Food liposomes: Structures, components, preparations, and applications

This review explores liposomes, focusing on their structure, components, the characteristics influencing their stability and applicability in foods, and preparation methods. The role of phospholipids and liposome modulators in preparing liposomes of desired structure and size is emphasized. The potential of liposomes to enhance food value through liposomal encapsulation and delivery of functional substances is reviewed. Conventional and advanced liposome preparation methods are reviewed, underscoring their impact on the marketability of liposomes. The review highlights the need for research into lecithin properties and modulators that enhance liposome stability. The need to develop cost-effective and rapid liposome preparation methods is identified as a key factor in improving the marketability of food liposomes and promoting their use in foods.

Correction to: Electrochemical impedimetric biosensors for food safety

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10068-020-00776-w.].

An aluminum-based reflective nanolens array that enhances the effectiveness of a continuous-flow ultraviolet disinfection system for livestock water

Climate change has worsened droughts and floods, and created conditions more likely to lead to pathogen contamination of surface water and groundwater. Thus, there is a growing need to disinfect livestock water. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is widely accepted as an appropriate method for disinfecting livestock water, as it does not produce hazardous chemical compounds and kills pathogens. However, UV-based disinfection inevitably consumes electricity, so it is necessary to improve UV disinfection effectiveness. Aluminum-based reflective nanolens arrays that enhanced the effectiveness of a continuous-flow UV water disinfection system were developed using electrochemical and chemical processes, including electropolishing and two-step anodization. A continuous UV disinfection system was custom designed and the parts were produced using a three-dimensional printer. Electropolished aluminum was anodized at 40 and 80 V in 0.3 M oxalic acid, at 120 and 160 V in 1.0 M phosphoric acid, and at 200 and 240 V in 1.5 M citric acid. The average nanolens diameters (D) of the aluminum-based reflective nanolens arrays prepared using 40, 80, 120, 160, 200, and 240 V anodization were 95.44, 160.98, 226.64, 309.90, 296.32, and 339.68 nm, respectively. Simple UV reflection behind irradiated water disinfected Escherichia coli O157:H7 in water more than did the non-reflective control. UV reflection and focusing behind irradiated water using an aluminum-based reflective nanolens array disinfected E. coli O157:H7 more than did simple UV reflection. Such enhancement of the UV disinfection effectiveness was significantly effective when a nanolens array with D 226.64 nm, close to the wavelength of the irradiated UV (254 nm), was used.

Roles of Milk Fat Globule Membrane on Fat Digestion and Infant Nutrition

Milk fats are present as globules emulsified in the aqueous phase of milk and stabilized by a delicate membrane architecture called milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). The unique structure and composition of the MFGM play an important role in fat digestion and the metabolic programming of neonates. The objective of this review is to compare the structure, composition, and physicochemical characteristics of fat globules in human milk, bovine milk, and infant formula. It provides an overview of the fat digestion process and enzymes in healthy infants, and describes the possible roles of the MFGM in association with factors affecting fat digestion. Lastly, the health benefits of the MFGM on infant nutrition and future perspectives are discussed with a focus on brain development, metabolic response, and gut health.

Large Culprit Plaque and More Intracranial Plaques Are Associated with Recurrent Stroke: A Case-Control Study Using Vessel Wall Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Intracranial atherosclerotic plaque features are potential factors associated with recurrent stroke, but previous studies only focused on a single lesion, and few studies investigated them with perfusion impairment. This study aimed to investigate the association among whole-brain plaque features, perfusion deficit, and stroke recurrence.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with ischemic stroke due to intracranial atherosclerosis were retrospectively collected and categorized into first-time and recurrent-stroke groups. Patients underwent high-resolution vessel wall imaging and DSC-PWI. Intracranial plaque number, culprit plaque features (such as plaque volume/burden, degree of stenosis, enhancement ratio), and perfusion deficit variables were recorded. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent factors associated with recurrent stroke.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-five patients (mean age, 59 [SD, 12] years; 115 men) were included. Compared with the first-time stroke group (n = 100), the recurrent-stroke group (n = 75) had a larger culprit volume (P = .006) and showed more intracranial plaques (P < .001) and more enhanced plaques (P = .003). After we adjusted for other factors, culprit plaque volume (OR, 1.16 per 10-mm³ increase; 95% CI, 1.03-1.30; P = .015) and total plaque number (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.13-1.52; P < .001) were independently associated with recurrent stroke. Combining these factors increased the area under the curve to 0.71.

