Fluid Samples Research Articles

Metabolomic signatures associated with fetal growth restriction and small for gestational age: a systematic review

AbstractThe pathways involved in the pathophysiology of fetal growth restriction (FGR) and small for gestational age (SGA) are incompletely understood. We conduct a systematic review to identify metabolomic signatures in maternal and newborn tissues and body fluids samples associated with FGR/SGA. Here, we report that 825 non-duplicated metabolites were significantly altered across the 48 included studies using 10 different human biological samples, of which only 56 (17 amino acids, 12 acylcarnitines, 11 glycerophosphocholines, six fatty acids, two hydroxy acids, and eight other metabolites) were significantly and consistently up- or down-regulated in more than one study. Three amino acid metabolism-related pathways and one related with lipid metabolism are significantly associated with FGR and/or SGA: biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in umbilical cord blood, and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, and phenylalanine metabolism in newborn dried blood spot. Significantly enriched metabolic pathways were not identified in the remaining biological samples. Whether these metabolites are in the causal pathways or are biomarkers of fetal nutritional deficiency needs to be explored in large, well-phenotyped cohorts.

Dietary supplementation with citrus peel extract in transition period improves rumen microbial composition and ameliorates energy metabolism and lactation performance of dairy cows

BackgroundDuring the transition period, excessive negative energy balance (NEB) lead to metabolic disorders and reduced milk yield. Rumen microbes are responsible for resolving plant material and producing volatile fatty acids (VFA), which are the primary energy source for cows. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of citrus peel extract (CPE) supplementation on rumen microbiota composition, energy metabolism and milk performance of peripartum dairy cows.MethodsDairy cows were fed either a basal diet (CON group) or the same basal diet supplemented with CPE via intragastric administration (4 g/d, CPE group) for 6 weeks (3 weeks before and 3 weeks after calving; n = 15 per group). Samples of serum, milk, rumen fluid, adipose tissue, and liver were collected to assess the effects of CPE on rumen microbiota composition, rumen fermentation parameters, milk performance, and energy metabolic status of dairy cows.ResultsCPE supplementation led to an increase in milk yield, milk protein and lactose contents, and serum glucose levels, while reduced serum concentrations of non-esterified fatty acid, β-hydroxybutyric acid, insulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and haptoglobin during the first month of lactation. CPE supplementation also increased the content of ruminal VFA. Compared to the CON group, the abundance of Prevotellaceae, Methanobacteriaceae, Bacteroidales_RF16_group, and Selenomonadaceae was found increased, while the abundance of Oscillospiraceae, F082, Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, Muribaculaceae UCG-011, Saccharimonadaceae, Hungateiclostridiaceae, and Spirochaetaceae in the CPE group was found decreased. In adipose tissue, CPE supplementation decreased lipolysis, and inflammatory response, while increased insulin sensitivity. In the liver, CPE supplementation decreased lipid accumulation, increased insulin sensitivity, and upregulated expression of genes involved in gluconeogenesis.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that CPE supplementation during the peripartum period altered rumen microbiota composition and increased ruminal VFA contents, which further improved NEB and lactation performance, alleviated lipolysis and inflammatory response in adipose tissue, reduced lipid accumulation and promoted gluconeogenesis in liver. Thus, CPE might contribute to improve energy metabolism and consequently lactation performance of dairy cows during the transition period.

Shared lung and joint T cell repertoire in early rheumatoid arthritis driven by cigarette smoking

ObjectivesSmoking has been associated with an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in individuals carrying shared epitope (SE) HLA-DRB1 alleles. Yet, little is known about the regional and systemic...

