Binzhou section of Changshen highway was selected to study the effectiveness of road sweeping in decreasing the pollutant loads of highway runoff.With on-site continuous sampling the discharge rules of Cu Cd Pb and Zn...Binzhou section of Changshen highway was selected to study the effectiveness of road sweeping in decreasing the pollutant loads of highway runoff.With on-site continuous sampling the discharge rules of Cu Cd Pb and Zn are analyzed.The total and dissolved event mean concentrations of Cu Pb and Zn are calculated and the loads of heavy metals attached to particles sampled before and after rainfall are also studied.A test section on highway road was swept in different frequencies during a week and the amount of removed particles was measured.Based on the analysis of highway runoff and road sweeping a prediction equation is established to calculate the pollution control efficiency of the sweeping measure and the results indicate that the 1 time/week road sweeping method can remove 47.93% of dissolved Cu 46.87% of Pb and 44.21% of Zn.展开更多
[Objective] This study aimed to compare the detection results of antibodies against infectious bursal disease virus with test strips and agar gel immunodiffusion method. [Method] Antibodies against infectious bursal d...[Objective] This study aimed to compare the detection results of antibodies against infectious bursal disease virus with test strips and agar gel immunodiffusion method. [Method] Antibodies against infectious bursal disease virus in chicken serum were detected using test strips developed in our laboratory, and the results were comparad^with that using traditional agar diffusion method. [Result] The comparative study of the two methods showed that the sensitivity of test strips was eight times over agar gel immunodiffusion; test strips showed higher detection rate in the deter- mination test of 216 clinical samples, with high specificity, easy preservation, and simple and rapid operation, thereby being more suitable for the monitoring of clinical antibodies. [Conclusion] Test strips could replace the existing serological methods, having great promotion and application value in antibody monitoring.展开更多
The peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence(CL)detection of fatty acids in human se- rum combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)is described.Some fatty acids in serum were extracted with a 1 :1(v/v)mixture...The peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence(CL)detection of fatty acids in human se- rum combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)is described.Some fatty acids in serum were extracted with a 1 :1(v/v)mixture of chloroform-n-heptane.2-(4-Hydrazinocarbonyl- phenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole (HCPI) was used as a fluorescent labelling reagent of the fatty acids. The labelling reaction was carried out at 30℃ for 1 h at pH 6.5 and the resulting reaction mixture was sudjected to HPLC. The labelled fatty acid C_(17)(P-C_(17))was used as the internal standard. The la- belled fatty acids C_(16) and C_(18) were separated within 18 min on an ODS-8OTM column (150 mm× 6 mm ID,5μm,Tosoh Japan).The calibrlation curves of fatty acids from the spiked control serum were Y_1=-0.003 7 + 0.0028X_1,r=0.994 for FA C_( 16) and Y_2=0.00 1 2 + 0.00098X_2,r=0.999 for FA C_( 18),respectively.The average recoveries of facids from the spiked contrl serum were 107.2%(n=8,RSD=4.3%)for FA C_(16) and 97.35%(n=8, RSD=4.0%)for FA C_(18),respectively.The lower detection limits of fatty acids after reaction were 12μmol per 20μl injection for FA C_(16) and 18 μmol per 20μl injection for FA C_(18),respectively(signal to noise ratio, S/N=2).The HPLC/CL method was applied to the determination of FA C_(16) and FA C_(18) in normal human serum and the results showed that the concentrations of fatty acids in normal human serum were 0.134 ± 0.009 μ mol/ml serum(n=5) for FA C_(16) and 0.052±0.028 μmol/ml serum(n=5)for FA C_(18),respectively.展开更多
Bats account for 30% of mammal diversity in SE Asia and are potential bioindicators of wider biodiversity impacts resulting from habitat loss and climate change. As existing sampling techniques in the region typically...Bats account for 30% of mammal diversity in SE Asia and are potential bioindicators of wider biodiversity impacts resulting from habitat loss and climate change. As existing sampling techniques in the region typically fail to record bats that habitually fly in open areas and at higher altitudes, current inventory efforts are less than comprehensive. Acoustic sampling with bat detectors may help to overcome these limitations for insectivorous bats, but has yet to be tested in mainland SE Asia. To do so, we sampled bats while simultaneously recording the echolocation calls of insectivorous species commuting and foraging in a variety of karst habitats in north Vietnam. Monitoring of cave-dwelling bats was also undertaken. Discriminant function analysis of 367 echolocation calls produced by 30 insectivorous species showed that acoustic identification was feasible by correctly classifying 89. 1% of calls. In all habitats, acoustic sampling and capture methods recorded significantly more species each night than capture methods alone. Capture methods consequently failed to record 29% (ten spp. of aerial insectivores) of the bat fauna in commuting and foraging habitats and 11% (two spp. ) of that in our cave sample. Only four of these species were subsequently captured following significantly greater sampling effort. This strongly suggests that acoustic methods are indispensable for maximizing bat inventory completeness in SE Asia. As accurate inventories and monitoring are essential for effective species conservation, we recommend the inclusion of acoustic sampling in future studies of bat assemblages across the region [ Current Zoology 55 (5) : 327 - 341, 2009].展开更多
