It's About Time: Rapid Implementation of a Hub-and-Spoke Care Delivery Model for Tertiary-Integrated Complex Care Services in a Northern Ontario Community.

Children with medical complexity (CMC) in rural and northern communities have more difficulty accessing subspecialty health providers than those in urban centres. This article describes an alignment cascade in which leaders engaged peers and staff to rapidly roll out the implementation of a sustainably designed complex care model, integrated in the Champlain Complex Care Program and delivered in Timmins, Ontario. The Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health's Complex Care for Kids Ontario (CCKO) strategy supports the implementation and expansion of a hub-and-spoke model of interprofessional complex care for CMC and their families. A nurse practitioner is the primary point of contact for the family and oversees coordination and integration of care; regional CCKO programs are committed to building capacity to provide safe, high-quality care for CMC in communities closer to their homes.

Elevated CSF N-acetylaspartylglutamate suggests specific molecular diagnostic abnormalities in patients with white matter diseases.

BACKGROUND: In order to identify biomarkers useful for the diagnosis of genetic white matter disorders we compared the metabolic profile of patients with leukodystrophies with a hypomyelinating or a non-hypomyelinating MRI pattern. METHODS: We used a non-a priori method of in vitro ¹H-NMR spectroscopy on CSF samples of 74 patients with leukodystrophies. RESULTS: We found an elevation of CSF N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) in patients with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD)-PLP1 gene, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease-GJC2 gene and Canavan disease-ASPA gene. In the PMD group, NAAG was significantly elevated in the CSF of all patients with PLP1 duplication (19/19) but was strictly normal in 6 out of 7 patients with PLP1 point mutations. Additionally, we previously reported increased CSF NAAG in patients with SLC17A5 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated CSF NAAG is a biomarker that suggests specific molecular diagnostic abnormalities in patients with white matter diseases. Our findings also point to unique pathological functions of the overexpressed PLP in PMD patients with duplication of this gene.

Impact of prenatal stress on 1H NMR-based metabolic profiling of rat amniotic fluid.

OBJECT: The impact of inflammation in utero on amniotic fluid composition, the delivery term and the number of newborn rats per litter was investigated. The growth of newborns during the first fourteen days of life was analysed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Changes in the metabolome were evaluated using (1)H NMR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis. NMR spectra were segmented and principal component analysis was performed. Three groups were compared: a control group that received saline solution, a hyperthermic group (HYP) and a group that received injections of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (350 µg/kg/day). RESULTS: The most discriminating metabolites in the three profiles were identified, highlighting different metabolic pathways for providing glucose and energy to the foetus. The LPS group was characterized by glycolysis under anaerobic conditions, while the HYP group was characterized by a gluconeogenic amino acid pathway. These metabolic changes in amniotic fluid were accompanied by changes in the gestation outcome, the main differences concerning the mean number of pups per litter (control 9.74 ± 0.6, HYP 6.81 ± 0. and LPS 4.85 ± 1.11) and the biometric growth of the pups. CONCLUSION: Some consistent metabolic changes, observable by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, occurred in amniotic fluid during prenatal stress caused by hyperthermia and LPS-induced inflammation and had an impact on the gestation outcome.

Free sialic acid storage disease without sialuria.

We performed high-resolution in vitro proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy on cerebrospinal fluid and urine samples of 44 patients with leukodystrophies of unknown cause. Free sialic acid concentration was increased in cerebrospinal fluid of two siblings with mental retardation and mild hypomyelination. By contrast, urinary excretion of free sialic acid in urine was normal on repeated testing by two independent methods. Both patients were homozygous for the K136E mutation in SLC17A5, the gene responsible for the free sialic acid storage diseases. Our findings demonstrate that mutations in the SLC17A5 gene have to be considered in patients with hypomyelination, even in the absence of sialuria.

1H-NMR-Based Analysis for Exploring Knee Synovial Fluid Metabolite Changes after Local Cryotherapy in Knee Arthritis Patients.

Rehabilitation using cryotherapy has widely been used in inflammatory diseases to relieve pain and decrease the disease activity. The aim of this study was to explore the metabolite changes in inflammatory knee-joint synovial fluids following local cryotherapy treatment (ice or cold CO2). We used proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy to assess the metabolite patterns in synovial fluid (SF) in patients with knee arthritis (n = 46) before (D0) and after (D1, 24 h later) two applications of local cryotherapy. Spectra from aqueous samples and organic extracts were obtained with an 11.75 Tesla spectrometer. The metabolite concentrations within the SF were compared between D1 and D0 using multiple comparisons with the application of a false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted at 10% for each metabolite. A total of 32 metabolites/chemical structures were identified including amino acids, organic acids, fatty acids or sugars. Pyruvate, alanine, citrate, threonine was significantly higher at D1 vs D0 (p < 0.05). Tyrosine concentration significantly decreases after cryotherapy application (p < 0.001). We did not observe any effect of gender and cooling technique on metabolite concentrations between D0 and D1 (p > 0.05). The present study provides new insight into a short-term effect of cold stimulus in synovial fluid from patients with knee arthritis. Our observations suggest that the increased level of metabolites involved in energy metabolism may explain the underlying molecular pathways that mediate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of cryotherapy.

