Increased operational costs of electricity generation in the Delaware River and Estuary from salinity increases due to sea-level rise and a deepened channel.

Like many estuaries in the world, salinity levels in the Delaware River and Estuary are expected to increase due to a deepened navigational channel and sea-level rise. This study estimated operational cost increases resulting from increased ambient salinity likely to be incurred at PSEG-Hope Creek, an evaporatively cooled electricity generating station. To estimate cost increases, a linked physical-economic model was developed to generate daily forecasts of salinity and the resulting changes in facility's cooling water treatment and pumping requirements. Salinity increases under potential future bathymetric configurations were simulated using a hydrodynamic model. On an equivalent annual basis (discounted at 5%), average cost increases were $0.4M per year, or approximately 0.1% of estimated total annual operating costs for the facility. Methods developed here could be employed at other facilities anticipating future salinity increases. Results inform cost-benefit analyses for dredging projects and contribute to estimates of the indirect costs to society from carbon emissions through sea-level rise. Future research refinements can focus on modeling changes in suspended sediment concentrations and estimating their impacts on operational costs.

Relationship between in feed drugs, antibiotics and organic enrichment in marine sediments at Canadian Atlantic salmon aquaculture sites.

The presence of in-feed anti-sea lice drugs and their relationship with organic enrichment is poorly understood in sediment surrounding salmon farms. Using data from an aquaculture monitoring program (2018-2020), we describe this relationship at ten sites in four Canadian provinces. Three anti-sea lice pesticides (lufenuron, teflubenzuron, emamectin benzoate and metabolite desmethyl emamectin benzoate), and one antibiotic (oxytetracycline) were detected. Concentrations were often below limits of quantification. Values are also lower than those reported in other aquaculture salmon-producing countries. Highest concentrations, along with organic enrichment, were observed ~200 m of cages with lower concentrations detected up to 1.5 km away. Most samples had at least two drugs present: 75.2 % (British Columbia), 91.4 % (Newfoundland), and 54.8 % (New Brunswick/Nova Scotia) highlighting the potential for cumulative effects. Emamectin benzoate and oxytetracycline were detected four and three years respectively after last known treatments, demonstrating the need for research on overall persistence of compounds.

Technical validation of an autoantibody test for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Publications on autoantibodies to tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) have failed to show either calibration or reproducibility data. The validation of a panel of six TAAs to which autoantibodies have been described is reported here. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three separate groups of patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer were identified, along with control individuals, and their samples used to validate an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Precision, linearity, assay reproducibility and antigen batch reproducibility were all assessed. RESULTS: For between-replicate error, samples with higher signals gave coefficients of variation (CVs) in the range 7%-15%. CVs for between-plate variation were only 1%-2% higher. For between-run error, CVs were in the range 15%-28%. In linearity studies, the slope was close to 1.0 and correlation coefficient values were generally >0.8. The sensitivity and specificity of individual batches of antigen varied slightly between groups of patients; however, the sensitivity and specificity of the panel of antigens as a whole remained constant. The validity of the calibration system was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: A calibrated six-panel assay of TAAs has been validated for identifying nearly 40% of primary lung cancers via a peripheral blood test. Levels of reproducibility, precision and linearity would be acceptable for an assay used in a regulated clinical setting.

Bond selectivity in silicon film growth.

Hydrogen atoms can selectively eliminate strained bonds that form during the growth of amorphous silicon films. By periodically interrupting the growth and exposing the grown material to hydrogen, the film composition can be varied continuously from a non-equilibrium amorphous structure to that of a crystalline solid. Furthermore, by tuning the hydrogen exposure it is possible to discriminate between Si-Si bonds formed on different substrates, thereby allowing substrate-selective growth. The evolution of the film structure during hydrogen exposure is directly observed by scanning tunneling microscopy, and a model describing the role of hydrogen is presented.

Mitotic repression of RNA polymerase II transcription is accompanied by release of transcription elongation complexes.

