The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Early Changes in the Locus Coeruleus in Mild Cognitive Impairment with Lewy Bodies.

Background: Although neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) has been used to evaluate early neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, studies concentrating on the locus coeruleus (LC) in pre-dementia stages of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are lacking.

Objectives: The aims were to evaluate NM-MRI signal changes in the LC in patients with mild cognitive impairment with Lewy bodies (MCI-LB) compared to healthy controls (HC) and to identify the cognitive correlates of the changes. We also aimed to test the hypothesis of a caudal-rostral α-synuclein pathology spread using NM-MRI of the different LC subparts.

Advancing drug safety and mitigating health concerns: High-resolution mass spectrometry in the levothyroxine case study.

Levothyroxine is a drug with a narrow therapeutic index. Changing the drug formulation composition or switching between pharmaceutical brands can alter the bioavailability, which can result in major health problems. However, the increased adverse drug reactions have not been fully explained scientifically yet and a thorough investigation of the formulations is needed.

The effect of alemtuzumab on neurodegeneration in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: A five-year prospective mono-center study.

Background: Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease. After two or more short courses of alemtuzumab (ALZ), an immune reconstitution is achieved, which long-term results in reduced disease activity. We aimed to investigate the effect of ALZ on measures of neurodegeneration (i.

Neurofilament light chain as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Background: Elevated neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels are associated with worse prognosis in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Our objectives were to determine the utility of serum NfL (sNfL), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/serum NfL ratio and NfL index as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for GBS.

Methods: We measured NfL in serum and/or CSF obtained from 96 GBS patients between 1989 and 2014 in western Sweden.

Matrix effects in ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of vitamin E in plasma: The effect of sample preparation and data processing.

The approaches to matrix effects determination and reduction in ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection have been evaluated in this study using different sample preparation methods and investigation of different calibration models. Five sample preparation methods, including protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, supported liquid extraction, and solid phase extraction based on both "bind and elute" and "interferent removal" modes, were optimized with an emphasis on the matrix effects and recovery of 8 forms of vitamin E, including α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols and tocotrienols, from plasma. The matrix effect evaluation included the use and comparison of external and internal calibration using three models, i.

Advancing Fundamental Understanding of Retention Interactions in Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Using Artificial Neural Networks: Polar Stationary Phases with -OH Moieties.

The retention behavior in supercritical fluid chromatography and its stability over time are still unsatisfactorily explained phenomena despite many important contributions in recent years, especially focusing on linear solvation energy relationship modeling. We studied polar stationary phases with predominant -OH functionalities, i.e.

Functional neurological disorder: a comparative analysis of experience of Czech, Slovak, and Italian neurologists.

Aim Of Study: We aimed to compare knowledge, opinions, and clinical experiences among Czech, Slovak, and Italian neurologists to identify potential educational gaps and unify understanding.

Clinical Rationale For Study: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a disabling condition characterised by motor, sensory, or cognitive symptoms which are incompatible with other neurological disorders. Novel diagnostic and treatment approaches have improved FND management.

Carltonine-derived compounds for targeted butyrylcholinesterase inhibition.

The investigation into human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitors as therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD) holds significant promise, addressing both symptomatic relief and disease progression. In the pursuit of novel drug candidates with a selective BChE inhibition pattern, we focused on naturally occurring template structures, specifically Amaryllidaceae alkaloids of the carltonine-type. Herein, we explored a series of compounds implementing an innovative chemical scaffold built on the 3- and 4-benzyloxy-benzylamino chemotype.

A water-soluble preparation for intravenous administration of isorhamnetin and its pharmacokinetics in rats.

Flavonoids are considered as health-protecting food constituents. The testing of their biological effects is however hampered by their low oral absorption and complex metabolism. In order to investigate the direct effect(s) of unmetabolized flavonoid, a preparation in a biologically friendly solvent for intravenous administration is needed.

Association of serum glial fibrillary acidic protein with progression independent of relapse activity in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Insidious disability worsening is a common feature in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Many patients experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) despite being treated with high efficacy disease-modifying therapies. We prospectively investigated associations of body-fluid and imaging biomarkers with PIRA.

Measles in Czech population with varying vaccination rates in 2018-2019: clinical and laboratory differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and their relevance to clinical practice.

Background And Objectives: In a highly vaccinated population, an increasing number of previously vaccinated measles cases can be expected. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of vaccination on the clinical course and immune response in relation to the current measles case definition.

Methods: The presence of fever, catarrhal symptoms, exanthema and complications, and specific IgM and IgG positivity were assessed in all 230 patients and compared in 193 patients with known vaccination status, divided into measles-containing vaccine (MCV) groups: MCV0 (85 patients), MCV1 (25 patients) and MCV2 (83 patients).

Analysis of vitamin D and its metabolites in biological samples - Part II: Optimization of a sample preparation method for liver tissue.

