Metabolomics profiling for identification of novel potential markers in early prediction of preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE\nThe first aim was to investigate specific signature patterns of metabolites that are significantly altered in first-trimester serum of women who subsequently developed preeclampsia (PE) compared to healthy pregnancies. The second aim of this study was to examine the predictive performance of the selected metabolites for both early onset [EO-PE] and late onset PE [LO-PE].\nMETHODS\nThis was a case-control study of maternal serum samples collected between 8+0 and 13+6 weeks of gestation from 167 women who subsequently developed EO-PE n = 68; LO-PE n = 99 and 500 controls with uncomplicated pregnancies. Metabolomics profiling analysis was performed using two methods. One has been optimized to target eicosanoids/oxylipins, which are known inflammation markers and the other targets compounds containing a primary or secondary biogenic amine group. Logistic regression analyses were performed to predict the development of PE using metabolites alone and in combination with first trimester mean arterial pressure (MAP) measurements.\nRESULTS\nTwo metabolites were significantly different between EO-PE and controls (taurine and asparagine) and one in case of LO-PE (glycylglycine). Taurine appeared the most discriminative biomarker and in combination with MAP predicted EO-PE with a detection rate (DR) of 55%, at a false-positive rate (FPR) of 10%.\nCONCLUSION\nOur findings suggest a potential role of taurine in both PE pathophysiology and first trimester screening for EO-PE.Analytical BioScience

When “perverts” were religious: the Protestant sexualisation of asceticism in nineteenth-century Britain, India and Ireland

Anti-Catholic polemics from the mid-nineteenth century made frequent comparison between religious practices in Britain, Ireland and India. The supposed atrocities taking place at locations such as Lough Dearg in Country Donegal and at ‘Juggernaut’ (Jagganath) at Puri were denounced in terms which hinted strongly at a striking combination of extreme asceticism and perverse sexual enjoyment. In the same period the word ‘perversion’, which had hitherto referred to apostasy, started to develop connotations of sexual deviance. Protestant sexualised readings of Catholic and Hindu asceticism appear to have been an important site for the development of conceptions of deviant sexuality in general and masochism in particular

Pharmacometabolomics reveals that serotonin is implicated in aspirin response variability.

While aspirin is generally effective for prevention of cardiovascular disease, considerable variation in drug response exists, resulting in some individuals displaying high on-treatment platelet reactivity. We used pharmacometabolomics to define pathways implicated in variation of response to treatment. We profiled serum samples from healthy subjects pre- and postaspirin (14 days, 81 mg/day) using mass spectrometry. We established a strong signature of aspirin exposure independent of response (15/34 metabolites changed). In our discovery (N = 80) and replication (N = 125) cohorts, higher serotonin levels pre- and postaspirin correlated with high, postaspirin, collagen-induced platelet aggregation. In a third cohort, platelets from subjects with the highest levels of serotonin preaspirin retained higher reactivity after incubation with aspirin than platelets from subjects with the lowest serotonin levels preaspirin (72 ± 8 vs. 61 ± 11%, P = 0.02, N = 20). Finally, ex vivo, serotonin strongly increased platelet reactivity after platelet incubation with aspirin (+20%, P = 4.9 × 10(-4), N = 12). These results suggest that serotonin is implicated in aspirin response variability.Analytical BioScience

Prompt K_short production in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=0.9 TeV

The production of K_short mesons in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 0.9 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The luminosity of the analysed sample is determined using a novel technique, involving measurements of the beam currents, sizes and positions, and is found to be 6.8 +/- 1.0 microbarn^-1. The differential prompt K_short production cross-section is measured as a function of the K_short transverse momentum and rapidity in the region 0 < pT < 1.6 GeV/c and 2.5 < y < 4.0. The data are found to be in reasonable agreement with previous measurements and generator expectations.Comment: 6+18 pages, 6 figures, updated author lis

Chemometrical contributions to analytical X-ray spectroscopy

Contains fulltext : 145589.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)157 p

A genetic algorithm for model-free X-ray fluorescence analysis of thin films

Contains fulltext : 29099___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Application of genetic algorithms for characterization of thin layered materials by glancing incidence X-ray reflectometry

Item does not contain fulltex

A knowledge-controlled method for sequential wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometry : a feasibility study

Contains fulltext : 29098.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access

First-Trimester Serum Acylcarnitine Levels to Predict Preeclampsia: A Metabolomics Approach

Analytical BioScience

Integrating Metabolomics Profiling Measurements Across Multiple Biobanks

To optimize the quality of large scale mass-spectrometry based metabolomics data obtained from semiquantitative profiling measurements, it is important to use a strategy in which dedicated measurement designs are combined with a strict statistical quality control regime. This assures consistently high-quality results across measurements from individual studies, but semiquantitative data have been so far only comparable for samples measured within the same study. To enable comparability and integration of semiquantitative profiling data from different large scale studies over the time course of years, the measurement and quality control strategy has to be extended. We introduce a strategy to allow the integration of semiquantitative profiling data from different studies. We demonstrate that lipidomics data generated in samples from three different large biobanks acquired in the time course of 3 years can be effectively combined when using an appropriate measurement design and transfer model. This strategy paves the way toward an integrative usage of semiquantitative metabolomics data sets of multiple studies to validate biological findings in another study and/or to increase the statistical power for discovery of biomarkers or pathways by combining studies. © 2014 American Chemical Society