Sulforaphene–Carboplatin Combination Synergistically Enhances Apoptosis by Disruption of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Journal of Medicinal Food , Vol. 0, No. 0.


http://ift.tt/2aAzts4

Uncoupling Mitochondrial Respiration for Diabesity

Rejuvenation Research Aug 2016, Vol. 19, No. 4: 337-340.


http://ift.tt/2agpYP5

Uncoupling Mitochondrial Respiration for Diabesity

Rejuvenation Research Aug 2016, Vol. 19, No. 4: 337-340.


http://ift.tt/2afrZpJ

Reliability and Responsiveness of NutriQoL ® Questionnaire

Abstract

Introduction

NutriQoL^® (Nestlé Health Science, Vevay, Switzerland) is a questionnaire developed to assess the health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) of patients with home enteral nutrition (HEN) irrespective of their underlying condition and route of administration. The aim of this work is assessing the questionnaire's reliability and responsiveness to change.

Methods

Two cohorts of patients with HEN and their primary caregivers were enrolled to assess reliability and responsiveness, respectively. All participants had to be 18 years of age or older, without mental deterioration (≤3 or 4 errors in the Pfeiffer's test) and with sufficient functional status (>40 points on Karnovsky's performance status scale). When the patients' ability to respond to the questionnaire was impaired due to underlying disease, their caregivers answered on their behalf. NutriQoL was administered in two and three visits to reliability and responsiveness cohorts, respectively. Test–retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Cronbach's α, respectively. Responsiveness was evaluated by standardized effect size and standardized response mean between basal visit and third visit. Finally, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was estimated.

Results

A total of 54 and 86 participants were recruited to the reliability and responsiveness cohort, respectively. Thirty-five caregivers were selected to assess the inter-observer reliability. ICC values confirmed the good reproducibility level (ICC >0.75) of the questionnaire in both "physical functioning and activities of daily living" and "social life" domains and total score. The assessment of internal consistency in both domains of the questionnaire showed good internal consistency in visit 2. ICC showed the excellent agreement level between caregiver and patient in the global NutriQoL score. Finally, patients classified as having a minimal change in their health reported a mean (standard deviation) MCID in NutriQoL score of 0.63 (11.51).

Conclusion

NutriQoL is a reliable and unique instrument to measure the HRQoL in HEN patients. NutriQoL detects changes in the health status of the patient. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine the full extent of the questionnaire responsiveness.

http://ift.tt/2auTcqp

A novel and label-free immunosensor for bisphenol A using rutin as the redox probe

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Ying Huang, Xiaofeng Li, Sining Zheng
In this work, a new and label-free electrochemical immunosensor for sensitive detection of bisphenol A was reported. MWCNTs and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were modified on glassy carbon electrode surface to enhance current response. The Anti-BPA was immobilized on the modified electrode through AuNPs. Rutin was used for the first time as the redox probe to construct electrochemical immunosensor of bisphenol A. The peak current change due to the specific immuno-interaction between anti-BPA and BPA on the modified electrode surface was utilized to detect bisphenol A. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to trace the assembly process of the electrochemical immunosensor. Experimental factors affecting the sensitivity of the immunosensor were examined in terms of incubation time and pH of phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Under optimized conditions, the linear range of calibration curve based on the relationship between current response and BPA concentration was from 1.0×10⁻⁸–1.0×10⁻⁶M with detection limit of 8.7×10⁻⁹M (S/N=3). The proposed immunosensor showed good reproducibility, selectivity, stability and was successfully applied to the determination of BPA in real sample.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCo08f

Silicone rubber selection for passive sampling of pesticides in water

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): A. Martin, C. Margoum, J. Randon, M. Coquery
Silicone rubber can extract organic compounds with a broad range of polarities (logKow>2–3) from aqueous samples. Such compounds include substances of major concern in the protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health, e.g. pesticides. Silicone rubbers (SRs) with various characteristics have been successfully used in sorptive methods for water sample extraction in the laboratory (SPME, SBSE), and for passive sampling in aquatic environments. However, only few studies have evaluated variability in organic compound sorption due to the origin of SRs, particularly for pesticides. The aim of this study was to select an SR for the extraction of pesticides from water samples by passive sampling. To this end we measured the impact of seven SR formulations on sorption capacity, defined by the partition coefficient (Ksw). Kinetic experiments and sorption isotherms were performed to determine extraction recovery as a selection criterion for SRs, and pesticide partition coefficients. Very large differences in affinity for pesticides were found between two kinds of SRs: "Polymerized SR kits" and "Manufactured SRs". One SR was chosen among the "Manufactured SRs", and the Ksw values of 21 pesticides were determined, filling a gap in the literature (1.50<logKow<5.51). In light of sorption properties, literature data and additional economic and technical factors, we suggest using SR from Goodfellow in future work to reduce the variability of Ksw literature values.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCosTY

Ringer tablet-based ionic liquid phase microextraction: Application in extraction and preconcentration of neonicotinoid insecticides from fruit juice and vegetable samples

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Mir Ali Farajzadeh, Mahdi Bamorowat, Mohammad Reza Afshar Mogaddam
An efficient, reliable, sensitive, rapid, and green analytical method for the extraction and determination of neonicotinoid insecticides in aqueous samples has been developed using ionic liquid phase microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector. In this method, a few microliters of 1–hexyl–3–methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (as an extractant) is added onto a ringer tablet and it is transferred into a conical test tube containing aqueous phase of the analytes. By manually shaking, the ringer tablet is dissolved and the extractant is released into the aqueous phase as very tiny droplets to provide a cloudy solution. After centrifuging the extracted analytes into ionic liquid are collected at the bottom of a conical test tube. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the method showed low limits of detection and quantification between 0.12 and 0.33 and 0.41 and 1.11ngmL^–1, respectively. Extraction recoveries and enrichment factors were from 66% to 84% and 655% to 843%, respectively. Finally different aqueous samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aComLT

FTIR and NDIR spectroscopies as valuable alternatives to IRMS spectrometry for the δ13C analysis of food

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Concetta Pironti, Antonio Proto, Federica Camin, Raffaele Cucciniello, Ilaria Zarrella, Oriana Motta
The ¹³C/¹²C carbon isotope ratio is a chemical parameter with many important applications in several scientific area and the technique of choice currently used for the δ¹³C determination is the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). This latter is highly accurate (0.1‰) and sensitive (up to 0.01‰), but at the same time expensive and complex. The objective of this work was to assess the reliability of FTIR and NDIRS techniques for the measurement of carbon stable isotope ratio of food sample, in comparison to IRMS. IRMS, NDIRS and FTIR were used to analyze samples of food, such as oil, durum, cocoa, pasta and sugar, in order to determine the natural abundance isotopic ratio of carbon in a parallel way. The results were comparable, showing a close relationship among the three techniques. The main advantage in using FTIR and NDIRS is related to their cheapness and easy-to-operate in comparison to IRMS.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCoFqd

Liquid-phase microextraction of organophosphorus pesticides using supramolecular solvent as a carrier for ferrofluid

