Autoantibody-negative Patients Research Articles

The presence of autoantibodies as a potential prognostic biomarker for breast cancer.

The presence of autoantibodies is closely associated with the occurrence and development of cancer. Autoantibodies can be used as biomarkers for early breast cancer diagnosis. However, the relationship between autoantibodies and the prognosis of breast cancer patients remains elusive. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the correlation between the presence of autoantibodies and outcomes in breast cancer patients. This study included a total of 155 patients from People's Hospital of Henan University (Zhengzhou, China) who were diagnosed with breast cancer from January 2017 to December 2021. The enrolled patients' clinicopathological features were collected, and 88 patients were ultimately involved in the analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to search for the risk factors related to the poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. The association between the presence of autoantibodies and patients' survival was analysed using Kaplan-Meier curves. After screening, there were 38 autoantibody-positive cases and 50 autoantibody-negative cases. Breast cancer patients with autoantibody-positive had a 57% lower risk of death compared with autoantibody-negative patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the presence of autoantibody could be a potential prognostic predictor for breast cancer, independent of age, histological grade, pathological classification, clinical stage, and the expression levels of hormonal receptors. In addition, autoantibody-positive breast cancer patients had longer progression-free survival and overall survival compared with autoantibody-negative cases. Positive autoantibody was found as an independent biomarker of better prognosis in breast cancer patients, providing a new strategy for the prognostic assessment of breast cancer patients.

Synergistic Interaction of Thyroid Autoantibodies and Ring Finger Protein 213 Variant in Moyamoya Disease.

Recently, thyroid autoantibodies were found to be associated with moyamoya disease (MMD). The ring finger protein 213 (RNF213) p.R4810K variant represents the most important susceptibility genotype of this disease, but its relationship with thyroid autoantibodies remains to be elucidated. Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical relevance of thyroid autoantibodies in each RNF213 genotype in patients with MMD. Included in this study were patients with MMD without a thyroid disease history and in euthyroid status; they were then classified into the mutated or nonmutated based on the RNF213 p.R4810K genotype and positive or negative based on thyroid autoantibody (thyroperoxidase and thyroglobulin) levels. Clinical data of each group were thereafter evaluated. Among the 209 patients, the mutated RNF213 p.R4810K variant and positive thyroid autoantibodies were detected in 155 and 41 patients, respectively. Positive thyroid autoantibodies were found to be more common in the nonmutated patients than in the mutated patients (31.5% vs. 15.5%; P = 0.011). In the mutated patients, as compared to autoantibody-negative patients, autoantibody-positive patients were determined to be more likely to have advanced disease with posterior cerebral artery involvement (54.2% vs. 29.0%; P = 0.017), white matter infarction (58.3% vs. 37.6%; P = 0.046), and a higher modified Rankin Scale at last visit (16.7% vs. 3.1%; P = 0.021). These results suggest that thyroid autoantibodies can act as an immunity inducer in patients with MMD lacking the susceptibility gene RNF213 p.R4810K variant. Moreover, the simultaneous presence of thyroid autoantibodies and the variant seems to aggravate the disease, which indicates synergy between thyroid autoantibodies and the variant.

Anti-GPIb/IX Autoantibodies Are Associated with Poor Response to Dexamethasone Combined with Rituximab Therapy in Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia Patients

