Serum Vitamin A Levels May Affect the Severity of Ocular Graft-versus-Host Disease.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Tong J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5479876 | biostudies-other | 2017
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:Ocular graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) remains a significant clinical complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Impaired visual function, pain, and other symptoms severely affect affected individuals' quality of life. However, the diagnosis of and therapy for ocular GVHD involve a multidisciplinary approach and remain challenging for both hematologists and ophthalmologists, as there are no unified international criteria. Through an exploration of the complex pathogenesis of ocular GVHD, this review comprehensively summarizes the pathogenic mechanism, related tear biomarkers, and clinical characteristics of this disease. Novel therapies based on the mechanisms are also discussed to provide insights into the ocular GVHD treatment.
| S-EPMC9905686 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To examine safety and efficacy of bandage soft contact lenses (BSCLs) for ocular chronic graft-versus host disease (GVHD), we conducted a phase II clinical trial. Extended-wear BSCLs were applied under daily topical antibiotic prophylaxis. Patients completed standardized symptom questionnaires at enrollment and at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 3 months afterward. Ophthalmologic assessment was performed at enrollment, at 2 weeks, and afterward as medically needed. Assessments at follow-up were compared with baseline by paired t-test. Nineteen patients with ocular GVHD who remained symptomatic despite conventional treatments were studied. The mean Lee eye subscale score was 75.4 at enrollment and improved significantly to 63.2 at 2 weeks (P = .01), to 61.8 at 4 weeks (P = .005), and to 56.3 at 3 months (P = .02). The ocular surface disease index score and 11-point eye symptom ratings also improved significantly. According to the Lee eye subscale, clinically meaningful improvement was observed in 9 patients (47%) at 2 weeks, in 11 patients (58%) at 4 weeks, and in 9 patients (47%) at 3 months. Visual acuity improved significantly at 2 weeks compared with enrollment values. Based on slit lamp exam at 2 weeks, punctate epithelial erosions improved in 58% of the patients, showed stability in 16%, and worsened in 5%. No corneal ulceration or ocular infection occurred. BSCLs are a widely available, safe, and effective treatment option that improves manifestations of ocular GVHD in approximately 50% of patients. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01616056.
| S-EPMC4604037 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeTo validate measurement scales for rating ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Candidate scales were recommended for use in clinical trials by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chronic GVHD Consensus Conference or have been previously validated in dry eye syndromes.DesignProspective follow-up study.ParticipantsBetween August 2007 and June 2010, the study enrolled 387 patients with chronic GVHD in a multicenter, prospective, observational cohort.MethodsUsing anchor-based methods, we compared clinician or patient-reported changes in eye symptoms (8-point scale) with calculated changes in 5 candidate scales: The NIH eye score, patient-reported global rating of eye symptoms, Lee eye subscale, Ocular Surface Disease Index, and Schirmer test. Change was examined for 333 follow-up visits where both clinician and patient reported eye involvement at the previous visit. Linear mixed models were used to account for within-patient correlation.Main outcome measuresAn 8-point scale of clinician or patient-reported symptom change was used as an anchor to measure symptom changes at the follow-up visits.ResultsIn serial evaluations, agreement regarding improvement, stability, or worsening between the clinician and patient was fair (weighted kappa = 0.34). Despite only fair agreement between evaluators, all scales except the Schirmer test correlated with both clinician-reported and patient-reported changes in ocular GVHD activity. Among all scales, changes in the NIH eye scores showed the greatest sensitivity to symptom change reported by clinicians or patients.ConclusionsOur results support the use of the NIH eye score as a sensitive measure of eye symptom changes in clinical trials assessing treatment of chronic GVHD.
| S-EPMC3294118 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The different cell subsets of the immune system express the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Through the VDR, vitamin D exerts different functions that influence immune responses, as previously shown in different preclinical models. Based on this background, retrospective studies explored the impacts of vitamin D levels on the outcomes of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, showing that vitamin D deficiency is related to an increased risk of complications, especially graft-versus-host disease. These results were confirmed in a prospective cohort trial, although further studies are required to confirm this data. In addition, the role of vitamin D on the treatment of hematologic malignancies was also explored. Considering this dual effect on both the immune systems and tumor cells of patients with hematologic malignancies, vitamin D might be useful in this setting to decrease both graft-versus-host disease and relapse rates.
