Biomarker Insights最新文献

{"title":"Neurofilaments in Tears as Early Biomarkers of Corneal Neurodegeneration in Diabetes Without Retinopathy.","authors":"Vincenzo Macaione, Francesca Polito, Giovanni W Oliverio, Emanuela Aragona, Elisa I Postorino, Maura Mancini, Paola Palino, M'hammed Aguennouz, Pasquale Aragona","doi":"10.1177/11772719251368696","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719251368696","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Neurodegeneration in the cornea, particularly in diabetic patients, is an emerging area of research that highlights the potential of tear fluid as a source of biomarkers. Neurofilaments light chain (Nf-L), which are structural proteins found in neurons, have been identified as promising candidates for early biomarkers of neurodegeneration.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study investigates the correlation Nf-L levels in tears and corneal in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) parameters in patients with diabetes mellitus without retinopathy with the aim of associating Nf-L level with corneal neurodegeneration.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Case-control observational study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We enrolled 20 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM) and 20 healthy controls (HC): we studied the levels of Nf-L in serum and tears, and we looked for a correlation with the parameters detected on IVCM, including corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD) and corneal nerve branching density (CNBD).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Serum Nf-L levels showed no difference between DM (mean ± SD 14.00 ± 2.18 pg/mL) and HC (mean ± SD 15.18 ± 2.28 pg/mL). Instead we detected a significant increase in Nf-L levels in DM tears (right eye mean ± SD 321.23 ± 192.40 pg/mL; left eye mean ± SD 277.90 ± 254.23 pg/mL) compared to HC (right eye mean ± SD 25.80 ± 22.0 pg/mL; left eye mean ± SD 27.96 ± 20.21 pg/mL). Furthermore, a negative correlation was evident between Nf-L levels and IVCM parameters: CNFL/Nf-L <i>r</i> -.4234 <i>P</i> < .001; CNFD/Nf-L -.4959 <i>P</i> < .001; CNBD/Nf-L <i>r</i> -.5310 <i>P</i> < .0005.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings indicate that Nf-L levels are significantly elevated in the tears of DM patients and that high Nf-L levels correlate with lower corneal IVCM parameters, suggesting that tears Nf-L could be a reliable biomarker for early corneal neurodegeneration in diabetes without retinopathy.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719251368696"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13477539/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148765252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association Between Khat (<i>Catha edulis</i>) Consumption and Hepatocellular Enzyme Elevation: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study.","authors":"Ahmed Ibrahim Farah, Jama Mohamed, Nega Berhe","doi":"10.1177/11772719261478088","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261478088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Khat (Catha edulis) is a widely consumed stimulant in East Africa, but its role in hepatocellular alterations remains debated.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study evaluated the association between khat consumption patterns and subclinical liver injury in Somaliland.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A hospital-based case-control study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was conducted at Hargeisa Group Hospital (N = 260). Biochemical markers were compared among current, past, and non-chewing controls. Because khat use was absent among females, multivariable logistic regression was restricted to males (n = 188). Serum AST, ALT, and bilirubin were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test and bootstrap BCa 95% confidence intervals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Current khat chewers exhibited significantly higher median AST (76.50 vs. 39.50 U/L), ALT (75.00 vs. 42.50 U/L), and total bilirubin (1.45 vs. 0.30 mg/dL) levels than non-chewers (all p < 0.001). Biochemical markers in past chewers did not differ significantly from controls (p > 0.05). Total bilirubin >3 mg/dL was observed across all groups but was more prevalent among current chewers (37.3%) than non-chewers (30.9%) and past chewers (6.3%) (p = 0.003). ALT >3× ULN was more frequent among current chewers (p = 0.020), whereas AST >3× ULN did not differ significantly (p = 0.256). Current khat chewing independently predicted hepatocellular injury (AOR = 3.73; 95% CI: 1.40-9.95; p = 0.009). A dose-response pattern was observed, with consumption ≥250 g/session (AOR = 2.45; p = 0.038) and duration >10 years (AOR = 5.08; p = 0.001) associated with increased odds of injury.