The Book of References

Both scientific literature and daily clinical experience indicate that the assessment of oxidative stress should be "global", i. e. able not only to quantify the effect of biological oxidation which undergo our body but also to establish the efficacy of our anti-oxidant defences.
Up to now, more than 340 academic papers have documented the scientific value of this highly innovative diagnostic approach either in the basic research or clinical practice, not only in Human but also in Veterinary Medicine. continue...

For information: www.hedsrl.it

The International Observatory of Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals and Antioxidant Systems (website: www.oxidativestressobservatory.org) has been present, by means of several publications and events, in the scientific debate on oxidative stress thus bringing its own contribution to the transfer of basic research findings on free radicals and antioxidants in clinical practice.

Now four years from its institution, which coincides with its change of location from Parma to Salerno, where the very ancient "Schola Medica Salernitana" was born in the Middle Ages, the International Observatory of Oxidative stress aims to draw-up a balance of its activity by means of a unique initiative: to voice – through "thrust and parry" – for all researchers who in these long years competed open-mindedly with the problems linked to the impairment of oxidative balance.

Indeed, during the last few years we have realized that what seems to have been taken for granted by the experts cannot be fully understood by the neophytes.

Are you interested into receiving the answers? Contact us via email at info@fras4.com.

Oxidative Stress: a novel health risk

  • What is oxidative stress?
  • What is a free radical?
  • What is an antioxidant?
  • What are the causes responsible for an increased production of free radicals?
  • What are the causes responsible for a reduced antioxidant defense?
  • Why are free radicals potentially dangerous?
  • What is the most common mechanism by which free radicals induce the typical mo-lecular and cellular abnormality of oxidative stress?
  • Are there possible relationships between the biochemical abnormalities of oxidative stress and the clinical picture?
  • How does the oxidative stress clinically appear?

Oxidative Stress: general diagnostic aspects

  • With the aim of making a correct diagnosis, can oxidative stress be considered as a common disease?
  • Can the classical laboratory tests, e. g. total cholesterol, lipoproteins, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate/Velocity (ESR/ESV), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), uric acid, serum albumin, and so on, allow the clinician to establish a diagnosis of "oxidative stress"?
  • Can the widely diffused tests for food intolerance provide some information about the presence of a condition of oxidative stress?
  • What is the most specific and reliable method, as absolute, to demonstrate, in a living organism, the presence of free radicals and their amounts?
  • What is the general principle of the available tests, except the ESR, to evaluate specifically the oxidative stress?
  • What are the specific tests currently available on the market to evaluate oxidative stress?
  • In order to provide a reliable assessment of oxidative stress, is it preferable to perform the tests on blood or on urine?
  • What are the main features of an "ideal test" to evaluate oxidative stress?
  • What are the general criteria to be followed in the choice of the most adequate test – in the actual commercial panorama – for oxidative stress assessment?
  • What is the panel of tests which are showing particularly usefulness in the routine assessment of oxidative stress?
  • What is the most innovative aspect of the "Carratelli’s panel"?

The assessment of oxidant status: the d-ROMs test

  • What is the d-ROMs test?
  • What does the d-ROMs test measure?
  • What is a hydroperoxide?
  • On which kind of biological sample can the d-ROMs test be performed?
  • Is the use of anticoagulants allowed during the drawing of the blood?
  • For how much time, after the drawing, can the fresh blood be stored before undergoing the d-ROMs test?
  • Can the d-ROMs test be performed on previously frozen serum/plasma samples and, eventually, after repeated thawing cycles?
  • On what kind of biological samples CAN NOT the d-ROMs test BE PERFORMED?
  • What is the most common procedure for performing the d-ROMs test?
  • Does there exist some particular “stratagem” to avoid some common errors during the exe-cution of the d-ROMs test?
  • What is the principle of the d-ROMs test?
  • What is the evidence of the above proposed mechanism of the d-ROMs test? In other words, with which analytical technique has the d-ROMs test been validated?
  • Is it possible that the photometric signal (i. e. the change of absorbance at 505 nm) as developed during the d-ROMs test can be attributable to other oxidant agents/activities, besides alkoxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals in turn generated by the iron-dependent hydroperoxides breakdown?
  • How are the results of the d-ROMs test expressed and which is their normal range?
  • What is the equivalent of ONE CARR U?
  • What is the significance of the CARR U of the d-ROMs test?
  • On the basis of the concept and the definition of "CARR U", a normal serum (300 CARR U) should have 24 mg/dL hydrogen peroxide. But this concentration is not compatible with the life. How this can be explained?
  • Do different d-ROMs test values correspond to different levels of oxidative stress?
  • Which are the analytical performances of the d-ROMs test?
  • Do the results of the d-ROMs test change depending on the kind of drawing?
  • What is the volume of the blood sample generally required to perform the d-ROMs test?
  • Do the results of the d-ROMs test change depending on the age, the gender, the race, or other physiological or physiological-like conditions?
  • Do the results of the d-ROMs test change during the same day or in the medium-long term?
  • Does the d-ROMs test have to be performed before meals?
  • Besides Humans, does any data exist regarding the "normal range" of the d-ROMs test in other Animal species?
  • What are the general principles the clinician should follow in the interpretation of the results of d-ROMs test?
  • To which biochemical test currently available in the routine use can the d-ROMs test be conceptually compared?
  • What is the main information that the d-ROMs test provides to the clinician?
  • What is the place and the position of the d-ROMs test on the current market of the available methods to evaluate the oxidative stress?
  • Are there some correlations between the results of the d-ROMs test and those of other tests proposed to evaluate the oxidant status?
  • What are the "indications" i. e. which kind of subjects should undergo the d-ROMs test according to the indication of the clinician?
  • Can the d-ROMs test be considered as a "predictive" test of diseases?
  • In which clinical conditions or diseases has the d-ROMs test proven to be very useful?
  • In summary, what are the main points of the d-ROMs test, according to the International Observatory of Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals and Antioxidant Systems?

