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Dubber D, Brophy L, O'Connell D, Behan P, Danaher M, Evans C, Geary P, Misstear B, Gill L. The use of sterol profiles, supported with other faecal source tracking methods, to apportion septic tanks contamination in rural catchments. Environ Pollut 2024; 341:122884. [PMID: 37951526 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the origin of faecal pollution in water is needed for effective water management decisions to protect both human health and aquatic ecosystems. Traditionally used indicators of faecal contamination, such as E. coli, only indicate pollution from warm-blooded animals and not the specific source of contamination; hence, more source specific tracers are required. The study has focussed on separating the two main sources of contaminants within rural catchments in Ireland, agriculture and on-site wastewater treatment systems (predominantly septic tanks). While human-specific effluent tracers may assist in identifying potential pathways from individual septic tanks to surface waters, it is difficult to quantify the cumulative impact of such systems at a catchment scale. This study has investigated faecal sterols as a method to quantify such an impact on four small catchments in areas of low subsoil permeability with high densities of septic tanks. The results demonstrate the usefulness of faecal sterols which provide a quantitative evaluation of the respective impact between agricultural pasture inputs and on-site effluent showing differences between the four catchments. The study also highlights the need to derive more specific local reference sterol profile databases for specific countries or regions, using local source material of animal faeces and effluent. Two intensive sampling campaigns on the four catchments then used faecal sterols in parallel to fluorescent whitening compounds (FWCs), caffeine, artificial sweeteners and selected pharmaceuticals to gain further insights and confirmation about contamination hotspots as well as providing comparison between the different parameters. The combination of sterols, FWCs, caffeine, acesulfame and cyclamate has proven suitable to provide an estimate of the extent of human contamination in these rural catchments and has yielded additional information about potential pollution pathways and proximity of contamination. Overall, this methodology can help to facilitate a targeted and effective water management in such catchments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donata Dubber
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura Brophy
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - David O'Connell
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Patrice Behan
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technical University of Dublin, Ireland
| | - Martin Danaher
- Teagasc, Agricultural and Food Development Authority, Ashtown Food Research Centre, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Craig Evans
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Australia
| | - Phillip Geary
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Australia
| | - Bruce Misstear
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laurence Gill
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
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2
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Wu X, Keegan J, Behan P. Migration analysis of Cr, Ni, Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Mo in internet-bought food serving stainless-steel utensils by ICP-MS and XRF. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 2021; 14:256-263. [PMID: 34180783 DOI: 10.1080/19393210.2021.1946168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A total of 120 internet bought stainless-steel utensil samples intended for food serving were analysed for their release of Cr, Ni, Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Mo. Samples were extracted using simulants under continuous and discontinuous test conditions, extracts were analysed by ICP-MS, and metallic compositions of utensils were indicated by XRF analysis. r2 values for all analytes were determined between 0.9982 and 0.9997. RSD and WRm values ranged between 4.5-8.5% and 80-107% for all analytes, respectively, and LOD was in the range of 0.11-25.8 µg/l. Migration results show that 35% of total sample types show non-compliance with the SMLs established by the Nordic guidelines. XRF data show good correlation between the metals' migration levels and their respective compositions in the utensil, and toxicological exposure estimates no significant adverse health effects from food served with articles exceeding the SMLs for Fe, Al, and Ni.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Wu
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, TU Dublin City Campus, Dublin, Ireland.,Public Analyst's Laboratory Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - John Keegan
- Public Analyst's Laboratory Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Patrice Behan
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, TU Dublin City Campus, Dublin, Ireland
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3
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Ó Fearghail F, Behan P, Engström N, Scheers N. A LCMS Metabolomic Workflow to Investigate Metabolic Patterns in Human Intestinal Cells Exposed to Hydrolyzed Crab Waste Materials. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:629083. [PMID: 33681165 PMCID: PMC7928233 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.629083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
We have developed a LCMS metabolomic workflow to investigate metabolic patterns from human intestinal cells treated with simulated gastrointestinal-digested hydrolyzed crab waste materials. This workflow facilitates smart and reproducible comparisons of cell cultures exposed to different treatments. In this case the variable was the hydrolysis methods, also accounting for the GI digestion giving an output of direct correlation between cellular metabolic patterns caused by the treatments. In addition, we used the output from this workflow to select treatments for further evaluation of the Caco-2 cell response in terms of tentative anti-inflammatory activity in the hopes to find value in the crab waste materials to be used for food products. As hypothesized, the treatment identified to change the cellular metabolomic pattern most readily, was also found to cause the greatest effect in the cells, although the response was pro-inflammatory rather than anti-inflammatory, it proves that changes in cellular metabolic patterns are useful predictors of bioactivity. We conclude that the developed workflow allows for cost effective, rapid sample preparation as well as accurate and repeatable LCMS analysis and introduces a data pipeline specifically for probe the novel metabolite patterns created as a means to assess the performing treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fionn Ó Fearghail
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Patrice Behan
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Niklas Engström
- Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nathalie Scheers
- Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
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4
