Exhaled Breath Volatile Organic Compounds in Pregnancy: A Pilot Study.

Objective:  This study aimed to assess the volatile organic compounds (VOC)s in breath samples collected noninvasively from pregnant women during pregnancy and postpartum and compare it with nonpregnant controls.

Study Design:  This pilot study included 50 subjects: 10 pregnant patients in their first trimester, 10 in second trimester, 10 in third trimester, 10 in the first postpartum week, and 10 nonpregnant subjects as a control. We collected exhaled breath from subjects who reported to be healthy and free of any respiratory symptoms.

Volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath of newborns: a pilot study.

Objective: To assess volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath samples collected non-invasively from preterm and full-term infants.

Methods: This was a pilot study included preterm and full-term infants who were not intubated or suspected or diagnosed with metabolic or gastrointestinal disorders. The samples were analyzed for VOCs using a selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometer.

Exhaled Breath Analysis Using Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry and Disease Severity in Heart Failure.

Exhaled breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are elevated in heart failure (HF). The ability of VOCs to predict long term cardiovascular mortality and morbidity has not been independently verified. In 55 patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), we measured exhaled breath acetone and pentane levels upon admission and after 48 h of diuresis.

Biomarkers for the Evaluation of Pouch Inflammation: A Systematic Review.

Background: Ileal pouch inflammation is a common problem following ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). Despite its prevalence, diagnosis remains multimodal and requires endoscopy. The use of biomarkers in the prediction of and/or association with pouchitis has not been well characterized.

The breath print represents a novel biomarker of malnutrition in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A proof of concept study.

Background: The breath print is a quantitative measurement of molecules in exhaled breath and represents a new frontier for biomarker identification. It is unknown whether this state-of-the-art, noninvasive method can detect malnutrition. We hypothesize that individuals with malnutrition will present with a distinguishable breath print.

Diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile infection by analysis of volatile organic compounds in breath, plasma, and stool: A cross-sectional proof-of-concept study.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an important infectious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, with significant morbidity and mortality. Current diagnostic algorithms are based on identifying toxin by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and toxin gene by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in patients with diarrhea. EIA's sensitivity is poor, and PCR, although highly sensitive and specific, cannot differentiate infection from colonization.

Volatile organic compounds in bile can distinguish pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis: a prospective observational study.

Background: Early and accurate diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is important. Our aim was to identify potential volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the bile that can help distinguish pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, bile was aspirated from patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, and the gaseous headspace was analyzed using mass spectrometry.

Breath Metabolomics Provides an Accurate and Noninvasive Approach for Screening Cirrhosis, Primary, and Secondary Liver Tumors.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and secondary liver tumors, such as colorectal cancer liver metastases are significant contributors to the overall burden of cancer-related morality. Current biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for HCC, result in too many false negatives, necessitating noninvasive approaches with improved sensitivity. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in the breath of patients can provide valuable insight into disease processes and can differentiate patients by disease status.

Comparison of volatile organic compound profiles in exhaled breath versus plasma headspace in different diseases.

Breath analysis is the study of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in exhaled breath. This analysis provides information on the body's condition. In this study we investigated the relationship between 22 VOC's detected in exhaled breath and plasma headspace using a selected ion flow tube mass spectrometer (SYFT-MS).

Breath analysis in gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are generated during pathologic processes, and their assessment can be used to diagnose and monitor a variety of diseases. Given the role of the microbiome in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), we hypothesized that microorganisms producing volatile metabolites may alter VOCs expelled in breath in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) GVHD. In this pilot study, exhaled breath samples were obtained from 19 patients with grade 2 to 4 acute GI GVHD, 10 patients with no GVHD at day 100, and 10 healthy control subjects; the samples were analyzed by using mass spectrometry.

Non-enzymatic hydrogen sulfide production from cysteine in blood is catalyzed by iron and vitamin B.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) plays important roles in metabolism and health. Its enzymatic generation from sulfur-containing amino acids (SAAs) is well characterized. However, the existence of non-enzymatic HS production from SAAs, the chemical mechanism, and its biological implications remain unclear.

Molecular breath analysis identifies the breathprint of renal failure.

