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Balanza N, Francis CK, Crowley VM, Weckman AM, Zhong K, Baro B, Varo R, Bassat Q, Kain KC. Neurofilament Light Chain as a Biomarker of Neuronal Damage in Children With Malaria. J Infect Dis 2024; 229:183-188. [PMID: 37647876 PMCID: PMC10786245 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria can cause brain injury. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a biomarker of neuronal damage. Here we examined longitudinal plasma NfL levels in children aged 1-12 years with uncomplicated and severe malaria from Mozambique. NfL levels were similar in all malaria cases at hospital admission. However, levels increased over time and the increment was significantly higher in severe malaria cases with neurological manifestations (ie, coma, impaired consciousness, or repeated seizures). NfL may be useful to identify and quantify brain injury in malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Balanza
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clinic–University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Caroline K Francis
- Sandra-Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network–Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Valerie M Crowley
- Sandra-Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network–Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrea M Weckman
- Sandra-Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network–Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kathleen Zhong
- Sandra-Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network–Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bàrbara Baro
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clinic–University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosauro Varo
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clinic–University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Quique Bassat
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clinic–University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain
- Pediatrics Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu–University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain
| | - Kevin C Kain
- Sandra-Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network–Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Generoso JS, Thorsdottir S, Collodel A, Dominguini D, Santo RRE, Petronilho F, Barichello T, Iovino F. Dysfunctional Glymphatic System with Disrupted Aquaporin 4 Expression Pattern on Astrocytes Causes Bacterial Product Accumulation in the CSF during Pneumococcal Meningitis. mBio 2022; 13:e0188622. [PMID: 36036510 PMCID: PMC9600563 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01886-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Pneumococcal meningitis, inflammation of the meninges due to an infection of the Central Nervous System caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus), is the most common form of community-acquired bacterial meningitis globally. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) water channels on astrocytic end feet regulate the solute transport of the glymphatic system, facilitating the exchange of compounds between the brain parenchyma and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is important for the clearance of waste away from the brain. Wistar rats, subjected to either pneumococcal meningitis or artificial CSF (sham control), received Evans blue-albumin (EBA) intracisternally. Overall, the meningitis group presented a significant impairment of the glymphatic system by retaining the EBA in the CSF compartments compared to the uninfected sham group. Our results clearly showed that during pneumococcal meningitis, the glymphatic system does not function because of a detachment of the astrocytic end feet from the blood-brain barrier (BBB) vascular endothelium, which leads to misplacement of AQP4 with the consequent loss of the AQP4 water channel's functionality. IMPORTANCE The lack of solute drainage due to a dysfunctional glymphatic system leads to an increase of the neurotoxic bacterial material in the CSF compartments of the brain, ultimately leading to brain-wide neuroinflammation and neuronal damage with consequent impairment of neurological functions. The loss of function of the glymphatic system can therefore be a leading cause of the neurological sequelae developing post-bacterial meningitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaqueline S. Generoso
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Sigrun Thorsdottir
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Allan Collodel
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Diogo Dominguini
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Roberta R. E. Santo
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Fabricia Petronilho
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Tatiana Barichello
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Federico Iovino
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Stockholm, Sweden
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Heparin-Binding Protein (HBP), Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) and S100 Calcium-Binding Protein B (S100B) Can Confirm Bacterial Meningitis and Inform Adequate Antibiotic Treatment. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11060824. [PMID: 35740230 PMCID: PMC9220165 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11060824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The empirical administration of antibiotics for suspected bacterial meningitis denotes a poor bacterial stewardship. In this context, the use of biomarkers can distinguish between bacterial and viral infections before deciding treatment. Our study assesses how levels of heparin-binding protein (HBP), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in blood can promptly confirm bacterial etiology and the need for antibiotic treatment. The CSF and blood levels of HBP, NGAL, S100B, and NSE of 81 patients with meningitis were measured and analyzed comparatively. Statistical sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were evaluated. CSF levels of HBP and NGAL and the blood level of S100B in the bacterial meningitis group were significantly higher (p < 0.05). The area under curve (AUC) for predicting bacterial meningitis was excellent for the CSF level of HBP (0.808 with 93.54% sensitivity and 80.64% specificity), good for the CSF level of NGAL (0.685 with 75.00% sensitivity and 65.62% specificity), and good for the blood level of S100B (0.652 with 65.90% sensitivity and 57.14% specificity). CSF levels of HBP and NGAL, as well as the blood level of S100B, could help discriminate between bacterial and viral meningitis before considering antibiotic treatment.
