A new fluorescenttargeting tracer contrasts dual tracers in sentinel lymph node biopsy of breast cancer.

Purpose: To explore the clinical application value of indocyanine green (ICG)-rituximab in sentinel lymph node biopsy. Methods: This study included 156 patients with primary breast cancer: 50 patients were enrolled in dose-climbing test, and 106 patients were enrolled in verification test. This was to compare the consistency of ICG-rituximab and combined method in the detected lymph nodes. Results: According to the verification test, the imaging rate of ICG-rituximab was 97.3%. Compared with the combined method, the concordance rate of fluorescence method was 0.991 (28 + 78/107; p < 0.001). Conclusion: For ICG-rituximab as a fluorescent targeting tracer, the optimal imaging dose of ICG 93.75 µg/rituximab 375 µg can significantly reduce the imaging of secondary lymph nodes. Compared with the combined method, it has a higher concordance rate.

A verification phase adds little value to the determination of maximum oxygen uptake in well-trained adults.

PURPOSE: The objective was to investigate if performing a sub-peak or supra-peak verification phase following a ramp test provides additional value for determining 'true' maximum oxygen uptake ( V ˙ O2). METHODS: 17 and 14 well-trained males and females, respectively, performed two ramp tests each followed by a verification phase. While the ramp tests were identical, the verification phase differed in power output, wherein the power output was either 95% or 105% of the peak power output from the ramp test. The recovery phase before the verification phase lasted until capillary blood lactate concentration was ≤ 4 mmol·L-1. If a V ˙ O2 plateau occurred during ramp test, the following verification phase was considered to provide no added value. If no V ˙ O2 plateau occurred and the highest V ˙ O2 ( V ˙ O2peak) during verification phase was < 97%, between 97 and 103%, or > 103% of V ˙ O2peak achieved during the ramp test, no value, potential value, and certain value were attributed to the verification phase, respectively. RESULTS: Mean (standard deviation) V ˙ O2peak during both ramp tests was 64.5 (6.0) mL·kg-1·min-1 for males and 54.8 (6.2) mL·kg-1·min-1 for females. For the 95% verification phase, 20 tests showed either a V ˙ O2 plateau during ramp test or a verification V ˙ O2peak < 97%, indicating no value, 11 showed potential value, and 0 certain value. For the 105% verification phase, the values were 26, 5, and 0 tests, respectively. CONCLUSION: In well-trained adults, a sub-peak verification phase might add little value in determining 'true' maximum V ˙ O2, while a supra-peak verification phase adds no value.

Importance of a verification test to accurately assess V̇O2 max in unfit individuals with obesity.

BACKGROUND: To determine the trustworthiness of graded exercise test to exhaustion (GXT) to assess maximal oxygen uptake ( V ˙ O 2 max ) in metabolic syndrome individuals with obesity and poor cardiorespiratory fitness. METHODS: V ˙ O 2 max was assessed in 100 metabolic syndrome adults (57 ± 8 years; 34% women), with obesity (BMI 32 ± 5 kg·m-2 ) using GXT followed by supramaximal constant-load verification test (VerT) at 110% of maximal GXT work rate. V ˙ O 2 data from GXT and VerT were compared using paired t test and plotted for Bland-Altman analysis. GXT sensitivity and specificity to detect V ˙ O 2 max were also calculated. RESULTS: Seventy individuals did not achieve V ˙ O 2 plateau during GXT. GXT underestimated V ˙ O 2 max in 40 subjects. In these subjects, the magnitude of V ˙ O 2 max underestimation with GXT was 9% (167 mLO2 ·min-1 ; P < .001). In the whole sample (n = 100), bias error differences between GXT and VerT was 63 mLO2 ·min-1 (3% underestimation). This error was constant regardless of differences in fitness levels among individuals (R = -0.07; homoscedasticity). GXT results were unreliable in 62% of the sample with 16% of false-positive and 46% of false-negative results. Sensitivity and specificity of GTX to assess V ˙ O 2 max were low (ie, 23% and 60%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that the magnitude (3%-9%) and prevalence (40% of subjects) of V ˙ O 2 max underestimation with the use of a GXT alone is high in a large sample of unfit metabolic syndrome individuals with obesity. Our data advocate for the need of using VerT after GXT to avoid significant cardiorespiratory fitness underestimation in metabolic syndrome individuals with obesity and low fitness level.

