Breath biomarkers of pediatric malaria: reproducibility and response to antimalarial therapy.

BACKGROUND: Many insect-borne pathogens appear to manipulate the odors of their hosts in ways that influence vector behaviors. In our prior work, we identified characteristic changes in volatile emissions of cultured Plasmodium falciparum parasites in vitro and during natural human falciparum malaria. In the current study, we prospectively evaluate the reproducibility of these findings in an independent cohort of children in Blantyre, Malawi. METHODS: We enrolled febrile children under evaluation for malaria and collected breath from children with and without malaria, as well as healthy controls. Using gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry, we characterized breath volatiles associated with malaria. By repeated sampling of children with malaria before and after antimalarial use, we determined how breath profiles respond to treatment. In addition, we investigated the stage-specificity of biomarkers through correlation with asexual and sexual stage parasitemia. RESULTS: Our data provide robust evidence that P. falciparum infection leads to specific, reproducible changes in breath compounds. While no individual compound served as adequate classifier in isolation, selected volatiles together yielded high sensitivity for diagnosis of malaria. Overall, the results of our predictive models suggest the presence of volatile signatures that reproducibly predict malaria infection status and determine response to therapy, even in cases of low parasitemia.

Anisotropic Galvanomagnetic Effects in Single Cubic Crystals: A Theory and Its Verification.

A theory of anisotropic galvanomagnetic effects in single cubic crystals and its experimental verifications are presented for the current in the (001) plane. In contrast to the general belief that galvanomagnetic effects in single crystals are highly sensitive to many internal and external effects and have no universal features, the theory predicts universal angular dependencies of longitudinal and transverse resistivity and various characteristics when magnetization rotates in the (001) plane, the plane perpendicular to the current, and the plane containing the current and [001] direction. The universal angular dependencies are verified by experiments on Fe_{30}Co_{70} single cubic crystal film. The findings provide new avenues for fundamental research and applications of galvanomagnetic effects, because single crystals offer advantages over polycrystalline materials for band structure and crystallographic orientation engineering.

[Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on the severity of acute coronary syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on myocardial damage, coronary multi-vessel lesion and postoperative indexes in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS). Methods: The patients, admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from September 2022 to October 2023 due to chest tightness and pain, diagnosed with ACS and accompanied by emergency/elective percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)at, were prospectively enrolled. Portable sleep monitor was used to monitor after stabilization of condition(postoperative day 2±1). The patients were divided into the OSA group (AHI≥15/h) and the control group (AHI<15/h) according to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). The hematologic indices, echocardiographic parameters, coronary vascular scores and postoperative indicators between the groups were compared. Binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for muti-vessel lesion in patients with ACS. Results: One hundred and four ACS patients who met the inclusion criteria were ultimately included, including 85 males (81.7%) and 19 females (18.3%), aged (57.3±10.8) years, of whom 48.1% (50/104) were complicated with OSA. Body mass index (BMI), prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, triglyceride (TG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and D-dimer in the OSA group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in sleep parameters between the two groups (P<0.05). The patients in the OSA group exhibited higher troponin T (cTnT) [M(Q1,Q3),54.0 (9.3,343.8) ng/L vs 15.0 (7.8,38.8) ng/L, P<0.05], larger left atrial internal diameters [41.4 (39.3,45.2) mm vs 40.2 (37.1,42.0) mm, P<0.05], more diseased vessels [2 (1, 3) vs 1 (1, 2), P<0.001], a higher percentage of muti-vessel lesion[60.0%(30/50)vs 29.6%(16/54),P<0.05], and a higher incidence of cardiovascular complications during hospitalization[10.0%(5/50)vs 0(0/54), P=0.017]. The results of binary logistic regression analysis suggested that after adjusting for confounders, AHI (OR=1.035, 95%CI: 1.008-1.063, P=0.011) was independently associated with the development of muti-vessel lesion in patients with ACS. Conclusions: ACS patients with OSA suffer more severe myocardial damage, are more likely to develop structural abnormalities of left heart and multi-vessel lesion, and have a higher incidence of postoperative complications. High AHI is a risk factor for multi-vessel lesion in ACS patients.

[Correlation between arousal threshold and occurrence of hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between arousal threshold (ArTH) and hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSA). Methods: This study recruited 648 patients diagnosed with OSA at the Sleep Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2020 to August 2021, including 569 males and 79 females, aged 42(35,52) years. The basic demographic information and clinical data of all patients were collected, including blood pressure measurement, and relevant questionnaire scores, and nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) parameters. A clinical predictive model based on sleep apnea hypopnea index (AHI), lowest pulse oxygen saturation (LSpaO2) and hypopnea ratio (FHypopneas) was used to access the arousal threshold of OSA patients. Patients were divided into OSA group and OSA with hypertension group according to whether they were combined with hypertension. The differences in the above indexes between the two groups were analyzed to explore the relationship between arousal threshold and hypertension in OSA patients, using a binary logistic stepwise regression analysis. Results: A total of 648 OSA patients were enrolled, including 415 in the OSA with hypertension group and 233 in the OSA group. Compared with OSA group, OSA with hypertension group had older age, higher body mass index (BMI), higher blood pressure at bedtime and at awakening, higher AHI and lower proportion of hypopnea (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences between other general data and PSG parameters (all P>0.05). The proportion of patients with low arousal threshold (AHI<30 events per hour, LSpO2>82.5%, Fhypopneas>58.3%) in OSA with hypertension group was lower, and the proportion of phenotypic patients with low arousal threshold was significantly lower (30.1% vs. 52.4% P<0.001). Binary logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that the high arousal threshold (OR=1.930, 95%CI:1.326-2.808, P=0.001) was an independent risk factor for OSA complicated with hypertension. Conclusion: The arousal threshold is associated with the development of hypertension in OSA patients, and OSA patients with a high arousal threshold have a higher risk of developing hypertension.

[Correlation analysis of polyclonal plasma cell proportion in the bone marrow with clinical characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma].

Objective: To explore the correlation of bone marrow polychonal plasma cell proportion (pPC% ) and clinical features in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 317 patients with NDMM admitted to Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2018 to January 2023 was performed. The results of the pPC% in all patients were clear. The relationship between the pPC% and clinical characteristics was analyzed. Results: A total of 317 patients were included, comprising 180 males and 137 females. The median age at diagnosis was 61 (26-91) years, and 55.8% were 60 years or older. The pPC% in the bone marrow of patients with NDMM was different in the DS, International Staging System (ISS), and revised ISS (R-ISS) stages (P=0.002, 0.010, and 0.049, respectively), whereas no statistical difference in pPC% was observed among patients with different FISH risk stratigrams (P=0.971). The correlation coefficient between pPC% and hemoglobin (HGB) at the first diagnosis in patients was 0.211 (P<0.01). The correlation coefficients with serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein level, and ß(2)-microglobulin were -0.141, -0.120, -0.181, and -0.207, respectively, and the results of the significance test were P=0.012, 0.033, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively, indicating a negative correlation. Compared with the patients with a pPC% of ≥2.5%, the group of patients with a pPC% of <2.5% had significantly higher levels of light chain, serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein, and ß(2)-microglobulin at the initial diagnosis (P<0.05) ; lower HGB level (P<0.001) ; and a higher proportion of patients in ISS stage Ⅲ (P=0.034) . Conclusion: In this study, the pPC% in patients with NDMM was associated with clinical features of good prognosis, including higher HGB, lower serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein quantity, ß(2)-microglobulin, light chain involvement, lower proportion of advanced disease (DS stage and ISS stage Ⅲ), and clinical features showing lower tumor burden.