Serum level of S100A8/A9 as a biomarker for establishing the diagnosis and severity of community-acquired pneumonia in children

Validation of Serum Calprotectin Relative to Other Biomarkers of Infection in Febrile Infants Presenting to the Emergency Department

Antimicrobial stewardship involves a delicate balance between the risk of undertreating individuals and the potential societal burden of overprescribing antimicrobials. This balance is especially crucial in neonatal care. In this observational study, the usefulness of biomarkers of infectious diseases (calprotectin, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cells (WBCs) were evaluated in 141 febrile infants aged 28-90 days presenting to an emergency department. Since our focus was on the usefulness of serum calprotectin, this biomarker was not part of clinical decision-making. A significant difference was observed in the levels of all biomarkers, related to final discharge diagnosis and disposition status. The difference in levels related to antibiotic prescription was significant for all biomarkers but WBCs. The performance of calprotectin in the detection of bacterial infections (AUC (95% CI): 0.804 (0.691, 0.916)) was comparable to the performance of both PCT (0.901 (0.823, 0.980)) and CRP (0.859 (0.764, 0.953)) and superior to the WBC count (0.684 (0.544, 0.823)). Procalcitonin and CRP demonstrated a statistically significantly higher specificity relative to calprotectin. In this cohort, antibiotic use did not always correlate to a definite diagnosis of confirmed bacterial infection. The sample size was limited due to associated challenges with recruiting febrile infants. Hence, there is a need for adequate diagnostic tools to help discriminate between various kinds of infections. This study suggests serum calprotectin, procalcitonin, and CRP may serve as valuable biomarkers to differentiate between types of infection, in addition to clinical input and decision-making.

Study on Potential Differentially Expressed Genes in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis by Bioinformatics and Next-Generation Sequencing Data Analysis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease with reduced quality of life and earlier mortality, but its pathogenesis and key genes are still unclear. In this investigation, bioinformatics was used to deeply analyze the pathogenesis of IPF and related key genes, so as to investigate the potential molecular pathogenesis of IPF and provide guidance for clinical treatment. Next-generation sequencing dataset GSE213001 was obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between IPF and normal control group. The DEGs between IPF and normal control group were screened with the DESeq2 package of R language. The Gene Ontology (GO) and REACTOME pathway enrichment analyses of the DEGs were performed. Using the g:Profiler, the function and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed. Then, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed via the Integrated Interactions Database (IID) database. Cytoscape with Network Analyzer was used to identify the hub genes. miRNet and NetworkAnalyst databaseswereused to construct the targeted microRNAs (miRNAs), transcription factors (TFs), and small drug molecules. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to validate the hub genes. A total of 958 DEGs were screened out in this study, including 479 up regulated genes and 479 down regulated genes. Most of the DEGs were significantly enriched in response to stimulus, GPCR ligand binding, microtubule-based process, and defective GALNT3 causes HFTC. In combination with the results of the PPI network, miRNA-hub gene regulatory network and TF-hub gene regulatory network, hub genes including LRRK2, BMI1, EBP, MNDA, KBTBD7, KRT15, OTX1, TEKT4, SPAG8, and EFHC2 were selected. Cyclothiazide and rotigotinethe are predicted small drug molecules for IPF treatment. Our findings will contribute to identification of potential biomarkers and novel strategies for the treatment of IPF, and provide a novel strategy for clinical therapy.

The functions and regulatory pathways of S100A8/A9 and its receptors in cancers

Inflammation primarily influences the initiation, progression, and deterioration of many human diseases, and immune cells are the principal forces that modulate the balance of inflammation by generating cytokines and chemokines to maintain physiological homeostasis or accelerate disease development. S100A8/A9, a heterodimer protein mainly generated by neutrophils, triggers many signal transduction pathways to mediate microtubule constitution and pathogen defense, as well as intricate procedures of cancer growth, metastasis, drug resistance, and prognosis. Its paired receptors, such as receptor for advanced glycation ends (RAGEs) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), also have roles and effects within tumor cells, mainly involved with mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), NF-κB, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and protein kinase C (PKC) activation. In the clinical setting, S100A8/A9 and its receptors can be used complementarily as efficient biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review comprehensively summarizes the biological functions of S100A8/A9 and its various receptors in tumor cells, in order to provide new insights and strategies targeting S100A8/A9 to promote novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods in cancers.