Fecal calprotectin concentrations in young children with cystic fibrosis: Authors response

Nutritional and metabolic management for cystic fibrosis in a post-cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance modulator era

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The introduction of highly effective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulators has resulted in a paradigm shift towards treating underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) rather than the ensuing complications. In this review, we will describe the impact of these small molecules on growth, nutrition, and metabolic status in people with CF (pwCF).

RECENT FINDING

Results of clinical trials and real world data demonstrate that these small molecules are having a significant impact of on augmenting body weight, improving nutritional status and reducing gastrointestinal symptom burden. Early treatment can also positively impact on pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function.

SUMMARY

Nutritional and metabolic management of pwCF needs to change in order to maximize long term health and avoid future complications relating to obesity and increased cardiovascular risk. Longitudinal registry studies will be key to improve our understanding of the longer-term outcome of these new therapies.

Abdominal Symptoms Assessed With the CFAbd-Score are Associated With Intestinal Inflammation in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis

OBJECTIVES

This prospective study evaluated the relationship between fecal markers of intestinal inflammation and cystic fibrosis (CF)-associated abdominal symptoms. These were assessed using the CFAbd-Score, a CF-specific patient-related outcome measure developed and validated, following FDA guidelines.

METHODS

In feces from patients with CF (n = 41) and healthy volunteers (n = 27), concentrations of fecal calprotectin (FC), M2-pyruvate kinase (M2-PK), interleukins IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and neutrophilic elastase (NE) were measured. Abdominal symptoms during the 2 preceding weeks were recorded using the CFAbd-Score. This patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for assessment of the multi-organic abdominal involvement in CF includes 28 items in five domains.

RESULTS

Inflammatory parameters FC, IL-1β, M2-PK, and NE in feces, as well as CFAbd-Scores resulted significantly higher in CF patients than in healthy controls (all P < 0.01). Furthermore, significant differences between both groups were found for pain-symptoms, disorders of bowel movement, impaired quality of life, as well as disorders of eating and appetite. With 83% sensitivity and 74% specificity, FC was the most reliable measure for CF-related intestinal inflammation, which, in the CFAbd-Score, was associated to significantly higher rates of abdominal pain, as well as to general quality of life items such as gastrointestinal-related impaired sleep and frustration.

CONCLUSION

Using the CFAbd-Score as a CF-specific PROM for identification and quantification of abdominal symptoms revealed that abdominal pain and impaired quality of life are associated with intestinal inflammation in CF.

Fecal calprotectin in the pediatric population: a 2020 update

Calprotectin is a calcium and zinc-binding protein, formed by a hetero complex of S100A8 and S100A9 proteins, which belong to the S-100 protein family consisting in more than 20 different proteins with a tissue-specific expression pattern. This protein is secreted extracellularly from stimulated neutrophils or released by cell disruption or death. The presence of calprotectin in feces quantitatively relates to neutrophil migration toward the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; thus, it represents a useful marker of intestinal inflammation. Fecal calprotectin (FC) has been proven largely useful for determining the inflammatory origin of GI symptoms differentiating between organic and non-organic diseases. Indeed, increased FC levels are also seen in gastroenteritis, microscopic colitis, polyps, malignancies and cystic fibrosis. To date, there are many evidences regarding usefulness in the detection of fecal calprotectin for the management of gastrointestinal disorders, both in children and adults but, especially in the pediatric population, still clear indications for its use are lacking. Its incorporation in primary care reduces the risk of missing an organic disease and facilitates the indication for expensive and invasive investigations as colonoscopy. We herein review and discuss the last evidence on the usefulness of FC in children, with its current indications and future prospective.

Fecal calprotectin as a factor that supports the pathogenicity of Dientamoeba fragilis

Calprotectin is a protein that is mostly released from neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages and submucosal epithelial cells. Fecal calprotectin (f-CP) is a marker of intestinal inflammation. There are some discussions about the pathogenicity of D. fragilis in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we investigated whether f-CP level is a factor supporting the pathogenicity of D. fragilis. The f-CP levels were evaluated in patients with only D. fragilis positive in comparison with healthy controls. Moreover, the levels of f-CP were investigated in fecal samples of D. fragilis negative patients with gastrointestinal complaints. The fecal samples were collected from three groups. Three groups of fecal samples were examined directly microscopy, trichrome staining, cultivation, enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and real-time PCR assay. In the first group (Group 1, n = 34), patient stool samples with gastrointestinal symptoms (without other pathogens) found only with D. fragilis were included. In the second group (Group 2, n = 31), there were patients' stool samples with gastrointestinal symptoms that D. fragilis was negative (but there may be other pathogenic agents). In the control group (Group 3, n = 23), we used fecal samples collected from healthy volunteers without any infection or gastrointestinal complaints. The collected fecal samples were stored at -20 °C until analysis. Levels of f-CP were determined by using human calprotectin ELISA kits. Total of 88 patients were enrolled in three different groups. We obtained f-CP levels as follows: 33.40 ng/mg protein in the group 1, 15.99 ng/mg protein in the group 2 and 1.54 ng/mg protein in the group 3. Statistically significant difference in f-CP levels of the group 1 and the group 2 were obtained when compared with healthy controls (p < 0.0001). However, the f-CP levels of the group 1 were not significantly different from the group 2 (p > 0.99). In conclusion, increased levels of f-CP are shown as a marker of an inflammatory disease of the lower gastrointestinal tract in infected humans. There is continues controversy about the pathogenicity of D. fragilis in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing debate about the pathogenicity of D. fragilis. In our study, the potential pathogenicity of D. fragilis is associated with increased f-CP concentrations with parasite detection in the fecal samples and therefore we assume that the parasite is not only a harmless commensal. In summary, higher levels of f-CP found in D. fragilis positive patients suggest the importance of researches that support the pathogenicity of indicated parasite.