1,721,064 research outputs found
Spit it out! How could the sputum proteome aid clinical research into pulmonary diseases?
No full textConductivity in Exhaled Breath Condensate from Subjects with Emphysema and Type ZZ alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
No full textThe assessment of biomarkers in biological samples from the lung has long been employed. Upon cooling water vapor present in exhaled breath, variable amounts of droplets of condensate (EBC) containing volatile and non-volatile compounds may be easily and non-invasively obtained from patients of any age.Objective of the present study was to compare the level of EBC conductivity determined for cohorts of individuals with different inflammatory lung disorders with that of healthy never-smoking individuals.The conductivity in EBC of PiZZ-Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency patients with a diagnosis of emphysema (PiZZ-AATD) was 3 fold lower than in spouse controls (54.5 ± 11.6 vs 165.3 ± 10.7 μS/cm). Non-PiZZ emphysema patients had conductivity in EBC of 59.6 ± 5.8 μS/cm and patients with sarcoidosis without airflow obstruction had EBC conductivity of 178,8 ± 6,2 μS/cm,
not significantly different (p = 0.5) from healthy controls. Conductivity in serial EBC samples from patients with PiZZ-AATD emphysema and healthy controls was stable in 6 different samples collected over a period of 14 months. We conclude that conductivity values in EBC can be used as a correction factor for dilution of non-volatile components in EBC
Nuclear magnetic resonance as an attractive resource for monitoring surveillance candidates of acute and chronic lung disorders
No full textMetabolomics is the comprehensive study of metabolites, i.e. substrates and end-products of cell metabolism. These are low-molecular weight molecules which include amino, nucleic and organic acids, peptides, carbohydrates, vitamins, polyphenols, alkaloids and inorganic species. Being metabolite concentration influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, their amount directly reflects the underlying biochemical activity and state of cells, tissues or organisms. Profiling the metabolome could thus represent the molecular phenotype better than other approaches such as genomics and proteomics. Among the available procedures (Gas Chromatography-/Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HR-NMR) is currently one of the leading analytical tools for metabolomic research due to its peculiarities. The distinctive advantage of NMR over other methods is the possibility to perform an inherent quantitative and untargeted analysis, also with respect to the chemical nature of metabolites. In addition, NMR shows a good reproducibility, a rapid acquisition time of spectra, and it is not destructive with regard to the sample for which little or no preparation is required. Taken together, these features have promoted NMR-assisted metabolomics to the rank of a valuable method for an efficient investigation of a variety of lung diseases. s S sAim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the applications of metabolomics to the study of acute and chronic lung disorders. Why focus on pulmonary disorders? First, by involving tens of million people, lung diseases are some of the most common medical conditions in the world. Second, the depth of analysis ultimately reached by current metabolomic procedures has provided a new and larger context for future studies on the biology of these conditions. This has allowed for the generation of metabolite profiles that could be useful for exploring pathological mechanisms and/or discovering new potential therapeutic targets for a variety of pulmonary disorders
Determination of amino acids by micellar EKC: recent advances in method development and novel applications to different matrices.
No full textThe extensive use of CE for the analysis of amino acids has been well documented in a series of research articles and reviews. Aim of this report is to address the attention of the reader on the recent advances of micellar electrokinetic chromatography for the separation and determination of these analytes. Enhancements in selectivity of this technique through the use of pseudostationary phases containing mixed micelles, polymers, and chiral selectors are presented. Selected applications concerning separation and quantitation of even minute amounts of amino acids in: (i) biological fluids; (ii) microdialysates; (iii) plant cells; (iv) food stuff; and (v) pharmaceutical formulations have also been covered. Advantages of MEKC over other techniques for the amino acid analysis have been underlined
Current LC methods for the separation and analysis of peptides and proteins
No full textProteins are biological macromolecules essential for maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the cell. Protein malfunction is often responsible for the onset of severe disorders. For the investigation of individual proteins or protein complexes and the identification of interactions with other biological macromolecules, purified proteins are required. They can be obtained from a tissue or by their overexpression in bacteria, yeast, or cultured mammalian cells and purification consists in their isolation from the source based on differences in their chemico-physical properties. The final objective is to maintain the highest level of functionality with the fewest contaminants. From among a variety of purification strategies, column chromatography is the primary method used. This chapter reviews the chromatographic procedures most applied in protein purification and discusses the purification schemes, their advantages, disadvantages, and potential problems. It also reports a survey on a good number of applications
MEKC: a powerful tool for the determination of amino acids in a variety of biomatrices.
