Contribution of laboratory medicine and emerging technologies to cardiovascular risk reduction via exposome analysis: an opinion of the IFCC Division on Emerging Technologies.

This opinion article highlights the critical role of laboratory medicine and emerging technologies in cardiovascular risk reduction through exposome analysis. The exposome encompasses all external and internal exposures an individual faces throughout their life, influencing the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Integrating exposome data with genetic information allows for a comprehensive understanding of the multifactorial causes of CVD, facilitating targeted preventive interventions.

The multidimensional value of natriuretic peptides in heart failure, integrating laboratory and clinical aspects.

Natriuretic peptides (NP) play an essential role in heart failure (HF) regulation, and their measurement has improved diagnostic and prognostic accuracy. Clinical symptoms and objective measurements, such as NP levels, should be included in the HF definition to render it more reliable and consistent among observers, hospitals, and healthcare systems. BNP and NT-proBNP are reasonable surrogates for cardiac disease, and their measurement is critical to early diagnosis and risk stratification of HF patients.

Validation and verification framework and data integration of biosensors and diagnostic devices: a position statement of the IFCC Committee on Mobile Health and Bioengineering in Laboratory Medicine (C-MBHLM) and the IFCC Scientific Division.

Advances in technology have transformed healthcare and laboratory medicine. Biosensors have emerged as a promising technology in healthcare, providing a way to monitor human physiological parameters in a continuous, real-time, and non-intrusive manner and offering value and benefits in a wide range of applications. This position statement aims to present the current situation around biosensors, their perspectives and importantly the need to set the framework for their validation and safe use.

Omega-3 Eicosapentaenoic Acid Reduces Prostate Tumor Vascularity.

The impact of omega (ω)-3 fatty acids on prostate cancer is controversial in epidemiological studies but experimental studies suggest a protective effect. However, little is known about the mechanism of action. Here, we studied the effects of purified fatty acid molecules on prostate tumor progression using the TRAMP-C2 syngeneic immunocompetent mouse model.

Bacteriocins as a new generation of antimicrobials: toxicity aspects and regulations.

In recent decades, bacteriocins have received substantial attention as antimicrobial compounds. Although bacteriocins have been predominantly exploited as food preservatives, they are now receiving increased attention as potential clinical antimicrobials and as possible immune-modulating agents. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been declared as a global threat to public health.

Collaborative AI and Laboratory Medicine integration in precision cardiovascular medicine.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad term that combines computation with sophisticated mathematical models and in turn allows the development of complex algorithms which are capable to simulate human intelligence such as problem solving and learning. It is devised to promote a significant paradigm shift in the most diverse areas of medical knowledge. On the other hand, Cardiology is a vast field dealing with diseases relating to the heart, the circulatory system, and includes coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions.

F-isoprostanes and fatty acids profile in early pregnancy complicated by pre-existing diabetes.

Background: Diabetes and pregnancy are both associated with oxidative stress, characterized by an increase of F-isoprostanes from the non-enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid, a n - 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). We hypothesized that pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes will be characterized by elevated levels of specific F-isoPs isomers and altered PUFA composition in plasma early pregnancy when compared to normoglycemic controls.

Methods: Plasma samples from 23 women with uncomplicated pregnancies and 11 women with pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy were collected between 12 and 18 weeks of pregnancy (MIROS cohort).

SFE/SFEDP adrenal insufficiency French consensus: Introduction and handbook.

The French endocrinology society (SFE) and the French pediatric endocrinology society (DFSDP) have drawn up recommendations for the management of primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency in the adult and child, based on an analysis of the literature by 19 experts in 6 work-groups. A diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency should be suspected in the presence of a number of non-specific symptoms except hyperpigmentation which is observed in primary adrenal insufficiency. Diagnosis rely on plasma cortisol and ACTH measurement at 8am and/or the cortisol increase after synacthen administration.

Group 2: Adrenal insufficiency: screening methods and confirmation of diagnosis.

A diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency should be suspected in the presence of a number of non-specific symptoms (fatigue, anorexia, weight loss, hypotension, hyponatremia and hyperkalemia amongst adrenal causes of insufficiency). The diagnosis should be considered in case of pituitary disease or a state of shock. Treatment should be commenced immediately without waiting for confirmation from biochemical tests, which rely on cortisol level at 8am (expected to be low) and on ACTH level (expected to be high in the case of primary adrenal insufficiency).

Increased placental phospholipase A gene expression and free F-isoprostane levels in response to oxidative stress in preeclampsia.

Vasoactive eicosanoids such as thromboxane (TX) A and F-isoprostanes (F-isoPs) were shown to be increased in the preeclamptic placenta. Only one of the 64 possible isomers of F-isoPs derived from the oxidation of arachidonic acid was investigated in the placenta so far. F-isoPs are released from membrane phospholipids by phospholipases A (PLA) and were shown to act on the TXA receptor (TBXA2R).

