Differences in the Volatilomic Urinary Biosignature of Prostate Cancer Patients as a Feasibility Study for the Detection of Potential Biomarkers.

Prostate cancer (PCa) continues to be the second most common malignant tumour and the main cause of oncological death in men. Investigating endogenous volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) produced by various metabolic pathways is emerging as a novel, effective, and non-invasive source of information to establish the volatilomic biosignature of PCa. In this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) was used to establish the urine volatilomic profile of PCa and identify VOMs that can discriminate between the two investigated groups. This non-invasive approach was applied to oncological patients (PCa group, n = 26) and cancer-free individuals (control group, n = 30), retrieving a total of 147 VOMs from various chemical families. This included terpenes, norisoprenoid, sesquiterpenes, phenolic, sulphur and furanic compounds, ketones, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, carboxylic acid, benzene and naphthalene derivatives, hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic hydrocarbons. The data matrix was subjected to multivariate analysis, namely partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Accordingly, this analysis showed that the group under study presented different volatomic profiles and suggested potential PCa biomarkers. Nevertheless, a larger cohort of samples is required to boost the predictability and accuracy of the statistical models developed.

Multiple food allergy - unexpected culprits.

Food allergy has an estimated prevalence of 6%-8% in children. Meat allergy and multiple food allergy due to sensitization to cross-reactive components in infancy is, however, less frequent. A 5-year-old girl was referred to our department with a multiple food allergy history. She had severe immediate worsening of her atopic dermatitis with hen's egg (6 months) and cow's milk introduction (7 months). At the age of 9 months, she presented with recurrent and reproducible atopic dermatitis' worsening and lip edema with the introduction of different meats (chicken, turkey, cow, pork, and rabbit), having the same complaints with fish at 12 months (salmon and hake). At her first appointment she was avoiding hen's egg, cow's milk, meat, and fish (except fresh tuna, codfish, and pollock). We performed skin prick tests (commercial extract and prick-to-prick with whole food) and specific IgE, which revealed sensitization to hen's egg, raw meat (cow, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, lamb, goat, and rabbit; negative for cooked meat), codfish and cow's milk (mild). ISAC was performed, revealing sensitization to 3 cross-reactive components (serum albumins Bosd6, Canf3, and Feld2) and specific food components of chicken's egg/meat (Gald1, 2, 3, and 5), cod (Gadc1), hazelnut (Cora9), and kiwi (Actd1). We present a rare case of multiple food allergy in infancy, where sensitization to cross-reactive components was responsible for most of the children complaints. The detection of serum albumins' involvement was especially important, because it can possibly mean tolerance to these foods in well-cooked forms, substantially improving patient and family's quality of life.

The Contribution of the Basophil Activation Test to the Diagnosis of Hypersensitivity Reactions to Oxaliplatin.

Cytostatics, mainly oxaliplatin, are widely used to treat oncological diseases. There has been an increase in hypersensitivity reactions to these drugs, mostly IgE-mediated. Skin tests are the main diagnostic method used but they may induce irritant local reactions and contamination by health care professionals. The main goals of this work were to evaluate the contribution of the basophil activation test (BAT) as a diagnostic tool for hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin, and to compare the expression of CD63 and CD203c molecules. BAT was performed with oxaliplatin in 6 oncological patients with previous documented hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin and in 5 controls (4 oncological patients tolerant to oxaliplatin and 1 healthy control), assessing CD63 and CD203c expression on basophil population. We found higher values for the basophil activation percentage and mean stimulation index for CD203c expression with all oxaliplatin concentrations tested (most significant at 150 µg/mL: p = 0,0087; p = 0.0222) in the patients than in controls. The same did not occur, with statistical significance, for CD63 expression. When we compared the 2 activation markers in the patients, we observed a more enhanced expression of CD203c in both evaluations, with statistical significance at the 150-µg/mL concentration (p = 0,026; p = 0,0129). These data show a higher positivity of BAT with oxaliplatin in patients with previous hypersensitivity reactions, when compared to controls, suggesting that BAT may be a promising diagnostic method as an alternative to skin tests. CD203c appears to play a more prominent role than CD63, which is consistent with what is published in the literature.

Life cycle assessment of Mexican polymer and high-durability cotton paper banknotes.

This study compares the environmental performance of Mexican banknotes printed on high-durability cotton paper (HD paper) and thermoplastic polymer (polymer) through a life cycle assessment to appraise the environmental impacts from the extraction of raw materials to the final disposal of the banknotes. The functional unit was defined considering the next parameters: 1) lifespan of the banknotes, stablished in 31.5 and 54months for HD paper and polymer, respectively; 2) denomination, selecting $200 pesos banknotes; 3) a 5year time frame and 4) a defined amount of money, in this case stablished as the monthly cash supply of an average Mexican household, equaling $12,708 pesos. Accordingly, 121 pieces for the HD paper and 71 pieces for the polymer banknotes were analyzed. The results favor the banknotes printed on polymer substrate primarily because of the longer lifespan of this type of material; however, there is a considerable environmental impact in the stages of distribution, followed by the extraction of the raw materials (crude oil) during manufacturing. Regarding the HD cotton paper, the major impact corresponds to extraction of the raw materials, followed by the distribution of the banknotes. The inclusion of the automatic teller machines (ATMs) in the life cycle assessment of banknotes shows that the electricity required by these devices became the largest contributor to the environmental impacts. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis that the average lifetime of the banknotes is a determining factor for the environmental impacts associated with the whole life cycle of this product. The life cycle stages that refer to the extraction of the raw materials, combined with the average lifetime of the banknotes and the electricity required during the usage stage, are determining factors in the total environmental impact associated with Mexican banknotes.

Preservaçäo da audiçäo residual em pacientes usuários de implante coclear multicanal: estudo piloto / Hearing conservation after cochlear implant: pilot study

Introduçäo: Com o progresso tecnológico dos implantes cocleares, cada vez mais pacientes com audiçäo residual útil säo candidatos em potencial ao implante (Hodges et al., 1997). Apesar disso, näo se sabe ao certo se a introduçäo dos eletrodos poderia destruir as estruturas auditivas envolvidas nessa audiçäo residual. Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a conservaçäo da audiçäo residual em pacientes usuários de implante coclear multicanal, comparando a audiometria pré e pós-operatória desses indivíduos. Forma de estudo: Clínico prospectivo randomizado. Material e método: Foram estudados 09 pacientes adultos com disacusia sensorioneural bilateral severa a profunda, usuários de Implante coclear Nucleus 22 e 1 paciente usuário de Implante Combi 40+. Resultado: No grupo estudado a conservaçäo auditiva ocorreu em 50 por cento dos indivíduos, quando considerado o critério de conservaçäo de duas ou mais frequências médias (da fala) e em 80 por cento, se for considerada audiçäo também em frequências graves. Conclusäo: A média de queda dos limiares tonais antes e após a cirurgia foi de 4 dB na orelha implantada e 0 dB na orelha contralateral