Effect of the influenza A (H1N1) live attenuated intranasal vaccine on nitric oxide (FENO) and other volatiles in exhaled breath

For the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, vaccination and infection control were the main modes of prevention. A live attenuated H1N1 vaccine mimics natural infection and works by evoking a host immune response, but currently there are no easy methods to measure such a response. To determine if an immune response could be measured in exhaled breath, exhaled nitric oxide (FE NO) and other exhaled breath volatiles using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) were measured before and daily for seven days after administering the H1N1 2009 monovalent live intranasal vaccine (FluMist®, MedImmune LLC) in nine healthy healthcare workers (age 35 ± 7 years; five females). On day 3 after H1N1 FluMist® administration there were increases in FENO (MEAN±SEM: day 0 15 ± 3 ppb, day 3 19 ± 3 ppb; p < 0.001) and breath isoprene (MEAN±SEM: day 0 59 ± 15 ppb, day 3 99 ± 17 ppb; p = 0.02). MS analysis identified the greatest number of changes in exhaled breath on day 3 with 137 product ion masses that changed from baseline. The exhaled breath changes on day 3 after H1N1 vaccination may reflect the underlying host immune response. However, further work to elucidate the sources of the exhaled breath changes is necessary

Modelling acute renal failure using blood and breath biomarkers in rats

Invited. Available online 21 August 2010This paper compares three methods for estimating renal function, as tested in rats. Acute renal failure (ARF) was induced via a 60-min bilateral renal artery clamp in 8 Sprague–Dawley rats and renal function was monitored for 1 week post-surgery. A two-compartment model was developed for estimating glomerular filtration via a bolus injection of a radio-labelled inulin tracer, and was compared with an estimated creatinine clearance method, modified using the Cockcroft–Gault equation for rats. These two methods were compared with selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) monitoring of breath analytes. Determination of renal function via SIFT-MS is desirable since results are available non-invasively and in real time. Relative decreases in renal function show very good correlation between all 3 methods (R2 = 0.84, 0.91 and 0.72 for breath-inulin, inulin-creatinine, and breath-creatinine correlations, respectively), and indicate good promise for fast, non-invasive determination of renal function via breath testing

First onset of suicidal thought and behaviors in college

Background College students are a worldwide increasing group of young people at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STB). However, no previous studies have prospectively investigated the first onset of STB during the college period. Methods Using longitudinal data from the Leuven College Surveys, 2337 (response rate [RR]=66.6%) incoming freshmen provided baseline data on STB, parental psychopathology, childhood-adolescent traumatic experiences, 12-month risk for mental disorders, and 12-month stressful experiences. A total of 1253 baseline respondents provided data on 12-month STB in a two-year annual follow-up survey (conditional RR=53.6%; college dropout adjusted conditional RR=70.2%). Results One-year incidence of first-onset STB was 4.8–6.4%. Effect sizes of the included risk factors varied considerably whether viewed from individual-level (ORs=1.91–17.58) or population-level perspective (PARPs=3.4–34.3%). Dating violence prior to the age of 17, physical abuse prior to the age of 17, and 12-month betrayal by someone else than the partner were most strong predictors for first-onset suicidal ideation (ORs=4.23–12.25; PARPs=8.7–27.1%) and plans (ORs=6.57–17.58; PARPs=15.2–34.3%). Multivariate prediction (AUC=0.84–0.91) revealed that 50.7–65.7% of first-onset STB cases were concentrated in the 10% at highest predicted risk. Limitations As this is a first investigation of STB onset in college, future studies should use validation samples to test the accuracy of our multivariate prediction model. Conclusions The first onset of STB in college appears to be higher than in the general population. Screening at college entrance is a promising strategy to identify those students at highest prospective risk, enabling the cost-efficient clinical assessment of young adults in college

The evolution of reversed size dimorphism in hawks, falcons and owls: a comparative analysis

Krüger O. The evolution of reversed size dimorphism in hawks, falcons and owls: a comparative analysis. Evol. Ecol. 2005;19(5):467-486