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Active khat consumption among males was associated with dose-dependent subclinical hepatocellular injury. The absence of abnormalities in past chewers may suggest stabilization after cessation. Given the observational design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of causality and warrant prospective studies with comprehensive hepatobiliary assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261478088"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13452938/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148702271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of Brain-Specific and Neuroendocrine Biomarkers for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Diagnosis: A Prospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Seza Apiliogullari, Eman Elbayoumi, Nina Collier, Guangzheng Cai, Otis Kofi Ocloo, Mojtaba Golpich, Firas Kobeissy, Jiepei Zhu, Hamad Yadikar, Stephania Ng, Wai S Poon, Kevin K Wang","doi":"10.1177/11772719261456551","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261456551","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>The timing of diagnosis is a critical factor that significantly impacts medical treatment and patient outcomes in individuals with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The study primarily aimed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of four brain-specific biomarkers, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), tau, and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) to differentiate CT-confirmed ICH patients from healthy controls. Secondary aims included comparing results between younger (18-59 years) and older (≥60 years) ICH patients and exploring neuroendocrine hormone levels (adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH], agouti-related peptide [AgRP], ciliary neurotrophic factor [CNTF], and growth hormone [GH]) as potential diagnostic tools.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Serum samples were collected from consecutive adult patients with CT-confirmed ICH diagnoses on days 1 (first 24 hours), 2, 3, 7, and 14 for biomarker analyses in a pilot study. A total of 71 patients and 30 healthy controls were included in the analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Serum concentrations of four brain-specific biomarkers demonstrated significant differentiation between ICH patients and controls at all assessed time points (Days 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14; all p<0.05), with similar significant elevations observed for NfL, tau, and UCH-L1. Day 1 GFAP levels were markedly higher in ICH patients (median 9598 pg/mL compared with healthy controls (39.2 pg/mL; p<0.05). No significant differences were found between young and aged adult ICH subgroups. Neuroendocrine ACTH and AgRP levels were significantly higher in ICH patients compared to controls on both measured time points (Days 1 and 7).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study's findings suggest that GFAP, NfL, tau, UCH-L1, ACTH, and AgRP exhibit potential as biomarkers for differentiating spontaneous ICH patients from healthy controls. However, given the limitations of the current study design, these findings should be interpreted with caution and cannot be expected to translate directly into clinical practice. Further research is needed to assess these biomarkers' roles in distinguishing stroke types and predicting ICH outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261456551"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13428106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148654640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-α With Severe Pediatric COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome.","authors":"Kateryna Kozak, Halyna Pavlyshyn","doi":"10.1177/11772719261472145","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261472145","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The cytokine profile may provide clinically relevant information for assessing the inflammatory response in infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2. However, the threshold concentrations of cytokines associated with severe pediatric COVID-19 and cytokine patterns related to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), remain insufficiently characterized.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate serum levels and exploratory threshold concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-α associated with severe pediatric COVID-19 and MIS-C, and to characterize cytokine patterns across different clinical forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The cohort study included 200 children with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, including mild COVID-19 (n=106), moderate COVID-19 (n=72), and severe COVID-19 (n= 22), 40 children diagnosed with MIS-C, and 45 children with negative PCR and ELISA results for SARS-CoV-2. Participants were aged 1 month to 17 years (6.47±5.53 years), and none had received a COVID-19 vaccine at the time of inclusion.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-α were measured within the first 24 hours of hospitalization, before treatment initiation, using immunoenzymatic assays.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cytokines associated with severe COVID-19 included IL-1β (cut-off 6.96 pg/mL), IL-6 (cut-off 68.37 pg/mL), IL-12 (cut-off 34.53 pg/mL), TNF-α (cut-off 60.63 pg/mL), and IFN-α (cut-off 26.96 pg/mL). All measured cytokines demonstrated adequate discriminatory performance for identifying MIS-C: IL-1β (cut-off 7.28 pg/mL), IL-6 (cut-off 100.64 pg/mL), IL-8 (cut-off 16.93 pg/mL), IL-12 (cut-off 34.91 pg/mL), TNF-α (cut-off 80.19 pg/mL), and IFN-α (cut-off 30.56 pg/mL). Random Forest analysis identified IL-1β and IL-8 as variables with the highest model-derived importance for COVID-19 severity classification, whereas age and sex showed lower model-derived importance than cytokine biomarkers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Cytokine profiling may support a more nuanced evaluation of hyperinflammatory immune responses in pediatric SARS-CoV-2-associated disease. However, its additional clinical value beyond routine clinical and laboratory markers requires validation in larger independent pediatric cohorts.