title: Pilot study: elevated circulating levels of the proinflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor in patients with chronic spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that the proinflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is elevated in the circulation of patients with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) relative to uninjured subjects, and secondarily to identify additional immune mediators that are elevated in subjects with chronic SCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, observational pilot study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatient clinic of a department of physical medicine and rehabilitation and research institute in an academic medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals with chronic (>1y from initial injury) SCI (n=22) and age- and sex-matched uninjured subjects (n=19).
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma levels of MIF, as determined by a commercially available multiplex suspension immunoassay. The relationship between MIF levels and clinical/demographic variables was also examined. As a secondary outcome, we evaluated other cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma MIF levels were significantly higher in subjects with chronic SCI than in control subjects (P<.001). Elevated MIF levels were not correlated significantly with any one clinical or demographic characteristic. Subjects with SCI also exhibited significantly higher plasma levels of monokine induced by interferon-gamma/chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 9 (P<.03), macrophage colony stimulating factor (P<.035), interleukin-3 (P<.044), and stem cell growth factor beta (SCGF-β) (P<.016). Among subjects with SCI, the levels of SCGF-β increased with the time from initial injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data confirm the hypothesis that MIF is elevated in subjects with chronic SCI and identify additional novel immune mediators that are also elevated in these subjects. This study suggests the importance of examining the potential functional roles of MIF and other immune factors in subjects with chronic SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hofstra North Shore-Long Island Jewish School of Medicine, The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Manhasset, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Arti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panjwani
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sison
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Radhika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chugh
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bank
authors.forename: Ona
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bloom
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000097:blood; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000097:blood; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000097:blood; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C110532:CLEC11A protein, human; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors; D007377:Interleukin-3; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
keywords: AIS; American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale; CTACK; Cytokines; GROα; HGF; IFN; IL; IL-2Ra; IQR; Inflammation; LIF; MCP-3/CCL7; MCSF; MIF; MIG/CXCL9; Macrophage migration-inhibitory factors; Rehabilitation; SCF; SCGF-β; SCI; SDF1-α; Spinal cord injuries; TNF; TRAIL; UTI; beta-nerve growth factor; cutaneous T cell–attracting chemokine; growth-related oncogene alpha; hepatocyte growth factor; interferon; interleukin; interleukin-2 receptor antagonist; interquartile range; leukemia inhibitory factor; macrophage colony-stimulating factor; macrophage migration inhibitory factor; monocyte chemoattractant protein 3/chemokine C-C motif ligand 7; monokine induced by IFN-gamma/chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 9; spinal cord injury; stem cell factor; stem cell growth factor beta; stromal-derived factor alpha; tumor necrosis factor; tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand; urinary tract infection; β-NGF