A bioluminescent enzyme immunoassay (BLEIA) for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) using biotinylated firefly luciferase-labelled antibody was developed. PSA is an important marker for the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. Our BLEIA for PSA, based on the two-step sandwich method, had ultra-high sensitivity and a very wide measurable range. The detection limit (mean of nine replicates of the zero standard +2 SD) for PSA was 0.25 pg/mL and the measurable range for PSA was 0.25 pg/mL-100 ng/mL. Generally, PSA in the serum exists on two forms, called free PSA (f-PSA) and complex PSA (c-PSA), which is formed with alpha-antichymotripsin. Thus, the response of the PSA assay to these two forms has to be equimolar in the construction of the assay system. Our BLEIA for PSA also had an equimolar response to them.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determination of chloroform levels in blood using a headspace capillary gas chromatographic method.

Headspace (HS) capillary gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection was developed for the determination of chloroform levels in blood. Separation of chloroform was improved significantly using a DB-WAX capillary column, without interference by other volatile substances. Sensitivity was increased by adjusting the splitter ratio to 20, without any decline in peak resolution. The HS conditions, a 50 degrees C incubation for 30 min, gave reproducible and sensitive determinations. The distribution coefficient (k) was calculated to be 8.24. The CV was 1.8% for 27.7 micrograms/mL chloroform, and the detection limit was 0.02 microgram/mL (S/N = 4) when the splitter ratio was 10. Raising HS temperature resulted in a significant decrease in k for chloroform in the absence of blood, in contrast to the relatively small effect seen in the presence of blood. Although inorganic salts showed a salting-out effect, erythrocytes and hydrophobic compounds, such as detergent and lipid, significantly suppressed the vaporization of chloroform. Chloroform was found to be distributed mainly in erythrocytes when incubated with blood overnight at 2 degrees C.

Chloroform↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Rapid determination of cyanide and azide in beverages by microdiffusion spectrophotometric method.

A rapid screening method was developed for the determination of the toxic volatile anions, cyanide and azide, in beverages. This method consisted of a microdiffusion extraction combined with spectrophotometry using the Konig cyanide reaction and ferric azide complex formation in conjugation with cerium azide oxido-reduction. The time required to achieve full recovery in the extraction of hydrogen cyanide and hydrazoic acid from samples was considerably shortened by increasing the diffusion temperature from 25 degrees C to 40 degrees C. The time required to achieve saturated color development in the Konig cyanide reaction was also shortened by increasing incubation temperature to 40 degrees C. The interference in both azide color reactions was examined for volatile compounds. Cyanide interfered only in the case of ferric azide complex formation. Sulfide, sulfate, nitrite, and acetic acid interfered in both the color reactions. The established method gave a detection limit of 6 microM for cyanide and 0.5mM for azide, and it required only 1 h to determine both anions. Cyanide and azide disappeared by evaporation from beverages during 25 degrees C storage under open conditions in a pH-dependent manner as a function of their respective pKa values of 9.2 and 4.6.

Azides↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prediction of reduction in developmental dysplasia of the hip by magnetic resonance imaging.

The acetabular rim of 33 hips in 29 patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip was evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The hips were classified into the following three groups according to the shape of the acetabular rim: 12 hips with sharp acetabular rim (group 1), 13 hips with dysplastic and round acetabular rim (group 2), and eight hips with inverted acetabular rim (group 3). The position of the femoral head with the hip flexed and abducted was also recorded, according to the criteria proposed by Suzuki. They were all treated initially with the Pavlik harness. All group 1 hips were successfully reduced with the Pavlik harness, whereas in group 2 hips, all but three hips were reduced. In all group 3 hips, reduction was not successful. MRI provided useful information regarding the probability of reduction with the Pavlik harness.

Braces↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Early characteristic findings in bowleg deformities: evaluation using magnetic resonance imaging.

We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate bowleg deformities in infancy. Twenty-five tibiae of 13 infants were examined and divided into two groups based on MRI findings: group A had high intensity area in the medial epiphyseal cartilage on T2-weighted images. Group B had depression of medial physis and abnormal signal in the perichondrial region in addition to the epiphyseal lesion. At the final follow-up, all cases in group A demonstrated normal lower leg alignments, whereas five cases in group B showed characteristic roentogenographic findings of Blount's disease. The improvement rate of metaphyseal-diaphyseal angle was correlated with this classification. These findings suggested that abnormal findings in physis and perichondrial region might be preliminary findings in early stage of Blount's disease. The high intensity areas in the medial epiphyseal cartilage were commonly found among the cases with bowing deformities, which suggested that there might be a common pathomechanism between physiologic bowing and infantile Blount's disease.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dislocation and subluxation during femoral lengthening.

Femoral lengthening by callus distraction was performed on 26 femurs of 18 patients with various disorders between 1988 and 1992. Age at surgery ranged from 6 to 17 years (13 years on average). The amount of lengthening varied from 2 to 7.5 cm (mean 5 cm). Follow-up evaluation of femoral-head displacement was based on the change of center-edge (CE) angle. The hips were divided into two groups based on the preoperative CE angle; one group consisted of 14 hips with a CE angle > 20 degrees and the other group consisted of 12 hips with an angle of < or = 20 degrees. In the first group, none of the hips deteriorated; however, five of 12 hips in the second group did deteriorate. One hip developed complete dislocation and the other four showed a decrease in the CE angle. Four of five deteriorated hips had a history of congenital dislocation of the hip and the other had multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. In cases in which the CE angle is < or = 20 degrees preoperatively, bony procedures such as innominate osteotomy should precede femoral elongation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Regurgitation of bile acids in rat liver under bile drainage: quantitative analysis by taurine or ursodeoxycholate loading test.

In rats with an interrupted enterohepatic circulation of bile acids, levels of serum taurine-conjugated bile acids were increased significantly 3 h after intravenous administration of taurine. Similarly, serum taurine- or glycine-conjugated ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was increased significantly 2 h after UDCA administration. These findings suggested that the administered taurine or UDCA was taken up into hepatocytes and utilized to form conjugated bile acids, which were thereafter regurgitated into the systemic circulation from the liver. The proportion of regurgitated taurine-conjugated bile acids relative to total serum bile acids measured by taurine loading (30%) almost coincided with that of regurgitated taurine- or glycine-conjugated UDCA relative to total serum bile acids measured by UDCA loading (31.6%). Thus, the present study showed conclusively that at least 30% of serum bile acids are derived from newly conjugated bile acids that are regurgitated from the liver in rats with bile fistula.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Radioactive contamination of the Indo-Antarctic Ocean water in each earlier period in 1961 and 1962.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Antarctic Regions↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Distribution of tissue bile acids in the human alimentary tract and colon polyps.

To determine the characteristic distribution of tissue-bound bile acids in the human alimentary tract and colon polyps, we measured the concentration of bile acids in the mucosal tissues of the alimentary tract obtained at autopsy and polyps obtained by endoscopic polypectomy, using enzymatic fluorimetry and gas-liquid chromatography. The concentration of tissue-bound bile acid, especially chenodeoxycholic acid, was significantly higher in the ileum or ascending colon than in the other portions of the alimentary tract. The bile acid level of polyps was also higher in the ascending colon than in the other portions of the colon. These results suggest that the high concentration of tissue-bound bile acids is obtained at the site of absorption of bile acids in the alimentary tract.

Aged↗