CONCLUSIONS

Large culprit plaque and more intracranial plaques were independently associated with recurrent stroke. Performing whole-brain vessel wall imaging may help identify patients with a higher risk of recurrent stroke.

Electrochemical impedimetric biosensors for food safety

Electrochemical impedimetric biosensors (EIBs) have a simple structure and can be used to rapidly and sensitively detect and measure hazards in food. EIBs detect and measure target molecules by transducing biochemical reactions on their surface to electrical signal outputs responding to a sinusoidal electrical signal input. Due to their structural simplicity and analytical sensitivity, EIBs are regarded as the most potent method of food hazard monitoring that can be implemented in the food supply chain. This paper discusses the theoretical background, structure, and construction of EIB and its applications in food safety.

Characteristics and Glucose Uptake Promoting Effect of Chrysin-Loaded Phytosomes Prepared with Different Phospholipid Matrices

Chrysin-loaded phytosomes (CP) were prepared using either soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC) or egg phospholipid (EPL) by the solvent evaporation method. Different phospholipid matrices resulted in significant differences in size, mechanical property and solubility of the CP. The most stable CP was obtained with EPL at a molar ratio of 1:3 (chrysin: EPL, CEP-1:3). CEP-1:3 displayed an average size of 117 nm with uniform size distribution (polydispersity index: 0.30) and zeta potential of -31 mV. A significantly greater elastic modulus of CEP-1:3 (2.7-fold) indicated tighter packing and strong molecular bonding than those of CP prepared with SPC (CSP-1:3). X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of CEP-1:3 confirmed molecular complexation. CEP-1:3 displayed a greater glucose uptake promoting effect than free chrysin and CSP-1:3 in muscle cells by stimulating gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and glucose transporter type 4. The results of the present study suggest that the phospholipid matrix used for the preparation of phytosomes critically influences their performance.

Key risk indicators for accident assessment conditioned on pre-crash vehicle trajectory

Accident events are generally unexpected and occur rarely. Pre-accident risk assessment by surrogate indicators is an effective way to identify risk levels and thus boost accident prediction. Herein, the concept of Key Risk Indicator (KRI) is proposed, which assesses risk exposures using hybrid indicators. Seven metrics are shortlisted as the basic indicators in KRI, with evaluation in terms of risk behaviour, risk avoidance, and risk margin. A typical real-world chain-collision accident and its antecedent (pre-crash) road traffic movements are retrieved from surveillance video footage, and a grid remapping method is proposed for data extraction and coordinates transformation. To investigate the feasibility of each indicator in risk assessment, a temporal-spatial case-control is designed. By comparison, Time Integrated Time-to-collision (TIT) performs better in identifying pre-accident risk conditions; while Crash Potential Index (CPI) is helpful in further picking out the severest ones (the near-accident). Based on TIT and CPI, the expressions of KRIs are developed, which enable us to evaluate risk severity with three levels, as well as the likelihood. KRI-based risk assessment also reveals predictive insights about a potential accident, including at-risk vehicles, locations and time. Furthermore, straightforward thresholds are defined flexibly in KRIs, since the impact of different threshold values is found not to be very critical. For better validation, another independent real-world accident sample is examined, and the two results are in close agreement. Hierarchical indicators such as KRIs offer new insights about pre-accident risk exposures, which is helpful for accident assessment and prediction.

Growth behavior comparison of Listeria monocytogenes between Type strains and beef isolates in raw beef

This study was conducted to compare the growth parameters of Listeria monocytogenes between beef isolates and Type strains in raw beef. Beef was artificially inoculated with 3 Log CFU/g levels and growth was measured during storage at various temperatures (5-25 °C) using conventional plating methods. The R2 value for lag time (λ) and specific growth rate (μ) were determined using modified-Gompertz model, which were greater than 0.98 at all storage temperature except at 5 °C. B f , A f , and RMSE showed acceptable ranges, showed that the models are suitable for the modeling the growth of L. monocytogenes. At all temperatures, the λ of L. monocytogenes beef isolates was shorter than that of the L. monocytogenes Type strains, and the μ of beef isolates was higher than that of Type strains. These results showed that growth pattern prediction of beef inoculated with L. monocytogenes beef isolates gives more actual results than with Type strains.

