Journal: Journal of Nanobiotechnology

Article Title: Non-invasive profiling of exosomal miRNA and protein biomarkers from vaginal discharge for the early detection of preterm labor

doi: 10.1186/s12951-026-04277-6

Figure Lengend Snippet: Overview of the analysis of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from the vaginal discharge of pregnant women for the diagnosis of preterm labor. ( A ) Illustration of preterm labor indicating symptoms such as regular contractions, abdominal pain, and changes in vaginal discharge (VD). ( B ) Collection of VD using a swab from pregnant women with asymptomatic term birth (TB) and patients with preterm labor (PTL). ( C ) Isolation of sEVs using the biologically intact exosome separation technology (BEST). ( D ) Analysis of exosomal proteins and miRNAs to identify potential biomarkers for diagnosing preterm labor. ( E ) Particle concentration and size distribution of VD-derived sEVs from TB and PTL measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis. ( F ) Comparison of particle size distributions before and after isolation of sEVs. VD Prep., pretreated vaginal discharge; VD-exo Precipitation, sEVs isolated using the precipitation method from VD Prep.; VD-exo BEST, sEVs isolated using the BEST method from VD Prep. The peaks in size were marked after normalization. ( G ) Concentration of 30–200 nm particles, corresponding to the exosome-enriched population, measured in TB and PTL samples for VD Prep., VD-exo Precipitation, and VD-exo BEST. This analysis was performed to compare particle characteristics across different isolation methods. ( H ) Total protein concentration in TB and PTL samples. Data are presented as mean ± standard error. P- values indicate statistical significance across the isolation methods, analyzed by paired t-test

Article Snippet: The resulting supernatant was then used for isolating sEVs derived from vaginal discharge using the precipitation method and Biologically intact Exosome Separation Technology (BEST) [ ], as depicted in Supplementary Fig. 1B and C. BEST is a microfluidics-based EV isolation platform that enables selective separation of exosome-enriched EVs under mild flow conditions without relying on externally applied physical forces such as ultracentrifugation or high-pressure filtration.

Techniques: Biomarker Discovery, Isolation, Concentration Assay, Derivative Assay, Comparison, Protein Concentration

Journal: Journal of Nanobiotechnology

Article Title: Non-invasive profiling of exosomal miRNA and protein biomarkers from vaginal discharge for the early detection of preterm labor

doi: 10.1186/s12951-026-04277-6

Figure Lengend Snippet: Comparative analysis of protein expression in TB and PTL using different isolation methods. ( A ) Venn diagram displaying the overlap of differentially expressed proteins identified in VD-exo BEST and VD-exo Precipitation from TB and PTL samples. Numbers represent the unique and shared proteins among the groups. ( B ) The PCA plot with 95% confidence ellipse displaying the separation of protein expression profiles among VD Prep., VD-exo BEST, and VD-exo Precipitation from TB and PTL samples. The first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explain 19.1% and 15.3% of the variance, respectively. ( C ) Heatmap showing the expression levels of significantly differentially expressed proteins across VD Prep., VD-exo Precipitation, and VD-exo BEST for TB and PTL. ( D )–( F ) Volcano plots depicting the differential expression of proteins in PTL compared to TB for ( D ) VD Prep., ( E ) VD-exo Precipitation, and ( F ) VD-exo BEST. Proteins significantly up-regulated in PTL are shown in red, significantly down-regulated proteins in green, and non-significant changes in blue. Selected proteins of interest (HGS, ATL3, APOH, and GUSB) are highlighted and labeled. HGS, hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate; ATL3, atlastin-3; APOH, apolipoprotein H or beta-2-glycoprotein 1; GUSB, beta-glucuronidase

Article Snippet: The resulting supernatant was then used for isolating sEVs derived from vaginal discharge using the precipitation method and Biologically intact Exosome Separation Technology (BEST) [ ], as depicted in Supplementary Fig. 1B and C. BEST is a microfluidics-based EV isolation platform that enables selective separation of exosome-enriched EVs under mild flow conditions without relying on externally applied physical forces such as ultracentrifugation or high-pressure filtration.

Techniques: Expressing, Isolation, Quantitative Proteomics, Labeling

Journal: Kidney International Reports

Article Title: Markers of Mineral Metabolism in Children With CKD Stages 2 to 5D

doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.103800

Figure Lengend Snippet: Markers for chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder in children with CKD according to CKD stages. Values for (a) phosphate, (b) iFGF23, (c) total FGF23, and (d) iPTH are given as age- and sex-related z-scores. For patients on dialysis treatment, estimated glomerular filtration rate was set to 10 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 . Gray shaded areas indicate the normal range (mean ± 2 SD), with the 0-line highlighted in white. #, ##, ### and #### indicate statistical significance from healthy controls at P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001, and P < 0.0001, respectively (1-sample t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test according to Kolgorow-Smirnov normality test). Values not sharing superscript letters a, b, c, and d are significantly different from the values for other CKD stages (1-way analysis of variance, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons, or Kruskal-Wallis-test, followed by Dunn’s multiple comparisons). CKD, chronic kidney disease; FGF23, fibroblast growth factor 23; iFGF23, intact FGF23; iPTH, intact parathyroid hormone.

