Using Salivary Biomarkers for Stress Assessment in Offshore Saturation Diving: A Pilot Study

Health monitoring during offshore saturation diving is complicated due to restricted access to the divers, the desire to keep invasive procedures to a minimum, and limited opportunity for laboratory work onboard dive support vessels (DSV). In this pilot study, we examined whether measuring salivary biomarkrers in samples collected by the divers themselves might be a feasible approach to environmental stress assessment. Nine saturation divers were trained in the passive drool method for saliva collection and proceeded to collect samples at nine time points before, during, and after an offshore commercial saturation diving campaign. Samples collected within the hyperbaric living chambers were decompressed and stored frozen at −20°C onboard the DSV until they were shipped to land for analysis. Passive drool samples were collected without loss and assayed for a selection of salivary biomarkers: secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukins IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, as well as cortisol and alpha-amylase. During the bottom phase of the hyperbaric saturation, SIgA, CRP, TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1β increased significantly, whereas IL-6, cortisol and alpha-amylase were unchanged. All markers returned to pre-dive levels after the divers were decompressed back to surface pressure. We conclude that salivary biomarker analysis may be a feasible approach to stress assessment in offshore saturation diving. The results of our pilot test are consonant with an activation of the sympathetic nervous system related to systemic inflammation during hyperbaric and hyperoxic saturation.

Evolution of Human Salivary Stress Markers during an Eight-Hour Exposure to a Mediterranean Holm Oak Forest. A Pilot Study

The current study analyses the evolution of different human stress markers during an 8 h exposure to a Mediterranean Holm oak forest. We conducted a pre-post study with thirty-one subjects in which saliva samples were collected before the exposure (baseline) and after 1, 2, 4 and 8 h. Our results show: (A) a significant decrease in cortisol saliva concentrations from the second hour until the end compared to basal time; (B) a significant increase in alpha amylase activity after the first hour of exposure compared to basal time that remained elevated during the rest of the study; (C) a significant decrease in IgA from the fourth hour of exposure compared to the basal time. These findings indicate an effect of forest exposure in salivary biomarkers of stress and provide relevant data for the scientific and healthcare community encouraging further research in the field.

Association of Cathepsin B a Salivary Biomarkers in Different Histological Grades of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background:Oral cancer is considered a major public health problem due to its high mortality and morbidity rates. Survival rate of OSCC can be significantly improved by using non -invasive tool such as salivary biomarkers for detection of OSCC which is considered a promising approach. Cathepsin B is a lysosomal cysteine protein, which is present in abundant quantities in lysosome of cells, tissues and different biological fluids. Increased expression of Cathepsin B is observed in many malignancies including oral cancer. The present study was designed to determine the salivary levels of Cathepsin B in different histological grades of OSCC.Method:In this study total no of 80 research participants were enrolled which were divided into four groups. Each group comprises 20 participants. Groups 1 comprises 20 patients of OSCC (Well differentiated), Group 2 comprises 20 patients of OSCC (moderately differentiated), Group 3 comprises 20 patients of OSCC (poorly differentiated|) and Group 4 comprises 20 healthy controls. Saliva sample was collected from all the four study group and salivary Cathepsin B levels were analyzed by ELISA sandwich technique in duplicate.Results:Salivary levels of Cathepsin B are significantly increased with p- value (<0.001) in patients of OSCC in comparison to control group. We observed highest mean Cathepsin B levels in well differentiated OSCC followed by poorly differentiated OSCC and moderately differentiated OSCC.Conclusion:Results of the present study suggests that Cathepsin B has a great value as a salivary biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring of OSCS in different histological grades of OSCC. It could increase the survival rate and further improve the prognosis of OSCC.

Paper-Based Multiplexed Colorimetric Device for the Simultaneous Detection of Salivary Biomarkers

In this study, we describe a monolithic and fully integrated paper-based device for the simultaneous detection of three prognostic biomarkers in saliva. The pattern of the proposed multiplexed device is designed with a central sample deposition zone and three identical arms, each containing a pre-treatment and test zone. Its one-step fabrication is realized by CO2 laser cutting, providing remarkable parallelization and rapidity (ca. 5 s/device). The colorimetric detection is based on the sensitive and selective target-induced reshaping of plasmonic multibranched gold nanoparticles, which exhibit a clear spectral shift (and blue-to-pink color change) in case of non-physiological concentrations of the three salivary biomarkers. A rapid and multiplexed naked-eye or smartphone-based readout of the colorimetric response is achieved within 10 min. A prototype kit for POCT testing is also reported, providing robustness and easy handling of the device.