Inactivation of Clostridium difficile spore outgrowth by synergistic effects of nisin and lysozyme

Inactivating Clostridium difficile spores is difficult, as they are resistant to heat, chemicals, and antimicrobials. However, this note describes inactivation of C. difficile spore outgrowth by incubation in a solution containing a germinant (1% (m/v) sodium taurocholate), co-germinants (1% (m/v) tryptose and 1% (m/v) NaCl), and natural antimicrobials (20 nmol·L^-1 nisin and 0.2 mmol·L^-1 lysozyme). Clostridium difficile spores were resistant to nisin and lysozyme but became susceptible during germination and outgrowth triggered and promoted by sodium taurocholate, tryptose, and NaCl. The degree of inactivation of germinated and outgrowing C. difficile spores by both nisin and lysozyme was greater than the sum of that by nisin and lysozyme individually, suggesting synergistic inactivation of C. difficile spores. The germinant, co-germinants, and natural antimicrobials used in this study are safe for human contact and consumption. Therefore, these findings will facilitate the development of a safe and effective method to inactivate C. difficile spore.

Circulating miR-199a-3p in plasma and its potential diagnostic and prognostic value in glioma

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to examine the possibility of using plasma miR-199a-3p as a biomarker for glioma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Plasma miR-199a-3p expression glioma patients and normal healthy controls were quantified by Quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Then, the associations of serum miR-199a-3p level with clinicopathological factors or survival of glioma patients were further evaluated. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to validate the diagnostic value of miR-199a-3p. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were finally performed to analyze the independent factors for overall survival.

RESULTS

The qRT-PCR results showed that the miR-199a-3p expression was significantly downregulated in glioma tissues compared with the adjacent non-tumor tissues (p<0.01). Furthermore, plasma miR-199a-3p level was significantly lower in glioma patients when compared with healthy controls (p<0.01). ROC curve analysis showed that plasma miR-199a-3p was a useful marker for discriminating cases from healthy controls, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.8466 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.772 to 0.9211, p<0.001). Moreover, miR-199a-3p expression was associated with various clinicopathological parameters, including WHO grade (p=0.001) and KPS score (p=0.008). We found that glioma patients with low miR-199a-3p expression level had distinctly shorter overall survival than patients with high miR-199a-3p expression level (p=0.0067). Univariate and multivariate analysis suggested that miR-199a-3p expression was an independent predictor of poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicated that the circulating miR-199a-3p could be used as a promising novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of glioma.

Expression of full length and deletion homologues of Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda Factor C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: immunoreactivity and endotoxin binding

Deletion homologues of the cloned Factor C cDNAs from the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda were engineered to express in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the regulation of a galactose-inducible promoter. Expression cassettes were constructed in the vectors: pEMBLyex4 and YEpsec1 to direct, respectively, the intracellular expression, and the secretion of the protein into the culture medium using a heterologous signal sequence. The effect of insert size on the efficiency of expression and the functionality of the resulting recombinant Factor C (rFC) were studied by creating expression constructs bearing various deletion and/or hybrid fragments of Factor C. Removal of the long 5' UTR from the Factor C cDNA improved expression of the rFC. 3' Deletions of up to 84%, or internal deletions of 65% of the Factor C cDNA resulted in either the lack of detectable amounts of Factor C or loss of immunoreactivity. Depending on the construct, full length or partial rFC-related proteins were correspondingly expressed intracellularly, regardless of the vector. The rFC partitioned with the insoluble cell fraction, was solubilised with either SDS or Triton X-100, and found to be immunoreactive. The rFCs were functionally active, being able to bind Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin, provided critical regions of the endotoxin-binding domain were preserved.

