Development of a Sol Particle Homogeneous Immunoassay for Measuring Full-Length Selenoprotein P in Human Serum.

BACKGROUND: Selenoprotein P (SeP), a selenium-rich extracellular glycoprotein, is the primary selenoprotein in the plasma. SeP plays an important role in the maintenance of selenium levels in the peripheral tissues. We developed a new sol particle homogeneous immunoassay (SPIA) for measuring full-length SeP (FL-SeP) levels in the human serum. METHODS: We used colloidal gold particles coated with two types of anti-SeP monoclonal antibodies, one recognizing the N-terminal side domain of SeP and the other recognizing the C-terminal side domain. RESULTS: The assay range was 0.2-9 mg/l, and the linearity was excellent. The within-day and between-day coefficients of variation ranged from 0.73% to 2.24% and 0.45% to 1.11%, respectively. Serum samples (n = 200) were examined using the newly developed assay system (employing a Model 7070 Hitachi automatic clinical analyzer) and the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These two methods were compared using the Passing-Bablok regression analysis; the resulting regression equation and correlation coefficient were y = 0.940x + 0.165 and r = 0.954, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our new SPIA assay is a fully automated homogeneous immunoassay that can be used in conjunction with various commercial analyzers. The assay was sensitive, precise, and suitable for clinical measurement of the FL-SeP in the human serum.

Compression brace for secondary pectus carinatum in infants and toddlers undergoing cardiac surgery with midline sternotomy.

PURPOSES: This study aimed to retrospectively assess the response to a newly developed compression brace for improving the deformity of the secondary pectus carinatum in infants and toddlers undergoing cardiac surgery with midline sternotomy. Factors affecting the response to the brace were identified. METHODS: Fifty-one children were enrolled. Severity was expressed as the protrusion angle of the sternum obtained from chest X-ray. The patients were divided into two groups by positive or negative binary residuals of the relationship between the angle at the beginning and its percentage change after wearing the brace. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors. RESULTS: Thirty patients (58.8%) showed zero and positive residuals to the relationship (good responders, Group G), whereas 21 patients showed negative residuals (poor responders, Group P). Male sex, severe cardiac anomaly, complex surgical procedure, multiple sternotomy, total duration, and self-discontinuation were associated with poor response to the brace by univariate analysis. The first three factors remained with high odds ratio for poor response by multivariate analysis. No adverse events occurred with the brace. CONCLUSION: Our newly developed compression brace contributed, at least in part, to improve the deformity of the secondary pectus carinatum. Further studies are required to clarify the therapeutic efficacy of anterior chest compression for secondary pectus carinatum.

Major depressive disorder discrimination using vocal acoustic features.

BACKGROUND: The voice carries various information produced by vibrations of the vocal cords and the vocal tract. Though many studies have reported a relationship between vocal acoustic features and depression, including mel-frequency cepstrum coefficients (MFCCs) which applied to speech recognition, there have been few studies in which acoustic features allowed discrimination of patients with depressive disorder. Vocal acoustic features as biomarker of depression could make differential diagnosis of patients with depressive state. In order to achieve differential diagnosis of depression, in this preliminary study, we examined whether vocal acoustic features could allow discrimination between depressive patients and healthy controls. METHODS: Subjects were 36 patients who met the criteria for major depressive disorder and 36 healthy controls with no current or past psychiatric disorders. Voices of reading out digits before and after verbal fluency task were recorded. Voices were analyzed using OpenSMILE. The extracted acoustic features, including MFCCs, were used for group comparison and discriminant analysis between patients and controls. RESULTS: The second dimension of MFCC (MFCC 2) was significantly different between groups and allowed the discrimination between patients and controls with a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 86.1%. The difference in MFCC 2 between the two groups reflected an energy difference of frequency around 2000-3000Hz. CONCLUSIONS: The MFCC 2 was significantly different between depressive patients and controls. This feature could be a useful biomarker to detect major depressive disorder. LIMITATIONS: Sample size was relatively small. Psychotropics could have a confounding effect on voice.

Serum selenoprotein P, but not selenium, predicts future hyperglycemia in a general Japanese population.

We aimed to test the hypothesis that selenoprotein P (SELENOP), a hepatokine involved in the development of both insulin resistance and impaired insulin production in mice, is related to future onset of hyperglycemia in humans. 76 healthy non-pregnant human subjects without diabetes underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline and 4-years follow-up. Nine subjects developed either impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes at follow-up. At baseline, SELENOP concentrations correlated negatively with insulinogenic index, but not with homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Multivariate analysis showed that baseline SELENOP predicted fasting plasma glucose at follow-up independently of the other parameters. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that baseline concentrations of serum SELENOP, but not of selenium, were a reliable test to predict future onset of glucose intolerance. In conclusion, elevation of circulating SELENOP, but not of circulating selenium, was positively and independently associated with future onset of glucose intolerance in a general Japanese population.

Myocardial damage by resuscitation methods.

Medico-legal autopsy cases were reviewed to detect myocardial changes induced by resuscitation methods. Myofibrillar degeneration (MFD) induced by resuscitation methods was classified into two types according to Luxol fast blue staining: contraction band (CB) and diffuse staining (DS). In the cases in which cardiopulmonary resuscitation had been performed, myocytes showing CB or DS formed small foci and were distributed in the papillary muscles, septum, and inner to middle layers of the myocardium. MFD induced by vasopressors was characterized by solitary distribution of degenerating myocytes that mainly showed DS and sometimes CB. When direct current countershocks had been performed, focal MFD in the subepicardial zone appeared to be a characteristic feature.

LECT2 functions as a hepatokine that links obesity to skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

Recent articles have reported an association between fatty liver disease and systemic insulin resistance in humans, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The liver may contribute to muscle insulin resistance by releasing secretory proteins called hepatokines. Here we demonstrate that leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2), an energy-sensing hepatokine, is a link between obesity and skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Circulating LECT2 positively correlated with the severity of both obesity and insulin resistance in humans. LECT2 expression was negatively regulated by starvation-sensing kinase adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase in H4IIEC hepatocytes. Genetic deletion of LECT2 in mice increased insulin sensitivity in the skeletal muscle. Treatment with recombinant LECT2 protein impaired insulin signaling via phosphorylation of Jun NH2-terminal kinase in C2C12 myocytes. These results demonstrate the involvement of LECT2 in glucose metabolism and suggest that LECT2 may be a therapeutic target for obesity-associated insulin resistance.