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Fennell C, Misstear B, O'Connell D, Dubber D, Behan P, Danaher M, Moloney M, Gill L. An assessment of contamination fingerprinting techniques for determining the impact of domestic wastewater treatment systems on private well supplies. Environ Pollut 2021; 268:115687. [PMID: 33032246 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Private wells in Ireland and elsewhere have been shown to be prone to microbial contamination with the main suspected sources being practices associated with agriculture and domestic wastewater treatment systems (DWWTS). While the microbial quality of private well water is commonly assessed using faecal indicator bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, such organisms are not usually source-specific, and hence cannot definitively conclude the exact origin of the contamination. This research assessed a range of different chemical contamination fingerprinting techniques (ionic ratios, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, fluorescent whitening compounds, faecal sterol profiles and pharmaceuticals) as to their use to apportion contamination of private wells between human wastewater and animal husbandry wastes in rural areas of Ireland. A one-off sampling and analysis campaign of 212 private wells found that 15% were contaminated with E. coli. More extensive monitoring of 24 selected wells found 58% to be contaminated with E. coli on at least one occasion over a 14-month period. The application of fingerprinting techniques to these monitored wells found that the use of chloride/bromide and potassium/sodium ratios is a useful low-cost fingerprinting technique capable of identifying impacts from human wastewater and organic agricultural contamination, respectively. The artificial sweetener acesulfame was detected on several occasions in a number of monitored wells, indicating its conservative nature and potential use as a fingerprinting technique for human wastewater. However, neither fluorescent whitening compounds nor caffeine were detected in any wells, and faecal sterol profiles proved inconclusive, suggesting limited suitability for the conditions investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Fennell
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bruce Misstear
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David O'Connell
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Donata Dubber
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Patrice Behan
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
| | - Martin Danaher
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin, 15, Ireland
| | - Mary Moloney
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin, 15, Ireland
| | - Laurence Gill
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
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5
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Sarangapani C, Ziuzina D, Behan P, Boehm D, Gilmore BF, Cullen PJ, Bourke P. Degradation kinetics of cold plasma-treated antibiotics and their antimicrobial activity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3955. [PMID: 30850645 PMCID: PMC6408491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40352-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotics, such as ofloxacin (OFX) and ciprofloxacin (CFX), are often detected in considerable concentrations in both wastewater effluents and surface water. This poses a risk to non-target organisms and to human health. The aim of this work was to study atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) degradation of antibiotics in water and meat effluent and to explore any residual antimicrobial activity of samples submitted to the plasma process. The results revealed that ACP successfully degraded the studied antibiotics and that the reaction mechanism is principally related to attack by hydroxyl radicals and ozone. According to the disk diffusion assay, the activity of both antibiotics was considerably reduced by the plasma treatment. However, a microdilution method demonstrated that CFX exhibited higher antimicrobial activity after ACP treatment than the corresponding control revealing a potentially new platform for future research to improve the efficiency of conventional antibiotic treatments. Importantly, short-term exposures to sub-lethal concentrations of the antibiotic equally reduced bacterial susceptibility to both ACP treated and untreated CFX. As a remediation process, ACP removal of antibiotics in complex wastewater effluents is possible. However, it is recommended that plasma encompass degradant structure activity relationships to ensure that biological activity is eliminated against non-target organisms and that life cycle safety of antibiotic compounds is achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaitanya Sarangapani
- School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dana Ziuzina
- School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Patrice Behan
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Daniela Boehm
- School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Brendan F Gilmore
- School of Pharmacy, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, United Kingdom
| | - P J Cullen
- School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Paula Bourke
- School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Sarangapani C, Lu P, Behan P, Bourke P, Cullen P. Humic acid and trihalomethane breakdown with potential by-product formations for atmospheric air plasma water treatment. J IND ENG CHEM 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2017.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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7
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White P, McHugh B, Poole R, McGovern E, White J, Behan P, Foley B, Covaci A. Application of congener based multi-matrix profiling techniques to identify potential PCDD/F sources in environmental samples from the Burrishoole Catchment in the West of Ireland. Environ Pollut 2014; 184:449-456. [PMID: 24121420 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Homologue and congener profiles of PCDD/Fs in eels, passive sampler and sediment extracts from the Burrishoole, a rural upland catchment on the western Irish seaboard were compared with potential PCDD sources. ΣPCDD/F levels in eels ranged from 2.9 to 25.9 pg g(-1) wet weight, which are elevated compared to other Irish locations. The OCDD congener dominated the pattern of ΣPCDD/Fs in all matrices from Burrishoole. Passive samplers were successfully deployed to identify for the first time the presence in the water column of PCDD/Fs and dimethoxylated octachlorodiphenyl ether (diMeOoctaCDE), impurities found in pentachlorophenol (PCP) production. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified similarities between PCDD/F profiles in technical PCP mixtures and environmental samples from the Burrishoole region. Results strongly suggest residual PCDD contamination associated with historic local use of a dioxin contaminated product in the catchment area, with pentachlorophenol a strong candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- P White
- Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Galway and Newport, Mayo, Ireland; School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin St., Dublin 8, Ireland.
