Laser-speckle-based detection of fluid pulsation in the presence of motion artifacts: in vitro and in vivo study

We have performed an in vitro and in vivo study, based on laser speckle contrast analysis, to detect fluid pulsation in the presence of artifacts caused by the relative motion between the sample and the illumination source. We observe that the pulsation signal is clearly detectable for a range of motion amplitudes and oscillation frequencies; however, for higher amplitudes and oscillation frequencies of motion, the signal, due to pulsation, becomes increasingly difficult to detect.

Total leukocyte counts and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratios among Helicobacter pylori-infected patients with peptic ulcers: independent of bacterial CagA status

Elevated leukocyte counts can be a marker of inflammation and infection. The aim of this study was to determine the total leukocyte count and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR) among Helicobacter pylori-infected patients with peptic ulcer disease (PU) and among asymptomatic subjects (AS) and to evaluate if there is an association between these lab values and the presence of the H. pylori virulence factor cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA). Sixty H. pylori-infected PU patients, 63 AS carriers and 32 healthy H. pylori-negative subjects (controls) were included in the study. The total white blood cell (WBC) counts and differentials were determined using standard hematological methods. The mean total WBC count, mean neutrophil count and NLCR were significantly higher among PU patients than in controls (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Similarly, the mean WBC count, mean neutrophil count and NLCR were significantly higher among AS patients than in controls (p < 0.005, p < 0.001 and p < 0.02, respectively). The differences of mean WBC counts mean neutrophil counts and NLCR were also significantly different (p < 0.005, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively) between the PU and AS patients. There were no differences in the PU and AS patients in regard to anti-CagA positivity. These results show the CagA factor was not associated with the presence or absence of symptoms in H. pylori infected patients.

Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-27 in patients with ischemic heart disease

OBJECTIVE

Cytokines, the key mediators of immune responses, play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of IL-27 in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and also to clarify its association with traditional risk factors of the disease.

METHODS

A total of 120 patients with IHD as having acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n=60) or unstable angina (UA; n=60) and 60 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects as a control group were enrolled in this cross-sectional, case-controlled study. Serum samples were collected from all participants (for AMI patients at 3-5 days after events and for UA at admission time) and tested for the levels of IL-27 by use of ELISA method.

RESULTS

The mean serum levels of IL-27 in AMI group (38.00±14.38 Pg/ml) and UA group (35.77±18.93 Pg/ml) were significantly higher than those observed in the control group (24.91±14.96 Pg/ml; P<0.0001 and 0.001, respectively). The mean serum levels of IL-27 in IHD patients with or without a certain traditional risk factor including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes smoking were significantly higher as compared to those in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

These results showed that the higher serum levels of IL-27 were associated with IHD. The presence or absence of certain traditional risk factors of IHD did not influence the serum levels of cytokine.

The association between infection burden in Iranian patients with acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina

AIM

to evaluate the association of ischemic heart disease (IHD) with the number of pathogens (infection burden) among individuals with infection.

METHODS

a total of 120 patients with IHD as the acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n=60) or unstable angina (UA; n=60) group and 60 healthy subjects with sex- and age-matched as control group were enrolled in this study. Serum samples of all participants were tested for the presence of antibodies to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), cytomegalovirus (CMV), type-1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) and type- 2 HSV (HSV-2) by using ELISA.

RESULTS

Regarding the association of the infection burden with IHD, the prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 3.18 (CI: 1.50-6.72; P<0.001) for 3 seropositivities and 3.83 (CI: 0.84-17.43; P<0.05) for 4 seropositivities. The rate of subjects with high infection burden (3 seropositivities) was significantly higher in IHD group as compared to control group (53.4% vs 21.6%; P<0.01). Moreover, the mean number of seropositivities was also significantly higher in patients with IHD in comparison to control group (2.47 vs 1.68; P<0.01). The seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori antibodies in AMI and UA groups was significantly higher compared to control group (P<0.0001). The seroprevalence of anti-CMV antibodies in AMI and UA group was also significantly higher than those observed in control group (P<0.01). Moreover, the seroprevalence of anti-HSV-1 antibodies was significantly higher in AMI and UA groups in comparison to control group (P<0.001). The seroprevalence of anti-HSV-2 antibodies was similarly expressed in patients and healthy control group.

