Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew D. Foers, Alexandra L. Garnham, Simon Chatfield, Gordon K. Smyth, Lesley Cheng, Andrew F. Hill, Ian P. Wicks, Ken C. Pang
Summary: In rheumatoid arthritis, extracellular vesicles are associated with joint inflammation and destruction. Through sequencing EV miRNAs in synovial fluid from RA patients, differences between joints with high- and low-grade inflammation were identified, suggesting a role in regulating inflammation-related genes. EV miRNAs have the potential to modulate inflammation and contribute to RA pathophysiology.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michaela Cehakova, Dana Ivanisova, Magdalena Strecanska, Jana Plava, Zuzana Varchulova Novakova, Andreas Nicodemou, Stefan Harsanyi, Martina Culenova, Sona Bernatova, Lubos Danisovic
Summary: The study reveals that urine-derived stem cells (UdSCs) have immunomodulatory function in the microenvironment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). UdSCs upregulate the expression and secretion of immunomodulatory factors in response to RA environmental factors, resulting in the suppression of immune response. These findings are important for the development and improvement of UdSCs-based therapy for RA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Mathieu Ferrari, Shimobi C. Onuoha, Liliane Fossati-Jimack, Alessandra Nerviani, Pedro L. Alves, Sara Pagani, Cecilia Deantonio, Federico Colombo, Claudio Santoro, Daniele Sblattero, Costantino Pitzalis
Summary: Novel tissue-specific agent BsAb shows improved therapeutic effect by targeting the arthritic synovium, providing better efficacy compared to standard treatment.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bin Zhao, Lingting Zeng, Danyang Chen, Songqing Xie, Zhaokui Jin, Guanglin Li, Wei Tang, Qianjun He
Summary: This study proposes a concept of photocatalytic regulation of the synovial microenvironment (SME) for arthritis treatment. Monodispersive hydrogen-doped titanium dioxide nanorods with a rutile single-crystal structure are developed to achieve near infrared-photocatalytic generation of hydrogen molecules and depletion of lactic acid (LA) in a collagen-induced mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. The results show that locally produced hydrogen molecules scavenge reactive oxygen species and regulate the synovial microenvironment, thereby preventing synovial pannus formation and cartilage destruction.
Article
Immunology
Xinkun Cheng, Torsten Lowin, Nadine Honke, Georg Pongratz
Summary: This study found that rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts possess a complete and functional catecholamine machinery, which is altered under inflammatory conditions. These results shed further light on the involvement of sympathetic neurotransmitters in rheumatoid arthritis pathology and might open therapeutic avenues to counteract inflammation with the MAO enzymes being key candidates.
JOURNAL OF INFLAMMATION-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ji-Hee Nam, Jun-Ho Lee, Hyun-Ji Choi, So-Yeon Choi, Kyung-Eun Noh, Nam-Chul Jung, Jie-Young Song, Jinjung Choi, Han Geuk Seo, Sang Youn Jung, Dae-Seog Lim
Summary: Mitophagy plays a crucial role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and regulating the expression of PINK1 could be a potential therapeutic and diagnostic target for RA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ruby J. Siegel, Anil K. Singh, Paul M. Panipinto, Farheen S. Shaikh, Judy Vinh, Sang U. Han, H. Mark Kenney, Edward M. Schwarz, Cynthia S. Crowson, Sadik A. Khuder, Basil S. Khuder, David A. Fox, Salahuddin Ahmed
Summary: This study identified a potential role of Sulf-2 in the inflammatory response of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study found that overexpression of Sulf-2, which is positively correlated with TNF receptor 1 expression, can be reduced to attenuate TNF-alpha-induced synovial inflammation.
CELLULAR & MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Rheumatology
Camilla R. L. Machado, Gary S. Firestein
Summary: Rheumatoid arthritis synovium contains fibroblast-like synoviocytes that are phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous. Advanced analyses have identified at least four distinct cell states, which are determined by the cells' location in the synovium, epigenetic imprinting, and the influence of microenvironment mediators.
NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Liana Barenbrug, Maarten te Groen, Frank Hoentjen, Joris van Drongelen, Juul M. P. A. van den Reek, Irma Joosten, Elke M. G. J. de Jong, Renate G. van der Molen
Summary: The use of anti-TNF alpha agents during pregnancy in women with immune mediated inflammatory diseases, such as IBD, RA, and PS, is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and infections in newborns, particularly for women with IBD. However, there was no increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with RA and PS. Vaccination in children exposed to anti-TNF alpha seems to be safe and important in reducing the risk of infections.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hao Liao, Weizhong Qi, Zhanpeng Xue, Kechen Wu, Liqin Jiang, Cuixi Wu, Zhenwen Huang, Qi Li, Yao Lu
Summary: This study designs a self-assembling peptide that can inhibit the key inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and promote cartilage repair. The results show the potential therapeutic effect of this approach in reducing inflammation and promoting tissue repair.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Raphael Micheroli, Muriel Elhai, Sam Edalat, Mojca Frank-Bertoncelj, Kristina Buerki, Adrian Ciurea, Lucy MacDonald, Mariola Kurowska-Stolarska, Myles J. Lewis, Katriona Goldmann, Cankut Cubuk, Tadeja Kuret, Oliver Distler, Costantino Pitzalis, Caroline Ospelt
Summary: This study integrated single-cell RNA sequencing data to assess the contribution of synovial fibroblast subsets to synovial pathotypes and clinical characteristics in treatment-naive early arthritis. The findings revealed a previously unexplored association between specific synovial pathologies and subtypes of synovial fibroblasts.
