Trial Report Discriminatory biomarkers Galectin-9 & Artemin in Long COVID with CFS: Correlation with inflammatory & cognitive markers, 2024, Elahi

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1443363/abstract

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Viral Immunology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1443363
This article is part of the Research TopicImmunological consequences of viral infection on brain homeostasis and cognitive impairmentView all articles
Discriminatory biomarkers Galectin-9 and Artemin in Long COVID with chronic fatigue syndrome: Correlation with inflammatory and cognitive markers
Provisionally accepted
Shokrollah Elahi * Maryam Rezaeifar Mohammed Osman Shima Shahbaz

• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

This study aimed to assess plasma galectin-9 (Gal-9) and artemin (ARTN) concentrations as potential biomarkers to differentiate individuals with Long COVID (LC) patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) from SARS-CoV-2 recovered (R) and healthy controls (HCs).

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined a cutoff value of plasma Gal-9 and ARTN to differentiate LC patients from the R group and HCs in two independent cohorts.

Positive correlations were observed between elevated plasma Gal-9 levels and inflammatory markers (e.g. SAA and IP-10), as well as sCD14 and I-FABP in LC patients.

Gal-9 also exhibited a positive correlation with cognitive failure scores, suggesting its potential role in cognitive impairment in LC patients with ME/CFS.

This study highlights plasma Gal-9 and/or ARTN as sensitive screening biomarkers for discriminating LC patients from controls.

Notably, the elevation of LPS-binding protein in LC patients, as has been observed in HIV infected individuals, suggests microbial translocation.

However, despite elevated Gal-9, we found a significant decline in ARTN levels in the plasma of people living with HIV (PLWH).Our study provides a novel and important role for Gal-9/ARTN in LC pathogenesis.

Keywords: Long Covid, chronic fatigue syndrome, galectin-9, artemin, microbial translocation, HIV

Received: 03 Jun 2024; Accepted: 03 Sep 2024.

 

Their previous work at Diverse immunological dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and impaired erythropoiesis in long COVID patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (2024, Journal of Autoimmunity)

 

Full paper available from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S089684112400101X

"Our ME/CFS patients were selected from a pool of over 2000 patients exhibiting LC symptoms. Through a comprehensive evaluation process that involved clinical assessments, laboratory tests, and the administration of well-defined questionnaires. Specifically, we utilized the de Paul Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ) to identify which patients fulfilled the criteria of ME/CFS; then used the FACIT Fatigue (Version 4) and multidimensional fatigue inventory to identify the severity of fatigue as outlined in the Canadian Consensus criteria (CDC) for ME/CFS and WHO [15,16] as we have previously described [17,18]."

 

I find this paper interesting, but wondering if anyone with more knowledge and research experience has any thoughts on it?

 

Now published as —

Exploring the role of galectin-9 and artemin as biomarkers in long COVID with chronic fatigue syndrome: links to inflammation and cognitive function
Elahi, Shokrollah; Rezaeifar, Maryam; Osman, Mohammed; Shahbaz, Shima

This study aimed to assess plasma galectin-9 (Gal-9) and artemin (ARTN) concentrations as potential biomarkers to differentiate individuals with Long COVID (LC) patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) from SARS-CoV-2 recovered (R) and healthy controls (HCs).

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined a cut-off value of plasma Gal-9 and ARTN to differentiate LC patients from the R group and HCs in two independent cohorts. Positive correlations were observed between elevated plasma Gal-9 levels and inflammatory markers (e.g. SAA and IP-10), as well as sCD14 and I-FABP in LC patients. Gal-9 also exhibited a positive correlation with cognitive failure scores, suggesting its potential role in cognitive impairment in LC patients with ME/CFS.

This study highlights plasma Gal-9 and/or ARTN as sensitive screening biomarkers for discriminating LC patients from controls. Notably, the elevation of LPS-binding protein in LC patients, as has been observed in HIV infected individuals, suggests microbial translocation. However, despite elevated Gal-9, we found a significant decline in ARTN levels in the plasma of people living with HIV (PLWH). Our study provides a novel and important role for Gal-9/ARTN in LC pathogenesis.


Link | PDF (Frontiers in Immunology) [Open Access]