Alterations in maternal–fetal gut and amniotic fluid microbiota associated with fetal growth restriction

BackgroundFetal growth restriction (FGR) is typically characterised as the fetus’ inability to reach its inherent growth potential. A growing body of evidence points to the important role of the maternal gut microbiota in FGR development. However, comprehensive research on changes in maternal–fetal gut and intrauterine microbiota related to FGR is lacking.MethodsIn this case–control study, we sequenced bacterial 16S rRNA from 35 maternal faecal, 35 meconium, and 31 amniotic fluid samples collected from 19 pregnant women diagnosed with FGR and 16 healthy controls. We identified putative bacterial taxonomic and functional characteristics associated with FGR by comparing these to control samples.ResultsWe identified 34 differential operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in amniotic fluid, seven differential OTUs in maternal faecal matter, and two differential OTUs in meconium. Compared to controls, FGR subjects exhibited enriched bacterial OTUs of the genus Bacteroides in the maternal gut. They also had depleted OTUs of the order Enterobacterales and genus Pseudomonas in the amniotic fluid and genus Stenotrophomonas in the fetal gut. These altered bacterial OTUs showed a significant correlation with neonatal weight and fetal ultrasonographic indexes. Additionally, we identified differential microbial functional pathways related to glycan and lipid metabolism in the maternal gut. We developed diagnostic biomarkers for FGR based on the maternal–fetal gut and amniotic fluid microbiota.ConclusionsThis study offers a comprehensive overview of the shifts in microbial composition and functional pathways in the maternal–fetal gut and amniotic fluid microbiota related to FGR, and present novel insights into the development and screening of FGR. However, the assessment of contamination’s impact on meconium and amniotic fluid remains inconclusive, necessitating further rigorous experimentation to address this scientific inquiry in future studies.

Application of the filter paper transfer for cell block preparation from limited thoracoabdominal fluid samples

Application of the filter paper transfer for cell block preparation from limited thoracoabdominal fluid samples

Bacterial profile-based body fluid identification using a machine learning approach.

Identifying the origins of biological traces is critical for the reconstruction of crime scenes in forensic investigations. Traditional methods for body fluid identification rely on chemical, enzymatic, immunological, and spectroscopic techniques, which can be sample-consuming and depend on simple color-change reactions. However, these methods have limitations when residual samples are insufficient after DNA extraction. This study aimed to develop a method for body fluid identification by leveraging bacterial DNA profiling to overcome the limitations of the conventional approaches. Bacterial profiles were determined by sequencing the hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene,using DNA metabarcoding of evidence collected from criminal cases. Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were analyzed to identify significant microbial patterns in different body fluid samples. The bacterial profile-based method demonstrated high discriminatory power with a machine learning model trained using the naïve Bayes algorithm, achieving an accuracy of over 98% in classifying samples into one of four body fluid types: blood, saliva, vaginal secretion, and mixture traces of vaginal secretions and semen. Bacterial profiling enhances the accuracy and robustness of body fluid identification in forensic analysis, providing a valuable alternative to traditional methods by utilizing DNA and microbial community data despite the uncontrollable conditions. This approach offers significant improvements in the classification accuracy and practical applicability in forensic investigations.

The possibility of using synovial C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and presepsin in the diagnosis of periprostheticjoint infection.

The diagnosis of infectious complications in joint prosthetics remains a pressing issue, especially in cases where pathogens do not grow during the seeding of biological material. This study analyzed the potential use of synovial biomarkers for the diagnosis of periprosthetic infections (PPI), based on literature data. The aim was to determine the significance of synovial C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and presepsin in diagnosing PPI. Materials and methods: A prospective, single-center, blinded study was conducted on patients undergoing revision arthroplasty for both infectious and aseptic inflammation in the endoprosthetic area. The study included 66 patients, divided into two groups: Group I included 17 patients with periprosthetic infection diagnosed according to the ICM Philly criteria of 2018; and Group II included 49 patients with aseptic inflammation in the endoprosthetic region.Synovial fluid samples from all participants were analyzed for bacteriological and cytological analysis to determine the levels of CRP, IL-6, and presepsin. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, as well as thresholds for laboratory data. Results: The greatest reliability for diagnosing infectious and aseptic inflammations was shown for the number of leukocytes in synovial fluids, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0,928 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0,837-0,977; p0,0001), as well as for synovial CRP with an AUC of 0,776 (95% CI: 0,656-0,87; p=0,0004), and IL-6 with an AUC of 0,712 (95% CI: 0,583-0,82, p=0,0048). While the presepsin level was significantly different between groups, AUC was 0,582 (95% CI: 0,453-0,703, p=0,3344). Threshold values were calculated for CRP at 5,6 mg/L and presepsin – 1212,0 pg/mL and IL-6 – 988,5 pg/mL. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the diagnosis of PPI were 62,5%, 85,71%, and 80%, respectively for CRP; 68,5%, 63,04%, and 68,7% for IL-6; and 43,75%, 79,59%, and 70,77% for presepsin. Conclusion: IL-6 has the highest sensitivity for PPI, but it has lower accuracy and specificity than CRP. Presepsin has the lowest sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the diagnosis of PPI.

Validation of an LC-MS/MS Method for Analysis of 58 Drugs of Abuse in Oral Fluid and Method Comparison with an Established LC-HRMS Method.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods for detection of multiple drugs of abuse (DoA) in oral fluid (OF) samples are being implemented in many clinical routine laboratories. Therefore, there is a need to develop new multi-analyte methods with simple sample pre-treatment and short analysis times. The purpose of this work was to validate a method detecting 58 DoA to be used with two different OF sampling kits, the saliva collection system (SCS) from Greiner Bio-One and Quantisal from Immunalysis, using the same sample pretreatment and analytical method. A set of 110 samples collected with the SCS kit was further compared to an LC-HRMS (high resolution mass spectrometry) method in another laboratory. The method was successfully validated, with precision and accuracy of ≤15% and z-scores of <2 for external controls. Using a sensitive LC-MS/MS instrument, the detection limits were <1 µg/L in neat oral fluid. In the comparative study between the LC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS methods using SCS samples, a good agreement was observed. Discrepancies were limited to lower concentration ranges, attributable to differences in cut-off thresholds between the methods. This work contributes to the development of LC-MS multi-analyte methods for OF samples, which are suitable for clinical routine laboratories.

Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples in Canine Tick Paralysis: Insights and Implications

Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples in Canine Tick Paralysis: Insights and Implications

High utility of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing approach for etiological diagnosis of pneumonia

BackgroundFor patients with pneumonia, the rapid detection of pathogens is still a major global problem in clinical practice because traditional diagnostic techniques for infection are time-consuming and insensitive. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a novel technique that has the potential to improve pathogen diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the microbiological diagnostic ability of mNGS compared with conventional culture and to determine the optimal time to test patients for pneumonia.MethodsA prospective study using data from June 2020 to June 2021 was performed at a tertiary teaching hospital in China. We included 56 patients from all adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. Blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were taken for simultaneous mNGS and conventional culture testing.ResultsAll 56 patients underwent both conventional culture and mNGS. Of these patients, 37 were diagnosed with severe pneumonia and 17 were diagnosed with non-severe pneumonia. The top three pathogenic bacteria detected by mNGS were Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Enterococcus faecium was detected more frequently in the non-severe pneumonia group (4 vs. 0, p < 0.05). The findings revealed that the detection rate of mNGS (84%) was superior to that of conventional culture methods (48%). Notably, the percentage of mNGS-positive BALF samples (46/56, 82.14%) was significantly greater than that of blood samples (27/56, 48.21%). The etiological comparison demonstrated that mNGS-positive samples, which received clinical approval, tended to be associated with a more normalized temperature, lower PCO2 levels, and a higher SOFA score than mNGS-negative samples (p = 0.022, p = 0.0.028, and p = 0.038, respectively).ConclusionsIn this study, we discovered that the etiology of lung infections frequently involves multiple pathogens. The use of mNGS in BALF is instrumental for detecting nonviral pathogens associated with lung infections. Although the rate of positive blood NGS results is significantly influenced by various clinical factors, for patients suspected of having viral, Legionella, or tsutsugamushi infections, plasma mNGS could serve as a complementary diagnostic tool.

Drainage Fluid Amylase as a Biomarker for the Detection of Anastomotic Leakage After Low Anterior Resection of Rectal Cancer: A Two-center Study.

