Diagnostic yield of the plasma free amino acid index for pancreatic cancer in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objectives: A multivariate index calculated using plasma free amino acids (PFAA index) was reported as a diagnostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer (PaC). Although diabetes mellitus (DM) is expected to be an early diagnostic indicator of PaC, identifying the high-risk individuals among patients with DM is warranted. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of the PFAA index for PaC in patients with DM.

Normalization of abnormal plasma amino acid profile-based indexes in patients with gynecological malignant tumors after curative treatment.

Background: We developed a novel plasma amino acid profile-based index (API) to detect ovarian, uterine, cervical, and endometrial cancers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether abnormal API values could be normalized after curative treatment in patients with gynecological malignant tumors.

Methods: Patients with gynecological cancer with abnormal API values were included in this study.

Early nocturnal meal skipping alters the peripheral clock and increases lipogenesis in mice.

Background: In humans, skipping meals, especially breakfast, has been associated with obesity and other related syndromes. Recent studies in rodents suggest that fasting and feeding times are potential factors that affect the peripheral circadian clocks and metabolism. However, the link between fasting and obesity in rodents has yet to be fully demonstrated.

Ketogenic essential amino acids modulate lipid synthetic pathways and prevent hepatic steatosis in mice.

Background: Although dietary ketogenic essential amino acid (KAA) content modifies accumulation of hepatic lipids, the molecular interactions between KAAs and lipid metabolism are yet to be fully elucidated.

Methodology/principal Findings: We designed a diet with a high ratio (E/N) of essential amino acids (EAAs) to non-EAAs by partially replacing dietary protein with 5 major free KAAs (Leu, Ile, Val, Lys and Thr) without altering carbohydrate and fat content. This high-KAA diet was assessed for its preventive effects on diet-induced hepatic steatosis and whole-animal insulin resistance.

Determining important regulatory relations of amino acids from dynamic network analysis of plasma amino acids.

The changes in the concentrations of plasma amino acids do not always follow the flow-based metabolic pathway network. We have previously shown that there is a control-based network structure among plasma amino acids besides the metabolic pathway map. Based on this network structure, in this study, we performed dynamic analysis using time-course data of the plasma samples of rats fed single essential amino acid deficient diet.

Plasma amino acid analysis for diagnosis and amino acid-based metabolic networks.

Purpose Of Review: To highlight the usefulness of amino acid profiling in clinical diagnosis and current developments in analysis revealing underlying metabolic relationships.

Recent Findings: Recent innovations in metabolomics and systems biology enable high throughput measurement of diverse amino acids and the subsequent data mining for various uses. Recent studies show new possibilities of using plasma amino acid analysis as biomarker discovery tools by generating diagnostic indices through systematic computation.

Characterization of dietary protein-dependent amino acid metabolism by linking free amino acids with transcriptional profiles through analysis of correlation.

This study aims to characterize diet-dependent amino acid metabolism by linking profiles of amino acids concentrations ("aminograms") with transcript datasets through the analysis of correlation. We used a dietary model of protein restriction-to-excess, where rats were fed diets with different levels of casein (5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, and 70%) for 2 wk. Twenty-five different amino acids in the plasma, liver, kidney, small intestine, and muscle and 71 gene transcripts in these compartments were measured together with general physiological variables.