CONCLUSION

the infection burden was significantly higher in patients with IHD, which represent that the parameter should also be considered as an independent risk factor for development of IHD. The seroprevalence of H. pylori, CMV and HSV-1 were also higher in patients with IHD.

Serum concentrations of Helicobacter pylori IgG and the virulence factor CagA in patients with ischaemic heart disease

To compare the serum concentrations of IgG to Helicobacter pylori and its virulence factor CagA in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD), we recruited 120 patients with IHD [acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n = 60); unstable angina (UA) (n = 60)] and 60 sex- and age-matched healthy controls in this study. The seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori IgG was 86.7% in AMI, 91.7% in UA patients and 58.3% in the control group with mean titres of 33.2 U/ml [standard error (SE) 4.76], 57.96 U/ml (SE 7.54) and 25.72 U/ml (SE 4.01) respectively. The seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori in the patient groups was significantly higher than the control group. The mean levels of anti-H. pylori in the AMI and UA groups were also significantly higher than in the control group. The seroprevalence and mean titre of anti-CagA IgG did not differ significantly between patient and control groups.

Diagnostic accuracy of Doppler ultrasonography in differentiation between malignant and benign cervical lymphadenopathies in pediatric age group

Cervical lymphadenopathy is a relatively common finding in pediatric age group and is caused by a wide spectrum of diseases from transient infections to malignancies especially lymphomas. The present study was aimed at evaluating the diagnostic performance of grey-scale ultrasonography, color Doppler ultrasonography and power Doppler ultrasonography in differentiation of reactively and metastatically enlarged cervical lymph nodes in pediatric age group. Fifty children with cervical lymphadenopathies were assessed by ultrasonographic methods. In each patient, the longest (L) and transverse (T) diameters, L/T ratio and presence or absence of the normal hilar pattern were checked by grey-scale ultrasonography. Spectral parameters (resistive and pulsatility indices) and vascular distribution pattern of nodes were recorded by color and power Doppler ultrasonography, respectively. Following the ultrasonographic evaluations, biopsy and/or clinical follow up was applied for six months, based on the clinical and paraclinical findings. Statistical analyses were performed by chi-square test, independent t-test and receiver operator characteristic curves. The mean age of patients was 12.42 +/- 2.42 years. Twenty eight patients (56%) had malignant enlargement of lymph nodes. The mean value of L/T ratio in malignant group was 1.70 +/- 0.22 and 2.40 +/- 0.38 in non-malignant nodes (p < 0.001). Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of combined grey-scale and power Doppler ultrasonography were 70, 86 and 81%, respectively. Combination of grey-scale and power Doppler ultrasonography is recommended for the differentiation between the malignant and benign lymphadenopathies in children. Moreover, our findings revealed no diagnostic role of color Doppler ultrasonography in the selection of malignant cervical lymph nodes in children.

Oxidation of phenol in a bioremediation medium using Fenton's reagent

The oxidation of phenol by Fenton's reagent was investigated in a medium suitable for bioremediation. An experimental design approach, based on a central composite rotatable design, was used to quantify the effects of H2O2 concentration (2000 to 5000 mg 1(-1)) and FeSO4.7H2O concentration (500 to 2000 mg 1(-1)). Performance of the chemical oxidation by Fenton's reagent was evaluated by determining the percentage of phenol oxidized at equilibrium. The analysis of variance test indicated that both H2O2 and FeSO4.7H2O concentrations had a positive effect on phenol oxidation. Hydrogen peroxide concentration was the dominating parameter for the removal of phenol by Fenton's reagent. The optimal concentrations of H2O2 and FeSO4.7H2O for complete oxidation of 2000 mg 1(-1) phenol in the medium were found to be 4340 mg 1(-1) and 1616 mg 1(-1), respectively, at 25 degrees C and pH 3. Oxidation of phenol in the culture medium was found to be significantly different than in pure water.

Serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)in Helicobacter pylori-infected peptic ulcer patients and its association with bacterial CagA virulence factor

OBJECTIVE

CRP is a marker of inflammation and infection of the gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori, which causes an inflammatory reaction. It has been reported that CagA(+) H. pylori strains induce more severe gastric inflammation and are also associated with higher risks of peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare serum concentrations of hs-CRP in H. pylori-infected peptic ulcer (PU) patients, H. pylori infected asymptomatic (AS) carriers, and a healthy control group, and their association with bacterial virulence factor CagA.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 60 H. pylori infected PU patients (30 patients were positive for anti-CagA antibody and 30 were negative for anti-CagA antibody), 53 H. pylori-infected AS carriers (25 subjects were positive for anti-CagA antibody and 28 were negative for anti-CagA antibody), and 22 healthy H. pylori-negative subjects (as a control group) were enrolled in the study. Serum concentrations of hs-CRP were measured by use of an ELISA method.

RESULTS

The mean serum level of hs-CRP in all PU patients (124.9±32.4 μg/dl) was significantly higher than that in all AS subjects (18.6±2.6 μg/dl; P<0.001) and the healthy uninfected control group (10.7±2.9 μg/dl; P<0.0001). Moreover, the mean serum level of hs-CRP in the AS group was significantly higher than that observed in the uninfected control group (P<0.04). No significant difference was observed between mean serum levels of hs-CRP of PU patients with positive test for anti-CagA antibody (132.6±49.4 μg/dl) and PU patients with negative test for anti-CagA antibody (117.1±42.9 μg/dl). Moreover, mean serum levels of hs-CRP were similar in AS subjects with positive test for anti-CagA (18.4±3.1 μg/dl) and in those who were negative for anti-CagA antibody (18.9±4.1 μg/dl).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study showed that mean serum concentrations of hs-CRP in PU patients and in H. pylori infected AS carriers were higher than in a healthy control group. Although H. pylori infection is associated with higher serum levels of hs-CRP, serum concentrations of this inflammatory marker were not affected by expression of bacterial CagA virulence factor.

Ultrasound findings in biliary atresia: the role of triangular cord sign

In this prospective study, 49 infants with prolonged jaundice, were studied between January 2005 to April 2007 in Tabriz Children's Hospital. All of these infants were evaluated with ultrasonography and isotopscan and finally biopsy was done in all of them under guide of sonography. In their sonographic evaluation, absence or presence of gall bladder, its size and also its evacuation after feeding was checked and beside this triangular cord sign was controlled. The PPV and specificity of triangular cord sign in diagnosis of extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA) was 100% but its NPV was only 78.5%. The overall accuracy, PPV, NPV, specificity and sensitivity ofultrasonographic findings in diagnosis of EHBA was about 94, 92, 94, 97 and 86%. Ultrasonography is a reliable screening method in early diagnosis of EHBA and triangular cord sign increases its accuracy especially its specificity.

Screening of bovine coagulase-negative staphylococci from milk for superantigen-encoding genes

A collection of 102 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), isolated from cases of subclinical and clinical bovine mastitis and belonging to 10 different species, were screened by PCR for the presence of genes encoding enterotoxins and enterotoxin-like toxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei, sej, selk, sell, selm, seln, selo, selp, selq and selu), toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (tst), and exfoliative toxins A and B (eta and etb). No toxin gene sequences were amplified from any of the isolates, indicating that superantigens encoded by genes detectable by the PCR tests used were not involved in the development of subclinical and clinical mastitis in cattle infected with the CNS isolates tested.

