Characterization and classification of lupus patients based on plasma thermograms

Evaluation of Thermal Liquid Biopsy Analysis of Saliva and Blood Plasma Specimens as a Novel Diagnostic Modality in Head and Neck Cancer

BACKGROUND

Over the past decade, saliva-based liquid biopsies have emerged as promising tools for the early diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of cancer, particularly in high-risk populations. However, challenges persist because of low concentrations and variable modifications of biomarkers linked to tumor development when compared to normal salivary components.

METHODS

This study explores the application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)-based thermal liquid biopsy (TLB) for analyzing saliva and blood plasma samples from head and neck cancer (HNC) patients.

RESULTS

Our research identified an effective saliva processing method via high-speed centrifugation and ultrafiltration, resulting in reliable TLB data. Notably, we recorded unique TLB profiles for saliva from 48 HNC patients and 21 controls, revealing distinct differences in thermal transition features that corresponded to salivary protein denaturation. These results indicated the potential of saliva TLB profiles in differentiating healthy individuals from HNC patients and identifying tumor characteristics. In contrast, TLB profiles for blood plasma samples exhibited smaller differences between HNC patients and had less utility for differentiation within HNC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the feasibility of saliva-based TLB for HNC diagnostics, with further refinement in sample collection and the incorporation of additional patient variables anticipated to enhance accuracy, ultimately advancing non-invasive diagnostic strategies for HNC detection and monitoring.

Effect of low-level gallium aluminum arsenide laser therapy on the chewing performance and pain perception of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A randomized controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on pain intensity (PI) and chewing performance (CP) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with myogenic temporomandibular disorder (TMD).

METHODS

Ninety-one patients were randomly allocated to three groups: Group L (intervention), Group P (placebo), and Group C (control). Outcomes were PI (assessed with visual analog scale (VAS)) and CP (assessed with the geometric mean diameter (GMD) of crushed test food). Measurements were performed at T0 (before the LLLT), T1 (immediately after the LLLT), and T2 (1-month follow-up). Data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Models, Kruskal-Wallis, and Friedman tests.

RESULTS

For T1 and T2, Group L demonstrated the lowest values for both GMD (6283.7 ± 257.2 µm; 6382.7 ± 303.7 µm) and VAS (5;6) (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

LLLT was an effective therapeutic approach in reducing pain and improving CP for one month in SLE patients with myogenic TMD.

Characterization of myocardial injury phenotype by thermal liquid biopsy

Background and aims

With the advent and implementation of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays, differentiation of patients with distinct types of myocardial injuries, including acute thrombotic myocardial infarction (TMI), acute non-thrombotic myocardial injury (nTMi), and chronic coronary atherosclerotic disease (cCAD), is of pressing clinical importance. Thermal liquid biopsy (TLB) emerges as a valuable diagnostic tool, relying on identifying thermally induced conformational changes of biomolecules in blood plasma. While TLB has proven useful in detecting and monitoring several cancers and autoimmune diseases, its application in cardiovascular diseases remains unexplored. In this proof-of-concept study, we sought to determine and characterize TLB profiles in patients with TMI, nTMi, and cCAD at multiple acute-phase time points (T 0 h, T 2 h, T 4 h, T 24 h, T 48 h) as well as a follow-up time point (Tfu) when the patient was in a stable state.

Methods

TLB profiles were collected for 115 patients (60 with TMI, 35 with nTMi, and 20 with cCAD) who underwent coronary angiography at the event presentation and had subsequent follow-up. Medical history, physical, electrocardiographic, histological, biochemical, and angiographic data were gathered through medical records, standardized patient interviews, and core laboratory measurements.

Results

Distinctive signatures were noted in the median TLB profiles across the three patient types. TLB profiles for TMI and nTMi patients exhibited gradual changes from T0 to Tfu, with significant differences during the acute and quiescent phases. During the quiescent phase, all three patient types demonstrated similar TLB signatures. An unsupervised clustering analysis revealed a unique TLB signature for the patients with TMI. TLB metrics generated from specific features of TLB profiles were tested for differences between patient groups. The first moment temperature (TFM) metric distinguished all three groups at time of presentation (T0). In addition, 13 other TLB-derived metrics were shown to have distinct distributions between patients with TMI and those with cCAD.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated the use of TLB as a sensitive and data-rich technique to be explored in cardiovascular diseases, thus providing valuable insight into acute myocardial injury events.

Plasma Thermogram Parameters Differentiate Status and Overall Survival of Melanoma Patients

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States and the deadliest of all skin cancers. Even with recent advancements in treatment, there is still a 13% two-year recurrence rate, with approximately 30% of recurrences being distant metastases. Identifying patients at high risk for recurrence or advanced disease is critical for optimal clinical decision-making. Currently, there is substantial variability in the selection of screening tests and imaging, with most modalities characterized by relatively low accuracy. In the current study, we built upon a preliminary examination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the melanoma setting to examine its utility for diagnostic and prognostic assessment. Using regression analysis, we found that selected DSC profile (thermogram) parameters were useful for differentiation between melanoma patients and healthy controls, with more complex models distinguishing melanoma patients with no evidence of disease from patients with active disease. Thermogram features contributing to the third principal component (PC3) were useful for differentiation between controls and melanoma patients, and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that PC3 was useful for predicting the overall survival of active melanoma patients. With the further development and optimization of the classification method, DSC could complement current diagnostic strategies to improve screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of melanoma patients.

