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Food Additives & Contaminants. Part A,... Jun 2024This study developed a highly sensitive microbiological method utilizing a novel microtiter plate to screen 10 sulfonamides in chicken muscles, eggs, and prawns. This...
This study developed a highly sensitive microbiological method utilizing a novel microtiter plate to screen 10 sulfonamides in chicken muscles, eggs, and prawns. This plate was fabricated from agar incorporating trimethoprim and spread with . After residue detection by bioassay, the same test solutions were analyzed by LC-MS/MS for accurate identification and quantification. It also proved eco-friendly compared to using other quantitative methods. The residual drugs were extracted with McIlvaine buffer and purified using an Oasis MCX cartridge. A triethylamine/methanol/water (0.5:75:24.5, v/v/v) mixture was used as the eluate. The obtained LOD values of the bioassay ranged from 5 to 25 µg kg- allowing the detection of the target drugs at the MRLs established in Japan. Adhering to ISO/IEC 17025 standards, the performance of the bioassay was evaluated. Based on the inhibition zone size in bioassay results, quality control yielded a Z score within ±2, indicating reasonable control over the screening process. Proficiency testing of a chicken muscle sample spiked with sulfadimidine demonstrated the inhibition zone detection of the bioassay and quantified value alignment of LC-MS/MS with reference values. In a surveillance study of 91 samples, sulfamethoxazole was detected in one prawn sample.
PubMed: 38913845
DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2024.2368903 -
The Analyst Jun 2024Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) provides a label free method of analyzing molecules from diverse and complex signals, potentially with single molecule...
Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) provides a label free method of analyzing molecules from diverse and complex signals, potentially with single molecule sensitivity. The chemical specificity inherent in the SERS spectrum can identify molecules; however signal variability arising from the diversity of plasmonic environments can limit quantification, particularly at low concentrations. Here we show that digitizing, or counting SERS events, can decrease the limit of detection in flowing solutions enabling quantification of single molecules. By using multivariate curve resolution and establishing a score threshold, each individual spectrum can be classified as containing an event or not. This binary "yes/no" can then be quantified, and a linear region can be established. This method was shown to lower the limit of detection to the lowest physical limit, and lowered the limit of detection by an order of magnitude from the traditional, intensity based LOD calculations.
PubMed: 38895849
DOI: 10.1039/d4an00801d -
Talanta May 2024Due to their susceptibility to degradation, vitamin levels in food formulations may differ from those found in the finished product. Vitamin levels can be impacted by...
Due to their susceptibility to degradation, vitamin levels in food formulations may differ from those found in the finished product. Vitamin levels can be impacted by processing and storage. In this work, the ingredients of Strong B50 ® film-coated tablets were estimated simultaneously using simple efficient stability indicating HPLC method. Strong B50 ® film-coated tablets contain thiamine (VB1), riboflavin (VB2), calcium pantothenate (VB5), pyridoxine (VB6), vitamin C (VC), folic acid (FA), biotin (BT), inositol (IS), niacin (NC), para-aminobenzoic acid (PB), cyanocobalamine (B12), choline bitartarate, and iron gluconate. Hypersil BDS C18 column was used for achieving reasonable separation. Mobile phases (A) and (B) were utilized, the mobile phase (A) consisted of 0.015 M Hexane sulfonic acid sodium salt + 0.1 % Triethylamine and orthophosphoric acid was used to adjust the pH to (2.9) while (B) system consisted of acetonitrile. Validation of the method was assessed using International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) parameters, where linearity, accuracy, selectivity, and robustness of the method were investigated. Correlations were above 0.99, accuracy results ranged from 97.6 to 102.8 % and limits for detection and quantitation (LOD and LOQ) values were determined for each vitamin in μg/mL except for FA and BT in ng/mL. LOD values were between 0.006 and 15.08 μg/mL while LOQ values ranged from 0.031 to 49.77 μg/mL. Stability studies were conducted under stressed conditions and degradation percentages were computed. Where, VB5, VB6, FA and PB, VC, and NC were the most degradable vitamins. Whiteness evaluation using the modern RGB 12 algorithm compared our method and the old reported one by Sasaki et al., 2020. The comparison favored our newly developed method in terms of analytical performance, practical applicability and greenness. Besides, AGREE and GAPI soft wares were used to assess the greenness of the method. It was clear that the results of colored pictograms confirm low hazardous impact and that the new method is greener with AGREE score of 0.66. Furthermore, the functionality and applicability of the novel HPLC approach were concluded via the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) tool with a final score of 82.5.
