1. Connective tissue and diseases: from morphology to proteomics towards the development of new therapeutic appproachDaniela Quaglino, Federica Boraldi, Giulia Annovi, Deanna Guerra, Ivonne Pasquali Ronchetti, 2009, review article Abstract: Connective tissue consists of cells separated by the extracellular matrix, whose composition and amount vary according
to age, to functional requirements, and to the presence of pathologic conditions. Within this non-random
macromolecular assembly, collagens, elastin, proteoglycans and structural glycoproteins are mutually interdependent
and modifications of one component, by extrinsic (environmental) and/or intrinsic (systemic, genetic, age-related)
factors, may have consequences on the tissue as a whole. Since decades, different microscopical techniques have been
applied mainly for diagnostic purposes and for detailed descriptions of changes occurring in cells and in matrix
components. More recently, in order to dissect the molecular complexity of the matrix network, to analyse the
interactions between cells and matrix and to look for modulators of cell phenotype, histomorphologic investigations
have been implemented with proteomic studies that allow to identify possible diagnostic markers, and to better
understand patho-mechanisms enabling the design of novel therapeutic strategies. Therefore, the progressively
expanding, although incomplete, knowledge on connective tissue biology, sheds new light on the pathogenesis of
diseases affecting single molecules (i.e. collagenopathies, mucopolysaccharidoses, elastinopathies) and discloses the
importance of matrix components as fundamental regulators of cell phenotype, in relation, for instance, to the aging
process and/or to cancer development and progression. Few examples will be presented demonstrating the promises of
proteomics as a technique leading to the discovery of new therapies and possibly to the development of individualized
treatments for a better patient care. Keywords: pathology, proteomics, fibrosis, rheumatology, cancer Published in RUNG: 23.08.2019; Views: 2855; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
2. Real-time multi-marker measurement of organic compounds in human breath: Towards fingerprinting breathIain R. White, Kerry A Willis, Christopher Whyte, Rebecca Cordell, Robert S Blake, Andrew J Wardlaw, 2013, original scientific article Abstract: The prospects for exploiting proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) in medical diagnostics are illustrated through a series of case studies. Measurements of acetone levels in the breath of 68 healthy people are presented along with a longitudinal study of a single person over a period of 1 month. The median acetone concentration across the population was 484 ppbV with a geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 1.6, whilst the average GSD during the single subject longtitudinal study was 1.5. An additional case study is presented which highlights the potential of PTR-ToF-MS in pharmacokinetic studies, based upon the analysis of online breath samples of a person following the consumption of ethanol. PTR-ToF-MS comes into its own when information across a wide mass range is required, particularly when such information must be gathered in a short time during a breathing cycle. To illustrate this property, multicomponent breath analysis in a small study of cystic fibrosis patients is detailed, which provides tentative evidence that online PTR-ToF-MS analysis of tidal breath can distinguish between active infection and non-infected patients. Keywords: Volatile Organic Compounds, breath, proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, Cystic Fibrosis Published in RUNG: 22.07.2019; Views: 3228; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |