Assessment of in-situ monitoring and tracking the vertical migration of cyanobacterial blooms using LISST-HAB.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) are becoming increasingly common in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. However, their heterogeneous distributions make it difficult to accurately estimate the total algae biomass and forecast the occurrence of surface cyanoHABs by using traditional monitoring methods. Although various optical instruments and remote sensing methods have been employed to monitor the dynamics of cyanoHABs at the water surface (i.e., bloom area, chlorophyll a), there is no effective in-situ methodology to monitor the dynamic change of cell density and integrated biovolume of algae throughout the water column. In this study, we propose a quantitative protocol for simultaneously measurements of multiple indicators (i.e., biovolume concentration, size distribution, cell density, and column-integrated biovolume) of cyanoHABs in water bodies by using the laser in-situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST) instrument. The accuracy of measurements of the biovolume and colony size of algae was evaluated and exceeded 95% when the water bloom was dominated by cyanobacteria. Furthermore, the cell density of cyanobacteria was well estimated based on total biovolume and mean cell volume measured by the instrument. Therefore, this methodology has the potential to be used for broader applications, not only to monitor the spatial and temporal distribution of algal biovolume concentration but also monitor the vertical distribution of cell density, biomass and their relationship with size distribution patterns. This provides new technical means for the monitoring and analysis of algae migration and early warning of the formation of cyanoHABs in lakes and reservoirs.

Cost-effectiveness of tirofiban for acute ischemic stroke without large or medium-sized vessel occlusion: A Markov modelling analysis from the Chinese and United States perspectives.

BACKGROUND: The RESCUE BT2 trial recently showcased the efficacy of tirofiban in treating acute ischemic stroke (AIS) without large or medium-sized vessel occlusion. To further assess the value of tirofiban from the perspectives of Chinese and US healthcare system, a study was conducted to evaluate its cost-effectiveness. METHODS: A hybrid model, integrating a short-term decision tree with a long-term Markov model, was developed to assess cost-effectiveness between tirofiban and aspirin for stroke patients without large or medium-sized vessel occlusion. Efficacy data for tirofiban was sourced from the RESCUE BT2 trial, while cost information was derived from published papers. Outcomes measured included respective cost, effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). We conducted a one-way sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness of the results. Additionally, we performed probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) through 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the uncertainties associated with the results. RESULTS: The study revealed that tirofiban treatment in AIS patients without large or medium-sized vessel occlusion led to a considerable reduction of 2141 Chinese Yuan (CNY) in total cost, along with a lifetime gain of 0.14 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). In the US settings, tirofiban also exhibited a lower cost ($197,055 versus $201,984) and higher effectiveness (4.15 QALYs versus 4.06 QALYs) compared to aspirin. One-way sensitivity analysis revealed that post-stroke care costs and stroke utility had the greatest impact on ICER fluctuation in both Chinese and US settings. However, these variations did not exceed the willingness-to-pay threshold. PSA demonstrated tirofiban's superior acceptability over aspirin in over 95% of potential scenarios. CONCLUSION: Tirofiban treatment for AIS without large or medium-sized vessel occlusion appeared dominant compared to aspirin in both China and the US.