Synergistic inhibition of Clostridium difficile with nisin-lysozyme combination treatment

Clostridium difficile vegetative cells were not inhibited completely after a 120-min treatment with 40 nM nisin or 0.8 mM lysozyme. However, these cells were completely inhibited after only a 30-min incubation with both 20 nM nisin and 0.2 mM lysozyme.

Safety impacts of red light cameras at signalized intersections based on cellular automata models

OBJECTIVE

This study applies a simulation technique to evaluate the hypothesis that red light cameras (RLCs) exert important effects on accident risks. Conflict occurrences are generated by simulation and compared at intersections with and without RLCs to assess the impact of RLCs on several conflict types under various traffic conditions.

METHOD

Conflict occurrences are generated through simulating vehicular interactions based on an improved cellular automata (CA) model. The CA model is calibrated and validated against field observations at approaches with and without RLCs. Simulation experiments are conducted for RLC and non-RLC intersections with different geometric layouts and traffic demands to generate conflict occurrences that are analyzed to evaluate the hypothesis that RLCs exert important effects on road safety.

RESULTS

The comparison of simulated conflict occurrences show favorable safety impacts of RLCs on crossing conflicts and unfavorable impacts for rear-end conflicts during red/amber phases. Corroborative results are found from broad analysis of accident occurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

RLCs are found to have a mixed effect on accident risk at signalized intersections: crossing collisions are reduced, whereas rear-end collisions may increase. The specially developed CA model is found to be a feasible safety assessment tool.

Micro-simulation of vehicle conflicts involving right-turn vehicles at signalized intersections based on cellular automata

At intersection, vehicles coming from different directions conflict with each other. Improper geometric design and signal settings at signalized intersection will increase occurrence of conflicts between road users and results in a reduction of the safety level. This study established a cellular automata (CA) model to simulate vehicular interactions involving right-turn vehicles (as similar to left-turn vehicles in US). Through various simulation scenarios for four case cross-intersections, the relationships between conflict occurrences involving right-turn vehicles with traffic volume and right-turn movement control strategies are analyzed. Impacts of traffic volume, permissive right-turn compared to red-amber-green (RAG) arrow, shared straight-through and right-turn lane as well as signal setting are estimated from simulation results. The simulation model is found to be able to provide reasonable assessment of conflicts through comparison of existed simulation approach and observed accidents. Through the proposed approach, prediction models for occurrences and severity of vehicle conflicts can be developed for various geometric layouts and traffic control strategies.

Novel Convenient Method to Determine Wettability and Dispersibility of Dairy Powders

This study was carried out to develop a simple, convenient, and reproducible testing device to determine wettability and dispersibility of dairy powders. The testing device consists of a sieve (150 μm) attached to a sample chamber, sensors mounted on a supporting body and a main control unit containing a display panel. The sensors detect the difference in electrical resistance between air and water. A timer is automatically triggered by the sensor when the bottom of sample-loaded chamber contacts water in the petri dish. Wettability and dispersibility of commercial skim milk powders (SMPs) produced at different heating strengths (low-, medium-, and high-heat SMP) are compared using the new testing device. Wettability of the SMPs were correlated with particle size and are found to increase in the order of medium-, low-, and high-heat SMP regardless of the amount of sample tested. Dispersibility of SMPs showed the same trend and high heat-SMP which has the smallest particle size resulted in the lowest dispersibility. Unlike existing methods, the new testing device can determine both wettability and dispersibility of powders and successfully detected differences among the samples.

The cardiovascular effects of central hydrogen sulfide are related to K(ATP) channels activation

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), an endogenous "gasotransmitter", exists in the central nervous system. However, the central cardiovascular effects of endogenous H(2)S are not fully determined. The present study was designed to investigate the central cardiovascular effects and its possible mechanism in anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of NaHS (0.17~17 microg) produced a significant and dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) (P < 0.05) compared to control. The higher dose of NaHS (17 microg, n = 6) decreased BP and HR quickly of rats and 2 of them died of respiratory paralyse. Icv injection of the cystathionine beta-synthetase (CBS) activator s-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM, 26 microg) also produced a significant hypotension and bradycardia, which were similar to the results of icv injection of NaHS. Furthermore, the hypotension and bradycardia induced by icv NaHS were effectively attenuated by pretreatment with the K(ATP) channel blocker glibenclamide but not with the CBS inhibitor hydroxylamine. The present study suggests that icv injection of NaHS produces hypotension and bradycardia, which is dependent on the K(ATP) channel activation.