Laminin is a glycoprotein which has an important role in the mechanism of fibrogenesis and is,thus,related to hepatic fibrosis in addition to presenting increased levels in several types of neoplasias. However,its det...Laminin is a glycoprotein which has an important role in the mechanism of fibrogenesis and is,thus,related to hepatic fibrosis in addition to presenting increased levels in several types of neoplasias. However,its determination is not routinely considered in the study of hepatic fibrosis. In this review,the authors critically comment on the role of this glycoprotein compared to other markers of fibrosis through non-invasive procedures(Fibroscan). They also consider its clinical investigational potential and believe that the continuation of these investigations might contribute to a better understanding of the fibrogenic mechanism,which could in turn either lead to the identification of patients at risk of developing fibrosis non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH) or at least be used as an indicator for hepatic biopsy in such patients. Finally,the authors believe that serum laminin determination might contribute to the diagnosis of epithelial tumor metastasis and peritoneal carcinomatosis.展开更多
Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an esterase and lactonase synthesized by the liver and found in the circulation associated with high-density lipoproteins. The physiological function of PON1 seems to be to degrade specific oxi...Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an esterase and lactonase synthesized by the liver and found in the circulation associated with high-density lipoproteins. The physiological function of PON1 seems to be to degrade specific oxidized cholesteryl esters and oxidized phospholipids in lipoproteins and cell membranes. PON1 is, therefore, an antioxidant enzyme. Alterations in circulating PON1 levels have been reported in a variety of diseases involving oxidative stress including chronic liver diseases. Measurement of serum PON1 activity has been proposed as a potential test for the evaluation of liver function. However, this measurement is still restricted to research and has not been extensively applied in routine clinical chemistry laboratories. The reason for this restriction is due to the problem that the substrate commonly used for PON1 measurement, paraoxon, is toxic and unstable. The recent development of new assays with non-toxic substrates makes this proposal closer to a practical development. The present editorial summarizes PON1 biochemistry and function, its involvement with chronic liver impairment, and some aspects related to the measurement of PON1 activity in circulation.展开更多
AIM:To investigate the protective effects of melatonin on carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in experimental rats.METHODS:All rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model control group t...AIM:To investigate the protective effects of melatonin on carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in experimental rats.METHODS:All rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model control group treated with CCl4 for 12 wk,CCl4+NAC group treated with CCl4+NAC(100 mg/kg,i.p.)for 12 wk,CCl4+MEL-1 group treated with CCl4+melatonin(2.5 mg/kg)for 12 wk,CCl4+MEL-2 group treated with CCl4+ melatonin(5.0 mg/kg)for 12 wk,and CCl4+MEL-3 group treated with CCl4+melatonin(10 mg/kg).Rats in the treatment groups were injected subcutaneously with sterile CCl4(3 mL/kg,body weight)in a ratio of 2:3 with olive oil twice a week.Rats in normal control group received hypodermic injection of olive oil at the same dose and frequency as those in treatment groups.At the end of experiment,rats in each group were anesthetized and sacrificed.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining and Van Gieson staining were used to examine changes in liver pathology.Serum activities of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and protein concentration weremeasured with routine laboratory methods using an autoanalyzer.Hydroxyproline(HYP)content in liver and malondialdehyde(MDA)and glutathione peroxidase(GPx)levels in liver homogenates were assayed by spectrophotometry.Serum hyaluronic acid(HA),laminin(LN),and procollagenⅢN-terminal peptide(PⅢNP)were determined by radioimmunoassay.RESULTS:Pathologic grading showed that the fibrogenesis was much less severe in CCl4+MEL3 group than in model control group(u=2.172,P<0.05),indicating that melatonin(10 mg/kg)can significantly ameliorate CCl4-induced hepatic fibrotic changes.The serum levels of ALT and AST were markedly lower in CCl4+MEL treatment groups(5,10 mg/kg)than in model control group(ALT:286.23 ±121.91 U/L vs 201.15±101.16 U/L and 178.67 ±103.14 U/L,P=0.028,P=0.007;AST:431.00 ±166.35 U/L vs 321.23±162.48 U/L and 292.42 ±126.23 U/L,P=0.043,P=0.013).Similarly,the serum laminin(LN)and hyaluronic acid(HA)levels and hydroxyproline(HYP)contents in liver were significantly lower in CCl4+MEL-3 group(10 mg/kg)than in model control group(LN:45.89±11.71μg/L vs 55.26± 12.30μg/L,P=0.012;HA:135.71±76.03μg/L vs 201.10±68.46μg/L,P=0.020;HYP:0.42±0.08 mg/g tissue vs 0.51±0.07 mg/g tissue,P=0.012).Moreover,treatment with melatonin(5,10 mg/kg)significantly reduced the MDA content and increased the GPx activity in liver homogenates compared with model control group(MDA:7.89±1.49 noml/mg prot vs 6.29±1.42 noml/mg prot and 6.25±2.27 noml/mg prot,respectively,P=0.015,P=0.015;GPx:49.13± 8.72 U/mg prot vs 57.38±7.65 U/mg prot and 61.39± 13.15 U/mg prot,respectively,P=0.035,P=0.003).CONCLUSION:Melatonin can ameliorate CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.The protective effect of melatonin on hepatic fibrosis may be related to its antioxidant activities.展开更多