This study aimed to investigate the utility of measuring amylase levels in drainage fluid (DFA) for early, non-invasive detection of anastomotic leakage (AL) in undergoing low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer. This prospective observational cohort study analyzed drainage fluid samples from patients who underwent LAR for rectal cancer at two medical centers between February 2021 and December 2023. DFA levels were measured on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 3, and 5. AL was confirmed by clinical evidence and radiological imaging. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of DFA. Of 120 LAR cases, AL occurred in five (4.16%). DFA levels on POD 3 and 5 were significantly higher in the AL than in the non-AL group (p<0.0001). DFA on POD 5 had the highest diagnostic accuracy for early AL detection, with an area under the curve of 0.99, achieving 100% sensitivity and 99.5% specificity at a cutoff of 846 U/l. A DFA >846 U/l predicted AL with negative predictive and positive predictive values of 83.3% and 100%, respectively, on POD 5. Measuring DFA is a non-invasive, simple and cost-effective method for early AL detection in patients with rectal cancer undergoing LAR. Our findings also suggested that drain placement may be useful for the early detection of AL through DFA measurement.

Hydroxy-selenomethionine helps cows to overcome heat stress by enhancing antioxidant capacity and alleviating blood-milk barrier damage

Heat stress can lead to decreased feed intake, apoptosis of mammary epithelial cells, and decreased milk yield and quality. Selenium is an important element in the composition of at least 25 selenoproteins. Hydroxy-selenomethionine (HMSeBA; Andy Su Life Science Products Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China) is a novel organic selenium that has been shown to have a better deposition effect. However, whether HMSeBA alleviates damage to the mammary gland blood-milk barrier caused by heat stress and how this affects the performance of dairy cows remain largely unexplored. Therefore, 32 healthy Holstein cows with similar gestation days (150.41 ± 20.07 d), milk yield (36.15 ± 3.02 kg) and parity (3.25 ± 0.51) were selected and randomly divided into two total mixed rations with different selenium (Se) sources: sodium selenite (SSe) and HMSeBA. This study evaluated the outcomes of HMSeBA on antioxidant capacity, immunity, and blood-milk barrier damage in dairy cows during heat stress by collecting the samples of blood, rumen fluid and mammary gland biopsy. The experiment was conducted over 35 d, including a 5-day pre-feeding period and a 30-day experimental period. The temperature and humidity index (THI) were all above 80 throughout the experiment period. The results showed that HMSeBA decreased the respiratory rate (P < 0.001) and the content of inflammatory cytokines in the serum and increased the content of immune factors and antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05). In addition, HMSeBA reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and heat shock proteins in mammary gland (P < 0.05). Hematoxylin-eosin-stained pathological sections showed massive thickening of acinar walls and severe destruction of glandular structures in the SSe group, but the structure of the acinar mammary gland in the HMSeBA group was intact. Furthermore, HMSeBA promoted the expression of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K, P < 0.001)/protein kinase B (AKT, P = 0.011)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR, P = 0.008) pathway and improved the expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1, P = 0.014) and occluding (OCLN, P = 0.012) in the mammary gland, suggesting less damage caused by heat stress to the blood-milk barrier. Our results demonstrated that HMSeBA can improve the antioxidant capacity and immunity of dairy cows and the expression of tight junction proteins in mammary gland to help alleviate the blood-milk barrier damage by heat stress, which could reduce the damage of heat stress on milk yield.