Endovascular treatment for basilar artery occlusion: a cost-effectiveness analysis based on a meta-analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and economic effect of endovascular treatment (EVT) combined with standard medical treatment (SMT) vs. SMT alone in Chinese patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO) from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Methods: We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis using the results from a meta-analysis comparing EVT and SMT efficacy in Chinese patients with BAO-induced stroke using direct medical costs from the China National Stroke Registry. The meta-analysis's primary outcome was excellent functional outcome (mRS scores of 0-2), with secondary outcomes being poor functional outcome (mRS scores of 3-5) and death (mRS score of 6). To compare EVT plus SMT's cost-effectiveness with that of SMT alone, we constructed a combined decision tree and Markov model with a lifetime duration and a 3-month cycle length. The primary cost-effectiveness outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), representing the incremental cost per incremental quality-adjusted life year (QALY). EVT was considered cost-effective if the ICER was lower than the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of three times the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 in China; otherwise, it would not be cost-effective. Results: The meta-analysis results indicated that EVT could increase the incidence of excellent functional outcomes, with a risk ratio (RR) of 2.23 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.18-4.21), p = 0.01. Simultaneously, EVT reduced the risk of poor functional outcome and mortality in the EVT group, with RRs of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.67-1.03), p = 0.09, and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.59-0.85), p = 0.0002, respectively. The study also found that EVT plus SMT resulted in a lifetime effectiveness of 2.15 QALY (3.88 life years) for 32,213 international dollars (Intl.$) per patient with BAO. In contrast, SMT alone achieved an effectiveness of 1.46 QALY (3.03 life years) with a total cost of Intl.$ 13,592 per patient. The ICER was Intl.$ 27,265 per QALY (Intl.$ 22,098 per life-year), which fell below the WTP threshold. Conclusion: Compared to SMT, EVT improves the prognosis of BAO-induced stroke. Considering the Chinese healthcare system, adding EVT to SMT proves to be cost-effective for patients with BAO compared to SMT alone.

Disrupting the ArcA Regulatory Network Amplifies the Fitness Cost of Tetracycline Resistance in Escherichia coli.

There is an urgent need for strategies to discover secondary drugs to prevent or disrupt antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is causing >700,000 deaths annually. Here, we demonstrate that tetracycline-resistant (TetR) Escherichia coli undergoes global transcriptional and metabolic remodeling, including downregulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle and disruption of redox homeostasis, to support consumption of the proton motive force for tetracycline efflux. Using a pooled genome-wide library of single-gene deletion strains, at least 308 genes, including four transcriptional regulators identified by our network analysis, were confirmed as essential for restoring the fitness of TetR E. coli during treatment with tetracycline. Targeted knockout of ArcA, identified by network analysis as a master regulator of this new compensatory physiological state, significantly compromised fitness of TetR E. coli during tetracycline treatment. A drug, sertraline, which generated a similar metabolome profile as the arcA knockout strain, also resensitized TetR E. coli to tetracycline. We discovered that the potentiating effect of sertraline was eliminated upon knocking out arcA, demonstrating that the mechanism of potential synergy was through action of sertraline on the tetracycline-induced ArcA network in the TetR strain. Our findings demonstrate that therapies that target mechanistic drivers of compensatory physiological states could resensitize AMR pathogens to lost antibiotics. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is projected to be the cause of >10 million deaths annually by 2050. While efforts to find new potent antibiotics are effective, they are expensive and outpaced by the rate at which new resistant strains emerge. There is desperate need for a rational approach to accelerate the discovery of drugs and drug combinations that effectively clear AMR pathogens and even prevent the emergence of new resistant strains. Using tetracycline-resistant (TetR) Escherichia coli, we demonstrate that gaining resistance is accompanied by loss of fitness, which is restored by compensatory physiological changes. We demonstrate that transcriptional regulators of the compensatory physiologic state are promising drug targets because their disruption increases the susceptibility of TetR E. coli to tetracycline. Thus, we describe a generalizable systems biology approach to identify new vulnerabilities within AMR strains to rationally accelerate the discovery of therapeutics that extend the life span of existing antibiotics.

Cost-benefit analysis of construction waste source reduction: a system dynamics approach.

Construction waste (CW) source reduction is a crucial strategy to address the sustainability issue of the construction industry. The economic benefit is a key factor affecting project decision-makers on whether to implement this strategy. However, limited studies analysed the cost-benefit of CW source reduction from a system dynamic perspective. Therefore, by considering the design and construction phase as a whole, this study constructed a system dynamics (SD) model based on the identification of the factors affecting the cost-benefit of CW source reduction to analyse the cost-benefit of CW source reduction. A residential building project in China's Chengdu was used for the study case. The results show that the net benefit of CW source reduction is positive, and BIM implementation, design for standard material size, and building material storage are the three strategies to effectively improve the economic benefits of CW source reduction. Furthermore, the best investment level of CW source reduction was also determined. This study provides a model which can be used to simulate the cost-benefit under different implementation levels of reduction strategies and different investment levels in advance, thereby providing a reference for project decision-makers to plan CW source reduction.