Placental dimethyl acetal fatty acid derivatives are elevated in preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) was shown to affect the placental content and the transfer of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to the fetus. Plasmalogens, a type of phospholipids with a vinyl-ether link at the sn-1 position, play an antioxidant role and are specifically enriched in PUFA at the sn-2 position. In this study, we characterized plasmalogen-derived dimethyl acetal (DMA) fatty acid derivatives, 16:0 DMA, 18:0 DMA, 9c-/11c-18:1 DMA and PUFA in the placenta of normotensive (n = 20) and PE (n = 20) pregnancies, according to the sampling site: peri-insertion or periphery.

[Prevalence of peripheral artery disease among diabetics in Parakou in 2013].

We aimed to determine the prevalence of peripheral artery disease and its associated factors among diabetics. The cross-sectional study was conducted and included all diabetics admitted to the diabetic clinic at the Parakou University hospital during the period of 1st February and 31st July 2013. The diagnosis of peripheral artery disease was based on the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI)<0.

STK39 and WNK1 Are Potential Hypertension Susceptibility Genes in the BELHYPGEN Cohort.

The serine/threonine kinase With-No-Lysine (K) Kinase 1 (WNK1) activates the thiazide-sensitive Na(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter through phosphorylation of STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase, another serine/threonine kinase encoded by STK39. The aim of this study was to look for association between WNK1 and STK39 gene variants, and blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. Seven hundred seventy-nine Caucasian hypertensive patients (HYP) recruited in 6 academic centers from Belgium, and 906 normotensive (NT) controls were genotyped for 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms-rs3754777, rs6749447, rs35929607 (STK39), rs1468326, and rs765250 (WNK1)-using the Snapshot method.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D to PTH(1-84) Ratios Strongly Predict Cardiovascular Death in Heart Failure.

Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency and hyperparathyroidism are common in patients with heart failure (HF). There is a growing body of evidence supporting the role of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in cardiac remodeling and worsening of HF. Lack of reliable automated testing of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), the biologically active metabolite of vitamin D, has limited its contribution to the prognostic assessment of HF.

Recent progress in the development of protein-protein interaction inhibitors targeting androgen receptor-coactivator binding in prostate cancer.

The androgen receptor (AR) is a key regulator for the growth, differentiation and survival of prostate cancer cells. Identified as a primary target for the treatment of prostate cancer, many therapeutic strategies have been developed to attenuate AR signaling in prostate cancer cells. While frontline androgen-deprivation therapies targeting either the production or action of androgens usually yield favorable responses in prostate cancer patients, a significant number acquire treatment resistance.

Plasma F2-isoprostane class VI isomers at 12-18 weeks of pregnancy are associated with later occurrence of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) has long been associated with early oxidative stress, although the symptoms occur later in pregnancy. We have hypothesized that the oxidative stress in PE, as characterized by the presence of F2-isoprostane (F2-isoP) isomers in late pregnancy, should already be present in plasma at the first regular visit of the obstetrical follow-up. There are 64 possible isomers of F2-isoPs derived from the oxidation of arachidonic acid (AA), but only one of these isomers has been investigated so far in PE, the classical 8-iso-PGF2α.

Measurement of anti-Mullerian hormone: performances of a new ultrasensitive immunoassay.

The measurement of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is relevant for the evaluation of primary ovarian insufficiency, success of assisted reproductive therapies, and also to support the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Our study demonstrated excellent analytical performances for the Ansh Laboratories AMH immunoassay and an overall good agreement with the AMH Gen II assay. Nevertheless, the two AMH immunoassays are not using the same couple of antibodies and therefore not commutable and the definition of specific reference values and cut-point remains necessary.

F2-isoprostanes are correlated with trans fatty acids in the plasma of pregnant women.

We hypothesized that the mild physiological oxidative stress present during pregnancy could increase both, plasma F2-isoprostanes (F2-isoPs) by lipid oxidation and trans fatty acids (TFA) through cis-trans isomerization respectively. Plasma samples collected at 12-18 weeks (MIROS cohort; n=65) and 38-41 weeks of pregnancy (CHUL cohort; n=21) were subjected to alkaline hydrolysis followed by liquid-liquid extraction in order to extract total F2-isoPs for quantification by HPLC-MS/MS. Several positive correlations were found between F2-isoPs and TFA, measured by GC-FID in plasma phospholipids, such as 6t-18:1, 9t-18:1 and 9t,12c-18:2 (r>0.

Functional cooperation between Stat-1 and ets-1 to optimize icam-1 gene transcription.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) plays an important role in the immune system, enabling the interactions between effector cells and target cells. It is also known to be involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Its expression is transcriptionally regulated by several proinflammatory cytokines including IFN-gamma, which induces ICAM-1 transcription via the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in a Stat1-dependent fashion.

Beneficial effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on toxin-induced neuronal degeneration in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.

In this study, we examined whether omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may exert neuroprotective action in Parkinson's disease, as previously shown in Alzheimer's disease. We exposed mice to either a control or a high n-3 PUFA diet from 2 to 12 months of age and then treated them with the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 140 mg/kg in 5 days). High n-3 PUFA dietary consumption completely prevented the MPTP-induced decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-labeled nigral cells (P<0.