Harris, H. E. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Inflammation-profiling reveals activated pathways and biomarkers with predictive potential in oligoarticular JIA

ObjectiveWe set out to profile the immune mechanisms active in treatment-naive oligoarticular JIA (oJIA) to improve understanding of its immunopathogenesis, to identify potential biomarkers that can aid diagnosis, predictions and correlate with clinical disease parameters. MethodsUsing Olink proteomics (Inflammation Panel), we defined and compared the inflammation profiles of 38 plasma and 62 synovial fluid (SF) oJIA samples, 38 plasma samples from healthy age- and sex-matched controls (HC), 12 SF samples from non-arthritic controls and 26 SF samples from knee injury patients. Clinical data were retrieved from the Swedish Pediatric Rheumatology Quality Register. ResultsPlasma profiles of oJIA and HC were largely overlapping, with IL6 and MMP-1 upregulated in oJIA. In SF, 48 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in oJIA, highlighting immune pathways like leukocyte migration, cell chemotaxis and adaptive immunity. Comparative analysis revealed 13 proteins specific to oJIA. Correlations were found between DEPs in oJIA SF and clinical parameters (cJADAS-71, pain, health impact score). Plasma IL6 and MMP-1 showed strong correlation with disease activity and pain, respectively. CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11 were identified as potential predictive biomarkers for disease progression. ConclusionsThe overlap in plasma inflammation profiles of oJIA and HCs suggests local rather than systemic inflammation in oJIA, underlining the need for synovial fluid-based immunopathogenesis studies. Adaptive immune signatures in oJIA SF distinguished it from knee injury patients, offering potential for diagnostic application. Increased CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11 in SF were associated with chronic disease progression and could serve as prognostic biomarkers and early treatment targets.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Testing the efficacy of lionfish traps in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Spearfishing is currently the primary approach for removing invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) to mitigate their impacts to western Atlantic marine ecosystems. However, a substantial portion of lionfish spawning biomass is beyond the depth limits of SCUBA. Innovative technologies may offer an alternative means to target lionfish and allow for the development of a deepwater lionfish trap fishery, but the removal efficiency and potential environmental impacts of traps have not been evaluated. We tested a collapsible non-containment trap (the Gittings trap) near artificial reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A total of 327 lionfish and 28 native fishes (4 of which regulated species) recruited to traps (i.e., number of fish observed within the trap footprint) during 82 trap sets, catching 144 lionfish and 29 native species. Lionfish recruitment was highest for single (versus paired) traps deployed <15 m from reefs with a 1-day soak time, for which mean lionfish and native species recruitment per trap were approximately 5 and 0.1, respectively. Gittings traps selected for larger lionfish (mean size 277 mm total length) compared to spearfishing (mean size 258 mm). Community impacts from Gittings traps appeared minimal given recruitment patterns and catch rates were >10X higher for lionfish versus native fishes. Gittings traps did not move on the bottom during two major storm events; however, further testing will be necessary to test trap movement with surface buoys. Additional research should also focus on design and operational modifications to improve Gittings trap deployment success (68% successfully opened on the seabed) and reduce lionfish escapement (56% escaped from traps upon retrieval). While removal efficiency for lionfish (12-24%) was far below that of spearfishing, study results demonstrate Gittings traps are suitable for future testing on deepwater natural reefs, which constitute >90% of the regions reef habitat.

ecology↗