Exhaled Metabolite Patterns to Identify Recent Asthma Exacerbations

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that can lead to exacerbations, defined as acute episodes of worsening respiratory symptoms and lung function. Predicting the occurrence of these exacerbations is an important goal in asthma management. The measurement of exhaled breath by electronic nose (eNose) may allow for the monitoring of clinically unstable asthma and exacerbations. However, data on its ability to perform this is lacking. We aimed to evaluate whether eNose could identify patients that recently had asthma exacerbations. We performed a cross-sectional study, measuring exhaled breath using the SpiroNose in adults with a physician-reported diagnosis of asthma. Patients were randomly divided into a training (n = 252) and validation (n = 109) set. For the analysis of eNose signals, principal component (PC) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were performed. LDA, based on PC1-4, reliably discriminated between patients who had a recent exacerbation from those who had not (training receiver operating characteristic (ROC)–area under the curve (AUC) = 0.76,95% CI 0.69–0.82), (validation AUC = 0.76, 95% CI 0.64–0.87). Our study showed that, exhaled breath analysis using eNose could accurately identify asthma patients who recently had an exacerbation, and could indicate that asthma exacerbations have a specific exhaled breath pattern detectable by eNose.

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Non-invasive detection of silicosis based on array sensing and pattern recognition

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202127103030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 271 ◽

pp. 03030

Author(s):

Wufan Xuan ◽

Zhen Han ◽

Lina Zheng

Keyword(s):

Pattern Recognition ◽

Sensor Array ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Gradient Boosting ◽

Exhaled Breath ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Linear Discriminant ◽

Extreme Gradient Boosting ◽

Fibrotic Lung Disease

Silicosis is a fibrotic lung disease caused by inhalation of silica dusts, early and accurate diagnosis of which remains a challenge. We aimed to assess the performance of a nanofiber sensor array and pattern recognition to promptly and noninvasively detect silicosis. A total of 210 silicosis cases and 430 non-silicosis controls were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Exhaled breath was analysed by a portable analytical system incorporating an array of 16x organic nanofiber sensors. Models were established by Deep Neural Network and eXtreme Gradient Boosting. Linear Discriminant Analysis was used for dimensionality reduction and visualized data analysis. Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were used to evaluate models. Results: 99.3% AUC, 96.0% accuracy, 94.1% sensitivity, and 96.3% specificity were achieved in test set. Silicosis cases present different breath patterns from healthy controls, classification results using which were highly consistent with the experts’ diagnosis. Breath analysis performed with the sensor array and pattern recognition is expected to provide a quick, stable recognition for silicosis. In this paper, different forms of features, different algorithms and data sets over long time periods were used, which provides a reference for silicosis expiratory diagnosis scheme.

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Dynamics of exhaled breath temperature after smoking a cigarette and its association with lung function changes predictive of COPD risk in smokers: a cross-sectional study

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology ◽

10.2478/aiht-2019-70-3211 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 123-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ivana Huljev Šipoš ◽

Slavica Labor ◽

Iva Jurić ◽

Davor Plavec ◽

Kristian Vlahoviček ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Function ◽

Cigarette Smoke ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Repeated Measurements ◽

Cigarette Smoke Exposure ◽

Index Number ◽

Exhaled Breath ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

AbstractExhaled breath temperature (EBT) is a biomarker of inflammation and vascularity of the airways already shown to predict incident COPD. This cross-sectional study was aimed to assess the potential of EBT in identifying “healthy” smokers susceptible to cigarette smoke toxicity of the airways and to the risk of developing COPD by analysing the dynamics of EBT after smoking a cigarette and its associations with their demographics (age, smoking burden) and lung function. The study included 55 current smokers of both sexes, 29–62 years of age, with median smoking exposure of 15 (10–71.8) pack-years. EBT was measured at baseline and 5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min after smoking a single cigarette. Lung function was measured with spirometry followed by a bronchodilator test. To compare changes in EBT between repeated measurements we used the analysis of variance and the area under the curve (EBTAUC) as a dependent variable. Multivariate regression analysis was used to look for associations with patient characteristics and lung function in particular. The average (±SD) baseline EBT was 33.42±1.50 °C. The highest significant increase to 33.84 (1.25) °C was recorded 5 min after the cigarette was smoked (p=0.003), and it took one hour for it to return to the baseline. EBTAUC showed significant repeatability (ICC=0.85, p<0.001) and was significantly associated with age, body mass index, number of cigarettes smoked a day, baseline EBT, and baseline FEF75 (R2=0.39, p<0.001 for the model). Our results suggest that EBT after smoking a single cigarette could be used as early risk predictor of changes associated with chronic cigarette smoke exposure.

