Stabilized-solubilized ferric pyrophosphate as a new iron source for food fortification. Bioavailability studies by means of the prophylactic-preventive method in rats.

The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the iron bioavailability of a new ferric pyrophosphate salt stabilized and solubilized with glycine. The prophylactic-preventive test in rats, using ferrous sulfate as the reference standard, was applied as the evaluating methodology both using water and yogurt as vehicles. Fifty female Sprague-Dawley rats weaned were randomized into five different groups (group 1: FeSO(4); group 2: pyr; group 3: FeSO(4) + yogurt; group 4: pyr + yogurt and group 5: control). The iron bioavailability (BioFe) of each compound was calculated using the formula proposed by Dutra-de-Oliveira et al. where BioFe % = (HbFef - HbFei) x 100/ToFeIn. Finally, the iron bioavailability results of each iron source were also given as relative biological value (RBV) using ferrous sulfate as the reference standard. The results showed that both BioFe % and RBV % of the new iron source tested is similar to that of the reference standard independently of the vehicle employed for the fortification procedure (FeSO(4) 49.46 +/- 12.0% and 100%; Pyr 52.66 +/- 15.02% and 106%; FeSO(4) + yogurth 54.39 +/- 13.92% and 110%; Pyr + yogurt 61.97 +/- 13.54% and 125%; Control 25.30 +/- 6.60, p < 0.05). Therefore, the stabilized and soluble ferric pyrophosphate may be considered as an optimal iron source for food fortification.

EBV PCR in the diagnosis and monitoring of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder: results of a two-arm prospective trial.

While EBV PCR is used in the management of PTLD, the optimal primer set, relative importance of intracellular versus free plasma EBV, and the baseline profile in an organ transplant population remains unclear. We performed a prospective 2-arm trial utilizing an EBV PCR panel measuring LMP-1, EBER-1 and EBNA-1 in both free plasma as well as intracellular whole blood. Control Arm A consisted of 31 lung transplant patients and Arm B consisted of 35 transplant patients being evaluated for possible PTLD. In Arm A, 1/31 (3%) patients developed a transient plasma EBV load. Thirteen of 31 (42%) had detectable intracellular EBV. In Arm B, 17 (49%) patients were diagnosed with PTLD. Thirteen (76%) had EBV-positive PTLD with 12/13 (92%) having detectable EBV by PCR. The EBV PCR panel had a high sensitivity (92%), specificity (72%), positive predictive value (PPV) (71%) and negative predictive value (NPV) (93%) for diagnosing EBV-positive PTLD and followed patients' clinical course well (p < 0.001). Comparing the individual PCR assays, plasma EBNA PCR was superior with high sensitivity (77%), specificity (100%), PPV (100%) and NPV (86%). We conclude that EBV PCR is a useful test for managing PTLD patients. While plasma EBNA PCR is the best single assay for diagnosing and monitoring PTLD, the complete PCR panel is superior for ruling out its presence.

Asymptomatic neonatal contamination with herpes simplex virus.

Frequent maternal vaginal and/or lesion cultures for herpes simplex virus (HSV) were obtained from a high-risk maternal population during the course of pregnancy and from oropharyngeal samples of their newborn infants on the first day of life to determine (1) the incidence of asymptomatic neonatal contamination with HSV and (2) the relationship of neonatal with maternal colonization. Four hundred ninety-nine maternal cultures were obtained from 85 patients. The mean number of cultures per patient was six with a range from one to 12. Thirty-three mothers had 41 positive cultures. Fifty-two women had 301 negative cultures. Cord blood HSV-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) titers were not different in the two groups of infants (geometric mean titer 1152 and 800, respectively). One infant from each maternal group had a positive oropharyngeal HSV culture. Both infants were asymptomatic. One was delivered by elective cesarean section at term to a mother with four positive cultures obtained during pregnancy. Fetal membranes were intact until delivery. The second infant with a positive oropharyngeal culture on the first day of life was born vaginally to a mother with seven negative cultures during pregnancy. Repeat cultures on both infants during the first week of life were negative. These data indicate that asymptomatic neonatal contamination with HSV does occur in oropharyngeal samples obtained on the first day of life. The data also suggest that there is a poor relationship of viral excretion during pregnancy or the mode of delivery with neonatal contamination. Further data are required to determine the incidence of asymptomatic neonatal contamination and the relationship of maternal with neonatal cultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gas chromatographic determination of methylcyclopentadienylmanganesetricarbonyl in biological tissues and fluids.

The procedure described for quantitating methylcyclopentadienylmanganese-tricarbonyl (MMT, a fuel additive) in small samples of biological fluids and tissues is based on extracting the MMT into hexane containing biphenyl as internal standard, followed by gas chromatographic analysis. With flame ionisation detection, as little as 1-2 ppm of MMT in tissue can be determined relatively easily. The method is also applicable to in vitro investigations of MMT metabolism, and it has been used to show that the enzymic oxidation of MMT by rat-liver microsomes is a cytochrome P-450-dependent process.