Performance evaluation of a smartphone-based home test for fecal calprotection.

Objectives: Fecal calprotectin (FC) serves as a non-invasive marker for the assessment of gut inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Laboratory measurements are usually performed with immunologic methods like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Recently, quantitative home tests based on the lateral flow technology with smartphones as read-out devices have been developed.

One sip of water with LT-4 supplementation-a key to euthyroidism in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Purpose: Recommended pharmacotherapy for hypothyroidism in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is oral supplementation with levothyroxine (LT-4). However, serum thyrotropin (TSH) levels within normal range are not consistently achieved with LT-4 medication.

Patients And Methods: We report on 35 HT patients with LT-4 therapy in this retrospective evaluation.

The possible role of quinolinic acid as a predictive marker in patients with SARS-CoV-2.

Background And Aims: Quinolinic acid (QA) is a metabolite of the kynurenine pathway, which is activated by inflammatory stimuli during viral infection. We investigated the role of QA in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, particularly its prognostic value for survival.

Methods: Overall, 104 unvaccinated inpatients were included, divided into a survival (N = 80) and a deceased group (N = 24).

Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders in Children May Be Associated with Food Intolerance/Malabsorption.

Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are among the most common types of chronic pain disorders in children. FAPD symptoms are characterized by chronic abdominal pain and changed bowel movements. The pathophysiology of FAPDs in children is unknown, but these conditions may have an imprecise clinical overlap to food intolerance/malabsorption.

A personalized management approach in disorders of the irritable bowel syndrome spectrum.

Symptoms of the disorders across the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) spectrum include several different, usually postprandial, abdominal complaints. Up to date, dietary treatments of the IBS have neither been personalized nor diagnosed with sufficient scientific evidence. They have mostly been treated using 'one-size-fits-all' approaches.

The Use of Next-Generation Sequencing in Pharmacogenomics.

Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods have become more commonly performed in clinical and research laboratories.

Methods: This review summarizes the current laboratory NGS-based diagnostic approaches in pharmacogenomics including targeted multi-gene panel sequencing, whole-exome sequencing (WES), and whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Results: Clinical laboratories perform multiple non-uniform types of pharmacogenetic panels, which can reduce the overall number of single-gene tests to be more cost-efficient.

Fecal Calprotectin Elevations Associated with Food Intolerance/Malabsorption Are Significantly Reduced with Targeted Diets.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves two clinically defined entities, namely Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Fecal calprotectin (FCAL) is used as a marker to distinguish between organic IBD and functional bowel disease in disorders of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) spectrum. Food components may affect digestion and cause functional abdominal disorders of the IBS spectrum.

Alteration of the kynurenine pathway is inversely associated with the humoral immune response in patients with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: The scale and the course of antibody production in patients with SARS-CoV-2 is highly variable. Factors involved in the immune regulation during the infection may play a major role in the antibody response. We investigated the relationship between the inflammatory markers of the kynurenine pathway and the concentration of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in infected patients 8 - 11 days after admission.

Serum Diamine Oxidase Values, Indicating Histamine Intolerance, Influence Lactose Tolerance Breath Test Results.

Lactose intolerance (LIT) is one of the major causes of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) spectrum complaints. Differences in inadequate lactose digestion are described as various LIT phenotypes with basically unknown pathophysiology. In LIT patients, we retrospectively assessed the effect of histamine intolerance (HIT) on expiratory hydrogen (H2) during H2 lactose breath tests.

Helicobacter pylori infection and lactose intolerance increase expiratory hydrogen.

Infection with () may cause dyspepsia and/or unexplained functional nonspecific, gastrointestinal complaints of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) spectrum. Hitherto, in infected patients with symptoms of the IBS spectrum the occurrence of additional food intolerance/malabsorption is not evaluated. We used a retrospective analysis of charts from 548 patients who presented with gastrointestinal complaints of the irritable bowel syndrome spectrum.

Assessment of tryptophan and kynurenine as prognostic markers in patients with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Immune dysregulation and inflammation in patients with SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a poor clinical outcome. We investigated the value of the inflammatory markers tryptophan and kynurenine in predicting the survival outcome of patients with SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: The study included 252 inpatients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized between August 2020 and April 2021.

Histamine Intolerance Originates in the Gut.

Histamine intolerance (HIT) is assumed to be due to a deficiency of the gastrointestinal (GI) enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) and, therefore, the food component histamine not being degraded and/or absorbed properly within the GI tract. Involvement of the GI mucosa in various disorders and diseases, several with unknown origin, and the effects of some medications seem to reduce gastrointestinal DAO activity. HIT causes variable, functional, nonspecific, non-allergic GI and extra-intestinal complaints.