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Real Time Breath Analysis Using Portable Gas Chromatography for Adult Asthma Phenotypes

Metabolites ◽

10.3390/metabo11050265 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 265

Author(s):

Ruchi Sharma ◽

Wenzhe Zang ◽

Menglian Zhou ◽

Nicole Schafer ◽

Lesa A. Begley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Chromatography ◽

Real Time ◽

Rapid Assessment ◽

Principal Component ◽

Corticosteroid Treatment ◽

Breath Analysis ◽

Blood Eosinophil ◽

Exhaled Breath ◽

Respiratory Illnesses ◽

Linear Discriminant

Asthma is heterogeneous but accessible biomarkers to distinguish relevant phenotypes remain lacking, particularly in non-Type 2 (T2)-high asthma. Moreover, common clinical characteristics in both T2-high and T2-low asthma (e.g., atopy, obesity, inhaled steroid use) may confound interpretation of putative biomarkers and of underlying biology. This study aimed to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath that distinguish not only asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects, but also atopic non-asthmatic controls and also by variables that reflect clinical differences among asthmatic adults. A total of 73 participants (30 asthma, eight atopic non-asthma, and 35 non-asthma/non-atopic subjects) were recruited for this pilot study. A total of 79 breath samples were analyzed in real-time using an automated portable gas chromatography (GC) device developed in-house. GC-mass spectrometry was also used to identify the VOCs in breath. Machine learning, linear discriminant analysis, and principal component analysis were used to identify the biomarkers. Our results show that the portable GC was able to complete breath analysis in 30 min. A set of nine biomarkers distinguished asthma and non-asthma/non-atopic subjects, while sets of two and of four biomarkers, respectively, further distinguished asthmatic from atopic controls, and between atopic and non-atopic controls. Additional unique biomarkers were identified that discriminate subjects by blood eosinophil levels, obese status, inhaled corticosteroid treatment, and also acute upper respiratory illnesses within asthmatic groups. Our work demonstrates that breath VOC profiling can be a clinically accessible tool for asthma diagnosis and phenotyping. A portable GC system is a viable option for rapid assessment in asthma.

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Higher Omega-3 Index Is Associated with Better Asthma Control and Lower Medication Dose: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12010074 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 74 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Isobel Stoodley ◽

Manohar Garg ◽

Hayley Scott ◽

Lesley Macdonald-Wicks ◽

Bronwyn Berthon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Asthma Control ◽

Inhaled Corticosteroids ◽

Asthma Management ◽

Airway Disease ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Erythrocyte Membranes ◽

Omega 3 ◽

Asthma Control Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, associated with systemic inflammation. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have established anti-inflammatory effects, thus having potential as an adjunct therapy in asthma. This study aimed to compare erythrocyte n-3 PUFA in adults with (n = 255) and without (n = 137) asthma and determine the relationship between erythrocyte n-3 PUFA and clinical asthma outcomes. Subjects had blood collected, lung function measured and Juniper Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score calculated. Fatty acids were measured in erythrocyte membranes by gas chromatography, and the omega-3 index (O3I) was calculated (% eicosapentaenoic acid + % docosahexaenoic acid). O3I was similar in subjects with and without asthma (p = 0.089). A higher O3I was observed in subjects with controlled or partially controlled asthma (ACQ < 1.5) compared to subjects with uncontrolled asthma (ACQ ≥ 1.5) (6.0% (5.4–7.2) versus 5.6% (4.6–6.4) p = 0.033). Subjects with a high O3I (≥8%) had a lower maintenance dose of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) compared to those with a low O3I (<8%) (1000 μg (400–1000) versus 1000 μg (500–2000) p = 0.019). This study demonstrates that a higher O3I is associated with better asthma control and with lower ICS dose, suggesting that a higher erythrocyte n-3 PUFA level may have a role in asthma management.