Fast numerical method for electromagnetic scattering from an object above a large-scale layered rough surface at large incident angle: vertical polarization

A fast numerical method has been proposed in this paper for calculating the electromagnetic scattering from a perfectly electric conducting object above a two-layered dielectric rough surface. The focus in this study is large incidence. The parallel fast multipole method is combined with the method of moments for fast implementation of the scattering from this composite model. The biconjugate gradient method is adopted to solve the unsymmetrical matrix equation and parallelized. The simulating time and parallel speedup ratio with different processors are provided. Several numerical results are shown and analyzed to discuss the influences of the parameters of the rough surface, the object, and the intermediate medium on the bistatic scattering.

Direct detection of the biological toxin in acidic environment by electrochemical impedimetric immunosensor

This study describes the direct detection of the biological toxin (Ricin) in acidic environment without pH adjustment by hydrophobically modified electrochemical impedance immunosensor (EII). The nano-porous aluminum substrate for EII was hydrophobically modified via self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of APTES. Biosensor for the detection of the Ricin was fabricated by the covalent cross-linking of antibody (Ab) with APTES-SAM. The immunoreactions between the immobilized Ab and the biological toxin in several diagnostic solutions were monitored by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) under the polarization of EII versus reference electrode. EII could detect the presence of the biological toxin in acidic foods in 20 mins without pH adjustment. The negatively charged ions including hydroxides would be adsorbed on the hydrophobic body of APTES-SAMs by the polarization during EIS analysis, and offset the effect of acids on the immunological activity of the immobilized Ab. It suggested that the adsorption of negatively charged ions helped to keep the immunological activities of the immobilized Ab on EII in acidic environment. Proposed mechanism of the localized pH adjustment that makes possible immunoreaction occurrence in low pH sample matrix is briefly discussed.

Label-free toxin detection by means of time-resolved electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

The real-time detection of trace concentrations of biological toxins requires significant improvement of the detection methods from those reported in the literature. To develop a highly sensitive and selective detection device it is necessary to determine the optimal measuring conditions for the electrochemical sensor in three domains: time, frequency and polarization potential. In this work we utilized a time-resolved electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for the detection of trace concentrations of Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB). An anti-SEB antibody has been attached to the nano-porous aluminum surface using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane/glutaraldehyde coupling system. This immobilization method allows fabrication of a highly reproducible and stable sensing device. Using developed immobilization procedure and optimized detection regime, it is possible to determine the presence of SEB at the levels as low as 10 pg/mL in 15 minutes.

Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for detection of SYT-SSX translocation in synovial sarcoma

9553

Background: Synovial sarcoma is the most common non-rhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents. A specific translocation, t(X;18), induces fusion of the SYT gene on chromosome 18 to an SSX gene on chromosome X. The resulting fusion gene consists of at least 2 subtypes with different breakpoints: SYT-SSX1(X;18)(p11.23;q11.2) and SYT-SSX2 (X;18)(p11.21;q11.2). Because t(X;18) transcripts occur in >90% of synovial sarcoma subtypes, this marker may be useful for diagnosis. We evaluated the accuracy of a multiplex real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for detection of the primary SYT-SSX fusion transcript types in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and frozen tissues. Methods: 17 tumors (7 synovial sarcomas, 4 Ewing’s sarcomas, 5 rhabdomyosarcomas, 1 small round blue-cell tumor), 4 normal tissues, and 4 control samples were tested for SYT-SSX translocations using real-time RT-PCR. Results were compared to those obtained with gel electrophoresis detection of amplified transcripts; discrepant results were confirmed by sequencing. Results: Concordance between real time RT-PCR and gel electrophoresis was 100% (25/25) for internal control genes and SYT-SSX1, and 92% (23/25) for SYT-SSX2. Of the 2 samples with discordant SYT-SSX2 results, 1 was positive by real-time RT-PCR but not gel electrophoresis and 1 was positive by electrophoresis but not real-time RT-PCR; in both cases, DNA sequencing confirmed the real-time RT-PCR results. The minimum percentage of tumor to normal cells required for detection of SYT-SSX fusion transcripts by real-time RT-PCR was 6.25%. Conclusions: This real-time RT-PCR assay appears to provide greater accuracy than gel electrophoresis for identification of SYT-SSX translocation and fusion types.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