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Parvin Zohrabi, Mojtaba Shamsipur, Mahdi Hashemi, Beshare Hashemi
A liquid-phase microextraction based on application of supramolecular solvent as a carrier for ferrofluid has been developed for the extraction and determination of three organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs). The ferrofluid was produced from combination of oleic acid coated magnetic particles and supramolecular solvent as the extractant solvent. Ferrofluid can be attracted by a magnet, and no centrifugation step was needed for phase separation. A response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was used for efficient optimization of the main variables in the extraction procedure. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the calibration curves found to be linear in the range of 0.5–400µgL⁻¹ with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9967 to 0.9984. The intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD %) for 100 and 200µgL⁻¹ of each pesticides were in the range of 2.0–5.3% and 2.6–5.7%, respectively. The limit of detection (S/N=3), ranged from 0.1 to 0.35μgL⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues in water and fruit juice samples.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCo8Vd

A nanoparticulate liquid binding phase based DGT device for aquatic arsenic measurement

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Shengwen Liu, Nannan Qin, Jieyao Song, Ya Zhang, Weiping Cai, Haimin Zhang, Guozhong Wang, Huijun Zhao
A nanomaterials-based DGT device constructed with commercial dialysis membrane as diffusive layer and nanoparticulate Fe3O4 aqueous suspension as binding phase is developed and validated for in situ aquatic arsenic measurement. The Fe3O4NPs binding phase is capable of quantitatively accumulated both As(III) and As(V) species. As(III) and As(V) species coexist in the vast majority of environmental water samples. The large difference in diffusion coefficients of As(III) (DAs(III)=3.05×10⁻⁷cm²s⁻¹) and As(V) (DAs(V)=1.63×10⁻⁷cm²s⁻¹) makes the accurate DGT determination of total arsenic concentration of samples containing both species difficult. An effective diffusion coefficient (DAs¯=DAs(III)[1/(1+x)]+DAs(V)[x/(1+x)],where,x=As(V)/As(III)) approach is therefore proposed and validated for accurate DGT determination of total arsenic when As(III) and As(V) coexist. The experimental results demonstrate that for samples having As(V)/As(III) ratios between 0.1 and 0.9, the DGT determined total arsenic concentrations using DAs¯are within ±93–99% of that determined by ICP-MS. The general principle demonstrated in this work opens up a new avenue of utilizing functional nanomaterials as DGT binding phase, paving a way for developing new generation nanomaterials-based DGT devices that can be readily produced in massive numbers at low costs, facilitating the widespread use of DGT for large-scale environmental assessment and other applications.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCoz1I

The development of a quantitative and qualitative method based on UHPLC-QTOF MS/MS for evaluation paclitaxel–tetrandrine interaction and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Dan Li, Zhonglian Cao, Xueling Liao, Ping Yang, Li Liu
Paclitaxel is a broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug by targeting microtubulin. However, multidrug resistant (MDR) makes its clinical application more difficult and results in failure of chemotherapy. Tetrandrine as a potential multidrug resistant modulator could be combined with other anti-cancer drugs. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF) was applied to simultaneously qualitative and quantitative analysis of paclitaxel for the pharmacokinetic studies while combined with tetrandrine. This method was developed based on non-target screening mode IDA (Information Dependent Acquisition). As a result, the validated range was 0.25–64ng/ml (30µl plasma) for paclitaxel. Totally 33 metabolites of paclitaxel and tetrandine were identified in vivo and in vitro. The main metabolites of PTX were dose-dependent decreased with different amounts of tetrandine co-administration no matter in vivo and in vitro, the exposure of PTX increased in pharmacokinetic study. The verified method is sensitive accurate and effective for the simultaneous determination of paclitaxel and its metabolites in blood, urine and live microsome incubation samples and it was successfully applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and drug–drug interaction between paclitaxel and tetrandine. Furthermore, a biosensor technology, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis was applied to preliminary evaluate the competitive protein binding of multiple components. The SPR analysis indicated that the affinity between 6-hydroxy-paclitaxel and micotubulin is similar to that between paclitaxel and micotubulin, and tetrandrine also does not form a competitive combination with paclitaxel. For human, 6-hydroxy-paclitaxel is the one of main metabolites of paclitaxel, so the results suggested that tetrandine has an influence on the metabolite of paclitaxel, but tetrandine and the main metabolites of PTX probably do not affect PTX's biological targeting, the effect of its pharmacological action needs to be further studied.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aColHP

Sensitive QD@SiO2-based immunoassay for triplex determination of cereal-borne mycotoxins

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Natalia V. Beloglazova, Astrid Foubert, Anna Gordienko, Mickael D. Tessier, Tangi Aubert, Emile Drijvers, Irina Goryacheva, Zeger Hens, Sarah De Saeger
A sensitive tool for simultaneous quantitative determination of three analytes in one single well of a microtiter plate is shown for the first time. The developed technique is based on use of colloidal quantum dot enrobed into a silica shell (QD@SiO2) derivatives as a highly responsive label. Silica-coated quantum dots were prepared and subsequently modified via the co-hydrolysis with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and various organosilane reagents. Different surface modification schemes were compared in terms of applicability of the obtained particles for the multiplex immunoassay, e.g. stability and simplicity of their conjugation with biomolecules. As model system a multiplex immunosorbent assay for screening of three mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and aflatoxin B1) in cereal-based products was realized via a co-immobilization of three different specific antibodies (anti- deoxynivalenol, anti-zearalenone and anti-aflatoxin B1) in one single well of a microtiter plate. Mycotoxins were simultaneously determined by labelling their conjugates with QD@SiO2 emitting in different parts of the visible spectrum. The limits of detection for the simultaneous determination were 6.1 and 5.3, 5.4 and 4.1, and 2.6 and 1.9µgkg⁻¹ for deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and aflatoxin B1 in maize and wheat, respectively. As confirmatory method, liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCpkrq

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in food analytics: Detection of vitamins B2 and B12 in cereals

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Andreea Ioana Radu, Maria Kuellmer, Bernd Giese, Uwe Huebner, Karina Weber, Dana Cialla-May, Jürgen Popp
Food analysis has been gaining interest throughout recent decades for different reasons: the detection of hazardous substances in food and routine investigations of food composition and vitamin/nutrient contents. Regardless of the targeted component, food analysis raises a few challenges regarding the complexity of the matrix and detecting trace amounts of substances. We report herein the results obtained regarding the simultaneous detection of two B vitamins (riboflavin, vitamin B2 and cyanocobalamin, vitamin B12) by means of SERS. SERS provides molecular fingerprint identification and high analytical sensitivity together with a low processing time and cost. All these make SERS a promising tool for the development of food analytical methods.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCooUe

Self-assembled cyclodextrin-modified gold nanoparticles on silica beads as stationary phase for chiral liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction chromatography

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Yuanyuan Li, Manman Wei, Tong Chen, Nan Zhu, Yulong Ma
A facile strategy based on self-assembly of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) (60±10nm in size) on the surfaces of amino-functionalized porous silica spheres under mild conditions was proposed. The resulting material possessed a core-shell structure in which AuNPs were the shell and silica spheres were the core. Then, thiolated-β-cyclodextrin (SH-β-CD) was covalently attached onto the AuNPs as chiral selector for the enantioseparation. The resultant packing material was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The separations of nine pairs of enantiomers were achieved by using the new chiral stationary phase (CSP) in the reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mode, respectively. The results showed the new CSP have more sufficient interaction with the analytes due to the existence of AuNPs on silica surfaces, resulting in faster mass transfer rate, compared with β-CD modified silica column. The result shed light on potential usage of chemical modified NPs as chiral selector for enantioseparation based on HPLC. In addition, the new phase was also used in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) to separate polar compounds and highly hydrophilic compounds.