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate whether anti-glycoproteins (GPs) autoantibodies can be used as predictors of response to high-dose dexamethasone combined with rituximab (DXM-RTX) in the treatment of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients. According to the screening criteria (Figure. 1), 126 ITP patients, including 85 (67.5 %) women and 41 (32.5 %) men, were included in the analyses, with a median age was 32 (10 - 80) years, the median duration of disease was 18 (0.1-228.0) months, and the median platelet count at baseline was 6.0 (0-28.0) × 10 9/L. As shown in Table 1, 56.4% (71/126) of patients responded to DXM-RTX at four weeks, including 43 CR and 28 partial responses. The median time to response (TTR) of 71 responded patients was seven days (range: 4-28 days). The OR rate of ITP patients with anti-GPIb/IX positivity was 47.6% (40/84), while that of anti-GPIb/IX autoantibody-negativity was 73.8% (31/42) (χ 2 = 7.808, P = 0.005). In line with the OR rate, a significant difference was found in the CR rate between ITP patients with anti-GPIb/IX positivity and anti-GPIb/IX autoantibody-negativity (26.2% vs. 50.0%, χ 2 = 7.061, P = 0.008). At six months of DXM-RTX therapy, 54.0% (68/126) of patients responded to DXM-RTX, with 39 (31.0%) of CR. The CR and OR rates of anti-GPIb/IX autoantibody-positive patients were also significantly lower than those of negative patients (CR: 45.2% vs. 71.4%, χ 2 = 7.731, P = 0.005; OR: 25.0% vs. 42.9%, χ 2 = 4.178, P = 0.041). No significant difference ( P > 0.05) was found in OR and CR rates between anti-GPIIb/IIIa autoantibody positive and negative patients at four weeks and six months of DXM-RTX therapy. At four weeks of DXM-RTX therapy, a significant difference in OR rate was found among the patients with anti-GPIb/IX single-positivity (37.5%), double-positivity (51.7%), double-negativity (68.4%), and anti-GPIIb/IIIa single-positivity (78.3%) (χ 2 = 9.617, P = 0.022) (Table 2). The further comparison revealed a higher resistance to DXM-RTX in patients with anti-GPIb/IX single-positivity than patients with anti-GPIIb/IIIa single-positivity (OR: 37.5% vs. 78.3%; P < 0.05). A similar trend was also found in the six-month OR rate (29.2% vs. 78.3%, P < 0.05). An analysis of the CR rate at four weeks of therapy showed a significant difference among the four groups (χ 2 = 8.523, P = 0.036) but no significant difference after Bonferroni's correction ( P > 0.05). No significant difference ( P = 0.119) was found in the CR rate among the four groups at six months of combined therapy. In addition, the NR rate of patients with anti-GPIb/IX single-positivity also increased significantly in comparison with the patients with anti-GPIIb/IIIa single-positivity at four weeks (62.5% vs.21.7%, P < 0.05) and six months (70.8% vs.21.7%, P < 0.05) of combined therapy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that age, sex, duration of disease, liver function, and baseline platelet count were not associated with patient response to DXM-RTX at 4 weeks and 6 months (Table 3). Anti-GPIb/IX autoantibodies and megakaryocytes of DXM-RTX therapy at both 4 weeks and 6 months were associated with the OR rate of patients, with an odds ratio of 0.194 ( P = 0.003, 95% CI: 0.065-0.575) at 4 weeks and 0.189 ( P = 0.003, 95% CI: 0.064-0.563) at 6 months by comparing patients with anti-GPIb/IX autoantibodies to those without anti-GPIb/IX autoantibodies. The factorial design analyses revealed no interaction effect between autoantibodies and showed anti-GPIb/IX autoantibodies at 4 weeks represented the only significant factor affecting OR rate with DXM-RTX therapy (F = 9.128, P = 0.003, Table 4). Therefore, platelet anti-GPIb/IX autoantibodies can predict poor response to DXM-RTX in ITP patients.

Structural and functional differences in auto-antibody positive compared to auto-antibody negative hypothyroid patients with chronic thyroiditis