A simple intraductal aspiration method for cytodiagnosis in nipple discharge

OBJECTIVE

To increase cytodiagnostic accuracy for women with spontaneous nipple discharge using a simple intraductal aspiration method.

STUDY DESIGN

We compared the cytodiagnostic accuracy of the conventional squeezing collection method and intraductal aspiration by intravenous catheter in a total of 146 women with spontaneous nipple discharge in a single duct without a mass; they had been pathologically identified at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital.

RESULTS

Adequate specimens were collected in 96.6% (141/146 cases) of the sample by the intraductal aspiration method as compared to 76.0% collected by the conventional squeezing method (P < .05). An adequate specimen should consist, at a minimum, of six cohesive clusters of well-preserved epithelial cells, with each cluster composed of at least five cells other than foam cells. The cytologic diagnosis was divided into five categories: positive in 9 cases, suspicious in 10, negative with atypical findings in 59, negative in 33 and inadequate specimens in 35 cases that employed the squeezing method. These results were less satisfactory than with the intraductal aspiration method: the smears were positive in 17 cases, suspicious in 14, negative with atypical findings in 78, negative in 32 and inadequate specimens in 5. Our results showed a sensitivity of 92.3% and specificity of 93.9% for the intraductal aspiration method as compared to a sensitivity of 52.9% and specificity of 89.3% for the squeezing method. Among the 27 cancers in this series, correct cytodiagnosis, including suspicious cases, was made in 24 cases by intraductal aspiration, with an accuracy of 88.9%, as compared to the 33.3% (9/27) accuracy of the squeezing method (P < 0.5).

CONCLUSION

For patients with spontaneous nipple discharge, the intraductal aspiration method provides much more accurate cytodiagnosis than does the conventional squeezing method.

Developmental expression of a novel Ftz-F1 homologue, ff1b (NR5A4), in the zebrafish Danio rerio

The Ftz-F1 genes encode orphan receptors of the nuclear receptor superfamily. The mammalian Ftz-F1 homologue, SF-1, has been found to be essential for the proper development of the adrenal-gonadal axis and it also plays a critical role in mammalian sex-determination. We report here the isolation and characterisation of a novel zebrafish Ftz-F1 gene, ff1b. Whole-mount in situ hybridization revealed onset of expression in the developing rostral diencephalon at 22 h post-fertilization (h.p.f.). Later, at 30 h.p.f., transcripts could be detected in the anterior regions of the pancreatic anlagen. Expression in both locations peaks at 36 h.p.f. and disappears at around 48 h.p.f.

Study of chemical species of iodine in human liver

The distribution and chemical species of iodine in various subcellular fractions of human liver were studied by using epithermal neutron activation analysis combined with chemical and biochemical separation techniques, such as gradient centrifugation and gel chromatography. It was found that the total iodine content orders in various subcellular fractions is as follows: nuclei > cytosol > mitochondria > lysosome > microsome. In the lysosomal fraction, iodine is mainly bound to macromolecules, whereas in the nuclei and mitochondrial fractions, mainly with lower-molecular-weight organic compounds. In the cytosol fraction, iodine is combined with three proteins, in which iodine is chiefly bound with mid- and high-molecular-weight proteins.

