The relation of S100beta and metabolic and endocrine responses to acute fetal hypoxemia

Early predictors of perinatal brain damage: the role of neurobiomarkers

The early detection of perinatal brain damage in preterm and term newborns (i.e. intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia and perinatal asphyxia) still constitute an unsolved issue. To date, despite technological improvement in standard perinatal monitoring procedures, decreasing the incidence of perinatal mortality, the perinatal morbidity pattern has a flat trend. Against this background, the measurement of brain constituents could be particularly useful in the early detection of cases at risk for short-/long-term brain injury. On this scenario, the main European and US international health-care institutions promoted perinatal clinical and experimental neuroprotection research projects aimed at validating and including a panel of biomarkers in the clinical guidelines. Although this is a promising attempt, there are several limitations that do not allow biomarkers to be included in standard monitoring procedures. The main limitations are: (i) the heterogeneity of neurological complications in the perinatal period, (ii) the small cohort sizes, (iii) the lack of multicenter investigations, (iv) the different techniques for neurobiomarkers assessment, (iv) the lack of consensus for the validation of assays in biological fluids such as urine and saliva, and (v), the lack of reference curves according to measurement technique and biological fluid. In the present review we offer an up-to-date overview of the most promising developments in the use of biomarkers in the perinatal period such as calcium binding proteins (S100B protein), vasoactive agents (adrenomedullin), brain biomarkers (activin A, neuron specific enolase, glial fibrillary acidic protein, ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase-L1) and oxidative stress markers.

Saliva S100B in professional sportsmen: High levels at resting conditions and increased after vigorous physical activity

BACKGROUND

Neurological dysfunction is a key medical concern in professional sportsmen (PSM). We investigated whether saliva S100B concentrations in PSM and healthy controls are modified before and after training.

METHODS

We conducted a case-control-study in 75 patients (25 PSM vs 50 controls) in which S100B saliva concentrations were expressed as absolute values and percentage of change (%) from samples drawn before (T0) and after (T1) training.

RESULTS

No differences (P>0.05) between groups were found regarding clinical, monitoring and laboratory parameters. S100B both in PSM and controls was higher at T1 when compared to T0 (P<0.01). In PSM, S100B was higher than controls (P<0.001) at T0 and T1. S100B% at T0-T1 was higher (P<0.001) in PSM and in controls and between PSM and controls (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Increased saliva S100B levels in PSM before and after training suggest a paracrine/autocrine protein's role connected to stressing activity, which becomes especially evident in PSMs.