Bowel Preparation for Colonoscopy Changes Serum Composition as Detected by Thermal Liquid Biopsy and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

(1) Background: About 50% of prescribed colonoscopies report no pathological findings. A secondary screening test after fecal immunochemical test positivity (FIT+) would be required. Considering thermal liquid biopsy (TLB) as a potential secondary test, the aim of this work was to study possible interferences of colonoscopy bowel preparation on TLB outcome on a retrospective study; (2) Methods: Three groups were studied: 1/514 FIT(+) patients enrolled in a colorectal screening program (CN and CP with normal and pathological colonoscopy, respectively), with blood samples obtained just before colonoscopy and after bowel preparation; 2/55 patients from the CN group with blood sample redrawn after only standard 8-10 h fasting and no bowel preparation (CNR); and 3/55 blood donors from the biobank considered as a healthy control group; (3) Results: The results showed that from the 514 patients undergoing colonoscopy, 247 had CN and 267 had CP. TLB parameters in these two groups were similar but different from those of the blood donors. The resampled patients (with normal colonoscopy and no bowel preparation) had similar TLB parameters to those of the blood donors. TLB parameters together with fluorescence spectra and other serum indicators (albumin and C-reactive protein) confirmed the statistically significant differences between normal colonoscopy patients with and without bowel preparation; (4) Conclusions: Bowel preparation seemed to alter serum protein levels and altered TLB parameters (different from a healthy subject). The diagnostic capability of other liquid-biopsy-based methods might also be compromised. Blood extraction after bowel preparation for colonoscopy should be avoided.

Modification of the structural stability of human serum albumin in rheumatoid arthritis

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) can indicate changes in structure and/or concentration of the most abundant proteins in a biological sample via heat denaturation curves (HDCs). In blood serum for example, HDC changes result from either concentration changes or altered thermal stabilities for 7-10 proteins and has previously been shown capable of differentiating between sick and healthy human subjects. Here, we compare HDCs and proteomic profiles of 50 patients experiencing joint-inflammatory symptoms, 27 of which were clinically diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The HDC of all 50 subjects appeared significantly different from expected healthy curves, but comparison of additional differences between the RA and the non-RA subjects allowed more specific understanding of RA samples. We used mass spectrometry (MS) to investigate the reasons behind the additional HDC changes observed in RA patients. The HDC differences do not appear to be directly related to differences in the concentrations of abundant serum proteins. Rather, the differences can be attributed to modified thermal stability of some fraction of the human serum albumin (HSA) proteins in the sample. By quantifying differences in the frequency of artificially induced post translational modifications (PTMs), we found that HSA in RA subjects had a much lower surface accessibility, indicating potential ligand or protein binding partners in certain regions that could explain the shift in HSA melting temperature in the RA HDCs. Several low abundance proteins were found to have significant changes in concentration in RA subjects and could be involved in or related to binding of HSA. Certain amino acid sites clusters were found to be less accessible in RA subjects, suggesting changes in HSA structure that may be related to changes in protein-protein interactions. These results all support a change in behavior of HSA which may give insight into mechanisms of RA pathology.

Thermodynamic Sensitivity of Blood Plasma Components in Patients Afflicted with Skin, Breast and Pancreatic Forms of Cancer

According to the World Health Organization's 2018 Global Cancer Survey, cancer is the second leading cause of death. From this survey, the third most common is breast cancer, the fifth is melanoma malignum and pancreatic adenocarcinoma ranks twentieth. Undoubtedly, the early diagnosis and monitoring of these tumors and related research is important for aspects of patient care. The aim of our present review was to explain an impressive methodology that is deemed suitable in reference to studying blood sample deviations in the case of solid tumors. Essentially, we compared the heat denaturation responses of blood plasma components through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In the control, between five and seven separable components can be detected, in which the primary component was albumin, while in the case of tumorous patients, the peaks of immunoglobulins were dominant. Moreover, the shape of the plasma DSC curves changed with a shift in the higher temperature ranges; thus, their pattern can be used as a suitable marker of direct immunological responses. The further development of the analysis of DSC curves raises the possibility of the early diagnosis of a potential tumor, the monitoring of diseases, or testing the efficacy of the therapy from a single drop of blood.

