Dental findings in wild great apes from macerated skull analysis.

Oral health is a crucial aspect of overall well-being in both humans and nonhuman primates. Understanding the oral pathologies and dental conditions in apes can provide valuable insights into their evolutionary history, dietary habits, and overall health. The present study evaluates dental findings in wild great apes from museum specimens to gain insights into the influence of natural nutrition on dental health. Complete macerated skulls of wild, adult great apes from the collection of the Museum of Natural History, Berlin, Germany, were examined. We analyzed skulls of 53 gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), 63 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and 41 orangutans (Pongo spp.). For each skull, we recorded wear of dental hard tissues (Lussi and Ganss index), carious lesions, and periodontal bone loss. Incisal and occlusal dental hard tissue defects were found in all skulls, as well as considerable external staining. In all species, incisors and canines showed the greatest loss of tissue, followed by molars. The wear of molars decreased from the first to the third molars, premolars showed the least pronounced defects. Some individuals had apical osteolytic defects along with severe dental hard tissue loss with pulp involvement or after dental trauma, respectively (n = 5). Our study did not observe any carious lesions among the examined great ape skulls. However, we did find evidence for localized or generalized periodontal bone loss in a subset of the specimens (n = 3 chimpanzees, n = 7 orangutans). The natural diet and foraging behavior of great apes induces abrasion and attrition of dental hard tissue but does not yield carious lesions. The occurrence of periodontitis in individual apes indicates that the natural circumstances can induce periodontal bone loss even in the wild, despite physiological nutrition.

Validation of a CE-IVD, urine exosomal RNA expression assay for risk assessment of prostate cancer prior to biopsy.

Improved risk stratification of patients suspected of prostate cancer prior to biopsy continues to be an unmet clinical need. ExoDx Prostate (IntelliScore) "EPI" is a non-invasive urine test utilizing RNA from exosomes to provide a risk score that correlates with the likelihood of finding high grade prostate cancer at biopsy. Here, we present the results from a prospective clinical validation study of EPI-CE, a CE-marked in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) assay, specifically developed for use in European clinical laboratories. The study (NCT04720599) enrolled patients with ≥ 50 years, PSA 2-10 ng/mL, prior to MRI, who were scheduled for initial biopsy. First catch urine samples were collected from participants without prior digital rectal examination or prostate massage. Exosomal RNA was isolated and expression levels of three biomarkers ERG, PCA3 and SPDEF were analyzed according to the EPI-CE Instructions For Use. In the study cohort of N = 109 patients, EPI-CE was validated to have a Negative Predictive Value of 89%, a Sensitivity of 92% and a superior performance to two commonly used multiparametric risk calculators (PCPT and ERSPC) in both Receiver Operating Characteristics with a higher Area Under the Curve for EPI-CE 0.67 (95% CI 0.56-0.77) versus PCPT 0.59 (95% CI 0.47-0.71) and ERSPC 0.60 (95% CI 0.49-0.72) and higher Net Benefits analysis across a wide range of risk acceptance levels. This is the first clinical study reporting on the performance of EPI-CE. We demonstrate that EPI-CE provides information beyond standard clinical parameters and provides a better risk assessment prior to MRI, of patients suspected of prostate cancer, than the commonly used multiparametric risk calculators.

Comparative validation of a microcapsule-based immunoassay for the detection of proteins and nucleic acids.

To detect and study diseases, research and clinical laboratories must quantify specific biomarkers in the plasma and urine of patients with precision, sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness. Newly developed techniques, such as particle-based immunoassays, must be validated in these terms against standard methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Here, we compare the performance of assays that use hollow polyelectrolyte microcapsules with assays based on solid plastic beads, and with standard microplate immunoassays. The polyelectrolyte microcapsules detect the disease biomarker beta-2 microglobulin with a fifty-fold increase in sensitivity than polystyrene (PS) beads. For sequence-specific nucleic acid detection, the oligonucleotide-coated microcapsules exhibit a two-fold lower increase in sensitivity over PS beads. The microcapsules also detect the presence of a monoclonal antibody in hybridoma supernatant at a fifty-six-fold increase in sensitivity compared to a microplate assay. Overall, polyelectrolyte microcapsule-based assays are more sensitive for the detection of protein and nucleic acid analytes than PS beads and microplate assays, and they are viable alternatives as a platform for the rapid quantitative detection of analytes at very low concentrations.

Determination of the titratable acidity and the pH of wine based on potentiometric flow injection analysis.

A FIA system using a pH-sensitive detector based on a graphite/quinhydrone/silicone composite electrode was applied to determine sequentially the titratable acidity and the pH of wine, as well as the sum of calcium and magnesium ions. For all measurements the same FIA configuration was used employing different carrier solutions. The results for the determination of acidity and pH are in good agreement with those obtained by classical potentiometric titrations and by pH measurements using a conventional glass electrode. The standard deviation was less than 1.5% for both kinds of measurements and the sample volume was 150 µL. The method allows about 40 determinations of titratable acidity per hour and 30 pH measurements per hour. The titration method can be adjusted to the legal requirements in USA and Europe.

sE-selectin for stratifying outcome in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the usefulness of sE-selectin as a marker for early diagnosis and stratification of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: We investigated several markers of disease activity, including circulating adhesion molecules and other standard laboratory tests, in a 2-3 year followup analysis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD levels of sE-selectin (91.68 +/- 31.8 ng/ml versus 49.83 +/- 14.76 ng/ml) and rheumatoid factor (375.7 +/- 394.4 U versus 44.66 +/- 37.63 U) were strongly elevated in severe (n = 15) versus mild (n = 7) courses of disease. Statistical calculation of mean and standard deviation revealed that sE-selectin represents a highly significant marker for the presence of persistent and aggressive disease over time, regardless of therapeutic intervention and observation time points (P = 0.0004). Notably, regression analysis identified constant values for all parameters analyzed and, therefore, a stable course of the disease could be predicted from the beginning. CONCLUSION: sE-selectin appears to be a powerful marker to predict the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.