Breath biomarkers of liver cirrhosis.

The diagnosis of asymptomatic cirrhosis in patients with liver disease is of importance to start screening for complications in due time. Liver biopsy is neither sensitive nor practical enough to be used as a frequent follow-up test in patients with chronic liver disease. The volatile organic compounds present in exhaled breath offer the possibility of exploring internal physiologic and pathologic process in a non invasive way.

A novel and visual test for oral malodour: first observations.

Until now, the application of biogenic amines as bio-markers of oral malodour has been limited because of the complexity of their detection. This study explores the usability of a simple colorimetric reaction detecting amines in saliva as an adjunct test for the diagnosis of oral malodour. The colour reaction caused by a newly discovered enzyme capable of detecting amines in saliva was characterized in vitro.

Clinical reliability of non-organoleptic oral malodour measurements.

Aim: Measurement of volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) by portable sulphur monitors (Halimeter, OralChroma) is a common practice for diagnosis of oral malodour. In this study, the clinical value of these devices was examined.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and eighty patients with bad breath complaints attending a halitosis consultation were enrolled.

Characteristics of 2000 patients who visited a halitosis clinic.

Aims: The aim of this paper was to analyse the aetiology and characteristics of 2000 patients who visited a multidisciplinary bad breath clinic in Leuven, Belgium and to correlate organoleptic ratings with portable device measurements.

Materials And Methods: The characteristics and aetiology of breath malodour of two thousand consecutive patients who visited a halitosis consultation were explored by means of a standard questionnaire and a clinical examination, including organoleptic scores provided by a trained and calibrated judge, and a portable bad breath detector (Halimeter).

Results: Most patients came without referral and had complaints for several years (mean: 7 years, SD: 8 years).

GC-MS analysis of breath odor compounds in liver patients.

Background: Liver diseases can cause a sweet, musty aroma of the breath, called fetor hepaticus. Even in a stage of cirrhosis, the disease can be asymptomatic for many years. Breath analysis might be helpful to detect occult liver pathology.

Halitosis associated volatiles in breath of healthy subjects.

Background: Halitosis can have an intra- or extra-oral origin. In all cases, bad breath is caused by the presence of volatile organic compounds originating from the mouth or the expired air. They can be specific for certain diseases or infections.

Differences between alveolar air and mouth air.

Our breath contains an intraoral and an alveolar part, the latter being the last to be exhaled. As such, major differences in composition can be expected, with for alveolar air the inclusion of more metabolic compounds released during the blood-air exchange. This study explored the differences between breath air from the oropharynx and from the lungs in healthy volunteers.

Species identification of corynebacteria by cellular fatty acid analysis.

We evaluated the usefulness of cellular fatty acid analysis for the identification of corynebacteria. Therefore, 219 well-characterized strains belonging to 21 Corynebacterium species were analyzed with the Sherlock System of MIDI (Newark, DE). Most Corynebacterium species have a qualitative different fatty acid profile.