Advanced methods and novel biomarkers in autoimmune diseases ‑ a review of the recent years progress in systemic lupus erythematosus

Fenton, Kristin Andreassen; Pedersen, Hege Lynum

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1183535

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 171 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, the diagnosis of SLE is still a serious problem due to its complexity and lack of sufficient understanding of the disease. Many researchers have been dedicated to finding new biomarkers to diagnose SLE ( 25 ). Our research might provide insight into future research directions from the ocular fundus perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative assessment of retinal vasculature changes in systemic lupus erythematosus using wide-field OCTA and the correlation with disease activity

Meng,

Chen,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Front. Immunol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeTo assess the retinal vasculature changes quantitatively using wide-field optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and explore its correlation with systemic clinical features.DesignProspective, cross-sectional, observational study.Participants and controlsPatients with SLE who presented to the Ophthalmology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from November 2022 to April 2023 were collected. The subjects were divided into retinopathy and without retinopathy groups. Age and gender-matched healthy subjects were selected as controls.MethodsPatients with SLE and control subjects were imaged with 24×20 mm OCTA scans centered on the fovea and 6×6 mm OCTA scans centered on the optic disc. The sub-layers of OCTA images were stratified by the built-in software of the device and then the retinal thickness and vessel density were measured automatically. The characteristics of retinal OCTA parameters of SLE and its correlation with systemic clinical indicators of patients without retinopathy were analyzed.Main outcome measuresOCTA parameters, visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and systemic clinical indicators of patients such as disease activity index, autoimmune antibodies, and inflammatory marker levels were collected.ResultsA total of 102 SLE patients were included, 24 of which had retinopathy, and 78 had unaffected retina. Wide-field OCTA could effectively detect retinal vascular obstruction, non-perfusion area, and morphological abnormalities in patients with lupus retinopathy. SLE patients without retinopathy had significantly higher retinal superficial vessel density (SVD) in foveal (P=0.02), para-foveal temporal (P=0.01), nasal (P=0.01), peripheral foveal temporal (P=0.02), and inferior areas (P=0.02), as well as subregion temporal (P=0.01) and inferior areas (P=0.03) when compared with healthy controls (n=65 eyes from 65 participants). The area under curve (AUC) value of subregion inferior SVD combined parafoveal temporal SVD was up to 0.70. There was a significantly positive correlation between SVD and disease activity in SLE without retinopathy group. Patients with severe activity had the most significant increase in SVD.ConclusionWide-field OCTA can provide a relatively comprehensive assessment of the retinal vasculature in SLE. In the absence of pathological changes of the retina, the SVD was significantly increased and was positively correlated with the disease activity of SLE.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative assessment of retinal vasculature changes in systemic lupus erythematosus using wide-field OCTA and the correlation with disease activity

Meng,

Chen,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Front. Immunol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Management of autoimmune disease poses numerous clinical challenges, given the unpredictable nature of disease relapses and progression, uncertainty about the appropriate dosage and duration of immunosuppressive treatment with potential for cumulative toxicity, and the lack of effective technology to monitor immunologic activity before tissue injury. Various biomarkers, including autoantibodies, cytokines, microRNAs, and exosomes, have been proposed as a surrogate to monitor autoimmune disease activity 1,2 , but limitations exist. Specifically, these biomarkers generally reflect the severity of tissue injury rather than predicting the course of the disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The predictive and prognostic value of peripheral blood antigen-specific memory B cells in phospholipase A2 receptor-associated membranous nephropathy

Zhu,

Tang,

Howard

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Phospholipase A2 receptor-associated membranous nephropathy (PLA2R-MN) is an anti-PLA2R antibody (PLA2R-Ab) mediated autoimmune kidney disease. Although antibody titer correlates closely with disease activity, whether it can provide longer-term predictions on disease course and progression is unclear. Rituximab, a B-cell depletion therapy, has become the first-line treatment option for PLA2R-MN; however, the response to Rituximab varies among patients. Methods We developed a flow cytometry-based test that detects and quantifies PLA2R antigen-specific memory B cells (PLA2R-MBCs) in peripheral blood, the primary source for PLA2R-Ab production upon disease relapse. We applied the test to 159 blood samples collected from 28 patients with PLA2R-MN (at diagnosis, during and after immunosuppressive treatment, immunological remission, and relapse) to evaluate the relationship between circulating PLA2R-MBC levels and disease activity. Results The level of PLA2R-MBCs in healthy controls (n=56) is less than or equal to 1.5% of the total MBC compartment. High circulating PLA2R-MBC levels were detected in two patients post-Rituximab despite achieving immunologic and proteinuric remission, as well as in two patients with negative serum autoantibody but increasing proteinuria. Elimination of these cells with Rituximab improved clinical outcomes. Moreover, five patients exhibited elevated PLA2R-MBC levels before disease relapse, followed by a rapid decline to baseline when relapse became clinically evident. COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly affected the dynamics of circulating PLA2R-MBCs. Conclusions This study suggests that monitoring PLA2R-MBC levels in patients with PLA2R-MN may help refine and individualize immunosuppressive therapy and predict disease course and progression. The technology and findings may also have broader applications in the clinical management of other autoimmune diseases.

show abstract

“…Biomarker Discovery: The use of genomic data integration with immune pathway analysis makes it easier to find potential biomarkers for autoimmune disorders. As a result, researchers can develop diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to stratify patients for disease management and treatment response prediction based on gene expression signatures cytokine profiles or immune cell phenotypes (53) . 6.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Autoimmune Disorders Unraveled: The Interplay Between Genetics and the Immune System.

Abd Ali,

Mohammed

2024

ijmsdh

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders that have an abnormal immune response against the owner’s tissues. Another key feature in the pathogenesis of these diseases is an interaction between genetics and environment. Although the emergence of a number of recent genomic technologies has simplified establishing many susceptibility genes and loci that determine an inherited predisposition to autoimmunity, The goal of this review article is to explore the element of complexity that stems from correlation between genetics and immunity when focusing autoimmune diseases. It provides major genetic differences that define immune cell activity, mechanisms related to the regulation of self-tolerance and inflammatory reactions. Also, the review describes epigenetic modifications that could modify gene expression and behavior of immune systems causing disease development or progression. In this chapter, using GWAS as well as other types of genetic studies we address how these recent advances in genetics have improved our understanding of disease mechanisms and enabled the development of novel strategies for personalizing therapeutic interventions. This paper further explores the opportunities such genetic findings present in creating predictive models for disease risk assessment and as a prescription to personalized medicine. The understanding and control of autoimmunity will greatly benefit from unraveling the genetic complexities involved in these conditions.

show abstract

Advanced methods and novel biomarkers in autoimmune diseases ‑ a review of the recent years progress in systemic lupus erythematosus

Cited by 17 publications

References 171 publications

Quantitative assessment of retinal vasculature changes in systemic lupus erythematosus using wide-field OCTA and the correlation with disease activity

Quantitative assessment of retinal vasculature changes in systemic lupus erythematosus using wide-field OCTA and the correlation with disease activity

The predictive and prognostic value of peripheral blood antigen-specific memory B cells in phospholipase A2 receptor-associated membranous nephropathy

Autoimmune Disorders Unraveled: The Interplay Between Genetics and the Immune System.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About