Comparison of Serum and Urine as Sources of miRNA Markers for the Detection of Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the second most fatal gynecological cancer. Early detection, which could be achieved through widespread screening, has not yet had an impact on mortality. The aim of our pilot study was to investigate the expression of miRNAs analyzed by a human miRNA microarray chip in urine and serum of patients with ovarian cancer. We analyzed three serum and three urine samples from healthy donors and five serum and five urine samples from patients with ovarian cancer taken at first diagnosis, before any treatment. We selected the seven miRNAs with the highest expression fold change in the microarray chip (cancer vs. control) in urine and serum, for validation by qPCR. We were able to validate two of the seven miRNAs in serum. In contrast to these findings, we were able to validate all of the top seven miRNAs identified in urine using qPCR. The top seven miRNAs in urine identified by microarray chip showed significantly greater differences in expression between patients with ovarian cancer and healthy donors compared to serum. Based on our finding, we can suggest that urine as a biomaterial is more suitable than serum for miRNA profiling by microarray chip in the search for new biomarkers in ovarian cancer.

Form and function of the teleost lateral line revealed using three-dimensional imaging and computational fluid dynamics.

Fishes sense weak water motion using the lateral line. Among the thousands of described fish species, this organ may differ in size, shape and distribution of individual mechanoreceptors or lateral line canals. The reasons for this diversity remain unclear, but are very likely related to habitat preferences. To better understand the performance of the organ in natural hydrodynamic surroundings, various three-dimensional imaging datasets of the cephalic lateral line were gathered using Leuciscus idus as representative freshwater teleost. These data are employed to simulate hydrodynamic phenomena around the head and within lateral line canals. The results show that changes in canal dimensions alter the absolute stimulation amplitudes, but have little effect on the relation between bulk water flow and higher frequency signals. By contrast, depressions in the skin known as epidermal pits reduce bulk flow stimulation and increase the ratio between higher-frequency signals and the background flow stimulus.

Detection of Illicit Drugs by Trained Honeybees (Apis mellifera).

Illegal drugs exacerbate global social challenges such as substance addiction, mental health issues and violent crime. Police and customs officials often rely on specially-trained sniffer dogs, which act as sensitive biological detectors to find concealed illegal drugs. However, the dog "alert" is no longer sufficient evidence to allow a search without a warrant or additional probable cause because cannabis has been legalized in two US states and is decriminalized in many others. Retraining dogs to recognize a narrower spectrum of drugs is difficult and training new dogs is time consuming, yet there are no analytical devices with the portability and sensitivity necessary to detect substance-specific chemical signatures. This means there is currently no substitute for sniffer dogs. Here we describe an insect screening procedure showing that the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) can sense volatiles associated with pure samples of heroin and cocaine. We developed a portable electroantennographic device for the on-site measurement of volatile perception by these insects, and found a positive correlation between honeybee antennal responses and the concentration of specific drugs in test samples. Furthermore, we tested the ability of honeybees to learn the scent of heroin and trained them to show a reliable behavioral response in the presence of a highly-diluted scent of pure heroin. Trained honeybees could therefore be used to complement or replace the role of sniffer dogs as part of an automated drug detection system. Insects are highly sensitive to volatile compounds and provide an untapped resource for the development of biosensors. Automated conditioning as presented in this study could be developed as a platform for the practical detection of illicit drugs using insect-based sensors.

The in vivo and in vitro metabolism and the detectability in urine of 3',4'-methylenedioxy-alpha-pyrrolidinobutyrophenone (MDPBP), a new pyrrolidinophenone-type designer drug, studied by GC-MS and LC-MS(n.).

3',4'-Methylenedioxy-alpha-pyrrolidinobutyrophenone (MDPBP), a designer drug of the pyrrolidinophenone-type, was first seized in Germany in 2009. It was also identified in 'legal high' samples investigated in the UK. Therefore, the aim of the presented work was to identify its in vivo and in vitro phase I and II metabolites using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-MS(n) ). Furthermore, detectability of MDPBP in rat and human urine using standard urine screening approaches (SUSA) by GC-MS and LC-MS(n) was studied. The metabolites were isolated either directly or after enzymatic cleavage of conjugates by solid-phase extraction (C18, HCX). The metabolites were then analyzed and structures proposed after GC-MS (phase I) and LC-MS(n) (phase II). Based on these identified metabolites, the following main metabolic steps could be proposed: demethylenation followed by methylation of one hydroxy group, aromatic and side chain hydroxylation, oxidation of the pyrrolidine ring to the corresponding lactam as well as ring opening to the corresponding carboxylic acid. Furthermore, in rat urine after a typical user's dose as well as in human urine, mainly the metabolites could be detected using the authors' SUSA by GC-MS and LC-MS(n) . Thus, it should be possible to monitor an application of MDPBP assuming similar toxicokinetics in humans. Finally, CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 could be identified as the isoenzymes mainly responsible for demethylenation.

Modulation of angiogenic functions in human macrophages by biomaterials.

We examined the ability of polyvinylchloride (PVC), polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) to affect angiogenic functions in human monocyte-derived macrophages by measuring the mRNA expression of genes encoding angiogenic and anti-angiogenic molecules including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and thrombospondin-1 (Tsp-1). The angiogenic activity of the corresponding macrophage conditioned media (CM) was measured by the proliferation of endothelial cells and the sprouting of new capillaries from fragments of human placental blood vessels. We determined that bFGF was not expressed in macrophages while VEGF and Tsp-1 mRNAs were expressed constitutively. Ang-1 was expressed in macrophages cultured up to 7 days on PTFE and TCPS independent of the culture stage. In contrast, macrophages cultured on PVC did not produce detectable amounts of Ang-1 mRNA after 7 days. CM from macrophages cultured either on PTFE or TCPS stimulated angiogenesis whereas CM from macrophages cultured on PVC inhibited it. The results demonstrate that polymers can cause differential expression of the angiogenic molecule Ang-1 in macrophages. They also induce different phenotypes of macrophages, which can either stimulate or inhibit angiogenesis suggesting a material-dependent influence on neovascularization.

Prevalence of small bowel bacterial overgrowth and its association with nutrition intake in nonhospitalized older adults.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SBBO) in older adults and to assess whether SBBO is associated with abdominal complaints and nutrient intake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Eight senior residence sites in Stuttgart, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults living independently in senior residence houses. MEASUREMENTS: The prevalence of SBBO was measured in 328 subjects, of whom 294 were aged 61 and older, by measuring hydrogen concentration (parts per million; ppm) in exhaled air after ingestion of 50 g glucose. Anthropometric data were obtained and nutritional status was recorded with a computer-aided diet history. RESULTS: The prevalence of a positive hydrogen breath test (>10 ppm increase) was 15.6% in older adults, compared with 5.9% in subjects aged 24 to 59. The intake of inhibitors of gastric acid production contributed significantly to the high prevalence of a positive breath test in older adults, which was associated with lower body weight, lower body mass index, lower plasma albumin concentration, and higher prevalence of diarrhea. Subjects with a positive hydrogen breath test consumed significantly less fiber, folic acid, and vitamins B2 and B6 than those without. No difference was observed in the intake of energy, protein, fat, or carbohydrates. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of SBBO is associated with reduced body weight, which is paralleled by reduced intake of several micronutrients. Malabsorption resulting from diarrhea might be an aggravating factor contributing to weight loss in these subjects.