Validity of the Supramaximal Test to Verify Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Children and Adolescents.

Purpose: This study had 2 objectives: (1) to examine whether the validity of the supramaximal verification test for maximal oxygen uptake ( V˙O2max ) differs in children and adolescents when stratified for sex, body mass, and cardiorespiratory fitness and (2) to assess sensitivity and specificity of primary and secondary objective criteria from the incremental test to verify V˙O2max . Methods: In total, 128 children and adolescents (76 male and 52 females; age: 9.3-17.4 y) performed a ramp-incremental test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer followed by a supramaximal test to verify V˙O2max . Results: Supramaximal tests verified V˙O2max in 88% of participants. Group incremental test peak V˙O2 was greater than the supramaximal test (2.27 [0.65] L·min-1 and 2.17 [0.63] L·min-1; P < .001), although both were correlated (r = .94; P < .001). No differences were found in V˙O2 plateau attainment or supramaximal test verification between sex, body mass, or cardiorespiratory fitness groups (all Ps > .18). Supramaximal test time to exhaustion predicted supramaximal test V˙O2max verification (P = .04). Primary and secondary objective criteria had insufficient sensitivity (7.1%-24.1%) and specificity (50%-100%) to verify V˙O2max . Conclusion: The utility of supramaximal testing to verify V˙O2max is not affected by sex, body mass, or cardiorespiratory fitness status. Supramaximal testing should replace secondary objective criteria to verify V˙O2max .

The use of a graded exercise test may be insufficient to quantify true changes in V̇o2max following exercise training in unfit individuals with metabolic syndrome.

We studied the accuracy of graded exercise testing (GXT) to assess improvements in maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2max) with exercise training in unfit individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Forty-four adults with MetS (58 ± 7 yr, 36% women, BMI 31.8 ± 4.8 kg/m-2) underwent 4 mo of supervised high-intensity interval exercise training. V̇o2max was assessed using GXT, followed by a constant-load verification test (VerT) at 110% of the maximal work rate achieved during GXT. V̇o2 data from GXT and VerT were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA. The mean improvement in V̇o2max following exercise training was similar when using GXT only or VerT. However, before training, 18 subjects achieved a higher V̇o2max during the verification test that was (+159 mLO2/min) higher than the GXT (P < 0.001). After training, the underestimation of V̇o2max by GXT was reduced but still present (+64 mLO2/min). As a result, improvements in V̇o2max following exercise training as assessed using GXT only almost doubled the "real" increase in V̇o2max as measured by VerT in these 18 individuals. In the remaining 26 subjects, GXT scored below VerT only after training (+54 mLO2/min, P = 0.046). As a consequence, GXT underestimated the actual V̇o2max increases (-49 mLO2/min, P = 0.013) in these individuals. Assessment of changes in V̇o2max following exercise training using only GXT over- or underestimates V̇o2max gains in unfit individuals with MetS. Thus, a verification test may be required to 1) identify the highest V̇o2max during a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer and 2) accurately quantify the true changes in cardiorespiratory fitness following exercise training in unfit individuals with MetS.NEW & NOTEWORTHY It is unclear whether the traditional GXT is suitable to assess V̇o2max changes in unfit individuals with metabolic syndrome. Mean changes in V̇o2max following exercise training were similar using GXT or VerT. However, we showed that the GXT overestimated V̇o2max improvements in 41% and underestimated V̇o2max improvements in 59% of subjects. Our data suggest the need for a verification test to appropriately determine training-induced improvements in V̇o2max in unfit individuals with metabolic syndrome.