Most primary hypothyroidism in adults is caused by chronic thyroiditis. Autoantibodies such as anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic thyroiditis. On the other hand, the clinical features of antibody-negative hypothyroidism are not clear. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of thyroid-related autoantibodies in patients with primary hypothyroidism and to evaluate the differences in thyroid structure between antibody-positive and antibody-negative hypothyroidism. Among 804 patients who attended Kawasaki Medical School Hospital for thyroid hormone abnormalities or thyroid gland enlargement between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2021, 237 patients with primary hypothyroidism who underwent thyroid antibody measurement and thyroid ultrasound examination were included. Participants were divided into groups according to antibody positivity/negativity, and differences in antibody positivity and thyroid structure were evaluated. In this study, 34.6% of patients had antibody-negative hypothyroidism. The positive rate of each antibody was 62.0% for TgAb and 49.4% for TPOAb. The participants with antibody-positive hypothyroidism had significantly larger thyroid gland on thyroid ultrasound examination (p < 0.05). Thyroid-stimulating hormone was significantly higher in participants with antibody-positive compared to antibody-negative hypothyroidism. The present study reveals a positive rate of thyroid-related autoantibodies in patients with hypothyroidism and the differences in thyroid structure between patients with and without antibodies. This study clearly show that the prevalence of antibody-negative chronic thyroiditis is quite high among hypothyroid patients, although this point needs confirmation by further investigations. The data in this study would be useful for the treatment of antibody-negative hypothyroid patients.

Characterisation and clinical outcomes in children and adolescents with diabetes according to newly defined subgroups: a cohort study from the DPV registry

Personalised therapy has emerged as a possibly more efficient approach taking disease heterogeneity into account. The aim of this study was to determine whether recently described subgroups of childhood diabetes have prognostic association with diabetes-specific complications and, therefore, might be a basis for personalised therapies. We applied a previously developed subgroup classification to pediatric patients (diabetes onset <18 years) from the prospective Diabetes Patient Follow-up (DPV) registry with documented data between January 1, 2000 and March 31, 2022, from diabetes centers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. The classification required information on islet autoantibody status, age, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and body-mass index (BMI-SDS) at disease manifestation, as well as follow up data after 2 and after 4 years, which was available in 22,719 patients. Patients without documented data on these parameters were excluded from the analysis. The cumulative risk of severe hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), retinopathy, and nephropathy were analysed by Kaplan-Meier analyses over a median follow-up of 6.8 years (IQR 4.8-9.6). Patients were classified into 10 subgroups (P1-P7 islet autoantibody-positive, n=19,811; N1-N3 islet autoantibody-negative, n=2908). The groups varied markedly with respect to specific acute and chronic complications. Severe hypoglycemia was a characteristic feature in young islet autoantibody-positive subgroups P1, P3, P4 (10-year risk 46, 46 and 47%) and the islet autoantibody-negative groups N1, N2 (43 and 46%). Nephropathy was identified in patient groups P2 and P5 (10-year risk 16%), which had features of moderate disease such as preserved C-peptide, low HbA1c, and very low frequency of DKA at diabetes onset. Group P7, which was defined by a high BMI, was associated with poor metabolic control, DKA, and retinopathy. In contrast, islet autoantibody-negative patients with high BMI (N3) had a low risk for all four complications. Subgrouping of childhood diabetes at diabetes onset provided prognostic value for the development of acute and chronic diabetes-specific complications. The DPV initiative is supported by The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the German Center for Diabetes Research, the diabetes surveillance of the Robert Koch Institute, the German Diabetes Association (DDG) and INNODIA.

Pancreatic autoantibodies in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objectives: It can be challenging to accurately diagnose type 2 diabetes (T2D) in children based on clinical features alone. We aimed to describe pediatric patients with a clinical diagnosis of T2D who are positive for pancreatic autoantibodies and compare their clinical features to patients with T2D without autoantibodies. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study and medical record review included patients aged 10–30 years with T2D seen at our pediatric diabetes clinic between January 01, 2013, and December 31, 2020. We compared the characteristics of autoantibody-positive patients with autoantibody-negative patients using Chi-square tests for binary variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Results: Eleven out of 87 (12.6%) patients with a clinical diagnosis of T2D had positive autoantibody results. The groups with and without antibodies were not significantly different in terms of age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) Z-score. However, the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) closest to the time of the first autoantibody test was significantly lower in the autoantibody-positive group. Two of the 11 antibody-positive patients had two positive autoantibodies and one had four positive autoantibodies. The other eight patients were positive for one autoantibody only. One of the 11 antibody-positive patients had an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Conclusion: While age, sex, and BMI were similar in both groups, patients with autoantibodies had significantly lower HbA1c at the time of antibody testing and one patient went into DKA. Autoantibodies should be measured in all patients diagnosed with diabetes to avoid the consequences of potential misclassification.