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Gong Z, Zhang C, Li Y, Jing L, Duan R, Yao Y, Teng J, Jia Y. NLRP3 in the Cerebrospinal Fluid as a Potential Biomarker for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Community-Acquired Bacterial Meningitis in Adults. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:803186. [PMID: 35145923 PMCID: PMC8823704 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.803186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To discover the levels of NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from adult patients with community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM). Methods We enrolled 34 patients with CABM, 20 patients with viral meningitis (VM), and 25 patients with non-inflammatory neurological disease. Data on standard clinical parameters, scores, and outcomes were obtained from clinical records, and inflammasome levels in the CSF were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to quantify the diagnostic and prognostic performance of CSF NLRP3 as a biomarker of CABM. Results The levels of NLRP3 were elevated in the CSF of patients with CABM, but levels for ASC, caspase-1, or other inflammasomes did not vary significantly. CSF NLRP3 was positively correlated with clinical severity and with the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte count, albumin quotient (Qalb), and immunoglobulin G quotient (QIgG). Patients with unfavorable outcomes had higher levels of NLRP3 in the CSF, which were correlated with several blood indicators, including NLR, PLR, and lymphocyte and monocyte counts. Conclusions Our results suggested that the level of CSF NLRP3 could represent the severity of CABM in adults. CSF NLRP3 may be a good biomarker for the diagnosis of CABM and for the discrimination between CABM and VM. It may also be a better biomarker for predicting the prognosis of adult patients with CABM when compared to the NLR or the lymphocyte and monocyte counts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Gong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chaopeng Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Peoples’ Hospital of Dengfeng, Dengfeng, China
| | - Yanfei Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lijun Jing
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ranran Duan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yaobing Yao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Junfang Teng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanjie Jia
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yanjie Jia,
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Yuan A, Nixon RA. Neurofilament Proteins as Biomarkers to Monitor Neurological Diseases and the Efficacy of Therapies. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:689938. [PMID: 34646114 PMCID: PMC8503617 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.689938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomarkers of neurodegeneration and neuronal injury have the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy, disease monitoring, prognosis, and measure treatment efficacy. Neurofilament proteins (NfPs) are well suited as biomarkers in these contexts because they are major neuron-specific components that maintain structural integrity and are sensitive to neurodegeneration and neuronal injury across a wide range of neurologic diseases. Low levels of NfPs are constantly released from neurons into the extracellular space and ultimately reach the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood under physiological conditions throughout normal brain development, maturation, and aging. NfP levels in CSF and blood rise above normal in response to neuronal injury and neurodegeneration independently of cause. NfPs in CSF measured by lumbar puncture are about 40-fold more concentrated than in blood in healthy individuals. New ultra-sensitive methods now allow minimally invasive measurement of these low levels of NfPs in serum or plasma to track disease onset and progression in neurological disorders or nervous system injury and assess responses to therapeutic interventions. Any of the five Nf subunits - neurofilament light chain (NfL), neurofilament medium chain (NfM), neurofilament heavy chain (NfH), alpha-internexin (INA) and peripherin (PRPH) may be altered in a given neuropathological condition. In familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), plasma NfL levels may rise as early as 22 years before clinical onset in familial AD and 10 years before sporadic AD. The major determinants of elevated levels of NfPs and degradation fragments in CSF and blood are the magnitude of damaged or degenerating axons of fiber tracks, the affected axon caliber sizes and the rate of release of NfP and fragments at different stages of a given neurological disease or condition directly or indirectly affecting central nervous system (CNS) and/or peripheral nervous system (PNS). NfPs are rapidly emerging as transformative blood biomarkers in neurology providing novel insights into a wide range of neurological diseases and advancing clinical trials. Here we summarize the current understanding of intracellular NfP physiology, pathophysiology and extracellular kinetics of NfPs in biofluids and review the value and limitations of NfPs and degradation fragments as biomarkers of neurodegeneration and neuronal injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidong Yuan
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ralph A. Nixon
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, (NYU), Neuroscience Institute, New York, NY, United States
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