Graphical abstract

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Biosensing applications of titanium dioxide coated graphene modified disposable electrodes

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Filiz Kuralay, Selma Tunç, Ferhat Bozduman, Lutfi Oksuz, Aysegul Uygun Oksuz
In the present work, preparation of titanium dioxide coated graphene (TiO2/graphene) and the use of this nanocomposite modified electrode for electrochemical biosensing applications were detailed. The nanocomposite was prepared with radio frequency (rf) rotating plasma method which serves homogeneous distribution of TiO2 onto graphene. TiO2/graphene was characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Then, this nanocomposite was dissolved in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4) and modified onto disposable pencil graphite electrode (PGE) by dip coating for the investigation of the biosensing properties of the prepared electrode. TiO2/graphene modified PGE was characterized with SEM, EDS and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The sensor properties of the obtained surface were examined for DNA and DNA-drug interaction. The detection limit was calculated as 1.25mgL⁻¹ (n=3) for double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). RSD% was calculated as 2.4% for three successive determinations at 5mgL⁻¹ dsDNA concentration. Enhanced results were obtained compared to the ones obtained with graphene and unmodified (bare) electrodes.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCo6N5

Carbon nanotube sponges as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the enrichment and determination of polychlorinated biphenyls at trace levels in environmental water samples

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Lei Wang, Xia Wang, Jia-Bin Zhou, Ru-Song Zhao
Carbon nanotube (CNT) sponges has recently attracted considerable attention in numerous fields because of its excellent properties, such as high porosity, light weight, and large surface area. The potential of CNT sponges for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of organic pollutants at trace levels was investigated in this study for the first time. Seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were selected as analytes, and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was employed for the detection. We optimized important parameters that may influence the efficiency of SPE, including the kind and volume of elution solvent, sample pH, and sample flow rate and volume. Under optimized conditions, low limits of detection (0.72–1.98ngL^–1), wide range of linearity (10–1000ngL⁻¹) and good repeatability (2.69–6.85%, n=5) were obtained. CNT sponges exhibited higher extraction performance than other adsorbent materials under the optimized conditions. Real environmental water samples were analyzed, and satisfactory recoveries (81.1–119.1%) were achieved. All these results demonstrated that CNT sponges are suitable SPE material for the enrichment and sensitive determination of PCBs at trace levels.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCoHOH

Application of a new version of GA-RBF neural network for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of Zn(II), Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) in real samples: An exploratory study of their complexation abilities toward MTB

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Zolaikha Rasouli, Zeinabe Hassanzadeh, Raouf Ghavami
The current study for the first time is devoted to the application of whole space genetic algorithm-radial basis function network (wsGA-RBFN) method to determine the content micro minerals of Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺ and Cu²⁺ based on their complexes formation with methylthymol blue (MTB) spectrophotometrically in various pharmaceutical products and vegetable samples. Advantage of wsGA-RBFN compared to GA-RBFN is that centers can be located in any point of the samples spaces. Initially, the parameters controlling behavior of the system were investigated and optimum conditions were selected. Then, an exploratory analysis of complex systems was carried out by chemometrics approaches such as SVD, EFA, MCR-ALS and RAFA. The optimal parameters and conditions for constructing the proposed model of wsGA-RBFN were obtained from processing the data set of synthetic samples. Finally, wsGA-RBFN was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺ and Cu²⁺ in tomato, white cabbage, red cabbage and lettuce and pharmaceutical products included iron, zinc, multi complete and B12 ampoule.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCokUh

Aptamer contained triple-helix molecular switch for rapid fluorescent sensing of acetamiprid

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Xin Liu, Ying Li, Jing Liang, Wenyue Zhu, Jingyue Xu, Ruifang Su, Lei Yuan, Chunyan Sun
In this study, an aptamer-based fluorescent sensing platform using triple-helix molecular switch (THMS) was developed for the pesticide screening represented by acetamiprid. The THMS was composed of two tailored DNA probes: a label-free central target specific aptamer sequence flanked by two arm segments acting as a recognition probe; a hairpin-shaped structure oligonucleotide serving as a signal transduction probe (STP), labeled with a fluorophore and a quencher at the 3′ and 5′-end, respectively. In the absence of acetamiprid, complementary bindings of two arm segments of the aptamers with the loop sequence of STP enforce the formation of THMS with the "open" configuration of STP, and the fluorescence of THMS is on. In the presence of target acetamiprid, the aptamer-target binding results in the formation of a structured aptamer/target complex, which disassembles the THMS and releases the STP. The free STP is folded to a stem loop structure, and the fluorescence is quenched. The quenched fluorescence intensity was proportional to the concentration of acetamiprid in the range from 100 to 1200nM, with the limit of detection (LOD) as low as 9.12nM. In addition, this THMS-based method has been successfully used to test and quantify acetamiprid in Chinese cabbage with satisfactory recoveries, and the results were in full agreement with those from LC-MS. The aptamer-based THMS presents distinct advantages, including high stability, remarkable sensitivity, and preservation of the affinity and specificity of the original aptamer. Most importantly, this strategy is convenient and generalizable by virtue of altering the aptamer sequence without changing the triple-helix structure. So, it is expected that this aptamer-based fluorescent assay could be extensively applied in the field of food safety inspection.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCohrD

An ELISA method detecting the active form of suPAR

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Xiaolei Zhou, Mingming Xu, Hailong Huang, Andrew Mazar, Zafar Iqbal, Cai Yuan, Mingdong Huang
Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) exists in a number of formats in human plasma, including soluble uPAR (suPAR) and uPAR fragments. We developed an ELISA method to detect specifically the active form suPAR, which binds to its natural ligand uPA. The intra CV and inter CV of this ELISA assay is 8.5% and 9.6% respectively, and the assay can recover 99.74% of added recombinant suPAR from 10% plasma. This assay is quite sensitive, capable of detecting down to 15pg/ml of suPAR, and can measure suPAR concentrations in the range of 0.031–8ng/ml with high linear relationship. Plasma samples from pregnant women were also measured for the active form of suPAR with this assay, giving an averaged level of 1.39ng/ml, slightly higher than the level of pooled plasma from healthy donors (0.96ng/ml). This study demonstrates the feasibility to measure the active form of suPAR, which will likely have value in clinical applications.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCo5J1

Identifying the tobacco related free radicals by UPCC-QTOF-MS with radical trapping method in mainstream cigarette smoke

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Ying Wang, Misha Liu, Yingjing Zhu, Kuan Cheng, Da Wu, Baizhan Liu, Fengting Li
Tobacco related free radicals (TFRs) in the cigarette smoke are specific classes of hazardous compounds that merit concern. In this study, we developed a hybrid method to identify TFRs directly based on ultra-performance convergence chromatography with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPCC-QTOF MS) combined spin trapping technique. The short-lived TFRs were stabilized successfully in situ through spin trapping procedure and UPCC was applied to facilitate efficient separation of complex derivative products. Coupling of orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), UPCC-QTOF MS system enabled us to identify specific potential TFRs with exact chemical formula. Moreover, computational stimulations have been carried out to evaluate the optimized stability of TFRs. This work is a successful demonstration for the application of an advanced hyphenated technique for separation of TFRs with short detection time (less than 7min) and high throughput.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCoX02

