Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2020 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Scientists currently use only a small portion of the information contained in the blood\nmetabolome. The identification of metabolites is a huge challenge because only highly abundant\nand well-separated compounds can be easily identified in complex samples. However, new\napproaches that enhance the identification of compounds have emerged; among them, the\nidentification of compounds based on their involvement in a particular biological context is a recent\ndevelopment. In this work, this approach was first applied to identify metabolites in complex\nsamples and, together with metabolite set enrichment analysis, was used for the evaluation of blood\nplasma from obese patients. The proposed approach was found to provide a statistically sound\noverview of the biochemical pathways, thus presenting additional information on obesity. Obesity\nprogression was demonstrated to be accompanied by marked alterations in steroidogenesis,\nandrostenedione metabolism, and androgen and estrogen metabolism. The findings of this study\nsuggest that the workflow used for blood analysis is sufficient to demonstrate obesity at the\nbiochemical pathway level as well as to monitor the response to treatment. This workflow is also\nexpected to be suitable for studying other metabolic diseases....
Background. Adipokines are a group of cytokines or peptides secreted by adipose tissue to exert numerous biological functions. In\nthe present study, we measured the plasma levels of four adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), and\nvisfatin) in cardiac arrest patients following return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Methods. Totally, 21 patients who\nexperienced cardiac arrest and successful ROSC with expected survival of at least 48 hours (from January 2016 to December\n2017) were consecutively enrolled into this prospective observational clinical study. Of the 21 enrolled patients, ten survived,\nand other eleven died between 2 days and 6 months post ROSC. Venous blood was drawn at three time points: baseline\n(<1 hour post ROSC), 2 days post ROSC, and 7 days post ROSC. Plasma concentrations of adiponectin, leptin, FABP4,\nand visfatin were determined using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results. The plasma visfatin levels at\n2 or 7 days post ROSC increased significantly compared with the baseline (P < 0:01), while plasma levels of adiponectin,\nleptin, and FABP4 did not change. Moreover, plasma visfatin levels in survivors at 2 or 7 days post ROSC were higher\nthan those in nonsurvivors (P < 0:01). Plasma visfatin levels at 2 or 7 days post ROSC were negatively correlated with Acute\nPhysiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and time to ROSC. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic\ncurve analysis showed that the plasma visfatin levels at 2 or 7 days post ROSC were good predictors for survival of the patients.\nConclusion. Elevated plasma visfatin levels may be a marker for better outcome of cardiac arrest patients post ROSC....
Background. Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory chronic skin disease characterized by chronic inflammation in the\ndermis, parakeratosis, and excessive epidermal growth. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of immune responses.\nAlthough differential expression of miRNAs has been reported in certain inflammatory autoimmune diseases, their role in\npsoriasis has not been fully illuminated. Our aims were to confirm plasma miRNA expression signatures in psoriasis and to\nexamine their potential influence on psoriasis pathogenesis. Methods. A miRNome PCR array was used to analyse the plasma of\npsoriasis patients and healthy donors. We performed miRNA pathway enrichment and target gene network analyses on\npsoriasis plasma samples. Results. We found several specific plasma miRNA signatures relevant to psoriasis. The miRNAs\ntargeted pathways associated with psoriasis, such as the VEGF, MAPK, and WNT signaling pathways. Network analysis revealed\npivotal deregulated plasma miRNAs and their relevant target genes and pathways regulating psoriasis pathogenesis. Conclusions.\nThis study analysed the expression of plasma miRNAs and their target pathways, elucidating the pathogenesis of psoriasis; these\nresults may be used to design novel therapeutic strategies and to identify diagnostic biomarkers for psoriasis....
We conducted a pilot study to examine the relationship between organophosphate (OP)\nand pyrethroid (PYR) insecticides in blood and their metabolites in urine. A total of 30 pregnant\nwomen were enrolled in the study, and blood and urine was sampled from each subject during a\nregular clinic visit. Two OP and nine PYR insecticides were selected for blood sample analysis, while\nsix OP and five PYR metabolites were analyzed for urine specimens. Both types of samples were\nprocessed and analyzed on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For OPs in blood, chlorpyrifos\nhad a higher mean concentration (73.33 microg/L) than terbufos. For PYRs in blood, cypermethrin and\nimiprothrin were the most frequently detected species with the highest mean concentrations (151.25\nand 141.25 microg/L). .............................
Baclofen is a racemic mixture that is commonly used for the treatment for spasticity.\nHowever, the optimal dose and dosing interval to achieve effective cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)\nconcentrations of baclofen are not known. Moreover, it is unclear if there are differences in the ability\nof R- or S-baclofen to cross the bloodâ??brain barrier and achieve effective CSF concentrations. We have\nvalidated a liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method\nwith improved selectivity and sensitivity for the simultaneous quantitation of R- and S-baclofen\nand metabolites in plasma and CSF. .............................
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