No full textThe continued publication from year to year of new MEKC formulations for the analysis
of amino acids provides evidence that both CZE and MEKC still have a great power of
attraction in this area. The present review intends to cover the literature on MEKC of
amino acids from 2007 until present: it has been planned to follow the same format
of our previous review (Electrophoresis 2008, 29, 224–236) representing its ideal continuation.
In addition to methodological developments, the more recent practical applications
of MEKC procedures for the determination of amino acids in different matrices
will also be described here as an evidence, once again, of the suitability of this technique
on samples of different origin
Proteomic Analysis of Human Sputum for the Diagnosis of Lung Disorders: Where Are We Today?
No full textThe identification of markers of inflammatory activity at the early stages of pulmonary diseases which share common characteristics that prevent their clear differentiation is of great significance to avoid misdiagnosis, and to understand the intrinsic molecular mechanism of the disorder. The combination of electrophoretic/chromatographic methods with mass spectrometry is currently a promising approach for the identification of candidate biomarkers of a disease. Since the fluid phase of sputum is a rich source of proteins which could provide an early diagnosis of specific lung disorders, it is frequently used in these studies. This report focuses on the state-of-the-art of the application, over the last ten years (2011–2021), of sputum proteomics in the investigation of severe lung disorders such as COPD; asthma; cystic fibrosis; lung cancer and those caused by COVID-19 infection. Analysis of the complete set of proteins found in sputum of patients affected by these disorders has allowed the identification of proteins whose levels change in response to the organism’s condition. Understanding proteome dynamism may help in associating these proteins with alterations in the physiology or progression of diseases investigated
Could proteomics become a future useful tool to shed light on the mechanisms of rare neurodegenerative disorders?
Full text linkVery often the clinical features of rare neurodegenerative disorders overlap with those of other, more common clinical disturbances. As a consequence, not only the true incidence of these disorders is underestimated, but many patients also experience a significant delay before a definitive diagnosis. Under this scenario, it appears clear that any accurate tool producing information about the pathological mechanisms of these disorders would offer a novel context for their precise identification by strongly enhancing the interpretation of symptoms. With the advent of proteomics, detection and identification of proteins in different organs/tissues, aimed at understanding whether they represent an attractive tool for monitoring alterations in these districts, has become an area of increasing interest. The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the most recent applications of proteomics as a new strategy for identifying biomarkers with a clinical utility for the investigation of rare neurodegenerative disorders
Effect of calorie-protein supplementation on the cognitive recovery of patients with subacute stroke
No full textINTRODUCTION:
The objective of this study was to investigate whether protein-calorie supplementation may enhance the cognitive retrieval of patients with stroke.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A randomized, double-blind, controlled pilot clinical trial was performed comparing diet and diet plus protein-calorie supplementation regimens. The subjects were 48 patients with subacute stroke (>or14 days from index event). Anthropometric and nutritional (3-day diary) variables, cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination; MMSE) were determined before and 21 days after randomization in control and daily supplemented group (formula providing 250 kcal + 20 g protein).
RESULTS:
At day 21 after starting the protocol, only the supplemented group significantly improved their performance to MMSE (log(10)MMSE +0.6+/-0.4 score; P=0.01 from baseline).
CONCLUSIONS:
Protein-calorie supplementation may enhance the recovery of cognitive function in subacute stroke patients
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