PubMed: 38820824
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126324 -
The Journals of Gerontology. Series A,... May 2024Grip strength is a robust indicator of overall health, is moderately heritable, and predicts longevity in older adults.
Whole Genome Linkage and Association Analyses Identify DLG Associated Protein-1 as a Novel Positional and Biological Candidate Gene for Muscle Strength: The Long Life Family Study.
BACKGROUND
Grip strength is a robust indicator of overall health, is moderately heritable, and predicts longevity in older adults.
METHODS
Using genome-wide linkage analysis, we identified a novel locus on chromosome 18p (mega-basepair region: 3.4 - 4.0) linked to grip strength in 3755 individuals from 582 families aged 64 ± 12 years (range 30-110 years; 55% women). There were 26 families that contributed to the linkage peak (cumulative logarithm of the odds [LOD] score = 10.94), with six families (119 individuals) accounting for most of the linkage signal (LOD = 6.4). In these 6 families, using whole genome sequencing data, we performed association analyses between the 7312 single nucleotide (SNVs) and insertion deletion (INDELs) variants in the linkage region and grip strength. Models were adjusted for age, age2, sex, height, field center, and population substructure.
RESULTS
We found significant associations between genetic variants (8 SNVs and 4 INDELs, p<5*10-5) in the Disks Large-associated Protein 1 (DLGAP1) gene and grip strength. Haplotypes constructed using these variants explained up to 98.1% of the LOD score. Finally, RNAseq data showed that these variants were significantly associated with the expression of nearby Myosin Light Chain 12A (MYL12A), Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes Flexible Hinge Domain Containing 1 (SMCHD1), Erythrocyte Membrane Protein Band 4.1 Like 3 (EPB41L3) genes (p< .0004).
CONCLUSIONS
The DLGAP1 gene plays an important role in the post-synaptic density of neurons; thus, it is both a novel positional and biological candidate gene for follow-up studies aimed at uncovering genetic determinants of muscle strength.
PubMed: 38808484
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae144 -
American Journal of Clinical Pathology May 2024Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a significant biomarker for predicting immune checkpoint inhibitor response, but the clinical performance of whole-exome sequencing...
OBJECTIVES
Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a significant biomarker for predicting immune checkpoint inhibitor response, but the clinical performance of whole-exome sequencing (WES)-based TMB estimation has received less attention compared to panel-based methods. This study aimed to assess the reliability and comparability of WES-based TMB analysis among laboratories under routine testing conditions.
METHODS
A multicenter study was conducted involving 24 laboratories in China using in silico reference data sets. The accuracy and comparability of TMB estimation were evaluated using matched tumor-normal data sets. Factors such as accuracy of variant calls, limit of detection (LOD) of WES test, size of regions of interest (ROIs) used for TMB calculation, and TMB cutoff points were analyzed.
RESULTS
The laboratories consistently underestimated the expected TMB scores in matched tumor-normal samples, with only 50% falling within the ±30% TMB interval. Samples with low TMB score (<2.5) received the consensus interpretation. Accuracy of variant calls, LOD of the WES test, ROI, and TMB cutoff points were important factors causing interlaboratory deviations.
CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights real-world challenges in WES-based TMB analysis that need to be improved and optimized. This research will aid in the selection of more reasonable analytical procedures to minimize potential methodologic biases in estimating TMB in clinical exome sequencing tests. Harmonizing TMB estimation in clinical testing conditions is crucial for accurately evaluating patients' response to immunotherapy.
PubMed: 38733635
DOI: 10.1093/ajcp/aqae056 -
PloS One 2024This study investigated the close kinship structure of southern right whales on feeding grounds during austral summer seasons. The study was based on biopsy samples of...