MicroRNAs in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: Insights into Prenatal and Perinatal Biomarkers and Altered Molecular Pathways: microRNAs in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia for Pathway Analysis and Prognostic Biomarkers

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is characterized by a diaphragmatic defect, leading to herniation of abdominal organs into the chest, lung compression, and impaired lung development, often resulting in pulmonary hypertension and lung hypoplasia. Prenatal imaging techniques like ultrasound and MRI provide anatomical predictors of outcomes, but their limitations necessitate novel biomarkers for better prognostic accuracy. This study aims to identify unique circulating maternal, fetal, and neonatal microRNAs (miRNAs) that can distinguish CDH pregnancies from healthy controls and assess their potential as markers of disease severity. We conducted a prospective study involving third-trimester maternal blood, amniotic fluid, cord blood, and neonatal blood samples from pregnancies complicated by CDH and healthy controls. miRNA expression was analyzed using RNA-sequencing, and random forest analysis identified miRNAs distinguishing CDH survivors from non-survivors. Pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the biological relevance of differentially expressed miRNAs. Significant miRNA expression differences were observed between CDH and control samples across all sample types. In infant blood, 148 miRNAs were up-regulated, and 36 were down-regulated in CDH cases. Pathway analysis revealed that dysregulated miRNAs in CDH targeted pathways related to protein binding, transcription regulation, and signaling pathways implicated in pulmonary hypertension and lung hypoplasia. Random forest analysis identified miRNAs in maternal blood (miR-7850-5p_L-1R+2, miR-942-3p, and miR-197-3p) that distinguished CDH survivors from non-survivors, with an ROC area under the curve of 1.0. Circulating miRNAs in maternal blood offer promising biomarkers for predicting CDH outcomes. miRNAs from infant blood provide mechanistic insights and potential targets for therapeutic intervention in critical pathways of pulmonary hypertension and lung hypoplasia. Further studies with larger cohorts are needed to validate these findings and explore the clinical application of miRNA biomarkers in CDH management.

Development of a concentration method for simple and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva using a magnetic nanoparticle kit

BackgroundWhen diagnosing viral infections in humans and animals, the presence of virus in a sample in trace amounts that are below the analytical sensitivity of the detection system may cause false negative results and inaccurate diagnosis. We previously reported the development of a simple virion concentration technique using 12ml large-volume samples that can dramatically improve diagnostic sensitivity by increasing analytical sensitivity by 100-fold over conventional methods. The present study was conducted to further improve the simplicity and versatility of this method. We constructed a simple and highly sensitive method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in human saliva after concentration using a magnetic nanoparticle conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG). ResultsPerformance of the method was evaluated by comparing a combination of automated nucleic acid extraction and RT-qPCR or triplex RT-LAM detection in a spiked sample of 20ml saliva collected from healthy humans. The method theoretically achieved 300-fold concentration of spiked SARS-CoV-2 in saliva, enabling 10- to 1000-fold higher analytical sensitivity for detection compared to conventional RNA extraction methods. ConclusionsThis newly developed method allows for easy and reliable concentration of the virion in less than 60min, improving the analytical sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 test. Further, the method allows for easy and reliable enrichment of the virus in less than 60min, improving the analytical sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 test. This method is easily used for highly sensitive virus detection from a variety of human oral fluid samples and may also be applied to rapid and labor-saving screening tests by pooling a large number of samples.

Role of angiopoietin-like 4 in neovascularization associated with retinopathy of prematurity

To elucidate the mechanisms of angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGTPL4) in neovascularization (NV) in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We compared ANGPTL4 expression levels of aqueous humor and vitreous fluid samples in infants with acute-phase ROP and control group. ANGPTL4-/- mice and WT mice were used to constructed oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse models, with retinal tissues collected on postnatal days 12 (P12), 15 (P15) and 17 (P17). Analysis of retinal vessels and transcriptomics were performed to explore the role of ANGTPL4 in NV. The results showed ANGPTL4 level was significantly higher in the aqueous humour and vitreous fluid of children with ROP than that of control group. At P15 and P17, the vascular indices in the ANGPTL4-/--CON group were lower than those in the WT-CON group. The central non-perfused area of the retina and number of neovascular nuclei were also smaller in the ANGPTL4-/--OIR group than in the WT-OIR group. Immunofluorescence results showed the overexpression of ANGPTL4 protein in the WT-OIR group than in the WT-CON group, especially at P17. Furthermore, extracellular matrix (ECM) organisation was one of the key involved pathways based on gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses. ANGPTL4 was one of the core genes involved in ECM organization, and neuralized E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1B (NEURL1B), cd36 Molecule (CD36), matrix metallopeptidase 3 (MMP3) and collagen type III alpha 1 chain (COL3A1) were the first nodes interacting with ANGPTL4.In conclusion, ANGPTL4 is involved in the pathological NV by regulating NEURL1B, CD36, MMP3, and COL3A1. Thus, ANGPTL4 is a potential therapeutic target for ROP.

