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Diagnostics, Volume 5, Issue 1 (March 2015) – 5 articles , Pages 1-95

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107 KiB  
Concept Paper
Pain in the Blood? Envisioning Mechanism-Based Diagnoses and Biomarkers in Clinical Pain Medicine
by Emmanuel Bäckryd
Diagnostics 2015, 5(1), 84-95; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics5010084 - 17 Mar 2015
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6659
Abstract
Chronic pain is highly prevalent, and pain medicine lacks objective biomarkers to guide diagnosis and choice of treatment. The current U.S. “opioid epidemic” is a reminder of the paucity of effective and safe treatment options. Traditional pain diagnoses according to the International Classification [...] Read more.
Chronic pain is highly prevalent, and pain medicine lacks objective biomarkers to guide diagnosis and choice of treatment. The current U.S. “opioid epidemic” is a reminder of the paucity of effective and safe treatment options. Traditional pain diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases are often unspecific, and analgesics are often prescribed on a trial-and-error basis. In contrast to this current state of affairs, the vision of future mechanism-based diagnoses of chronic pain conditions is presented in this non-technical paper, focusing on the need for biomarkers and the theoretical complexity of the task. Pain is and will remain a subjective experience, and as such is not objectively measurable. Therefore, the concept of “noci-marker” is presented as an alternative to “pain biomarker”, the goal being to find objective, measurable correlates of the pathophysiological processes involved in different chronic pain conditions. This vision entails a call for more translational pain research in order to bridge the gap between clinical pain medicine and preclinical science. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarkers in Blood)
1075 KiB  
Review
Positron Emission Tomography in Breast Cancer
by Jose Luis Vercher-Conejero, Laura Pelegrí-Martinez, Diego Lopez-Aznar and María Del Puig Cózar-Santiago
Diagnostics 2015, 5(1), 61-83; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics5010061 - 16 Mar 2015
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 9373
Abstract
Gradually, FDG-PET/CT has been strengthening within the diagnostic algorithms of oncological diseases. In many of these, PET/CT has shown to be useful at different stages of the disease: diagnosis, staging or re-staging, treatment response assessment, and recurrence. Some of the advantages of this [...] Read more.
Gradually, FDG-PET/CT has been strengthening within the diagnostic algorithms of oncological diseases. In many of these, PET/CT has shown to be useful at different stages of the disease: diagnosis, staging or re-staging, treatment response assessment, and recurrence. Some of the advantages of this imaging modality versus CT, MRI, bone scan, mammography, or ultrasound, are based on its great diagnostic capacity since, according to the radiopharmaceutical used, it reflects metabolic changes that often occur before morphological changes and therefore allows us to stage at diagnosis. Moreover, another advantage of this technique is that it allows us to evaluate the whole body so it can be very useful for the detection of distant disease. With regard to breast cancer, FDG-PET/CT has proven to be important when recurrence is suspected or in the evaluation of treatment response. The technological advancement of PET equipment through the development of new detectors and equipment designed specifically for breast imaging, and the development of more specific radiopharmaceuticals for the study of the different biological processes of breast cancer, will allow progress not only in making the diagnosis of the disease at an early stage but also in enabling personalized therapy for patients with breast cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NMR in Medicine)
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2008 KiB  
Review
Technologies for Clinical Diagnosis Using Expired Human Breath Analysis
by Thalakkotur Lazar Mathew, Prabhahari Pownraj, Sukhananazerin Abdulla and Biji Pullithadathil
Diagnostics 2015, 5(1), 27-60; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics5010027 - 02 Feb 2015
Cited by 99 | Viewed by 12873
Abstract
This review elucidates the technologies in the field of exhaled breath analysis. Exhaled breath gas analysis offers an inexpensive, noninvasive and rapid method for detecting a large number of compounds under various conditions for health and disease states. There are various techniques to [...] Read more.