Objective: To explore the clinical significance of the examination of serum CA125 level of patients with metastatic bladder carcinoma. Methods: Electrochemiluminescence technique was used to examine the serum CA125 ...Objective: To explore the clinical significance of the examination of serum CA125 level of patients with metastatic bladder carcinoma. Methods: Electrochemiluminescence technique was used to examine the serum CA125 concentration of 58 cases with metastatic bladder cancer. 30 cases of superficial bladder cancer and 8 cases of other urological diseases were collected as the control group. Results: Serum CA125 level in 39 (67.2%) out of 58 cases ranged from 36.7 U/mL to 1485.6 U/mL (mean 496.3 U/mL), being higher than normal (〈 35 U/mL). Serum CA125 level of metastatic bladder cancer patients was 324.5 U/mL, significantly higher than that in control group (P 〈 0.001). Serum CA125 level of 10 patients after transurethral resection operation was significantly lower than that before operation (P 〈 0.05). Serum CA125 level of 16 patients who refused further treatment significantly increased from 450.4 U/mL, to 505.8 U/mL (P = 0.041) 3 months after discharge from the hospital. Serum CA125 level of 17 patients significantly decreased from 475.8 U/L to 237.9 U/mL (P 〈 0.001 ) after bilateral iliac-artedal embolism treatment. Conclusion: CA125 may be a valuable marker for the judgment of advanced metastatic bladder cancer.展开更多
In this work, the results of a study of laser ablation cleaning process on ceramic artifacts are presented. The experiments were conducted on a "Carosello", a structural hollow element made of clay, placed in arches...In this work, the results of a study of laser ablation cleaning process on ceramic artifacts are presented. The experiments were conducted on a "Carosello", a structural hollow element made of clay, placed in arches, in domes or even in the walls of buildings such as churches and houses. Our results show that laser ablation techniques is able to remove the surface impurity patina from artifacts surface without changes the chemical composition and the optical properties of ceramic. Moreover, because the laser cleaning heats only locally the surface of the sample, this method don't preclude the possibility to apply on artifact the thermo-luminescence dating process.展开更多
The procedures of ultrasonic extraction and clean-up were optimized for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments. Samples were ultrasonically extracted, and the extracts were pu...The procedures of ultrasonic extraction and clean-up were optimized for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments. Samples were ultrasonically extracted, and the extracts were purified with a miniaturized silica gel chromatographic column and analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescence detector. Ultrasonication with methanol-dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) mixture gave higher extraction efficiency than that with dichloromethane. Among the three elution solvents used in clean-up step, dichloromethane-hexane (2:3, v/v) mixture was the most satisfactory. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries in the range of 54.82% to 94.70% with RSDs of 3.02% to 23.22% for a spiked blank, and in the range of 61.20% to 127.08% with RSDs of 7.61% to 26.93% for a spiked matrix, were obtained for the 15 PAHs studied, while the recoveries for a NIST standard reference SRM 1941b were in the range of 50.79% to 83.78% with RSDs of 5.24% to 21.38%. The detection limits were between 0.75 ng L-1 and 10.99 ng L-1for different PAHs. A sample from the Jiaozhou Bay area was examined to test the established methods.展开更多
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome is caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV),which has six structural proteins (GP2,GP3,GP4,GP5,M and N). GP5 and N protein are important targets for serological detection by enzym...Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome is caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV),which has six structural proteins (GP2,GP3,GP4,GP5,M and N). GP5 and N protein are important targets for serological detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and other methods. Toward this goal,we developed an indirect ELISA with recombinant GP5 antigens and this method was validated by comparison to the LSI PRRSV-Ab ELISA kit. The results indicated that the optimal concentration of coated recombinant antigen was 0.2 μg/well for a serum dilution of 1:40. The rate of agreement with the LSI PRRSV-Ab kit was 88.7% (266/300). These results support the potential use of recombinant GP5 as an antigen for indirect ELISA to detect PRRSV antibodies in pigs.展开更多
AIM:To determine if serum inter-cellular adhesion molecule 1(ICAM-1)is an early marker of the diagnosis and prediction of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP) within 24 h of onset of pain,and to compare the sensitivity,spec...AIM:To determine if serum inter-cellular adhesion molecule 1(ICAM-1)is an early marker of the diagnosis and prediction of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP) within 24 h of onset of pain,and to compare the sensitivity,specificity and prognostic value of this test with those of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation(APACHE)Ⅱscore and interleukin-6(IL-6). METHODS:Patients with acute pancreatitis(AP)were divided into two groups according to the Ranson's criteria:mild acute pancreatitis(MAP)group and SAP group.Serum ICAM-1,APACHEⅡand IL-6 levels were detected in all the patients.The sensitivity,specificity and prognostic value of the ICAM-1,APACHEⅡscore and IL-6 were evaluated. RESULTS:The ICAM-1 level in 36 patients with SAP within 24 h of onset of pain was increased and was significantly higher than that in the 50 patients with MAP and the 15 healthy volunteers(P<0.01).The ICAM-1 level(25 ng/mL)was chosen as the optimum cutoff to distinguish SAP from MAP,and the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value(NPV),positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 61.11%,71.42%,0.6111,0.7142, 2.1382 and 0.5445,respectively.The area under the curve demonstrated that the prognostic accuracy of ICAM-1(0.712)was similar to the APACHE-Ⅱscoring system(0.770)and superior to IL-6(0.508)in distinguishing SAP from MAP. CONCLUSION:ICAM-1 test is a simple,rapid and reliable method in clinical practice.It is an early marker of diagnosis and prediction of SAP within the first 24 h after onset of pain or on admission.As it has a relatively low NPV and does not allow it to be a stand-alone test for the diagnosis of AP,other conventional diagnostic tests are required.展开更多
AIM: To detect the new serum biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) by serum protein profiling with surfaceenhanced laser desorption ionisation - time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). METHODS: Two ind...AIM: To detect the new serum biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) by serum protein profiling with surfaceenhanced laser desorption ionisation - time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). METHODS: Two independent serum sample sets were analysed separately with the ProteinChip technology (set A: 40 CRC + 49 healthy controls; set B: 37 CRC + 31 healthy controls), using chips with a weak cation exchange moiety and buffer pH 5. Discriminative power of differentially expressed proteins was assessed with a classification tree algorithm. Sensitivities and specificities of the generated classification trees were obtained by blindly applying data from set A to the generated trees from set B and vice versa. CRC serum protein profiles were also compared with those from breast, ovarian, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancer. RESULTS: Mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) 3.1×10^3, 3.3× 10^3, 4.5×10^3, 6.6×10^3 and 28×10^3 were used as classitiers in the best-performing classification trees. Tree sensitivities and specificities were between 65% and 90%.Host of these discriminative m/z values were also different in the other tumour types investigated. M/z 3.3× 10^3, main classifier in most trees, was a doubly charged form of the 6.6× 10^3-Da protein. The latter was identified as apolipoprotein C-I. M/z 3.1×10^3 was identified as an N-terminal fragment of albumin, and m/z 28× 10^3 as apolipoprotein A-I. CONCLUSION: SELDI-TOF MS followed by classification tree pattern analysis is a suitable technique for finding new serum markers for CRC. Biomarkers can be identified and reproducibly detected in independent sample sets with high sensitivities and specificities. Although not specific for CRC, these biomarkers have a potential role in disease and treatment monitoring.展开更多
Arboviruses represent a serious problem to public health and agriculture worldwide. Fast, accurate identification of the viral agents of arbovirus-associated disease is essential for epidemiological surveillance and l...Arboviruses represent a serious problem to public health and agriculture worldwide. Fast, accurate identification of the viral agents of arbovirus-associated disease is essential for epidemiological surveillance and laboratory investigation. We developed a cost-effective, rapid, and highly sensitive one-step "triplex RT-PCR enzyme hybridization" assay for simultaneous detections of Japanese Encephallitis virus (JEV, Flaviviridae), Getah virus (GETV, Togaviridae), and Tahyna virus (TAHV, Bunyaviridae) using three pairs of primers to amplify three target sequences in one RT-PCR reaction. The analytical sensitivity of this assay was 1 PFU/mL for JEV, 10 PFU/mL for GETV, and 10 PFU/mL for TAHV. This assay is significantly more rapid and less expensive than the traditional serological detection and single RT-PCR reaction methods. When "triplex RT-PCR enzyme hybridization" was applied to 29 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples that were JEV-positive by normal RT-PCR assay, all samples were strongly positive for JEV, but negative for GETV and TAHV, demonstrating a good sensitivity, specificity, and performance at CSF specimen detection.展开更多
This study aimed at identifying the role and importance of internal control procedures for detecting and preventing money laundering operations in banks through defining the internal control procedures which contribut...This study aimed at identifying the role and importance of internal control procedures for detecting and preventing money laundering operations in banks through defining the internal control procedures which contribute to detecting money laundering operations. These procedures include the guide and policies issued by the administration of banks in order to combat laundering money operations as well as to train employees on matters pertaining to the money laundering operations. The study showed the role of the internal control procedures in detecting practically the money laundering through the automated programs and the system of saving the files and records. Furthermore, the study showed the factors affecting the internal control procedures to anti-money laundering operations. The researcher used an analytical descriptive approach for collecting data which relate to the main elements of the study, analyzing and explaining them. This study aimed at building the theoretical framework depending on audit literature which addressed internal control system, anti-money laundering systems, and control procedures of anti-money laundering. Through the theoretical framework, a questionnaire related to the application of internal control procedures and its relation to anti-money laundering operations was designed. It was distributed to the population of the study which includes internal and external auditors and the head of anti-money laundering operations unit in the Jordanian banks. The study found that applying internal control procedures is important for detecting and preventing money laundering operations in the Jordanian banks and that there are factors affecting the nature and the extent of internal control standards pertaining to anti-money laundering operations in the Jordanian banks.展开更多
