Bay Biosciences provides biopsy tissue samples, sera (serum), plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells PBMCs from patients diagnosed with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) Disease.

Moreover, the serum and PBMCs are processed from NPSLE patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized processing protocols. 

Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (NPSLE)

Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) refers to the broad spectrum of neurological and psychiatric symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Specifically, SLE is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own cells and tissue.

Moreover, patients NP SLE that suffer from one or more of several neuropsychiatric symptoms represent a subcategory termed ‘neuropsychiatric lupus’ (NPSLE).  In fact, cohorts of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients suggest that nearly half of the patients suffer from NPSLE during their disease course. 

Manifestations

Notably, the most frequent Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (NPSLE) manifestations are headache, anxiety, memory loss mood disorders, cognitive dysfunction, seizures and cerebrovascular disease. 

Furthermore, the development of NPSLE in a specific individual depends on genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors.

Autoantibodies

In addition, Numerous autoantibodies are detected in SLE patients, and particularly in NPSLE, as well as the association between specific autoantibodies and certain manifestations suggest that their presence is linked directly to pathogenesis.

Anti-ribosomal Antibodies

Consequently, more than 20 autoantibodies have been linked to NPSLE. For instance, the presence of anti-ribosomal-P antibodies in NPSLE patients, according to meta-analysis suggested that anti-ribosomal-P antibodies are specifically related to psychosis in NPSLE patients. 

Moreover, several studies demonstrated the ability of anti-ribosomal-P antibodies to bind neuronal antigens, penetrate neuronal cells, and inhibit protein synthesis. Thus, several auto-antigens are suspected to interact with anti-ribosomal-P antibodies.

The most frequent NPSLE manifestations include headaches, psychiatric disorders, depression and anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction.

Moreover, neuropsychiatric symptoms can represent some of the earliest manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and furthermore, some reports suggest up to half of the neuropsychiatric symptoms appear during the first year of SLE diagnosis.

In addition, Caucasian ethnicity and older age correlate with shorter time to neuropsychiatric damage. Consequently, SLE patients, especially those with active disease or CNS manifestations, suffer from olfactory impairments.

Furthermore, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) frequently show symptoms of central nervous system (CNS) involvement, termed neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE).

In particular, the CNS manifestations of SLE are diverse and have a broad spectrum of severity and prognostic (expected) implications. Specifically, patients with NPSLE typically present with nonspecific symptoms, such as headache and cognitive impairment, but might also experience devastating features, such as memory loss, seizures, and stroke.

The cognitive and affective manifestations of NPSLE, however, remain poorly understood. In this context, researchers have evaluated various immune effectors as contributors to its pathogenesis, including brain-reactive autoantibodies, cytokines, and cell-mediated inflammation.

Furthermore, additional brain-intrinsic elements, such as resident microglia, the blood–brain barrier, and other neurovascular interfaces, facilitate NPSLE.

Nevertheless, scientists have not yet found a unifying model to underlie the pathogenesis of NPSLE, suggesting that this disease has multiple contributors and perhaps several distinct etiologies (causes).

Symptoms of NPSLE

NPSLE causes symptoms relating to the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system, which can vary in severity.

Moreover, NPSLE may cause the following symptoms:

  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Headache
  • cognitive impairment
  • Mood disorders
  • Memory loss
  • Psychosis
  • Seizures
  • Stroke

Causes of NPSLE

Lupus may cause NPSLE in around 30%of cases; consequently, people may first experience neuropsychiatric symptoms with the onset of lupus.

Furthermore, researchers have found certain antibodies that may link to NPSLE. For instance, brain cytoplasmic ribonucleic acid (BC RNA) antibodies are antibodies that interrupt normal brain function.

In addition, researchers also found that BC RNAs may influence pathways in the brain that affect cognition, thereby causing some of the symptoms that appear with NPSLE.

Moreover, autoantibodies also play a role in NPSLE. Specifically, autoantibodies are antibodies the immune system creates to destroy substances that the body produces, and they may contribute to some autoimmune diseases.

As previously mentioned, a disruption in the blood-brain barrier may also contribute to NPSLE; in particular, it allows autoimmune antibodies to enter and attack the CNS.

Additionally, vascular problems may also contribute to NPSLE, including reduced or restricted blood flow and thrombosis.

Finally, in some cases, organ damage from lupus or lupus medications may cause NPSLE. Consequently, doctors refer to this as secondary NPSLE.

Risk factors of NPSLE

According to a 2021 review, NPSLE risk factors may include:

  • Accelerated atherosclerosis
  • Cytokines
  • Genetics
  • Lupus-related risk factors, such as level of disease activity or duration, heart valve disease, or immune complexes
  • Presence of certain autoantibodies

Furthermore, NPSLE is more common in females; however, it is important to note that the seizure risk is greater in males than in females.

In addition, NPSLE is more common in people of African or Asian descent compared with white people. Nevertheless, the severity of NPSLE is usually greater in white people. Consequently, experts are not entirely sure why this is the case.

Diagnosis of NPSLE

Currently, there are no specific criteria for diagnosing NPSLE.

In this regard, doctors may diagnose the condition by eliminating other possible causes, such as medications or infections.

Moreover, they may order neurological and psychiatric tests to help them diagnose NPSLE. Additionally, they may also look at other functions in the body, including cardiovascular health.

Consequently, doctors may rely on the following tests and scans to help diagnose NPSLE:

  • Electromyography (EMG)
  • Lumbar punctureel
  • Ectroencephalography (EEG)
  • MRI scans
  • Nerve conduction studies
  • Echocardiography (EKG)

Outlook

According to a 2021 review, NPSLE is, indeed, a severe complication of lupus. Consequently, it may affect a person’s quality of life. Furthermore, those diagnosed with the condition may have a higher morbidity and mortality risk than people with lupus.

At present, there is currently no standard treatment for NPSLE; however, a combination of treatments may help relieve symptoms.

Moreover, research is currently investigating the underlying causes of NPSLE in order to be better able to treat and manage the condition.

Additionally, there is also a need for more clinical trials to find out the most effective treatments for the condition, as well as new treatment options.

Ultimately, people may need to work with a team of healthcare professionals, including rheumatologists, neurologists, and psychologists, in order to receive a proper NPSLE diagnosis and to determine the best treatment plan.

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.