The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Feb 2021
Proteome-Wide Analysis using SOMAscan Identifies and Validates Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1 as a Risk and Disease Marker of Delirium Among Older Adults Undergoing Major Elective Surgery.
Delirium (an acute change in cognition) is a common, morbid, and costly syndrome seen primarily in aging adults. Despite increasing knowledge of its epidemiology, delirium remains a clinical diagnosis with no established biomarkers to guide diagnosis or management. Advances in proteomics now provide opportunities to identify novel markers of risk and disease progression for postoperative delirium and its associated long-term consequences (e.g., long term cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease [AD]). ⋯ Our identification of CHI3L1/YKL-40 in postoperative delirium parallels reports of CHI3L1/YKL-40 and its association with aging, mortality, and age-related conditions including AD onset and progression. This highlights the type 2 innate immune response, involving CHI3L1/YKL-40, as an underlying mechanism of postoperative delirium, a common, morbid, and costly syndrome that threatens the independence of older adults.