基金The National Science and Technology Major Project of China(No.2008ZX07010-008-04)
文摘Binzhou section of Changshen highway was selected to study the effectiveness of road sweeping in decreasing the pollutant loads of highway runoff.With on-site continuous sampling the discharge rules of Cu Cd Pb and Zn are analyzed.The total and dissolved event mean concentrations of Cu Pb and Zn are calculated and the loads of heavy metals attached to particles sampled before and after rainfall are also studied.A test section on highway road was swept in different frequencies during a week and the amount of removed particles was measured.Based on the analysis of highway runoff and road sweeping a prediction equation is established to calculate the pollution control efficiency of the sweeping measure and the results indicate that the 1 time/week road sweeping method can remove 47.93% of dissolved Cu 46.87% of Pb and 44.21% of Zn.
文摘[Objective] This study aimed to compare the detection results of antibodies against infectious bursal disease virus with test strips and agar gel immunodiffusion method. [Method] Antibodies against infectious bursal disease virus in chicken serum were detected using test strips developed in our laboratory, and the results were comparad^with that using traditional agar diffusion method. [Result] The comparative study of the two methods showed that the sensitivity of test strips was eight times over agar gel immunodiffusion; test strips showed higher detection rate in the deter- mination test of 216 clinical samples, with high specificity, easy preservation, and simple and rapid operation, thereby being more suitable for the monitoring of clinical antibodies. [Conclusion] Test strips could replace the existing serological methods, having great promotion and application value in antibody monitoring.
文摘The peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence(CL)detection of fatty acids in human se- rum combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)is described.Some fatty acids in serum were extracted with a 1 :1(v/v)mixture of chloroform-n-heptane.2-(4-Hydrazinocarbonyl- phenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole (HCPI) was used as a fluorescent labelling reagent of the fatty acids. The labelling reaction was carried out at 30℃ for 1 h at pH 6.5 and the resulting reaction mixture was sudjected to HPLC. The labelled fatty acid C_(17)(P-C_(17))was used as the internal standard. The la- belled fatty acids C_(16) and C_(18) were separated within 18 min on an ODS-8OTM column (150 mm× 6 mm ID,5μm,Tosoh Japan).The calibrlation curves of fatty acids from the spiked control serum were Y_1=-0.003 7 + 0.0028X_1,r=0.994 for FA C_( 16) and Y_2=0.00 1 2 + 0.00098X_2,r=0.999 for FA C_( 18),respectively.The average recoveries of facids from the spiked contrl serum were 107.2%(n=8,RSD=4.3%)for FA C_(16) and 97.35%(n=8, RSD=4.0%)for FA C_(18),respectively.The lower detection limits of fatty acids after reaction were 12μmol per 20μl injection for FA C_(16) and 18 μmol per 20μl injection for FA C_(18),respectively(signal to noise ratio, S/N=2).The HPLC/CL method was applied to the determination of FA C_(16) and FA C_(18) in normal human serum and the results showed that the concentrations of fatty acids in normal human serum were 0.134 ± 0.009 μ mol/ml serum(n=5) for FA C_(16) and 0.052±0.028 μmol/ml serum(n=5)for FA C_(18),respectively.
基金Lam Quang Oanh and Nguyen Tien Dung of Kim Hy Nature Reserve,Nong The Dzien and Bui Van Dinh of Ba Be National Park and Trieu Van Luc of Bac Kan Provincial Forest Protection Department for arranging research permissions(No.317/UBND-NVand631/UBND-NV)
文摘Bats account for 30% of mammal diversity in SE Asia and are potential bioindicators of wider biodiversity impacts resulting from habitat loss and climate change. As existing sampling techniques in the region typically fail to record bats that habitually fly in open areas and at higher altitudes, current inventory efforts are less than comprehensive. Acoustic sampling with bat detectors may help to overcome these limitations for insectivorous bats, but has yet to be tested in mainland SE Asia. To do so, we sampled bats while simultaneously recording the echolocation calls of insectivorous species commuting and foraging in a variety of karst habitats in north Vietnam. Monitoring of cave-dwelling bats was also undertaken. Discriminant function analysis of 367 echolocation calls produced by 30 insectivorous species showed that acoustic identification was feasible by correctly classifying 89. 1% of calls. In all habitats, acoustic sampling and capture methods recorded significantly more species each night than capture methods alone. Capture methods consequently failed to record 29% (ten spp. of aerial insectivores) of the bat fauna in commuting and foraging habitats and 11% (two spp. ) of that in our cave sample. Only four of these species were subsequently captured following significantly greater sampling effort. This strongly suggests that acoustic methods are indispensable for maximizing bat inventory completeness in SE Asia. As accurate inventories and monitoring are essential for effective species conservation, we recommend the inclusion of acoustic sampling in future studies of bat assemblages across the region [ Current Zoology 55 (5) : 327 - 341, 2009].
