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Automated quantitative evaluation of diseased and nondiseased renal transplants with MR renography.

PURPOSE: To present a method of automated parametric quantification of dynamic MR enhancement curves of renal transplants and evaluate the disease-discriminating properties of the resulting MR renography (MRR) data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 27 patients with nondiseased renal transplants and eight patients with diseased renal transplants. The examination was repeated in 10 patients and the reproducibility of the enhancement parameters was estimated by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The disease-discriminating properties of the transplant volumes and enhancement parameters were tested with t-tests and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The enhancement parameters were reproducible. The mean medullary nephronal washout rate (lambda1) and cortical arterial blood volume (mu0) were lower in diseased renal transplants. The combination of these parameters was a strong predictor of renal transplant disease (area under ROC curve 0.98; 95% confidence interval 0.96-1.0). CONCLUSION: Automated parametric quantification of cortical and medullary enhancement is feasible and allows the accurate detection of nonsurgical disease in renal transplants by MRR.

Analysis of Variance↗

Home measurement of oxygen saturation during sleep in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Feasibility and reproducibility of home measurement of arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) were evaluated in 14 clinically stable patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Changes in SaO2 during sleep were compared to the clinical status and pulmonary function while awake to identify predictors of nocturnal oxyhemoglobin desaturation. Each patient was assessed by clinical score, spirometry, and arterial blood gas analysis within 72 hours of the overnight study. Eight patients were studied on more than one occasion to assess dependence of SaO2 on position and reproducibility of overnight studies. A pulse oximeter stored up to 8 hours of nocturnal SaO2 measurements in its memory. Off-line analysis of trend data provided the proportion of sleep with SaO2 less than 90% and less than 85%. We found that patients with daytime PaO2 less than 60 mm Hg spent greater than 80% of their sleep with SaO2 less than 90%, while those with PaO2 greater than 70 mm Hg spent less than 20% of the night with SaO2 less than 90%. Patients with daytime PaO2 of 67-70 mm Hg were desaturated to less than 90%, from 0 to 98% of the night. No consistent body position dependence of daytime SaO2 was found. Home measurement of SaO2 during sleep was reproducible, with a difference on two repeat occasions of 4% +/- 2 (mean +/- SEM) for %time with SaO2 less than 90% and 3% +/- 2 for %time with SaO2 less than 85%. The severity of hemoglobin desaturation during sleep could not be reliably predicted from clinical scores or awake pulmonary function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Application of the fast-evaporation sample preparation method for improving quantification of angiotensin II by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization.

The fast-evaporation method of sample preparation has been applied for quantitative analysis using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. An instrumental protocol focusing on improvement of shot-to-shot repeatability and compensation for signal degradation has been developed for quantification of angiotensin II using the fast-evaporation technique and an internal standard. The fast-evaporation method was compared to the standard method of sample preparation (using a multicomponent matrix) in the quantitative analysis of angiotensin II, and found to be superior in several respects. Improvement in sample homogeneity using the fast-evaporation method enhanced both point-to-point repeatibility and sample-to-sample reproducibility. The relative standard deviations of the analyte/internal standard ratios (point RSD) were decreased by a factor of three compared to those obtained using the multicomponent matrix method. The average point RSD was found to be ca. 5% for the fast-evaporation technique. Two internal standards were evaluated for quantification of angiotensin II. The better one, 1-SAR-8-Ile angiotensin II, yielded a relative standard deviation of the standard curve slope of ca. 2.2% over two orders of magnitude of concentration (45 nM to 3000 nM), an improvement by a factor of two over the standard preparation method. Renal microdialysate samples, spiked with angiotensin II and the internal standard 1-SAR-8-Ile angiotensin II, were also analyzed using the fast-evaporation technique. The detection limit was calculated to be in the high attomole range (675 amol). Furthermore, the accuracy for a single determination of angiotensin II concentration in these samples was found to be 13.9% with a relative error of 8.19%.