This study investigated the close kinship structure of southern right whales on feeding grounds during austral summer seasons. The study was based on biopsy samples of 171 individual whales, which were genotyped with 14 microsatellite DNA loci. Kinship was investigated by using the LOD (Log Odds) score, a relatedness index for a pair of genotypes. Based on a cut-off point of LODPO > 6, which was chosen to balance false positives and negatives, a total of 28 dyads were inferred. Among these, 25 were classified as parent-offspring pairs. Additional genetic (mitochondrial DNA haplotypes) and biological (estimated body length, sex) data were used to provide additional information on the inferred close kin pairs. The elapsed time between sampling varied from 0 (close kin detected in the same austral summer season) to 17 years. All the kin pairs occurred within the Antarctic Indo sector (85°-135°E) and no pair occurred between whales within and outside of this sector. Six pairs were between individuals in high (Antarctic) and lower latitudes. Results of the present analysis on kinship are consistent with the views that whales in the Indo sector of the Antarctic are related with the breeding ground in Southwest Australia, and that whales from this population can occupy different feeding grounds. The present study has the potential to contribute to the conservation of the southern right whales through the monitoring of important population parameters such as population sizes and growth rate, in addition to assist the interpretation of stock structure derived from standard population genetic analyses.
Topics: Animals; Whales; Microsatellite Repeats; Female; DNA, Mitochondrial; Feeding Behavior; Haplotypes; Male; Antarctic Regions; Genotype; Seasons; Geography
PubMed: 38662742
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301588 -
The American Journal of Geriatric... Mar 2024Understanding experiences and challenges faced by persons living with Early-Onset Dementia (EOD) compared to individuals diagnosed with Late-Onset Dementia (LOD) is...
BACKGROUND
Understanding experiences and challenges faced by persons living with Early-Onset Dementia (EOD) compared to individuals diagnosed with Late-Onset Dementia (LOD) is important for the development of targeted interventions.
OBJECTIVE
Describe differences in sociodemographic, neuropsychiatric behavioral symptoms, caregiver characteristics, and psychotropic use.
DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS
Cross-sectional, retrospective study including 908 UCLA Alzheimer's Dementia Care Program participants (177 with EOD and 731 with LOD).
MEASUREMENTS
Onset of dementia was determined using age at program enrollment, with EOD defined as age <65 years and LOD defined as age >80 years. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were measured once at enrollment. Behavioral symptoms were measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) severity score and caregiver distress was measured using the NPI-Q distress score. Medications included antipsychotic, antidepressant, benzodiazepines and other hypnotics, antiepileptics, and dementia medications.
RESULTS
EOD compared to LOD participants were more likely men, college graduates, married, live alone, and have fewer comorbidities. EOD caregivers were more often spouses (56% vs 26%, p <0.01), whereas LOD caregivers were more often children (57% vs 10%, p <0.01). EOD was associated with lower odds of being above the median (worse) NPI-Q severity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.58; 95% CI 0.35-0.96) and NPI-Q distress scores (aOR, 0.53; 95% CI 0.31-0.88). Psychotropic use did not differ between groups though symptoms were greater for LOD compared to EOD.
CONCLUSION
Persons with EOD compared to LOD had sociodemographic differences, less health conditions, and fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms. Future policies could prioritize counseling for EOD patients and families, along with programs to support spousal caregivers of persons with EOD.
PubMed: 38600005
DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2024.03.009 -
Talanta Jul 2024A new simple, fast and environmentally friendly deep eutectic solvent based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DES-based DLLME) methodology assisted by vortex is...
Determination of Fe, Cu, and Pb in edible oils using choline chloride:ethylene glycol deep eutectic solvent-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction associated with microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry.
A new simple, fast and environmentally friendly deep eutectic solvent based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DES-based DLLME) methodology assisted by vortex is presented for the separation and preconcentration of three elements (i.e., Fe, Cu and Pb) from edible oil samples (i.e., soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, sesame, and olive oil) prior to the determination by microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP-OES). The deep eutectic solvent selected as extractant (i.e., choline chloride and ethylene glycol, 1:2) is synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the extraction conditions are optimized by a two steps experimental design. Under the optimum extraction conditions (i.e., diluted sample weight: 8.6 g; DES volume: 100 μL; extraction time: 1 min; centrifugation time and speed: 3 min and 3000 rpm; and dispersion system: vortex) the analytical method presents excellent linearity (i.e., R values higher than 0.99) in the range 10-500 μg kg, repeatability (i.e., CV values lower than 9.2%), and limits of detection (LOD) values of 3, 2 and 0.7 μg kg for Pb, Fe and Cu, respectively. None of the analytes displayed amounts over the upper limit permitted by law, and recovery values of all analytes evaluated in the different samples using external standard calibration were close to 100%, which excludes significant matrix effects. Finally, AGREEprep metric has been used to evaluate the method greenness (final score of 0.47) and it has been compared successfully with previous publications for the same type of analytes and matrices.