文摘Laminin is a glycoprotein which has an important role in the mechanism of fibrogenesis and is,thus,related to hepatic fibrosis in addition to presenting increased levels in several types of neoplasias. However,its determination is not routinely considered in the study of hepatic fibrosis. In this review,the authors critically comment on the role of this glycoprotein compared to other markers of fibrosis through non-invasive procedures(Fibroscan). They also consider its clinical investigational potential and believe that the continuation of these investigations might contribute to a better understanding of the fibrogenic mechanism,which could in turn either lead to the identification of patients at risk of developing fibrosis non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH) or at least be used as an indicator for hepatic biopsy in such patients. Finally,the authors believe that serum laminin determination might contribute to the diagnosis of epithelial tumor metastasis and peritoneal carcinomatosis.
基金Supported by Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria,FIS 00/0232,02/0430, 05/1607the Instituto de Salud Carlos Ⅲ, C03/02,C03/08,G03/015the Generalitat de Catalunya,FI 05/00068
文摘Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an esterase and lactonase synthesized by the liver and found in the circulation associated with high-density lipoproteins. The physiological function of PON1 seems to be to degrade specific oxidized cholesteryl esters and oxidized phospholipids in lipoproteins and cell membranes. PON1 is, therefore, an antioxidant enzyme. Alterations in circulating PON1 levels have been reported in a variety of diseases involving oxidative stress including chronic liver diseases. Measurement of serum PON1 activity has been proposed as a potential test for the evaluation of liver function. However, this measurement is still restricted to research and has not been extensively applied in routine clinical chemistry laboratories. The reason for this restriction is due to the problem that the substrate commonly used for PON1 measurement, paraoxon, is toxic and unstable. The recent development of new assays with non-toxic substrates makes this proposal closer to a practical development. The present editorial summarizes PON1 biochemistry and function, its involvement with chronic liver impairment, and some aspects related to the measurement of PON1 activity in circulation.
基金Supported by The Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province No.01043904the Natural Science Research Project of Colleges and Universities of Anhui Province No.KJ2007B146
文摘AIM:To investigate the protective effects of melatonin on carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in experimental rats.METHODS:All rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model control group treated with CCl4 for 12 wk,CCl4+NAC group treated with CCl4+NAC(100 mg/kg,i.p.)for 12 wk,CCl4+MEL-1 group treated with CCl4+melatonin(2.5 mg/kg)for 12 wk,CCl4+MEL-2 group treated with CCl4+ melatonin(5.0 mg/kg)for 12 wk,and CCl4+MEL-3 group treated with CCl4+melatonin(10 mg/kg).Rats in the treatment groups were injected subcutaneously with sterile CCl4(3 mL/kg,body weight)in a ratio of 2:3 with olive oil twice a week.Rats in normal control group received hypodermic injection of olive oil at the same dose and frequency as those in treatment groups.At the end of experiment,rats in each group were anesthetized and sacrificed.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining and Van Gieson staining were used to examine changes in liver pathology.Serum activities of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and protein concentration weremeasured with routine laboratory methods using an autoanalyzer.Hydroxyproline(HYP)content in liver and malondialdehyde(MDA)and glutathione peroxidase(GPx)levels in liver homogenates were assayed by spectrophotometry.Serum hyaluronic acid(HA),laminin(LN),and procollagenⅢN-terminal peptide(PⅢNP)were determined by radioimmunoassay.RESULTS:Pathologic grading showed that the fibrogenesis was much less severe in CCl4+MEL3 group than in model control group(u=2.172,P<0.05),indicating that melatonin(10 mg/kg)can significantly ameliorate CCl4-induced hepatic fibrotic changes.The serum levels of ALT and AST were markedly lower in CCl4+MEL treatment groups(5,10 mg/kg)than in model control group(ALT:286.23 ±121.91 U/L vs 201.15±101.16 U/L and 178.67 ±103.14 U/L,P=0.028,P=0.007;AST:431.00 ±166.35 U/L vs 321.23±162.48 U/L and 292.42 ±126.23 U/L,P=0.043,P=0.013).Similarly,the serum laminin(LN)and hyaluronic acid(HA)levels and hydroxyproline(HYP)contents in liver were significantly lower in CCl4+MEL-3 group(10 mg/kg)than in model control group(LN:45.89±11.71μg/L vs 55.26± 12.30μg/L,P=0.012;HA:135.71±76.03μg/L vs 201.10±68.46μg/L,P=0.020;HYP:0.42±0.08 mg/g tissue vs 0.51±0.07 mg/g tissue,P=0.012).Moreover,treatment with melatonin(5,10 mg/kg)significantly reduced the MDA content and increased the GPx activity in liver homogenates compared with model control group(MDA:7.89±1.49 noml/mg prot vs 6.29±1.42 noml/mg prot and 6.25±2.27 noml/mg prot,respectively,P=0.015,P=0.015;GPx:49.13± 8.72 U/mg prot vs 57.38±7.65 U/mg prot and 61.39± 13.15 U/mg prot,respectively,P=0.035,P=0.003).CONCLUSION:Melatonin can ameliorate CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.The protective effect of melatonin on hepatic fibrosis may be related to its antioxidant activities.