Calorimetric Markers for Detection and Monitoring of Multiple Myeloma

Simple Summary

This review highlights the potential of differential scanning calorimetry for multiple myeloma diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment outcome. The thermodynamic signatures of blood sera from patients with multiple myeloma are strongly dependent on the concentration and isotype of the secreted monoclonal immunoglobulins. Mathematical methods developed to analyze the biocalorimetry data and distinguish “diseased” from “healthy” thermogram to stratify plasma calorimetric profiles and determine specific interrelations between calorimetric and biochemical/clinical data are discussed.

Abstract

This review summarizes data obtained thus far on the application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for the analysis of blood sera from patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) with the secretion of the most common isotypes of monoclonal proteins (M-proteins), free light chains (FLC) and non-secretory MM, as well as Waldenström macroglobulinemia and the premalignant state monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. The heterogeneous nature of MM is reflected in the thermal stability profiles of the blood serum proteome of MM patients found to depend on both the level and the isotype of the secreted M-proteins or FLC. Common calorimetric markers feature the vast majority of the different myeloma types, i.e., stabilization of the major serum proteins and decrease in the albumin/globulin heat capacity ratio. A unique calorimetric fingerprint of FLC molecules forming amorphous aggregates is the low-temperature transition centered at 57 °C for a calorimetric set of FLC MM and at 46–47 °C for a single FLC MM case for which larger aggregates were formed. The calorimetric assay proved particularly advantageous for non-secretory MM and is thus a suitable tool for monitoring such patients during treatment courses. Thus, DSC provides a promising blood-based approach as a complementary tool for MM detection and monitoring.

The Utility of Differential Scanning Calorimetry Curves of Blood Plasma for Diagnosis, Subtype Differentiation and Predicted Survival in Lung Cancer

Early detection of lung cancer (LC) significantly increases the likelihood of successful treatment and improves LC survival rates. Currently, screening (mainly low-dose CT scans) is recommended for individuals at high risk. However, the recent increase in the number of LC cases unrelated to the well-known risk factors, and the high false-positive rate of low-dose CT, indicate a need to develop new, non-invasive methods for LC detection. Therefore, we evaluated the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for LC patients' diagnosis and predicted survival. Additionally, by applying mass spectrometry, we investigated whether changes in O- and N-glycosylation of plasma proteins could be an underlying mechanism responsible for observed differences in DSC curves of LC and control subjects. Our results indicate selected DSC curve features could be useful for differentiation of LC patients from controls with some capable of distinction between subtypes and stages of LC. DSC curve features also correlate with LC patients' overall/progression free survival. Moreover, the development of classification models combining patients' DSC curves with selected plasma protein glycosylation levels that changed in the presence of LC could improve the sensitivity and specificity of the detection of LC. With further optimization and development of the classification method, DSC could provide an accurate, non-invasive, radiation-free strategy for LC screening and diagnosis.

Thermal Liquid Biopsy (TLB) of Blood Plasma as a Potential Tool to Help in the Early Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is frequently characterized by a variety of clinical signs, often exhibiting little specificity. The diagnosis requires a combination of medical observations and instrumental tests, and any support for its objective assessment is helpful. Objective: Herein, we describe the application of thermal liquid biopsy (TLB) of blood plasma samples, a methodology for predicting the occurrence of MS with a noninvasive, quick blood test. Methods: TLB allows one to define an index (TLB score), which provides information about overall real-time alterations in plasma proteome that may be indicative of MS. Results: This pilot study, based on 85 subjects (45 MS patients and 40 controls), showed good performance indexes (sensitivity and specificity both around 70%). The diagnostic methods better discriminate between early stage and low-burden MS patients, and it is not influenced by gender, age, or assumption of therapeutic drugs. TLB is more accurate for patients having low disability level (≤ 3.0, measured by the expanded disability status scale, EDSS) and a relapsing–remitting diagnosis. Conclusion: Our results suggest that TLB can be applied to MS, especially in an initial phase of the disease when diagnosis is difficult and yet more important (in such cases, accuracy of prediction is close to 80%), as well as in personalized patient periodic monitoring. The next step will be determining its utility in differentiating between MS and other disorders, in particular in inflammatory diseases.

Orofacial manifestations and dental management of systemic lupus erythematosus: A review

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune multisystem disease with numerous clinical manifestations. There is no consensus about the ideal oral management for this group of patients to date. This review aimed to describe the broad spectrum of orofacial and clinical manifestations and their therapeutic approaches. Studies concerning orofacial manifestations of SLE and dental treatment modalities were selected by a literature search (1978-2019) using Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE electronic databases. The initial search strategy provided a total of 129 articles, and of these, 30 were included for qualitative synthesis. The reviewed studies revealed that SLE patients are more at risk of compromised oral and dental health exhibiting increased risk of periodontal diseases and temporomandibular joint disorders. The use of systemic drugs especially immunosuppressive and anticoagulants in SLE patients may also influence their oral management. Results emphasize the need to carry out, at an early stage of the disease, an appropriate oral management of these patients to improve oral health-related quality of life and to prevent the need of more invasive therapeutics. A multidisciplinary approach is needed for dental and medical management of such patients.