Diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections in the era of genomic medicine.

PURPOSE: Chlamydial genital infections constitute significant sexually transmitted infections worldwide. The often asymptomatic status of C. trachomatis (CT) infections leads to an increased burden on human reproductive health, especially in middle- and low-income settings. Early detection and management of these infections could play a decisive role in controlling this public health burden. The objective of this review is to provide an insight into the evolution of diagnostic methods for CT infections through the development of new molecular technologies, emphasizing on -omics' technologies and their significance as diagnostic tools both for effective patient management and control of disease transmission. METHODS: Narrative review of the diagnostic methodologies of CT infections and the impact of the introduction of -omics' technologies on their diagnosis by review of the literature. RESULTS: Various methodologies are discussed with respect to working principles, required specifications, advantages, and disadvantages. Implementing the most accurate methods in diagnosis is highlighted as the cornerstone in managing CT infections. CONCLUSION: Diagnostics based on -omics' technologies are considered to be the most pertinent modalities in CT testing when compared to other available methods. There is a need to modify these effective and accurate diagnostic tools in order to render them more available and feasible in all settings, especially aiming on turning them to rapid point-of-care tests for effective patient management and disease control.

Alterations in Human Liver Metabolome during Prolonged Cryostorage.

Tissue metabolomics requires high sample quality that crucially depends on the biobanking storage protocol. Hence, we systematically analyzed the influence of realistic storage scenarios on the liver metabolome with different storage temperatures and repeated transfer of samples between storage and retrieval environments, simulating the repeated temperature changes affecting unrelated samples stored in the same container as the sample that is to be retrieved. By cycling between storage (-80 °C freezer, liquid nitrogen, cold nitrogen gas) and retrieval (room temperature, -80 °C), assuming three cycles per day and sample, we simulated biobank storage between 3 months and 10 years. Liver tissue metabolome was analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Most metabolite concentrations changed <5% for the first "year" of time-compressed biobanking simulation, predominantly due to hydrolysis of peptides and lipids. Interestingly, storage temperature affected metabolite concentrations only little, while there was a linear dependence on the number of temperature change cycles. Elevated sample temperature during (prolonged) retrieval time led to a distinctly different signature of metabolite changes that were induced by cycling. Our findings allow giving recommendations for optimized storage protocols and provide signatures that allow detection of deviations from protocol.