文摘Objective: To explore the clinical significance of the examination of serum CA125 level of patients with metastatic bladder carcinoma. Methods: Electrochemiluminescence technique was used to examine the serum CA125 concentration of 58 cases with metastatic bladder cancer. 30 cases of superficial bladder cancer and 8 cases of other urological diseases were collected as the control group. Results: Serum CA125 level in 39 (67.2%) out of 58 cases ranged from 36.7 U/mL to 1485.6 U/mL (mean 496.3 U/mL), being higher than normal (〈 35 U/mL). Serum CA125 level of metastatic bladder cancer patients was 324.5 U/mL, significantly higher than that in control group (P 〈 0.001). Serum CA125 level of 10 patients after transurethral resection operation was significantly lower than that before operation (P 〈 0.05). Serum CA125 level of 16 patients who refused further treatment significantly increased from 450.4 U/mL, to 505.8 U/mL (P = 0.041) 3 months after discharge from the hospital. Serum CA125 level of 17 patients significantly decreased from 475.8 U/L to 237.9 U/mL (P 〈 0.001 ) after bilateral iliac-artedal embolism treatment. Conclusion: CA125 may be a valuable marker for the judgment of advanced metastatic bladder cancer.
文摘In this work, the results of a study of laser ablation cleaning process on ceramic artifacts are presented. The experiments were conducted on a "Carosello", a structural hollow element made of clay, placed in arches, in domes or even in the walls of buildings such as churches and houses. Our results show that laser ablation techniques is able to remove the surface impurity patina from artifacts surface without changes the chemical composition and the optical properties of ceramic. Moreover, because the laser cleaning heats only locally the surface of the sample, this method don't preclude the possibility to apply on artifact the thermo-luminescence dating process.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.20775074)
文摘The procedures of ultrasonic extraction and clean-up were optimized for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments. Samples were ultrasonically extracted, and the extracts were purified with a miniaturized silica gel chromatographic column and analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescence detector. Ultrasonication with methanol-dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) mixture gave higher extraction efficiency than that with dichloromethane. Among the three elution solvents used in clean-up step, dichloromethane-hexane (2:3, v/v) mixture was the most satisfactory. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries in the range of 54.82% to 94.70% with RSDs of 3.02% to 23.22% for a spiked blank, and in the range of 61.20% to 127.08% with RSDs of 7.61% to 26.93% for a spiked matrix, were obtained for the 15 PAHs studied, while the recoveries for a NIST standard reference SRM 1941b were in the range of 50.79% to 83.78% with RSDs of 5.24% to 21.38%. The detection limits were between 0.75 ng L-1 and 10.99 ng L-1for different PAHs. A sample from the Jiaozhou Bay area was examined to test the established methods.
基金Specific public service sectors of agricultureresearch (200803020)
文摘Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome is caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV),which has six structural proteins (GP2,GP3,GP4,GP5,M and N). GP5 and N protein are important targets for serological detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and other methods. Toward this goal,we developed an indirect ELISA with recombinant GP5 antigens and this method was validated by comparison to the LSI PRRSV-Ab ELISA kit. The results indicated that the optimal concentration of coated recombinant antigen was 0.2 μg/well for a serum dilution of 1:40. The rate of agreement with the LSI PRRSV-Ab kit was 88.7% (266/300). These results support the potential use of recombinant GP5 as an antigen for indirect ELISA to detect PRRSV antibodies in pigs.
