Table 5.
Serum levels of soluble markers of B cell activation in SSc patients with and without PAH (validation cohort).
| Biomarkers | SSc-no PAH(N=18) | SSc-PAH(N=18) | Effect size | p-values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF (IU/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 7.35 (2.90; 37.00) | 10.25 (4.60; 28.00) | 0.1 (-0.55; 0.75) | 0.78 |
| β2-microglobulin (mg/L), median (Q1;Q3) | 2.46 (2.14; 3.15) | 3.15 (2.76; 3.49) | 0.89 (0.2; 1.57) | 0.02 |
| IgA (g/L), median (Q1;Q3) | 2.18 (1.61; 2.59) | 1.78 (1.33; 2.44) | -0.28 (-0.94; 0.37) | 0.40 |
| IgG (g/L), median (Q1;Q3) | 10.45 (9.10; 11.80) | 8.40 (7.10; 10.40) | -0.85 (-1.53; -0.17) | 0.02 |
| IgM (g/L), median (Q1;Q3) | 1.26 (0.98; 1.90) | 1.55 (1.00; 1.93) | 0.15 (-0.51; 0.8) | 0.67 |
| BAFF (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 727.5 (649.1; 897.9) | 731.5 (602.3; 925.3) | -0.09 (-0.75; 0.56) | 0.79 |
| APRIL (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 1907 (1532; 2358) | 1804 (1384; 2169) | -0.29 (-0.95; 0.36) | 0.38 |
| sBCMA (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 32068 (27656; 35352) | 36699 (32360; 45190) | 0.76 (0.08; 1.44) | 0.03 |
| sTACI (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 15.35 (9.88; 20.67) | 18.61 (9.39; 22.49) | 0.24 (-0.42; 0.89) | 0.49 |
| sCD23 (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 3094 (2554; 4200) | 4609 (3469; 7628) | 0.72 (0.05; 1.39) | 0.04 |
| sCD25 (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 552.6 (448.2; 686.0) | 584.2 (471.6; 756.6) | 0.33 (-0.33; 0.98) | 0.33 |
| sCD27 (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 6282 (5825; 7645) | 8859 (6889; 10667) | 0.71 (0.03; 1.38) | 0.05 |
| CXCL13 (pg/mL), median (Q1;Q3) | 83.82 (59.15; 142.3) | 87.49 (64.77; 158.4) | 0.14 (-0.51; 0.79) | 0.68 |
APRIL, a proliferation-inducing ligand; BAFF, B-cell-activating factor; BCMA, B-cell maturation antigen; CD, cluster of differentiation; CXCL13, C-X-C motif chemokine 13; FDR, false discovery rate; Ig, immunoglobulin; IU, international units; PAH, pulmonary hypertension; Q, quartile; RF, rheumatoid factor; s, soluble; SSc, systemic sclerosis; TACI, transmembrane activator and CAML interactor.
Results are expressed as median (first quartile; third quartile).
Effect sizes were calculated using the Cohen d. Absolute values of 0.20–0.49 represent a small change; values of 0.50–0.79 a medium change; and values of ≥ 0.80 a large change. Groups were matched on age (± 5 years) and gender. Given the exploratory nature of this analysis, p-values were not corrected for multiplicity.