Determination of reference intervals of oxidative stress biomarkers in healthy Italian population

Background. Recent interest to investigation of oxidative stress (OS) linked disorders is due to its high involvement in many chronic and acute pathologies: cardiovascular, lung, hematological, diabetes, cancer and many others. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defensive capacity of organism. Normally ROS are generated in human body and are considered to be natural byproducts of metabolism of oxygen. But in the framework of oxidative stress, ROS suppress antioxidant capacity in vivo, damaging DNA, lipids, and proteins. ROS are highly reactive molecules with a short half-life and therefore it is very difficult to detect them in human biological fluids. Instead, the products of their oxidizing reactions, denoted as biomarkers of oxidative stress, are used widely to detect the level of OS in a human body. There are statistical techniques which allow estimating non-adjusted for determinants or adjusted for determinants reference intervals of biomarkers of oxidative stress. Aim. In this work we aimed at identifying main demographic and laboratory determinants of urinary biomarkers of oxidative stress: DNA-derived 8-oxodG and lipid membrane-derived 8-isoprostane, and at defining their reference intervals, adjusted for main determinants, in a sample of healthy people from the general Italian population. Methods. In current study, the data on 281 subjects from general Italian population, gathered during the Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD) project who were never-and ex- (not smoking over the last year) smokers and who did not report respiratory symptoms at the screening questionnaire and at the clinical survey, either other comorbidities (heart disease, ictus, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer) at the clinical interview and with normal lung function and allergologic test have been used. Results. Non adjusted reference intervals of 8-oxodG and of 8-isoprostane were evaluated first in this work. The main determinants of both biomarkers of oxidative stress were 'distance from collection' (DFC, the period from the moment of urine collection and its laboratory processing), and season, the period of year when urine was collected and split into warm (April - September) and cold (October - March). The reference intervals of 8-oxodG and of 8-isoprostane stratified by season and adjusted for DFC were predicted using GAMLSS (generalized additive models for location, scale and shape) regression analysis and showed slight but statistically significant degradation of both biomarkers with increase of DFC in both seasons, except 8-oxodG biomarker during the warm season, which provided unchanged values with increased DFC. Conclusion. To our knowledge it is for the first time when it was shown that both OS biomarkers 8-oxodG and 8-isoprostane should be evaluated in association with DFC and season, when urine has been collected. It is especially important in large epidemiological studies when long-term conservation of urine is stipulated. (Semi)parametric GAMLSS regression analysis is a new useful technique that can be used for estimating reference intervals of urinary biomarkers (8-oxodG and 8-isoprostane) from general adult population and adjusted for appropriate determinants

Postural control in childhood: investigating the neurodevelopmental gradient hypothesis

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have been suggested to lie on a gradient continuum, all resulting from common brain disturbances, but with different degrees of impairment severity. This case-control study aimed to assess postural stability against such hypothesis in 104 children/adolescents aged 5-17, of whom 81 had NDDs and 23 were healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) resulted in the most severely impaired neurodevelopmental condition, followed by Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS). In particular, while ASD children/adolescents performed worse than healthy controls in a number of sensory conditions across all parameters, ADHD children/adolescents performed worse than healthy controls only in the sway area for the most complex sensory conditions, when their vision and somatosensory functions were both compromised, and performance in Tourette Syndrome (TS) was roughly indistinguishable from that of healthy controls. Finally, differences were also observed between clinical groups, with ASD children/adolescents, and to a much lesser extent ADHD children/adolescents, performing worse than TS children/adolescents, especially when sensory systems were not operationally accurate. Evidence from this study indicates that poor postural control may be a useful biomarker for risk assessment during neurodevelopment, in line with predictions from the gradient hypothesis

Neuropathology of Early Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-Hypoplasia of the Pontine Kolliker-Fuse Nucleus: A Possible Marker of Unexpected Collapse during Skin-to-Skin Care

Objective To find a possible pathogenetic mechanism of the early sudden infant death occurring in newborns during the skin-to-skin care (SSC), through the examination of neuronal centers regulating the vital activities. Study Design This is an in-depth examination of the brain stem in 22 healthy term newborns, suddenly died in the first hour of life without the identification of a cause at autopsy (early sudden infant death syndrome [eSIDS]), 12 of them concomitantly with SSC, and 10 with age-matched controls died of known pathology. Results Developmental alterations of neuronal structures of the brain stem were highlighted in 19 of the 22 eSIDS, but not in control. The hypoplasia of the pontine Kolliker-Fuse nucleus (KFN), an important respiratory center, was diagnosed at the histological examination, validated by morphometric quantifications, in 11 of the 12 eSIDS while they were placed on the mother's chest and in 2 of the 10 SSC unrelated neonatal deaths. Conclusion The delayed development of the KFN could represent a specific finding of eSIDS occurring during SSC. Therefore, it is necessary to point out that the SSC represents a further risk factor that must be added to others already known for sudden infant death syndrome. Then this practice needs appropriate monitoring strategies of the infant's conditions

BIOMARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES.

It is known that, during oxidative stress process, reactive oxygen species (ROS) suppress antioxidant capacity in vivo. As a result, DNA, lipids, and proteins get damaged [1, 2]. Last investigations show that some respiratory diseases are associated with DNA- and lipid-derived oxidative stress [3, 4]. By this reason the study of oxidative stress (OxS) is becoming increasingly important in respiratory disease research. An elevated level of oxidative stress may be associated with development of asthma, chronic bronchitis or airway obstruction

Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods \u2013 A Comparison of Four International Composition Tables

This methodological study is part of the Flavonoids and Poor Lung function Study (F-PLUS) and has presented at the NUTRITION 2020 LIVE ONLINE of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Congress

Health-related quality of life varies in different respiratory disorders: a multi-case control population based study

Abstract Background and objective Health-related quality of life (HRQL) in respiratory diseases has been generally investigated in clinical settings, focusing on a single disorder. In this study on a general population sample, we assessed the relationship between HRQL and several respiratory diseases studied simultaneously (COPD, current (CA) and past (PA) asthma, allergic (AR) and non-allergic (NAR) rhinitis and chronic bronchitis (CB). Methods Controls (n = 328) and cases of NAR (n = 95), AR (n = 163), CB (n = 48), CA (n = 224), PA (n = 126) and COPD (n = 28) were recruited in the centre of Verona in the frame of the Italian multi-case control GEIRD (Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases) study; HRQL was measured through the SF-36 questionnaire. The relationships between HRQL (in terms of Physical (PCS) and Mental Component Scores (MCS)), respiratory diseases, and covariates were evaluated. Results With respect to controls, the adjusted PCS median score was worse in subjects suffering from current asthma (− 1.7; 95%CI:-2.8;-0.6), CB (− 3.8; 95%CI:-5.7;-1.9), and COPD (− 5.6; 95%CI:-8.1;-3.1). MCS was worse in current asthmatics (− 2.2; 95%CI:-4.1;-0.3), CB (− 5.5; 95%CI:-8.7;-2.2), and COPD cases (− 4.6; 95%CI:-8.8;-0.5) as well. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study in the general population that analyzed HRQL performing a simultaneous comparison of HRLQ in several respiratory disorders. We found that subjects suffering from COPD, CA, and CB had the poorest HRQL. Clinicians should carefully consider the possible impact of respiratory disorders as CB and not only that of CA and COPD

Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Chronic Airway Diseases

The global burden of chronic airway diseases represents an important public health concern. The role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of these diseases is well known. The aim of this study is to evaluate the behavior of both inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with chronic bronchitis, current asthma and past asthma in the frame of a population-based study