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Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Plasma Hsp90 levels in patients with systemic sclerosis and relation to lung and skin involvement: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study
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Paper Summary
Conflicts of Interest
Identified Weaknesses
Rating Explanation
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Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
Hot Protein Predicts Lung Changes in Scleroderma Patients: Could Hsp90 be the Key?
Hsp90 plasma levels are elevated in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and correlate with decreased lung function and increased inflammation. In diffuse cutaneous SSc, Hsp90 levels also correlate with skin involvement. Importantly, baseline Hsp90 levels can predict the 12-month change in lung diffusion capacity in SSc-ILD patients treated with cyclophosphamide, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for treatment response.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified.
Identified Weaknesses
Small sample size
The sample size, especially in the longitudinal analysis, is relatively small (30 patients). This limits the statistical power of the study and makes it difficult to generalize the findings to a larger population. A larger sample size would provide more robust results.
Lack of other treatment groups
The lack of other longitudinal SSc-ILD cohorts treated with currently available pharmacological agents makes it harder to assess the specificity of the findings related to cyclophosphamide treatment response. Comparing the Hsp90 response to different treatments would provide a more complete picture of its role as a potential biomarker.
Limited causal evidence
While the study found correlations between Hsp90 and lung function/skin involvement, it doesn't fully elucidate the causal relationship. Further research is needed to understand if Hsp90 is directly involved in these processes or if it's a bystander marker.
Rating Explanation
This study provides valuable insights into the role of Hsp90 in systemic sclerosis, particularly its potential as a biomarker for lung and skin involvement and predictor of treatment response. The methodology is sound, with both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Despite some limitations regarding sample size and lack of comparative treatment groups, the findings are significant and contribute to a better understanding of SSc. The novelty of the findings and their potential clinical implications warrant a good rating.
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File Information
Original Title:
Plasma Hsp90 levels in patients with systemic sclerosis and relation to lung and skin involvement: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study
File Name:
s41598-020-79139-8.pdf
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File Size:
1.44 MB
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 10:38 AM
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