基于虚拟仪器技术的血管壁动态信息无创检测与辅助诊断系统

为了在体外无损地实现对血管壁动态信息、心电和心音信号等医学信息多参数的综合同步检测以及分析和处理,利用虚拟仪器技术设计了血管壁动态信息多参数的无创检测辅助诊断系统．该系统硬件平台由信号输入模块、信号调理模块以及采集卡等三大模块组成。软件系统由开发虚拟仪器的流行软件LabVIEW编写,实现了数据的采集、实时显示、分析处理和存储等。初步的临床检测结果证实了本无创检测系统的可行性和临床应用的前景,为功能性无创辅助诊断与血管壁弹性（硬化）程度有关的血管疾病提供了一种新的方法。     

人的粪便、血浆、唾液、呼出气体中短链脂肪酸的分析

目的建立一种顶空气相色谱-串联质谱法(HS-GC/MS)快速检测人的粪便、血浆、唾液、呼出气体中短链脂肪酸(SCFAs)的方法,初步探索人的粪便、血浆、唾液、呼出气体中短链脂肪酸的相关性。方法样品无需处理直接封存于顶空进样瓶中,顶空进样;采用DB-FFAP毛细管柱(30 m×0.25 mm×0.25μm)分离;全扫描模式检测。结果人的粪便、血浆、唾液、呼出气体中均含有短链脂肪酸。在人的粪便、唾液样本中均检测到8个短链脂肪酸(乙酸、丙酸、异丁酸、丁酸、异戊酸、戊酸、异己酸、己酸);血浆、呼出气体样本中均检测到7个短链脂肪酸(未检测到异己酸)。结论初步推测人的粪便、血浆、唾液、呼出气体中的短链脂肪酸具有一定的相关性。本方法简单、快速、灵敏,可用于人的生物样品中短链脂肪酸的快速检测。     

拉曼光谱检测微生物的研究方法和进展北大核心

快速准确地识别和鉴定微生物对于环境科、食品质量以及医学诊断等领域研究至关重要。拉曼光谱(Raman spectroscopy)已经被证明是一种能够实现微生物快速诊断的新技术,在提供微生物指纹图谱信息的同时,能够快速、非标记、无创、敏感地在固体和液体环境中实现微生物单细胞水平的检测。本文简单介绍了拉曼光谱的基本概念和原理,重点综述了拉曼光谱微生物检测应用中的样品处理方法及光谱数据处理方法。除此之外,本文概括了拉曼光谱在细菌、病毒和真菌中的应用,其中单独概括了拉曼在细菌快速鉴定和抗生素药敏检测中的应用。最后,本文阐述了拉曼光谱在微生物检测中的挑战和展望。     

实时无标记细胞分析系统 (RTCA) 在药物心肌毒性检测和生物活性研究中的应用

实时无标记细胞分析系统 (Real time xCELLigence analysis system,RTCA) 是一种新型细胞检测技术,能够连续监测、记录及分析细胞活动产生的各种信息,在药物研究中的心肌毒性评估和细胞生物活性考察方面都可以发挥重要作用。文中首先对RTCA的原理与特点进行了介绍,然后分别对RTCA在心肌毒性和细胞生物活性研究中的应用现状进行了综述,为了解和使用RTCA提供了参考。RTCA技术具有实时无标记、非侵入性、高通量、准确性高等特点,不仅有助于药物研究和新药开发,在其他一些领域也有着广阔良好的应用前景。     

一种简便快速的聚合酶活性实时检测新方法

基于双链DNA结合染料能特异嵌入双链DNA发出荧光的原理,发展了一种实时检测DNA聚合酶活性的简便方法.在检测过程中,聚合酶的聚合反应进程被实时转换为荧光信号,通过监测荧光强度的变化实时检测聚合酶的活性及药物对聚合酶活性的影响.该方法不需要对DNA进行放射性同位素标记和荧光标记,也不需要聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和聚合酶链式反应,是一种简便、快速的聚合酶活性实时检测新方法,为研究抗肿瘤药物对聚合酶活性的影响提供了一种简捷方法,也将为相关疾病诊治和药物筛选提供一种新的思路.     

