Evaluation of the feasibility and preference of Nox-A1 type 2 ambulatory device for unattended home sleep test: a randomized crossover study

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - There is an increasing need for portable sleep monitoring in clinical practice, but there is no comparative study that used the same device for home and in-laboratory...     

Human cytomegalovirus UL18 alleviated human NK-mediated swine endothelial cell lysis

Human cytomegalovirus UL18, a MHC class I homologue, is known to serve as a natural killer cell (NK) decoy and to ligate NK inhibitory receptors to prevent lysis of an infected target cell. To explore whether the cell surface expression of UL18 represents a potential immune suppressive approach to evade NK-mediated cytotoxicity in the prevention of xenograft rejection, we examined the effect of the UL18 expression in vitro upon human NK-mediated cytotoxicity against swine endothelial cells (SECs). UL18 expression on SECs by a retroviral vector (PLNCX2) significantly suppressed NK-mediated SEC lysis by approximately 25-100%. The protective effect of UL18 could be mediated through ILT-2 inhibitory receptor on NKs. Additionally, the interaction between UL18 and NKs resulted in the significant reduction of IFN-gamma production. This study demonstrates that UL18 can serve as an effective tool for the evasion of NK-mediated cytotoxicity and for the inhibition of IFN-gamma production during xenograft rejection.     

Urinary Metabolomic Signatures in Obstructive Sleep Apnea through Targeted Metabolomic Analysis: A Pilot Study

Introduction

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very common sleep problem, and it is associated with serious morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard test for OSA, but it is expensive and requires specific facilities and equipment. Thus, novel screening methods are needed for effective diagnosis and follow-up in OSA.

Objectives

The aims of the study were to investigate the urinary metabolic signatures and identify potential urine markers for OSA using a mass spectrometry (MS)-based assay for targeted metabolomics.

Methods

Urine samples were collected from 48 male subjects who visited a sleep clinic for suspicious OSA. All underwent overnight in-laboratory polysomnography. The Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ p180 kit was used for targeted metabolomics.

Results

Among the 86 metabolites quantified, three acylcarnitines, one biogenic amine, two glycerophospholipids, and two sphingomyelins were differently expressed in OSA patients [apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5] compared with control groups (AHI <5 and/or simple snoring with no other sleep disorders). Additional partial correlation and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that long-chain acylcarnitine C14:1, symmetric dimethylarginine, and sphingomyelin C18:1 might be potential biomarkers for OSA. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed favorable predictive properties of these metabolites. Furthermore, a combination of the metabolites exceeding cutoff values yielded further improved sensitivity or specificity.

Conclusions

MS-based targeted metabolomics identified specific classes of urinary metabolites that were up-regulated in OSA patients. Further assessments in large populations are required to clarify the screening values of these metabolite markers.