Journal of Molecular Biomarkers & Diagnosis

Because of their ease of use, on-site application, non-invasiveness, and most likely improved patient compliance, salivary biomarkers are increasingly being used as an alternative to diagnose and monitor the progression of various diseases. The role of salivary biosensors in the general population is highlighted here, followed by the use of saliva as a diagnostic tool in the paediatric population. We looked in the literature for paediatric applications of salivary biomarkers, specifically in children aged 0 to 18. These biomarkers are used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, developmental disorders, oncology, neuropsychiatry, respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal disorders, and oral diseases. Salivary proteins have four major applications as biomarkers: dental health, gastrointestinal conditions, metabolic conditions, and respiratory conditions. Other classifications for biosensing based on the type of biomarkers used include genomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics.

Pain is one of the most common health issues, and its assessment and treatment are heavily reliant on patient self-report. When obtaining a selfreport is not possible, the therapeutic decision becomes more difficult and limited. The purpose of this study is to see if some membrane platelet proteins can help with pain characterization. We used 53 blood samples from palliative patients, 44 with non-oncological pain and nine without pain, to achieve this goal. When comparing patients with and without pain, we found a decrease in the percentage of platelets expressing and the levels of expression. Furthermore, an increase in the percentage of platelets expressing was observed in pain patients.