Real-world patient data on immunity and COVID-19 status of patients with MPS, Gaucher, and Pompe diseases from Turkey

Leukocyte Imbalances in Mucopolysaccharidoses Patients

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are rare inherited lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) caused by deficient activity in one of the enzymes responsible for glycosaminoglycans lysosomal degradation. MPS II is caused by pathogenic mutations in the IDS gene, leading to deficient activity of the enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase, which causes dermatan and heparan sulfate storage in the lysosomes. In MPS VI, there is dermatan sulfate lysosomal accumulation due to pathogenic mutations in the ARSB gene, leading to arylsulfatase B deficiency. Alterations in the immune system of MPS mouse models have already been described, but data concerning MPSs patients is still scarce. Herein, we study different leukocyte populations in MPS II and VI disease patients. MPS VI, but not MPS II patients, have a decrease percentage of natural killer (NK) cells and monocytes when compared with controls. No alterations were identified in the percentage of T, invariant NKT, and B cells in both groups of MPS disease patients. However, we discovered alterations in the naïve versus memory status of both helper and cytotoxic T cells in MPS VI disease patients compared to control group. Indeed, MPS VI disease patients have a higher frequency of naïve T cells and, consequently, lower memory T cell frequency than control subjects. Altogether, these results reveal MPS VI disease-specific alterations in some leukocyte populations, suggesting that the type of substrate accumulated and/or enzyme deficiency in the lysosome may have a particular effect on the normal cellular composition of the immune system.

Digital Health and Big Data Analytics: Implications of Real-World Evidence for Clinicians and Policymakers

Real world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) plays an increasingly important role in clinical research since scientific knowledge is obtained during routine clinical large-scale practice and not experimentally as occurs in the highly controlled traditional clinical trials. Particularly, the electronic health records (EHRs) are a relevant source of data. Nevertheless, there are also significant challenges in the correct use and interpretation of EHRs data, such as bias, heterogeneity of the population, and missing or non-standardized data formats. Despite the RWD and RWE recognized difficulties, these are easily outweighed by the benefits of ensuring the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness in complement to the gold standards of the randomized controlled trial (RCT), namely by providing a complete picture regarding factors and variables that can guide robust clinical decisions. Their relevance can be even further evident as healthcare units develop more accurate EHRs always in the respect for the privacy of patient data. This editorial is an overview of the RWD and RWE major aspects of the state of the art and supports the Special Issue on "Digital Health and Big Data Analytics: Implications of Real-World Evidence for Clinicians and Policymakers" aimed to explore all the potential and the utility of RWD and RWE in offering insights on diseases in a broad spectrum.

Adsorption of Different Pollutants by Using Microplastic with Different Influencing Factors and Mechanisms in Wastewater: A Review

The studies on microplastics are significant in the world. According to the literature, microplastics have greatly specific surface areas, indicating high adsorption capacities for highly toxic pollutants in aquatic and soil environments, and these could be used as adsorbents. The influencing factors of microplastic adsorption, classification of microplastics, and adsorption mechanisms using microplastics for adsorbing organic, inorganic, and mixed pollutants are summarized in the paper. Furthermore, the influence of pH, temperature, functional groups, aging, and other factors related to the adsorption performances of plastics are discussed in detail. We found that microplastics have greater advantages in efficient adsorption performance and cost-effectiveness. In this paper, the adsorptions of pollutants by microplastics and their performance is proposed, which provides significant guidance for future research in this field.