The relationship between exhaled carbon monoxide and human neutrophil function in the Japanese general population

Assessment of physical stress during the perioperative period of endoscopic submucosal dissection

The advantage of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is that it is less invasive than surgery. ESD is one of the best treatments for older patients as surgery in this age group of patients is difficult. However, it is unclear how much lower the physical stress of ESD is compared with that of surgery. Thus, objective methods are required to assess physical stress in patients who have undergone ESD. The current review of ESD aimed to summarize the recent advancements in the assessment of physical stress during the perioperative period, focusing on changes in energy metabolism and serum opsonic activity (SOA). Based on metabolic changes, resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured using an indirect calorimeter. The stress factor calculated from the REE and the basal energy expenditure computed using the Harris-Benedict equation can be used to assess physical stress. SOA was assessed using the chemiluminescence method, wherein the use of chemiluminescent probes (i.e., lucigenin and luminol) allowed quantification of reactive oxygen species generated by neutrophils. Using an auto luminescence analyzer, the results were evaluated based on the maximum light emission and area under the emission curve. These quantifiable results revealed the minimal invasiveness of ESD.

Influence of gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection on serum opsonic activity measured by chemiluminescence

This study aimed to elucidate whether changes in serum opsonic activity measured by lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence are useful for estimating physical stress during the perioperative period of gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection. Serum opsonic activity in the peripheral blood of 87 patients was examined in the morning of the day of endoscopic submucosal dissection, the next day, and at 4 days after endoscopic submucosal dissection. Peak height and area under the curve for lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence were 106.1 ± 22.7% and 102.0 ± 24.7% on the day of endoscopic submucosal dissection, which increased significantly to 113.6 ± 29.4% and 111.0 ± 29.1% on the next day (both p<0.01), and 112.4 ± 27.0% and 110.0 ± 28.1% at 4 days after endoscopic submucosal dissection (both p<0.01), respectively. In contrast, significant changes were not observed in peak height and area under the curve for luminol-dependent chemiluminescence during the perioperative period of endoscopic submucosal dissection. This difference suggests that serum opsonic activity during the perioperative period of gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection is associated with the production of substances with lower oxidizing potential. (The study of changes in neutrophil function and physical stress during the perioperative period of endoscopic operation: UMIN000034514)

[Chemiluminescence assay for the investigation of reactive oxygen species generator]

Quinones play critical roles in biological systems, but are also regarded as a class of toxins that can cause oxidative stress in living cells, and the involvement of quinone-based reactive oxygen species in oxidative stress has been reported. In biological systems, quinones are reduced to semiquinone radicals by the enzyme NADPH:quinone reductase. Next, semiquinone radicals react with dissolved oxygen to form superoxide anion, which reacts with biological molecules to cause oxidative stress. On the other hand, chemiluminescence reagents such as luminol can emit chemiluminescence after oxidation by reactive oxygen species. Therefore, chemiluminescence reagents have been used widely to investigate reactive oxygen species. We have developed a sensitive and selective assay for quantifying quinones using luminol chemiluminescence. This chemiluminescence assay is based on the generation of reactive oxygen species through the redox reaction between quinone and dithiothreitol, a reductant, followed by detection of the generated reactive oxygen by luminol. Additionally, this assay can be used to quantify the toxic herbicide, paraquat, which produces reactive oxygen species in the same manner as quinones. This review describes the development of a sensitive and selective chemiluminescence assay for investigating quinones and paraquat by utilizing their ability to generate reactive oxygen species.