Validation study of a commercial aflatoxin detection kit according to the notification method in Japan.

A commercial aflatoxin detection ELISA kit, "RIDASCREEN(®) FAST Aflatoxin", was validated with corn samples naturally contaminated with aflatoxin and non-contaminated reference corn samples according to the Japanese Notification Method ShokuAnHatsu 0816-7. The trueness, intra-laboratory repeatability, intermediate precision, limit of detection and limit of quantitation were found to be 91%, 10%, 6.4%, 0.6µg/kg and 2µg/kg, respectively, and the performance of the kit was recognized as complying with all criteria in the Supplement Table of the Notification. These data suggest that this kit is useful as a simplified device to screen out negative corn samples contaminated with less than 4µg/kg.

Atrial electrophysiological and structural remodeling in high-risk patients with Brugada syndrome: assessment with electrophysiology and echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) often occurs in Brugada syndrome (BrS), and BrS patients with spontaneous AF often experience ventricular fibrillation (VF) attacks. Atrial vulnerability providing a substrate for AF is known to be enhanced in BrS, but there are no data on atrial structural attributes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess atrial electrophysiological and structural characteristics in BrS and their relationships with gene mutations. METHODS: We studied 57 patients with BrS. Intra-atrial conduction time (CT) was defined as the interval from the stimulus at the high right atrium to atrial deflection at the distal portion of the coronary sinus. Left atrial volume index (LAVI) was measured by the modified Simpson method at left ventricular end-systole using echocardiography. SCN5A mutations were analyzed in all patients. RESULTS: In patients with documented VF, spontaneous AF frequently occurred and prolonged CT and increased LAVI were observed compared with those in patients without VF (all P < .05; LAVI: 22 +/- 5 vs. 32 +/- 7 ml/m(2)). Even among patients without AF, CT and LAVI were still increased in patients with VF (all P < .05; LAVI: 22 +/- 5 vs. 29 +/- 5 ml/m(2)). The presence of SCN5A mutation was associated with prolonged CT (P < .05) and increased LAVI (P < .01), but not with arrhythmic episodes. CONCLUSION: Both atrial vulnerability and structural remodeling are enhanced in high-risk patients with BrS, even in those without AF. These morphological characteristics suggest that BrS is a form of genetic myocardial disease.

Noninvasive metabolomic profiling as an adjunct to morphology for noninvasive embryo assessment in women undergoing single embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether metabolomic profiling of spent embryo culture media correlates with reproductive potential of human embryos. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Academic and a private assisted reproductive technology (ART) programs. PATIENT(S): Women undergoing single embryo transfer after IVF. INTERVENTION(S): Spent embryo culture media were collected after single embryo transfer on day 3 (n = 304) or day 2 (n = 181) and analyzed by near infrared spectroscopy. Near infrared spectral regions were correlated to reproductive potential using a genetic algorithm optimization. Models of these spectral regions were used to calculate viability indices, and were validated by blinded analysis of a subset (n = 60) of samples. Implantation rates were also compared between embryos of higher (>or=0.3) and lower (<0.3) viability indices, and within each morphology grade. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Viability index and embryo viability. RESULT(S): Mean viability indices of embryos that resulted in positive fetal cardiac activity were significantly higher compared with embryos that did not for both day 2 and day 3 embryos. Blinded validation of the day 2 model proved to be significant. Increasing viability index values correlated with an increase in pregnancy. Viability indices were found to be independent of morphology for both day 2 and day 3 embryos. Implantation rates were significantly higher among embryos with viability indices >or=0.3. CONCLUSION(S): Metabolomic profiling of human embryo culture media using near infrared spectroscopy is independent of morphology and correlates with reproductive potential of embryos.

Cyclonatsudamine A, a new vasodilator cyclic peptide from Citrus natsudaidai.

A new cyclic heptapeptide, cyclonatsudamine A (1), cyclo (-Gly-Tyr-Leu-Leu-Pro-Pro-Ser-), has been isolated from the peels of Citrus natsudaidai and the structure was elucidated by 2D NMR analysis and chemical degradation. Cyclonatsudamine A (1) relaxed norepinephrine-induced contractions of rat aorta, which may be mediated through the increased release of NO from endothelial cells.

On the errors in assessment of severity of involuntary movements using surface EMG.

Surface electromyogram (SEMG) is a useful tool to depict involuntary movements, but evaluation of the intensity of such movements with SEMG over multiple recording instances requires awareness of factors influencing quantified SEMG signals. We investigated the differences in the amplitude of SEMGs due to electrode displacement in isometric voluntary contraction in the upper arm, forearm and lower leg in 8 healthy men. The SEMGs of gross muscle activity simultaneously recorded with 4 electrode pairs from the agonist and antagonist sides in 3 displacement conditions with respect to parallel position, interelectrode distance, and rotation were compared. The amount of EMG integration (equivalent to the average SEMG amplitude) of each electrode pair was compared to the reference electrode pair with interelectrode distance of 40 mm placed on the center of the tested muscles. The average EMG difference ratios ranged 1.1-2.2%/mm in parallel shift, 1.0-1.9%/mm in distance shift, and 0.3-0.6%/degree in rotation shift. Displacement error of electrodes in separate recording instances should be reduced using anatomical landmarks, when SEMG is applied as a quantitative method to evaluate change in the states of involuntary movements.