PubMed: 38547838
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.125939 -
Journal of Neuroengineering and... Mar 2024Effective stroke rehabilitation requires high-dose, repetitive-task training, especially during the early recovery phase. However, the usability of upper-limb...
BACKGROUND
Effective stroke rehabilitation requires high-dose, repetitive-task training, especially during the early recovery phase. However, the usability of upper-limb rehabilitation technology in acute and subacute stroke survivors remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we introduce subacute stroke survivors to MyoGuide, a mobile training platform that employs surface electromyography (sEMG)-guided neurofeedback training that specifically targets wrist extension. Notably, the study emphasizes evaluating the platform's usability within clinical contexts.
METHODS
Seven subacute post-stroke patients (1 female, mean age 53.7 years, mean time post-stroke 58.9 days, mean duration per training session 48.9 min) and three therapists (one for eligibility screening, two for conducting training) participated in the study. Participants underwent ten days of supervised one-on-one wrist extension training with MyoGuide, which encompassed calibration, stability assessment, and dynamic tasks. All training records including the Level of Difficulty (LoD) and Stability Assessment Scores were recorded within the application. Usability was assessed through the System Usability Scale (SUS) and participants' willingness to continue home-based training was gauged through a self-developed survey post-training. Therapists also documented the daily performance of participants and the extent of support required.
RESULTS
The usability analysis yielded positive results, with a median SUS score of 82.5. Compared to the first session, participants significantly improved their performance at the final session as indicated by both the Stability Assessment Scores (p = 0.010, mean = 229.43, CI = [25.74-433.11]) and the LoD (p < 0.001; mean: 45.43, CI: [25.56-65.29]). The rate of progression differed based on the initial impairment levels of the patient. After training, participants expressed a keen interest in continuing home-based training. However, they also acknowledged challenges related to independently using the Myo armband and software.
CONCLUSIONS
This study introduces the MyoGuide training platform and demonstrates its usability in a clinical setting for stroke rehabilitation, with the assistance of a therapist. The findings support the potential of MyoGuide for wrist extension training in patients across a wide range of impairment levels. However, certain usability challenges, such as donning/doffing the armband and navigating the application, need to be addressed to enable independent MyoGuide training requiring only minimal supervision by a therapist.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Wrist; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation; Upper Extremity; Wrist Joint
PubMed: 38515192
DOI: 10.1186/s12984-024-01334-9 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2024Wheat is an important cereal crop constrained by several biotic and abiotic stresses including drought stress. Understating the effect of drought stress and the genetic...
Wheat is an important cereal crop constrained by several biotic and abiotic stresses including drought stress. Understating the effect of drought stress and the genetic basis of stress tolerance is important to develop drought resilient, high-yielding wheat cultivars. In this study, we investigated the effects of drought stress on seedling characteristics in an association panel consisting of 198 germplasm lines. Our findings revealed that drought stress had a detrimental effect on all the seedling characteristics under investigation with a maximum effect on shoot length (50.94% reduction) and the minimum effect on germination percentage (7.9% reduction). To gain a deeper understanding, we conducted a genome-wide association analysis using 12,511 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which led to the identification of 39 marker-trait associations (MTAs). Of these 39 MTAs, 13 were particularly noteworthy as they accounted for >10% of the phenotypic variance with a LOD score >5. These high-confidence MTAs were further utilized to extract 216 candidate gene (CGs) models within 1 Mb regions. Gene annotation and functional characterization identified 83 CGs with functional relevance to drought stress. These genes encoded the WD40 repeat domain, Myb/SANT-like domain, WSD1-like domain, BTB/POZ domain, Protein kinase domain, Cytochrome P450, Leucine-rich repeat domain superfamily, BURP domain, Calmodulin-binding protein60, Ubiquitin-like domain, etc. Findings from this study hold significant promise for wheat breeders as they provide direct assistance in selecting lines harboring favorable alleles for improved drought stress tolerance. Additionally, the identified SNPs and CGs will enable marker-assisted selection of potential genomic regions associated with enhanced drought stress tolerance in wheat.
PubMed: 38510445
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1351075