Hierarchical Graphene coating for highly sensitive solid phase microextraction of organochlorine pesticides

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Fuxin Wang, Shuqin Liu, Hao Yang, Juan Zheng, Junlang Qiu, Jianqiao Xu, Yexiang Tong, Fang Zhu, Gangfeng Ouyang
Graphene, a novel class of carbon nanostructures, has received great attention as sorbents due to its fascinating structures, ultrahigh specific surface area, and good extraction ability. In this paper, a new type of hierarchical graphene was synthesized through employing a mild and environment-friendly method. Such 3D interconnected graphene own a high specific surface area up to 524m²g⁻¹, which is about 2.5 fold larger than the graphene, since the synthetic material has interlayer pores between nanosheets and in-plane pores. Then a superior solid-phase microextraction fiber was fabricated by sequentially coating the stainless steel fiber with silicone sealant film and hierarchical graphene powder. Since the novel hierarchical graphene possessed large surface area and good adsorption property, the as-prepared fiber exhibited good extraction properties of the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). As for the analytical performance, the as-prepared fiber achieved low detection limits (0.08–0.80ngL⁻¹) and wide linearity (10–30,000ngL⁻¹) under the optimal conditions. The repeatability (n=5) for single fiber were between 5.1% and 11%, while the reproducibility (n=3) of fiber-to-fiber were range from 6.2% to14%. Moreover, the fiber was successfully applied to the analysis of OCPs in the Pearl River water.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCo5bZ

Electrochemically reduced graphene oxide-modified screen-printed carbon electrodes for a simple and highly sensitive electrochemical detection of synthetic colorants in beverages

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Sakda Jampasa, Weena Siangproh, Kiattisak Duangmal, Orawon Chailapakul
A simple and highly sensitive electrochemical sensor based on an electrochemically reduced graphene oxide-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (ERGO-SPCE) for the simultaneous determination of sunset yellow (SY) and tartrazine (TZ) was proposed. An ERGO film was coated onto the electrode surface using a cyclic voltammetric method and then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In 0.1M phosphate buffer at a pH of 6, the two oxidation peaks of SY and TZ appeared separately at 0.41 and 0.70V, respectively. Surprisingly, the electrochemical response remarkably increased approximately 90- and 20-fold for SY and TZ, respectively, using the modified electrode in comparison to the unmodified electrode. The calibration curves exhibited linear ranges from 0.01 to 20.0µM for SY and from 0.02 to 20.0µM for TZ. The limits of detection were found to be 0.50 and 4.50nM (at S/N=3) for SY and TZ, respectively. Furthermore, this detection platform provided very high selectivity for the measurement of both colorants. This electrochemical sensor was successfully applied to determine the amount of SY and TZ in commercial beverages. Comparison of the results obtained from this proposed method to those obtained by an in-house standard technique proved that this developed method has good agreement in terms of accuracy for practical applications. This sensor offers an inexpensive, rapid and sensitive determination. The proposed system is therefore suitable for routine analysis and should be an alternative method for the analysis of food colorants.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCoriI

A multicommutated tester of bioreactors for flow analysis

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Marta Pokrzywnicka, Jacek Kamiński, Michał Michalec, Robert Koncki, Łukasz Tymecki
Enzymes are often used in the modern analytical procedures allowing selective recognition and conversion of target analytes into easily detected products. In flow analysis systems, enzymes are predominantly applied in the immobilized forms as flow-through bioreactors. In this research the multicommutated flow analysis (MCFA) system for evaluation and comparison of analytical parameters of bioreactors has been developed. The MCFA manifold allows simultaneous testing up to four bioreactors, but if necessary their number can be easily increased. The system allows comparison of several parameters of tested bioreactors including activity, repeatability, reproducibility, operational and storage stability. The performance of developed bioreactor tester is presented using urea-urease model system based on plastic open-tubular bioreactor with covalently immobilized enzyme. Product of enzymatic reaction is detected using two different chemical methods and by dedicated optoelectronic ammonium detectors. Moreover, the utility of developed MCFA manifold for evaluation of other enzyme bioreactors is demonstrated.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCoLhv

Effective immobilization of tyrosinase via enzyme catalytic polymerization of l-DOPA for highly sensitive phenol and atrazine sensing

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Talanta, Volume 160
Author(s): Yun Guan, Lanjunzi Liu, Chao Chen, Xiuzhi Kang, Qingji Xie
The facile preparation of poly(l-DOPA)-tyrosinase (PDM-Tyr) composite and its application both in substrate (phenol) and inhibitor (atrazine) sensing is reported here for the first time. Effective immobilization of enzyme is realized via in-situ entrapping Tyr in poly(l-DOPA) (PDM), which is formed by Tyr catalytic polymerization of l-DOPA. The Tyr modified electrode is simply prepared by dipping the PDM-Tyr composite on an Au electrode and then covered by Nafion. The thus-prepared Tyr-immobilized electrode exhibits excellent performance superior to most Tyr-based electrochemical biosensors, the sensitivity to phenol is as high as 5122 μA mM⁻¹ in the linear range of 10nM~1.25 μM, the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (KM^app) determined as low as 3.13μM indicates strong substrate binding and high catalytic activity of the immobilized Tyr. The biosensor also works well in atrazine biosensing, with a linear detection range of 50ppb~30ppm and a low detection limit of 10ppb obtained. In addition, the biosensor shows excellent stability, precision, high sensitivity and fabrication simplicity.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2aCokne

The effect of lengthening contractions on neuromuscular junction structure in adult and old mice

Abstract

Skeletal muscles of old mice demonstrate a profound inability to regenerate fully following damage. Such a failure could be catastrophic to older individuals where muscle loss is already evident. Degeneration and regeneration of muscle fibres following contraction-induced injury in adult and old mice are well characterised, but little is known about the accompanying changes in motor neurons and neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) following this form of injury although defective re-innervation of muscle following contraction-induced damage has been proposed to play a role in sarcopenia. This study visualised and quantified structural changes to motor neurons and NMJs in Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of adult and old Thy1-YFP transgenic mice during regeneration following contraction-induced muscle damage. Data demonstrated that the damaging contraction protocol resulted in substantial initial disruption to NMJs in muscles of adult mice, which was reversed entirely within 28 days following damage. In contrast, in quiescent muscles of old mice, ∼15 % of muscle fibres were denervated and ∼80 % of NMJs showed disruption. This proportion of denervated and partially denervated fibres remained unchanged following recovery from contraction-induced damage in muscles of old mice although ∼25 % of muscle fibres were completely lost by 28 days post-contractions. Thus, in old mice, the failure to restore full muscle force generation that occurs following damage does not appear to be due to any further deficit in the percentage of disrupted NMJs, but appears to be due, at least in part, to the complete loss of muscle fibres following damage.