Epstein Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative-disorders primarily involving the skin

In cases of solid organ or bone marrow transplantation, up to 2 to 10% of patients may develop lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD), often induced by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Despite a morphology mimicking malignant lymphoma, in some cases the lesions will disappear completely after the degree of immunosuppression is lowered. Lately, similar processes have been described in non-transplant, immunosuppressed patients. A SNOMED search was performed on the database of three hospitals between 1990 and 1997, to identify patients with immunosuppression-related lymphoproliferative disorders (IR-LPD) involving primarily the skin. Two patients were identified. One was 2 years after kidney transplantation, and the other was being treated with methotrexate for dermatomyositis. In both biopsies, there was a diffuse perivascular proliferation of large lymphocytes with ample cytoplasm and pleomorphic nuclei, associated with extensive dermal and subcutaneous necrosis. Immunohistochemical studies revealed expression of CD20, CD45RO, CD43, CD30, EBV-LMP1, and EBV-NA2 by the atypical lymphocytes in both cases and, in one case, of the EBV-transcriptional replication activation protein. In both cases the lesions completely disappeared and have not recurred. Primary involvement of the skin by IR-LPD is very rare. Based on our results, it is possible that some of these cases in the skin contain EBV and co-express CD30 and T- and B-cell markers. The diagnosis of IR-LPD should be considered in cutaneous lymphoid proliferations in immunosuppressed patients. Before rendering an unequivocal diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, reduction of immunosuppression and follow-up of 4-8 weeks should be considered.

Fine needle aspiration of osteogenic sarcoma metastatic to the lung. A report of four cases

BACKGROUND

Osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) is a relatively rare, highly malignant neoplasm of bone with a tendency to metastasize to the lung. Resection of pulmonary metastases in selected instances can increase survival and likelihood of a cure. To date, fine needle aspiration (FNA) of OGS had been well characterized in primary sites of bone and soft tissue.

CASES

Four patients with a history of OGS presented with lung nodules suspected to be metastatic disease. All were evaluated initially by radiographically assisted FNA. In all cases FNA showed spindled or osteoblastlike cells. Two cases demonstrated stromal elements: chondroid or osteoid matrix in one case each of chondroblastic and conventional OGS. All four cases had histologic confirmation of metastatic OGS in the form of subsequent surgical resection of the lung nodules.

CONCLUSION

New pulmonary nodules in a patient with known malignancy is almost always metastatic disease. In a patient with a history of OGS, the diagnosis is extremely likely to be metastatic OGS, but a few other entities may occur. Although these entities are rare, their occasional occurrence could argue for preoperative confirmation of the lung lesion as malignant prior to subjecting the patient to pulmonary resection. Our findings show FNA features of OGS that have been previously observed in primary sites. These findings are specific enough to diagnose metastases if the patient has known primary OGS.

Salivary gland lesions with a prominent lymphoid component: cytologic findings and differential diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is an accepted technique for the preoperative diagnosis of salivary gland nodules. The majority of salivary gland nodules are pleomorphic adenomas and offer little difficulty in diagnosis. Most diagnostically difficult lesions fall into one of four morphologic categories represented by squamous-cell-containing lesions, clear cell neoplasms, neoplasms with a prominence of stromal material, and lymphocyte-containing lesions. Herein, we describe our experience with a series of 61 histologically confirmed cases in which the smears contained a prominent or predominant number of lymphocytes. The differential diagnosis is discussed and points of diagnostic aid enumerated.

Determination of bromine and iodine in normal tissues from Beijing healthy adults

The contents of bromine and iodine in samples of heart, liver, spleen, lung, muscle, and hair from healthy adults living in Beijing, China, were determined using epithermal neutron activation analysis. The results indicate that the contents of bromine in lung and iodine in liver are higher than those in other tissues, except human hair. The bromine contents in Beijing human tissues are significantly lower than those in other countries. The contents of iodine are slightly lower than those in other countries, but the difference is not significant. Three biological standard reference materials were simultaneously determined with the samples, and our results agree well with the certified values.

The study of iodine in Chinese total diets

In this work, China was divided into four area groups according to their geographical positions and dietary habits. All foods were divided into 12 types and the iodine contents in various diets were determined using epithermal neutron activation analysis (NAA). The intakes for China were evaluated. The results indicate that the intakes of iodine in northern areas are slightly higher and in south areas lower than the lowest recommended intake, and the average intake in China is 166 micrograms/person per day, which is within the recommended range. In addition, one province were chosen from each area groups. The dietary intakes of iodine were investigated in different ages and sex using total mixed diet method. Our results indicate that the average iodine intake of four provinces was lower than the recommended value, which suggests that it is necessary to supplement iodine in foods in China.