1-Sarcosine-8-Isoleucine Angiotensin II↗

Reproducibility of three-dimensional ultrasound diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reproducibility of the diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies and the repeatability of measurements of uterine cavity dimensions using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound. METHODS: The reproducibility of diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies was examined by re-slicing stored 3D ultrasound volumes. Each data set was evaluated by two independent observers. Assessment of uterine morphology was performed in a standardized plane, with the interstitial portions of the Fallopian tubes used as reference points. Additionally, in 35 cases of congenital uterine anomalies the width of the uterine cavity (W), fundal distortion (F) and the length of unaffected uterine cavity (C) were measured. Intraobserver and interobserver variabilities were evaluated by each observer performing all three measurements twice. RESULTS: Eighty-three 3D ultrasound volumes were examined. Both operators classified 27 uteri as normal, 33 as arcuate, 19 as subseptate and three as unicornuate. A single case of uterine anomaly was described as arcuate uterus by one operator and subseptate by another (kappa 0.97). The intraobserver variability for each of the three measurements (W, F and C) was satisfactory with limits of agreement ranging from +/-1.43 to +/-2.51 mm. The examination of the interobserver variability showed no significant differences between the two observers (F = 0.484, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: 3D ultrasound is a reproducible method for the diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies and for the measurement of uterine cavity dimensions.

Female↗

Stereotaxy-based regional brain volumetry applied to segmented MRI: validation and results in deficit and nondeficit schizophrenia.

A method for postprocessing of segmented routine brain MRI studies providing automated definition of major structures (frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes; cerebellar hemispheres; and lateral ventricles) according to the Talairach atlas is presented. The method was applied to MRI studies from 25 normal subjects (NV), 14 patients with deficit schizophrenia (DS), and 14 with nondeficit schizophrenia (NDS), to evaluate their gray matter and CSF regional volumes. The two patient groups did not differ in mean age at illness onset, duration of illness, severity of psychotic symptoms, or disorganization; DS had more severe avolition and worse social functioning than NDS. For validation purposes, brain structures were manually outlined on original MR images in 10 studies, thus obtaining reference measures. Manual and automated measures were repeated 1 month apart to measure reproducibilities of both methods. The automated method required less than 1 min/operator per study vs more than 30 min for manual assessment. Mean absolute difference per structure between the two techniques was 4.8 ml. Overall reproducibility did not significantly differ between the two methods. In subjects with schizophrenia, a significant decrease in GM and increase in CSF were found. GM loss was confined to frontal and temporal lobes. Lateral ventricles were significantly larger bilaterally in NDS compared to NV and only on the right in NDS compared to DS. The finding of greater structural brain abnormalities in NDS adds to the evidence that deficit schizophrenia does not represent just the more severe end of the schizophrenia continuum.

Adolescent↗

Current and future contributions of transgenic mice to the analysis of germline toxicology.

Evermore sophisticated tests are need to study germline toxicology. The gene conversion-based systems developed in Leicester and in the USA are steps in the right direction, but a lot of validation both in vivo and in vitro is required. Transgenic technology can also be used to research the biology of testis, so that we know more how to make it more human-like. If you talk to toxicologists, they always complain: 'but it 's only a rat, it's only a mouse, it's not a man'. In future, once we understand more biology--it might be possible to make the toxicological response of a transgenic mouse more human-like. As we all know, the testis is a complex biological system and it is only when we get a better understanding of what is going on to the fundamental level are such developments possible. Indeed, it might be possible to do even more exciting things, such as taking mitotic human tissue culture cells and to inducing them to enter meiosis in vitro. Such a system would be a natural complement to the in vitro tests widely used in industry.

Animals↗

Applicability of Nanotrap Sg as a semen detection kit before male-specific DNA profiling in sexual assaults.

A commercially available semen detection kit, Nanotrap Sg, which employs a one-step detection test based on immunochromatographic assay for the semenogelin protein, was evaluated for profiling male-specific DNA in sexual assault casework samples. While semen diluted with phosphate-buffered saline held and kept at 4 degrees C for 1 week showed a relatively strong signal intensity with Nanotrap Sg, the signal intensity was decreased by dilution after storage at 4 degrees C or freezing and thawing repeated more than three times. The reproducibility of Nanotrap Sg was tested on a total of 174 sexual assault casework samples from three forensic laboratories using intra- and interassay and no variation was observed in the semenogelin (Sg) signal. The positive signal ratio was 12.6% higher for prostate-specific antigen immunochromatographic membrane tests than Nanotrap Sg. Although spermatozoa were not confirmed in 61 (35%) out of 174 samples, Sg-positive signals could be detected from 41 (67%) of the 61 samples. Female genetic profiles could be observed in 95% of the samples, which tested negative for Sg on the Nanotrap Sg test, but no male genetic profiles could be observed. These results suggest that Nanotrap Sg can positively identify samples containing male DNA even in the absence of detectable intact spermatozoa. Further, Sg-positive signals identified samples for which male-specific DNA profiling could be performed, even if no sperm could be detected from the sample. The potential of Nanotrap Sg for identifying forensic samples with male-specific DNA was clearly demonstrated.

Antibodies↗

Y-STR haplotyping in two Hungarian populations.