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8
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Cronly M, Behan P, Foley B, Danaher M, Malone E, Regan L. Survey of 11 nitroimidazole residues in hen and duck eggs from the Irish market. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 2011; 4:79-87. [PMID: 24785717 DOI: 10.1080/19393210.2011.573582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method, recently developed, validated and accredited, was used to screen for metronidazole, ronidazole dimetridazole ipronidazole, ternidazole, tinidazole, ornidazole carnidazole and three hydroxy metabolites (hydroxy-metronidazole, HMMNI and hydroxy-ipronidazole) in Irish retail egg samples. The method used had decision limits (CCα) in the range 0.33-1.26 µg kg(-1) and detection capabilities (CCβ) ranging 0.56-2.15 µg kg(-1) for all analytes. Internal standard-corrected recovery, calculated for the various analytes, ranged 87.2-106.2%, while the coefficient of variance, expressed as % CV, ranged 3.7-11.3%. The method was applied to 160 samples of caged, free range and organic hen and duck eggs available on the Irish retail market as well as two incurred proficiency test egg samples. No nitroimidazole residues were detected in the survey samples above the CCα and the results achieved for the two proficiency test samples were acceptable when compared with the assigned values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Cronly
- a School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology , Kevin St. , Dublin 8 , Ireland
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9
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Best SA, Midgley JM, Watson DG, Macfarlane RG, Behan P, Bakheit M. Determination of Levels of Precursors and Metabolites of 5-Hydroxytryptamine in Human CSF by GC-Nicims. J Pharm Pharmacol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1990.tb14393.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- SA Best
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XW
| | - JM Midgley
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XW
| | - DG Watson
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XW
| | - RG Macfarlane
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XW
| | - P Behan
- Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF
| | - M Bakheit
- Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF
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10
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Cronly M, Behan P, Foley B, Malone E, Martin S, Doyle M, Regan L. Rapid multi-class multi-residue method for the confirmation of chloramphenicol and eleven nitroimidazoles in milk and honey by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 2010; 27:1233-46. [DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2010.489579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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11
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Cronly M, Behan P, Foley B, Malone E, Earley S, Gallagher M, Shearan P, Regan L. Development and validation of a rapid multi-class method for the confirmation of fourteen prohibited medicinal additives in pig and poultry compound feed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2010; 53:929-38. [PMID: 20643524 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2010.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2010] [Revised: 06/22/2010] [Accepted: 06/24/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
A confirmatory method has been developed to allow for the analysis of fourteen prohibited medicinal additives in pig and poultry compound feed. These compounds are prohibited for use as feed additives although some are still authorised for use in medicated feed. Feed samples are extracted by acetonitrile with addition of sodium sulfate. The extracts undergo a hexane wash to aid with sample purification. The extracts are then evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in initial mobile phase. The samples undergo an ultracentrifugation step prior to injection onto the LC-MS/MS system and are analysed in a run time of 26 min. The LC-MS/MS system is run in MRM mode with both positive and negative electrospray ionisation. The method was validated over three days and is capable of quantitatively analysing for metronidazole, dimetridazole, ronidazole, ipronidazole, chloramphenicol, sulfamethazine, dinitolimide, ethopabate, carbadox and clopidol. The method is also capable of qualitatively analysing for sulfadiazine, tylosin, virginiamycin and avilamycin. A level of 100 microg kg(-1) was used for validation purposes and the method is capable of analysing to this level for all the compounds. Validation criteria of trueness, precision, repeatability and reproducibility along with measurement uncertainty are calculated for all analytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Cronly
- School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin St., Dublin 8, Ireland.
