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Signals in asbestos related diseases in human breath - preliminary results

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International Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Abstract

Several diseases occur due to asbestos exposure. Until today, asbestos predicted mortality and morbidity will increase because of the long latency period. Actually, the methods to investigate asbestos related disease are mostly invasive. Therefore, the aim of the present paper was to investigate, whether signals in human breath could be correlated to Asbestos related lung diseases using a multi-capillary column (MCC) connected to an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) as non-invasive method. Here, the breath samples of 10 mL of 25 patients suffering from asbestos related diseases. This group includes patients with asbestos related pleural thickening with and without pulmonary fibrosis. Twelve healthy persons constitute the control group and the breath samples are compared with those of the BK4103 patients. In total 83 peaks are found in the IMS-Chromatogram. A discrimination was possible with p-values <0.001 for two peaks (99.9 %), <0.01 (99 %) for 5 peaks and <0.05 (95 %) for 17 peaks. The most discrimination peaks alpha pinene and 4-ethyltoluol were identified among some others with lower p-values. The corresponding Box-and-Whisker-Plots comparing both groups are presented. In addition, a decision tree including all peaks was created that shows a differentiation with alpha pinene between BK4103 (pleural plaques group) and the control group. In addition, the sensitivity was calculated to 96 %, specificity was 50 %, positive and negative predictive values were 80 % and 86 %. Ion mobility spectrometry was introduced as non-invasive method to separate both groups Asbestos related and healthy. Naturally, the findings need further confirmation on larger population groups, but encourage further investigations, too.

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Acknowledgments

A part of the work on this paper (JIBB) has been supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the Collaborative Research Center (Sonderforschungsbereich) SFB 876 “Providing Information by Resource-Constrained Analysis”, project TB1 “Resource-Constrained Analysis of Spectrometry Data”.

We want to thank to Berufsgenossenschaft Holz und Metall for the recruitment of patients, K.G. Hering and J. Rodenwald for the radiological assessment of the images and C. Kelbel for the pneumology expertise.

Notice: The work presented is part of the thesis of Y. Cakir [1, 3].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Knappschaftskrankenhaus Dortmund, Am Knappschaftskrankenhaus 1, 44309, Dortmund, Germany

    Y. Cakir

  2. Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Y. Cakir & T. Kraus

  3. B&S Analytik GmbH, BioMedicalCenter, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, 44227, Dortmund, Germany

    L. Métrailler & J. I. Baumbach

  4. Faculty Applied Chemistry, Reutlingen University, Alteburgstraße 150, 72762, Reutlingen, Germany

    J. I. Baumbach

  5. HES-SO//Valais, Life Technologies, Route du Rawyl 64, 1950, Sion 2, Switzerland

    L. Métrailler

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  1. Y. Cakir
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  3. J. I. Baumbach
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  4. T. Kraus
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Cakir, Y., Métrailler, L., Baumbach, J.I. et al. Signals in asbestos related diseases in human breath - preliminary results. Int. J. Ion Mobil. Spec. 17, 87–94 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12127-014-0147-7

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