A rapid magnetic bead-based immunoassay for sensitive determination of diclofenac

Increasing contamination of environmental waters with pharmaceuticals represents an emerging threat for the drinking water quality and safety. In this regard, fast and reliable analytical methods are required to allow quick countermeasures in case of contamination. Here, we report the development of a magnetic bead-based immunoassay (MBBA) for the fast and cost-effective determination of the analgesic diclofenac (DCF) in water samples, based on diclofenac-coupled magnetic beads and a robust monoclonal anti-DCF antibody. A novel synthetic strategy for preparation of the beads resulted in an assay that enabled for the determination of diclofenac with a significantly lower limit of detection (400 ng/L) than the respective enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). With shorter incubation times and only one manual washing step required, the assay demands for remarkably shorter time to result (< 45 min) and less equipment than ELISA. Evaluation of assay precision and accuracy with a series of spiked water samples yielded results with low to moderate intra- and inter-assay variations and in good agreement with LC–MS/MS reference analysis. The assay principle can be transferred to other, e.g., microfluidic, formats, as well as applied to other analytes and may replace ELISA as the standard immunochemical method. Graphical abstract

Efficiency of correction of vitamin D deficiency with DeviSol Strong at the preconception stage and during pregnancy

Research objective: to assess the course and consequences of pregnancy in women with vitamin D lack and deficit that is adjusted with DeviSol Strong at the pre-pregnancy preparation or during pregnancy.Materials and methods. The study involved 145 women aged 18 to 30 years. Experimental cohort (120 women with vitamin D deficiency) was divided into three groups: the first group – 40 pregnant women, the second group – 50 patients at the stage of pre-pregnancy preparation, comparison group – 30 pregnant women at 6–10 weeks of gestation. Control group consisted of 25 pregnant women with sufficient levels of vitamin D. 25(OH)D value in serum was determined by immunochemical method with chemiluminescent detection. DeviSol Strong dietary supplement was chosen to correct vitamin D deficiency. It was administered differently, based on 25(OH)D level.Results. Patients receiving 800 IU/day of cholecalciferol showed an increase in the vitamin D deficiency (from 46.7% to 76.7%). Vitamin D deficiency was reduced from 75.0% to 32.5% in women who received 2000 IU and 4000 IU of cholecalciferol for 3 months, the proportion of pregnant women with severe vitamin D deficiency decreased by 2,4 times. A rapid positive effect was achieved in 82.0% of pre-pregnancy patients receiving DeviSol Strong 4000 IU/day or 6000 IU/day (4000 IU + 2000 IU).Abortion risk before 12 weeks of gestation occurred in 23.3% of women in the comparison group, in 7.5% of pregnant women in group 1, in 4.0% in control group and in 2.0% in group 2. Early miscarriage occurred in 3,3% of patients in the comparison group. 13.3% of pregnant women in the comparison group, 5.0% from group 1 and 2.0% from group 2 were hospitalized with the threat of premature birth, premature birth occurred in one patient of the comparison group.Conclusions. Assessment of the first half of pregnancy with differentiated correction of vitamin D deficiency indicates the need for supplementation of cholecalciferol at the stage of pre-pregnancy preparation for prevention of gestation complications. DeviSol Strong is an effective drug for correcting vitamin D deficiency. Most effective dose in severe vitamin D deficiency is 6000 IU (4000 IU + 2000 IU), 4000 IU in lack and deficiency, which allowed achieving an adequate 25(OH)D level after 3 months in 82% of patients.

Telomere length as a biomarker of the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with coronary heart disease

Aim. To study the effect of oxidative stress and telomere length in the chromosomes of blood leukocytes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) on the development of cardiovascular complications. Materials and methods. In 119 patients with CHD, the level of oxidatively modified low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) in blood plasma and the length of telomeres in nuclear blood cells were determined during the examination. After 5 years, a telephone survey of patients (or their relatives) was conducted to obtain data on the presence of cardiovascular complications. Telomere length was determined using quantitative real-time PCR, and the level of ox-LDL was determined by immunochemical method. Results. It was found that reducing the length of telomeres in patients with CHD increases the risk of subsequent development of cardiovascular complications. A strong negative correlation was found between the level of ox-LDL and telomere length in the group of examined CHD patients who had cardiovascular complications after 5 years. Conclusion. CHD patients with short telomere length and high levels of ox-LDL have an increased risk of cardiovascular complications during 5 years.

