1. Robust saliva-based RNA extraction-free one-step nucleic acid amplification test for mass SARS-CoV-2 monitoringMojca Benčina, Roman Jerala, Tatjana Lejko-Zupanc, Gabriele Turel, Viktorija Tomič, Mihaela Zidarn, Žiga Jensterle, Katarina Prosenc, Mojca Milavec, Tina Demšar, Polona Kogovšek, Irena Mlinarič-Raščan, Dunja Urbančič, Alenka Šmid, Petra Sušjan, Arne Praznik, Tina Šket, Eva Rajh, 2021 Povzetek: Early diagnosis with rapid detection of the virus plays a key role in preventing the spread of infection and in treating patients effectively. In order to address the need for a straightforward detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection and assessment of viral spread, we developed rapid, sensitive, extraction-free one-step reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. We analyzed over 700 matched pairs of saliva and nasopharyngeal swab (NSB) specimens from asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Saliva, as either an oral cavity swab or passive drool, was collected in an RNA stabilization buffer. The stabilized saliva specimens were heat-treated and directly analyzed without RNA extraction. The diagnostic sensitivity of saliva-based RT-qPCR was at least 95% in individuals with subclinical infection and outperformed RT-LAMP, which had at least 70% sensitivity when compared to NSBs analyzed with a clinical RT-qPCR test. The diagnostic sensitivity for passive drool saliva was higher than that of oral cavity swab specimens (95% and 87%, respectively). A rapid, sensitive one-step extraction-free RT-qPCR test for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in passive drool saliva is operationally simple and can be easily implemented using existing testing sites, thus allowing high-throughput, rapid, and repeated testing of large populations. Furthermore, saliva testing is adequate to detect individuals in an asymptomatic screening program and can help improve voluntary screening compliance for those individuals averse to various forms of nasal collections.
Ključne besede: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, COVID-19 serological testing, real-time polymerase chain reaction, saliva, oral cavity swab, passive drool, pooling
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 09.11.2021; Ogledov: 86; Prenosov: 31
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2. Treatment outcome clustering patterns correspond to discrete asthma phenotypes in childrenIvana Banić, Mario Lovrić, Gerald Cuder, Roman Kern, Matija Rijavec, Peter Korošec, Mirjana Kljajić-Turkalj, 2021 Povzetek: Despite widely and regularly used therapy asthma in children is not fully controlled. Recognizing the complexity of asthma phenotypes and endotypes imposed the concept of precision medicine in asthma treatment. By applying machine learning algorithms assessed with respect to their accuracy in predicting treatment outcome, we have successfully identified 4 distinct clusters in a pediatric asthma cohort with specific treatment outcome patterns according to changes in lung function (FEV1 and MEF50), airway inflammation (FENO) and disease control likely affected by discrete phenotypes at initial disease presentation, differing in the type and level of inflammation, age of onset, comorbidities, certain genetic and other physiologic traits. The smallest and the largest of the 4 clusters- 1 (N = 58) and 3 (N = 138) had better treatment outcomes compared to clusters 2 and 4 and were characterized by more prominent atopic markers and a predominant allelic (A allele) effect for rs37973 in the GLCCI1 gene previously associated with positive treatment outcomes in asthmatics. These patients also had a relatively later onset of disease (6 + yrs). Clusters 2 (N = 87) and 4 (N = 64) had poorer treatment success, but varied in the type of inflammation (predominantly neutrophilic for cluster 4 and likely mixed-type for cluster 2), comorbidities (obesity for cluster 2), level of systemic inflammation (highest hsCRP for cluster 2) and platelet count (lowest for cluster 4). The results of this study emphasize the issues in asthma management due to the overgeneralized approach to the disease, not taking into account specific disease phenotypes.
