Turn-on fluorescence sensing of histidine in body fluids: unveiling its oncogenic potential as a cancer risk biomarker

Salivary tryptophan is significantly raised in HER2‑negative breast cancer and falls after tumour removal, correlating with aggressive disease features. This shows saliva can provide a non‑invasive metabolic marker for screening and monitoring breast cancer in decentralised settings.

Salivary Tryptophan as a Metabolic Marker of HER2-Negative Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer — Sarf et al., Metabolites · source ↗

• metabolome
• oncology
• liquid
• saliva
• biomarkers

This study used home self-collected saliva samples to successfully monitor cytokines and cortisol in mothers and infants, finding that a community singing intervention significantly reduced salivary interleukin-6 levels in mothers with postnatal depression.

Community singing intervention reduces maternal salivary cytokines and enhances maternal-infant cortisol synchrony in postnatal depression: biological findings from the SHAPER-PND trial — Kirkpatrick et al., Brain, behavior, and immunity (paywalled) · source ↗

• dct
• cortisol
• self-collection
• pediatric
• hormones
• liquid
• saliva
• biomarkers

In people at high risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, saliva showed decreased EBV load and increased EBV DNA methylation compared with controls, and a stepwise strategy that adds saliva testing to serum EBV antibodies improved triage efficiency.

Evaluation of Epstein-Barr virus DNA methylation and load in saliva in the management of individuals at high risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma — Zheng et al., Biomarker research · source ↗

• serology
• liquid-biopsy
• liquid
• saliva
• biomarkers

This trial found that decentralised saliva collection in care home residents with dementia is feasible, but only 66% of 1,014 samples were valid for alpha-amylase and 62% for cortisol assays. Sponsors should note the authors' caveat that future trials require improved collection protocols, such as stimulating saliva flow, to ensure data quality.

The short-term impact of music interventions on stress: Results of a multinational cluster-randomized trial using salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase assessments in care home residents with dementia — Rasing et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology (paywalled) · source ↗

• dct
• cortisol
• liquid
• saliva
• biomarkers

This paper describes a handheld electrochemical sensor for vitamin C measurement in saliva and urine, showing a linear range from 0.2 to 200 µm and detection limit of 0.03 µm. The device demonstrated satisfactory accuracy and recovery in human samples, suggesting potential for affordable home-based testing of vitamin C status.

A Multi-Channel Handheld Diagnostic Device Based on Green Biomimetic Material for Point-of-Care Testing of Vitamin C in Human Fluids — Fu et al., Advanced healthcare materials (paywalled) · source ↗

• saliva
• urine
• liquid
• self-collection
• biomarkers