Serum from half of patients with immune thrombocytopenia trigger macrophage phagocytosis of platelets.

Humoral antiplatelet factors, such as autoantibodies, are thought to primarily clear platelets by triggering macrophage phagocytosis in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, there are few studies characterizing the capacity and mechanisms of humoral factor-triggered macrophage phagocytosis of platelets using specimens from patients with ITP. Here, we assessed sera from a cohort of 24 patients with ITP for the capacity to trigger macrophage phagocytosis of normal donor platelets and characterized the contribution of humoral factors to phagocytosis. Sera that produced a phagocytosis magnitude greater than a normal human serum mean+ 2 standard deviations were considered phagocytosis-positive. Overall, 42% (8/19) of MHC I alloantibody-negative ITP sera were phagocytosis-positive. The indirect monoclonal antibody immobilization of platelet antigens assay was used to detect immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies to glycoproteins (GP)IIb/IIIa, GPIb/IX, and GPIa/IIa. Autoantibody-positive sera triggered a higher mean magnitude of phagocytosis than autoantibody-negative sera. Phagocytosis correlated inversely with platelet counts among autoantibody-positive patients but not among autoantibody-negative patients. Select phagocytosis-positive sera were separated into IgG-purified and -depleted fractions via protein G and reassessed for phagocytosis. Phagocytosis was largely retained in the purified IgG fractions. In addition, we assessed serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, serum amyloid P, and pentraxin 3 as potential phagocytosis modulators. Pentraxin 3 concentrations correlated inversely with platelet counts among patients positive for autoantibodies. Taken together, sera from approximately half of the patients with ITP studied triggered macrophage phagocytosis of platelets beyond a normal level. An important role for antiplatelet autoantibodies in phagocytosis is supported; a role for pentraxins such as pentraxin 3 may be suggested.

Prevalence, clinical characteristics and HLA genotypes of idiopathic type 1 diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

Idiopathic type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a neglected subtype of T1D. Our aim was to investigate the frequency, clinical characteristics, and human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes of idiopathic T1D. We enrolled 1205 newly diagnosed T1D patients in our analysis. To exclude monogenic diabetes in autoantibody-negative patients, we utilised a custom monogenic diabetes gene panel. Individuals negative for autoantibodies and subsequently excluded for monogenic diabetes were diagnosed with idiopathic T1D. We collected clinical characteristics, measured islet autoantibodies by radioligand assay and obtained HLA data. After excluding 11 patients with monogenic diabetes, 284 cases were diagnosed with idiopathic T1D, accounting for 23.8% (284/1194) of all newly diagnosed T1D cases. When compared with autoimmune T1D, idiopathic T1D patients showed an older onset age, higher body mass index among adults, lower haemoglobin A1c, higher levels of fasting C-peptide and 2-h postprandial C-peptide, and were likely to have type 2 diabetes (T2D) family history and carry 0 susceptible HLA haplotype (all p<0.01). A lower proportion of individuals carrying 2 susceptible HLA haplotypes in idiopathic T1D was observed in the adult-onset subgroup (15.7% vs. 38.0% in child-onset subgroup, p<0.001) and in subgroup with preserved beta-cell function (11.0% vs. 30.1% in subgroup with poor beta-cell function, p<0.001). Multivariable correlation analyses indicated that being overweight, having T2D family history and lacking susceptible HLA haplotypes were associated with negative autoantibodies. Idiopathic T1D represents about 1/4 of newly diagnosed T1D, with adult-onset and preserved beta-cell function patients showing lower HLA susceptibility and more insulin resistance.