Ključne besede: asthma, allergy and immunology, pediatrics, machine learning, treatment outcome, phenotypes, childhood asthma, clustering
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 16.08.2021; Ogledov: 184; Prenosov: 112
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3. Selpercatinib in RET fusion-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (SIREN) : a retrospective analysis of patients treated through an access programOliver Illini, Maximilian J Hochmair, Hannah Fabikan, Christoph Weinlinger, Amanda Tufman, Aurélie Swalduz, Kristina Lamberg, Sayed M. S. Hashemi, Florian Huemer, Anders Vikström, Katja Mohorčič, 2021 Povzetek: Introduction: Rearranged during transfection (RET) gene fusions are rare genetic drivers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Selective RET-inhibitors such as selpercatinib have shown therapeutic activity in early clinical trials; however, their efficacy in the real-world setting is unknown. Methods: A retrospective efficacy and safety analysis was performed on data from RET fusio-%positive NSCLC patients who participated in a selpercatinib access program (named patient protocol) between August 2019 and January 2021. Results: Data from 50 patients with RET fusion-positive advanced NSCLC treated with selpercatinib at 27 centers in 12 countries was analyzed. Most patients were Non-Asian (90%), female (60%), never-smokers (74%), with a median age of 65 years (range, 38-89). 32% of the patients had known brain metastasis at the time of selpercatinib treatment. Overall, 13 patients were treatment-naïve, while 37 were pretreated with a median of three lines of therapy (range, 1-8). The objective response rate (ORR) was 68% [95% confidence interval (CI), 53-81] in the overall population. The disease control rate was 92%. The median progression-free survival was 15.6 months (95% CI, 8.8-22.4) after a median follow-up of 9 months. In patients with measurable brain metastases (n=8) intracranial ORR reached 100%. In total, 88% of patients experienced treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), a large majority of them being grade 1 or 2. The most common grade >/=3 TRAEs were increased liver enzyme levels (in 10% of patients), prolonged QTc time (4%), abdominal pain (4%), hypertension (4%), and fatigue/asthenia (4%). None of patients discontinued selpercatinib treatment for safety reasons. No new safety concerns were observed, nor where there any treatment-related death. Conclusions: In this real-world setting, the selective RET-inhibitor selpercatinib demonstrated durable systemic and intracranial antitumor activity in RET fusion-positive NSCLC and was well tolerated.
Ključne besede: non-small cell lung carcinoma -- drug therapy -- genetics, molecular targeted therapy, real-world data, selpercatinib, targeted therapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitor
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 16.06.2021; Ogledov: 398; Prenosov: 171
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4. Cryoglobulins, cryofibrinogens, and cold agglutinins in cold urticaria : literature review, retrospective patient analysis, and observational study in 49 patientsKatharina Ginter, Dalia Melina Ahsan, Mojca Bizjak, Karoline Krause, Marcus Maurer, Sabine Altrichter, Dorothea Terhorst, 2021 Povzetek: Introduction: Cryoproteins, such as cryoglobulins, cryofibrinogens and cold agglutinins, precipitate at low temperatures or agglutinate erythrocytes and dissolve again when warmed. Their pathogenetic and diagnostic importance in cold urticaria (ColdU) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize the prevalence of cryoproteins in patients with ColdU. Methods: We conducted 3 analyses: i) a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data using an adapted version of the Johanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool for case series, ii) a retrospective analysis of 293 ColdU patients treated at our Urticaria Center of Reference and Excellence (UCARE) from 2014 to 2019, and iii) a prospective observational study, from July 2019 to July 2020, with 49 ColdU patients as defined by the EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/UNEV consensus recommendations. Results: Our systematic review identified 14 relevant studies with a total of 1151 ColdU patients. The meta-analyses showed that 3.0% (19/628), 1.1% (4/357) and 0.7% (2/283) of patients had elevated levels of cryoglobulins, cryofibrinogens, and cold agglutinins, respectively. Our retrospective analyses showed that cryoproteins were assessed in 4.1% (12/293) of ColdU patients. None of nine ColdU patients had cryoglobulins, and one of 5 had cold agglutinins. In our prospective study, none of our patients had detectable cryoglobulins (0/48) or cryofibrinogens (0/48), but 4.3% (2/46) of patients had cold agglutinins (without any known underlying autoimmune or hematological disorder). Conclusion: Our investigation suggests that only very few ColdU patients exhibit cryoproteins and that the pathogenesis of ColdU is driven by other mechanisms, which remain to be identified and characterized in detail.