Performance of Passive Muscle Stiffness in Diagnosis and Assessment of Disease Progression in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of passive muscle stiffness in diagnosing and assessing disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Boys with DMD and age-matched controls were recruited. Shear wave elastography (SWE) videos were collected by performing dynamic stretching of the gastrocnemius medius (GM). At ankle angles from plantar flexion (PF) 30° to dorsiflexion (DF) 20°, the shear modulus of the GM was measured for each 10° of ankle movement. Shear modulus at each ankle angle was compared between the DMD and control group. Correlation between passive muscle stiffness and motor function grading was also analyzed. A total of 26 patients with DMD and 20 healthy boys were enrolled. At multiple stretch levels, passive muscle stiffness of the GM was significantly higher in patients with DMD than in those in the control group (all p values <0.05). The shear modulus of GM at an ankle angle of DF 10° had the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in differentiating DMD patients from normal subjects (AUC = 0.902, 95% confidence interval: 0.814-0.990). Motor function grading was a significant determinant of passive muscle stiffness at an ankle angle of DF 10° (B = 21.409, t = 3.372, p = 0.003). Passive muscle stiffness may potentially serve as a useful non-invasive tool to monitor disease progression in DMD patients.

Levels of heavy metal cadmium in rice (Oryza sativa L.) produced in Taiwan and probabilistic risk assessment for the Taiwanese population.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic pollutant that is widely spread through industrial production and agricultural practices. Epidemiological data has revealed that lifetime exposure to environmentally relevant levels of Cd increases the risk of developing various organ diseases, including chronic kidney, heart, and lung diseases, as well as nervous tissue disorders. This study assessed Cd levels in rice to determine the health risks associated with rice consumption in various age-gender subgroups in Taiwan. The distribution of Cd concentration, the lifetime average daily dose (LADD), and the hazard index (HI) were estimated by Monte Carlo simulation. In the general population, the 50th percentile LADD of Cd for male rice consumers between the ages of 19-65 years was 0.06 µg/kg body weight per day, and the hazard index (HI) 50th, 90th, and 95th percentiles were 0.16, 0.69, and 1.54, respectively. According to the HI heat map for the exposure of the general population to Cd from rice in Taiwan, the highest exposure to Cd was noted in the Yilan area (HI 0.64). Therefore, rice production in the Yilan area should be further monitored to evaluate the levels of Cd contamination.

Probabilistic risk assessment of patulin in imported apple juice and apple-containing beverages in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: In Taiwan, nearly 90% of apples and raw ingredients for apple-based products are imported. Apple juices (137 samples) and apple-containing beverages (35 samples) were collected in Taiwan from imported food and analyzed for patulin content. RESULTS: The results revealed that the incidence levels of patulin for apple juice and apple-containing beverages are 5.84% and 5.71%. The mean contamination levels were 1.7 and 1.4 µg kg-1 for apple juice and apple-containing beverages. One sample exceeded 50 µg kg-1 , the maximum permissible limit according to the Taiwan Sanitation Standard for the Tolerance of Mycotoxins in Foods. The estimated intake of patulin for consumers ranged from 5.4 to 18.0 ng kg-1 body weight per day for apple juice and between 6.1 and 11.2 ng kg-1 body weight for apple-containing beverages. The highest average patulin intake was observed among infants aged 0-3 years, followed by children aged 4-12 years old. Finally, the hazard index (HI) for the 50th, 90th, and 95th percentiles are 0.0186, 0.1201, and 0.2048, respectively, for infants aged 0-3 years. CONCLUSION: The dietary intake of patulin from imported apple juices and apple-containing beverages is well below the safety levels and does not present a risk for adult and children consumers. However, it is important to point out that we only analyzed imported apple juices and apple-containing beverages. More studies are necessary to establish if the HI for patulin will still remain below 1 when other foods and beverages are included in the risk calculations. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The indications for early prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18: a 7-year experience at mainland China.