Nuclear RNA synthesis is repressed during the mitotic phase of each cell cycle. Although total RNA synthesis remains low throughout mitosis, the degree of RNA polymerase II transcription repression on specific genes has not been examined. In addition, it is not known whether mitotic repression of RNA polymerase II transcription is due to polymerase pausing or ejection of transcription elongation complexes from mitotic chromosomes. In this study, we show that RNA polymerase II transcription is repressed in mammalian cells on a number of specific gene regions during mitosis. We also show that the majority of RNA polymerase II transcription elongation complexes are physically excluded from mitotic chromosomes between late prophase and late telophase. Despite generalized transcription repression and stripping of RNA polymerase II complexes from DNA, arrested RNA polymerase II ternary complexes appear to remain on some gene regions during mitosis. The cyclic repression of transcription and ejection of RNA polymerase II transcription elongation complexes may help regulate the transcriptional events that control cell cycle progression and differentiation.

Fabrication and design of metal nano-accordion structures using atomic layer deposition and interference lithography.

Metal nanostructures have attractive electrical and thermal properties as well as structural stability, and are important for applications in flexible conductors. In this study, we have developed a method to fabricate and control novel complex platinum nanostructures with accordion-like profile using atomic layer deposition on lithographically patterned polymer templates. The template removal process results in unique structural transformation of the nanostructure profile, which has been studied and modeled. Using different template duty cycles and aspect ratios, we have demonstrated a wide variety of cross-sectional profiles from wavy geometry to pipe array patterns. These complex thin metal nanostructures can find applications in flexible/stretchable electronics, photonics and nanofluidics.

Intracerebral transplantation of adult mouse neural progenitor cells into the Niemann-Pick-A mouse leads to a marked decrease in lysosomal storage pathology.

Niemann-Pick disease is caused by a genetic deficiency in acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) leading to the intracellular accumulation of sphingomyelin and cholesterol in lysosomes. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of direct intracerebral transplantation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) on the brain storage pathology in the ASM knock-out (ASMKO) mouse model of Type A Niemann-Pick disease. NPCs derived from adult mouse brain were genetically modified to express human ASM (hASM) and were transplanted into multiple regions of the ASMKO mouse brain. Transplanted NPCs survived, migrated, and showed region-specific differentiation in the host brain up to 10 weeks after transplantation (the longest time point examined). In vitro, gene-modified NPCs expressed up to 10 times more and released five times more ASM activity into the culture media compared with nontransduced NPCs. In vivo, transplanted cells expressed hASM at levels that were barely detectable by immunostaining but were sufficient for uptake and cross-correction of host cells, leading to reversal of distended lysosomal pathology and regional clearance of sphingomyelin and cholesterol storage. Within the host brain, the area of correction closely overlapped with the distribution of the hASM-modified NPCs. No correction of pathology occurred in brain regions that received transplants of nontransduced NPCs. These results indicate that the presence of transduced NPCs releasing low levels of hASM within the ASMKO mouse brain is necessary and sufficient to reverse lysosomal storage pathology. Potentially, NPCs may serve as a useful gene transfer vehicle for the treatment of CNS pathology in other lysosomal storage diseases and neurodegenerative disorders.

Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride on growth performance, blood metabolites, and fatty acid profiles of plasma and adipose tissue in finishing steers.

The effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) on blood metabolites and fatty acid profiles of plasma and adipose tissue were evaluated in crossbred finishing steers (n = 18, BW 639 ± 12.69 kg) that were stratified by BW and randomly assigned, within strata (block), to receive 0 (control) or 8.33 mg/kg diet DM ZH. Cattle were fed once daily ad libitum in individual feeding pens (9 pens/treatment). Zilpaterol hydrochloride was fed for 23 d and withdrawn 3 d before harvest. Blood samples and measures of BW were taken on d 0, 7, 14, and 21. Concentrations of ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), glucose, and lactate were determined from whole blood. Nonesterified fatty acids, urea nitrogen (PUN), glucose, lactate, and long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) concentrations were analyzed from plasma. Postharvest, adipose tissue samples (approximately 20 g) from subcutaneous fat covering the lumbar vertebrae were collected after 48 h of refrigeration and analyzed for LCFA profiles. Feeding ZH decreased DMI by 8% (P = 0.03) but did not affect BW gain or efficiency (P = 0.83 and P = 0.56, respectively). Addition of ZH resulted in greater HCW, dressing percentage, and LM area ( P = 0.02, P = 0.08, and P = 0.07, respectively) but did not influence other carcass traits (P > 0.10). A ZH × d interaction was observed for PUN and whole-blood glucose concentrations (P = 0.06), in which concentrations decreased in cattle receiving ZH. Nonesterified fatty acids, BHB, plasma glucose, whole-blood, and plasma lactate concentrations were unaffected by ZH (P > 0.10). Zilpaterol hydrochloride increased plasma concentrations of elaidic (P = 0.03), vaccenic (P = 0.006), and docosapentaenoic acids ( P= 0.08), but LCFA concentrations of adipose tissue were unaffected ( P> 0.10), suggesting no preferential oxidation of specific fatty acids. In conclusion, ZH supplementation decreased PUN concentration possibly due to decreased muscle catabolism, but components of blood related to lipid oxidation were unaffected.