1481-P: Islet Cell Autoantibody Formation and Its Effect on Insulin Requirement after Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation (TPIAT)

Introduction: Long term insulin requirements following TPIAT range from insulin independence to full (high) dose daily insulin (&amp;gt;0.5 units/kg/day). Markers of islet cell autoimmunity are used in children to predict type 1 diabetes risk. However, no studies have explored whether an association exists between islet cell autoimmunity and insulin requirement following TPIAT in children. We hypothesized that children with islet cell autoantibody formation were more likely to have a persistent insulin requirement following TPIAT. Methods: All children who underwent TPIAT between 2015 and 2021 at our institution were eligible for inclusion. Islet cell autoimmunity was defined as positive islet cell autoantibody screen for one or more of the following types of autoantibodies: Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD), Islet Antigen-2 (IA-2), Insulin (IAA), or Zinc Transporter 8 (ZnT8). Patients were screened prior to TPIAT and every six months following TPIAT for up to three years. In all, 73 patients were included in the analysis. Total daily insulin dose was determined for each patient at each time interval. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare proportions. Results: Of patients with 12-month data (n=38), 47% of islet cell autoantibody negative patients were off insulin vs 26% of antibody positive patients (p=0.19). This trend was significant at 18, 24, and 36 months after TPIAT. At 18 months, 90% (9/10) of antibody negative patients were off insulin vs 29% (4/14) of antibody positive patients (p=0.005). At 24 months, 73% (8/11) of antibody negative patients were off insulin vs 23% (3/13) of antibody positive patients (p=0.04). At 36 months, 100% (8/8) of antibody negative patients were off insulin compared to 0% (0/9) of antibody positive patients (p&amp;lt;0.0001). Conclusions: The presence of pancreatic islet cell antibodies was associated with persistent insulin requirement after TPIAT. Disclosure A.R.Lavik: None. C.M.O.Lowe: None. S.E.Tellez: None. L.Hornung: None. C.Heinzman: None. J.D.Nathan: None. M.Abu-el-haija: None. D.A.Elder: None.

Improving diagnostic accuracy of 3 Screen ICA ELISA kit in the identification of Japanese type 1 diabetes.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical utility of 3 Screen ICA ELISA in identifying immune-mediated type 1 diabetes in Japanese subjects. We compared the positivity of 3 Screen ICA were compared with autoantibodies against GAD, IA-2, and ZnT8 in 638 patients with type 1 diabetes and 159 healthy control subjects. With a cut-off value of 20.0 index, 67.4% of acute-onset type 1 diabetic patients, 71.8% of slowly progressive type 1 diabetic (SPIDDM) patients, and none of the fulminant type 1 diabetic patients showed 3 Screen ICA levels above this threshold. The prevalence of 3 Screen ICA was 14.2% higher in acute-onset type 1 diabetes and 1.6% higher in SPIDDM than in GADA. 3 Screen ICA-positive cases were found in 4.8% of cases of individual autoantibody-negative acute-onset type 1 diabetes and 3.8% of SPIDDM, indicating improved diagnostic sensitivity with the 3 Screen ICA. Among individual autoantibody-negative patients, the sum of each autoantibody level was significantly lower in fulminant type 1 diabetes than in acute onset type 1 diabetes and in SPIDDM (P < 0.0001). Additionally, 84.2% of patients negative for individual autoantibodies but positive for 3 Screen ICA had a sum of individual autoantibody levels of ≥4.7 U/mL. Furthermore, 3 Screen ICA levels were significantly higher in patients with type 1 diabetes with other autoimmune diseases than in those without (P < 0.0001). Our findings suggest that the 3 Screen ICA ELISA may be a valuable screening tool for Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes, potentially increasing the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy beyond the existing GADA, IA-2A, and ZnT8A tests.