Objective: To report the experience with first-trimester prenatal detection of pregnancies complicated by trisomy 18.Study design: Proven cases of trisomy 18 identified between 11 and 14 weeks of gestation were retrospectively reviewed. Information on maternal demographics, prenatal sonographic findings, indications for prenatal diagnosis and chromosomal analysis results was obtained by reviewing medical records.Results: During the 7-year period from January 2011 to December 2017, 89 cases of full trisomy 18 had first-trimester indications for prenatal diagnosis at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center. Eighty-five (95.5%) had abnormal sonographic findings in the first trimester. The most common finding was increased nuchal translucency (55.1%), followed by cystic hygroma (18.0%), omphalocele (14.6%), and fetalis hydrops (11.2%). Four cases (4.5%) were not associated with any abnormal first-trimester sonographic finding, and were diagnosed because of routine positive screening results for trisomy 18. A single case was diagnosed because of a positive cell-free DNA (cfDNA) result.Conclusion: These results demonstrate that a large number of fetuses with trisomy 18 have abnormal sonographic findings in the first trimester, and support the continued utility of first-trimester sonographic examination in the diagnosis of this trisomy even with the availability of cfDNA.

A cost-effectiveness analysis comparing two different strategies in advanced maternal age: Combined first-trimester screening and maternal blood cell-free DNA testing.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate cost efficacy of first-trimester screening strategies based on nuchal translucency (NT) and maternal blood cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing in women with advanced maternal age (AMA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective population-based analysis of all pregnant women with AMA booked for combined first-trimester screening (cFTS) in China over a 3-year period. The assumed screening strategies were the following: cFTS (Strategy 1), cfDNA testing as a first-tier investigation replacing biomarkers after NT measurement (Strategy 2), and cfDNA testing combined with dating ultrasound for all women (Strategy 3). The direct costs were compared between strategies. RESULTS: Strategy 1 was completed in 6443 women with AMA. The respective detection rates were 94.5% and 90.9% for trisomies 21 and 18, with a total screen-positive rate of 13.5%. Such a policy resulted in 871 invasive tests and a total cost of $747,870 or a cost of $116 per person tested. Strategy 2 would result in a total cost of $1,812,570, or a cost of $281 per person tested, with increased detection rates for trisomies 21 and 18, and a decreased number of invasive tests compared with strategy 1. The total cost of Strategy 3 would be $1,675,430, or a cost of $260 per person tested with the least number of invasive tests. CONCLUSION: The cfDNA modalities have the advantages of higher detection rate for common trisomies and lower screening-positive rate. However, the cost of cfDNA testing needs to decrease significantly if it is to replace the current cFTS practice in a population of AMA on a purely cost effectiveness basis.

Prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with increased nuchal translucency using an approach based on quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction and genomic microarray.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical value of prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with increased nuchal translucency (NT) using an approach based on quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) and chromosomal microarray (CMA). STUDY DESIGN: From January 2013 to October 2014, we included 175 pregnancies with fetal NT ≥ 3.5mm at 11-13 weeks' gestation who received chorionic villus sampling. QF-PCR was first used to rapidly detect common aneuploidies. The cases with a normal QF-PCR result were analyzed by CMA. RESULTS: Of the 175 cases, common aneuploidies were detected by QF-PCR in 53 (30.2%) cases (30 cases of trisomy 21, 12 cases of monosomy X, 7 cases of trisomy 18, 3 cases of trisomy 13 and 1 case of 47, XXY). Among the 122 cases with a normal QF-PCR result, microarray detected additional pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) in 5.7% (7/122) of cases. Four cases would have expected to be detectable by conventional karyotyping because of large deletions/duplications (>10 Mb), leaving three cases (2.5%; 3/118) with pathogenic CNVs only detectable by CMA. CONCLUSION: It is rational to use a diagnostic strategy in which CMA is preceded by the less expensive, rapid, QF-PCR to detect common aneuploidies. CMA allows detection of a number of pathogenic chromosomal aberrations in fetuses with a high NT.