Expression of Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda factor C cDNA

The cDNA encoding Factor C (FC) from the Singaporean horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda has been studied for in vitro coupled transcription-translation (TnT) under the T7 promoter. Two species of full length cDNA, CrFC26 and CrFC21 which differ in length and nucleotide sequence at their 5' untranslated regions (UTR) were used in this study. Wild type CrFC26 with a long 5' UTR containing multiple "false" ATGs failed to generate a translated product. With a more accessible ATG codon in CrFC21, the recombinant construct gave a high yield of FC when transcribed and translated in vitro. CrFC26 deletion mutants which lack the entire 5' UTR and portions of the putative leader peptide were translatable, albeit at lower efficiency as compared to CrFC21. In vitro and in vivo expression of truncated portions of the CrFC21-T7 gene 10 fusions have been compared. In vitro reactions yielded single gene products from each of the expression constructs whereas E. coli produced three major immunoreactive bands of FC.

Carbamazepine measurement in samples from the emergency room

The measurement of carbamazepine (CBZ) in samples from the emergency room (ER) raises several issues for drug monitoring. First, the ER frequently requires rapid turnaround time for clinical samples; this need may be more conveniently met by automated immunoassays than by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the other major analytical technique for measurement of carbamazepine. On the other hand, immunoassays often do not completely measure the pharmacologically active carbamazepine epoxide metabolite and therefore may not indicate the full extent of serum anticonvulsant activity. Second, patients may be admitted to the ER specifically because of seizure activity, which may be an indication of under- or overmedication with carbamazepine and which, if due in large part to high levels of the epoxide metabolite, may not be fully assessed by immunoassay. We examined the results of carbamazepine determination in 102 consecutive samples sent from an ER. Each sample was analyzed by a fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) and by HPLC. There were good correlations between the FPIA and the HPLC for the parent drug and for the sum of the parent drug plus metabolite (carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, CBZ-E) with these regression equations: FPIA = 1.13 (HPLC CBZ) + 0.09 (r2 = 0.93) and FPIA = 0.93 (HPLC CBZ+CBZ-E)-0.55 (r2 = 0.89), respectively. There were weak correlations between the FPIA and the epoxide and between the parent drug and the epoxide. Based on the FPIA and HPLC results, we classified each value relative to the therapeutic range, i.e., supratherapeutic, subtherapeutic, or therapeutic.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Total and methyl mercury levels in human scalp hairs of typical populations in China by NAA, GC(EC), and other techniques

The contents of total and methyl mercury in scalp hair samples of 1179 fishermen living in a typical Hg-polluted region in northeast China and 27 lying-in women and their newborns in Beijing have been determined by INAA, GC(EC), and other techniques. Only 18 of all fishermen had Hg contents above 5 micrograms/g, which indicates that the Hg pollution there has been substantially alleviated. The longitudinal Hg patterns of the lying-in women showed a gradually lowering tendency during pregnant period. Further, the Hg contents of the newborn babies generally were above or close to those of their mothers, confirming the mechanism that the methyl Hg, an organic species of Hg with high toxicity, is readily able to penetrate the placental barrier and to accumulate in the fetus. Thus, the mercury poison has occurred at the early stage of pregnancy.

Study of a low-selenium environment in China by INAA and Mössbauer spectrometry

The neutron activation analysis, gamma coincidence spectroscopy, nondispersive hydrogen flame atomic fluorescence spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectrometry were used to study the low-selenium environment of the Exi Autonomous Prefecture, a well-known Keshan disease region. The Se contents in the soil samples there range from 0.075-0.18 mg/kg with the average of 0.13 mg/kg, whereas in the maize from 0.001-0.018 mg/kg with the average of 0.0099 mg/kg. The 57Fe Mössbauer spectrum of the soil indicates an anoxic environment. In addition to the FE3+ species the compounds containing low-valence iron e.g., goethite, and so forth, also exist. The rare earth element (REE) pattern obtained by NAA further confirms the reductive soil environment, which causes the selenium deficiency.