Histological activity despite normal ALT and IgG serum levels in patients with autoimmune hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: In autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), normal levels of transaminases and IgG define biochemical remission and are considered the best surrogate markers for histological remission. This study assessed whether this also applies to patients with AIH cirrhosis.

Methods: In this European multicentric study, we included 125 biopsies from 113 patients with AIH and histologically proven cirrhosis; 105 biopsies from 104 patients with AIH without cirrhosis served as controls.

AlpsNMR: an R package for signal processing of fully untargeted NMR-based metabolomics.

Summary: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics is widely used to obtain metabolic fingerprints of biological systems. While targeted workflows require previous knowledge of metabolites, prior to statistical analysis, untargeted approaches remain a challenge. Computational tools dealing with fully untargeted NMR-based metabolomics are still scarce or not user-friendly.

The differential plasma proteome of obese and overweight individuals undergoing a nutritional weight loss and maintenance intervention.

Purpose: The nutritional intervention program "DiOGenes" focuses on how obesity can be prevented and treated from a dietary perspective. We generated differential plasma proteome profiles in the DiOGenes cohort to identify proteins associated with weight loss and maintenance and explore their relation to body mass index, fat mass, insulin resistance, and sensitivity.

Experimental Design: Relative protein quantification was obtained at baseline and after combined weight loss/maintenance phases using isobaric tagging and MS/MS.

High-throughput method for the quantitation of metabolites and co-factors from homocysteine-methionine cycle for nutritional status assessment.

Aim: There is increasing interest in the profiling and quantitation of methionine pathway metabolites for health management research. Currently, several analytical approaches are required to cover metabolites and co-factors.

Results: We report the development and the validation of a method for the simultaneous detection and quantitation of 13 metabolites in red blood cells.

Proteomic Biomarker Discovery in 1000 Human Plasma Samples with Mass Spectrometry.

The overall impact of proteomics on clinical research and its translation has lagged behind expectations. One recognized caveat is the limited size (subject numbers) of (pre)clinical studies performed at the discovery stage, the findings of which fail to be replicated in larger verification/validation trials. Compromised study designs and insufficient statistical power are consequences of the to-date still limited capacity of mass spectrometry (MS)-based workflows to handle large numbers of samples in a realistic time frame, while delivering comprehensive proteome coverages.