Branched-chain amino acids are linked with iron metabolism.

Background: The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) valine, leucine and isoleucine are reported to influence erythropoiesis and the human iron status. Large study cohorts encompassing biomarkers of iron metabolism and BCAAs are still lacking.

Methods: We investigated potential interactions between blood concentrations of all three BCAAs valine, leucine and isoleucine and biomarkers of iron metabolism [i.

Non-responsive celiac disease may coincide with additional food intolerance/malabsorption, including histamine intolerance.

Background And Pilot Study: Celiac disease (CD) or gluten malabsorption is a well-defined autoimmune disorder characterized by mucosal gastrointestinal reaction to ingested gluten proteins. The necessary treatment for CD is a gluten-free diet. However, up to 30% of celiac patients experience persistent or recurring abdominal complaints despite following an exact gluten-free diet.

Increasing Expiratory Hydrogen in Lactose Intolerance Is Associated with Additional Food Intolerance/Malabsorption.

Single and/or combined food intolerance/malabsorption may cause nonspecific, functional gastrointestinal (GI) complaints. In lactose-intolerant patients we evaluated the influence of additional food intolerance/malabsorption with hydrogen (H) breath tests. In a retrospective analysis of charts from 279 lactose-intolerant patients, we found 128 patients with only lactose intolerance (LIT).

Diagnosis of hepatic nuclear factor 1A monogenic diabetes mellitus (HNF1A-MODY) impacts antihyperglycemic treatment.

Monogenic mutations of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox A maturity onset diabetes of the young (HNF1A-MODY) is characterized by early onset, typically before the age of 25 years. Patients are often not clinically recognized; however, the identification of HNF1A-MODY patients is crucial because they require different antihyperglycemic medical treatment than patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. We describe two adult patients with monogenic diabetes, both identified as HNF1A-MODY, genetically c.

Severe rhabdomyolysis in homozygote carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) deficiency represents an inherited defect in mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation. Rhabdomyolysis with necrosis of muscle is caused by the destruction of skeletal muscle and leads to systemic, multiorgan complications due to the release of intracellular muscle components. Severe rhabdomyolysis may be triggered by combination of a genetic predisposition, including CPT II deficiency, with additionally acting causes.

Assessment of trimethylamine-N-oxide at the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier: Results from 290 lumbar punctures.

Recently, the microbiome-derived trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) was shown to be present in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, data on the potential of TMAO crossing the blood-CSF barrier are still lacking. This retrospective study aimed at investigating possible associations between the CSF/serum albumin (Q) and TMAO (Q) quotient and evaluating Q values in individuals with and without blood-CSF barrier dysfunction.

Comparison of the reliability of Gram-negative and Gram-positive flags of the Sysmex UF-5000 with manual Gram stain and urine culture results.

Objectives: Recently, the fully automated flow cytometry-based UF-5000 (Sysmex Corboration, Kobe, Japan) urine sediment analyzer was developed providing bacteria (BACT) info flags for more accurate bacterial discrimination of urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study aimed to compare the reliability of the UF-5000 BACT-info flags with manual Gram stain and urine culture as the gold standard method.

Methods: A total of 344 urine samples were analyzed on the UF-5000 and compared with manual microscopic Gram stain and urine cultures.

Considering histamine in functional gastrointestinal disorders.

In westernized countries, adverse reactions to ingested foods are reported to affect up to 20% of the population. Functional, nonspecific, non-allergic gastrointestinal complaints are mainly due to the intolerance/malabsorption of carbohydrates (lactose and fructose), proteins (gluten), and biogenic amines (histamine). Food intolerance/malabsorption is defined by one or several of the above mentioned food components not being degraded and/or absorbed properly within the gastrointestinal tract.

Food intolerance/malabsorption may occur in rare diseases.

Sugars including lactose and fructose, or proteins (gluten), or biogenic amines (histamine), and combinations thereof may cause food intolerance/malabsorption. However, in usually asymptomatic patients with rare diseases, who present with functional, non-specific, non-allergic gastrointestinal (GI) complaints the etiologic factors of food intolerance/malabsorption need to be evaluated. We summarize patients with rare diseases, such as primary epiploic appendagitis, beta-thalassemias minor, Gullo syndrome and anomaly of the inferior vena cava, who presented functional, non-specific, non-allergic GI complaints.