422 Clinical profiles of systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related autoantibody-negative Japanese SSc patients

422 Clinical profiles of systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related autoantibody-negative Japanese SSc patients

The influence of reproductively significant autoantibodies determined in the follicular fluid on the quality of the obtained oocytes and embryos, as well as on the implantation rate in assisted reproductive technology cycles

BACKGROUND: According to reports, the efficiency of in vitro fertilization and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection protocols is decreased in patients positive for various autoantibodies, as opposed to autoantibody negative patients. However, there are contradictory data indicating no autoantibody effect on the outcome of infertility treatment using assisted reproductive technology.&#x0D; AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the embryological outcome and clinical efficiency of infertility treatment in in vitro fertilization and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection protocols in women in the presence of reproductively significant autoantibodies.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 90 infertile patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment. The follicular fluid obtained on the day of oocyte retrieval was evaluated for a wide autoantibody panel using commercial ELISA kits. The main group (n = 52) included women with autoantibody levels determined in the follicular fluid of more than three standard deviations from the mean values determined among all patients. The comparison group consisted of 38 women with autoantibody levels of less than three standard deviations from all subjects. The intergroup comparative analysis included clinical and anamnestic data, hormonal parameters, ovarian reserve, embryological data, and in vitro fertilization and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection efficiency.&#x0D; RESULTS: Reliably lower ovarian reserve parameters (anti-Mullerian hormone levels 1.9 (1.4; 4.0) vs. 3.3 (2.2; 6.5) ng/ml; p = 0.005; number of antral follicles 8.5 (6.0; 12.0) vs. 11.0 (9.0; 17.0); p = 0.003) have been noted in the main group relatively to the comparison group. The autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase and cardiolipin content in the follicular fluid has been shown to be negatively associated with the number of two-pronuclear zygotes, the presence of autoantibodies to aromatase correlating negatively with the fertilization rate. Furthermore, the follicular fluid levels of autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase (105 IU/ml) and cardiolipin (5.1 IU/ml) are reliably associated with a higher frequency of a suboptimal response to previous controlled ovarian stimulation, a lower incidence of high quality embryos on days 3 and 4 of in vitro cultivation, a decreased number of top-quality blastocysts, and the clinical efficiency of in vitro fertilization and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection programs.&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: The presence of reproductively significant autoantibodies is an independent risk factor for reducing the total efficiency of assisted reproductive technology treatment.

The detectable anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies in COVID-19 patients may be associated with disease severity

BackgroundNeutralizing anti-interferon (IFN)-γ autoantibodies are linked to adult-onset immunodeficiency and opportunistic infections.MethodsTo explore whether anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies are associated with disease severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we examined the titers and functional neutralization of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies in COVID-19 patients. In 127 COVID-19 patients and 22 healthy controls, serum titers of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the presence of autoantibodies was verified with immunoblotting assay. The neutralizing capacity against IFN-γ was evaluated with flow cytometry analysis and immunoblotting, and serum cytokines levels were determined using the MULTIPLEX platform.ResultsA higher proportion of severe/critical COVID-19 patients had positivity for anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies (18.0%) compared with non-severe patients (3.4%, p < 0.01) or healthy control (HC) (0.0%, p < 0.05). Severe/critical COVID-19 patients also had higher median titers of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies (5.01) compared with non-severe patients (1.33) or HC (0.44). The immunoblotting assay could verify the detectable anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies and revealed more effective inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT1) phosphorylation on THP-1 cells treated with serum samples from anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies-positive patients compared with those from HC (2.21 ± 0.33 versus 4.47 ± 1.64, p < 0.05). In flow-cytometry analysis, sera from autoantibodies-positive patients could also significantly more effectively suppress the STAT1 phosphorylation (median,67.28%, interquartile range [IQR] 55.2–78.0%) compared with serum from HC (median,106.7%, IQR 100.0–117.8%, p < 0.05) or autoantibodies-negative patients (median,105.9%, IQR 85.5–116.3%, p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the positivity and titers of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies were significant predictors of severe/critical COVID-19. Compared with non-severe COVID-19 patients, we reveal that a significantly higher proportion of severe/critical COVID-19 patients are positive for anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies with neutralizing capacity.ConclusionOur results would add COVID-19 to the list of diseases with the presence of neutralizing anti-IFN-γ autoAbs. Anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies positivity is a potential predictor of severe/critical COVID-19.

