Journal of breath research最新文献

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer associated with asbestos exposure. MPM is often diagnosed late, at a point where limited treatment options are available, but early intervention could improve the chances of successful treatment for MPM patients. Biomarkers to detect MPM in at-risk individuals are needed to implement early diagnosis technologies. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have previously shown diagnostic potential as biomarkers when analysed in MPM patient breath. In this study, chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) xenografts of MPM cell lines were used as models of MPM tumour development for VOC biomarker discovery with the aim of generating targets for investigation in breath, biopsies or other complex matrices. VOC headspace analysis of biphasic or epithelioid MPM CAM xenografts was performed using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We successfully demonstrated the capture, analysis and separation of VOC signatures from CAM xenografts and controls. A panel of VOCs was identified that showed discrimination between MPM xenografts generated from biphasic and epithelioid cells and CAM controls. This is the first application of the CAM xenograft model for the discovery of VOC biomarkers associated with MPM histological subtypes. These findings support the potential utility of non-invasive VOC profiling from breath or headspace analysis of tissues for detection and monitoring of MPM.

The¹³C-sucrose breath test (¹³C-SBT) has been proposed to estimate sucrase-isomaltase (SIM) activity and is a promising test for SIM deficiency, which can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, and for intestinal mucosal damage caused by gut dysfunction or chemotherapy. We previously showed how various summary measures of the¹³C-SBT breath curve reflect SIM inhibition. However, it is uncertain how the performance of these classifiers is affected by test duration. We leveraged¹³C-SBT data from a cross-over study in 16 adults who received 0, 100, and 750 mg of Reducose, an SIM inhibitor. We evaluated the performance of a pharmacokinetic-model-based classifier,ρ, and three empirical classifiers (cumulative percent dose recovered at 90 min (cPDR90), time to 50% dose recovered, and time to peak dose recovery rate), as a function of test duration using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We also assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of consensus classifiers. Test durations of less than 2 h generally failed to accurately predict later breath curve dynamics. The cPDR90 classifier had the highest ROC area-under-the-curve and, by design, was robust to shorter test durations. For detecting mild SIM inhibition,ρhad a higher sensitivity. We recommend¹³C-SBT tests run for at least a 2 h duration. Although cPDR90 was the classifier with highest accuracy and robustness to test duration in this application, concerns remain about its sensitivity to misspecification of the CO₂production rate. More research is needed to assess these classifiers in target populations.

Polymeric bags are a widely applied, simple, and cost-effective method for the storage and offline analysis of gaseous samples. Various materials have been used as sampling bags, all known to contain impurities and differing in their cost, durability, and storage capabilities. Herein, we present a comparative study of several well-known bag materials, Tedlar (PVF), Kynar (PVDF), Teflon (PTFE), and Nalophan (PET), as well as a new material, ethylene vinyl copolymer (EVOH), commonly used for storing food. We investigated the influences of storage conditions, humidity, bag cleaning, and light exposure on volatile organic compound concentration (acetone, acetic acid, isoprene, benzene, limonene, among others) in samples of exhaled human breath stored in bags for up to 48 h. Specifically, we show high losses of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in bags of all materials (for most SCFAs, less than 50% after 8 h of storage). We found that samples in Tedlar, Nalophan, and EVOH bags undergo changes in composition when exposed to UV radiation over a period of 48 h. We report high initial impurity levels in all the bags and their doubling after a period of 48 h. We compare secondary electrospray ionization and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry in the context of offline analysis after storage in sampling bags. We provide an analytical perspective on the temporal evolution of bag contents by presenting the intensity changes of all significantm/zfeatures. We also present a simple, automated, and cost-effective offline sample introduction system, which enables controlled delivery of collected gaseous samples from polymeric bags into the mass spectrometer. Overall, our findings suggest that sampling bags exhibit high levels of impurities, are sensitive to several environmental factors (e.g. light exposure), and provide low recoveries for some classes of compounds, e.g. SCFAs.

