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Gildner TE, Eick GN, Schneider AL, Madimenos FC, Snodgrass JJ. After Theranos: Using point-of-care testing to advance measures of health biomarkers in human biology research. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23689. [PMID: 34669210 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The rise and fall of the health technology startup Theranos is emblematic of the promise and peril of point-of-care testing (POCT). Instruments that deliver immediate results from minimally invasive samples at the location of collection can provide powerful tools to deliver health data in clinical and public health contexts. Yet, POCT availability is driven largely by market interests, which limits the development of inexpensive tests for diverse health conditions that can be used in resource-limited settings. These constraints, combined with complex regulatory hurdles and substantial ethical challenges, have contributed to the underutilization of POCT in human biology research. METHODS We evaluate current POCT capabilities and limitations, discuss promising applications for POCT devices in resource-limited settings, and discuss the future of POCT. RESULTS As evidenced by publication trends, POCT platforms have rapidly advanced in recent years, gaining traction among clinicians and health researchers. We highlight POCT devices of potential interest to population-based researchers and present specific examples of POCT applications in human biology research. CONCLUSIONS Several barriers can limit POCT applications, including cost, lack of regulatory approval for non-clinical use, requirements for expensive equipment, and the dearth of validation in remote field conditions. Despite these issues, we see immense potential for emerging POCT technology capable of analyzing new sample types and used in conjunction with increasingly common technology (e.g., smart phones). We argue that the fallout from Theranos may ultimately provide an opportunity to advance POCT, leading to more ethical data collection and novel opportunities in human biology research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa E Gildner
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Geeta N Eick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Alaina L Schneider
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - J Josh Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.,Center for Global Health, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Lang CCV, Renert-Yuval Y, Del Duca E, Pavel AB, Wu J, Zhang N, Dubin C, Obi A, Chowdhoury M, Kim M, Estrada YD, Krueger JG, Kaderbhai H, Semango G, Schmid-Grendelmeier P, Brüggen MC, Masenga JE, Guttman-Yassky E. Immune and barrier characterization of atopic dermatitis skin phenotype in Tanzanian patients. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2021; 127:334-341. [PMID: 33975024 PMCID: PMC11344219 DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2021.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common disease, with particularly high prevalence found in Africa. It is increasingly recognized that patients with AD of different ethnic backgrounds have unique molecular signatures in the skin, potentially accounting for treatment response variations. Nevertheless, the skin profile of patients with AD from Africa is unknown, hindering development of new treatments targeted to this patient population. OBJECTIVE To characterize the skin profile of patients with AD from Africa. METHODS Gene expression studies, including RNA sequencing (using threshold of fold change of >2 and false discovery rate of <0.05) and real-time polymerase chain reaction, were performed on skin biopsies of Tanzanian patients with moderate-to-severe AD and controls. RESULTS Tanzanian AD skin presented robust up-regulations of multiple key mediators of both T helper 2 (TH2) (interleukin 13 [IL-13], IL-10, IL-4R, CCL13,CCL17,CCL18,CCL26) and TH22 (IL22, S100As) pathways. Markers related to TH17 and IL-23 (IL-17A, IL-23A, IL-12, PI3, DEFB4B) and TH1 (interferon gamma, CXCL9,CXCL10,CXCL11) were also significantly overexpressed in AD tissues (FDR<.05), albeit to a lesser extent. IL-36 isoforms revealed substantial up-regulations in African skin. The barrier fingerprint of Tanzanian AD revealed no suppression of hallmark epidermal barrier differentiation genes, such as filaggrin, loricrin, and periplakin, with robust attenuation of lipid metabolism genes (ie, AWAT1). CONCLUSION The skin phenotype of Tanzanian patients with AD is consistent with that of African Americans, exhibiting dominant TH2 and TH22 skewing, minimal dysregulation of terminal differentiation, and even broader attenuation of lipid metabolism-related products. These data highlight the unique characteristic of AD in Black individuals and the need to develop unique treatments targeting patients with AD from these underrepresented populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia C V Lang
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yael Renert-Yuval
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Ester Del Duca
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Dermatology, University of Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Ana B Pavel
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
| | - Jianni Wu
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ning Zhang
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Celina Dubin
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ashley Obi
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Mashkura Chowdhoury
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Madeline Kim
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Yeriel D Estrada
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - James G Krueger
- Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Hashim Kaderbhai
- Department of Dermatology, M.P. Shah Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya; Department of Dermatology, Regional Dermatology Training Center, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - George Semango
- Department of Dermatology, Regional Dermatology Training Center, Moshi, Tanzania
| | | | - Marie-Charlotte Brüggen
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Hochgebirgsklinik Davos, Davos, Switzerland
| | - John E Masenga
- Department of Dermatology, Regional Dermatology Training Center, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Emma Guttman-Yassky
- Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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Knudgaard MH, Andreasen TH, Ravnborg N, Bieber T, Silverberg JI, Egeberg A, Halling AS, Thyssen JP. Rhinitis prevalence and association with atopic dermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2021; 127:49-56.e1. [PMID: 33684526 DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2021.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) and rhinitis are common atopic diseases that may co-occur owing to an overlap in pathophysiology. Although most cases of both diseases are mild and managed with topical anti-inflammatory medicaments, the advent of new systemic and biologic treatments targeting type 2 inflammation in both diseases warrants further insight in the exact overlap of AD and rhinitis. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between AD and rhinitis. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis of the databases PubMed, Embase, and CNKI were performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Pooled prevalence and pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. RESULTS The search resulted in 10,422 citations, and 341 and 302 articles were included in the qualitative and quantitative analyses, respectively. The pooled prevalence of rhinitis was 40.5% (95% CI 39.0-42.0) in patients with AD and 18.0% (95% CI 16.7-19.2) in the reference individuals without AD. The pooled prevalence of having both rhinitis and asthma was 14.2% (95% CI 13.0-15.5) in patients with AD. There was an association between AD and rhinitis (OR 3.00, 95% CI 2.83-3.18), allergic rhinitis (OR 3.25, 95% CI 2.26-4.66), and nonallergic rhinitis (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.39-2.86), respectively. CONCLUSION Rhinitis, both allergic and nonallergic forms, is very common in patients with AD. Future investigations should clarify how medications targeting both diseases should be indicated in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Hjorslev Knudgaard
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark; Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin (CORGIS), Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark
| | - Thomas Holger Andreasen
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark; Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin (CORGIS), Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark
| | - Nanna Ravnborg
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark; Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin (CORGIS), Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark
| | - Thomas Bieber
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Davos, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan I Silverberg
- Department of Dermatology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC
| | - Alexander Egeberg
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark; Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin (CORGIS), Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark
| | - Anne-Sofie Halling
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Denmark; Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin (CORGIS), Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark
| | - Jacob P Thyssen
- Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin (CORGIS), Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark; Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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