Disposition of and clinical response to salicylates in patients with rheumatoid disease.

The disposition of salicylic acid (SA) and its metabolites and the clinical response to long-term aspirin treatment at varying doses were assessed in patients with rheumatoid disease. Steady-state kinetics of SA (total and unbound), salicyluric acid (SUA), gentisic acid (GA), and clinical status were estimated weekly in 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Eight received a soluble aspirin form and two received an enteric-coated form. The starting dose of aspirin in each patient was 1.8 gm (soluble) or 1.95 gm (enteric-coated) daily. Weekly increments in dose were made until a satisfactory clinical outcome was achieved. The final aspirin dose range was 3.6 to 8.1 gm daily, which resulted in mean steady-state plasma SA concentrations (CpSA) from 56 to 375 mg/l. Since the mean total CpSA increased approximately proportionately over the dose range, there was little change in total SA clearance. By contrast, increasing aspirin dosage resulted in decreased clearance and disproportionate increases in unbound SA (CpuSA). The maximum velocity of conversion of SA to SUA (Vm) increased significantly, from 57.3 +/- 11.7 mg/hr at an aspirin dose of 1.8 gm/day to 71.4 +/- 19.4 mg/hr at the next highest dose (2.7 to 3.6 gm/day), with no further change with increasing dosage. Km ranged from 0.4 to 1.2 mg/l for CpuSA and from 5.5 to 17.2 for total CpSA. Renal clearance of SUA (ClSUA) ranged from 124 to 893 ml/min and correlated with creatinine clearance. ClGA ranged from 23 to 164 ml/min, and ClSA ranged from 0.1 to 17.1 ml/min; neither correlated with creatinine clearance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A third generation immunoassay for tumor necrosis factor alpha.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) is a polypeptide cytokine produced primarily by monocytes and macrophages. It is involved in a wide variety of immune reactions. Measurement of TNF alpha originally depended upon bioassays that are of varying reliability and reproducibility. Early immunoassays for TNF alpha required handling of radioisotopes and costly disposal of radioactive waste. Subsequent use of enzymes as reporter molecules in enzyme immunoassay (EIA) has eliminated the burden of radioisotope handling and its associated costs. However, EIA has presented new challenges. Use of thimerosal as a preservative in EIAs may require high disposal costs due to its mercury content. In addition, many EIAs lack the sensitivity achievable in radioimmunoassay (RIA). We have developed a simple microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of TNF alpha in serum, plasma and culture supernatants. Our high affinity capture antibody has enabled us to achieve a sensitivity of 1.5 pg/mL. The assay is calibrated to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) first international standard for TNF alpha (87/650) and exhibits excellent precision and reproducibility. Tetramethylbenzidine is used to generate the colored end product of the reaction, and thimerosal has been removed from all components.

Effect of sodium metabisulphite on bronchial blood flow in conscious sheep: pharmacological modulation.

1. Sodium metabisulphite (MBS) can induce bronchoconstriction in patients with asthma. We investigated the effects of MBS aerosol on bronchial blood velocity (Vbr) and pulmonary resistance in intubated conscious sheep. 2. Bronchial blood velocity was measured by implanting a 20 MHz ultrasonic Doppler flow probe on the common bronchial branch of the bronchoesophageal artery. 3. Inhaled MBS induced a dose-dependent, transient increase in Vbr lasting for a few minutes without any changes in aortic and pulmonary artery pressures. There was some tachyphylaxis of the Vbr response to successive inhalations of MBS. 4. The cholinoceptor antagonist, ipratropium bromide and the H1 and H2 histamine antagonists, chlorpheniramine and cimetidine, had no significant effect on MBS-induced increase on Vbr. The loop diuretic, frusemide, and the anti-inflammatory drug, nedocromil sodium, which both inhibit MBS-induced bronchoconstriction in patients with asthma, were also without effect. 5. We conclude that MBS induces bronchial vasodilatation in conscious sheep, and that this effect is not dependent on the release of histamine or other mediators, or an activation of cholinergic pathways.

