Metabolomics survey of uropathogenic bacteria in human urine.

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most prevalent infections in North America and are caused by a diverse range of bacterial species. Although uropathogenesis has been studied extensively in the context of macromolecular interactions, the degree to which metabolism may contribute to infection is unclear. Currently, most of what is known about the metabolic capacity of uropathogens has been derived from genomics, genetic knockout studies or transcriptomic analyses.

Efficacy of rituximab in the treatment of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.

Background: Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is a chronic mucocutaneous disease that is mediated by antibodies that bind collagen VII. The treatment of EBA can be challenging and the use of multiple immunomodulatory drugs is often required. Rituximab has been reported to be an effective treatment for recalcitrant EBA, although the evidence base for this treatment is limited to case reports and case series.

Use of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure in primary care in Germany: the AURORA-HF noninterventional study.

Background: Sacubitril/valsartan (Sac/Val) is the first angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor indicated for symptomatic chronic heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Given most patients with HF in Germany are managed by general practitioners, AURORA-HF investigated the baseline characteristics and 1‑year follow-up of patients starting Sac/Val in primary care in Germany.

Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, observational study, with all treatment decisions independent of participation.

SCALiR: A Web Application for Automating Absolute Quantification of Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics Data.

Quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics is becoming an important approach for studying complex biological systems but presents several technical challenges that limit its widespread use. Computing metabolite concentrations using standard curves generated from standard mixtures of known concentrations is a labor-intensive process that is often performed manually. Currently, there are few options for open-source software tools that can automatically calculate metabolite concentrations.