GC-MS analysis of exhaled gas for fine detection of inflammatory diseases.

Exhaled gas analysis is a non-invasive test ideal for continuous monitoring of biological metabolic information. We analyzed the exhaled gas of patients with inflammatory diseases for trace gas components that could serve as biomarkers that enable early detection of inflammatory diseases and assessment of treatment efficacy. Furthermore, we examined the clinical potential of this method. We enrolled 34 patients with inflammatory disease and 69 healthy participants. Volatile components from exhaled gas were collected and analyzed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system, and the data were examined for gender, age, inflammatory markers, and changes in markers before and after treatment. The data were tested for statistical significance through discriminant analysis by Volcano plot, Analysis of variance test, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis comparing healthy and patient groups. There were no significant differences in the trace components of exhaled gas by gender or age. However, we found differences in some components of the exhaled gas between healthy and untreated patients. In addition, after treatment, gas patterns including the patient-specific components changed to a state closer to the inflammation-free status. We identified trace components in the exhaled gas of patients with inflammatory diseases and found that some of these regressed after treatment.

Several factors including ITPA polymorphism influence ribavirin-induced anemia in chronic hepatitis C.

AIM: To construct formulae for predicting the likelihood of ribavirin-induced anemia in pegylated interferon α plus ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: Five hundred and sixty-one Japanese patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b who had received combination treatment were enrolled and assigned randomly to the derivation and confirmatory groups. Single nucleotide polymorphisms at or nearby ITPA were genotyped by real-time detection polymerase chain reaction. Factors influencing significant anemia (hemoglobin concentration < 10.0 g/dL at week 4 of treatment) and significant hemoglobin decline (declining concentrations > 3.0 g/dL at week 4) were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Prediction formulae were constructed by significantly independent factors. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis for the derivation group identified four independent factors associated with significant hemoglobin decline: hemoglobin decline at week 2 [P = 3.29 × 10(-17), odds ratio (OR) = 7.54 (g/dL)], estimated glomerular filtration rate [P = 2.16 × 10(-4), OR = 0.962 (mL/min/1.73 m(2))], rs1127354 (P = 5.75 × 10(-4), OR = 10.94) and baseline hemoglobin [P = 7.86 × 10(-4), OR = 1.50 (g/dL)]. Using the model constructed by these factors, positive and negative predictive values and predictive accuracy were 79.8%, 88.8% and 86.2%, respectively. For the confirmatory group, they were 83.3%, 91.0% and 88.3%. These factors were closely correlated with significant anemia. However, the model could not be constructed, because no patients with rs1127354 minor genotype CA/AA had significant anemia. CONCLUSION: Reliable formulae for predicting the likelihood of ribavirin-induced anemia were constructed. Such modeling may be useful in developing individual tailoring and optimization of ribavirin dosage.

Contribution of ribavirin transporter gene polymorphism to treatment response in peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy for HCV genotype 1b patients.

BACKGROUND: Standard-dose ribavirin is crucial for the standard-of-care treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1), encoded by SLC29A1 gene, is the main transporter that imports ribavirin into human hepatocytes. AIMS: To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the SLC29A1 gene could influence the probability of treatment response compared with other baseline and host genetic factors. METHODS: A total of 526 East Asian patients monoinfected with HCV genotype 1b who had received pegylated interferon alpha plus ribavirin therapy were enrolled in this study. They were assigned randomly to the derivation and confirmatory groups. SNPs related to the IL28B, ITPA and SLC29A1 genes were genotyped using real-time detection polymerase chain reaction. Factors associated with sustained virological response (SVR) were analysed using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis for the derivation group identified six baseline variables significantly and independently associated with SVR: age [P = 0.023, odds ratio (OR) = 0.97], gender (P = 0.0047, OR = 2.25), platelet count (P = 0.00017, OR = 1.11), viral load (P = 0.00026, OR = 0.54), IL28B SNP rs12979860 (P = 1.09 × 10(-7) , OR = 8.68) and SLC29A1 SNP rs6932345 (P = 0.030, OR = 1.85). Using the model constructed by these independent variables, positive and negative predictive values and predictive accuracy were 73.3, 70.1 and 71.9% respectively. For the confirmatory group, they were 71.4, 84.6 and 75.3% respectively. The SLC29A1 and IL28B SNPs were also significantly associated with rapid virological response. CONCLUSIONS: The SNP at the major ribavirin transporter ENT1 gene SLC29A1 was one of significantly independent factors influencing treatment response, although the impact on the prediction was small.