文摘AIM:To determine if serum inter-cellular adhesion molecule 1(ICAM-1)is an early marker of the diagnosis and prediction of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP) within 24 h of onset of pain,and to compare the sensitivity,specificity and prognostic value of this test with those of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation(APACHE)Ⅱscore and interleukin-6(IL-6). METHODS:Patients with acute pancreatitis(AP)were divided into two groups according to the Ranson's criteria:mild acute pancreatitis(MAP)group and SAP group.Serum ICAM-1,APACHEⅡand IL-6 levels were detected in all the patients.The sensitivity,specificity and prognostic value of the ICAM-1,APACHEⅡscore and IL-6 were evaluated. RESULTS:The ICAM-1 level in 36 patients with SAP within 24 h of onset of pain was increased and was significantly higher than that in the 50 patients with MAP and the 15 healthy volunteers(P<0.01).The ICAM-1 level(25 ng/mL)was chosen as the optimum cutoff to distinguish SAP from MAP,and the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value(NPV),positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 61.11%,71.42%,0.6111,0.7142, 2.1382 and 0.5445,respectively.The area under the curve demonstrated that the prognostic accuracy of ICAM-1(0.712)was similar to the APACHE-Ⅱscoring system(0.770)and superior to IL-6(0.508)in distinguishing SAP from MAP. CONCLUSION:ICAM-1 test is a simple,rapid and reliable method in clinical practice.It is an early marker of diagnosis and prediction of SAP within the first 24 h after onset of pain or on admission.As it has a relatively low NPV and does not allow it to be a stand-alone test for the diagnosis of AP,other conventional diagnostic tests are required.
文摘AIM: To detect the new serum biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) by serum protein profiling with surfaceenhanced laser desorption ionisation - time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). METHODS: Two independent serum sample sets were analysed separately with the ProteinChip technology (set A: 40 CRC + 49 healthy controls; set B: 37 CRC + 31 healthy controls), using chips with a weak cation exchange moiety and buffer pH 5. Discriminative power of differentially expressed proteins was assessed with a classification tree algorithm. Sensitivities and specificities of the generated classification trees were obtained by blindly applying data from set A to the generated trees from set B and vice versa. CRC serum protein profiles were also compared with those from breast, ovarian, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancer. RESULTS: Mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) 3.1×10^3, 3.3× 10^3, 4.5×10^3, 6.6×10^3 and 28×10^3 were used as classitiers in the best-performing classification trees. Tree sensitivities and specificities were between 65% and 90%.Host of these discriminative m/z values were also different in the other tumour types investigated. M/z 3.3× 10^3, main classifier in most trees, was a doubly charged form of the 6.6× 10^3-Da protein. The latter was identified as apolipoprotein C-I. M/z 3.1×10^3 was identified as an N-terminal fragment of albumin, and m/z 28× 10^3 as apolipoprotein A-I. CONCLUSION: SELDI-TOF MS followed by classification tree pattern analysis is a suitable technique for finding new serum markers for CRC. Biomarkers can be identified and reproducibly detected in independent sample sets with high sensitivities and specificities. Although not specific for CRC, these biomarkers have a potential role in disease and treatment monitoring.
基金NIH Grant (2U54AI057160-06)Development Grant of State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (2008SKLID105)
文摘Arboviruses represent a serious problem to public health and agriculture worldwide. Fast, accurate identification of the viral agents of arbovirus-associated disease is essential for epidemiological surveillance and laboratory investigation. We developed a cost-effective, rapid, and highly sensitive one-step "triplex RT-PCR enzyme hybridization" assay for simultaneous detections of Japanese Encephallitis virus (JEV, Flaviviridae), Getah virus (GETV, Togaviridae), and Tahyna virus (TAHV, Bunyaviridae) using three pairs of primers to amplify three target sequences in one RT-PCR reaction. The analytical sensitivity of this assay was 1 PFU/mL for JEV, 10 PFU/mL for GETV, and 10 PFU/mL for TAHV. This assay is significantly more rapid and less expensive than the traditional serological detection and single RT-PCR reaction methods. When "triplex RT-PCR enzyme hybridization" was applied to 29 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples that were JEV-positive by normal RT-PCR assay, all samples were strongly positive for JEV, but negative for GETV and TAHV, demonstrating a good sensitivity, specificity, and performance at CSF specimen detection.
文摘This study aimed at identifying the role and importance of internal control procedures for detecting and preventing money laundering operations in banks through defining the internal control procedures which contribute to detecting money laundering operations. These procedures include the guide and policies issued by the administration of banks in order to combat laundering money operations as well as to train employees on matters pertaining to the money laundering operations. The study showed the role of the internal control procedures in detecting practically the money laundering through the automated programs and the system of saving the files and records. Furthermore, the study showed the factors affecting the internal control procedures to anti-money laundering operations. The researcher used an analytical descriptive approach for collecting data which relate to the main elements of the study, analyzing and explaining them. This study aimed at building the theoretical framework depending on audit literature which addressed internal control system, anti-money laundering systems, and control procedures of anti-money laundering. Through the theoretical framework, a questionnaire related to the application of internal control procedures and its relation to anti-money laundering operations was designed. It was distributed to the population of the study which includes internal and external auditors and the head of anti-money laundering operations unit in the Jordanian banks. The study found that applying internal control procedures is important for detecting and preventing money laundering operations in the Jordanian banks and that there are factors affecting the nature and the extent of internal control standards pertaining to anti-money laundering operations in the Jordanian banks.