Substantial benefits of an inert biphenyl column for the analysis of steroids and their phase II metabolites in biological samples.

Steroids can be used as biomarkers in clinical metabolomics and other fields related to human toxicology. This chemical group is known for its complexity, considering its number of isobaric compounds and the wide variety of phases I and II metabolic pathways that parent compounds can undergo. For a successful analysis of steroids in biological samples, liquid chromatography separation must be finely tuned.

Low thoracic skeletal muscle index is associated with negative outcomes in 244 patients with respiratory COVID-19.

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with negative outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and during chronic diseases. We aimed to evaluate if low skeletal muscle index (SMI) measured by computed tomography (CT) at the thoracic level is associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized patients with respiratory COVID-19.

Methods: Patients admitted to the hospital between March 1st and June 9, 2020 with a confirmed diagnosis of respiratory COVID-19 in the Emergency Department were included in this retrospective cohort study.

Mental health and health behaviours among patients with eating disorders: a case-control study in France.

Background: Eating disorders (ED) are a public health concern due to their increasing prevalence and severe associated comorbidities. The aim of this study was to identify mental health and health behaviours associated with each form of EDs.

Methods: A case-control study was performed: cases were patients with EDs managed for the first time in a specialized nutrition department and controls without EDs were matched on age and gender with cases.

The use of pseudo-MRM for a sensitive and selective detection and quantification of polycyclic aromatic compounds by tandem mass spectrometry.

Rationale: Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) is a sensitive and selective detection mode for target trace-level analysis. However, it requires the fragmentation of labile bonds which are not present in molecules such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their heterocyclic derivatives (PANHs, PASHs).

Methods: We present the application of an alternative tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) mode called "pseudo-MRM" for the GCMS/MS analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs).

Dysbiotic Gut Bacteria in Obesity: An Overview of the Metabolic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives of Next-Generation Probiotics.

Obesity, a worldwide health concern with a constantly rising prevalence, is a multifactorial chronic disease associated with a wide range of physiological disruptions, including energy imbalance, central appetite and food reward dysregulation, and hormonal alterations and gut dysbiosis. The gut microbiome is a well-recognized factor in the pathophysiology of obesity, and its influence on host physiology has been extensively investigated over the last decade. This review highlights the mechanisms by which gut dysbiosis can contribute to the pathophysiology of obesity.