Influence of colloid, preservation medium and trimetazidine on renal medulla injury.

In organ transplantation, preservation injury is an important factor which could influence short-term and long-term graft outcome. The renal medulla is particularly sensitive to oxidant stress and ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Using an autotransplant pig kidney model, we investigated renal function and medullary damage determined between day 1 and week 2 after 24- or 48-h cold storage in different preservation solutions: University of Wisconsin solution (UW), Hopital Edouard Herriot solution (a high Na+ version of UW), ECPEG (high Na+ preservation solution with PEG) and ICPEG (a high K+ version of ECPEG) with or without trimetazidine (TMZ). TMZ improved renal preservation and increased renal function when added in each preservation solution (particularly HEH and ECPEG). Medullary damage led to the early appearance of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) followed by 1H-NMR in urine and plasma. TMZ and ECPEG is the most efficient association to reduce medullary damage. This study clarifies the role of colloid and polarity solution and the role of mitochondrial protection by TMZ.

Impact of collection conditions on the metabolite content of human urine samples as analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

There is a lack of comprehensive studies documenting the impact of sample collection conditions on metabolic composition of human urine. To address this issue, two experiments were performed at a 3-month interval, in which midstream urine samples from healthy individuals were collected, pooled, divided into several aliquots and kept under specific conditions (room temperature, 4 °C, with or without preservative) up to 72 h before storage at -80 °C. Samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry and bacterial contamination was monitored by turbidimetry. Multivariate analyses showed that urinary metabolic fingerprints were affected by the presence of preservatives and also by storage at room temperature from 24 to 72 h, whereas no change was observed for urine samples stored at 4 °C over a 72-h period. Investigations were then focused on 280 metabolites previously identified in urine: 19 of them were impacted by the kind of sample collection protocol in both experiments, including 12 metabolites affected by bacterial contamination and 7 exhibiting poor chemical stability. Finally, our results emphasize that the use of preservative prevents bacterial overgrowth, but does not avoid metabolite instability in solution, whereas storage at 4 °C inhibits bacterial overgrowth at least over a 72-h period and slows the chemical degradation process. Consequently, and for further LC/MS analyses, human urine samples should be kept at 4 °C if their collection is performed over 24 h.

Analysis of perfusates during hypothermic machine perfusion by NMR spectroscopy: a potential tool for predicting kidney graft outcome.

BACKGROUND: Machine perfusion use has been reported to promote graft outcome in case of donation after cardiac death. Our objective was to evaluate the potential for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to predict graft outcome by analyzing perfusates during machine perfusion time. METHOD: We used a renal autotransplantation model mimicking deceased after cardiac death donors with pigs. Organs were subjected to 60 min of warm ischemia before the hypothermic machine preservation during 22 hr. We studied the correlation between creatinemia after transplantation and the NMR data from perfusates. RESULTS: A metabonomic analysis allowed us to highlight the evolution of several metabolites during perfusion: the concentration of lactate, choline, or amino acids such as valine, glycine, or glutamate increased with time, whereas there was a diminution of total glutathione during this period. The changes in these biomarkers were less severe in the group with the better outcome. Statistical analysis revealed a strong association between the level of those metabolites during machine perfusion and function recovery (Spearman rank ≥0.89; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Multivariate analysis of lesion biomarkers during kidney perfusion using NMR data could be an interesting tool to assess graft quality, particularly because analyses times (2 hr total) are compatible with clinical application.

