatment at extramedullary sites (p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, normal or favorable risk karyotype (p = 0.001), age less than 60 (p = 0.01), and a complete extramedullary response (p = 0.001) were associated with improved OS. Localized therapy did not provide added survival benefit in isolated MS. Genomic stratification, age, and extramedullary site response are predictive of survival outcomes.