Extraction of vitamin D, including its hydroxylated and esterified metabolites, from soft tissues such as the liver is challenging due to the lipophilic character of matrix and analytes that are expected in very low concentration levels. In this study, we aimed at the optimization of two-step extraction using solid-liquid extraction as the first step, followed by solid-phase extraction. Various solvents, including ethanol, acetonitrile, methanol, acetone, heptane, and heptane with isopropanol, were investigated to isolate vitamin D compounds from liver tissue in the first step.

Analysis of vitamin D and its metabolites in biological samples - Part I: Optimization and comparison of UHPSFC-MS/MS and UHPLC-MS/MS methods.

Fat-soluble vitamin D is an essential bioactive compound important for human health. Insufficient vitamin D levels can result not only in bone disease but also in other disorders, such as cancer, metabolic disorders, and diseases related to poor immune function. The current methods commonly used for vitamin D analysis are often applied to determine the levels of the most abundant metabolite in plasma, i.

Serum neurofilament light for detecting disease activity in individual patients in multiple sclerosis: A 48-week prospective single-center study.

Background: Serum neurofilament light (sNfL) reflects neuroaxonal damage and is now used as an outcome in treatment trials of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). However, the diagnostic properties of sNfL for monitoring disease activity in individual patients warrant further investigations.

Method: Patients with suspected relapse and/or contrast-enhancing lesions (CELs) were consecutively included and performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain at baseline and weeks 28 and 48.

Advances and Challenges in the Analysis of Boswellic Acids by Separation Methods.

resin is an exudate from the cut bark of trees. The main constituents of pharmacological interest are boswellic acids (pentacyclic triterpenoids), namely α-boswellic acid, β-boswellic acid, 3--acetyl-α-boswellic acid, 3-acetyl-β-boswellic acid, 11-keto-β-boswellic acid, and 3--acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid. Nowadays, dietary supplements with extract are used in the treatment of inflammatory joint diseases.

Medically unexplained symptoms are common in women in tertiary neurological healthcare center: A survey cohort study of persons investigated for suspected multiple sclerosis.

Background: A significant proportion of individuals with suspicious onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) does not fulfill the diagnostic criteria. Although some receive other diagnoses, many remain undiagnosed and lack healthcare follow-up. This study aimed to characterize persons with undetermined diagnosis (PwUD) through a questionnaire.

Striato-cortical functional connectivity changes in mild cognitive impairment with Lewy bodies.

Background: Functional connectivity changes in clinically overt neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia with Lewy bodies have been described, but studies on connectivity changes in the pre-dementia phase are scarce.

Objectives: We concentrated on evaluating striato-cortical functional connectivity differences between patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment with Lewy bodies and healthy controls and on assessing the relation to cognition.

Methods: Altogether, we enrolled 77 participants (47 patients, of which 35 met all the inclusion criteria for the final analysis, and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, of which 28 met all the inclusion criteria for the final analysis) to study the seed-based connectivity of the dorsal, middle, and ventral striatum.

Microbiota modulates the steroid response to acute immune stress in male mice.

Microbiota plays a role in shaping the HPA-axis response to psychological stressors. To examine the role of microbiota in response to acute immune stressor, we stimulated the adaptive immune system by anti-CD3 antibody injection and investigated the expression of adrenal steroidogenic enzymes and profiling of plasma corticosteroids and their metabolites in specific pathogen-free (SPF) and germ-free (GF) mice. Using UHPLC-MS/MS, we showed that 4 hours after immune challenge the plasma levels of pregnenolone, progesterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone (CORT), 11-dehydroCORT and their 3α/β-, 5α-, and 20α-reduced metabolites were increased in SPF mice, but in their GF counterparts, only CORT was increased.

Ultrahigh-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography-Multimodal Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry as a Universal Tool for the Analysis of Small Molecules in Complex Plant Extracts.

Complex analysis of plant extracts usually requires a combination of several analytical approaches. Therefore, in this study, we developed a holistic two-injection approach for plant extract analysis, which is carried out within one instrument without the need for any manual intervention during the analysis. Ultrahigh-performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC) was employed for the analysis of 17 volatile terpenes on a porous graphitic carbon column within 7.

High temperature requirement A1 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the cerebrospinal fluid; a potential marker of conversion from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Background: Predictive and prognostic biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS) remain a significant gap in MS diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Currently, there are no timely markers to diagnose the transition to secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the discriminatory potential of the High temperature requirement serine protease (HTRA1)/Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ratio in distinguishing relapsing-remitting (RRMS) patients from SPMS patients.

Novel approach to supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of metal ions using EDTA complexation.

Background: Reliable methods enabling detection of metal ions, and especially heavy metals, in different matrices are necessary in various fields such as ecology, pharmaceuticals and toxicology. As some of the currently used methods suffer from spectral and chemical interferences, this study investigates the applicability of SFC-MS/MS for the determination of metal ions.

Results: Effective novel approaches for metal ion analysis using CO-based mobile phase were developed using three ligands forming metal complexes.