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261472145"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13400929/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148594071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-Target Cardioprotective Potential of <i>Ajuga bracteosa</i> Phytochemicals: An Integrated Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approach.","authors":"Abdul Rehman, Imran Ahmad Khan, Qasim Ali Ghauri, Maliha Khalid Khan, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Umair Saleem, Muhammad Imran Ali Khan, Ahsan Anjum, Hafiza Hamed","doi":"10.1177/11772719261472144","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261472144","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Myocardial infarction (MI), especially its adrenaline-induced myocardial injury, remains a leading cause of global mortality, often resulting in irreversible cardiac damage and heart failure due to stress cardiomyopathy.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong><i>Ajuga bracteosa</i> Wall. ex Benth. (Lamiaceae). It is a medicinal plant used in the Himalayas for a long time in folk medicine for heart diseases, hypertension, and inflammatory diseases. Studies have reported the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability of its crude extracts. However, the active phytochemicals and their multi-target molecular mechanisms against adrenaline-induced MI remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The current study investigated the predicted cardioprotective potential of <i>A. bracteosa</i>, uses integrated network pharmacology, ADMET profiling, and molecular docking to investigate <i>A. bracteosa</i> phytochemicals.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Thirty bioactive compounds from the whole plant were identified. Of these, eight lead phytochemicals, including neo-clerodane diterpenoids and phytoecdysteroids, were subjected to ADMET screening. They passed the screening showing desirable drug-like properties. From network pharmacology analysis, 278 overlapping targets were identified between MI-associated genes and those in the ingredient database. The top three hub proteins were AKT1 (node degree 151), GAPDH (150), and TNF (149), respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that these genes were primarily involved in the regulation of the apoptotic process, oxidant stress response, and the PI3K-Akt, TNF, and MAPK signaling pathways. Molecular docking (MOE 2019.01) results show that Ivain II showed the strongest binding affinity score with value of -9.42 kcal/mol for GAPDH and TNF-α through multiple hydrogen bonds, lipophilic contacts, and π-alkyl interactions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings provide the first computational mechanistic insight into the predicted multi-target cardioprotective potential of <i>A. bracteosa</i> and identify Ivain II, 20-Hydroxyecdysone, and Ajugalactone as promising lead compounds warranting further experimental validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261472144"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13392343/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148580811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular Protein Interactions and Predictive Pathways as Biomarkers for Enhancing Volleyball Performance: A Narrative Review.","authors":"Yong Cai, Jie Dai, Anand Thirupathi, Weijun Song","doi":"10.1177/11772719261466285","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261466285","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Understanding molecular protein interactions offers promising long-term health benefits for volleyball players by serving as biomarkers that enable predictions of metabolic status, inflammation, injury risk, and recovery potential.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This review aims to clarify the molecular protein interactions that serve as useful biomarkers to enhance volleyball performance.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>For that end, a non-systematic review of the existing literature was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. This review addressed the key molecular pathways as biomarkers that are affected during volleyball performance, such as BDNF, IGF-1, AMPK, PGC-1α, IL-6, and mTORC1, as well as the involvement of small non-coding RNAs, including miR-22, miR-17, miR-125b, miR-24, miR-26a, miR-93, miR-223, miR-320a, and miR-486.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From the literature, we observed that a single 60-minute volleyball session elevates growth hormone levels and reduces IL-6, thereby supporting an anabolic state in volleyball players. Moreover, even 2 weeks of volleyball training increases BDNF and IGF-1 expression, partly driven by increases in specific miRNAs, such as miR-223, miR-320a, and miR-486. Notably, the magnitude of BDNF elevation varies across populations, reflecting genetic polymorphisms in the BDNF gene.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While measuring these molecular markers provides valuable theoretical insight into training adaptations and stress resilience in volleyball athletes, the extreme heterogeneity of current study protocols and the lack of standardized reference values for these biomarkers make it too early to use them as biomarkers for performance improvement and training adaptation. Consequently, these biomarkers currently serve as basic candidates for future research and require extensive validation before they can be reliably used for real-time, personalized training monitoring in volleyball.