Non-invasive prenatal testing: impact on invasive prenatal diagnosis at a mainland Chinese tertiary medical center.

OBJECTIVE: We describe the changes over a 4-year period in the number of diagnostic testing after the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). METHODS: The rate of NIPT as an indication in women who received amniocentesis, and the number of amniocentesis required for detection of one case with major aneuploidy were compared between a 1-year baseline period before the introduction of NIPT, and the 3 years following NIPT introduction. RESULTS: A total of 7536 amniocentesis procedures were performed over the 4-year study period. During the baseline period of the year 2011, the number of invasive testing required for detection of one common trisomy was 57. During the first 2 years that NIPT was offered, NIPT averaged 1.7 percent of the total indications for amniocentesis, and the required number of invasive testing decreased to 30. With the increase of the percentage of NIPT during the 3rd year, the required number of invasive testing further decreased to 26. CONCLUSION: After the clinical introduction of NIPT, invasive prenatal diagnostic testing had not decreased at a Chinese prenatal diagnostic unit, but a remarkably improved detection rate of major aneuploidies in diagnostic procedures was observed.

Comparative assessment of (18) F-Mefway as a serotonin 5-HT1A receptor PET imaging agent across species: Rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans.

We have developed (18) F-trans-Mefway ((18) F-Mefway) for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies of serotonin 5-HT1A receptors which are implicated in various brain functions. Translation of imaging the 5-HT1A receptor in animal models to humans will facilitate an understanding of the role of the receptor in human brain disorders. We report comparative brain distribution of (18) F-Mefway in normal mice, rats, monkeys, and healthy human volunteers. Mefway was found to be very selective, with subnanomolar affinity for the 5-HT1A receptor. Affinities of >55 nM were found for all other human-cloned receptor subtypes tested. Mefway was found to be a poor substrate (>30 µM) for the multidrug resistance 1 protein, suggesting low likelihood of brain uptake being affected by P-glycoprotein. Cerebellum was used as a reference region in all imaging studies across all species due to the low levels of (18) F-Mefway binding. Consistent binding of (18) F-Mefway in cortical regions, hippocampus, and raphe was observed across all species. (18) F-Mefway in the human brain regions correlated with the known postmortem distribution of 5-HT1A receptors. Quantitation of raphe was affected by the resolution of the PET scanners in rodents, whereas monkeys and humans showed a raphe to cerebellum ratio of approximately 3. (18) F-Mefway appears to be an effective 5-HT1A receptor imaging agent in all models, including humans. (18) F-Mefway therefore may be used to quantify 5-HT1A receptor distribution in brain regions for the study of various CNS disorders. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1457-1471, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inertial Sensing Based Assessment Methods to Quantify the Effectiveness of Post-Stroke Rehabilitation.

In clinical settings, traditional stroke rehabilitation evaluation methods are subjectively scored by occupational therapists, and the assessment results vary individually. To address this issue, this study aims to develop a stroke rehabilitation assessment system by using inertial measurement units. The inertial signals from the upper extremities were acquired, from which three quantitative indicators were extracted to reflect rehabilitation performance during stroke patients' movement examination, i.e., shoulder flexion. Both healthy adults and stroke patients were recruited to correlate the proposed quantitative evaluation indices and traditional rehab assessment scales. Especially, as a unique feature of the study the weight for each of three evaluation indicators was estimated by the least squares method. The quantitative results demonstrate the proposed method accurately reflects patients' recovery from pre-rehabilitation, and confirm the feasibility of applying inertial signals to evaluate rehab performance through feature extraction. The implemented assessment scheme appears to have the potential to overcome some shortcomings of traditional assessment methods and indicates rehab performance correctly.