多功能磁共振造影剂研究进展

磁共振成像技术因对人体无创、任意方向断层扫描三维图像且分辨率较高、提供形态与功能两方面诊断评价等突出优点,成为了临床上用于疾病诊断的重要手段之一。临床上使用磁共振造影剂可以提高成像的分辨率和灵敏度,提高图像质量,增强对比度和可读性。但是,各种成像技术由于实现原理不同,具有各自的优势和缺陷,靠传统单一的诊断模式无法提供疾病的全面信息,因而在对各种复杂疾病进行诊断时会受到一定的限制。因此,将磁共振成像与其他成像技术如CT成像、超声成像等联合起来使用,则可以达到优势互补的效果,能为疾病的临床诊断提供更快捷精确的信息,同时可将磁共振成像与各种治疗方式结合在一起,即开发基于磁共振成像的诊断治疗一体化试剂,以实现对疾病的即时治疗和实时监控。本文主要介绍了磁共振成像造影剂的原理和种类,并且综述了目前国内外在基于磁共振成像的多功能造影剂/诊疗制剂这一领域的研究进展,最后就未来可能的研究方向进行了展望。     

实时荧光定量PCR在猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒研究中的应用

猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus,PRRSV)是一种严重危害种公猪和繁殖母猪及其仔猪的一种接触性传染病,是我国重要猪病病原体之一。建立一种快速、可靠的诊断方法,对于控制和消灭PRRSV至关重要。实时荧光定量PCR技术的发展为PRRSV在快速检测和鉴别诊断方面开辟了新思路。以下回顾了实时荧光定量PCR操作技术在PRRSV研究应用方面的研究进展,同时提出了该领域目前面临的问题,并对其未来发展方向进行了展望。     

光声光谱技术用于绿脓杆菌的鉴定

【目的】探索一种无创、快速、可靠、经济地鉴定绿脓杆菌的新方法。【方法】利用光声光谱技术分别对大肠杆菌、绿脓杆菌在35°C下培养24 h后产生的挥发性代谢产物(Bacterial volatile compounds,BVCs)进行连续检测,获得各细菌挥发性气体的光声光谱图谱,并用“逆向思维”的方法对其检测结果进行分析。【结果】利用光声光谱技术对绿脓杆菌、大肠杆菌的挥发性代谢产物进行检测分析,发现绿脓杆菌产生了较高浓度的氰化氢(HCN),而大肠杆菌并未检测出HCN,据此可以对绿脓杆菌进行初步鉴定。【结论】光声光谱技术为绿脓杆菌的鉴定提供了一种简单、快速、经济的方法。为加速其在临床中的应用,提出了“三步走”方案:建立“大数据”、完善“比对算法”、创建“自动检测-比对-校对-鉴定”系统。     

2型糖尿病患者呼吸丙酮影响因素分析

呼出气中的丙酮是糖尿病的潜在生物标志物,本文利用基于光腔衰荡光谱(cavity ringdown spectroscopy,CRDS)技术的呼吸丙酮分析仪对2型糖尿病患者(type 2 diabetic,T2D)呼出气中的丙酮浓度进行定量测量,分析丙酮与患者临床指标的关系,探索影响呼出气中丙酮浓度的因素,以期为糖尿病呼吸丙酮的临床应用提供参考.利用CRDS技术的呼吸丙酮分析仪测量147名T2D患者(81名男性,66名女性,年龄14~83岁)的512个呼出气体样品和52名健康人(30名男性,22名女性,年龄20~48岁)的119个呼出气体样品.对呼出气中的丙酮浓度与相应的血糖(blood glucose,BG)、糖化血红蛋白(glycohemoglobin A1C,A1C)、性别、年龄、身体质量指数(body mass index,BMI)、糖尿病患病年限及气体样本采集状态等指标,进行相关性统计分析并构建丙酮的多元线性回归模型.结果表明,性别、气体样本采集状态、BMI、年龄、A1C及BG等指标影响T2D患者的呼吸丙酮浓度.健康人呼吸丙酮浓度与性别、年龄及BMI无相关关系.T2D患者呼吸丙酮与BG及A1C均有弱相关关系,相关系数分别为0.093和0.1246.男性呼吸丙酮平均体积分数(1.75×10-6)显著性高于女性(1.15×10-6),且男性呼吸丙酮浓度随年龄的升高而降低(R=-0.154).男性呼吸丙酮浓度与BMI呈负相关(R=-0.2),且BMI25的患者呼吸丙酮平均体积分数(1.75×10-6)高于BMI25的患者(1.25×10-6).女性呼吸丙酮浓度与患病年限呈正相关(R=0.17),而男性呈负相关(R=-0.14).男性和女性空腹呼吸丙酮浓度均高于餐后2 h的呼吸丙酮浓度.多元线性回归分析结果表明,影响呼吸丙酮浓度的因素为:性别(β=0.374)、气体样本采集状态(β=-0.289)、A1C(β=0.083)、BG(β=0.002)、BMI(β=-0.046)及年龄(β=-0.009).     