Bronchial blood flow measured by video dilution technique in sheep.

Bronchial blood flow was studied with the video dilution technique (VDT) in seven sheep. All animals were anesthetized (thiamylal and halothane) and ventilated. A videodensitometer and a videotape replay of the fluoroscopic image of dye moving through the common bronchial artery were used to construct dye mass vs. time curves. The areas under the curves were inversely proportional to flow in the bronchoesophageal artery, the site of dye injection. At thoracotomy, an electromagnetic flow probe (EMFP) was placed on the common bronchial artery (the major branch of the bronchoesophageal artery) to measure blood flow changes simultaneously by EMFP and by VDT. These two methods of measurement of blood flow to the airways were compared to validate the use of VDT in this circulation. Common bronchial artery blood flow was increased by injection of radiocontrast dye into the fluoroscopically positioned bronchoesophageal artery catheter causing hyperosmotically induced hyperemia. In 160 simultaneous measurements in five sheep, the percent change in flow as measured by EMFP and VDT correlated closely (r = 0.96). When flow changed because of spontaneous aortic pressure changes or pharmacologic intervention (28 simultaneous measurements in five sheep), the percent change in flow by EMFP and VDT also correlated well (r = 0.98). Bronchial blood flow changes in sheep can be measured accurately using the video dilution technique.

Tracheal blood flow during spontaneous and mechanical ventilation of dry gases in sheep.

Tracheal blood flow increases greater than twofold in response to eucapnic hyperventilation of dry gas in anesthetized sheep. To determine whether this occurs at normal minute ventilation, we studied sheep in which tracheal blood flow was measured in response to humid and dry gas ventilation while 1) awake and spontaneously breathing and 2) anesthetized and intubated during isocapnic mechanical ventilation. In additional sheep, three tracheal mucosal temperatures were measured during humid and dry gas mechanical ventilation to measure airway tissue cooling. Tracheal blood flow was determined by use of a left atrial injection of 15-microns-diam radiolabeled microspheres. Previously implanted flow probes on the pulmonary artery and the common bronchial artery allowed continuous recording of cardiac output and bronchial blood flow. Tracheal blood flow in awake spontaneously breathing sheep was 10.8 +/- 5.6 (SD) ml.min-1.100 g wet wt-1 while humid gas was breathed, and it was unchanged with dry gas. In contrast, isocapnic ventilation of intubated animals with dry gas resulted in a 10-fold increase in blood flow to the most proximal two-ring tracheal segment compared with that seen while humid gases were spontaneously ventilated [101 +/- 75 vs. 11 +/- 6 (SD) ml.min-1.100 g-1, P less than 0.05]. Despite a 10-fold increase in proximal tracheal blood flow, there was no response in distal tracheal and bronchial blood flow, as indicated by no change in the common bronchial artery blood flow.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of cold and warm dry air hyperventilation on canine airway blood flow.

Tracheobronchial blood flow increases with cold air hyperventilation in the dog. The present study was designed to determine whether the cooling or the drying of the airway mucosa was the principal stimulus for this response. Six anesthetized dogs (group 1) were subjected to four periods of eucapnic hyperventilation for 30 min with warm humid air [100% relative humidity (rh)], cold dry air (-12 degrees C, 0% rh), warm humid air, and warm dry air (43 degrees C, 0% rh). Five minutes before the end of each period of hyperventilation, tracheal and central airway blood flow was determined using four differently labeled 15-micron diam radioactive microspheres. We studied another three dogs (group 2) in which 15- and 50-micron microspheres were injected simultaneously to determine whether there were any arteriovenous communications in the bronchovasculature greater than 15 micron diam. After the last measurements had been made, all dogs were killed, and the lungs, including the trachea, were excised and blood flow to the trachea, left lung bronchi, and parenchyma was calculated. Warm dry air hyperventilation produced a consistently greater increase in tracheobronchial blood flow (P less than 0.01) than cold dry air hyperventilation, despite the fact that there was a smaller fall (6 degrees C) in tracheal tissue temperature during warm dry air hyperventilation than during cold dry air hyperventilation (11 degrees C), suggesting that drying may be a more important stimulus than cold for increasing airway blood flow. In group 2, the 15-micron microspheres accurately reflected the distribution of airway blood flow but did not always give reliable measurements of parenchymal blood flow.

