The clinical value of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial imaging in the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies / 生物医学工程学杂志

Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is an analog of norepinephrine that accumulates in sympathetic nerve endings soon after intravenous administration. The degree of accumulation reflects the uptake, storage and release of transmitters by noradrenergic neurons. Myocardial imaging with 123I labeled MIBG ( 123I-MIBG) can be used to estimate the extent of local myocardial sympathetic nerve damage, which has been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of various heart diseases. In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out on the application of 123I-MIBG in the diagnosis of degenerative diseases of the nervous system (such as Parkinson's disease and dementia of Lewy body), and have made some achievements. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current clinical application of 123I-MIBG myocardial imaging in the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies, the problems in imaging technology and the possible research directions in the future, so as to provide valuable reference information for clinicians to reasonably and accurately apply this technology in the early diagnosis and discrimination of dementia.

Research progress on early diagnositic biomarkers of urinary sepsis / 中华泌尿外科杂志

The accuracy of the Sepsis-3 definition in the diagnosis of sepsis has been widely accepted and applied. Indicators such as Procalcitonin(PCT), white blood cell(WBC), C-reactive protein(CRP), platelets(PLT) and albumin are the most extensively and conveniently applied in early alert and diagnosis of urinary sepsis. PCT has a higher specificity and sensitivity compared to other biomarkers, and a sharp drop in WBC is a strong warning for septic shock. However, CRP has a relatively low specificity. IL-6, CD64, Presepsin, miRNA, and PTX-3, among others, are more valuable emerging indicators with higher sensitivity and specificity. However, uniform and standardized technology is necessary for a high quality testing. The combination of multiple biomarkers with a clinical scoring system is more useful than individual biomarkers clinically. This article mainly reviewed the progress of research on indicators related to early alert and diagnosis of urinary sepsis during recent years.

Application of glycan microarrays in cancer research / 生物工程学报

Glycosylation is one of the common post-translational modifications of proteins to regulate the ability of tumor invasion, metastasis and tumor heterogeneity by interacting with glycan-binding proteins such as lectins and antibodies. Glycan microarray can be constructed by chemical synthesis, chemical-enzyme synthesis or natural glycan releasing. Glycan microarray is an essential analytical tool to discover the interaction between glycan and its binding proteins. Here we summarize the standard techniques to construct glycan microarray for the application in cancer vaccine, monoclonal antibody and diagnostic markers.

Assessment of Role of Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Acute Pancreatitis: An Observational Study at a Tertiary Care Centre

Background: Serum amylase has been used for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in hospitals. Majority of the clinicians ask for amylase as well as lipase for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. However, serum marker lipase is considered to have better accuracy in many countries. Aim: The objective of this study was to find which single marker to be used in for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Methods: A total of 100 patients, 54 were females and 46 were males were included in the study. Patients willing to participate were included in the study. The serum lipase and amylase were taken from 100 patients. Patients were assured the confidentiality and anonymity of the collected data. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated. Results: out of 100 patients studied 54 (54%) were females and 46 (46%) were males. The sensitivity and specificity of amylase at 3-fold above normal limit were 61.6% and 98.25% while those of lipase were 95.7% and 98.9% respectively. Conclusions: Both serum enzymes serum lipase and amylase had good diagnostic accuracy in our study. Serum lipase can be used as an alternative over serum amylase for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.

Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury: biomarkers for diagnosis

Sepsis is a major global health problem leading to the increased incidence of death in intensive care units. In recent years, despite technological advances, the number of cases has grown significantly. Among the main complications presented by septic patients, acute renal dysfunction is largely responsible for the high mortality rate. Initially, the reduction of renal function is associated with focal tubular injury with preserved glomerular morphology and systemic hemodynamic alterations. During sepsis development, the progressive decrease in urinary volume and reduction of the glomerular filtration rate associated with increased serum levels of urea and creatinine are considered classic markers of severe kidney injury. Despite the valuable role of these serum markers regarding renal function, these data provide an incomplete scenario of the patient, since many renal disorders may occur in individuals with increased plasma concentrations of urea and creatinine. Taking into account the important role of systemic inflammatory processes in the development of acute kidney injury induced by sepsis, the search for new markers presenting high sensitivity and specificity capable of detecting early renal injury is still necessary. Thus, the present review summarizes important aspects of pathophysiology of acute kidney dysfunction induced by sepsis and presents an updated view of possible new biomarkers associated with the development of acute kidney injury. Understanding these markers allows important advances leading to new therapeutic approaches, indicating a new horizon in the diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury in sepsis

Performance of diagnostic biomarkers in predicting liver fibrosis among hepatitis C virus-infected Egyptian children

The aim of the present study was to identify specific markers that mirror liver fibrosis progression as an alternative to biopsy when biopsy is contraindicated, especially in children. After liver biopsies were performed, serum samples from 30 hepatitis C virus (HCV) paediatric patients (8-14 years) were analysed and compared with samples from 30 healthy subjects. All subjects were tested for the presence of serum anti-HCV antibodies. Direct biomarkers for liver fibrosis, including transforming growth factor-β1, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen type III amino-terminal peptide (PIIINP) and osteopontin (OPN), were measured. The indirect biomarkers aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, albumin and bilirubin were also tested. The results revealed a significant increase in the serum marker levels in HCV-infected children compared with the healthy group, whereas albumin levels exhibited a significant decrease. Significantly higher levels of PIIINP, TIMP-1, OPN and HA were detected in HCV-infected children with moderate to severe fibrosis compared with children with mild fibrosis (p < 0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of these direct biomarkers, represented by sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value, emphasises the utility of PIIINP, TIMP-1, OPN and HA as indicators of liver fibrosis among HCV-infected children.