A set of seven Y-chromosomal STR loci (DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393) with the addition of the bilocal marker DYS385 was used to generate male-specific haplotype databases for two Hungarian population samples, Caucasians from the Budapest area and Romanies from Baranya county. At the locus DYS385 three types of intermediate sized alleles were detected in six males. The presence of a (GA) dinucleotide, probably due to an (AA) deletion in the second (GAAA) repeat of the polymorphic repeat region leads to an intermediate allelle 17.2. The intermediate alleles 17.-1 and 18.-1 with the consensus repeat structure of (GAAA)17 and (GAAA)18, respectively, were found to lack a T in the same (T)7 stretch located within the 3' flanking region of each allele. The forensic efficiency values for the Romany population were significantly lower than those found in the Central Hungarian and other non-isolated Causasian populations, which may imply a possible common paternal ancestry of some haplotypes in the Romany sample. With pairwise comparisons of inter-population molecular variance, the two populations analyzed here and an Italian population sample, could be clearly distinguished using the seven monoclonal Y-STRs. A sizing precision of < or = 0.14 nucleotide standard deviation was obtained with capillary electrophoresis carried out on an ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer. Objective and accurate genotyping is thus possible using an internal size standard with a high density of fragments.

Alleles↗

Sequence variation of two hypervariable short tandem repeats at the D22S683 and D6S477 loci.

For two short tandem repeats at the D22S683 and D6S477 loci, 30 and 22 selected alleles, respectively were sequenced. A total of 20 different alleles were found for the D22S683 locus and 12 alleles for the D6S477 locus. In both systems the alleles were designated according to the total number of repeats. D22S683 is a hypervariable STR consisting of blocks of (TATC) repeats with a basic sequence structure (TATATC)n (TATC)n (ATC)0-1 (TATC)n. The D6S477 locus consists of blocks of (TCTA) repeats with a basic sequence structure (TCTA)n (TA)1 (TCTA)0-2 (TA)0-1 (TCTA)n. Population data showed a heterozygosity of 0.89 for D22S683 and 0.75 for D6S477. These STRs are promising markers for forensic genetics as they are robust and can be easily included in multiplexes.

Alleles↗

A novel brain trauma model in the mouse: effects of dexamethasone treatment.

We describe a novel methodological approach for inducing cold lesion in the mouse as a model of human cortical contusion trauma. To validate its reproducibility and reliability, dexamethasone (Dxm) was repeatedly applied to demonstrate possible antioedematous drug effects. Following the induction of anaesthesia with halothane, the dura was exposed via trephination. Using a micromanipulator a pre-cooled (-78 degrees C) copper cylinder, 3 mm in diameter, was pressed down to a depth of 1 mm onto the dura for 30 s under microscopic control. The body temperature was held constant at 37 degrees C throughout the procedure. Blood pressure (BP), measured by a modified photosensor-monitored tail-cuff method, and acid-base status were not significantly different when analysed before and after cold lesion and prior to sacrifice. However, there was a marginal mixed respiratory and metabolic acidosis. The antioedematous action of Dxm was studied in four standard pre-and post-treatment paradigms: 2x0.5 mg/kg (II), 2x12.5 mg/kg (III) and 4x6.25 mg/kg (IV: 3x pre-, 1x post-treatment: V: 1x pre-, 3x post-treatment). Physiological saline injections served as controls. High doses of Dxm (III-V) significantly attenuated the cold-lesion-induced loss of body mass. Dxm treatment also resulted in a reduction of brain water content (III; P<0.05), and brain swelling (IV; P<0.05) in the lesioned hemisphere, relative to controls. In conclusion, we have characterized a novel cold lesion model in the mouse to mimic traumatic brain injury and the beneficial effect of Dxm treatment on the extent of brain oedema.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

The perception of angina in diabetes: relation to somatic pain threshold and autonomic function.