Pulmonary C-fiber stimulation by capsaicin evokes reflex cholinergic bronchial vasodilation in sheep.

We investigated changes in bronchial blood flow (Qbr) associated with capsaicin-induced stimulation of pulmonary C-fibers in seven anesthetized and two unanesthetized sheep. A Doppler flow probe chronically implanted around the common bronchial artery provided a signal (delta F, kHz) linearly related to bronchial arterial blood velocity (Vbr, cm/s), which was proportional to Qbr. An index of bronchial vascular conductance (Cbr, in arbitrary units) was calculated as the ratio of Vbr to systemic arterial pressure (Pa). Right atrial injection of capsaicin evoked a prompt pulmonary chemoreflex (apnea, bradycardia, and hypotension), with immediate increases in Vbr (average +34%) and Cbr (+63%) that reached a maximum approximately 7 s after the injection. A second increase in Vbr, but not in Cbr, occurred approximately 12 s later, coinciding with an increase in Pa. Vagal cooling (0 degrees C) prevented the pulmonary chemoreflex; it also abolished the immediate increases in Vbr and Cbr in four of six sheep and substantially reduced them in two sheep; it did not affect the late increases in Vbr and Pa. Results after atropine indicated that the immediate increases in Vbr and Cbr were mainly cholinergic. In two sheep a small residual vasodilation survived combined cholinergic and adrenergic blockade and may have been due to peripheral release of neurokinins.

Peptide mediator effects on bronchial blood velocity and lung resistance in conscious sheep.

Peptide mediators or neuropeptides released from sensory nerves may induce inflammatory effects in airways, but their effects on airway blood velocity and lung resistance have not been previously studied simultaneously in awake animals. Nine adult sheep were chronically prepared for continuous measurement of blood flow velocity to the distal trachea and bronchi by surgical implantation of a 20-MHz pulsed Doppler flow probe on the common bronchial branch of the bronchoesophageal artery. Awake restrained animals were intubated and connected to a pneumotachograph to measure resistance to airflow across the lung (RL). Doubling doses of bradykinin (BK, 0.02-1.51 nmol/kg), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP, 0.004-0.26 nmol/kg), or substance P (SP, 0.02-1.19 nmol/kg) were injected as a bolus into the right atrium while mean arterial pressure (MAP), bronchial blood velocity (Vbr), and RL were measured. BK at 0.76 nmol/kg caused a transient dose-related increase in Vbr from a baseline of 19.3 +/- 2.5 to 41.4 +/- 4.1 (SE) cm/s (P less than 0.05) despite a decrease in MAP from 118 +/- 6 to 80 +/- 6 mmHg. CGRP at 0.26 nmol/kg caused a transient dose-related increase in Vbr from 16.8 +/- 2.7 to 25.3 +/- 4.7 cm/s (P less than 0.05) despite a decrease in MAP from 113 +/- 5 to 87 +/- 8 mmHg. Neither BK nor CGRP affected RL. SP at 1.19 nmol/kg transiently increased Vbr from 18.3 +/- 2.3 to 45.1 +/- 8.3 cm/s (P less than 0.05), MAP from 138 +/- 9 to 162 +/- 15 mmHg, and RL from 4.5 +/- 1.0 to 106.6 +/- 62.1 cmH2O.l-1.s.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Airway blood flow response to eucapnic dry air hyperventilation in sheep.

Eucapnic hyperventilation, breathing dry air, produces a two- to fivefold increase in airway blood flow in the dog. To determine whether airway blood flow responds similarly in the sheep we studied 16 anesthetized sheep. Seven sheep (1-7) were subjected to two 30-min periods of eucapnic hyperventilation breathing 1) warm humid air [100% relative humidity (rh)] followed by 2) warm dry air [0% rh] at 40 breaths/min. To determine whether there was a dose-response effect on blood flow of increasing levels of hyperventilation of dry air, another nine sheep (8-16) were subjected to four 30-min periods of eucapnic hyperventilation breathing warm humid O2 followed by warm dry O2 at 20 or 40 breaths/min in random sequence. Five minutes before the end of each period of hyperventilation, hemodynamics, blood gases, and tracheal mucosal temperature were measured, and tracheal and bronchial blood flows were determined by injection of 15- or 50-micron-diam radiolabeled microspheres. After the last measurements had been made, all sheep were killed, and the lungs and trachea were removed for determination of blood flow to trachea, bronchi, and parenchyma. In sheep 1-7, warm dry air hyperventilation at 40 breaths/min produced an increase in blood flow to trachea (7.6 +/- 3.5 to 17.0 +/- 6.2 ml/min, P less than 0.05) and bronchi (9.0 +/- 5.4 to 18.2 +/- 8.2 ml/min, P less than 0.05) but not to the parenchyma. When blood flow was compared with the two ventilatory rates (sheep 8-16), tracheal blood flow increased (9.1 +/- 3.3 to 18.2 +/- 6.1 ml/min, P less than 0.05) at a rate of 40 breaths/min but not at 20 breaths/min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bronchial vasodilation by histamine in sheep: characterization of receptor subtype.