Disordered T cell-B cell interactions in autoantibody-positive inflammatory arthritis.

T peripheral helper (Tph) cells, identified in the synovium of adults with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, drive B cell maturation and antibody production in non-lymphoid tissues. We sought to determine if similarly dysregulated T cell-B cell interactions underlie another form of inflammatory arthritis, juvenile oligoarthritis (oligo JIA). Clonally expanded Tph cells able to promote B cell antibody production preferentially accumulated in the synovial fluid (SF) of oligo JIA patients with antinuclear antibodies (ANA) compared to autoantibody-negative patients. Single-cell transcriptomics enabled further definition of the Tph gene signature in inflamed tissues and showed that Tph cells from ANA-positive patients upregulated genes associated with B cell help to a greater extent than patients without autoantibodies. T cells that co-expressed regulatory T and B cell-help factors were identified. The phenotype of these Tph-like Treg cells suggests an ability to restrain T cell-B cell interactions in tissues. Our findings support the central role of disordered T cell-help to B cells in autoantibody-positive arthritides.

T-cell and B-cell repertoire diversity are selectively skewed in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome revealed by high-throughput sequencing.

Clinical studies suggest that the dysfunction of T cells and B cells may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), but laboratory evidence is lacking. Therefore, this study explored T-cell receptor (TCR) and B-cell receptor (BCR) profiling in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to profile the TCR and BCR repertoires in children with INS. Peripheral blood was collected from ten INS patients, including five vinculin autoantibody-positive patients and five vinculin autoantibody-negative patients, before and after treatment. TCR and BCR libraries were constructed by 5'-RACE and sequenced by a DNBSEQ-T7 sequencer, and sequence analyses were performed using ReSeqTools, FastP, MiXCR, and VDJtools. The TRA (T-cell receptor α), TRG (T-cell receptor γ), and IGH (immunoglobulin heavy chain) repertoires of the INS group were occupied by highly abundant clonotypes, whereas small clonotypes occupied the healthy group, especially TRA. A significant increase in the Shannon-Weaver index was observed for the TRA and TRG repertoires after treatment in vinculin autoantibody-negative patients, but a significant increase in the IGH repertoire after treatment was observed in vinculin autoantibody-positive patients. The frequency of some V-J pairs was significantly enriched in steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome patients. The usage frequency of the V and J genes was skewed in patients, which seemed not related to immunosuppressive therapy. However, after effective treatment, dynamic changes in the size of the individual clonotype were observed. T-cell and B-cell immunity contribute to the pathogenesis of different INSs. Video: (MP4 99,786KB).

Psychopathology of psychiatric patients presenting autoantibodies against neuroglial antigens.

Autoantibody-mediated psychiatric disorder is often difficult to diagnose as the clinical features of psychiatric disorder associated with neural autoantibodies are often similar. Thus, it is of major relevance to investigate whether psychopathology can differentiate between both disease entities as a biomarker and help us in searching for specific autoantibodies associated with psychiatric symptoms. We enrolled 154 patients of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Medical Center Göttingen with psychopathology data and retrospectively evaluated their patient records using the classification systems AMDP (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Methodik und Dokumentation in der Psychiatrie) and HiTOP (Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology). We identified 35 psychiatric patients revealing autoantibodies in their serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and 119 with no autoantibodies. Relying on the AMDP system, many more psychiatric patients with serum autoantibodies (51%) had problems with orientation than those without autoantibodies (32%) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, fewer psychiatric patients with serum autoantibodies exhibited a blunted affect (11.4 vs. 32.8%, p < 0.01) and affective rigidity (20 vs. 45%, p < 0.01). In particular, psychiatric patients presenting CSF autoantibodies (indicating an autoimmune symptomatic basis) experience more loss of vitality (5%) than those without autoantibodies (0%) (p < 0.05). Another interesting finding is that according to the AMDP classification, a manic syndrome is much more frequent in autoantibody-positive (8.6%) than autoantibody-negative psychiatric patients (0.8%) (p < 0.05). Another aspect is the more frequent occurrence of attention and memory deficits in patients with autoantibodies against intracellular targets compared with targets on the membrane surface. Our findings indicate that neural autoantibodies in psychiatric patients could indicate a phenotype more often characterized by a manic syndrome, orientation disturbances within the cognitive spectrum, and fewer affect disturbances characterized by less blunted affect and not as seriously impaired feelings of vitality compared to controls. The novelty of our approach is the extensive autoantibody tests for various psychiatric syndromes in combination with a profound psychometric measurement with two different scales.

