Journal of Breath Research

Our medical research library holds 5 studies published in Journal of Breath Research (2010–2024). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 5 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it.

About the journal

• Publisher: IOP Pub
• Published: 2007 to the present, England
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1752-7155 (print), 1752-7163 (electronic)
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2020s

• Volatile organic compound analysis of malignant pleural mesothelioma chorioallantoic membrane xenografts. L.D. Little, S.E. Barnett, T. Issitt, et al. 2024;18(4). PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer associated with asbestos exposure. MPM is often diagnosed late, at a point where limited treatment options are available, but early intervention could improve the chances of successful treatment for MPM patients. Biomarkers to detect MPM in at-risk individuals are needed to implement early diagnosis technologies. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have previously shown diagnostic potential as biomarkers when analysed in MPM patient breath. In this study, chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) xenografts of MPM cell lines were used as models of MPM tumour development for VOC biomarker discovery with the aim of generating targets for investigation in breath, biopsies or other complex matrices. VOC headspace analysis of biphasic or epithelioid MPM CAM xenografts was performed using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We successfully demonstrated the capture, analysis and separation of VOC signatures from CAM xenografts and controls. A panel of VOCs was identified that showed discrimination between MPM xenografts generated from biphasic and epithelioid cells and CAM controls. This is the first application of the CAM xenograft model for the discovery of VOC biomarkers associated with MPM histological subtypes. These findings support the potential utility of non-invasive VOC profiling from breath or headspace analysis of tissues for detection and monitoring of MPM.

  Creative Commons Attribution license.

• Determining the clinical utility of a breath test for screening an asbestos-exposed population for pleural mesothelioma: baseline results. K. Zwijsen, E. Schillebeeckx, E. Janssens, et al. 2023;17(4). PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is an aggressive cancer of the serosal lining of the thoracic cavity, predominantly caused by asbestos exposure. Due to nonspecific symptoms, PM is characterized by an advanced-stage diagnosis, resulting in a dismal prognosis. However, early diagnosis improves patient outcome. Currently, no diagnostic biomarkers or screening tools are available. Therefore, exhaled breath was explored as this can easily be obtained and contains volatile organic compounds, which are considered biomarkers for multiple (patho)physiological processes. A breath test, which differentiates asbestos-exposed (AEx) individuals from PM patients with 87% accuracy, was developed. However, before being implemented as a screening tool, the clinical utility of the test must be determined. Occupational AEx individuals underwent annual breath tests using multicapillary column/ion mobility spectrometry. A baseline breath test was taken and their individual risk of PM was estimated. PM patients were included as controls. In total, 112 AEx individuals and six PM patients were included in the first of four screening rounds. All six PM patients were correctly classified as having mesothelioma (100% sensitivity) and out of 112 AEx individuals 78 were classified by the breath-based model as PM patients (30% specificity). Given the large false positive outcome, the breath test will be repeated annually for three more consecutive years to adhere to the 'test, re-test' principle and improve the false positivity rate. A low-dose computed tomography scan in those with two consecutive positive tests will correlate test positives with radiological findings and the possible growth of a pleural tumor. Finally, the evaluation of the clinical value of a breath-based prediction model may lead to the initiation of a screening program for early detection of PM in Aex individuals, which is currently lacking. This clinical study received approval from the Antwerp University Hospital Ethics Committee (B300201837007).

  © 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.

2010s

• Comparison of feasibility and estimates of central and peripheral nitric oxide parameters by different mathematical models. T. Karvonen, H. Kankaanranta, S. Saarelainen, et al. 2017;11(4):047102. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Introduction: Assessment of the central and peripheral nitric oxide (NO) dynamics of the lung provides information on the severity and anatomical site of pulmonary inflammation. Several mathematical methods for calculating alveolar and bronchial NO parameters have been introduced. Our aim was to compare these methods.

  Methods: The study included 69 healthy adults, 66 healthy children, 73 asbestos-exposed subjects and 72 subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Exhaled NO was measured at multiple flow rates and we used five mathematical methods (Tsoukias and George, Pietropaoli, Condorelli, Högman and Meriläinen, and Silkoff) to estimate alveolar and bronchial NO parameters.

  Results: The Högman and Meriläinen method was less frequently feasible than the other methods but it had the highest degree of agreement with the measured data. The methods were most often feasible in healthy or asbestos-exposed adults but distinctly more infrequently in children and adults with COPD, suggesting difficulties in NO measurements in these groups. The linear methods (Tsoukias and George, Pietropaoli) yielded higher alveolar NO concentration and lower bronchial NO flux than the two non-linear methods (Högman and Meriläinen, Silkoff) and a linear method with correction for axial back-diffusion of NO (Condorelli).

  Conclusion: In differentiating central and peripheral NO sources we recommend using linear methods, as low flow rates are not needed and the feasibility of the methods is good. If bronchial wall NO concentration (C awNO) and diffusing capacity (D awNO) are of interest, non-linear methods are needed, and we recommend using the Högman and Meriläinen method as only three flow rates are needed. However, the agreement between the model and measured data needs to be checked in real time to ensure feasibility. If the subject has difficulties with the extremely low or high flow rates, we then recommend using the Silkoff method to improve feasibility, but more flow rates and measurements are then needed and the agreement between the model and the measured data may be poorer.

• Detection of malignant pleural mesothelioma in exhaled breath by multicapillary column/ion mobility spectrometry (MCC/IMS). K. Lamote, M. Vynck, J. Van Cleemput, et al. 2016;10(4):046001. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is predominantly caused by previous asbestos exposure. Diagnosis often happens in advanced stages restricting any therapeutic perspectives. Early stage detection via breath analysis was explored using multicapillary column/ion mobility spectrometry (MCC/IMS) to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the exhaled breath of MPM patients in comparison to former occupational asbestos-exposed and non-exposed controls. Breath and background samples of 23 MPM patients, 22 asymptomatic former asbestos (AEx) workers and 21 healthy non-asbestos exposed persons were taken for analysis. After background correction, we performed a logistic least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression to select the most important VOCs, followed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. MPM patients were discriminated from both controls with 87% sensitivity, 70% specificity and respective positive and negative predictive values of 61% and 91%. The overall accuracy was 76% and the area under the ROC-curve was 0.81. AEx individuals could be discriminated from MPM patients with 87% sensitivity, 86% specificity and respective positive and negative predictive values of 87% and 86%. The overall accuracy was 87% with an area under the ROC-curve of 0.86. Breath analysis by MCC/IMS allows MPM patients to be discriminated from controls and holds promise for further investigation as a screening tool for former asbestos-exposed persons at risk of developing MPM.

• Breath analysis in asbestos-related disorders: a review of the literature and potential future applications. E.A. Chapman, P.S. Thomas, D.H. Yates. 2010;4(3):034001. Review PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Asbestos usage was very common worldwide in the last century and continues in several countries today. Several diseases occur due to asbestos exposure, including malignant tumours such as malignant mesothelioma of the pleura and lung cancer, which have a very poor prognosis. Asbestos inhalation may also result in more benign conditions such as asbestosis (or pulmonary fibrosis due to asbestos), pleural plaques and pleural thickening. It is predicted that asbestos-associated mortality and morbidity will continue to increase, but methods for diagnosing asbestos-related disease are currently invasive and unsuitable for an increasingly elderly population. New non-invasive methods such as analysis of exhaled breath biomarkers e.g. exhaled nitric oxide (F(E)NO), exhaled breath condensate or of exhaled volatile organic compounds could potentially be extremely useful in these conditions. This article reviews the current literature on this topic and suggests areas for their application in the future.

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