基于 LUX 引物的 HBV 实时 PCR检测方法的建立

实时PCR技术因其快速、准确、灵敏度和重复性高、可减少交叉污染等特点而广泛应用于分子生物学和医学研究领域。本研究建立了一种基于LUX （Light Upon eXtension）引物的HBV病毒载量检测的实时定量PCR检测方法。通过检测系列稀释的HBV DNA（5-5×108拷贝/反应）来验证LUX实时分析的性能和灵敏度。结果表明该检测方法在Ct值和log10 HBV DNA浓度之间存在很好的线形关系,并且具有很高的灵敏度,检测低限可达每毫升血清中50拷贝的HBV。对91份阳性血清样品的检测和熔解曲线分析表明该方法具有很高的特异性。新建立的LUX实时检测方法为检测治疗效果、研究HBV病毒载量和疾病发展之间的关系提供了一种理想的工具。     

Translation of exhaled breath volatile analyses to sport and exercise applications

Background

Exhaled breath gases are becomingly increasingly investigated for use as non-invasive measurements for clinical diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic monitoring. Exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath, which make up the exhaled volatilome, offer a rich sample medium that provides both information to external exposures as well as endogenous metabolism. For these reasons, exhaled breath analyses can be extended further beyond disease-based investigations, and used for wider biomarker measurement purposes. The use of a rapid, non-invasive (and potentially non-physically demanding) test in an exercise and/or sporting situation may provide additional information for translation to performance sport, recreational exercise/fitness and clinical exercise health.

Aim of review

This review intends to provide an overview into the initial exploration of exhaled VOC measurements in sport and exercise science, and understand current limitations in knowledge and instrumentation that have restricted these methodologies in becoming common practice.

Key scientific concepts of review

Exhaled VOCs have been applied to sport/exercise investigations with a current emphasis on measurement of chemical exposure during and/or following exercise. This includes the measurement of disinfection by-products from chlorine-disinfected swimming pools, as well as exposure to petrochemicals from combustion engines (e.g. vehicle fumes). However, exhaled VOC measurements have been less employed in the context of performance sport. For example, the application of exhaled VOCs to map biochemical/physiological processes of intense exercise is currently under explored and warrants further study. Nevertheless, there is promise for exhaled VOC testing in the development of rapid/on-line anti-doping screens, with initial steps taken in this field.

     

The biogenesis of [Fe–S] clusters: the role of the unorthodox ABC ATPase,SufC, and the wider implications for understanding iron metabolism

Abstract

Oxidative stress is the hallmark of various chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Increased concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the lungs of such patients are reflected by elevated concentrations of oxidative stress markers in the breath, airways, lung tissue and blood. Traditionally, the measurement of these biomarkers has involved invasive procedures to procure the samples or to examine the affected compartments, to the patient's discomfort. As a consequence, there is a need for less or non-invasive approaches to measure oxidative stress. The collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has recently emerged as a non-invasive sampling method for real-time analysis and evaluation of oxidative stress biomarkers in the lower respiratory tract airways. The biomarkers of oxidative stress such as H₂O₂, F₂-isoprostanes, malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, antioxidants, glutathione and nitrosative stress such as nitrate/nitrite and nitrosated species have been successfully measured in EBC. The reproducibility, sensitivity and specificity of the methodologies used in the measurements of EBC oxidative stress biomarkers are discussed. Oxidative stress biomarkers also have been measured for various antioxidants in disease prognosis. EBC is currently used as a research and diagnostic tool in free radical research, yielding information on redox disturbance and the degree and type of inflammation in the lung. It is expected that EBC can be exploited to detect specific levels of biomarkers and monitor disease severity in response to appropriate prescribed therapy/treatment.     

Biomarkers of some pulmonary diseases in exhaled breath

Analysis of various biomarkers in exhaled breath allows completely non-invasive monitoring of inflammation and oxidative stress in the respiratory tract in inflammatory lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis and interstitial lung diseases. The technique is simple to perform, may be repeated frequently, and can be applied to children, including neonates, and patients with severe disease in whom more invasive procedures are not possible. Several volatile chemicals can be measured in the breath (nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia), and many non-volatile molecules (mediators, oxidation and nitration products, proteins) may be measured in exhaled breath condensate. Exhaled breath analysis may be used to quantify inflammation and oxidative stress in the respiratory tract, in differential diagnosis of airway disease and in the monitoring of therapy. Most progress has been made with exhaled nitric oxide (NO), which is increased in atopic asthma, is correlated with other inflammatory indices and is reduced by treatment with corticosteroids and antileukotrienes, but not (β₂-agonists. In contrast, exhaled NO is normal in COPD, reduced in CF and diagnostically low in primary ciliary dyskinesia. Exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) is increased in asthma, COPD and CF. Increased concentrations of 8-isoprostane, hydrogen peroxide, nitrite and 3-nitrotyrosine are found in exhaled breath condensate in inflammatory lung diseases. Furthermore, increased levels of lipid mediators are found in these diseases, with a differential pattern depending on the nature of the disease process. In the future it is likely that smaller and more sensitive analysers will extend the discriminatory value of exhaled breath analysis and that these techniques may be available to diagnose and monitor respiratory diseases in the general practice and home setting.     

