Evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers and vitamins in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and post-COVID syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Concentrations of neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine/tryptophan ratios predict prognosis and the need for oxygen therapy in patients hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the changes of these biomarkers early in the course of infection, the association with the prior coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination and therapeutic administration of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies, investigation of other potential biomarkers including neuropilin, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine and 8-hydroxyguanosine in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection and an assessment of these biomarkers and vitamins A, E and D in patients with post-COVID syndrome. METHODS: Urine and blood samples were obtained on the 1st to the 4th day and 4th to 7th day from 108 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry methods were used to analyse neopterin, kynurenine, tryptophan, liposoluble vitamins, and DNA damage biomarkers. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease of neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine/tryptophan ratios was observed on after 4th to 7th day of hospitalization, and concentrations of these biomarkers were increased in patients with poor prognosis and subsequent post-COVID syndrome. The concentrations of remaining biomarker and vitamins were not associated with outcomes, although markedly decreased concentrations of vitamin A, E and D were noted. CONCLUSIONS: The concentrations of neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine/tryptophan ratios decrease during the course of infection SARS-CoV-2 and are associated with the post-COVID syndrome. No other prognostic biomarkers were identified.

Using HPLC for the determination of platinum drugs in biological matrixes after derivatization with diethyldithiocarbamate.

Challenges and pitfalls in the application of diethyldithiocarbamate derivatization for LC analysis of cisplatin and oxaliplatin, as well as the suitability of this method for different biological matrices with implications for use in routine practice have been identified. The LC of platinum drugs presents a significant challenge. They are polar compounds with poor retention on reverse phase packings. Cisplatin also exhibits poor absorption in UV and ionization in mass spectrometry. Therefore, we developed and optimized a derivatization approach for the LC analysis of total platinum in plasma, plasma ultrafiltrate, peritoneal fluid, and urine. Derivatization in urine proved to be difficult due to the complexity of the matrix, and extended testing was required. Our results highlight the important issues affecting the efficiency, reliability, and suitability of platinum drug derivatization. Although precolumn derivatization is less selective than its postcolumn counterpart, the application of precolumn derivatization is a simple, rapid, and universal approach for the determination of platinum drugs by HPLC. One of its major advantages is that it allows a more affordable analysis using UV detection without the need for additional high-end instrumentation such as a MS detector.

Neopterin and kynurenine in serum and urine as prognostic biomarkers in hospitalized patients with delta and omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 infection.

OBJECTIVES: Currently, no biomarker or scoring system could clearly identify patients at risk of progression to a severe coronavirus disease (COVID)-19. Even in patients with known risk factors, the fulminant course cannot be predicted with certainty. Analysis of commonly determined clinical parameters (frailty score, age, or body mass index) together with routine biomarkers of host response (C-reactive protein and viral nucleocapsid protein) in combination with new biomarkers neopterin, kynurenine, and tryptophan, could aid in predicting the patient outcome. METHODS: In 2021 and 2022, urine and serum samples were prospectively collected on 1st to 4th day after hospital admission in 108 consecutive COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the University Hospital Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. Delta and omicron virus variants were studied. Neopterin, kynurenine and tryptophan were determined by liquid chromatography. RESULTS: A significant correlation was observed between urinary and serum biomarker concentrations. Urinary and serum neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine/tryptophan ratio were significantly (p≤0.05) higher in patients who subsequently needed oxygen therapy vs. patients without oxygen therapy. These parameters were also significantly increased in patients who died during the hospitalization compared to survivors. Complex equations have been derived using the investigated biomarkers and other clinical or laboratory parameters to predict the risk of subsequent oxygen therapy or death during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Present data demonstrate that neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine/tryptophan ratio in the serum or in the urine represent promising biomarkers in the management of COVID-19 that may help to guide important therapeutic decisions.

Biomarkers of Inflammation and Progression During Immunotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Biomarkers that would identify patients unlikely to respond to immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remain an unmet medical need. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present study, we have retrospectively evaluated the association between biomarkers of immune activation and outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with ICIs. The laboratory and clinical data of 79 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed mRCC treated with ICI-based immunotherapy have been analyzed. RESULTS: Patients who progressed or died at 4 months had higher prognostic score, higher serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and neopterin, and urinary neopterin, and lower serum albumin and hemoglobin concentration. CONCLUSION: Biomarkers of activation of immune response, in particular serum neopterin/creatinine ratio, are associated with outcome in mRCC patients treated with ICI immunotherapy.