Safety assessment of menaquinone-7 for use in human nutrition.

Vitamin K occurs widely in foods and has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, as well as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiosteoporosis properties. A previous study indicates that long-chain menaquinone-7 may be more bioavailable than vitamin K and short-chain menaquinones. In the present study, acute, subacute toxicity and genotoxicity assays were carried out to evaluate the safety of oral menaquinone-7 in albino Wistar rats. Oral administration of menaquinone-7, at a concentration of 2000 mg/kg, did not cause toxic symptoms in either male or female rats. A subacute toxicity study also proved the safety and tolerance of prolonged treatment (for 90 days) with menaquinone-7 in rats, as evidenced by biochemical, hematological, and urine parameters as well as by histopathological analysis. Genotoxicity and mutagenicity studies were performed by comet, micronucleus, and Ames tests on Salmonella typhimurium strains, which showed cellular safety and nonmutagenicity of menaquinone-7. The results indicate the safety of menaquinone-7 for human consumption.

PT/NBL ratio assessment at mid-trimester in prenatal screening for Down syndrome in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ratio of prenasal thickness (PT) to nasal bone length (NBL) in normal and trisomy 21 fetuses in the second and third trimester in Chinese population. METHODS: The NBL and PT were measured blindly by using 3D volumes in 143 normal fetuses and 31 trisomy 21 fetuses. RESULTS: The mean PT (r = 0.83, p = 0.004) and NBL (r = 0.87, p = 0.0062) both increased with the gestation age, while the PT/NBL ratio (r = 0.12, p > 0.10) remained stable. There was significant difference between normal and trisomy 21 fetuses (p < 0.001). If we took the 95th of the normal fetuses as the cut-off value, the detection rate was only 46%. By using ROC curve to evaluate the screening value of PT/NBL ratio, the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.88 (95% confidence interval 0.81 to 0.94, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In Chinese population, the PT/NBL ratio is not a very strong ultrasound marker to predict trisomy 21 fetuses. However, it can be used as an ultrasound marker for Down syndrome screening during the second and third trimester of pregnancy.

Assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in an intermittently aerated sequencing batch reactor (IASBR) and a sequencing batch reactor (SBR).

Biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal was investigated in an intermittently aerated sequencing batch reactor (IASBR) and a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The removal efficiencies of ammonium-nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) were 100% in both reactors in steady operation state. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies were 90.4% in the IASBR and 79.3% in the SBR, while the total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies were 88.8% in the IASBR and 82.3% in the SBR. The efficiencies of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) were 90.4% in the IASBR and 79.3% in the SBR, indicating that the IASBR was more efficient than the SBR in SND. The sludge in the IASBR had a P release capability of 16.6 mg P/g VSS (volatile suspended solids) but only 7.5 mg P/g VSS in the SBR.

A noncontact resonance frequency detection technique for the assessment of the interfacial bone defect around a dental implant.

This study employed a noncontact resonance frequency (RF) detection technique that was developed by our group to evaluate the interfacial bone in in vitro implant-bone models. Based on our method, the implant-bone structure was excited by the acoustic energy of a loudspeaker, and its vibration response was acquired with a capacitance sensor. The spectral analysis was used to characterize the first RF value. Two types of in vitro defect models, Buccal-Lingual (BL) and Mesial-Distal (MD), were constructed for the verification. The measurements of the RF for a defect model clamped at four different heights (9, 10, 11, and 12 mm) were performed in two sensing directions (BL and MD). Moreover, each model was also analyzed using an Osstell Mentor. The obtained two parameters, RF and ISQ (Implant Stability Quotient), were statistically analyzed through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression analysis for comparisons. The RF and the ISQ values obtained for all of the defect models at the four clamp heights decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with an increase in the severity of the defect. The two parameters for each imperfection increase significantly (p < 0.05) with an increase in the clamp height. Additionally, the RFs of all of the defect models are linearly correlated with their corresponding ISQs for the four clamp heights and the two measuring orientations. Therefore, our developed technique is feasible for the assessment of the postoperative healing around a dental implant.