Article
Rheumatology
Achilleas Floudas, Nuno Neto, Carl Orr, Mary Canavan, Phil Gallagher, Conor Hurson, Michael G. Monaghan, Sunil Nagpar, Ronan H. Mullan, Douglas J. Veale, Ursula Fearon
Summary: This study investigates pathogenic and protective polyfunctional T-cell responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), individuals at risk (IAR), and healthy controls (HC) synovial tissue biopsies, identifying a novel population of pathogenic polyfunctional T-cells enriched in RA joints prior to clinical inflammation. Results show increased plasticity of Tfh cells and CD4 T-cell polyfunctionality in RA patients, with enrichment of memory Treg cell responses. The switch from potentially protective to pathogenic T-cell polyfunctionality prior to clinical inflammation highlights a potential therapeutic intervention opportunity in RA.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Layth Ben-Trad, Constantin Ionut Matei, Mirela Maria Sava, Samira Filali, Marie-Eve Duclos, Yves Berthier, Michel Guichardant, Nathalie Bernoud-Hubac, Ofelia Maniti, Ahmed Landoulsi, Marie-Genevieve Blanchin, Pierre Miossec, Thierry Granjon, Ana-Maria Trunfio-Sfarghiu
Summary: This study compares the biochemical, tribological, and ultrastructural properties of synovial fluid in healthy individuals and patients with osteoarthritis and arthritis, finding differences that indicate the importance of synovial fluid in joint mechanics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthias Jarlborg, Cem Gabay
Summary: IL-6, produced in response to inflammation, induces systemic manifestations and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Blocking IL-6 not only affects joint inflammation, but also has various biological effects throughout the body.
Article
Cell Biology
Anthony Dobi, Philippe Gasque, Pascale Guiraud, Jimmy Selambarom
Summary: The study reveals that irinotecan could potentially be used as a therapeutic agent for treating chronic arthritis caused by alphaviruses. It enhances the antiviral response of human synovial fibroblasts and reduces the expression of inflammatory genes. This drug shows promise for modulating the immune response in chronic viral arthritis.
Article
Oncology
Bram De Laere, Alessio Crippa, Ashkan Mortezavi, Christophe Ghysel, Prabhakar Rajan, Martin Eklund, Alexander Wyatt, Luc Dirix, Piet Ost, Henrik Gronberg, Johan Lindberg
Summary: Circulating tumour DNA profiling can efficiently accelerate biomarker discovery in oncology trials. In metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, the complex genomic landscape with rare driver gene alterations complicates biomarker identification, requiring large sample sizes for evaluation. Grouping genomic alterations within the same cellular pathways may provide increased precision for biomarker discovery, highlighting the importance of comprehensive genomic profiling for prognosis and treatment outcomes.
Review
Urology & Nephrology
Kimmo Kartasalo, Wouter Bulten, Brett Delahunt, Po-Hsuan Cameron Chen, Hans Pinckaers, Henrik Olsson, Xiaoyi Ji, Nita Mulliqi, Hemamali Samaratunga, Toyonori Tsuzuki, Johan Lindberg, Mattias Rantalainen, Carolina Wahlby, Geert Litjens, Pekka Ruusuvuori, Lars Egevad, Martin Eklund
Summary: Artificial intelligence has shown promise in cancer detection and Gleason grading, but more work is needed to ensure accuracy and applicability in diverse clinical settings.
EUROPEAN UROLOGY FOCUS
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Cecilia Merk, Anna Martling, Johan Lindberg, Leonor Benhaim, Julien Taieb, Pehr Lind
Summary: This article reviews the use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a predictor for prognosis and treatment response in early stage colon cancer. Serial measurement of ctDNA shows great promise in guiding neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment. Future studies will explore the possibility of tailoring treatment based on ctDNA analysis.