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Isolated Fibular Fracture - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Educational video describing the isolated fibular fractures or associated complex injury.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdy0p-A2YfY

Dynamic Modulation of DNA Hybridization Using Allosteric DNA Tetrahedral Nanostructures

Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b01373

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High-Throughput Optical Sensing Immunoassays on Smartphone

Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b02211

http://ift.tt/2auAKOG

Simultaneous UV–Visible Absorption and Raman Spectroelectrochemistry

Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b02008

http://ift.tt/2auCreC

Measuring indirect effects of rotavirus vaccine in low income countries

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Aisleen Bennett, Naor Bar-Zeev, Nigel A. Cunliffe
Widespread introduction of rotavirus vaccines has led to major reductions in the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis worldwide. Vaccine effectiveness is diminished, however, in low income countries, that harbour the greatest burden of rotavirus attributed morbidity and mortality. Indirect effects of rotavirus vaccine (herd immunity and herd protection) could increase population level impact and improve vaccine cost effectiveness in such settings. While rotavirus vaccine indirect effects have been demonstrated in high and middle income countries, there are very little data from low income countries where force of infection, population structures and vaccine schedules differ. Targeted efforts to evaluate indirect effects of rotavirus vaccine in low income countries are required to understand the total impact of rotavirus vaccine on the global burden of rotavirus disease.



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Gavi’s policy steers country ownership and self-financing of immunization

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Klara Henderson, Dimitrios Gouglas, Laura Craw
This commentary examines the 2014 NIPH evaluation of Gavi's co-financing policy and comments on the appropriateness of the subsequent and most significant policy changes taking effect in 2016.



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The safety and reactogenicity of a reduced-antigen-content diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (dTpa) booster vaccine in healthy Vietnamese children

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Dang Duc Anh, Girish Jayadeva, Sherine Kuriyakose, Htay Htay Han
Despite effective infant immunization against pertussis, the disease continues to circulate due to waning immunity. Booster vaccinations against pertussis beyond infancy are widely recommended. In Vietnam, however, no recommendations for pertussis boosters beyond the second year of life exist. This open-label, single-centre study was designed to assess the safety of a single booster dose of reduced-antigen-content-diphtheria-tetanus-acellular-pertussis vaccine (dTpa) in 300 healthy Vietnamese children (mean age 7.9years), who had completed primary vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Solicited symptoms were recorded for 4days and unsolicited and serious adverse events (SAEs) for 31days post-vaccination. Pain and fatigue were the most common solicited local and general symptoms in 35.0% and 14.0% of children, respectively. Grade 3 swelling occurred in 3 children; no large injection site reactions or SAEs were reported. The dTpa booster vaccine was well tolerated and this study supports its administration in school age Vietnamese children.



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Meningococcal pneumonia

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Matthias Vossen, Dieter Mitteregger, Christoph Steininger
Neisseria meningitidis remains the most important cause of bacterial meningitis worldwide, particularly in children and young adults. The second most common and a potentially severe end-organ manifestation of invasive meningococcal disease (excluding systemic sepsis) is meningococcal pneumonia. It occurs in between 5% and 15% of all patients with invasive meningococcal disease and is thus the second most common non-systemic end-organ manifestation. To establish the diagnosis requires a high level of clinical awareness – the incidence is therefore very likely underreported and underestimated. This review of 344 meningococcal pneumonia cases reported in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia between 1906 and 2015 presents risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic approaches, treatment, and prognosis of meningococcal pneumonia.



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Disparities in PCV impact between different ethnic populations cohabiting in the same region: A systematic review of the literature

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Niv Segal, David Greenberg, Ron Dagan, Shalom Ben-Shimol
BackgroundInvasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumonia are major causes of morbidity, especially in developing countries. While pneumococcal disease rates differences between various populations are well known, data are scarce regarding disparities in PCV impact on pneumococcal disease rates between populations living in the same country.ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic literature review was to describe disparities in PCV impact between different populations.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed database. Studies evaluating pneumococcal disease rates at any age were included. The search was limited to articles written in English and published between 2000 and 2015. Independent extraction of articles was performed by two authors (NS, SB-S). Search terms included: pneumococcus, pneumococcal disease, IPD, pneumonia, PCV, pneumococcal vaccine, population, race, ethnicity, differences, and disparity. We defined resource-poor populations as African-Americans, Aboriginal, Alaska natives and Navajo native-Americans populations compared with the respective resource-rich populations, including White, non-Aboriginal, non-Alaska natives and general US population.ResultsEighteen articles meeting the selection criteria were identified; 17 regarding IPD and one regarding pneumonia. Nine articles compared IPD rates in African-Americans and Whites in the US, six compared Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations; two compared Alaska natives vs. non-native Alaskans in the US and one article compared Navajo native-Americans and general population in the US. Only minor difference where usually noted in the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) comparing pre- and post-PCV rates of IPD and pneumonia between resource rich and resource poor populations. In contrast, absolute rate reductions were higher in resource-poor compared with resource-rich populations.ConclusionWhile differences in IPD and pneumonia rates between resource-poor and resource-rich populations were decreased following PCV introduction, disparity is still apparent and is not fully eliminated in any of the studies. Younger (<2years) populations in resource-poor populations seem to benefit the most from PCV introduction.



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Editorial Board/Aims and Scope

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37





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Strain-dependent and distinctive T-cell responses to HIV antigens following immunisation of mice with differing chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vectors

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): S. Herath, A. Le Heron, S. Colloca, S. Patterson, R. Tatoud, J. Weber, G. Dickson
In vivo vaccination studies are conventionally conducted in a single mouse strain with results, only reflecting responses to a single immunogenetic background. We decided to examine the immune response to an HIV transgene (gag, pol and nef fusion protein) in 3 strains of mice (CBA, C57BL/6 and BALB/c) to determine the spectrum of responses and in addition to determine whether the serotype of the adenoviral vector used (ChAd3 and ChAd63) impacted the outcome of response. Our results demonstrated that all three strains of mice responded to the transgene and that the magnitude of responses were different between the strains. The C57BL/6 strain showed the lowest range of responses compared to the other strains and, very few responses were seen to the same peptide pool in all three strains of mice. In CBA and BALB/c mice there were significant differences in IFNγ production dependent on the adenoviral vector used. Our results suggest that employing a single strain of mouse may underestimate the efficacy and efficiency of vaccine products.



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The role of travel in measles outbreaks in Australia – An enhanced surveillance study

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): C.R. MacIntyre, S. Karki, M. Sheikh, N. Zwar, A.E. Heywood
Many developed countries, like Australia, maintain a high population level immunity against measles, however, there remains a risk of acquisition of measles in non-immune travellers and subsequent importation into Australia leading to localised outbreaks. In this study, we estimate the incidence of measles and describe characteristics including immunisation and pre-travel health seeking behaviour of notified cases of measles in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia between February 2013 and January 2014. Cases were followed up by telephone interview using a questionnaire to collect information of demographic and travel characteristics. In NSW, the incidence was highest in age group 0–9years (20/million population) whereas in Victoria the highest incidence was observed in 10–19 (23/million population) years group. Out of 44 cases interviewed, 25 (56.8%) had history of travel outside of Australia during or immediately prior to the onset of measles. Holiday (60%) was the main reason for travel with 44% (11/25) reporting visiting friends and relatives (VFR) during the trip. The major reason described for not seeking prior medical advice before travel were "no perceived risk of diseases" (41%) and "previous overseas travel without any problem" (41%). Of the 25 measles cases with recent overseas travel during the incubation period, one reported a measles vaccine prior to their recent trip. Four cases were children of parents who refused vaccination. Twenty out of 25 (80.0%) had attended mass gathering events. Young adults and VFR travellers should be a high priority for preventive strategies in order to maintain measles elimination status.



