AIM: Serum uric acid (UA) is associated with many health conditions, including kidney, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders. We examined the validity and stability of salivary UA as a noninvasive measure of serum UA. MATERIALS & METHODS: Using serum and salivary UA data from healthy adults (n = 99), we examined the UA serum-saliva correlation, and UA associations with adiponectin and C-reactive protein. Using longitudinal data from young adults (n = 182), we examined salivary UA stability. RESULTS: We found robust positive serum-saliva correlations for UA. UA and adiponectin were inversely related in serum and saliva. Salivary UA was relatively stable; 62-66% of variance could be attributed to a latent trait-like component. CONCLUSION: Salivary UA may be an important biomarker indexing health and disease risk.

The integration of salivary biomeasures in biobehavioral, psychophysiological, and clinical research has greatly expanded our ability to study the biopsychosocial processes underlying health. Much of this research, however, has failed to adequately assess and adjust for the impact of oral immune activity on salivary biomeasure concentrations and associations with serum levels. Aiming to improve the validity and reliability of salivary biomeasure data, we examine salivary total Immunoglobulin G (IgG) as a potential surrogate marker of oral inflammation and immune activity. During a single study visit in Baltimore, Maryland, healthy young adult participants provided matched blood and saliva samples (N=99; age 18-37 years, 42% female) and completed an oral health questionnaire. Biospecimens were assayed for total IgG and immune markers related to inflammation (cytokines), blood in saliva (transferrin), and tissue remodeling (matrix metalloproteinase-8). Total IgG (μg/mL) concentrations were higher in serum than saliva. Salivary total IgG was associated with some self-reported oral health measures, and strongly positively associated with all salivary immune markers. Controlling for salivary total IgG may be a feasible, affordable approach to adjusting salivary biomeasure findings for the influence of the oral immune environment when it is not possible or practical to obtain clinical oral health data.

Aim

Serum uric acid (UA) is associated with many health conditions, including kidney, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders. We examined the validity and stability of salivary UA as a noninvasive measure of serum UA.

Materials & methods

Using serum and salivary UA data from healthy adults (n = 99), we examined the UA serum-saliva correlation, and UA associations with adiponectin and C-reactive protein. Using longitudinal data from young adults (n = 182), we examined salivary UA stability.

Results

We found robust positive serum-saliva correlations for UA. UA and adiponectin were inversely related in serum and saliva. Salivary UA was relatively stable; 62-66% of variance could be attributed to a latent trait-like component.

Conclusion

Salivary UA may be an important biomarker indexing health and disease risk.

First line treatment for pancreatic cancer consists of surgical resection, if possible, and a subsequent course of chemotherapy using the nucleoside analogue gemcitabine. In some patients, an active transport mechanism allows gemcitabine to enter efficiently into the tumor cells, resulting in a significant clinical benefit. However, in most patients, low expression of gemcitabine transporters limits the efficacy of the drug to marginal levels, and patients need frequent administration of the drug at high doses, significantly increasing systemic drug toxicity. In this article we focus on a novel targeted delivery approach for gemcitabine consisting of conjugating the drug with an EphA2 targeting agent. We show that the EphA2 receptor is highly expressed in pancreatic cancers, and accordingly, the drug-conjugate is more effective than gemcitabine alone in targeting pancreatic tumors. Our preliminary observations suggest that this approach may provide a general benefit to pancreatic cancer patients and offers a comprehensive strategy for enhancing delivery of diverse therapeutic agents to a wide range of cancers overexpressing EphA2, thereby potentially reducing toxicity while enhancing therapeutic efficacy.