Serum vitamin D content in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Aim of study. To study the total level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19). Material and мethods. A total of 82 children aged 0-17 diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled. Depending on the severity of clinical symptoms, all children were divided into three groups according to the COVID-19 severity: asymptomatic, mild and moderate. The serum level of vitamin D in all patients was tested via the immunochemical method. Results. It was found that children with SARS-CoV-2 infection had lower serum level of vitamin D (29.92 [22.22; 28.07] ng/ml) as compared with the control group (36.43 [32.05; 44.08] ng/ml; p<0.001). A total of 90% of the children with SARS-CoV-2 infection were diagnosed with insufficiency or deficiency of vitamin D (<30 ng/ml). Only 10 % of the patients had normal levels of vitamin D. The insufficiency of vitamin D was found more often amongst children aged 0-11 and deficiency of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D was more common for children aged 12-17. The difference in serum levels of vitamin D depending on the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection was not found. Male children with SARS-CoV-2 infection showed lower levels of vitamin D (p=0.013). Conclusion. A total of 90 % of the children with SARS-CoV-2 infection had insufficiency or deficiency of vitamin D regardless of the severity of clinical symptoms.

Derivatization-assisted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for identifying hallucinogenic mushrooms with enhanced sensitivity

A sensitive immunochemical method for identifying hallucinogenic mushrooms (magic mushrooms) is required for regulating their illicit use. We have previously generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that targets psilocin (Psi), the...

Diagnostic Power of Galectin-3 in Rheumatic Diseases

Background: The purpose of our study was to assess the diagnostic power of galectin-3 and compare its between rheumatic diseases and with routinely used tests such as CRP and ESR. Methods: Eighty-two patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 49 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were enrolled in this study. The control group comprised 30 healthy controls. Serum galectin-3 concentration was measured using immunochemical method. Results: The galectin-3 concentration were significantly elevated in the RA, SSc, and SLE in comparison to the controls (p = 0.000, p = 0.000, p < 0.001; respectively). However, there were no significant differences in the serum galectin-3 levels between rheumatic diseases (H = 0.395, p = 0.821). In RA and SSc patients, galectin-3 positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (R = 0.332, p = 0.004; R = 0.384, p = 0.009; respectively). ROC analysis revealed that galectin-3 had an excellent diagnostic power in RA (AUC = 0.911) and SSc (AUC = 0.903) and very good for SLE (AUC = 0.859). Conclusion: We concluded that diagnostic power of serum galectin-3 is as great as CRP and ESR in rheumatic diseases and it can be a very good laboratory marker in RA and SSc patients and a useful tool in the diagnosis of SLE.

Galectin-3: A Potential Biomarker of Rheumatic Diseases

Background: The purpose of our study was to assess the serum galectin-3 level and its potential association with disease activity and severity indexes in patients with rheumatic diseases.Methods: Eighty-two patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 49 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were enrolled in this study. The control group comprised 30 healthy controls. Galectin-3 concentration in serum was measured using immunochemical method. Results: The galectin-3 concentration were significantly elevated in the RA, SSc and SLE in comparison to the control group (P=0.000, P=0.000, P<0.001; respectively). But there were no significant differences in the serum galectin-3 levels between rheumatic diseases (H=0.395, P=0.821). In RA and SSc patients, galectin-3 positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (R=0.332, P=0.004; R=0.384, P=0.009; respectively). The diagnostic accuracy (ACC) of galectin-3 was high in all rheumatic diseases (87.5% for RA, 83.1% for SSc, 81.1% for SLE). ROC analysis revealed that galectin-3 had an excellent diagnostic power in RA (AUC=0.911) and SSc (AUC=0.903) and very good for SLE (AUC=0.859).Conclusions: We concluded that serum galectin-3 due to the high diagnostic power can be a very good laboratory marker in RA and SSc patients and a useful tool in the diagnosis of SLE.