| S-EPMC9138416 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) of the ocular surface and lacrimal gland is a vision-threatening condition that occurs after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy to investigate whether epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributed to the pathogenesis of ocular cGVHD. We detected down-regulation of E-cadherin and translocation of beta-catenin from the intercellular junction to the cytoplasm and nucleus of cGVHD conjunctival basal epithelia and lacrimal gland myoepithelia. Notable findings included expression of Snail, an inducer of EMT, in the nucleus of ocular cGVHD epithelia. The fibrosis markers heat shock protein 47, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and fibroblast specific protein-1 were overexpressed in ocular cGVHD epithelia. In addition, p63, a marker of conjunctival basal epithelia, was observed in the nuclei of subconjunctival cells beneath disrupted basal lamina. Disrupted basal lamina and the presence of altered collagen bundles were observed in the cytoplasm and beneath cGVHD epithelia. In contrast, these observations were rarely observed in the normal conjunctiva and in Sjögren's syndrome lacrimal gland epithelia. These findings together indicate that ocular cGVHD epithelia gain the mesenchymal phenotype and the capacity to migrate into the subepithelial stroma. Our findings suggest that EMT may be partially responsible for the conjunctival and lacrimal gland fibrosis found in patients with cGVHD.
| S-EPMC2789626 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeMorbidity from acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) limits the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) to treat malignancy. Interleukin-7 (IL-7), the principal homeostatic cytokine for T cells, is required for acute GVHD in murine models. In contrast to inflammatory cytokines (eg, IL-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha), IL-7 has not been studied extensively in the clinical transplant setting relative to its relationship with acute GVHD.Patients and methodsWe evaluated the association of serum IL-7 levels with acute GVHD in 31 patients who were uniformly treated in a prospective clinical trial with reduced-intensity allogeneic HSCT from human leukocyte antigen-identical siblings. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and methotrexate. Serum IL-7 levels and lymphocyte populations were determined at enrollment, the day of transplantation before the allograft infusion, and at specified intervals through 12 months post-transplantation.ResultsAs expected, IL-7 levels were inversely correlated with T-cell populations (P < .00001). Acute GVHD was significantly associated with higher IL-7 levels at day +7 (P = .01) and day +14 (P = .00003) post-transplantation as well as with the allograft CD34(+) cell dose (P = .01). IL-7 levels at day +14 also correlated with the severity of acute GVHD (P < .0001). In logistic regression models, these factors were highly sensitive (up to 86%) and specific (100%) for classifying whether patients developed acute GVHD.ConclusionThese data support preclinical observations that IL-7 plays a critical role in inducing acute GVHD and provide a rational basis for novel approaches to prevent and treat acute GVHD through modulation of the IL-7 pathway.
| S-EPMC2645098 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Post-transplant biomarkers of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) have been extensively studied. However, pretransplant biomarkers may provide a greater window of opportunity to intervene. We measured serum biomarkers of various aspects of gut barrier physiology before HCT (median, day -7) and 7 and 28 days post-HCT in 95 consecutive allo-HCT recipients enrolled in an open-label biorepository protocol. Biomarkers included citrulline for total functional enterocyte mass, Reg3a for antibacterial activity of the gut, and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) for enterocyte turnover. Compared to 16 healthy control subjects, we demonstrated that patients came to transplant with abnormal levels of all 3 biomarkers (P < .05), reflecting residual damage from prior chemotherapy. All 3 biomarkers initially declined from pre-HCT to day +7 (more pronounced after myeloablative than reduced-intensive conditioning) followed by a recovery phase and return toward pre-HCT values by day +28. A lower pre-HCT citrulline was independently associated with a higher risk of aGVHD grades II to IV (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.69; P?=?.02), and this association was not specific to gut GVHD. The strongest correlate of NRM was a higher level of Reg3a at day +7 (P < .001). I-FABP did not predict transplant outcomes. In conclusion, pre-HCT serum citrulline levels identify patients at high risk for developing aGVHD. Our results suggest that pre-HCT interventions to augment the gut barrier may decrease the risk of aGVHD.