Quantitative assessment of brown adipose tissue metabolic activity and volume using 18F-FDG PET/CT and β3-adrenergic receptor activation.

BACKGROUND: Brown adipose tissue [BAT] metabolism in vivo is vital for the development of novel strategies in combating obesity and diabetes. Currently, BAT is activated at low temperatures and measured using 2-deoxy-2-18F-fluoro-D-glucose [18F-FDG] positron-emission tomography [PET]. We report the use of ß3-adrenergic receptor-mediated activation of BAT at ambient temperatures using (R, R)-5-[2-[2,3-(3-chlorphenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl-amino]propyl]-1,3-benzodioxole-2,2-dicarboxylate, disodium salt [CL316,243] (a selective ß3-adrenoceptor agonist) and measured by 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography [CT]. METHODS: Control and CL316,243-treated (2 mg/kg) male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered with 18F-FDG for PET/CT studies and were compared to animals at cold temperatures. Receptor-blocking experiments were carried out using propranolol (5 mg/kg). Dose effects of CL316,243 were studied by injecting 0.1 to 1 mg/kg 30 min prior to 18F-FDG administration. Imaging results were confirmed by autoradiography, and histology was done to confirm BAT activation. RESULTS: CL316,243-activated interscapular BAT [IBAT], cervical, periaortic, and intercostal BATs were clearly visualized by PET. 18F-FDG uptake of IBAT was increased 12-fold by CL316,243 vs. 1.1-fold by cold exposure when compared to controls. 18F-FDG uptake of the CL-activated IBAT was reduced by 96.0% using intraperitoneal administration of propranolol. Average 18F-FDG uptake of IBAT increased 3.6-, 3.5-, and 7.6-fold by doses of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg CL, respectively. Ex vivo 18F-FDG autoradiography and histology of transverse sections of IBAT confirmed intense uptake in the CL-activated group and activated IBAT visualized by PET. CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that BAT metabolic activity could be evaluated by 18F-FDG PET using CL316,243 at ambient temperature in the rodent model. This provides a feasible and reliable method to study BAT metabolism.

A rapid LC/MS/MS method for the analysis of nonvolatile antiinflammatory agents from Mentha spp.

UNLABELLED: Mints (Mentha spp.), aromatic crops grown largely for their essential oils, also are rich sources of nonvolatile antiinflammatory agents. Identification and quantitation of the constituents responsible for their antiinflammatory activity is challenging owing to the lack of suitable chromatographic methodology. In the present research, the simultaneous quantitation of antiinflammatory constituents rosmarinic acid, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid in mints was attained by using a unique tandem HPLC column system coupled with an electrospray ionization mass detection (MRM mode). The ion mode optimization for rosmarinic acid under negative and triterpenoid acids under positive was achieved by setting 2 time segments in a single run where the polarity mode was switched from negative (0 to 10 min) to positive (10 to 40 min). For the investigated concentration ranges of antiinflammatory agents in mints, good linearities (r² ≥ 0.998) were obtained for each calibration curve. Validation of precision and accuracy for this method showed that intra- and inter-day repeatabilities for all analytes were less than 5.51%, and the recoveries varied from 97.8% to 99.3%. The developed LC/MS/MS assay provides a suitable quality control method for the determination of antiinflammatory constituents in Mentha spp. There is a wide range of diversity in the natural product composition for these acids across the Mentha germplasm collection evaluated. The presence of these antiinflammatory acids in post-distilled mints shows that value-added nutraceutical enriched products can be developed with proper processing and recovery systems in addition to the distillation and capture of the valuable volatile essential oils. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Results from this research would benefit both commercial farmers growing mint for essential oil and those in the food industry where value-added phytopharmaceutical enriched products can be developed with proper processing, quality control, and recovery systems during mint essential oil distillation.