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An analysis of heavy metals contamination and estimating the daily intakes of vegetables from Uganda

Toxicology Research and Application ◽

10.1177/2397847320985255 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 239784732098525

Author(s):

Keneth Iceland Kasozi ◽

Eric Oloya Otim ◽

Herbert Izo Ninsiima ◽

Gerald Zirintunda ◽

Andrew Tamale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Principal Component ◽

Absorption Spectrometry ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Essential Elements ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Organization ◽

Daily Intakes

Background: Environmental contamination with elevated levels of copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr6+), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni)—all states of which are found in Uganda—raises health risk to the public. Pb, Cr6+, Cd, and Ni for instance are generally considered nonessential to cellular functions, notwithstanding the importance of the oxidative state of the metals in bioavailability. As such, we aimed in this study (i) to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in four vegetables from a typical open-air market in Uganda, (ii) to assess the safety of consuming these vegetables against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits of heavy metals consumption, and (iii) to formulate a model of estimated daily intake (EDI) among consumers in the country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five georeferenced markets of Bushenyi district in January 2020. Amaranthus, cabbages, scarlet eggplants, and tomatoes were collected from open markets, processed, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Modeled EDI, principal component (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were conducted to identify relationships in the samples. Results: The levels of essential elements in the four vegetables were found to fall from Co > Cu > Fe > Zn. Those of non-essential metals were significantly higher and followed the pattern Cd > Cr > Pb > Ni. The highest EDI values were those of Cu in scarlet eggplants, Zn in amaranthus, Fe in amaranthus, Co in amaranthus, Pb in cabbages, total Cr in scarlet eggplant, Cd in cabbages and tomatoes, and Ni in cabbages. In comparison to international limits, EDIs for Zn, Cu, Co and Fe were low while Ni in cabbages were high. PCA showed high variations in scarlet eggplant and amaranthus. The study vegetables were found to be related with each other, not according to the location of the markets from where they were obtained, but according to their species by CA. Conclusion: The presence of non-essential elements above WHO limits raises policy challenges for the consumption and marketing of vegetables in the study area. Furthermore, low EDIs of essential elements in the vegetables create demand for nutritious foods to promote healthy communities.

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Removable denture is a risk indicator for peri-implantitis and facilitates expansion of specific periodontopathogens: a cross-sectional study

BMC Oral Health ◽

10.1186/s12903-021-01529-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jasmin Grischke ◽

Szymon P. Szafrański ◽

Uthayakumar Muthukumarasamy ◽

Susanne Haeussler ◽

Meike Stiesch

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Species ◽

Positive Association ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Risk Indicators ◽

Risk Indicator ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Linear Discriminant ◽

Removable Denture

Abstract Background The prevalence of peri-implantitis ranges between 7 and 38.4% depending on risk indicators such as smoking, diabetes mellitus, lack of periodontal maintenance program, and history or presence of periodontitis. Currently, the possible effect of the type of superstructure on peri-implant health is unclear. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the influence of the superstructure on the prevalence of peri-implant mucositis, peri-implantitis and peri-implant dysbiosis. Methods During a 32-month recruitment period dental implants were assessed to diagnose healthy peri-implant tissues, mucositis or peri-implantitis. The study included 1097 implants in 196 patients. Out of all peri-implantitis cases 20 randomly chosen submucosal biofilms from implants with fixed denture (FD) originating from 13 patients and 11 biofilms from implants with removable dentures (RD) originating from 3 patients were studied for microbiome analysis. Composition of transcriptionally active biofilms was revealed by RNAseq. Metatranscriptomic profiles were created for thirty-one peri-implant biofilms suffering from peri-implantitis and microbiome changes associated with superstructure types were identified. Results 16.41% of the implants were diagnosed with peri-implantitis, 25.00% of implants with RD and 12.68% of implants with FD, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed a significant positive association on patient (p = < 0.001) and implant level (p = 0.03) between the prevalence of peri-implantitis and RD. Eight bacterial species were associated either with FD or RD by linear discriminant analysis effect size method. However, significant intergroup confounders (e.g. smoking) were present. Conclusions Within the limitations of the present work, RDs appear to be a risk indicator for peri-implantitis and seem to facilitate expansion of specific periodontopathogens. Potential ecological and pathological consequences of shift in microbiome from RDs towards higher activity of Fusobacterium nucleatum subspecies animalis and Prevotella intermedia require further investigation.