Silent ischemia is common in diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. These patients may also have more subtle alteration in the perception of angina as reflected by prolongation of anginal perceptual threshold--the time from onset of 0.1 mV ST segment depression to the onset of chest pain during treadmill exercise. Silent ischemia may be associated with a generalized hyposensitivity to pain, although the pathophysiologic mechanism is obscure. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether diabetic patients with prolonged anginal perceptual thresholds are also hyposensitive to painful stimuli and to investigate whether this is associated with autonomic neuropathy. Nineteen diabetic and 25 nondiabetic patients with exertional angina were exercised on a treadmill to measure anginal perceptual threshold. Somatic pain threshold was measured by calf sphygmomanometry. The cuff was inflated rapidly until pain occurred, and six repeat inflations were done to test reproducibility. Because there was no significant difference between measurements (coefficient of variation = 0.156) the mean value for each patient provided a measure of somatic pain threshold. The diabetic group had a longer anginal perceptual threshold (138 +/- 64 seconds vs 34 +/- 51 seconds, p less than 0.001), which correlated positively with the somatic pain threshold (r = 0.5, p = 0.03); patients with more prolonged anginal perceptual thresholds tended to have higher somatic pain thresholds. In the diabetic group anginal perceptual (r = -0.3, p = NS) and somatic pain (r = -0.4, p = 0.05) thresholds tended to increase as the ratio of peak to minimal heart rate during the Valsalva maneuver fell below 1.21, but these variables were unrelated in the nondiabetic group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angina Pectoris↗

Automated continuous-flow colorimetric determination of glutathione peroxidase with dichloroindophenol.

Automation of the glutathione peroxidase enzyme assay has been problematical. Although such methods have been reported, they do not give equivalent results to the standard manual assay, wherein glutathione oxidation is coupled to NADPH oxidation via glutathione reductase. We report here the development of a fully automated, continuous-flow, colorimetric method for glutathione peroxidase assays in which glutathione oxidation is monitored by its effect on the reaction of glutathione with the colorimetric reagent 2,6-dichloroindophenol. This method has a linear response to glutathione peroxidase over an 800-fold range of enzyme concentrations. Results of assays done by this method in erythrocyte and plasma samples correlate well with the standard manual coupled assay (r = 0.997 and 0.923, respectively), with no evidence of systematic errors. The assay works equally well with hydrogen peroxide or cumene hydroperoxide as substrate and shows the same selectivity toward glutathione S-transferases as the standard coupled assay. The within-day repeatability and the between-day reproducibility were estimated as 1.1 to 6.4% and 1.3 to 7.1% (relative standard deviation), respectively. This method is suitable for enzyme determinations in whole blood, erythrocytes, plasma, and serum from rats, rabbits, monkeys, and humans.

2,6-Dichloroindophenol↗

Hypoxic vasoconstriction in buffer-perfused rabbit lungs.

Isolated rabbit lungs were buffer-perfused under constant flow-conditions with separate control of alveolar (PAO2) and mixed venous (PvO2) O2 tension. Alveolar hypoxia caused an increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) with sigmoidal dose-dependency. Erythrocytes increased the strength of the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). The contractile and vasorelaxant responses to the onset and release of alveolar hypoxia, respectively, occurred within seconds. Kinetics of the PAP increase, but not the magnitude of response, were related to the velocity of PAO2 decline. In contrast, changes in PvO2, both in the absence and presence of erythrocytes, did neither provoke any pressor response nor amplify the response to concomitant alveolar hypoxia. Repeatedly performed HPV manoeuvres revealed excellent reproducibility, and long-term alveolar hypoxia (90 min) provoked a biphasic pressor response. We conclude that the isolated rabbit lung is a feasible model for the characterization of hypoxic vasoconstriction, with specific features hitherto not described for perfused lungs of other species.

Animals↗

Graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead, cadmium, cobalt and nickel in infant formulas and evaporated milks after nitric-perchloric acid digestion and coprecipitation with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate.

A graphite-furnace atomic absorption method, developed for lead and cadmium, was modified to enable simultaneous determination of lead, cadmium, cobalt and nickel in infant formulas and evaporated milks. The method was assessed on the basis of analytical quality assurance results during routine analysis of samples. Detection limits (ng g-1 based on 10 g sample size for ready-to-use formulas) were 0.04-0.21 for lead, 0.004-0.015 for cadmium, 0.04-0.2 for cobalt and 0.06-0.26 for nickel. Within-series repeatability and day-to-day reproducibility (among series) coefficients of variation (CVs) were, respectively, 11.7 and 16% for lead, 2.5 and 7.5% for cadmium, 7.2 and 18.8%for cobalt, and 8.1 and 8.6% for nickel at respective concentrations of 1.89, 0.40, 1.25 and 11.8 ng g-1.

Animals↗

Immobilized enzyme system for determination of sialic acid in serum or urine.