Histamine has been shown to mediate features of pulmonary allergic reactions including increased tracheobronchial blood flow. To determine whether the increase in blood flow was due to stimulation of H1- or H2-histamine receptors, we gave histamine base (0.1 micrograms/kg iv) or histamine dihydrochloride as an aerosol (10 breaths of 0.5% "low dose" or 5% "high dose") before and after H1- or H2-receptor antagonists. Blood velocity in the common bronchial branch of the bronchoesophageal artery (Vbr) was continuously measured using a chronically implanted Doppler flow probe. Pretreatment with H2-receptor antagonists cimetidine, ranitidine, or metiamide did not affect the increase in Vbr induced by intravenous histamine [106 +/- 45% (SD)]. Addition of the H1-receptor antagonists diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine, however, reduced the Vbr response to 16 +/- 22, 21 +/- 28, 23 +/- 23, and 37 +/- 32% of the unblocked responses (P less than 0.05) when intravenous histamine was given at 3, 10, 20, and 30 min, respectively, after the H1 antagonist. At 40, 50, and 60 min the H1-receptor blockade appeared to attenuate, but subsequent continuous infusion of chlorpheniramine (2 mg.kg-1.min-1) then blocked the histamine response for 60 min. Low-dose histamine aerosol did not change mean arterial or pulmonary arterial pressures, cardiac output, or arterial blood gases but increased Vbr transiently from 15.2 +/- 3.4 to 37.6 +/- 8.4 (SE) cm/s. After chlorpheniramine, the Vbr response to histamine, 16.3 +/- 2.2 to 22.6 +/- 3.6 cm/s, was significantly reduced (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Use of a dual monoclonal solid phase and a polyclonal detector to create an immunoassay for the detection of human cardiac troponin I.

OBJECTIVES: We report the development of a fully automated, random access, chemiluminescent immunoassay, for the detection of human cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) in serum and plasma for use on the ACS:180(R) System. DESIGN AND METHODS: This assay format uses a combination of two monoclonal antibodies covalently coupled to paramagnetic (PMP) particles as a solid phase and an affinity purified polyclonal antibody, specific to the N-terminal domain of cTnI (peptide-3 region) labeled with a chemiluminescent compound as the detector antibody. The assay offers excellent low-end sensitivity and precision. RESULTS: No interferences are observed from by blood components such as HAMA and drugs used in cardiac therapy. Patient samples tested on the ACS:180 cTnI assay showed good correlation with the Stratus cTnI assay (ACS: cTnI = 1. 02*Stratus + 0.05 g/L, r = 0.96, n = 1170). CONCLUSION: Paired with the other ACS:180 cardiac assays, myoglobin and CKMBII, the ACS:180 system now offers an excellent panel of cardiac assay for use in rapid and accurate diagnosis of a myocardial event.

Giant millipede 'burns' and the eye.

A retrospective review of 8 cases of millipede 'burns' (caused by Polyconoceras sp. [= Salpidobolus sp.]) of the eye and periorbital tissues seen in a specialist ophthalmology unit over 6 years at Madang General Hospital, Papua New Guinea, was conducted. Such cases comprised 0.06% of the 14,000 patients seen in the same period. All cases were seen in the rainy season. Apart from one adult, all cases were children (age range 9 months-7 years). Clinical manifestations included a 'burn' of periorbital skin (all 8 cases), marked periorbital oedema (3 cases), conjunctivitis (2 cases), and keratitis (one case). All patients recovered fully with standard topical ophthalmic therapy. Despite anecdotal reports that blindness is a likely sequela of millipede 'burns' of the eye, it did not occur in this, the only published series of the condition.