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P0614URINARY EXOSOMAL MICRORNA-21 AS A MARKER OF SCRUB TYPHUS-ASSOCIATED ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation ◽

10.1093/ndt/gfaa142.p0614 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

In O Sun ◽

Kwang Young Lee ◽

A Young Cho

Keyword(s):

Acute Kidney Injury ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Scrub Typhus ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Kidney Injury ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Total Leukocyte Count ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Exosomal Mirna

Abstract Background and Aims Urinary microRNA (miRNA)-21 is reported to be a biomarker for detection of acute kidney injury (AKI). Analysis of urinary exsome may serve as a novel diagnostic approach in kidney disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical significance of urinary exosomal miRNA-21 for AKI in patients with scrub typhus. Method In a cross-sectional study, we collected 138 urine samples at the time of admission from 145 patients with scrub typhus. For 25 patients with scrub typhus-associated AKI and 25 age, sex-matched scrub typhus patient without AKI, we measured miRNA-21 in urinary exosomal fraction and compared diagnostic value in predictiong AKI. Results Compared with patients in the non-AKI group, patients in the AKI group were more likely to have one or more comorbidity such as diabetes (50% vs. 5%, P<0.01) and chronic kidney disease (8% vs. 0%, P<0.01). Total leukocyte count were higher in patients with AKI than in those without AKI (10.40 × 103/ mL vs. 6.40 × 103/mL, P<0.01). The levels of urinary miRNA-21 were higher in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group. Urinary exosomal miRNA-21 levels correlated directly with serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin values and total leukocyte counts and inversely with estimated glomerular filtration rate. The receiver operator characteristics curve analysis for urinary exosomal miRNA-21 showed good discriminative power for the diagnosis of scrub typhus-associated AKI, with area under the curve value of 0.907. Conclusion Urinary exosomal miRNA-21 could be a surrogate markers for the diagnosis of scrub typhus–associated AKI.

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Pattern recognition control of multifunction myoelectric prostheses by patients with congenital transradial limb defects: a preliminary study

Prosthetics and Orthotics International ◽

10.1177/0309364611420905 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 395-401 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Michael Kryger ◽

Aimee E Schultz ◽

Todd Kuiken

Keyword(s):

Pattern Recognition ◽

Success Factors ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Residual Limb ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Linear Discriminant ◽

Myoelectric Prostheses ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Emg Pattern Recognition

Background: Electromyography (EMG) pattern recognition offers the potential for improved control of multifunction myoelectric prostheses. However, it is unclear whether this technology can be successfully used by congenital amputees. Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to assess the ability of congenital transradial amputees to control a virtual multifunction prosthesis using EMG pattern recognition and compare their performance to that of acquired amputees from a previous study. Study Design: Preliminary cross-sectional study. Methods: Four congenital transradial amputees trained and tested a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier with four wrist movements, five hand movements, and a no-movement class. Subjects then tested the classifier in real time using a virtual arm. Results: Performance metrics for the residual limb were poorer than those with the intact limb (classification accuracy: 52.1%±15.0% vs. 93.2%±15.8%; motion-completion rate: 49.0%±23.0% vs. 84.0%±9.4%; motion-completion time: 2.05±0.75 s vs. 1.13±0.05 s, respectively). On average, performance with the residual limb by congenital amputees was reduced compared to that reported for acquired transradial amputees. However, one subject performed similarly to acquired amputees. Conclusions: Pattern recognition control may be a viable option for some congenital amputees. Further study is warranted to determine success factors.