Specific serum immunoglobulin G to H pylori and CagA in healthy children and adults (south-east of Iran)

AIM: To evaluate the serologic IgG response to H pylori and CagA across age groups and in healthy children and adults.

METHODS: Totally, 386 children aged 1-15 years and 200 adults aged 20-60 years, were enrolled to study. The serum samples of participant were tested for presence of anti-H pylori and anti-CagA IgG by using ELISA method.

RESULTS: The seroprevalence of H pylori in adults was significantly higher than that observed in children (67.5% vs 46.6%; P < 0.000003). In children, the seropositivity rate in males (51.9%) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that observed in females (41.7%). The prevalence of serum anti-CagA antibody was 72.8% and 67.4% in infected children and adults, respectively. The mean titer of serum anti-CagA antibodies was significantly higher among children in comparison to adults (64.1 Uarb/mL vs 30.7; P < 0.03). In infected children and adults the prevalence of serum anti-CagA antibody was higher in males compared to females (78.4% vs 66.3%; P = 0.07 and 75.6% vs 54.71%; P < 0.04, respectively). The age-specific prevalence of anti-H pylori and anti-CagA antibody (in infected subjects) was 37.6% and 59.57% at age 1-5 years, 46.9% and 75% at age 6-10 years, 54.9% and 79.45% at age 11-15, 59.01% and 83.33% at age 20-30 years, 66.6% and 60.52% at age 31-40 years, 73.46% and 63.88% at age 41-50 years and 75.75% and 60% at age 51-60 years with mean titer of anti-CagA antibody of 75.94, 63.32, 57.11, 52.06, 23.62, 21.52 and 21.80 Uarb/mL, respectively. There was significant difference between mean serum anti-CagA antibody in age subgroups (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: These results showed that anti-H pylori and anti-CagA antibodies were common in the children and adults. The H pylori-specific antibodies influenced by age and sex of subjects. Moreover, it seems that males are more susceptible to infection with CagA⁺ strains compared to females. The seroprevalence of anti-CagA antibody was increased with age, up to 30 years and then decreased. It was also found that the magnitude of the IgG response to CagA decreased with advanced age.

Urinary iodine excretion and antiperoxidase enzyme antibody in goitrous and healthy primary school children of Arak, Iran

OBJECTIVE

To determine urinary iodine excretion (UIE) and antiperoxidase enzyme antibody (anti-TPO Ab) in primary school-age children living in Arak, Iran, in 2005, after 10 yr of iodized salt distribution in an effort to ameliorate iodine deficiency.

METHODS

Through an observational, case-control study and by means of satisfied sampling, 6520 primary school children were examined for goiter, and then 193 goiterous children (case) and 151 healthy (control) children were assessed as representative samples for thyroid function tests, antiperoxidase antibody, and urinary iodine excretion. Normal values of anti-TPO Ab were <40 U/ml and high values >75 U/ml. Normal values of urinary iodine concentration were > or =10.0 microg/dl, and severe iodine deficiency were <2 microg/dl. The data were analyzed and compared by the Chi- Square tests and Mann-Whitney U in SPSS software; p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Total mean prevalence of goiter was 5.2%, ranging from 3.6 to 6.4% in different schools. The prevalence of goiter increased with age; it was 3% in children aged 6-7 yr and 6.3% in children aged 11 yr (p<0.001). Mean iodine urinary concentration was 16.36 microg/dl (+/-1.58). No difference was seen between the mean urinary iodine in girls (17.30+/-3.80 micorg/dl) and boys (15.72+/-2.72 microg/dl). No difference was seen between the mean urinary iodine in goiterous and healthy school children (17.4+/-3.7 microg/dl vs 15.3+/-3.18 microg/dl, p=0.78). About 49.5% of school children had UIE<10 microg/dl and 28% had UIE<5 microg/dl. High levels of anti-TPO Ab were found in 21 school children (18 goiterous vs 3 healthy children, p=0.01) resulting in a total prevalence of 6.1%. In females, the prevalence was 1.3 times higher than in males (male:female ratio 3/4). Thirteen out of 21 (62%) children with positive antibodies had significant goiter (grade 2), and 5 (24%) had small goiter (grade 1), whereas only 3 children (14%) had normal thyroid size (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION

If urinary iodine concentration is considered an index of total body iodine content, this study demonstrated that prolonged iodized salt intake has minimized the occurrence of iodine deficiency goiter and now autoimmune thyroid enlargement is one cause for continuous goiter in primary school children, although there are unknown etiologies that need to be considered in further studies.

Batch and continuous biooxidation of sulphide by Thiomicrospira sp. CVO: reaction kinetics and stoichiometry

Aqueous phase biooxidation of sulphide by the novel sulphide-oxidizing bacterium Thiomicrospira sp. CVO was studied in batch and continuous systems. CVO was able to oxidize sulphide at concentrations as high as 19 mM. Sulphide biooxidation occurred in two distinct phases, one resulting in the formation of sulphur and possibly other dissolved sulphur compounds rather than sulphate, followed by sulphate formation. The specific growth rate of CVO in the first and second phases were 0.17-0.27 and 0.04-0.05 h(-1), respectively. Nitrite accumulated in the culture during the first phase and was consumed during the second phase. The composition of end-products was influenced by the ratio of sulphide to nitrate initial concentrations. At a ratio of 0.28, sulphate represented 93% of the reaction products, while with a ratio of 1.6 the conversion of sulphide to sulphate was only 9.3%. In the continuous bioreactor, complete removal of sulphide was observed at sulphide volumetric loading rates as high as 1.6mM/h (residence time of 10h). Overall sulphide removal efficiency decreased continuously upon further increases in volumetric loading rate. However, the volumetric removal rate increased until a maximum value of 2.4mM/h was obtained at a loading rate of 3.2mM/h. The corresponding sulphide conversion and residence time were 76% and 5.6h, respectively. As expected from the high ratio of sulphide to nitrate loading rates (1.7-1.9 mM/h), no sulphate was formed in the continuous reactor. Using the experimental data the value of maximum specific growth rate, saturation constant, decay coefficient, maintenance coefficient and yield were determined to be 0.36 h(-1), 1.99 mM sulphide, 0.0014 h(-1), 0.078 mmol sulphide/mg ATPh and 0.018 mg ATP/mmol sulphide, respectively.

Dynamics of corrosion rates associated with nitrite or nitrate mediated control of souring under biological conditions simulating an oil reservoir

Representative microbial cultures from an oil reservoir and electrochemical techniques including potentiodynamic scan and linear polarization were used to investigate the time dependent corrosion rate associated with control of biogenic sulphide production through addition of nitrite, nitrate and a combination of nitrate-reducing, sulphide-oxidizing bacteria (NR-SOB) and nitrate. The addition of nitrate alone did not prevent the biogenic production of sulphide but the produced sulphide was eventually oxidized and removed from the system. The addition of nitrate and NR-SOB had a similar effect on oxidation and removal of sulphide present in the system. However, as the addition of nitrate and NR-SOB was performed towards the end of sulphide production phase, the assessment of immediate impact was not possible. The addition of nitrite inhibited the biogenic production of sulphide immediately and led to removal of sulphide through nitrite mediated chemical oxidation of sulphide. The real time corrosion rate measurement revealed that in all three cases an acceleration in the corrosion rate occurred during the oxidation and removal of sulphide. Amendments of nitrate and NR-SOB or nitrate alone both gave rise to localized corrosion in the form of pits, with the maximum observed corrosion rates of 0.72 and 1.4 mm year(-1), respectively. The addition of nitrite also accelerated the corrosion rate but the maximum corrosion rate observed following nitrite addition was 0.3 mm year(-1). Furthermore, in the presence of nitrite the extent of pitting was not as high as those observed with other control methods.