Article
Hematology
Brian M. Dulmovits, Yuefeng Tang, Julien Papoin, Mingzhu He, Jianhua Li, Huan Yang, Meghan E. Addorisio, Lauren Kennedy, Mushran Khan, Elena Brindley, Ryan J. Ashley, Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell, John Hale, Ryo Kurita, Yukio Nakamura, Betty Diamond, Betsy J. Barnes, Olivier Hermine, Patrick G. Gallagher, Laurie A. Steiner, Jeffrey M. Lipton, Naomi Taylor, Narla Mohandas, Ulf Andersson, Yousef Al-Abed, Kevin J. Tracey, Lionel Blanc
Summary: High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) interferes with EPO signaling pathways, leading to reduced expansion and increased death of EPO-sensitive erythroid precursors in patients with anemia of inflammation. This study provides important insights into the chronic phase of anemia of inflammation.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Claes Lindh, Hemamali Samaratunga, Brett Delahunt, Rebecka Bergstrom, Venkatesh Chellappa, John Yaxley, Johan Lindberg, Lars Egevad
Summary: Most ductal and acinar prostate adenocarcinoma components of mixed tumors share the same clonal origin. Ductal adenocarcinoma components often exhibit genome doubling events leading to aneuploidy, consistent with the aggressive nature of high grade prostate cancer.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Wenjiang Deng, Sarath Murugan, Johan Lindberg, Venkatesh Chellappa, Xia Shen, Yudi Pawitan, Trung Nghia Vu
Summary: A novel analysis pipeline called Fuseq-WES was developed to detect fusion genes based on WES data, which was also applicable for targeted panel sequencing data. The study found that detecting fusion genes in WES data is challenging and high coverage is necessary for accurate results.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Ulf Andersson, Kevin J. Tracey, Huan Yang
Summary: HMGB1 is a highly conserved nuclear DNA-binding protein that acts as a damage-associated molecular pattern molecule (DAMP) with oxidation-reduction sensitive properties. It can modulate proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory activities by binding to different cell surface receptors. HMGB1 plays a crucial role in innate immunity by carrying other DAMPs and PAMPs, leading to the induction of inflammation responses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huan Yang, Sam J. George, Dane A. Thompson, Harold A. Silverman, Tea Tsaava, Aisling Tynan, Valentin A. Pavlov, Eric H. Chang, Ulf Andersson, Michael Brines, Sangeeta S. Chavan, Kevin J. Tracey
Summary: Recent studies have shown that famotidine has anti-inflammatory effects and can attenuate the clinical course of COVID-19 by preventing cytokine storm. The mechanism of action involves activation of the inflammatory reflex, which inhibits inflammation and is mediated by alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (alpha 7nAChR).
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
J. Pascual, G. Attard, F-C Bidard, G. Curigliano, L. De Mattos-Arruda, M. Diehn, A. Italiano, J. Lindberg, J. D. Merker, C. Montagut, N. Normanno, K. Pantel, G. Pentheroudakis, S. Popat, J. S. Reis-Filho, J. Tie, J. Seoane, N. Tarazona, T. Yoshino, N. C. Turner
Summary: Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) assays conducted on plasma are proving to be valuable tools for identifying actionable mutations in patients with advanced cancer and for detecting molecular residual disease or relapse in early-stage cancer. However, tissue-based testing is still preferred due to the limitations of ctDNA assays.
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Philippe Weitz, Yinxi Wang, Kimmo Kartasalo, Lars Egevad, Johan Lindberg, Henrik Gronberg, Martin Eklund, Mattias Rantalainen
Summary: This study proposes a new approach to predict gene expression profiles based on the morphological features of tumors. By using convolutional neural networks, gene expression profiles were successfully predicted from hematoxylin and eosin-stained images, offering a cost-effective solution for large-scale research studies and molecular diagnostics.
Article
Biology
Gabriel Renaud, Maibritt Norgaard, Johan Lindberg, Henrik Gronberg, Bram De Laere, Jorgen Bjerggaard Jensen, Michael Borre, Claus Lindbjerg Andersen, Karina Dalsgaard Sorensen, Lasse Maretty, Soren Besenbacher
Summary: This study proposes a novel unsupervised method, non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), to accurately infer tumor fragment length distribution and detect cancer using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing. The study demonstrates that NMF can accurately infer tumor fragment length distribution and correlate with ctDNA levels. It also shows that using NMF on genomic regions can identify fragment length signatures associated with open chromatin.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bojing Liu, Yinxi Wang, Philippe Weitz, Johan Lindberg, Johan Hartman, Wanzhong Wang, Lars Egevad, Henrik Gronberg, Martin Eklund, Mattias Rantalainen
Summary: This study suggests that deep learning can detect potential prostate cancer in benign prostate biopsies, reducing false negatives and indicating men who could benefit from rebiopsies.
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Maibritt Norgaard, Marianne T. Bjerre, Jacob Fredsoe, Soren Vang, Jorgen B. Jensen, Bram De Laere, Henrik Groenberg, Michael Borre, Johan Lindberg, Karina D. Sorensen
Summary: The clinical utility of low-pass whole-genome sequencing (LPWGS) of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for prognostication in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) was examined. The study found that high ctDNA% and high copy number alteration (CNA) burden at baseline were associated with poor treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). These findings were confirmed in an independent cohort.
CLINICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Laura Kate Gadanec, Ulf Andersson, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Anthony Zulli
Summary: High levels of HMGB-1 have been found in patients with Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), which worsens cardiovascular outcomes. Targeting HMGB-1 may be a potential therapy for improving HHcy-induced cardiovascular pathologies.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ulf Andersson, Kevin J. Tracey
Summary: Autonomic dysfunction is a common feature of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the mechanisms behind it remain unknown. Recent evidence suggests that viral infection and inflammation in the vagus nerve may contribute to dysregulated respiration and impairment of the vagus nerve inflammatory reflex. This reflex is an important mechanism for suppressing cytokine storm, and its dysfunction may contribute to hyperinflammatory pathogenesis in COVID-19 patients.
JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)