Lipid-soluble vitamins from dairy products: Extraction, purification, and analytical techniques

Improved matrix purification using a graphene oxide-coated melamine sponge for UPLC-MS/MS-based determination of 37 veterinary drugs in milks

A rapid and highly sensitive method was established for the analysis of 37 veterinary drug residues in milk using a modified QuEChERS method based on a reduced graphene oxide-coated melamine sponge (rGO@MeS) coupled with UPLC-MS/MS. Under optimal chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions, the effects of different dehydrated salts (MgSO4 and Na2SO4) and metal chelating agents (Na2EDTA) on extraction efficiency were first investigated. Next, the influence of a dynamic and static purification mode was evaluated in terms of drug recoveries. Calibration curves of 37 veterinary drugs were constructed in the range 0.6-500 μg kg-1, and good linearities were obtained with all determination coefficients (R2) ≥0.992. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) were in the range 0.3-1.1 μg kg-1 and 0.6-3.5 μg kg-1, respectively. The recoveries of all compounds were in the range 61.3-118.2% at three spiked levels (20, 100, and 200 μg kg-1) with RSDs ≤15.4% for both intra- and inter-day precisions. Compared to pristine melamine sponges and commercial adsorbents (C18, PSA, and GCB), rGO@MeS demonstrated an equal or even better purification performance in terms of recoveries, matrix effects, and matrix removal efficiency. This method is rapid, simple, efficient, and appropriate for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of 37 veterinary drug residues in milk, providing a new detection strategy and technical support for the routine analysis of animal-derived food.

From genes to systems: The role of food supplementation in the regulation of sepsis-induced inflammation

Systemic inflammation includes a widespread immune response to a harmful stimulus that results in extensive systemic damage. One common example of systemic inflammation is sepsis, which is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Under the pro-inflammatory environment of sepsis, oxidative stress contributes to tissue damage due to dysfunctional microcirculation that progressively causes the failure of multiple organs that ultimately triggers death. To address the underlying inflammatory condition in critically ill patients, progress has been made to assess the beneficial effects of dietary supplements, which include polyphenols, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that are recognized for their immuno-modulating, anticoagulating, and analgesic properties. Therefore, we aimed to review and discuss the contribution of food-derived supplementation in the regulation of inflammation from gene expression to physiological responses and summarize the precedented potential of current therapeutic approaches during systemic inflammation.

Laboratory testing for mitochondrial diseases: biomarkers for diagnosis and follow-up

The currently available biomarkers generally lack the specificity and sensitivity needed for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with mitochondrial diseases (MDs). In this group of rare genetic disorders (mutations in approximately 350 genes associated with MDs), all clinical presentations, ages of disease onset and inheritance types are possible. Blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid surrogates are well-established biomarkers that are used in clinical practice to assess MD. One of the main challenges is validating specific and sensitive biomarkers for the diagnosis of disease and prediction of disease progression. Profiling of lactate, amino acids, organic acids, and acylcarnitine species is routinely conducted to assess MD patients. New biomarkers, including some proteins and circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA, with increased diagnostic specificity have been identified in the last decade and have been proposed as potentially useful in the assessment of clinical outcomes. Despite these advances, even these new biomarkers are not sufficiently specific and sensitive to assess MD progression, and new biomarkers that indicate MD progression are urgently needed to monitor the success of novel therapeutic strategies. In this report, we review the mitochondrial biomarkers that are currently analyzed in clinical laboratories, new biomarkers, an overview of the most common laboratory diagnostic techniques, and future directions regarding targeted versus untargeted metabolomic and genomic approaches in the clinical laboratory setting. Brief descriptions of the current methodologies are also provided.