Melatonin and dopamine as biomarkers to optimize treatment in phenylketonuria: effects of tryptophan and tyrosine supplementation

Blood phenylalanine concentrations affected peripheral neurotransmitter biomarker concentrations differently in each of nine adults with phenylketonuria. Melatonin increased with tetrahydrobiopterin therapy only when blood phenylalanine fell, indicating that monitoring metabolites in first‑void urine and blood could help optimise individualised treatment.

Evaluation of Tetrahydrobiopterin Therapy with Large Neutral Amino Acid Supplementation in Phenylketonuria: Effects on Potential Peripheral Biomarkers, Melatonin and Dopamine, for Brain Monoamine Neurotransmitters — Yano et al., PloS one · source ↗

• first-void
• blood
• hormones
• urine
• biomarkers

Higher vegetable and carbohydrate intake was associated with a lower urinary estrogen DNA adduct ratio in healthy pre‑menopausal women, suggesting dietary factors may modulate a biomarker linked to breast cancer risk.

Associations between Dietary Intake of Fruits and Vegetables in relation to Urinary Estrogen DNA Adduct Ratio — Reding et al., Open journal of preventive medicine (paywalled) · source ↗

• first-void
• hormones
• urine
• biomarkers

DNA methylation markers in first-void urine effectively detect high-grade cervical lesions in HPV-positive women, with results similar to clinician-collected samples in those over 30. This enables reliable cervical cancer screening using self-collected urine, reducing the need for invasive follow-up procedures in decentralised settings.

Evaluating DNA methylation markers and extended HPV genotyping in first-void urine for detecting high-grade cervical lesions in HPV-positive women: a cross-sectional study — Tranberg et al., BMC medicine · source ↗

• colli-pee
• first-void
• self-collection
• hpv
• urine
• biomarkers
• genotyping

The study found that testing for ASCL1/LHX8 DNA methylation in at-home collected first-void urine can detect most cervical cancers and high-grade precancers, supporting a fully molecular screening pathway without a clinical visit.

Clinical performance of ASCL1/LHX8 DNA methylation on first-void urine to screen for cervical cancer — Van Keer et al., Communications medicine · source ↗

• colli-pee
• first-void
• self-collection
• hpv
• liquid-biopsy
• urine
• biomarkers

The study found that levels of an acrylamide metabolite in first-void urine were significantly and inversely associated with testosterone, puberty stage and facial hair growth in boys aged 13 to 14, but not in girls, suggesting that acrylamide exposure may disrupt pubertal development in males through effects on testosterone.

Acrylamide exposure, sex hormones, and pubertal status in Japanese adolescents — Nagata et al., International journal of environmental health research (paywalled) · source ↗

• urine
• first-void
• pediatric
• hormones
• toxicology