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12
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Cronly M, Behan P, Foley B, Malone E, Regan L. Rapid confirmatory method for the determination of 11 nitroimidazoles in egg using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2009; 1216:8101-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2009.04.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2008] [Revised: 04/01/2009] [Accepted: 04/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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14
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Dinan TG, Majeed T, Lavelle E, Scott LV, Berti C, Behan P. Blunted serotonin-mediated activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1997; 22:261-7. [PMID: 9226729 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4530(97)00002-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We examined 5HT1a-mediated ACTH release in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using a between-subjects design. Patients attending a specialist outpatient clinic for CFS, who fulfilled CDC criteria, together with age- and sex-matched healthy comparison subjects, were recruited. Subjects had a cannula inserted in a forearm vein at 0830 h and were allowed to relax until 0900 h, when baseline bloods for ACTH and cortisol were drawn. They were then given ipsapirone 20 mg PO and further blood for hormone estimation was taken at +30, +60, +90, +120 and +180 min. Baseline ACTH and cortisol levels did not differ between the two groups. Release of ACTH (but not cortisol) in response to ipsapirone challenge was significantly blunted in patients with CFS. We conclude that serotonergic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is defective in CFS. This defect may be of pathophysiological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- T G Dinan
- Department of Psychological Medicine, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK.
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16
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Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) resembles the spongiform encephalopathies in its dual pattern of inherited and sporadic cases, its uniform prevalence in different populations, its late onset (suggestive of a long incubation period) and its pathological picture of neuronal degeneration without inflammation. There is a well-established protocol for primary transmission of scrapie and related diseases to mice. Using this, we inoculated four longlived, inbred, mouse strains with cord material fresh-frozen within three hours of death, from a case of ALS or a control case. No motor neuron loss, gliosis or tract demyelination was found in the experimental group. Fifty per cent of each group were observed for more than 600 days. Two types of lesions were found in these animals at death: widespread foci of white matter vacuolation and bilateral thalamic mineral deposits. They were present in the control group at the same incidence and severity as in the experimental group and were thus considered to represent an age-related change. Attention is drawn to them because they have been claimed as significant when found in a transgenic model of spongiform encephalopathy. The results of our carefully-controlled experiment suggest that it is unlikely that ALS is caused by a scrapie-like agent capable of transmission to mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Fraser
- Institute for Animal Health, BBSRC & MRC Neuropathogenesis Unit, Edinburgh
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Gow J, Cash P, Behan W, McGarry F, Simpson K, Behan P. Detection of picornavirus genomic and template RNA strands by a novel semi-nested polymerase chain reaction-technique and agarose-gel electrophoresis. Electrophoresis 1995; 16:338-40. [PMID: 7541748 DOI: 10.1002/elps.1150160156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Attempts to evaluate the relative levels of enteroviral genomic and template RNA strands in small biopsy tissue samples from patients have yielded ambiguous data, largely due to the limited amount of RNA available. A novel semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was developed to enable RNA levels to be examined more accurately. PCR products were visualised by horizontal agarose gel electrophoresis. This technique was demonstrated on linear single-stranded plasmid DNA; viral RNA isolated from a human rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell line persistently infected with a mutated coxsackie B5 virus (piRD) and two cell lines, RD and HEp2 cells, acutely infected with a wild-type clinical isolate of coxsackie B5 virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Gow
- Department of Neurology, University of Glasgow
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18
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Majeed T, Behan P. BOOK REVIEWS: Pseudo-Epileptic Seizures. J Neurol Psychiatry 1993. [DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.56.12.1342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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20
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Lotwick H, Harrison R, Lunt G, Behan P. Interaction of foetal and adult human acetylcholine receptors with serum from patients with myasthenia gravis. J Neuroimmunol 1983; 4:167-74. [PMID: 6853696 DOI: 10.1016/0165-5728(83)90033-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Acetylcholine receptors were partially purified from foetal and adult human muscle and their binding to myasthenic serum was compared. No significant differences between the binding characteristics of the two receptor types were detected; indicating the absence, at least in 14-22-week-old foetuses of antigenic sites unique to foetal receptor and recognised by myasthenic sera.
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Behan P. Migraine: a rational approach to therapy. Br J Clin Pract 1982; 36:359-362. [PMID: 7171424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
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Abstract
We report an experimental study designed to test the following hypothesis derived from clinical observations: There is an elevated frequency in left-handed individuals and in their families of immune disease, migraine, and developmental learning disorders. In two separate investigations the frequency of these conditions was compared in strongly left-handed subjects and in strongly right-handed controls. In each of the investigations we found markedly higher frequencies of immune disease in the left-handers than in the right-handers. The rate of learning disabilities was also much higher in the left-handers than in the right-handers in both investigations. In a second study the frequency of left-handedness was compared in patients with migraine or immune disease and in general population control subjects free of these disorders. There was a higher frequency of left-handedness in patients with migraine and myasthenia gravis than in controls. We present a brief outline of a hypothesis that may account for an increased frequency of immune disease in left-handers and in their families.
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