Determination of endogenous GHB in ante-mortem whole blood, urine, and oral fluid by LC–MS/MS: The effect of different additives and storage conditions on the stability of GHB in blood

Two challenges in detecting γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) intake are its endogenous presence and in vitro production after sampling. This study developed an LC–MS/MS method for selective GHB determination in human antemortem blood, urine, and oral fluid at endogenous concentrations. Furthermore, the stability of GHB in blood samples and its endogenous concentrations in samples taken under controlled circumstances were investigated. Samples were extracted in methanol/acetonitrile and processed by anion exchange solid-phase extraction. GHB was separated from structural isomers using a reversed–phase LC column with anion properties. The validated limit of quantification was 0.005 µg/mL in blood and 0.010 µg/mL in urine and oral fluid, at which the relative reproducibility standard deviation and bias were <15 %. The mean extraction recovery was ≥90 %. The average GHB concentration increased by 1.2 µg/mL in fluoride/citrate- preserved blood after 28 days of storage at 4°C; however, in fluoride/oxalate (FX)-preserved blood, the mean concentration increased by only 0.055 µg/mL. No change was observed at −20°C. In 105 randomly selected samples of FX-preserved blood collected for forensic antemortem toxicological analysis, all concentrations were <0.066 µg/mL, even after long-term storage at −20°C. In blood, urine, and oral fluid samples from a clinical study of GHB intake, endogenous baseline levels from 30 participants ranged from 0.0069–0.050, 0.024–0.38, and 0.034–0.93 µg/mL, respectively. These results demonstrate that the current cut-off level of 5 µg/mL for discriminating between endogenous and exogenous GHB in antemortem blood could be considerably lower for FX-preserved blood stored at −20°C.

The Value of Parental Karyotyping in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Lies in Individual Risk Assessments

Background and Objectives: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a multifactorial condition, encompassing genetic, anatomical, immunological, endocrine, as well as infectious and environmental factors; however, the etiology remains elusive in a substantial number of cases. Genetic factors linked to RPL include parental karyotype abnormalities (e.g., translocations, inversions, copy number variants), an increase in sperm aneuploidy, fetal microchimerism, severe skewing of X chromosome inactivation, and various gene polymorphisms. Our study aims to explore the value of routine conventional parental karyotyping in couples with RPL. Materials and Methods: A total of 213 couples (426 individuals) with a history of RPL were enrolled in this retrospective study. The peripheral blood samples included in this study were referred to the Human Genomics Laboratory of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Craiova, Romania, for conventional cytogenetic analysis between January 2013 and December 2023, by the Outpatient Medical Genetics Clinic of the Emergency Clinical County Hospital of Craiova. Chromosome analysis was performed using standard protocols and karyotypes were reported according to ISCN. Results: Out of 426 patients provided with conventional G-banded chromosome analysis, 410 had a normal karyotype (96.2%) and 16 had chromosome abnormalities (3.8%). The most common chromosomal abnormalities were reciprocal and Robertsonian translocations, with chromosomes 8, 11, 14, and 21 being most frequently involved. A single numerical anomaly was detected (47,XYY). One or multiple chromosomal polymorphisms were identified in 104 subjects (24.4%). In addition, we conducted a stratified analysis of the unselected group and detected chromosome abnormalities in only four cases (0.94%). Conclusions: Our results are consistent with recommendations for paternal karyotyping after an individual risk assessment in instances such as a previous live birth with congenital anomalies and/or the detection of unbalanced chromosomes or a translocation in product of conception or chorionic villi/amniotic fluid samples. In the absence of a positive history, blindly karyotyping couples may prove too expensive and labor intensive, while providing no information on fertility status or live birth rates.

