2024 · Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics · paywalled
Capillary blood protein markers of posttraumatic headache in children after concussion
Fan et al.
The finding, in our words
This study of 82 children with concussion found that capillary blood collected with a Mitra device within 48 hours of injury could not identify protein markers that predict persistent posttraumatic headache at two weeks. The negative result highlights the need for novel biomarker discovery to enable risk stratification in paediatric concussion using decentralised sampling.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In a nationwide survey of 1047 Belgian adults, at-home VAMS achieved a 63% participation-to-analysis completion rate with 16% of samples excluded due to insufficient quality. While dietary intake suggested adequate thiamine consumption, 11% of participants had blood thiamine diphosphate concentrations below the reference threshold, showing the utility of remote microsampling for identifying true nutritional status.
PEth reference values for Belgium were derived from VAMS microsampling of 487 participants in a national survey, showing distinct biomarker distributions between the general population and higher‑alcohol‑consumption subgroups. This validates capillary blood collection as a practical method for decentralised alcohol monitoring and forensic assessment.
The study developed and validated a rapid LC-MS/MS method for quantifying cefazolin in capillary whole blood collected via VAMS, plasma, and plasma ultrafiltrate, showing robust performance across matrices and successful application in a pediatric pilot cohort for therapeutic drug monitoring.
Dried saliva collected with the Mitra device correlated strongly with wet saliva but poorly with plasma unbound and total concentrations, indicating it is not a reliable substitute for plasma in routine therapeutic drug monitoring of mycophenolic acid and its glucuronide metabolite. Capillary blood collected via VAMS remains a promising alternative for long term monitoring in paediatric patients.
A validated offline SPE-LC-MS/MS method using the Mitra microsampling device successfully quantified tacrolimus, cyclosporine A, tryptophan, kynurenine, and creatinine simultaneously. The method met EMA and FDA criteria, showing agreement between capillary and venous sampling, which could facilitate decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring and transplant follow-up through patient self-collection.