The assessment of antioxidant potential: the BAP test

  • What is the BAP test?
  • What does the BAP test measure?
  • On what kind of biological sample can the BAP test be performed?
  • During the drawing of the blood is the use of anticoagulants allowed?
  • For how much time after the drawing, can the fresh blood be stored before undergoing the BAP test?
  • Can the BAP test be performed on previously frozen serum/plasma samples and, eventually, after repeated thawing cycles?
  • On what kind of biological samples the BAP test CANNOT BE PERFORMED?
  • What is the most common procedure for performing the BAP test?
  • Does there exist some particular "stratagem" to avoid common errors during the execution of the BAP test?
  • What is the principle of the BAP test?
  • What is the evidence of the above proposed mechanism of the BAP test? In other words with which analytical technique was the BAP test validated?
  • How are the results of the BAP test expressed and what is their normal range?
  • Does different BAP test values correspond to different levels of oxidative stress?
  • What are the analytical performances of the BAP test?
  • Do the results of the BAP test change depending on the kind of drawing?
  • What is the volume of the plasma/serum blood sample generally required for performing the BAP test?
  • Do the results of the BAP test change depending on the age, the gender, the race, or other physiological or physiological-like conditions?
  • Does the BAP test have to be performed before the meals?
  • Besides Humans, does there exist any data regarding the "normal range" of the BAP test in other Animal species?
  • What general principles should the clinician follow in the interpretation of the results of the BAP test?
  • To which biochemical test currently available in the routine use can the BAP test be, even conceptually, compared?
  • What is the main information that the BAP test provides to the clinician?
  • What is the place and the position of the BAP test on the current market of the available methods to evaluate the oxidative stress?
  • Are there some correlations between the results of the BAP test and that of other tests proposed to evaluate the antioxidant status?
  • What are the "indications" i. e. which kind of subjects should undergo the BAP test according to the indication of the clinician?
  • In which clinical conditions or diseases has the BAP test proven to be very useful?
  • In summary, what are the main points of the BAP test, according to the International Observatory of Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals and Antioxidant Systems?

The dedicated instrument: the FRAS 4 system

  • What is FRAS4?
  • What are the main features of FRAS4?
  • What is the most innovative technological feature of FRAS4?
  • How does FRAS4 manage all the steps of the analytical procedures?
  • Does FRAS4 require operations of calibration to maintain adequate standards of precision and repeatability?
  • How does FRAS4 manage the presentation/output of the results?
  • Do scientific studies performed with FRAS4 exist?
  • In summary, what are the main points of FRAS4, according to the International Observatory of Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals and Antioxidant Systems?

The management of the oxidative stress in the clinical practice: the Guide Lines and the Win OS Manager software

  • What rational elements are at the base of the oxidative stress evaluation?
  • What is the routine the clinician must follow - there being the possibility of performing on the patient both the d-ROMs test and the BAP test - to pass from a mere hypothesis to the diagnosis of oxidative stress?
  • Combination 1: the results of both the tests, d-ROMs and BAP, are under the normal limit. What is the possible interpretation?
  • Combination 2: the result of d-ROMs test is under the normal limit, while the result of BAP test is optimal. What is the possible interpretation?
  • Combination 3: the results of both the tests, d-ROMs test and BAP test, are within the normal range. What is the possible inter-pretation?
  • Combination 4: the d-ROMs test result is within the range, while that of BAP test is under the optimal value. What is the possible interpretation?
  • Combination 5: the results of d-ROMs test is over the normal limit, while the result of BAP test is optimal. What is the possible interpretation?
  • Combination 6: the result of d-ROMs test is above the normal range, while the BAP test is below the optimal value. What is the possible interpretation?
  • How can the clinician manage each of the above depicted conditions?
  • What general strategy should the clinician follow when the patient suffers from an evident condition of oxidative stress?
  • What are the actual trends in the prevention and in the treatment of oxidative stress?
  • It is often difficult for the clinician to design "a diet" which is able to take into account not only the distribution of the nutrient and the caloric intake, but also the antioxidant requirements. Are there some Guide Lines for Food Intake to help him?
  • Is it still valid the ancient aphorism "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"?
  • What are the fundamental criteria for the choice of the correct supplementation after a biochemical diagnosis of oxidative stress, according to the results of d-ROMs test and BAP test?
  • Does there exist, as in modern diet-therapy, a specific software able to help the clinician in the management of the patient suffering from oxidative stress?
  • What is the "core" of Win OS Manager?
  • Does Win OS Manager possess some particular utilities?
  • Can Win OS Manager be installed on every kind of personal computer without any particular requirements?
  • Is it available a service of scientific assistance in case of doubts or questions?
  • If, although all the shrewdness, an antioxidant treatment seems not capable of reducing high oxidative stress levels, what are the indications for the clinician?