Mix Proportion Design of Self-Compacting SFRC with Manufactured Sand Based on the Steel Fiber Aggregate Skeleton Packing Test.

A scientific and concise mix design method is an impending problem in the engineering application of self-compacting steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC). This paper focuses on the mix proportion of self-compacting SFRC, which is influenced by the steel fibers, along with its effects on the packing properties of the steel fiber aggregate skeleton. In total, 252 groups of packing tests were carried out for several main factors, including with various maximum particle sizes for the coarse aggregates, manufactured sand ratios ranging from 50% to 62%, and with different types of hooked-end steel fibers and crimped steel fibers, with volume fractions ranging from 0% to 2.0%. The results indicated that the void content and rational sand ratio of the steel fiber aggregate skeleton increased linearly with the fiber factor. These results provided a basis for the calculation of the binder content and rational sand ratio of the self-compacting SFRC. Combined with the absolute volume design method and the calculation formula for the water-to-binder ratio, a systematical procedure was proposed for the mix proportion design of the self-compacting SFRC. Based on the design method, eight groups of mixtures were cast and tested to verify the adaptability and practicability of the workability, air content, density, cubic compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength of the self-compacting SFRC. Meanwhile, the outcomes of this study confirmed the applicability of using manufactured sand as a complete replacement for natural sand for the self-compacting SFRC.

Verification test of sensory analyses of comb and strained honeys produced as pure and feeding intensively with sucrose (Saccharum officinarum L.) syrup.

The aims of the study were to discriminate comb and strained honeys produced by the standard beekeeping method (control), shaking method (pure blossom honey), and feeding intensively (100kg/colony) with sucrose (adulterated honey) syrup by using sensory analysis and to develop a method to be used in identification of unknown or suspicion honey samples. In the study, twenty trained panelists assessed honey samples in relation to their properties including taste, odor, color, aroma, viscosity, dissolution in mouth, inflammation in throat, attractiveness, flavor and general impression during four months. There were no differences in odor, viscosity, and dissolution in mouth between comb and strained honey samples which produced by different methods (P > 0.05). Discrimination of strained honey by sensory analysis was more reliable when compared to comb honey. The ratio of correctly classified sample was 78.3% for comb and 86.7% for strained honey. The more honey was pure the more discrimination of honey sample by sensory analysis was reliable. In verification test five unknown honey samples were classified 100% in their real groups by using canonical discriminant function Coefficients of each properties evaluated and the projections of the sample points on the plane of the canonical function-1 and function-2.

Gender Verification Test Based on PCR Determination of Y Chromosomal DNA: Experience in Genetic Sex Typing during the '99 Kangwon Asian Winter Games / 대한임상병리학회지

BACKGROUND: The aim of gender verification test is to maintain impartiality among female competitors by excluding males in women's sports competitions. Some microscopic methods such as X-chromatin test and Y-chromatin test had been used for this purpose. Because of their known shortcomings, the methods were replaced with the polymerase chain reaction(PCR)-based test. In this report we describe the assay used in the gender verification during the '99 Kangwon Asian Winter Games. METHODS: Buccal smear samples of 126 female competitors were obtained. These samples underwent digestion with proteinase K, and were followed by boiling treatment with Chelex resin. PCR was performed to detect the sex determining region of Y chromosome(SRY) in order to confirm the femininity, and beta globin region was coamplified for confirming that the DNA was extracted from buccal cells. An X-Y homologous region encoded amelogenin was also amplified so that the femininity could be reconfirmed. RESULTS: No SRY and Y-amelogenin like sequences were amplified in any of samples of 126 female competitors analysed. CONCLUSIONS: Established gender verification method based on PCR amplification of Y chromosomal DNA seems to be superior to others. Sampling is simple. The procedure of extracting DNA is simple, rapid, and does not require multiple tube transfers. False positivity and/or false negativity appear to be less. It appear that this method is useful and reliable for gender verification in international sports events.