Rapid non-invasive detection of Influenza-A-infection by multicapillary column coupled ion mobility
spectrometry
Infectious pathogens are a global issue. Global air travel offers an easy and fast opportunity not
only for people but also for infectious diseases to spread around the world within a few days. Also,
large public events facilitate increasing infection numbers. Therefore, rapid on-site screening for
infected people is urgently needed. Due to the small size and easy handling, ion mobility
spectrometry coupled with a multicapillary column (MCC-IMS) is a very promising, sensitive method
for the on-site identification of infectious pathogens based on scents, representing volatile
organic compounds (VOCs). The purpose of t...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 21, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Claus Steppert, Isabel Steppert, Thomas Bollinger and William Sterlacci Source Type: research
Breath testing for intra-abdominal infection: appendicitis, a preliminary study
In the current pilot study we aimed to determine whether breath analysis could be used to help
recognise intra-abdominal infection, using acute appendicitis as an exemplar condition. Our study
included 53 patients (aged 18 –88 years) divided into three groups: appendix group, 26 (13 male)
patients suffering from acute appendicitis; control group 20 (seven male) patients undergoing
elective abdominal surgery; normal group, seven patients who were clinically diagnosed with
appendicitis, but whose appendix was normal on histological examination. Samples of breath were
analysed using ion molecule reaction mass spectros...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 21, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: B T Andrews, P Das, W Denzer, G A Ritchie, R Peverall, A M Hamade and G Hancock Source Type: research
A novel system for the comprehensive collection of nonvolatile molecules from human exhaled breath
Characterization of nonvolatile molecules in exhaled breath particles can be used for respiratory
disease monitoring and diagnosis. Conventional methods for the collection of nonvolatile molecules
in breath heavily rely on the physical properties of exhaled breath particles. Strategies taking
advantage of their chemical properties have not yet been explored. In the present study, we
developed a column system in which the surface chemistry between organic nonvolatile molecules and
octadecyl carbon chain was exploited for the comprehensive collection of metabolites, lipids, and
proteins. We demonstrated that the collec...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 20, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Dapeng Chen, Wayne A Bryden and Michael McLoughlin Source Type: research
A special issue: Flow, pressure, volume and time as dependent variables in breath analysis
Description unavailable (Source: Journal of Breath Research)
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 20, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Joachim D Pleil, Jonathan D Beauchamp, Raed A Dweik and Terence H Risby Source Type: research
A short perspective on a COVID-19 clinical study: ‘diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-PCR using exhale
breath condensate samples ’
Diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 infection (COVID-19) is currently based on detection of the viral RNA in
nasopharyngeal swab samples by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However,
sampling via nasopharyngeal swabs frequently provokes sneezing or coughing, which results in
increased risk of the viral dissemination and environmental contamination. Furthermore, the
sensitivity associated with the PCR tests s limited to 60% –70%, which is mainly attributable to
technical deficiency in sampling. Given that the disease is transmitted via exhaled aerosol and
droplets, and that the exhaled breath condensate ...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Makoto Sawano, Kyousuke Takeshita, Hideaki Ohno and Hideaki Oka Source Type: research
Spatial mapping of VOC exhalation by means of bronchoscopic sampling
Breath analysis holds promise for non-invasive in vivo monitoring of disease related processes.
However, physiological parameters may considerably affect profiles of exhaled volatile organic
substances (VOCs). Volatile substances can be released via alveoli, bronchial mucosa or from the
upper airways. The aim of this study was the systematic investigation of the influence of different
sampling sites in the respiratory tract on VOC concentration profiles by means of a novel
experimental setup. After ethical approval, breath samples were collected from 25 patients
undergoing bronchoscopy for endobronchial ultrasound or...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Patricia Fuchs, Markus Trautner, Radost Sa ß, Svend Kamysek, Wolfram Miekisch, Andrea Bier, Paul Stoll and Jochen K Schubert Source Type: research
Volatile organic compound breath testing detects in-situ squamous cell carcinoma of bronchial and
laryngeal regions and shows distinct profiles of each tumour
Volatile organic compound (VOC) breath testing of lung and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
(SCC) has been widely studied, however little is known regarding VOC profiles of in-situ SCC. A
prospective study of VOC in patients with histologically proven SCC, either in-situ or advanced, and
controls. Breath samples were analysed using the E-nose Cyranose ® 320 and by gas
chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Predictive models were developed using bootstrap forest using all
32 sensors. Data from 55 participants was analysed: 42 SCC cases comprising 20 bronchial (10 in-situ
, 10 advanced) and 22 laryngeal (12 in-situ , ...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: David Fielding, Gunter Hartel, David Pass, Mark Davis, Michael Brown, Annette Dent, Julienne Agnew, Graeme Dickie, Robert S Ware and Robert Hodge Source Type: research
Impact of breath sampling on exhaled carbon monoxide
The influence of breath sampling on exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) and related pulmonary gas exchange
parameters is investigated in a study with 32 healthy non-smokers. Mid-infrared tunable diode laser
absorption spectroscopy and well-controlled online sampling is used to precisely measure mouth- and
nose-exhaled CO expirograms at exhalation flow rates (EFRs) of 250, 120 and 60 ml s −1 , and for 10
s of breath-holding followed by exhalation at 120 ml s −1 . A trumpet model with axial diffusion is
employed to fit simulated exhalation profiles to the experimental expirograms, which provides
