Selective elevation of circulating CCL2/MCP1 levels in patients with longstanding post-vaccinal macrophagic myofasciitis and ASIA
Authors: Romain K Gherardi
Mathieu Surenaud
Josette Cadusseau
Sophie Hue
Nilusha Ragunathan-Thangarajah
Francois-Jérôme Authier
Journal: Current medicinal chemistry (2013)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: immune adjuvants; ASIA; macrophagic myofasciitis; vaccine-derived alum adjuvants; cytokine screening
Affiliations: Université Paris Est, Faculté de Sciences et Technologie, Créteil, 94000, France. .

Abstract:  Several medical conditions sharing similar signs and symptoms may be related to immune adjuvants. These conditions described as ASIA (Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants), include a condition characterized by macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) assessing long-term persistence of vaccine derived-alum adjuvants into macrophages at sites of previous immunization. Despite increasing data describing clinical manifestations of ASIA have been reported, biological markers are particularly lacking for their characterization and follow up. We report an extensive cytokine screening performed in serum from 44 MMF patients compared both to sex and age matched healthy controls and to patients with various types of inflammatory neuromuscular diseases. Thirty cytokines were quantified using combination of Luminex® technology and ELISA. There was significant mean increase of serum levels of the monocytechemoattractant protein 1 (CCL2/MCP-1) in MMF patients compared to healthy subjects. MMF patients showed no elevation of other cytokines. This contrasted with inflammatory patients in whom CCL2/MCP-1 serum levels were unchanged, whereas several other inflammatory cytokines were elevated (IL1β, IL5 and CCL3/MIP1α). These results suggest that CCL2 may represent a biological marker relevant to the pathophysiology of MMF rather than a non specific inflammatory marker and that it should be checked in the other syndromes constitutive of ASIA. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 The GRAY and BLACK curves in Fig. 13 are highly similar to each other. Could the authors give a reason for this similarity ?![file] , 
 It is noted that the GRAY curve (curve a) in the above figure is highly similar to the RED curve (curve a) in FIG. 7 of the previous paper (Applied Catalysis A: General 425u2013426 (2012) 44u201352; DOI: 10.1016 j.apcata.2012.02.045). This can be understood because they are the FT-IR spectra of the same material, the fresh MOF-199. However, it is important to note that the transmittance (%) of these two curves are different from each other (the GRAY curve about 120% while the RED curve about 140%). Could the authors give an explanation for this gap ?![file] , 
 Dear Horornis, Perhaps, my experience with FTIR can help explain, or your experience can help me and others. The FTIR that I have personally used always give variability in the baseline (possibly due to scattering differences between a blank and sample measurement), but I have never considered the variability an issue. Some programs have a  baseline correction option, where points of the baseline are selected to correct, but this could allow for human error. That being stated, I think that showing the raw data is the most transparent way to show the data. The important characteristic of an FTIR spectrum is not the baseline, but the peaks relative to that baseline. As long as the authors don t make any conclusions between materials based on the value %Transmittance at 4000 1 cm at the baseline, I don t see an issue with the spectra. Please correct me if there is an issue with fluctuating baseline between measurements. I am by no means an expert with FTIR spectroscopy, but I do have some experience. ,