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261466285"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13333061/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148392043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extracellular Matrix-Related Prognostic Signature for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Multi-Algorithm Survival Modeling.","authors":"Wenwen Chen, Yehai Liu","doi":"10.1177/11772719261463532","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261463532","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a poor prognosis, and the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in tumor progression, emerging as a potential biomarker for prognosis and therapy.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To develop and validate an ECM-related prognostic signature (ECMS) and assess its association with immune features and therapeutic response in HNSCC.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Retrospective, multi-cohort bioinformatics and experimental study integrating transcriptomic analysis, machine learning, and molecular biology validation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>ECM-related genes were identified from transcriptome data. An ECMS was constructed using 10 machine learning algorithms with 101 algorithm combinations and evaluated across training, internal, and external validation cohorts. An integrated nomogram combining ECMS with clinical variables was developed for prognosis prediction. Immune infiltration and treatment responses were analyzed. qRT-PCR validated gene expression in 15 paired HNSCC and adjacent normal tissues, and molecular experiments confirmed key gene functions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-three ECM genes were significantly associated with prognosis. The ECMS demonstrated moderate and consistent predictive performance across datasets. The nomogram provided a potential tool for clinical outcome prediction. Significant differences in immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression were observed between high- and low-risk groups. qRT-PCR confirmed elevated expression of key ECM genes, including WNT7A, in tumor tissues, and functional assays showed that WNT7A promotes HNSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study developed an ECMS with potential prognostic value, which may complement existing clinical variables for outcome prediction in HNSCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261463532"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13305523/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148346922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Salivary Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Thyroid Diseases: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence.","authors":"Chandrasekaran Krithika, Chitathoor Sridhar, Srijanani Santhanakrishnan, Jaideep Mahendra, Leena Sankari, Tharanikumar Sivakumar","doi":"10.1177/11772719261452222","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261452222","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Thyroid hormones have a crucial impact on all physiological systems. Diagnosis of thyroid diseases using salivary biomarkers is an emerging discipline and requires consolidation of existing information.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This systematic review is aimed at identifying and analyzing salivary biomarkers that are associated with thyroid diseases and evaluate their potential as diagnostic applicability as non-invasive indicators of thyroid dysfunction.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, EBSCO, ProQuest, and Google Scholar from date of inception to May 2025. Human observational studies, clinical trials, and diagnostic accuracy studies published in the English language, that related biomarkers in saliva to thyroid diseases were collected and analyzed for relevant information. The search resulted in 35 records, followed by PRISMA 2020 compliant screening which resulted in 9 records included for data synthesis. Data extraction, tabulation and Risk of Bias assessment was carried out by 2 independent reviewers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Included studies suggest that FT3, amino acids, salivary metabolic profiling, glycan profiles, microbiome, and thyroid antibodies present in saliva could be putative and noninvasive biomarkers of diagnostic and prognostic importance.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Heterogeneity in study design and analytical techniques has limited definitive conclusions about said markers, necessitating future well-designed clinical studies for validation of these biomarkers for noninvasive thyroid screeing and diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261452222"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13272866/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148279202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urinary Calprotectin Predicts Severe Acute Kidney Injury After Non-cardiac Surgery in Surgical Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Weijian Yao, Lingyi Xu, Nan Li, Jinwei Wang, Qingqing Zhou, Linger Tang, Xizi Zheng, Shuangling Li, Li Yang","doi":"10.1177/11772719261458627","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261458627","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Postoperative risk stratification for severe acute kidney injury (AKI) can facilitate timely intervention and improve prognosis.