Metabolomics:Open Access

Diabetes is a leading health problem in the developed world. The recent surge of wealth in Qatar has made it one of the most vulnerable nations to diabetes and related diseases. Recent technological advances in 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques for metabolomics profiling offer a great opportunity for biomarkers discovery. Using this technology, we present in this study, an integrative approach to discover new metabolites and possibly new biomarkers. We performed an integrative analysis of 1H NMR spectras measured in urine, from 348 participants of the Qatar Metabolomics Study on Diabetes (QM- Diab). Our analyses revealed several metabolites that correlate with diabetes and identified specific metabolites affected by anti- diabetes medication, which constraints differentiation between diabetic and control patients.

Objective: Restenosis after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is regarded as the result of a combination of various pathological events. The mechanisms are complex and not completely understood. This study aims to determine the correlation between the concentration of serum sulfatide and restenosis after PCI.
Method: We studied 68 consecutive patients with CHD of single-vessel disease who successfully underwent PCI. All patients were evaluated by a follow-up angiography approximately 6.5 months after the PCI and were divided into two groups, the restenosis (20 patients) and the nonrestenosis (48 patients). We measured and compared serum sulfatide levels and conventional cardiovascular risk
factors in those two groups.
Result: The serum sulfatide concentration (18.73 ± 3.81 μmol/L) in the restenosis group was significantly higher than that (11.52 ± 3.37 μmol/L) in the nonrestenosis group (p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis for risk factors revealed a significant correlation between serum sulfatide and restenosis after PCI (p<0.05). The concentration of serum sulfatide was positively correlated with the
coronary percent stenosis at the time of follow-up angiography (r=0.32, p<0.05).
Conclusion: High concentration of serum sulfatide is therefore a risk factor for restenosis after PCI in patients with CHD.

The fluxome, based on 13C flux, is a newly developed important aspect of cellular science, and it is both the final read-out of the physiological state of cells and an extension of both the transcriptome and proteome. This article records the important methods in the technical development of 13C-fluxomics, reviews the significance and progress in the interpretation and integration of fluxomics data, and then explores several directions of vital importance for the interpretation and integration of 13C-fluxomics.

Objectives: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is associated with impaired coronary flow by means of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Frame Count (TFC). The Serum Uric Acid (SUA) level is elevated in patients with AF. In the present study we aimed to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid and TFC in patients with AF in the absence of obstructive Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
Methods: This observational study enrolled 185 AF patients and 189 control subjects, all with angiographically documented normal coronary arteries. Serum uric acid was measured at baseline and mean TFC was assessed after diagnostic coronary angiography.
Results: The SUA was 6.3 ± 1.0 mg in the AF group and 4.9 ± 1.1 mg in the control group (p<0.001). In AF patients,SUA was significantly correlated with mean TFC (r=0.477, p<0.001). In linear regression analysis, SUA and low-density lipoprotein were found to be independently associated with mean TFC (p<0.001 and p<0.05 respectively).
Conclusion: Serum uric acid seems to be independently associated with coronary blood flow in patients with atrial fibrillation in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease.

Background: This study’s aim was to compare the dental biofilm metabolite-profile of caries-active (N=11) or caries-free (N=4) children by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses.

Methods: Samples collected after overnight fasting, with or without a previous glucose rinse, were combined for each child based on the caries status of the site, re-suspended in ethanol and analyzed by GC/MS.

Results: Biofilm from caries-active sites exhibited a different chromatographic profile compared to caries-free sites. Qualitative and quantitative analysis suggested a special cluster of branched alcohols and esters present at substantially higher intensity in biofilms of caries-active sites.

Conclusions: This pilot study indicates that there are metabolites present in the biofilm which have the potential to provide a characteristic metabolomics signature for caries activity.