| S-EPMC6251308 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are important modulators of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Although dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent APC subset, other myeloid cells, especially macrophages (MFs) and neutrophils, recently have been shown to play a role in the severity of GVHD. The critical molecular mechanisms that determine the functions of myeloid cells in GVHD are unclear, however. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a master transcription factor that plays a crucial role in regulating immunity, but its role in MF biology and in acute GVHD remains unknown. To determine the impact of myeloid cell-specific expression of STAT3 on the severity of acute GVHD, we used myeloid cell-specific STAT3-deficient LysM-Cre/STAT3fl/- animals as recipients and donors in well-characterized experimental models of acute GVHD. We found that reduced expression of STAT3 in myeloid cells from the hosts, but not the donors, increased inflammation, increased donor T cell activation, and exacerbated GVHD. Our data demonstrate that STAT3 in host myeloid cells, such as MFs, dampens acute GVHD.
| S-EPMC6088768 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Purpose:Diagnosis of ocular graft-versus-host disease (oGVHD) is hampered by a lack of clinically-validated biomarkers. This study aims to predict disease severity on the basis of tear protein expression in mild oGVHD. Methods:Forty-nine patients with and without chronic oGVHD after AHCT were recruited to a cross-sectional observational study. Patients were stratified using NIH guidelines for oGVHD severity: NIH 0 (none; n = 14), NIH 1 (mild; n = 9), NIH 2 (moderate; n = 16), and NIH 3 (severe; n = 10). The proteomic profile of tears was analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Random forest and penalized logistic regression were used to generate classification and prediction models to stratify patients according to disease severity. Results:Mass spectrometry detected 785 proteins across all samples. A random forest model used to classify patients by disease grade achieved F1-measure values for correct classification of 0.95 (NIH 0), 0.8 (NIH 1), 0.74 (NIH 2), and 0.83 (NIH 3). A penalized logistic regression model was generated by comparing patients without oGVHD and those with mild oGVHD and applied to identify potential biomarkers present early in disease. A panel of 13 discriminant markers achieved significant diagnostic accuracy in identifying patients with moderate-to-severe disease. Conclusions:Our work demonstrates the utility of tear protein biomarkers in classifying oGVHD severity and adds further evidence indicating ocular surface inflammation as a main driver of oGVHD clinical phenotype. Translational Relevance:Expression levels of a 13-marker tear protein panel in AHCT patients with mild oGVHD may predict development of more severe oGVHD clinical phenotypes.
| S-EPMC7442883 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Ocular involvement can be quite symptomatic in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The prevalence of and risk factors for ocular GVHD and its impact on quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic GVHD were studied in a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal, observational study. This study enrolled 342 patients with 1483 follow-up visits after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. All patients in this analysis were diagnosed with chronic GVHD requiring systemic treatment and enrolled within 3 months of chronic GVHD diagnosis. The symptom burden of ocular GVHD was based on the degree of dry eye symptoms, frequency of artificial tear usage, and impact on activities of daily living. Patients' QOL was measured by self-administered questionnaires. Variables associated with ocular GVHD at enrollment and subsequent new-onset ocular GVHD and the associations with QOL were studied. Of the 284 chronic GVHD patients, 116 (41%) had ocular GVHD within 3 months of chronic GVHD diagnosis ("early ocular GVHD"). Late ocular GVHD (new onset > 3 months after chronic GVHD diagnosis) occurred in 64 patients. Overall cumulative incidence at 2 years was 57%. Female gender (P = .005), higher acute GVHD grade (P = .04), and higher prednisone dose at study entry (P = .04) were associated with early ocular GVHD. For patients who did not have ocular GVHD within 3 months of chronic GVHD diagnosis, presence of prior grades I to IV acute GVHD (HR 1.78, P = .04) was associated with shorter time to late ocular GVHD, whereas female donor-male recipient (HR .53, P = .05) was associated with longer time to late ocular GVHD onset. Using all visit data, patients with ocular GVHD had worse QOL, as measured by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bone Marrow Transplantation (P = .002), and greater chronic GVHD symptom burden, as measured by the Lee symptom overall score excluding the eye component (P < .001), compared with patients without ocular GVHD. In conclusion, this large, multicenter, prospective study shows that ocular GVHD affects 57% of patients within 2 years of chronic GVHD diagnosis. Women, patients on higher doses of prednisone at study entry, and those with a history of acute GVHD were at higher risk for ocular GVHD. Strong evidence suggests that ocular GVHD is associated with worse overall health-related QOL.
| S-EPMC4537831 | biostudies-literature