Enhancement of indomethacin-induced gastric damage by mouth breathing in rabbits

Previous studies have reported that mouth breathing is associated with respiratory acidosis. Regarding to the reports that renal elimination of weak acids such as indomethacin is pH dependent, this study was carried out to evaluate the role of mouth breathing on plasma level of indomethacin and indomethacin-induced gastric damage in rabbits. Mouth breathing was induced by surgical ligation of nostrils under general anesthesia. One day after the operation, arterial blood samples were collected for acid-base balance analysis and indomethacin was administered intraperitoneally in a single dose of 40mg/kg. The animals were killed 4h after indomethacin administration and blood samples were collected for spectrofluorometric determination of indomethacin in plasma. The results showed that indomethacin induces more severe gastric damage in nose obstructed rabbits compared with sham and unoperated (UNOP) animals. Acid-base analysis revealed a respiratory acidosis in nose obstructed rabbits and indomethacin level of plasma was significantly higher in nose obstructed animals in comparison with control rabbits. The study shows that mouth breathing can increase the potentiation of indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal damage that may be due to higher level of indomethacin in plasma of nose obstructed animals.

Differentiation of bovine and porcine gelatins using principal component analysis

Gelatin is a collagen derivative, which has a large application in the pharmaceutical, food and adhesive industries as well as photography. The large similarity in structure and properties of gelatins from different origins makes their differentiation difficult. Certain chemometric methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA), can help to classify and characterize gelatin components. In this study 14 bovine and 5 porcine gelatins were examined. The analysis procedure involved complete hydrolysis of samples by classic acid hydrolysis in order to release their amino acid residues. Separation and determination of amino acids was achieved by reversed-phase (RP) HPLC following pre-column derivatisation. Orthophtaldialdehyde (OPA) and 4-chloro-7-nitro benzofurazane (NBD-Cl) were used as derivatisation reagents. From the 20 peaks detected by HPLC analysis, one was very typical in bovine gelatin. Peak height, area, area percentage and width were used to make matrixes. Principal component analysis with the MATLAB program was used to differentiate these gelatins. PCA on matrix of height, width and total matrix were resulted in good differentiation between bovine and porcine gelatins.

Nitrite reductase activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria prevents their inhibition by nitrate-reducing, sulphide-oxidizing bacteria

Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) can be inhibited by nitrate-reducing, sulphide-oxidizing bacteria (NR-SOB), despite the fact that these two groups are interdependent in many anaerobic environments. Practical applications of this inhibition include the reduction of sulphide concentrations in oil fields by nitrate injection. The NR-SOB Thiomicrospira sp. strain CVO was found to oxidize up to 15 mM sulphide, considerably more than three other NR-SOB strains that were tested. Sulphide oxidation increased the environmental redox potential (Eh) from -400 to +100 mV and gave 0.6 nitrite per nitrate reduced. Within the genus Desulfovibrio, strains Lac3 and Lac6 were inhibited by strain CVO and nitrate for the duration of the experiment, whereas inhibition of strains Lac15 and D. vulgaris Hildenborough was transient. The latter had very high nitrite reductase (Nrf) activity. Southern blotting with D. vulgaris nrf genes as a probe indicated the absence of homologous nrf genes from strains Lac3 and Lac6 and their presence in strain Lac15. With respect to SRB from other genera, inhibition of the known nitrite reducer Desulfobulbus propionicus by strain CVO and nitrate was transient, whereas inhibition of Desulfobacterium autotrophicum and Desulfobacter postgatei was long-lasting. The results indicate that inhibition of SRB by NR-SOB is caused by nitrite production. Nrf-containing SRB can overcome this inhibition by further reducing nitrite to ammonia, preventing a stalling of the favourable metabolic interactions between these two bacterial groups. Nrf, which is widely distributed in SRB, can thus be regarded as a resistance factor that prevents the inhibition of dissimilatory sulphate reduction by nitrite.