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Association of Dietary Patterns with Metabolic Syndrome: Results from the Kardiovize Brno 2030 Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10070898 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 898 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Antonella Agodi ◽

Andrea Maugeri ◽

Sarka Kunzova ◽

Ondrej Sochor ◽

Hana Bauerova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Dietary Pattern ◽

International Diabetes Federation ◽

Principal Component ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Western Dietary Pattern ◽

High Adherence

Although metabolic syndrome (MetS) could be handled by lifestyle interventions, its relationship with dietary patterns remains unclear in populations from Central Europe. Using data from the Kardiovize Brno cohort, the present study aims to identify the main dietary patterns and to evaluate their association with MetS risk in a random urban sample from Brno, Czech Republic. In a cross-sectional study of 1934 subjects aged 25–65 years (44.3% male), dietary patterns were derived by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) administration and principal component analysis. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation statement. Logistic regression models were applied. High adherence to the prudent dietary pattern was associated with lower odds of abdominal obesity, abnormal glucose concentration, and MetS. By contrast, high adherence to the western dietary pattern was associated with higher odds of abnormal glucose, triglycerides and blood pressure levels. Whilst our results confirm the deleterious effect of a western dietary pattern on several metabolic risk factors, they also indicate that the consumption of a diet rich in cereals, fish, fruit and vegetables is associated with a healthier metabolic profile. However, further prospective research is warranted to develop and validate novel potential preventive strategies against MetS and its complications.

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Association of acylated ghrelin profiles with chronic inflammatory markers in overweight and obese postmenopausal women: a MONET study

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-07-0038 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 157 (4) ◽

pp. 419-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

David H St-Pierre ◽

Jean-Philippe Bastard ◽

Lise Coderre ◽

Martin Brochu ◽

Antony D Karelis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Postmenopausal Women ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Blood Lipid ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Acylated Ghrelin ◽

Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic Clamp ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Maximal Reduction

Objective: Recent reports have suggested that the existence of associations between hormonal dysregulation and chronic upregulation of inflammatory markers, which may cause obesity-related disturbances. Thus, we examined whether acylated ghrelin (AcylG) and total ghrelin (TotG) levels could be associated with the following inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNF-R1). Design: Cross-sectional study consisting of 50 overweight and obese postmenopausal women. Methods: AcylG and TotG levels were assessed at 0, 60, 160, 170, and 180 min of the euglycemic/hyperinsulinemic clamp (EHC). We evaluated insulin sensitivity, body composition, and blood lipid profiles as well as fasting concentrations of CRP, TNF-α, and sTNF-R1. Results: In fasting conditions, sTNF-R1 was negatively correlated with AcylG (r = −0.48, P < 0.001) levels. In addition, AcylG/TotG was associated negatively with sTNF-R1 (r = −0.44, P = 0.002) and positively with TNF-α (r = 0.38, P = 0.009) values. During the EHC, TotG (at all time points) and AcylG (at 60 and 160 min) values were significantly decreased from fasting concentrations. AcylG maximal reduction and area under the curve (AUC) values were correlated to sTNF-R1 (r = −0.35, P = 0.02 and r = −0.34, P = 0.02, respectively). Meanwhile, the AcylG/TotG AUC ratio was associated negatively with sTNF-R1 (r = −0.29, P < 0.05) and positively with TNF-α (r = 0.36, P = 0.02). Following adjustments for total adiposity, sTNF-R1 remained correlated with fasting and maximal reduction AcylG values. Similarly, AcylG/TotG ratios remained significantly correlated with sTNF-R1 and TNF-α. Importantly, 23% of the variation in sTNF-R1 was independently predicted by fasting AcylG. Conclusion: These results are the first to suggest that both fasting and EHC-induced AcylG profiles are correlated with fasting values of sTNF-R1, a component of the TNF-α system. Thus, AcylG may act, at least in part, as one mediator of chronic inflammatory activity in human obesity.

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