CASE STUDIES
Exhaled Breath Condensate: an introduction (Respiratory Research, Inc.)
Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) was first reported as a human body fluid in 1980 in the context of studies of surface active properties/surfactant. Since then, over 200 papers have been published, with most of these seeing press since 1995. There has been a rapid increase in publications in great part because of the strengths of the EBC method that are discussed below. But there are weaknesses as well, and they are likewise discussed below. DOWNLOAD NOW
Collection and Analysis of Exhaled Breath Condensate in Humans (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine)
Traditional methods of sampling secretions from the lower respiratory tract include sputum collection, sputum induction, and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). By far, bronchoscopy with BAL has become the preferred method for sampling the lining fluid of the lower respiratory tract. The invasive nature of bronchoscopy has led to a constant search for less intrusive methods that are easier to implement in ambulant individuals, particularly children. Recently there has been an increasing interest in using exhaled breath as a simple, noninvasive means to sample the lower respiratory tract in humans. DOWNLOAD NOW
Exhaled Breath Condensate pH: Reflecting Acidification of the Airway at All Levels (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine)
Airway lining fluid acidification can and does affect airway function by numerous pathways, including damaging epithelial cells, enhancing oxidative injury, decreasing ciliary motility, altering inflammatory cell recruitment and function, and triggering cough and bronchospasm. Airway acidification occurs when gastric acid is aspirated, and is a likely mechanism of lung injury associated with chlorine gas inhalation, which symptomatically behaves much like acute asthma. Acidification is a common finding in inflamed fluids throughout the body, and it is reasonable to expect the same in the lung in asthma and other inflammatory airway diseases. DOWNLOAD NOW
Air pollution, oxidative stress and dietary supplementation: a review (European Respiratory Journal)
The aim of the present review was to provide an up-to-date overview of the biological and epidemiological evidence of the role of oxidative stress as a major underlying feature of the toxic effect of air pollutants, and the potential role of dietary supplementation in enhancing antioxidant defenses. DOWNLOAD NOW
Reversing Atherosclerosis? (The New England Journal of Medicine)
Atherosclerosis is reversible and involves the removal of trapped cholesterol-loaded foam-cell macrophages from the arterial intima. A recent study by Park and colleagues1 showed that these foam cells are trapped by interaction with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and can be remobilized by dynamic exposure to key antioxidants such as resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound found in grapes and red wine and having potential antiatherogenic properties. DOWNLOAD NOW
Oxygen Radical Chemistry of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (Free Radical Biology & Medicine)
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are readily susceptible to autoxidation. A chain oxidation of PUFA is initiated by hydrogen abstraction from allylic or bis-allylic positions leading to oxygenation and subsequent formation of peroxyl radicals. In media of low hydrogen-donating capacity the peroxyl radical is free to react further by competitive pathways resulting in cyclic peroxides, double bond isomerization and formation of dimmers and oligomers. DOWNLOAD NOW
EPR Detection of Lipid-Derived Free Radicals from PUFA, LDL and Cell Oxidation (Free Radical Biology & Medicine)
Determination of the radical species formed during lipid peroxidation is essential for the understanding of the free radical mechanisms by which cells are damaged and killed. In free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation many different kinds of lipid-derived radicals can be produced. They are carbon-centered radicals and oxygen-centered radicals. We have been successful in the EPR spin trapping of carboncentered radicals from intact cells during lipid peroxidation. POBN adduct formation during cellular lipid peroxidation correlates well with cell membrane damage as measured by the TBAR assay and Trypan blue dye exclusion. DOWNLOAD NOW
Decreasing Oxidative Stress with Choline and Carnitine in Women (Journal)
Oxidative stress being associated with many chronic diseases has lead to expansion of the list of antioxidants as dietary supplements. The main cause of oxidative stress is excessive production of ROS that alter macromolecules such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids with concomitant change in structure and function of cells and organs. Most studies of oxidative stress have been conducted in animal models for lack of better invasive techniques in humans. The few studies in humans are limited to male adults; and there is paucity of data on aged, children, and women. DOWNLOAD NOW
WHITE PAPERS
Introduction of Revelar and Oxidative Stress (Pulse Health)
In 2005, Pulse Health decided to develop a non-invasive test for the measurement of the effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS or “free radicals”), also called oxidative stress. The Free Radical Theory of Aging holds that free radicals, in excess, contribute to a number of health conditions, including increased risk of cardiac disease, cancer and other effects of premature aging, just as the damage caused by ROS is also known to be the mechanism of expression after exposure to toxins. DOWNLOAD NOW
Revelar and the Revelar Score (Ruthie Harper, M.D.)
The Revelar device has been created to measure the balance between the production of free radicals in an individual’s body, and the body’s ability to neutralize those free radicals at any given point in time—a condition called “oxidative stress.” DOWNLOAD NOW
What Revelar Measures (Stephen H. Mastin, Ph.D.)
Each cell in our bodies is surrounded by a membrane made up of high molecular weight unsaturated fatty acid molecules called phospholipids. When the body does not have enough natural antioxidants to protect it from the reactive oxygen based free radicals that we produce as a byproduct of breathing (collectively known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS), these phospholipids (as well as proteins and DNA) can be attacked by the excess free radicals present, resulting in a condition we call oxidative stress. Many diseases, as well as exposure to toxins and even some normal activities, are known to cause oxidative stress; these include heart disease, cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as lifestyle choices such as smoking and even strenuous exercise. DOWNLOAD NOW
Performance Characteristics of the Revelar Free Radical Breath Condensate Assay (Raymond F. Akers, Jr., Ph.D.)
The Revelar Free Radical Breath Condensate Assay (“Revelar Assay”) has been developed to detect free radicals in the form of aldehydes in breath condensate. This home-use assay is comprised of two components: a digital, handheld electronic analyzer, and a single-use disposable tube. The reagents contained in the Revelar tube act to absorb breath condensate, and react this condensate with a reagent that produces a color. The tube is then inserted into the Revelar analyzer, and the color is then read and interpreted. The results are displayed as Revelar units, ranging from 0-99,999. Increasing Revelar units indicate increased levels of aldehydes in breath condensate. DOWNLOAD NOW
Biological Factors and the Revelar Test (David Chernoff, M.D.)
A diagnostic test involving human measurement involves factors that can affect the consistency of the measurement. The Revelar device measures mixed aldehydes as an indicator of oxidative stress and free radical activity. When measured in rapid sequence, the Revelar device has shown itself to be consistent—in fact, it is within the range of many laboratory medical devices. However, any effort to measure the effect on a human being over time of certain phenomena, such as the effect of antioxidants, is affected by something known as “biological noise.” DOWNLOAD NOW