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Two potential recombinant rabies vaccines expressing canine parvovirus virion protein 2 induce immunogenicity to canine parvovirus and rabies virus

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Jun Luo, Hehe Shi, Yeping Tan, Xuefeng Niu, Teng Long, Jing Zhao, Qin Tian, Yifei Wang, Hao Chen, Xiaofeng Guo
Both rabies virus (RABV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) cause lethal diseases in dogs. In this study, both high egg passage Flury (HEP-Flury) strains of RABV and recombinant RABV carrying double RABV glycoprotein (G) gene were used to express the CPV virion protein 2 (VP2) gene, and were designated rHEP-VP2 and, rHEP-dG-VP2 respectively. The two recombinant RABVs maintained optimal virus titration according to their viral growth kinetics assay compared with the parental strain HEP-Flury. Western blotting indicated that G protein and VP2 were expressed in vitro. The expression of VP2 in Crandell feline kidney cells post-infection by rHEP-VP2 and rHEP-dG-VP2 was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence assay with antibody against VP2. Immunogenicity of recombinant rabies viruses was tested in Kunming mice. Both rHEP-VP2 and rHEP-dG-VP2 induced high levels of rabies antibody compared with HEP-Flury. Mice immunized with rHEP-VP2 and rHEP-dG-VP2 both had a high level of antibodies against VP2, which can protect against CPV infection. A challenge experiment indicated that more than 80% mice immunized with recombinant RABVs survived after infection of challenge virus standard 24 (CVS-24). Together, this study showed that recombinant RABVs expressing VP2 induced protective immune responses to RABV and CPV. Therefore, rHEP-VP2 and rHEP-dG-VP2 might be potential combined vaccines for RABV and CPV.



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A DNA vaccine encoding VP22 of herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) and OprF confers enhanced protection from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Xian Yu, Yan Wang, Yifan Xia, Lijuan Zhang, Qin Yang, Jun Lei
Pseudomonas aeruginosa antimicrobial resistance is a major therapeutic challenge. DNA vaccination is an attractive approach for antigen-specific immunotherapy against P. aeruginosa. We explored the feasibility of employing Herpes simplex virus type 1 tegument protein, VP22, as a molecular tool to enhance the immunogenicity of an OprF DNA vaccine against P. aeruginosa. Recombinant DNA vaccines, pVAX1-OprF, pVAX1-OprF-VP22 (encoding a n-OprF-VP22-c fusion protein) and pVAX1-VP22-OprF (encoding a n-VP22-OprF-c fusion protein) were constructed. The humoral and cellular immune responses and immune protective effects of these DNA vaccines in mice were evaluated. In this report, we showed that vaccination with pVAX1-OprF-VP22 induced higher levels of IgG titer, T cell proliferation rate. It also provided better immune protection against the P. aeruginosa challenge when compared to that induced by pVAX1-OprF or pVAX1-VP22-OprF DNA vaccines. Molecular mechanistic analyses indicated vaccination with pVAX1-OprF-VP22 triggered immune responses characterized by a preferential increase in antigen specific IgG2a and IFN-γ in mice, indicating Th1 polarization. We concluded that VP22 is a potent stimulatory molecular tool for DNA vaccination when fused to the carboxyl end of OprF gene. Our study provides a novel strategy for prevention and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection.



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Adverse events following pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent and seasonal influenza vaccinations during the 2009–2010 season in the active component U.S. military and civilians aged 17–44years reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Barbara H. Bardenheier, Susan K. Duderstadt, Renata J.M. Engler, Michael M. McNeil
BackgroundNo comparative review of Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) submissions following pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza vaccinations during the pandemic season among U.S. military personnel has been published.MethodsWe compared military vs. civilian adverse event reporting rates. Adverse events (AEs) following vaccination were identified from VAERS for adults aged 17–44years after pandemic (monovalent influenza [MIV], and seasonal (trivalent inactivated influenza [IIV3], live attenuated influenza [LAIV3]) vaccines. Military vaccination coverage was provided by the Department of Defense's Defense Medical Surveillance System. Civilian vaccination coverage was estimated using data from the National 2009 H1N1 Flu Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.ResultsVaccination coverage was more than four times higher for MIV and more than twenty times higher for LAIV3 in the military than in the civilian population. The reporting rate of serious AE reports following MIV in service personnel (1.19 per 100,000) was about half that reported by the civilian population (2.45 per 100,000). Conversely, the rate of serious AE reports following LAIV3 among service personnel (1.32 per 100,000) was more than twice that of the civilian population. Although fewer military AEs following MIV were reported overall, the rate of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS) (4.01 per million) was four times greater than that in the civilian population. (1.04 per million).ConclusionsDespite higher vaccination coverage in service personnel, the rate of serious AEs following MIV was about half that in civilians. The rate of GBS reported following MIV was higher in the military.



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Concordance of adolescent human papillomavirus vaccination parental report with provider report in the National Immunization Survey-Teen (2008–2013)

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Jacqueline Hirth, Yong-Fang Kuo, Tabassum Haque Laz, Jonathan M. Starkey, Richard E. Rupp, Mahbubur Rahman, Abbey B. Berenson
ObjectivesTo examine the accuracy of parental report of HPV vaccination through examination of concordance, with healthcare provider vaccination report as the comparison.MethodsThe 2008–2013 National Immunization Survey (NIS)-Teen was used to examine accuracy of parent reports of HPV vaccination for their female daughters aged 13–17years, as compared with provider report of initiation and number of doses. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine associations related to concordance of parent and provider report.ResultsOf 51,746 adolescents, 84% concordance for HPV vaccine initiation and 70% concordance for number of doses was observed. Accuracy varied by race/ethnicity, region, time, and income. The parent report of number of doses was more likely to be accurate among parents of 13 and 14year old females than 17year olds. Accuracy of initiation and number of doses were lower among Hispanic and black adolescents compared to white parents. The odds of over-report was higher among minorities compared to whites, but the odds of underreport was also markedly higher in these groups compared to parents of white teens. Accuracy of parental vaccine report decreased across time.ConclusionsThese findings are important for healthcare providers who need to ascertain the vaccination status of young adults. Strengthening existing immunization registries to improve data sharing capabilities and record completeness could improve vaccination rates, while avoiding costs associated with over-vaccination.