Inflammatory correlates of the Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity vary in relation to disease duration and autoantibody status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations between the Patient Global Assessment (PGA) and measures of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in relation to disease duration and autoantibody status.Methods1412 patients...

Latent autoimmune diabetes in youth shows greater autoimmunity than latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: Evidence from a nationwide, multicenter, cross-sectional study.

To investigate the prevalence and clinical features of latent autoimmune diabetes in youth (LADY) diagnosed between 15 and 29 years old as a component of an age-related autoimmune diabetes spectrum. This nationwide, multicenter, cross-sectional study continuously included 19,100 newly diagnosed diabetes patients over 15 years old across China. LADY patients were screened from 1803 subjects aged between 15 and 29 years old, with the type 2 diabetes (T2D) phenotype and positive autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), insulinoma-associated-2 (IA-2A) or zinc transporter-8 (ZnT8A). The clinical features of LADY, including metabolic status, β-cell function and insulin resistance, were investigated and compared with those of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) identified from 17,297 other subjects over 30 years old. The age-related characteristics of the latent autoimmune diabetes spectrum were explored. A total of 135 subjects were diagnosed as LADY, accounting for 9.0% of the T2D phenotypic youth. Compared with autoantibody-negative T2D patients, LADY patients had fewer metabolic syndrome, less insulin resistance and poorer β-cell function, which were closely related to their autoantibody status (all p < 0.05). After stratifying LADA according to age, the GADA titer decreased across the LADY, "Y-LADA" (young LADA, onset age < 60 years old) and "E-LADA" (elderly LADA, onset age ≥ 60 years old) groups, while the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and level of β-cell function increased (all p < 0.05). A high prevalence of LADY exists in youth with T2D phenotype. Latent autoimmune diabetes forms a continuous age-related spectrum from LADY to LADA, in which LADY shows greater autoimmunity.

BP180NC16a autoantibody positivity may predict low-risk mucous membrane pemphigoid.

The objective of the present study was to explore the clinical characteristics of BP180NC16a autoantibody-positive mucous membrane pemphigoid. Data from 22 patients were collected by retrospective chart review. For the detection of BP180NC16a autoantibody, a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay kit was used. The patients were classified into the following clinical phenotypes: low-risk patients who had lesions only in the oral mucosa or in the oral mucosa and skin and high-risk patients who had lesions in the oral mucosa and any of the following sites: the eyes, upper respiratory tract, or esophagus. Eleven of the 22 patients (50%) were BP180NC16a-positive at the time of diagnosis. All the positive patients were in the low-risk group. There was a significant difference in the incidence of low-risk mucous membrane pemphigoid between BP180NC16a autoantibody-positive and BP180NC16a autoantibody-negative patients (p=0.004). Patients' age, disease duration, and oral disease activity scores were not significantly different between the two groups. BP180NC16a reactivity was associated with the clinical phenotype characterized by only oral mucosal lesions or combined oral mucosal and skin lesions. BP180NC16a autoantibody might be useful as a serum marker to predict low-risk mucous membrane pemphigoid.

IL-1 receptor antagonist, MIS-C, and the peculiar autoimmunity of SARS-CoV-2

IL-1 receptor antagonist, MIS-C, and the peculiar autoimmunity of SARS-CoV-2