ArticleLupus science & medicine2018
TNF-α and plasma albumin as biomarkers of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Article in Lupus science & medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07043153 (Using Combination of Albumin to Globulin Ratio and Prognostic Nutritional Index Model for Predicting Disease Activity in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), which is not on this map. Cited by 68 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Using Combination of Albumin to Globulin Ratio and Prognostic Nutritional Index Model for Predicting Disease Activity in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.
- The vascular endothelial growth factor as a candidate biomarker of systemic lupus erythematosus: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Serum interleukin-6 level is correlated with the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta-analysis.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2020Pooled it
- A Comprehensive Review of Biological Agents for Lupus: Beyond Single Target.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Pooled it
- Pharmacodynamic Effects of Litifilimab in Lupus in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase 2 Study: Rapid and Sustained Reductions in Type I Interferon-Associated Gene Expression and Cytokines.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Trial
- Regulation of Renal Transporters by Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Human Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells: Identification of the Perpetrator and Mechanisms.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2026Article
- Pathogenic and Clinical Relevance of Serum IL-17A and TNF-α in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Regulation of Renal Transporters by Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Human Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells: Identification of the Perpetrator and Mechanisms.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Interferon alpha-induced uPAR expression on monocytes as a potential source of increased soluble uPAR in patients with SLE at high risk of developing organ damage.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- IL-6 Versus TNF-α as Predictors of Echocardiographic Cardiac Remodeling in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Observational
- Cytotoxic Molecules as Potential Biomarkers for Active and Inactive Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Sex-Based Differences in Asthma: Pathophysiology, Hormonal Influence, and Genetic Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Association ofJournal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Precision Medicine in Rheumatology: The Role of Biomarkers in Diagnosis and Treatment Optimization.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Predictors of renal flares in systemic lupus erythematosus: a post-hoc analysis of four phase III clinical trials of belimumab.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- CD40 blockade hampers IgG class-switch while enhancing Granzyme B production by transitional B cells.Clinical and experimental immunology · 2025Article
- Interleukin 16 in lupus nephritis-a role for Th1 and CD8+ T cell migration.Clinical and experimental immunology · 2025Article
- Role of interleukin-16 in human diseases: a novel potential therapeutic target.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Cytokines unveiled: their impact on oral and multisystem features of lupus erythematosus.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- The effect of circulating cytokines on the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus: Mendelian randomization and observational study.Immunogenetics · 2024Observational
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesComposite criteria/indices are presently used to diagnose and monitor patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Biomarkers for these purposes would be helpful in clinical practice. We therefore evaluated a large panel of cytokines and basic laboratory tests and investigated their performance as discriminators versus controls and as biomarkers of disease activity (DA).
methodsWe examined 437 patients with SLE, fulfilling American College of Rheumatology-82 criteria, and 322 matched controls. DA was assessed according to both SLE DA Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and SLE Activity Measure (SLAM). British Isles Lupus Activity Group (BILAG) was used to assess renal DA. Additionally, 132 patients self-assessed their Global Disease Activity (PtGDA). Mesoscale Discovery 30-plex cytokine assay and routine blood chemistry was performed on fasting EDTA-plasma.
resultsOf 26 tested biomarkers, we identified TNF-α as the superior discriminator between patients with SLE and controls (median=4.5 pg/mL, IQR=3.1-6.2 vs median=2.3 pg/mL, IQR=2.0-2.8). The strongest correlations to SLEDAI-2K and SLAM were obtained with TNF-α (Spearman rho (ρ)=0.32 and ρ=0.34, respectively), partly driven by the nephritis subgroup, and with p-albumin (ρ=-0.33 and ρ=-0.31, respectively). P-albumin was decreased and TNF-α was increased in patients with kidney involvement (renal BILAG A/B vs C/D/E, p=4×10
conclusionTNF-α and p-albumin both performed well as discriminators between patients with SLE and controls and as proxies for DA according to both rheumatologists' and patients' assessments. In particular, renal DA was well reflected by TNF-α. We propose that the TNF-α and p-albumin merit further investigations as clinically useful biomarkers in SLE. We also observed that the pattern of activated cytokines varies with organ involvement.
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