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Quantitative and epitope-specific antigenicity analysis of the human papillomavirus 6 capsid protein in aqueous solution or when adsorbed on particulate adjuvants

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Min Li, Xin Wang, Lu Cao, Zhijie Lin, Minxi Wei, Mujin Fang, Shaowei Li, Jun Zhang, Ningshao Xia, Qinjian Zhao
Human papillomavirus (HPV) 6 is a human pathogen which causes genital warts. Recombinant virus-like particle (VLP) based antigens are the active components in prophylactic vaccines to elicit functional antibodies. The binding and functional characteristics of a panel of 15 murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against HPV6 was quantitatively assessed. Elite conformational indicators, recognizing the conformational epitopes, are also elite viral neutralizers as demonstrated with their viral neutralization efficiency (5 mAbs with neutralization titer below 4ng/mL) in a pseudovirion (PsV)-based system. The functionality of a given mAb is closely related to the nature of the corresponding epitope, rather than the apparent binding affinity to antigen. The epitope-specific antigenicity assays can be used to assess the binding activity of PsV or VLP preparations to neutralizing mAbs. These mAb-based assays can be used for process monitoring and for product release and characterization to confirm the existence of functional epitopes in purified antigen preparations. Due to the particulate nature of the alum adjuvants, the vaccine antigen adsorbed on adjuvants was considered largely as "a black box" due to the difficulty in analysis and visualization. Here, a novel method with fluorescence-based high content imaging for visualization and quantitating the immunoreactivity of adjuvant-adsorbed VLPs with neutralizing mAbs was developed, in which antigen desorption was not needed. The facile and quantitative in situ antigenicity analysis was amendable for automation. The integrity of a given epitope or two non-overlapping epitopes on the recombinant VLPs in their adjuvanted form can be assessed in a quantitative manner for cross-lot or cross-product comparative analysis with minimal manipulation of samples.



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Adaptive immune response to whole cell pertussis vaccine reflects vaccine quality: A possible complementation to the Pertussis Serological Potency test

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): M.E. Hoonakker, L.M. Verhagen, L. van der Maas, B. Metz, J.P. Uittenbogaard, B. van de Waterbeemd, C.A.C.M. van Els, W. van Eden, C.F.M. Hendriksen, A. Sloots, W.G.H. Han
Whole cell Bordetella pertussis (wP) vaccines are still used in many countries to protect against the respiratory disease pertussis. The potency of whole-cell pertussis vaccine lots is determined by an intracerebral challenge test (the Kendrick test). This test is criticized due to lack of immunological relevance of the read-out after an intracerebral challenge with B. pertussis. The alternative in vivo test, which assesses specific antibody levels in serum after wP vaccination, is the Pertussis Serological Potency test (PSPT). Although the PSPT focuses on a parameter that contributes to protection, the protective immune mechanisms after wP vaccination includes more elements than specific antibody responses only. In this study, additional parameters were investigated, i.e. circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, antibody specificity and T helper cell responses and it was evaluated whether they can be used as complementary readout parameters in the PSPT to assess wP lot quality. By deliberate manipulation of the vaccine preparation procedure, a panel of high, intermediate and low quality wP vaccines were made. The results revealed that these vaccines induced similar IL-6 and IP10 levels in serum 4h after vaccination (innate responses) and similar antibody levels directed against the entire bacterium. In contrast, the induced antibody specificity to distinct wP antigens differed after vaccination with high, intermediate and low quality wP vaccines. In addition, the magnitude of wP-induced Th cell responses (Th17, Th1 and Th2) was reduced after vaccination with a wP vaccine of low quality. T cell responses and antibody specificity are therefore correlates of qualitative differences in the investigated vaccines, while the current parameter of the PSPT alone was not sensitive enough to distinguish between vaccines of different qualities. This study demonstrates that assessment of the magnitude of Th cell responses and the antigen specificity of antibodies induced by wP vaccination could form valuable complementary parameters to the PSPT.



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Vaccine-preventable disease-related hospitalization among immigrants and refugees to Canada: Study of linked population-based databases

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Edward Ng, Claudia Sanmartin, Dominique Elien-Massenat, Douglas G. Manuel
While immigrants tend to be healthier especially when they first arrived, this healthy immigrant effect may not apply to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) especially among immigrants from countries without vaccination programs. There is therefore an important information gap regarding differential health outcome and hospitalization usage by immigrant status, landing cohort, world region and immigrant category. This study focused on acute-care hospitalization, and used two recently linked population-based databases in Canada, namely, the 2006 Census linked to the Hospital Discharge Abstract (DAD), and the Immigrant Landing File linked to the DAD (ILF-DAD) to estimate crude and age-standardized VPD-related hospitalization rates (ASHR) by the above-mentioned immigrant characteristics to be compared with that for overall Canadian-born reference population. Based on the 2006 Census-DAD linked database, VPD-specific ASHR for overall immigrants was significantly higher than that for the Canadian-born population (1.6, 95% CI, 1.5, 1.6 vs 1.2, 95% CI, 1.1, 1.2, respectively). VPD-specific ASHRs by landing cohorts also increased with years in Canada (e.g. 1.4, 95% CI, 1.3, 1.5 for the 1990–2006 cohort, and 1.6, 95% CI, 1.5, 1.7 for the pre-1980 cohort). Based on the 1980–2006 ILF-DAD, the VPD-specific ASHRs were highest among Southeast and East Asians (e.g. 2.1, 95% CI, 1.9, 2.3 for East Asia). Compared with the Canadian-born, economic class immigrants overall had significantly lower ASHR (1.4, 95% CI 1.2, 1.6), but the low rate was mainly due to the dependants (spouse or children) within this class (0.8, 95% CI 0.6, 1.1). Both family and refugee categories had significantly higher ASHRs (1.3, 95% CI, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.7, 95% CI, 1.4, 2.1, respectively), especially among those refugees assisted by government (2.0, 95% CI, 1.4, 2.6). With increasing immigration, changing source countries and emerging needs for refugee settlements in Canada, these newly linked datasets help to monitor VPD-related hospitalization pattern among Canadian immigrants.



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Safety of the 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, and 2013–14 seasonal influenza vaccines in pregnancy: Birth defects, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age infants, a study from the cohort arm of VAMPSS

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Christina D. Chambers, Diana L. Johnson, Ronghui Xu, Yunjun J. Luo, Carol Louik, Allen A. Mitchell, Michael Schatz, Kenneth L. Jones
IntroductionThere is a need for pregnancy safety information overall and for each seasonal formulation of the influenza vaccine.MethodsAs part of the cohort arm of the Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System, vaccine-exposed and unexposed women in the U.S. or Canada were recruited during pregnancy in the 2010–2014 vaccine seasons and followed to pregnancy outcome. For the four seasons combined, crude and adjusted relative risks (RRs) were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for major birth defects overall and infants small for gestational age. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated with 95% CIs for spontaneous abortion and preterm delivery. Specific influenza season subanalyses were also conducted.ResultsOf 1730 women, 1263 were exposed to an influenza vaccine and 467 were unexposed to any influenza vaccine. Among pregnancies with first-trimester exposure excluding lost-to-follow-up, 26/457 (5.7%) resulted in an infant with a major birth defect compared to 13/427 (3.0%) in the unexposed (RR 1.87, 95% CI 0.97, 3.59). No specific pattern of defects was evident in the vaccine-exposed cohort. The overall risk of spontaneous abortion was not elevated (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.49, 2.40). Adjusted HRs for preterm delivery approximated 1.0 (adjusted HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.75, 2.02). RRs for small for gestational age infants on weight, length and head circumference ranged from 1.19 to 1.49 with all CIs including 1. Season-by-season analyses resulted in variation by season; however, estimates were based on small numbers.ConclusionsCombining the 2010–2014 influenza seasons, we found a moderately elevated RR for major birth defects overall, but no evidence of a specific pattern; 95% CIs included 1, and this finding could be due to chance. In the combined seasons, we found no meaningful evidence of an increased risk for spontaneous abortion or preterm delivery following exposure to the seasonal influenza vaccine.