Ključne besede: urticaria, review, observational study, retrospective studies, cold urticaria, cryoglobulins, cryofibrinogens, cold agglutinins, retrospective analysis
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 28.05.2021; Ogledov: 350; Prenosov: 251
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5. Gene expression levels of the prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins PHD1 and PHD2 but not PHD3 are decreased in primary tumours and correlate with poor prognosis of patients with surgically resected non-small-cell lung cancerAna Koren, Matija Rijavec, Tomaž Krumpestar, Izidor Kern, Aleksander Sadikov, Tanja Čufer, Peter Korošec, 2021 Povzetek: Background: Hypoxia correlates with poor prognosis in several cancer types, including lung cancer. Prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHDs) play a role in cell oxygen sensing, negatively regulating the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway. Our study aim was to evaluate PHD1, PHD2 and PHD3 mRNA expression levels in primary tumours and normal lungs of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to correlate it with selected regulators of HIF signalling, with clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival (OS). Methods: Tumour tissue samples were obtained from 60 patients with surgically resected NSCLC who were treated with radical surgery. In 22 out of 60 cases, matching morphologically normal lung tissue was obtained. PHD1, PHD2 and PHD3 mRNA expressions were measured using RT-qPCR. Results: The PHD1 and PHD2 mRNA levels in primary tumours were significantly decreased compared to those in normal lungs (both p < 0.0001). PHD1 and PHD2 expression in tumours was positively correlated (rs = 0.82; p < 0.0001) and correlated well with HIF pathway downstream genes HIF1A, PKM2 and PDK1. Decreased PHD1 and PHD2 were associated with larger tumour size, higher tumour stage (PHD1 only) and squamous cell carcinoma. Patients with low PHD1 and patients with low PHD2 expression had shorter OS than patients with high PHD1 (p = 0.02) and PHD2 expression (p = 0.01). PHD1 showed borderline independent prognostic values in multivariate analysis (p = 0.06). In contrast, we found no associations between PHD3 expression and any of the observed parameters. Conclusions: Our results show that reduced expression of PHD1 and PHD2 is associated with the development and progression of NSCLC. PHD1 could be further assessed as a prognostic marker in NSCLC.
Ključne besede: non-small-cell lung carcinoma, prognosis, non-small cell lung cancer, mRNA expression, prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 21.05.2021; Ogledov: 371; Prenosov: 246
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6. Cold agglutinins and cryoglobulins associate with clinical and laboratory parameters of cold urticariaMojca Bizjak, Mitja Košnik, Dorothea Terhorst, Dejan Dinevski, Marcus Maurer, 2021 Povzetek: Mast cell-activating signals in cold urticaria are not yet well defined and are likely to be heterogeneous. Cold agglutinins and cryoglobulins have been described as factors possibly associated with cold urticaria, but their relevance has not been explained. We performed a single-center prospective cohort study of 35 cold urticaria patients. Cold agglutinin and cryoglobulin test results, demographics, detailed history data, cold stimulation test results, complete blood count values, C-reactive protein, total immunoglobulin E levels, and basal serum tryptase levels were analyzed. Forty six percent (n = 16) of 35 tested patients had a positive cold agglutinin test and 27% (n = 9) of 33 tested patients had a positive cryoglobulin test. Cold agglutinin positive patients, when compared to cold agglutinin negative ones, were mainly female (P = 0.030). No gender-association was found for cryoglobulins. A positive cold agglutinin test, but not a positive cryoglobulin test, was associated with a higher rate of reactions triggered by cold ambient air (P = 0.009) or immersion in cold water (P = 0.041), and aggravated by increased summer humidity (P = 0.007). Additionally, patients with a positive cold agglutinin test had a higher frequency of angioedema triggered by ingestion of cold foods or drinks (P = 0.043), and lower disease control based on Urticaria Control Test (P = 0.023). Cold agglutinin levels correlated with erythrocyte counts (r = -0.372, P = 0.028) and monocyte counts (r = -0.425, P = 0.011). Cryoglobulin concentrations correlated with basal serum tryptase levels (r = 0.733, P = 0.025) and cold urticaria duration (r = 0.683, P = 0.042). Results of our study suggest that cold agglutinins and cryoglobulins, in a subpopulation of cold urticaria patients, are linked to the course and possibly the pathogenesis of their disease.
Ključne besede: urticaria, mast cells, cold-induced urticaria, cold urticaria, cryoglobulins, cold agglutinin, degranulation, clinical parameters, laboratory parameters
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 10.05.2021; Ogledov: 385; Prenosov: 329
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7. Hereditary systemic autoinflammatory diseases and Schnitzler's syndromeMark Kačar, Shelly Pathak, Sinisa Savic, 2019 Povzetek: The systemic autoinflammatory diseases are disorders of the innate immune system distinguished by severe inflammation resulting from dysregulation of the innate immune system. Hereditary fever syndromes, such as FMF, TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome, cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes and mevalonate kinase deficiency, were the first group of systemic autoinflammatory diseases for which a genetic basis was established, between 1999 and 2001. Currently according to the latest report of the international union of immunological societies, 37 separate monogenic disorders were classified as autoinflammatory. In addition to the abovementioned monogenic conditions, we describe Schnitzler's syndrome, a well-defined, acquired autoinflammatory condition without a clear genetic basis. For the purposes of this review, we discuss several conditions defined by the latest consensus process as systemic autoinflammatory diseases. We focus on those disorders where recent studies have contributed to further phenotypic characterization or had an impact on clinical management.