Article Snippet: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used for quantitative determination of iFGF23 (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6600, RRID: AB_2891250 ), total FGF23 using the C-term FGF23 assay kit, which measures both the full-length hormone and its posttranslationally cleaved C-terminal fragments (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6100, RRID: AB_2722648 ), sKlotho (Immuno Biological Laboratories, Catalog # 27998, RRID: AB_2750859 ) in plasma, and sclerostin (TECO Medical, Catalog # TE1023-HS, RRID: AB_2894880 ) in serum.

Techniques: Filtration

Journal: Kidney International Reports

Article Title: Markers of Mineral Metabolism in Children With CKD Stages 2 to 5D

doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.103800

Figure Lengend Snippet: Markers for chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder in children with chronic kidney disease as a function of eGFR. Values for (a) phosphate, (b) calcium, (c) sclerostin, (d) 25(OH)D, (e) total FGF23, (f) iFGF23, (g) sKlotho, (h) iPTH, (i) 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , and (j) AP are given as age- and sex-related z-scores. For patients on dialysis treatment, eGFR was set to 10 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 . The respective best-fit function (sigmoidal, linear, or semilogarithmic) is presented, with the blue-shaded area indicating the 95% confidence interval. Gray shaded areas indicate the normal range (mean ± 2 SD), with the 0-line highlighted in white. 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 ; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3; AP, alkaline phosphatase; eGFR, estimated gloemrular filtration rate; FGF23, fibroblast growth factor 23; iFGF23, intact FGF23; sKlotho, soluble Klotho; iPTH, intact parathyroid hormone.

Article Snippet: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used for quantitative determination of iFGF23 (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6600, RRID: AB_2891250 ), total FGF23 using the C-term FGF23 assay kit, which measures both the full-length hormone and its posttranslationally cleaved C-terminal fragments (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6100, RRID: AB_2722648 ), sKlotho (Immuno Biological Laboratories, Catalog # 27998, RRID: AB_2750859 ) in plasma, and sclerostin (TECO Medical, Catalog # TE1023-HS, RRID: AB_2894880 ) in serum.

Techniques: Filtration

Journal: Kidney International Reports

Article Title: Markers of Mineral Metabolism in Children With CKD Stages 2 to 5D

doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.103800

Figure Lengend Snippet: Alterations in the ratio of iFGF23 to (a) phosphate (Pi) and (b) calcium (Ca) in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease as a function of eGFR. For patients on dialysis treatment, eGFR was set to 10 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 . Data are given as age- and sex-related z-scores. The respective best-fit function (semi-logarithmic) is presented, with the blue-shaded area indicating the 95% confidence interval. Gray shaded areas indicate the normal range (mean ± 2 SD), with the 0-line highlighted in white. eGFR, estimated gloemrular filtration rate; iFGF23, intact fibroblast growth factor 23.

Article Snippet: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used for quantitative determination of iFGF23 (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6600, RRID: AB_2891250 ), total FGF23 using the C-term FGF23 assay kit, which measures both the full-length hormone and its posttranslationally cleaved C-terminal fragments (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6100, RRID: AB_2722648 ), sKlotho (Immuno Biological Laboratories, Catalog # 27998, RRID: AB_2750859 ) in plasma, and sclerostin (TECO Medical, Catalog # TE1023-HS, RRID: AB_2894880 ) in serum.

Techniques: Filtration

Journal: Kidney International Reports

Article Title: Markers of Mineral Metabolism in Children With CKD Stages 2 to 5D

doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.103800

Figure Lengend Snippet: Overview of the dynamic changes of 8 key markers for chronic kidney disease– mineral and bone disorder in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease as determined in the present study, as a function of eGFR. Values for iFGF23, iPTH, phosphate, 25(OH)D, sKlotho, calcium, 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , and sclerostin are given as age- and sex-related z-scores. For patients undergoing dialysis, eGFR was set to 10 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 . The respective best-fit function (sigmoidal, linear, or semilogarithmic) is presented, with the blue shaded area indicating the 95% confidence interval. Gray shaded areas indicate the normal range (mean ± 2 SD), with the 0-line highlighted in white. 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 ; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3; eGFR, estimated gloemrular filtration rate; iFGF23, intact fibroblast growth factor 23; iPTH, intact parathyroid hormone; sKlotho, soluble Klotho.

Article Snippet: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used for quantitative determination of iFGF23 (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6600, RRID: AB_2891250 ), total FGF23 using the C-term FGF23 assay kit, which measures both the full-length hormone and its posttranslationally cleaved C-terminal fragments (Quidel, Catalog # 60-6100, RRID: AB_2722648 ), sKlotho (Immuno Biological Laboratories, Catalog # 27998, RRID: AB_2750859 ) in plasma, and sclerostin (TECO Medical, Catalog # TE1023-HS, RRID: AB_2894880 ) in serum.

Techniques: Filtration