Metabolomic biomarkers in amniotic fluid for early diagnosis of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction

Preterm birth, affecting about 10% of pregnancies, significantly contributes to perinatal morbidity and mortality. Recent research indicates that metabolomics could enhance pregnancy outcomes and reduce costs by identifying biomarkers related to common pregnancy complications. Our team focused on analyzing amniotic fluid collected during the second trimester to identify potential biomarkers for preterm birth using 1H-NMR metabolomic analysis. We compared amniotic fluid samples from women who delivered prematurely with those who delivered at term. Multivariate principal component analysis revealed dimethylglycine, glucose, myo-inositol, and succinic acid as potential biomarkers for preterm birth prognosis and early diagnosis. Further analysis demonstrated distinct regulation patterns of these metabolites in relation to fetal growth centiles. For instance, dimethylglycine and glucose were upregulated in fetuses above the 20th centile, while citrate and succinate were upregulated in those below it. With Area Under the Curve (AUROC) values over 0.75 and p-values less than 0.05, these metabolites show promise as reliable biomarkers for predicting fetal growth restriction. This approach could significantly impact maternal-fetal medicine by facilitating early diagnosis and personalized interventions. Future research should focus on validating these findings in larger populations and exploring the underlying mechanisms of metabolite regulation.

Analysis of heat transfer coefficient in radiator cooling system using TiO2/CuO hybrid fluid

The automotive industry is growing, encouraging more efficient car cooling systems, especially radiators. Innovations are constantly being made to improve the performance of radiators. Choosing the correct fluid is one of the ways to increase heat transfer. This study aimed to compare the performance of coolant OBC and TiO2/CuO hybrid fluid mixed with coolant OBC to investigate the increase in heat transfer in the car's radiator. The first step is to make TiO2/CuO hybrid fluid with a two-step method, with volume fraction variations of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0%, and observe stability for 30 days. Viscosity and thermal conductivity tests are used to assess the thermophysical properties of the sample. Hybrid fluid samples of TiO2 / CuO with a volume fraction of 5.0% showed the best stability and thermal conductivity, then were added to the coolant brand OBC (1:4). The results showed an increase in heat transfer rate of 23% and a heat transfer coefficient of 20% in the TiO2/CuO hybrid fluid added to the coolant OBC

Screening and Predictive Biomarkers for Down Syndrome Through Amniotic Fluid Metabolomics.

Down syndrome (DS) is a congenital disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of all or part of chromosome 21. It is characterized by significant intellectual disability, distinct facial features, and growth and developmental challenges. The utilization of metabolomics to analyze specific metabolic markers in maternal amniotic fluid may provide innovative tools and screening methods for investigating the early pathophysiology of trisomy 21 at the functional level. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained via amniocentesis from 57 pregnancies with DS and 55 control pregnancies between 173/7 and 240/7weeks of gestation. The targeted metabolomics focused on 34 organic acids, 17 amino acids, and 5 acylcarnitine metabolites. The untargeted metabolomics analysis concentrated on lipid profiles and included 602 metabolites that met quality control standards. Principal Component Analysis, Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and false discovery rate (FDR) adjustments were applied. MetaboAnalystR 5.0 was used to perform the metabolic pathway analysis on the identified differential metabolites. Fifty differential metabolites, including L-glutamine, eight organic acids, and 41 lipids, were significantly altered in DS based on three criteria: VIP > 1 in the OPLS-DA model, FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.05, and |log2FC|>log2(1.5) from a volcano plot of all detected metabolites. An analysis of 212 differential metabolites, selected from both targeted and untargeted approaches (VIP > 1 in the OPLS-DA model and FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.05), revealed significant changes in nine metabolic pathways. Fourteen key metabolites were identified to establish a screening model for DS, achieving an area under the curve of 1.00. Our results underscore the potential of metabolomics approaches in identifying concise and reliable biomarker combinations that demonstrate promising screening performance in DS.