An immobilized enzyme system has been developed and employed to determine the concentration of sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) in human serum and urine. Two enzyme pairs, neuramindiase-Neu-5-Ac lyase and pyruvate oxidase-peroxidase, have been respectively co-immobilized onto 1,12-aminododecane-agarose with glutaraldehyde. The relative specific activity of the co-immobilized neuraminidase and Neu-5-Ac lyase were 60% and 78%, and those of pyruvate oxidase and peroxidase were 50% and 95% of the corresponding soluble enzymes, respectively. The optimal reaction pH at 37 degrees C for each of the co-immobilized enzymes was about one pH unit higher than that of the corresponding soluble enzyme. The optimal reaction temperature of each enzyme was increased as a result of immobilization. The thermal stability at 45 degrees C of the immobilized neuraminidase, Neu-5-Ac lyase, pyruvate oxidase, and peroxidase were increased 80-, 83-, 115-, and 147-fold, respectively. Km and Vm of each immobilized and co-immobilized enzyme have also been determined. The system provided a convenient and rapid method to determine the concentration of total sialic acid without pretreatment of the sample. The results correlated satisfactorily with those obtained by using a soluble enzyme system. The co-immobilized enzymes were stable for at least 1 year of 500 tests when used repeatedly. The system is thus a reproducible and reliable novel assay method for sialic acid in the serum or urine sample.

Enzymes, Immobilized↗

Enzyme immunoassay for nomegestrol acetate in human plasma.

Currently available chromatographic assays of the progestative drug nomegestrol acetate in human plasma are not suitable for monitoring drug kinetics more than 24 h after clinical dosage. A specific and sensitive enzyme immunoassay was therefore developed. A 3(O-carboxymethyl)oxime derivative of nomegestrol acetate was synthesized and coupled to bovine serum albumin in order to raise polyclonal antibodies in rabbits. The enzymatic tracer was obtained by coupling the 3(O-carboxymethyl)oxime derivative to acetylcholinesterase (E.C.3.1.1.7.). HPLC fractionation of human plasma samples followed by enzyme immunoassay revealed the presence of cross-reacting metabolites. An automated procedure of metabolite separation was developed using silica bonded with diol groups (Diol Bakerbond column). This procedure ensured assay specificity. The quantification limit in human plasma was 0.1 ng/ml. Mean repeatability (intra-assay variation) and reproducibility (inter-assay variation) were 9 and 15%, respectively. The enzyme immunoassay allowed monitoring of the kinetics of nomegestrol acetate 144 h after oral administration of a single 5 mg dose. Values for human samples were in excellent agreement with those assayable by HPLC followed by u.v. detection.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Nano-structured lead dioxide as a novel stationary phase for solid-phase microextraction.

The first study on the high efficiency of nano-structured lead dioxide as a new fiber for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) purposes has been reported. The size of the PbO2 particles was in the range of 34-136 nm. Lead dioxide-based fibers were prepared via electrochemical deposition on a platinum wire. The extraction properties of the fiber to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) were examined using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) mode coupled to gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The results obtained proved the suitability of proposed fibers for the sampling of organic compounds from water. The extraction procedure was optimized by selecting the appropriate extraction parameters, including preparation conditions of coating, salt concentration, time and temperature of adsorption and desorption and stirring rate. The calibration graphs were linear in a concentration range of 0.1-100 microg l(-1) (R2 > 0.994) with detection limits below 0.012 microg l(-1) level. Single fiber repeatability and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were less than 10.0 and 12.5%, respectively. The PbO2 coating was proved to be very stable at relatively high temperatures (up to 300 degrees C) with a high extraction capacity and long lifespan (more than 50 times). Higher chemical resistance and lower cost are among the advantages of PbO2 fibers over commercially available SPME fibers. Good recoveries (81-108%) were obtained when environmental samples were analyzed.

Adsorption↗

Diagnosis of ectopic tissue versus contamination by genetic fingerprinting in a routine surgical pathology specimen.

A 62-year-old woman presented with recurring right upper quadrant pain and underwent a routine laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A large gallstone was found impacted in the fundus of the gall bladder. Interestingly, aside from noting mild inflammation of the gall bladder wall, microscopic examination of the specimen identified 2 fragments of benign thyroid tissue. Given the routine nature of the surgical procedure and lack of abnormality detected during the operation, the attending pathologist suspected extraneous tissue contamination ("floater") of the pathology specimen and submitted the block and slides to Molecular Pathology. The thyroid tissue-containing fragments and gallbladder wall were independently isolated and subjected to genetic fingerprinting using a standard forensic DNA identification panel. All fragments showed the identical fingerprint, strongly suggesting that they belonged to the same patient. The results indicated that the thyroid tissue was from an ectopic rest adjacent to the gall bladder, which has been reported only very rarely in the previous literature and illustrates the unusual use of molecular genetic testing to confirm the presence of ectopic tissue versus contamination.

Choristoma↗