2024 · American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology · paywalled
Repurposing dried blood spot device technology to examine bile acid profiles in human dried fecal spot samples
Engevik et al.
The finding, in our words
This pilot study of 15 subjects demonstrated that dried fecal spots on quantitative DBS devices yielded bile acid profiles equivalent to frozen samples after four months of ambient storage and shipping. This validates a decentralised stool microsampling method that could enable patient home testing and expand screening in rural or resource-limited settings.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The authors validated a UHPLC-MS/MS method for quantifying four ceramide species in 10 μL quantitative dried blood spots. Ceramides remained stable at room temperature, supporting remote self-collection, and concentrations were higher in fingertip whole blood than in plasma or serum, which is relevant for at-home monitoring of cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk.
A quantitative dried blood spot method using only 10 µL of blood successfully quantified six azole antimycotics and showed samples were stable under conditions simulating postal mailing. A formula to convert dried spot results to plasma values was derived, though the authors note this is an in vitro validation and clinical studies are required for translation to patient care.
In an untargeted metabolomics study, microsampling devices, particularly the Mitra and Capitainer, yielded metabolic profiles comparable or superior to plasma in feature number and intensity, and in the precision and stability of some metabolites. This supports their potential for large-scale, decentralised metabolic profiling, though the captured metabolite profile was application-dependent.
This study found that stool samples self-collected on cards showed high correlation and agreement with ethanol-fixed samples for metagenomic sequencing, with negligible differences in microbial diversity. The results support the use of stool cards as a cost-effective alternative for decentralised sampling in epidemiologic studies, despite minor variations in individual species abundance.
This study validated a method combining quantitative dried blood spots with DNA methylation analysis to monitor B-cell counts remotely, achieving 100% sensitivity and specificity for a specific clinical threshold. This decentralised approach facilitates patient-centric therapeutic drug monitoring for anti-CD20 therapies by overcoming the logistical barriers of regular venous sampling.