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a widely utilized volatile chemical in industrial applications, including dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Exposure to PCE potentially presents a significant health risk to workers as well as communities near contamination sites. Adverse health effects arise not only from PCE, but also from PCE degradation products, such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). PCE, TCE, and VC can contaminate water, soil, and air, leading to exposure through multiple pathways, including inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. This study focused on a community setting in Martinsville, Indiana, a working-class Midwestern community in the United States, where extensive PCE contamination has occurred due to multiple contamination sites (referring to 'plumes'), including a Superfund site. Utilizing proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS), PCE, TCE, and VC concentrations were measured in the exhaled breath of 73 residents from both within and outside the plume areas. PCE was detected in 66 samples, TCE in 26 samples, and VC in 68 samples. Our results revealed a significant positive correlation between the concentrations of these compounds in exhaled breath and indoor air (Pearson correlation coefficients: PCE = 0.75, TCE = 0.71, and VC = 0.89). This study confirms the presence of PCE and its degradation products in exhaled breath in a community exposure investigation, demonstrating the potential of using exhaled breath analysis in monitoring exposure to environmental contaminants. This study showed the feasibility of utilizing PTR-TOF-MS in community investigations to assess exposure to PCE and its degradation products by measuring these compounds in exhaled breath and indoor air.

Lung cancer subtyping, particularly differentiating adenocarcinoma (ADC) from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), is paramount for clinicians to develop effective treatment strategies. In this study, we aimed: (i) to discover volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers for precise diagnosis of ADC and SCC, (ii) to investigated the impact of risk factors on ADC and SCC prediction, and (iii) to explore the metabolic pathways of VOC biomarkers. Exhaled breath samples from patients with ADC (n= 149) and SCC (n= 94) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Both multivariate and univariate statistical analysis method were employed to identify VOC biomarkers. Support vector machine (SVM) prediction models were developed and validated based on these VOC biomarkers. The impact of risk factors on ADC and SCC prediction was investigated. A panel of 13 VOCs was found to differ significantly between ADC and SCC. Utilizing the SVM algorithm, the VOC biomarkers achieved a specificity of 90.48%, a sensitivity of 83.50%, and an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.958 on the training set. On the validation set, these VOC biomarkers attained a predictive power of 85.71% for sensitivity and 73.08% for specificity, along with an AUC value of 0.875. Clinical risk factors exhibit certain predictive power on ADC and SCC prediction. Integrating these risk factors into the prediction model based on VOC biomarkers can enhance its predictive accuracy. This work indicates that exhaled breath holds the potential to precisely detect ADCs and SCCs. Considering clinical risk factors is essential when differentiating between these two subtypes.

The features of functional constipation (FC)-associated halitosis were identified in the author's previous report. In this report, the author aimed to further investigate its treatment and efficacy. This retrospective study reviewed 100 FC patients, including 82 (82%) halitosis patients and 18 (18%) non-halitosis patients. They underwent the organoleptic test (OLT) to diagnose halitosis, and the organoleptic score (OLS) (0-5) was used to evaluated halitosis severity. The Cleveland Clinical Constipation Score (CCCS) (0-30) was used to evaluate FC severity. Patients were treated with the laxative polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder (PGEP) for four weeks. These tests were performed before and after treatment. The author found that, before treatment, the CCCS was 20.00 (18.00-23.00) for all patients, 21.00 (19.00-24.00) for halitosis patients, and 18.00 (17.00-18.25) for non-halitosis patients. A significant difference was observed between halitosis patients and non-halitosis patients (P< 0.001). The OLS for halitosis patients was 3.00 (3.00-4.00). A positive correlation (r= 0.814, 95% CI: 0.732-0.872,P< 0.001) was found between OLS and CCCS. A CCCS ⩾18 predicted over 50% probability of halitosis. After treatment, the CCCS significantly decreased to 11.50 (6.00-14.75) (P< 0.001), and OLS significantly decreased to 1.00 (0.00-2.00) (P< 0.001). A positive correlation (r= 0.770, 95% CI: 0.673-0.841,P< 0.001) persisted between OLS and CCCS. A pre-treatment CCCS ⩾21 predicted over 50% probability of post-treatment halitosis, while a post-treatment CCCS ⩾12 predicted over 50% probability of post-treatment halitosis. The author concludes that the severity of FC parallels the severity of FC-associated halitosis, and can predict the probability of halitosis. Laxative treatment with PGEP is effective in improving FC-associated halitosis.