Many uremic solutes retained in chronic kidney disease are volatile, and can be detected by breath testing. We compared the exhaled breath of subjects with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to healthy volunteers to identify volatile compounds that can serve as a potential breathprint for renal failure. We analyzed the exhaled breath of 86 ESRD subjects and 25 healthy volunteers using selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS).

Novel methods in pulmonary hypertension phenotyping in the age of precision medicine (2015 Grover Conference series).

Among pulmonary vascular diseases, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is the best studied and has been the focus of our work. The current classification of PH is based on a relatively simple combination of patient characteristics and hemodynamics. This leads to inherent limitations, including the inability to customize treatment and the lack of clarity from a more granular identification based on individual patient phenotypes.

A Distinct Colon-Derived Breath Metabolome is Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but not its Complications.

Objectives: The accuracy of available noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis, stratification, and prediction of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) courses is limited. We analyzed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath of IBD patients and controls for diagnosis and differentiation of IBD as well as their link with disease location, activity, and phenotype.

Methods: A prospective study of diagnostic testing was conducted, recruiting Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), other inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases (OGDs), and healthy controls (HCs), as well as subjects with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA).

Metabolomics studies identify novel diagnostic and prognostic indicators in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

Aim: To identify plasma analytes using metabolomics that correlate with the diagnosis and severity of liver disease in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH).

Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with cirrhosis from AH (n = 23) and those with cirrhosis with acute decompensation (AD) from etiologies other than alcohol (n = 25). We used mass spectrometry to identify 29 metabolic compounds in plasma samples from fasted subjects.

Volatile organic compounds in plasma for the diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma: a pilot study.

Background And Aims: A noninvasive screening test that can detect esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) at an earlier stage could improve the prognosis associated with EAC. The role of plasma volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for the diagnosis of EAC has not been previously studied.

Methods: Plasma samples were collected from subjects with EAC and GERD before endoscopy.

Isoprene in the Exhaled Breath is a Novel Biomarker for Advanced Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: A Pilot Study.

Objectives: Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the exhaled breath can identify markers for alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the utility of breath VOCs measured by mass spectrometry to diagnose advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD).

Methods: Patients undergoing liver biopsy were recruited.

Analysis of breath volatile organic compounds in children with chronic liver disease compared to healthy controls.

Breath testing is increasingly being used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for disease states across medicine. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as measured by mass spectrometry in healthy children and children with chronic liver disease (CLD). Patients between the ages of 6 and 21 were recruited for the study.

Treatment Efficacy of Integrative Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) With and Without Consultation: The Role of Model Training in the Sustainability of Evidence-Based Family Treatments.

This study examined the efficacy of the Integrative Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) training model that seeks to support development of model expertise within the agency in the context of facilitating the sustainability of evidence-based family treatment within community mental health settings. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine treatment outcomes of I-FAST among agencies that received ongoing Consultation and agencies that received No Consultation upon completion of I-FAST training. χ (2) analyses and independent samples t test analyses showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups on clients who had achieved reliable change on Problem Severity and Functioning based on parents' assessments.

Volatile Organic Compounds in Urine for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Malignant Biliary Strictures: A Pilot Study.

Background: The use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in bile was recently studied and appeared promising for diagnosis of malignancy. Noninvasive diagnosis of malignant biliary strictures by using VOCs in urine has not been studied.

Aim: To identify potential VOCs in urine to diagnose malignant biliary strictures.

Volatile organic compounds in bile for early diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis: a pilot study.

Background: The diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is particularly difficult. The role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for diagnosis of CCA in patients with PSC is not known.

Objective: Our aim was to identify potential VOCs in the headspaces (gas above the sample) in bile that may predict CCA in patients with PSC.

Volatile organic compounds in bile can diagnose malignant biliary strictures in the setting of pancreatic cancer: a preliminary observation.

Background: Ascertaining the nature of biliary strictures is challenging. The role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in bile in determining the cause of biliary strictures is not known.

Objective: To identify potential VOCs in the headspaces (gas above the sample) of bile in patients with malignant biliary strictures from pancreatic cancer.

Analysis of breath volatile organic compounds as a noninvasive tool to diagnose nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children.

Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common complications of childhood obesity. Our objective was to investigate the association of breath volatile organic compounds with the diagnosis of NAFLD in children.

Methods: Patients were screened with an ultrasound of the abdomen to evaluate for NAFLD.