Ključne besede: pyrin, Schnitzler syndrome, haploinsufficiency, autoinflammatory diseases, pyrin-associated autoinflammatory diseases, NLRP3-related autoinflammatory diseases, undifferentiated systemic autoinflammatory disease, relopathies
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 08.04.2021; Ogledov: 439; Prenosov: 319
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8. The efficacy, safety and tolerability of canakinumab in the treatment of familial Mediterranean fever : a systematic review of the literatureMark Kačar, Sinisa Savic, Jeroen CH van der Hilst, 2020 Povzetek: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most prevalent genetic autoinflammatory disorder. In most patients, treatment with colchicine can prevent attacks of fever and inflammation. However, 5%-10% of patients are resistant to colchicine treatment, while a similar percentage cannot tolerate colchicine in doses needed to prevent attacks. For these patients, Canakinumab, a full human antibody against IL-1[beta], has been approved recently by the FDA and EMA. In this article, we present a systematic review of the long-term efficacy, safety, and tolerability of Canakinumab in FMF patients who cannot tolerate colchicine or who are resistant to colchicine treatment.
Ključne besede: familial Mediterranean fever -- therapy -- review, monoclonal antibodies, canakinumab, anti-IL1 therapy
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 08.04.2021; Ogledov: 510; Prenosov: 247
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9. Mixed results with baricitinib in biological-resistant adult-onset Still's disease and undifferentiated systemic autoinflammatory diseaseMark Kačar, John Fitton, Andrew K Gough, Maya H Buch, Dennis McGonagle, Sinisa Savic, 2020 Povzetek: This clinical case series describes our experience with the use of Janus kinase 1/2 inhibitor baricitinib in two patients suffering from refractory adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) as well as in one case suffering from AOSD-like autoinflammatory disease in the context of myelodysplastic syndrome. All patients suffered from disease nonresponsive to conventional Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) as well as biological therapies including interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 blockade, relying instead on high daily doses of prednisolone. We also report the first case of Pneumocystis jirovecii infection following baricitinib use.
Ključne besede: adult onset Still's disease -- drug therapy, ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis, antirheumatic agents, undifferentiated systemic autoinflammatory disease, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 08.04.2021; Ogledov: 470; Prenosov: 296
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10. Evidence of B cell clonality and investigation into properties of the IgM in patients with Schnitzler syndromeShelly Pathak, Dorota Rowczenio, Samuel Lara-Reyna, Mark Kačar, Roger Owen, Gina Doody, Karoline Krause, Helen J Lachmann, Rainer Doffinger, Darren Newton, Sinisa Savic, 2020 Povzetek: The Schnitzler Syndrome (SchS) is an acquired, autoinflammatory condition successfully treated with IL-1 inhibition. The two main defining features of this late-onset condition are neutrophilic urticarial dermatoses (NUD) and the presence of an IgM monoclonal component. While the former aspect has been extensively studied in this disease setting, the enigmatic paraproteinaemia and its potential consequential effects within SchS, has not previously been thoroughly addressed. Previous studies analyzing clonal B cell repertoires have largely focused on autoimmune disorders such as Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) and hematological malignancies such as Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), where B-cell clonality is central to disease pathology. The present study uses next-generation sequencing to provide detailed insight into aspects of B cell VDJ recombination and properties of the resulting immunoglobulin chains. An overview of IgH regional dynamics in 10 SchS patients, with a particular focus on CDR3 sequences and VDJ gene usage is reported, highlighting the presence of specific B cell expansions. Protein microarray detected a substantial proportion of autoreactive IgM to nuclear target proteins, though a single universal target was not identified. Together, these genetic and functional findings impart new understanding into this rare disorder.
Ključne besede: Schnitzler syndrome, B-lymhocytes, paraproteinemias, pararoteins, immunoglobulin M, autoinflammatory diseases, IgM
DiRROS - Objavljeno: 08.04.2021; Ogledov: 421; Prenosov: 255
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