Exhaled Aerosol Pattern Discloses Lung Structural Abnormality: A Sensitivity Study Using Computational Modeling and Fractal Analysis

Background

Exhaled aerosol patterns, also called aerosol fingerprints, provide clues to the health of the lung and can be used to detect disease-modified airway structures. The key is how to decode the exhaled aerosol fingerprints and retrieve the lung structural information for a non-invasive identification of respiratory diseases.

Objective and Methods

In this study, a CFD-fractal analysis method was developed to quantify exhaled aerosol fingerprints and applied it to one benign and three malign conditions: a tracheal carina tumor, a bronchial tumor, and asthma. Respirations of tracer aerosols of 1 µm at a flow rate of 30 L/min were simulated, with exhaled distributions recorded at the mouth. Large eddy simulations and a Lagrangian tracking approach were used to simulate respiratory airflows and aerosol dynamics. Aerosol morphometric measures such as concentration disparity, spatial distributions, and fractal analysis were applied to distinguish various exhaled aerosol patterns.

Findings

Utilizing physiology-based modeling, we demonstrated substantial differences in exhaled aerosol distributions among normal and pathological airways, which were suggestive of the disease location and extent. With fractal analysis, we also demonstrated that exhaled aerosol patterns exhibited fractal behavior in both the entire image and selected regions of interest. Each exhaled aerosol fingerprint exhibited distinct pattern parameters such as spatial probability, fractal dimension, lacunarity, and multifractal spectrum. Furthermore, a correlation of the diseased location and exhaled aerosol spatial distribution was established for asthma.

Conclusion

Aerosol-fingerprint-based breath tests disclose clues about the site and severity of lung diseases and appear to be sensitive enough to be a practical tool for diagnosis and prognosis of respiratory diseases with structural abnormalities.     

Breath biomarkers for detection of human liver diseases: preliminary study

Chronic liver disease is initially occult, has multiple aetiologies, involves complex diagnostic questions, and requires follow-up because progression is likely. Blood tests and biopsies are generally used, but have disadvantages. We have developed a new test for liver disease based on abnormal concentrations of metabolic products detected in exhaled breath. This test can be used, in conjunction with other clinically accepted diagnostic protocols, to detect and classify chronic liver diseases. Samples of breath collected from spontaneously breathing human subjects (86 patients presenting with 13 liver diseases and 109 subjects with normal liver function) were concentrated cryogenically and analysed by wide-bore capillary gas chromatography using various detectors. The concentrations of various molecules in exhaled breath were examined for potential use as biomarkers of liver function. Subjects with chronic liver diseases could be differentiated from those with normal liver function by comparing levels of breath carbonyl sulphide, carbon disulphide and isoprene; these differences were confirmed and correlated by comparing the levels with standard clinical blood markers of liver damage. The presence of chronic liver failure can thus be detected with sensitivity and specificity by quantifying sulphur-containing compounds arising from the abnormal metabolism associated with liver disease. The breath test we have developed appears to distinguish between hepatocellular and biliary tract aetiologies, and allows staging for severity. This approach may provide the clinician with a simple, non-invasive technique for use in the screening of large populations and follow-up for patients with chronic liver disease.     

Breath biomarkers for detection of human liver diseases: preliminary study

Chronic liver disease is initially occult, has multiple aetiologies, involves complex diagnostic questions, and requires follow-up because progression is likely. Blood tests and biopsies are generally used, but have disadvantages. We have developed a new test for liver disease based on abnormal concentrations of metabolic products detected in exhaled breath. This test can be used, in conjunction with other clinically accepted diagnostic protocols, to detect and classify chronic liver diseases. Samples of breath collected from spontaneously breathing human subjects (86 patients presenting with 13 liver diseases and 109 subjects with normal liver function) were concentrated cryogenically and analysed by wide-bore capillary gas chromatography using various detectors. The concentrations of various molecules in exhaled breath were examined for potential use as biomarkers of liver function. Subjects with chronic liver diseases could be differentiated from those with normal liver function by comparing levels of breath carbonyl sulphide, carbon disulphide and isoprene; these differences were confirmed and correlated by comparing the levels with standard clinical blood markers of liver damage. The presence of chronic liver failure can thus be detected with sensitivity and specificity by quantifying sulphur-containing compounds arising from the abnormal metabolism associated with liver disease. The breath test we have developed appears to distinguish between hepatocellular and biliary tract aetiologies, and allows staging for severity. This approach may provide the clinician with a simple, non-invasive technique for use in the screening of large populations and follow-up for patients with chronic liver disease.     

