Protein S-palmitoylation enhances profibrotic signaling in response to cadmium.

Cadmium (Cd) is a naturally occurring, toxic environmental metal found in foods. Humans do not have an efficient mechanism for Cd elimination; thus, Cd burden in humans increases with age. Cell and mouse studies show that Cd burden from low environmental levels of exposure impacts lung cell metabolism, proliferation signaling and cell growth as part of disease-promoting profibrotic responses in the lungs.

Characterizing substrate utilization during the fasted state using plasma high-resolution metabolomics.

Objectives: High-resolution metabolomics enables global assessment of metabolites and molecular pathways underlying physiologic processes, including substrate utilization during the fasted state. The clinical index for substrate utilization, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), is measured via indirect calorimetry. The aim of this pilot study was to use metabolomics to identify metabolic pathways and plasma metabolites associated with substrate utilization in healthy, fasted adults.

Integrative interactomics applied to bovine fescue toxicosis.

Bovine fescue toxicosis (FT) is caused by grazing ergot alkaloid-producing endophyte (Epichloë coenophiala)-infected tall fescue. Endophyte's effects on the animal's microbiota and metabolism were investigated recently, but its effects in planta or on the plant-animal interactions have not been considered. We examined multi-compartment microbiota-metabolome perturbations using multi-'omics (16S and ITS2 sequencing, plus untargeted metabolomics) in Angus steers grazing non-toxic (Max-Q) or toxic (E+) tall fescue for 28 days and in E+ plants.

Toxic tall fescue grazing increases susceptibility of the Angus steer fecal microbiota and plasma/urine metabolome to environmental effects.

Impaired thermoregulation and lowered average daily gains (ADG) result when livestock graze toxic endophyte (Epichloë coenophialum)-infected tall fescue (E+) and are hallmark signs of fescue toxicosis (FT), a disease exacerbated by increased temperature and humidity (+temperature-humidity index; +THI). We previously reported FT is associated with metabolic and microbiota perturbations under thermoneutral conditions; here, we assessed the influence of E+ grazing and +THI on the microbiota:metabolome interactions. Using high-resolution metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, plasma/urine metabolomes and the fecal microbiota of Angus steers grazing non-toxic or E+ tall fescue were evaluated in the context of +THI.

High-resolution plasma metabolomics analysis to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis-associated metabolites that distinguish active pulmonary tuberculosis in humans.

Introduction: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a major worldwide health problem that lacks robust blood-based biomarkers for detection of active disease. High-resolution metabolomics (HRM) is an innovative method to discover low-abundance metabolites as putative blood biomarkers to detect TB disease, including those known to be produced by the causative organism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

Methods: We used HRM profiling to measure the plasma metabolome for 17 adults with active pulmonary TB disease and 16 of their household contacts without active TB.

Low-level maternal exposure to nicotine associates with significant metabolic perturbations in second-trimester amniotic fluid.

Decades of public health research have documented that smoking in pregnancy poses significant health risks to both mother and child. More recent studies have shown that even passive maternal exposure to secondhand smoke associates with negative birth outcomes. However, the mechanisms linking exposure to outcomes have remained obscure.

Metabolomics of fescue toxicosis in grazing beef steers.

Fescue toxicosis (FT) results from consumption of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) infected with an endophyte (Epichloë coenophiala) that produces ergot alkaloids (EA), which are considered key etiological agents of FT. Decreased weight gains, hormonal imbalance, circulating cholesterol disruption, and decreased volatile fatty acid absorption suggest toxic (E+) fescue-induced metabolic perturbations. Employing untargeted high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) to analyze E+ grazing-induced plasma and urine metabolome changes, fescue-naïve Angus steers were placed on E+ or non-toxic (Max-Q) fescue pastures and plasma and urine were sampled before, 1, 2, 14, and 28 days after pasture assignment.

Plasma metabolomics in adults with cystic fibrosis during a pulmonary exacerbation: A pilot randomized study of high-dose vitamin D administration.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic catabolic disease often requiring hospitalization for acute episodes of worsening pulmonary exacerbations. Limited data suggest that vitamin D may have beneficial clinical effects, but the impact of vitamin D on systemic metabolism in this setting is unknown.

Objective: We used high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) to assess the impact of baseline vitamin D status and high-dose vitamin D administration on systemic metabolism in adults with CF with an acute pulmonary exacerbation.

Metabolic Profiles of Obesity in American Indians: The Strong Heart Family Study.

Obesity is a typical metabolic disorder resulting from the imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. American Indians suffer disproportionately high rates of obesity and diabetes. The goal of this study is to identify metabolic profiles of obesity in 431 normoglycemic American Indians participating in the Strong Heart Family Study.

Amino Acid Metabolism is Altered in Adolescents with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease-An Untargeted, High Resolution Metabolomics Study.

Objective: To conduct an untargeted, high resolution exploration of metabolic pathways that was altered in association with hepatic steatosis in adolescents.

Study Design: This prospective, case-control study included 39 Hispanic-American, obese adolescents aged 11-17 years evaluated for hepatic steatosis using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Of these 39 individuals, 30 had hepatic steatosis ≥5% and 9 were matched controls with hepatic steatosis <5%.

Novel metabolic markers for the risk of diabetes development in American Indians.

Objective: To identify novel metabolic markers for diabetes development in American Indians.

Research Design And Methods: Using an untargeted high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we conducted metabolomics analysis of study participants who developed incident diabetes (n = 133) and those who did not (n = 298) from 2,117 normoglycemic American Indians followed for an average of 5.5 years in the Strong Heart Family Study.

Plasma metabolomics in human pulmonary tuberculosis disease: a pilot study.

We aimed to characterize metabolites during tuberculosis (TB) disease and identify new pathophysiologic pathways involved in infection as well as biomarkers of TB onset, progression and resolution. Such data may inform development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs. Plasma samples from adults with newly diagnosed pulmonary TB disease and their matched, asymptomatic, sputum culture-negative household contacts were analyzed using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to identify metabolites.

Metabolic profiles of biological aging in American Indians: the Strong Heart Family Study.

Short telomere length, a marker of biological aging, has been associated with age-related metabolic disorders. Telomere attrition induces profound metabolic dysfunction in animal models, but no study has examined the metabolome of telomeric aging in human. Here we studied 423 apparently healthy American Indians participating in the Strong Family Heart Study.