Combined targeted and untargeted profiling of volatile aroma compounds with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography for differentiation of virgin olive oils according to variety and geographical origin.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS) was combined with conventional mono-dimensional GC-MS to differentiate Croatian virgin olive oils (VOO) according to variety and geographical origin, based on the profile of volatile aroma compounds isolated by HS-SPME. More than 1000 compounds were detected after untargeted profiling and 256 were identified or tentatively identified, providing one of the most detailed profiles of volatile aroma compounds in VOO up to date. Among them, 131 volatile compounds were significantly different across monovarietal VOOs, while 60 were found useful for the discrimination according to geographical origin. Many major lipoxygenase and minor non-lipoxygenase-generated compounds were shown to have discriminating ability with respect to both factors. Multivariate statistical analysis extracted twenty-one volatile markers with the highest discriminant power for varietal differentiation. The approach reported may have practical application in better understanding, defining, managing, and communicating the varietal or geographical typicity of monovarietal VOOs.

Influence of Blood Count, Cardiovascular Risks, Inherited Thrombophilia, and JAK2 V617F Burden Allele on Type of Thrombosis in Patients With Philadelphia Chromosome Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.

INTRODUCTION: Thrombosis is the most common complication in Philadelphia chromosome negative (Ph-) myeloproliferative neoplasms patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a cohort of 258 Ph- myeloproliferative neoplasm patients, the difference between patients with and without thrombosis was analyzed according to genetic thrombophilia factors, JAK2 V617F status and burden allele, blood count, cardiovascular risk factors and age. Patients were also divided in polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) subgroups as well as by the type of thrombosis. RESULTS: Analysis of cardiovascular risk factors regarding arterial thrombosis showed that PV patients with thrombosis had higher incidence of diabetes (P = .030), ET patients more often had hypertension (P = .003) and hyperlipidemia (P = .005), while PMF patients had hyperlipidemia (P = .046) and at least one cardiovascular risk factor (P = .044). Moreover, leukocytes > 18 × 109/L and V617F burden allele > 25.7% were statistically significantly different in PV patients (P = .019 and borderline significant at P = .055, respectively), while in ET patients leukocytes > 9.2 × 109/L (P < .001) and age at diagnosis of > 55 years were statistically significantly different (P = .002). PMF patients with V617F burden allele ≤ 34.8% were more prone to thrombosis (P = .032). When comparing patients with and without venous thrombosis, cutoff value of V617F burden allele > 90.4% was significant for PV patients with thrombosis (P = .036), as was > 56.7% for PMF patients with thrombosis (P = .046). Platelets ≤ 536 × 109/L and age at diagnosis > 54 years showed statistically significant difference for ET patients with thrombosis (P = .015 and P = .041, respectively). CONCLUSION: On the basis of our results, a new scoring system for thrombosis risk in PV could be made, while PMF prognostic model may be expanded for better recognition of potential thrombotic risk factors.

Towards understanding the varietal typicity of virgin olive oil by correlating sensory and compositional analysis data: a case study.

To investigate if the anecdotal varietal typicity concepts for two monovarietal virgin olive oils (VOO) can be scientifically supported and explained, VOO samples were sorted according to typicity grade and related to sensory and compositional data for volatiles and phenols. Clear inter-varietal, as well as intra-varietal boundaries between more and less typical samples were established by univariate and multivariate statistics. A variety-typical complex odor was related to a complex VOO volatile composition with relatively high amounts of lipoxygenase-derived compounds, accompanied by hydrocarbons, terpenes, and benzenoids. A simpler odor, described mostly as green and typical for the other monovarietal VOO, coincided with the lower amounts of the same volatiles. The intensity of bitterness and pungency was mostly in correlation with the amount of major phenols. Two monovarietal VOOs were clearly distinguished with respect to their variety-typical expression of pungency: the one described as gradually increasing was tentatively related to pinoresinol, while the other, described as immediately strong and burning, was assumed to originate mainly from p-HPEA-EDA. Intra-varietal typicity grades correlated with hedonic liking, as well as with general VOO positive sensory attributes related to key volatiles and phenols.

The incidence of atypical patterns of BCR-ABL1 rearrangement and molecular-cytogenetic response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in newly diagnosed cases with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

BACKGROUND: To analyze the frequency of atypical fluorescence in situ hybridization signal patterns and estimate the complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and major molecular response (MMR) during 12 months of tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia. METHODS: The study included bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from 122 patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia. Detection of the breakpoint cluster region-Abelson fusion gene (BCR-ABL1) was performed using fluorescence in situ hybridization with a dual-color dual-fusion translocation probe, and MMR analysis was performed using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: Variant translocation was determined in 10 samples and a deletion on the derivative chromosome 9 (del/der(9)) was found in 20 samples. The rates of CCyR and MMR were similar between patients with reciprocal translocation, variant translocation, deletion of derivative BCR, or ABL1-BCR fusion gene. The Kaplan-Meier test did not show any significant differences in the rates of CCyR and MMR among those groups of patients. CONCLUSION: The frequencies of variant translocation and del/der(9) in the present study agree with the results of other studies performed worldwide. No differences were observed in the rates of CCyR and MMR between patients with atypical patterns and reciprocal translocation.

Serum chitotriosidase: a circulating biomarker in polycythemia vera.

OBJECTIVES: Serum chitotriosidase activity (CHIT1) is a biomarker of macrophage activation with an important role in inflammation-induced tissue remodeling and fibrosis. Macrophages have been described to play a crucial role in regulating pathological erythropoiesis in polycythemia vera (PV). The aim of this study was to evaluate CHIT1 in patients diagnosed with Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). METHODS: Using fluorometric assay, we measured CHIT1 in 28 PV, 27 essential thrombocythemia (ET), 17 primary myelofibrosis (PMF), 19 patients with secondary myelofibrosis and in 25 healthy controls. RESULTS: CHIT1 was significantly higher in PV (p < .001) and post-PV myelofibrosis (MF) transformation (post-PV MF) (p = .020), but not in ET (p = .080), post-ET MF transformation (p = .086), and PMF patients (p = .287), when compared to healthy controls. CHIT1 in PV was positively correlated with hemoglobin (p = .026), hematocrit (p = .012), absolute basophil count (p = .030) and the presence of reticulin fibrosis in the bone marrow (p = .023). DISCUSSION: A positive correlation between CHIT1 and these distinct laboratory PV features might imply macrophages closely related to clonal erythropoiesis as cells of CHIT1 origin. In addition, a positive association between CHIT1 and reticulin fibrosis might indicate its potential role in PV progression. CONCLUSION: CHIT1 might be considered as a circulating biomarker in PV. Additional studies are needed to clarify the role of CHIT1 in promoting disease progression and bone marrow fibrosis in PV.