A novel magnetic crystal-lipid nanostructure for magnetically guided in vivo gene delivery.

Cancer gene therapy requires a safe and effective gene delivery system. Polymer- and lipid-coated magnetic nanocrystals have been used to deliver silencing RNA, but synthesizing these magnetic vectors is difficult. Here, we show that a new nanoparticle formulation can be magnetically guided to deliver and silence genes in cells and tumours in mice. This formulation, termed LipoMag, consists of an oleic acid-coated magnetic nanocrystal core and a cationic lipid shell. When compared with the commercially available PolyMag formulation, LipoMag displayed more efficient gene silencing in 9 of 13 cell lines, and better anti-tumour effects when systemically administered to mice bearing gastric tumours. By delivering an optimized sequence of a silencing RNA that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor of tumour vessels, the intended therapeutic benefit was achieved with no evident adverse immune reaction or untoward side effects.

Bovine lactoferrin potently inhibits liver mitochondrial 8-OHdG levels and retrieves hepatic OGG1 activities in Long-Evans Cinnamon rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess the effect of lactoferrin on oxidative liver damage and its mechanism, we used Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats that spontaneously develop fulminant-like hepatitis and lethal hepatic failure. METHODS: Four-week-old female LEC rats were divided into the untreated and treated groups. The latter was fed bovine lactoferrin at 2% mixed with conventional diet. RESULTS: The cumulative survival rates were 75.0% vs. 100% at 14 weeks, 37.5% vs. 91.7% at 15 weeks, and 12.5% vs. 91.7% at 16 weeks, respectively, for untreated and treated rats (P=0.0008). The 8-OHdG levels in liver mitochondrial DNA and malondialdehyde in plasma and liver tissues were significantly lower in treated than untreated rats (P<0.001, =0.017 and 0.034, respectively). Mitochondrial DNA mutations were more common in untreated rats. OGG1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly lower in untreated than treated rats (P=0.003 and 0.007, respectively). Hypermethylation of the second CpG island located upstream of OGG1 gene was observed in untreated rats. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that lactoferrin inhibits oxidative liver damage in LEC rats. Lactoferrin could be potentially useful for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced liver diseases.

Detection of sentinel nodes by a novel red-fluorescent dye, ATX-S10Na (II), in an orthotopic xenograft rat model of human gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We developed a new imaging system to detect sentinel nodes (SNs) using a novel fluorescent tracer, ATX-S10Na(II), and investigated its usefulness in an animal model. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human gastric carcinoma cells were implanted orthotopically into nude rats. ATX-S10Na(II) was injected subserosally into the primary tumor lesion, and visualized by a fluorescence spectro-laparoscope. Presence of tumor cells in lymph nodes (LNs) was determined by RT-PCR specific for human beta-actin. RESULTS: Injection of ATX-S10Na(II) was successful in 27 tumor-bearing rats. A red fluorescence was incorporated into the left gastric and hepatic LNs in 25 and 2 rats, respectively. Of note, human beta-actin was detected in most of these LNs. Fluorescence was not detected in LNs that did not contain cancer. CONCLUSION: ATX-S10Na(II) is useful for the detection of cancer-containing SNs in an animal model of gastric carcinoma, and may serve as a novel tracer in SN navigation surgery.