This review elucidates the technologies in the field of exhaled breath analysis. Exhaled breath gas analysis offers an inexpensive, noninvasive and rapid method for detecting a large number of compounds under various conditions for health and disease states. There are various techniques to analyze some exhaled breath gases, including spectrometry, gas chromatography and spectroscopy. This review places emphasis on some of the critical biomarkers present in exhaled human breath, and its related effects. Additionally, various medical monitoring techniques used for breath analysis have been discussed. It also includes the current scenario of breath analysis with nanotechnology-oriented techniques Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Vitro Diagnostics)
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1108 KiB  
Article
Mini-P-gp and P-gp Co-Expression in Brown Trout Erythrocytes: A Prospective Blood Biomarker of Aquatic Pollution
by Emeline Valton, Christian Amblard, François Desmolles, Bruno Combourieu, Frédérique Penault-Llorca and Mahchid Bamdad
Diagnostics 2015, 5(1), 10-26; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics5010010 - 12 Jan 2015
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6092
Abstract
In aquatic organisms, such as fish, blood is continually exposed to aquatic contaminants. Multidrug Resistance (MDR) proteins are ubiquitous detoxification membrane pumps, which recognize various xenobiotics. Moreover, their expression is induced by a large class of drugs and pollutants. We have highlighted the [...] Read more.
In aquatic organisms, such as fish, blood is continually exposed to aquatic contaminants. Multidrug Resistance (MDR) proteins are ubiquitous detoxification membrane pumps, which recognize various xenobiotics. Moreover, their expression is induced by a large class of drugs and pollutants. We have highlighted the co-expression of a mini P-gp of 75 kDa and a P-gp of 140 kDa in the primary culture of brown trout erythrocytes and in the erythrocytes of wild brown trout collected from three rivers in the Auvergne region of France. In vitro experiments showed that benzo[a]pyrene, a highly toxic pollutant model, induced the co-expression of mini-P-gp and P-gp in trout erythrocytes in a dose-dependent manner and relay type response. Similarly, in the erythrocytes of wild brown trout collected from rivers contaminated by a mixture of PAH and other multi-residues of pesticides, mini-P-gp and P-gp were able to modulate their expression, according to the nature of the pollutants. The differential and complementary responses of mini-P-gp and P-gp in trout erythrocytes suggest the existence in blood cells of a real protective network against xenobiotics/drugs. This property could be exploited to develop a blood biomarker of river pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarkers in Blood)
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691 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Serum D-Dimer Levels in Pregnant Women with Adnexal Torsion
by Hasan Onur Topçu, Can Tekin İskender, Ufuk Ceran, Oktay Kaymak, Hakan Timur, Dilek Uygur and Nuri Danışman
Diagnostics 2015, 5(1), 1-9; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics5010001 - 05 Jan 2015
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5784
Abstract
We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serum D-dimer levels in pregnant women with adnexal torsion (AT). The pregnant women with ovarian cysts who suffered from pelvic pain were divided into two groups; the first group consisted of the cases with surgically [...] Read more.
We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serum D-dimer levels in pregnant women with adnexal torsion (AT). The pregnant women with ovarian cysts who suffered from pelvic pain were divided into two groups; the first group consisted of the cases with surgically proven as AT (n = 17) and the second group consisted of the cases whose pain were resolved in the course of follow-up period without required surgery (n = 34). The clinical characteristics and serum D-dimer levels were compared between the groups. Patients with AT had a higher rate of elevated serum white blood cell (WBC) count (57% vs. 16%, p = 0.04) and serum D-dimer levels (77% vs. 21%, p < 0.01) on admission in the study group than in the control group. Elevated D-dimer and cyst diameter larger than 5 cm yielded highest sensitivity (82% for each); whereas the presence of nausea and vomiting and elevated CRP had the highest specificity (85% and 88%, respectively). This is the first study that evaluates the serum D-dimer levels in humans in the diagnosis of AT, and our findings supported the use of D-dimer for the early diagnosis of AT in pregnant women. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarkers in Blood)
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