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Safety of the 2011–12, 2012–13, and 2013–14 seasonal influenza vaccines in pregnancy: Preterm delivery and specific malformations, a study from the case-control arm of VAMPSS

Publication date: 17 August 2016
Source:Vaccine, Volume 34, Issue 37
Author(s): Carol Louik, Stephen Kerr, Carla M. Van Bennekom, Christina Chambers, Kenneth L. Jones, Michael Schatz, Allen A. Mitchell
BackgroundPregnant women have higher risks of influenza complications, but vaccine coverage is incomplete. Because concern about fetal harm limits uptake, we investigated risks for preterm delivery (PTD) and specific birth defects following vaccination in the 2011–12 through 2013–14 influenza seasons.MethodsWe used data from the Slone Epidemiology Center's Birth Defects Study. For PTD, propensity score-adjusted time-varying hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for exposure anytime in pregnancy and for each trimester. For 42 specific major birth defects or birth defect categories, propensity score-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated.ResultsFor PTD (1803 fullterm deliveries, 107 PTD for all seasons combined), an elevated adjusted risk was observed for only the 2nd trimester of the 2011–12 season (HR=2.60, 95% CI 1.21, 5.61) – a reduction in gestational length of <2days. For the 42 specific defects or categories of defects (2866 cases, 1411 controls for all seasons combined) most adjusted risks were close to 1.0; the highest was 2.38 for omphalocele and the lowest was 0.50 for atrioventricular canal defects. None had lower confidence bounds >1.0. For each season separately, only one elevated OR had a lower 95% CI >1.0: omphalocele in 2011–12 (OR=5.19, 95% CI 1.44, 18.7).ConclusionsOur results regarding risks for PTD and birth defects are generally reassuring. The few risks that were observed are compatible with chance, but warrant testing in other data. Given that vaccine components and manufacturing processes vary, continuing studies are needed to evaluate risks and safety of each season's vaccine and specific products.



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The Three False Dawns of Biomedical Gerontology

Rejuvenation Research Aug 2016, Vol. 19, No. 4: 271-272.


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Secretome profiling of apheresis platelet supernatants during routine storage via antibody-based microarray

Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016
Source:Journal of Proteomics
Author(s): Julian Kamhieh-Milz, Shakhawan A. Mustafa, Viktor Sterzer, Hatice Celik, Sahime Keski, Omid Khorramshahi, Kamran Movassaghi, Jörg D. Hoheisel, Mohamed S.S. Alhamdani, Abdulgabar Salama
Platelet storage lesions (PSLs) occur during platelet concentrate (PC) storage. Adverse transfusion reactions (ATRs) have been demonstrated to be more frequent in older PCs and removal of the supernatant prior to transfusion reduces their occurrence. Proteomic profiling of PC supernatants was thus performed to identify proteins associated with PSLs and ATRs. Twenty-four PCs were investigated daily from day 0 to day 9 for platelet pre-activation (PPA), platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs), and platelet function. Using antibody microarrays, 673 extracellular proteins were analysed in PC supernatants on days 0, 3, 5, 7, and 9. During 5days of storage, PPA and PEVs continuously increased (P<0.0001). Platelet function was observed to remain stable within the first 5days (P=0.1751) and decreased thereafter. Comparison of all time points to day 0 revealed the identification of 136 proteins that were significantly changed in abundance during storage, of which 72 were expressed by platelets. Network analysis identified these proteins to be predominantly associated with exosomes (P=4.61×10⁻⁸, n=45 genes) and two clusters with distinct functions were found with one being associated with haemostasis and the other with RNA binding. These findings may provide an explanation for ATRs.SignificanceChanges in platelet concentrate (PC) supernatants during storage have been so far only poorly addressed and high abundant proteins burden the identification of quantitative changes in the secretome. We applied a high-throughput antibody microarray allowing for the sensitive quantification of 673 extracellular factors. PCs account for the highest number of adverse transfusion reactions (ATRs). ATRs have been demonstrated to be more frequent in older PCs and removal of the supernatant prior to transfusion reduces their occurrence. Comprehensive interpretation of the changing proteins in the secretome during platelet storage under blood banking conditions may help to identify mechanisms leading to the occurrence of adverse transfusion reactions.

Graphical abstract

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A combined proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of slime secreted by the southern bottletail squid, Sepiadarium austrinum (Cephalopoda)

Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016
Source:Journal of Proteomics
Author(s): Nikeisha J. Caruana, Ira R. Cooke, Pierre Faou, Julian Finn, Nathan E. Hall, Mark Norman, Sandy S. Pineda, Jan M. Strugnell
Sepiadarium austrinum, the southern bottletail squid, is a small squid that inhabits soft sediments along Australia's south-east coast. When provoked, it rapidly secretes large volumes of slime, presumably as a form of chemical defense. We analyzed the proteomic composition of this slime using tandem mass spectrometry and transcriptomics and found that it was remarkably complex with 1735 identified protein groups (FDR:0.01). To investigate the chemical defense hypothesis we performed an Artemia toxicity assay and used sequence analysis to search for toxin-like molecules. Although the slime did not appear to be toxic to Artemia we found 13 proteins in slime with the hallmarks of toxins, namely cysteine richness, short length, a signal peptide and/or homology to known toxins. These included three short (80-130AA) cysteine rich secreted proteins with no homology to proteins on the NCBI or UniProt databases. Other protein families found included, CAP, phospholipase-B, ShKT-like peptides, peptidase S10, Kunitz BPTI and DNase II. Quantitative analysis using intensity based absolute quantification (iBAQ via MaxQuant) revealed 20 highly abundant proteins, accounting for 67% of iBAQ signal, and three of these were toxin-like. No mucin homologues were found suggesting that the structure of the slime gel may be formed by an unknown mechanism.Biological significanceThis study is the first known instance of a slime secretion from a cephalopod to be analyzed by proteomics methods and is the first investigation of a member of the family Sepiadariidae using proteomic methods. 1735 proteins were identified with 13 of these fitting criteria established for the identification of putative toxins. The slime is dominated by 20 highly abundant proteins with secreted, cysteine rich proteins. The study highlights the importance of 'omics approaches in understanding novel organisms.

Graphical abstract

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Bladder perforation by ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Abstract

Background

Bladder perforation by ventriculoperitoneal shunt is a rare complication that has been describe in 19 cases in prior literature.

Case description

This work describes the case of a 4-month-old baby who presented with extrusion of the distal catheter through the urethra. The patient underwent a laparotomy; the catheter was cut close to the bladder wall and repositioned into the peritoneal cavity. The bladder wall was sutured, and the remaining distal portion of the catheter was removed through the urethra.

Discussion and conclusion

Based on this single experience and a literature review, the authors classified the clinical signs and symptoms of bladder perforation by the ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter. Finally, the authors propose a more conservative approach for this rare complication.

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Primary pulmonary myxoma

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