Introduction Hospitalization is associated with acute changes in sarcopenia status in older people, but the influencing factors are not fully understood. Pre-admission care dependency level as a risk factor has not yet been investigated. Objective Evaluate if pre-admission care dependency level is an independent predictor of sarcopenia changes following hospitalization. Setting and subjects Data came from the Sarcopenia 9+ EAMA Project, a European prospective multi-centre study. For this study, 227 hospitalised older people were included from four different hospitals in Belgium, Spain and Poland, between 18 February 2019 and 5 September 2020. Methods Sarcopenia status at admission and discharge were calculated using a combined score (desirability value) based on muscle mass (calf circumference), strength (grip) and function (walking speed). Ratio of admission to discharge status was the outcome (desirability ratio; 1.00 meaning no difference). Predictor variable was the pre-admission care dependency level, classified into three groups: independent older people living at home, dependent older people living at home and older people living in a care home. Linear regression models were applied, considering potential confounders. Results Mean desirability ratio for dependent older people living at home (‘middle dependent group’) was lower (0.89) compared to independent older people (0.98; regression coefficient −0.09 [95% CI −0.16, −0.02]) and care home patients (1.05; −0.16 [95% CI −0.01, −0.31]). Adjusting for potential confounders or using another statistical approach did not affect the main results. Conclusion Dependent older people living at home were at higher risk of deterioration in sarcopenia status following hospitalization. In-depth studies investigating causes and potential interventions of these findings are needed.
Finding adequate biomarkers for rapid and accurate disease detection, prognosis, and therapy is increasingly important. Quorum-sensing peptides are herein a new emerging group, produced by bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses, with blood being the most straightforward sample type to detect/quantitate them. However, detailed information about suitable blood sample collection methods and storage conditions for measuring these quorum-sensing peptides hampers further clinical research and development. Here, we first tested the time-dependent stability of a set of chemically diverse quorum-sensing peptides, spiked in blood at different temperatures (4, 21, and 37 °C) in four different ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-containing plasma tubes (with different protein-stabilizing additives) over a period of up to 7.5 h. Next, we determined the storage stability of these quorum-sensing peptides in plasma at different temperatures (4, −35, and −80 °C). UPLC/MS−MS was used to selectively detect and quantify the spiked quorum-sensing peptides. The results of this study indicate that a cost-effective tube, designed for traditional proteomics and stored at 4 °C, is the preferred collection condition when quorum-sensing peptides need to be detected/quantified in human plasma. When the tubes are handled at room temperature (21 °C), a more specialized tube is required. Long-term storage of plasma samples, even under low-temperature conditions (−80 °C), indicates rapid degradation of certain quorum-sensing peptides.
Quorum-sensing peptides (QSPs) are bacterial peptides traditionally considered only as inter-bacterial communication molecules. Recently, their involvement in microbiome–host interactions influencing host diseases such as cancer and sarcopenia were explored. However, it is still unknown to what extent these peptides have the potential to modulate the immune system. In this proof-of-concept study, we screened 89 QSPs for their potential to induce IL-6 and TNFα in murine splenocytes and J774 macrophages. Confirmatory experiments on the positive screening-hits were conducted using murine splenocytes and human PBMCs of different ages. Finally, to investigate the biological relevance of immunomodulatory QSPs, we analysed plasma in a human cohort for the presence of the immunomodulatory QSP Q010. To do this, we used a newly developed UHPLC-MS/MS method. Our findings indicated that specific QSPs activate immune cells in vitro, with Q007, Q010, Q017 and Q212 being the top four screening hits. Q007 and Q010 were affirmed in subsequent confirmatory experiments using murine splenocytes and human PBMCs. Finally, Q010 was detected in human plasma, demonstrating for the first time the presence of an immunomodulatory QSP in human circulation. In conclusion, our data are the first evidence indicating the potential of biologically relevant quorum-sensing peptides to modulate the immune system.
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