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the added predictive ability of urinary calprotectin for postoperative risk stratification of severe AKI in non-cardiac surgery patients.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A total of 580 patients were enrolled, and 98 (17%) developed severe AKI with a median time of 12.8 hours after SICU admission.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a prospective cohort of patients transferred to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) after non-cardiac surgery, calprotectin was measured in urine samples collected 0, 6, and 12 hours after SICU admission. A clinical model for predicting severe AKI was established. We tested the ability of urinary calprotectin alone to predict severe AKI by area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) analysis. We further evaluated the improvement of the pre-diction ability after adding urinary calprotectin in the clinical model by the increment in AUC, relevant integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification improvement (NRI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Higher urinary calprotectin levels were observed in the severe AKI group at any time point (All P<0.001). In the entire cohort, the AUC of urinary calprotectin at SICU admission for predicting severe AKI was 0.701(95% CI, 0.649 to 0.754), and calprotectin ≥32.3 ng/ml was associated with increased risk (OR 6.119, 95% CI 3.259 - 11.488). The AUC of the clinical model increased from 0.693 (95%CI, 0.633 to 0.754) to 0.730 (95%CI, 0.677 to 0.784) upon adding urinary calprotectin, the NRI was 0.337 (P<0.001) and the IDI was 0.055 (P<0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A combination of urinary calprotectin and clinical features could be useful for postoperative risk stratification of severe AKI in non-cardiac surgery patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261458627"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13237453/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148200657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insight to Neglected Biomarkers in COVID-19: A Comprehensive Narrative Review\".","authors":"Shahram Jalilian, Mohammad-Navid Bastani, Fatemeh Afsharzadeh","doi":"10.1177/11772719261452224","DOIUrl":"10.1177/11772719261452224","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the context of COVID-19, a range of neglected biomarkers provide critical insights into the mechanisms of the disease and potential therapeutic targets. This review aims to address this gap by systematically analyzing the diagnostic and prognostic potential of these neglected biomarkers, with particular emphasis on their mechanistic connections to COVID-19 pathophysiology. Reduced levels of adiponectin and prostacyclin (PGI2) and elevated level of endothelin are associated with endothelial dysfunction, whereas elevated levels of endocan and endoglin are indicative of elevated vascular inflammation. Increased concentrations of markers such as angiopoietin, E-selectin, P-selectin, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 suggest endothelial activation, while higher levels of fractalkine, galectin, HMGB1, and osteopontin reflect an ongoing inflammatory state. Immunological markers, including HMGB1, neopterin, and serum amyloid A, are significantly elevated, underscoring prolonged immune activation associated with severe COVID-19. Elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (SuPAR) highlight tissue remodeling and fibrinolytic imbalance related to vascular injury. Additionally, increases in soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and pentraxin reflect inflammatory pathways that exacerbate endothelial dysfunction. Elevated levels of syndecan-1 reflect endothelial glycocalyx degradation and impaired endothelial barrier integrity. Increased von Willebrand factor (vWF) indicates endothelial activation and injury with a prothrombotic shift. Elevated surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a marker of pulmonary epithelial injury and disruption of the alveolar-capillary interface. Other biomarkers, such as the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and MR-proADM, signal oxidative stress and endothelial damage. Collectively, these biomarkers emphasize the extensive vascular and endothelial impairment in COVID-19, suggesting their utility as diagnostic tools and potential targets for therapeutic intervention against the systemic effects of the disease. This review advocates for the integration of these biomarkers into standard monitoring and treatment protocols for COVID-19, thereby enhancing personalized care. Furthermore, our analysis underscores the necessity for additional research into the roles of these biomarkers in other endothelial disorders, ultimately contributing to a more nuanced approach to managing viral infections characterized by vascular complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":47060,"journal":{"name":"Biomarker Insights","volume":"21 ","pages":"11772719261452224"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13237474/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148200654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}