A pair analysis of the delayed graft function in kidney recipient: the critical role of the donor.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the importance of donor factors and especially the potential role of hemodynamic management in regard to delayed graft function in paired kidney recipient patients after renal transplantation and to analyze the urine of organ donors by proton-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify urine markers potentially correlated with delayed graft function in recipient patients. METHODS: A prospective multicenter epidemiologic study was conducted. A logistic regression model taking into account paired data was used. RESULTS: Data from 72 donors and the 144 corresponding paired recipients were analyzed. Univariate analysis showed that age of donor, previous history of tobacco, ischemic cause of brain death, norepinephrine infusion, and recipient age were the risk factors for delayed graft function. After adjusting for correlated outcome data and controlling for other potential prognostic factors, 3 variables remained significantly associated with outcome: donor age (odds ratio [OR], 10.7), hemodynamic status (OR, 0.167), and hydroxyl-ethyl starch infusion (OR, 0.135). Proton-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis evidenced 3 metabolites of interest in donors (trimethylamine-N-oxide, citrate, and lactate). However, these peaks were not correlated the clinical parameters in donors. CONCLUSIONS: Paired analysis of kidney transplantation emphasizes the important role of factor donor associated with delayed graft function in recipient. Thus, a particular attention should be paid to the hemodynamic management of donor.

Early energy deficit in Huntington disease: identification of a plasma biomarker traceable during disease progression.

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, with no effective treatment. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying HD has not been elucidated, but weight loss, associated with chorea and cognitive decline, is a characteristic feature of the disease that is accessible to investigation. We, therefore, performed a multiparametric study exploring body weight and the mechanisms of its loss in 32 presymptomatic carriers and HD patients in the early stages of the disease, compared to 21 controls. We combined this study with a multivariate statistical analysis of plasma components quantified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopy. We report evidence of an early hypermetabolic state in HD. Weight loss was observed in the HD group even in presymptomatic carriers, although their caloric intake was higher than that of controls. Inflammatory processes and primary hormonal dysfunction were excluded. (1)H NMR spectroscopy on plasma did, however, distinguish HD patients at different stages of the disease and presymptomatic carriers from controls. This distinction was attributable to low levels of the branched chain amino acids (BCAA), valine, leucine and isoleucine. BCAA levels were correlated with weight loss and, importantly, with disease progression and abnormal triplet repeat expansion size in the HD1 gene. Levels of IGF1, which is regulated by BCAA, were also significantly lower in the HD group. Therefore, early weight loss in HD is associated with a systemic metabolic defect, and BCAA levels may be used as a biomarker, indicative of disease onset and early progression. The decreased plasma levels of BCAA may correspond to a critical need for Krebs cycle energy substrates in the brain that increased metabolism in the periphery is trying to provide.

Ultrasound-guided collection of amniotic fluid in pregnant rats.

Here we present an echographic method to withdraw amniotic fluid from pregnant rats. The method could be an alternative to the surgical amniotic fluid collection methods used currently. On day 18 of gestation, pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats underwent amniotic sac puncture by either surgical procedure or echographically guided method. This study evaluated the effect of the 2 collection procedures on parturition day, number of pups per litter, and weight of newborns compared with those of a control group without any fluid collection. These parameters did not differ statistically across groups. However, the echographically guided method did not require surgery or postsurgical recovery and was therefore advantageous from the perspective of animal use. Moreover ultrasound-guided collection allows experimental designs that require collection of multiple samples from the same animal during a single pregnancy.

Evidence for protective roles of polyethylene glycol plus high sodium solution and trimetazidine against consequences of renal medulla ischaemia during cold preservation and reperfusion in a pig kidney model.

BACKGROUND: The renal medulla is particularly sensitive to oxidant stress and to ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). In organ transplantation, delayed graft function is an important problem and cold ischaemia is thought to be the most important factor in short- and long-term complications. Our aim was to study cold-induced damage in proximal tubular segments and renal medulla osmolite excretion during use of various preservation solutions, and to clarify the role of trimetazidine (TMZ) in limiting renal dysfunction. METHODS: Using an autotransplanted pig kidney model, we assessed renal tubule function, medullary osmolite excretion and renal damage between day 1 and week 2 after 24 or 48 h cold storage in University of Wisconsin solution (UW), Celsior and ECPEG (two new high Na(+) preservation solutions) or the Hopital Edouard Herriot solution (HEH; a high Na(+) version of UW). In additional groups, TMZ was added to these preservation solutions for 24 and 48 h cold storage. RESULTS: Renal function was reduced under these preservation conditions. Tubular injury was associated with aminoaciduria and with a limited Na(+) reabsorbtion. Medullary damage led to the early appearance of trimethylamine-N-oxide and dimethylamine in urine. However, renal damage was modulated by preservation conditions. In addition, TMZ added to each of the solutions efficiently protected against IRI even after prolonged preservation. CONCLUSION: TMZ efficiently protected kidneys against damage when added to the HEH and particularly ECPEG solutions, even after 24 h cold storage. These findings point to a role for drugs that target mitochondria, and demonstrate that TMZ may provide a valuable therapeutic tool against IRI and could be included in therapeutic protocols.