equilibrium airway and al...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Ramin Ghorbani, Anders Blomberg and Florian M Schmidt Source Type: research
Discovery, development and exploitation of steady-state biofilms
Early in vitro biofilm models go back even beyond the invention of the word 'biofilm'. In the dental
field, biofilms were simply known as dental plaque and many of the first in vitro models were termed
'artificial mouth microcosm plaques'. The purpose of this review is to highlight important elements
of research from over the years regarding in vitro biofilm models, including data from our own
laboratories. This helps us to interpret the models and point the way to the future development of
biofilm testing. Many hypotheses regarding biofilm phenomena, particularly ecology, metabolism and
physiology of volatile sulphu...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: John Greenman, Keith Hewett and Saliha Saad Source Type: research
A short perspective on a COVID-19 clinical study: 'diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-PCR using exhale
breath condensate samples'
Diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 infection (COVID-19) is currently based on detection of the viral RNA in
nasopharyngeal swab samples by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However,
sampling via nasopharyngeal swabs frequently provokes sneezing or coughing, which results in
increased risk of the viral dissemination and environmental contamination. Furthermore, the
sensitivity associated with the PCR tests s limited to 60% –70%, which is mainly attributable to
technical deficiency in sampling. Given that the disease is transmitted via exhaled aerosol and
droplets, and that the exhaled breath condensate ...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Makoto Sawano, Kyousuke Takeshita, Hideaki Ohno and Hideaki Oka Source Type: research
Breath research in times of a global pandemic and beyond: the game changer
In contrast to blood and urine samples, breath is invisible and ubiquitous in the environment.
Different precautions are now necessary beyond the usual 'Universal Precautions'. In the era of
COVID-19, breath (especially the aerosol fraction) can no longer be considered as harmless in the
clinic or laboratory. As Journal of Breath Research is a primary resource for breath-related
research, we (the editors) are presently developing safety guidance applicable to all breath
research , not just for those projects that involve known COVID-19 infected subjects. We are
starting this process by implementing requirements on re...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Joachim D Pleil, Jonathan D Beauchamp, Raed A Dweik and Terence H Risby Source Type: research
Investigating the relationship between breath aerosol size and exhaled breath condensate (EBC)
metabolomic content
Exhaled breath aerosols contain valuable metabolomic content due to gas exchange with blood at the
alveolar capillary interface in the lung. Passive and selective filtering of these aerosols and
droplets may reduce the amount of saliva contaminants and serve as an aid to enhance targeted
metabolomic content when sampled in exhaled breath condensate (EBC). It is currently unknown if
breath aerosol size distribution affects the types or abundances of metabolites sampled through EBC.
This pilot study uses a previously described hand-held human breath sampler device with varying
notch filter geometries to redirect the tr...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Alexander J Schmidt, Eva Borras, Nicholas J Kenyon and Cristina E Davis Source Type: research
Exposure to cough aerosols and development of pulmonary COVID-19
We hypothesized that most patients with severe pulmonary COVID-19 were exposed to cough aerosols.
Among patients that were almost 100% certain which person infected them, only 14 out of 38 overall,
and 9 out of 25 hospitalized patients requiring supplemental oxygen, were infected by someone who
coughed, which did not support our hypothesis. Talking, especially with a loud voice, could be an
alternative source generating SARS-CoV-2 aerosols. Further research is needed to determine how
SARS-CoV-2 spreads. Avoiding to talk when you are not wearing your mask and not talking with a loud
voice, ‘voice etiquette’, could...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - September 30, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Koen Vanden Driessche, Jeremy Nestele, Jeroen Grouwels and Els LIM Duval Source Type: research
Headspace analysis of mesothelioma cell lines differentiates biphasic and epithelioid sub-types
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an incurable cancer. MM is often misdiagnosed, with a poor 5-year
survival and limited treatment options. The discovery of endogenous volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) is required in order to accelerate the development of a breath test as an alternative to
conventional MM diagnosis. For the first time, this study used solid-phase microextraction and gas
chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify VOCs released directly from the biphasic MM cell line
MSTO-211H and the epithelioid MM cell line NCI-H28 as well as the non-malignant mesothelial cell
line MET-5A. Multivariate statistical ana...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - September 24, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Liam David Little, Vikki Amanda Carolan, Kathryn Elizabeth Allen, Laura Margaret Cole and Sarah Louise Haywood-Small Source Type: research
Characterization of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) non-exchangeable hydrogen functional types and
lung function of wildland firefighters
The objective of
this study was to identify changes in metabolic profile of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and lung
function of firefighters exposed to wildfires smoke. A total of 29 subjects were studied over 16
events; 14 of these subjects provided cross-shift EBC samples. The predominant types of
non-exchangeable hydrogen in EBC were saturated oxygenated hydrogen, aliphatic alkyl and allylic.
Non-exchangeable allylic and oxygenated hydrogen concentrations decreased in post-exposure EBC
samples. Longer exposures were correlated with increased abundance of oxidized carbon in ketones,
acids and esters. Post-exposur...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - September 22, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Jordan Nelson, Marie-Cecile G Chalbot, Zoran Pavicevic and Ilias G Kavouras Source Type: research