A new strategy based on real-time secondary electrospray ionization and high-resolution mass spectrometry to discriminate endogenous and exogenous compounds in exhaled breath

Breath is considered to be an easily accessible matrix, whose chemical composition relates to compounds present in blood. Therefore many metabolites are expected in exhaled breath, which may be used in the future for the development of diagnostic methods. In this article, a new strategy to discriminate between exhaled endogenous metabolites and exhaled exogenous contaminants by direct high-resolution mass spectrometry is introduced. The analysis of breath in real-time by secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry allows to interpret the origin of exhaled compounds. Exhaled metabolites that originate in the respiratory system show reproducible and significant patterns if plotted in real-time (>1 data point per second). An exhaled metabolite shows a signal that tends to rise at the end of a complete (forced) exhalation. In contrast, exogenous compounds, which may be present in room air, are gradually diluted by the air from the deeper lung and therefore show a trend of falling intensity. Signals found in breath by using this pattern recognition are linked to potential metabolites by comparison with online databases. In addition to this real-time approach, it is also shown how to combine this method with classical analytical methods in order to potentially identify unknown metabolites. Finally exhaled compounds following smoking a cigarette, chewing gum, or drinking coffee were investigated to underline the usefulness of this new approach.     

Determination of proteomic and metabolic composition of exhaled breath condensate of newborns

Here, the possibility of proteomic and metabolomic analysis of the composition of exhaled breath condensate of neonates with respiratory support. The developed method allows non-invasive collecting sufficient amount of the material for identification of disease-specific biomarkers. Samples were collected by using a condensing device that was incorporated into the ventilation system. The collected condensate was analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. The isolated substances were identified with a use of databases for proteins and metabolites. As a result, a number of compounds that compose the exhaled breath condensate was determined and can be considered as possible biomarkers of newborn diseases or stage of development.     

Proteomic analysis of exhaled breath condensate from single patients with pulmonary emphysema associated to alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency

The non-invasive character of exhaled breath (EBC) collection makes this fluid attractive for monitoring the respiratory tract by the measurement of various compounds. Because EBC is likely to reflect the composition of the airway-lining fluid, it can provide valuable information on possible disease states. Aim of our study was to apply proteomic technology to the study of EBC samples collected from single patients with pulmonary emphysema associated to alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency. The protein profiles from EBC of twenty patients and of twenty-five healthy individuals, used as controls, have been analyzed in parallel by a combination of 1-DE, 2-DE, micro-HPLC and MS. These sensitive techniques allowed to identify a number of cytokines and cytokeratins. Their level was found to be higher in patients than in controls.     

Microalgae as a source of stable isotopically labeled compounds

Microalgae have the ability to convert inorganic compounds into organic compounds. When they are cultured in the presence of stable (non-radioactive) isotopes (i.e.¹³CO₂,¹⁵NO ₃ ^– ,²H₂O) their biomass becomes labeled with the stable isotopes, and a variety of stable isotopically-labeled compounds can be extracted and purified from that biomass.Two applications for stable isotopically-labeled compounds are as cell culture nutrients and as breath test diagnostics. Bacteria that are cultured with labeled nutrients will produce bacterial products that are labeled with stable isotopes. The presence of these isotopes in the bacterial products, along with recent developments in NMR technology, greatly reduces the time and effort required to determine the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules and the interaction of proteins with ligands. As breath test diagnostics, compounds labeled with¹³C are used to measure the metabolism of particular organs and thus diagnose various disease conditions. These tests are based on the principle that a particular compound is metabolized primarily by a single organ, and when that compound is labeled with¹³C, the appearance of¹³CO₂ in exhaled breath provides information about the metabolic activity of the target organ. Tests of this type are simple to perform, non-invasive, and less expensive than many conventional diagnostic procedures.The commercialization of stable isotopically labeled compounds requires that these compounds be produced in a cost-effective manner. Our approach is to identify microalgal overproducers of the desired compounds, maximize the product content of those organisms, and purify the resulting products.