Spurious hypertriglyceridaemia in unconscious patient

Background: Routine biochemical investigation of one patient admitted with a diagnosis of CVA as mentioned in the requisition revealed high hypertriglyceridaemia in a non-lipemic serum for the first time. Later, after scrutiny of the case sheet in the ward, it was found that apart from other management, blood was drawn about 90 minutes after administration of 4th dose of oral glycerol through nasogastric tube and sent to the laboratory. This was suspected to be the probable cause. In order to find out the degree of interference in blood sample, a small amount of glycerol was brought from the ward to experiment.Methods: Glycerol was initially diluted to 1 in 100 in distilled water and then artificially mixed in various dilutions with pooled serum from indoor patients and pooled heparinized plasma from outdoor patients. These samples were subjected to triglycerides estimation while routine analyses were going on.Results: A concentration of about 13,50,500 mg/dl falsely measured triglycerides was found in glycerol solution. This needed a dilution of 1 in 1500 for distilled water, serum and plasma which had 0, 190 and 113 mg/dl triglycerides respectively to bring the level to near the highest range of linearity. The recovery of added glycerol in distilled water was almost 100% but there was some positive bias more with plasma than serum.Conclusions: The spurious hypertriglyceridaemia in serum resulted from positive interference due to temporary high glycerolaemia by the commonly employed GPO-PAP method for its measurement and would cause the same depending on glycerol level.

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An extraordinary chiral exchange-bias phenomenon: engineering the sign of the bias field in orthogonal bilayers by a magnetically switchable response mechanism

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c9nr08852k ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 1155-1163 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alberto Bollero ◽

Volker Neu ◽

Vincent Baltz ◽

David Serantes ◽

José Luis F. Cuñado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Exchange Bias ◽

Bias Field ◽

Positive Bias ◽

Response Mechanism ◽

Pinning Mechanism ◽

First Time

The competition between magnetic anisotropies in an exchange bias-like bilayer leads to a pinning mechanism, reported for the first time, going from negative to positive bias field through zero (no bias). The chirality of the effect is also proven.

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Fungal self-parasitism in Saprolegnia megasperma

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b75-237 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 53 (19) ◽

pp. 2110-2114 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Richard A. Nolan

Keyword(s):

Vegetative Growth ◽

Distilled Water ◽

First Time ◽

The Relationship ◽

Lactalbumin Hydrolysate

The phenomenon of self-parasitism in the aquatic phycomycetes has apparently been overlooked since it was first mentioned in the work of Klebs in 1899. This study documents fungal self-parasitism for the first time in Saprolegnia megasperma Coker (isolate 369A). The 369A isolate was grown for 48 h at 16 °C in shake cultures of a medium containing glucose, lactalbumin hydrolysate, phosphate, and micronutrients. The resulting vegetative growth was then transferred to shake-and-standing flasks at 16 °C and standing flasks at 4 °C containing either a dilute salts solution or double-distilled water to enhance the formation of both sexual and asexual structures. The results in both shake and standing cultures were comparable. When oogonia were produced in the absence of antheridial branches, the oospheres developed into normal oospores. When an antheridial branch was produced, an antheridial cell was never observed and the branch penetrated the oogonium via a pit and destroyed all or some of the oospheres (oospores?). This parasitic antheridial branch could reemerge from an oogonium via a pit and penetrate additional oogonia. The possible implications of self-parasitism for the relationship between S. megasperma and Saprolegnia unispora (Coker and Couch) Seymour are discussed.

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First Report of Thielaviopsis paradoxa Causing Fruit Rot on Sala (Salacca edulis) in Thailand

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis.2001.85.2.230c ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 85 (2) ◽

pp. 230-230

Author(s):

K. Soytong ◽

S. Jitkasemsuk

Keyword(s):

Sodium Hypochlorite ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Culture Collection ◽

Potato Dextrose Agar ◽

Fruit Rot ◽

Fungal Culture ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Humidity Chamber ◽

Institute Of Technology ◽

First Time

Sala (Salacca edulis, a hybrid between S. wallichiana and S. glabrescens) is extensively cultivated in Southeast Asia for its highly valued fruit (1). During the rainy season in 1999, a fruit rot of sala caused by Thielaviopsis paradoxa (2) was observed to occur on immature and mature fruits for the first time in Trad and Chantaburi provinces, Thailand. Infected fruit discolored brown to black and appeared rotted with white mycelia on the lesions. Fruit eventually abscised. Conidiophores of the fungus were usually straight and hyaline to pale brown. The conidia (8.75 to 12.5 × 3.75 to 5.5 μm) were cylindrical to elliptical and also hyaline to pale brown. The brown, smooth, and ovate chlamydospores (15 to 25 × 8.7 to 14.5 μm) were borne terminally in chains from short hyphal branches. To fulfill Koch's postulates, six isolates of the fungus were grown on potato-dextrose agar for 7 days. Plugs of mycelia agar (0.5 cm in diameter) from each isolate were inoculated onto fresh fruit (four fruit per isolate) after the surface was disinfected with 10% sodium hypochlorite for 3 min. Non-inoculated fruits with sterile distilled water were served as controls. After incubation at 30°C and 80% RH in a humidity chamber for 4 days, lesions occurred on all the inoculated fruit. The fungus was subsequently recovered from the lesions. One isolate has been deposited in the Fungal Culture Collection, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, Thailand (TF 1-6/1999). References: (1) G. Hamballi et al. 1989. Proceedings of the First PROSEA International Symposia, Indonesia. (2) A. Johnston and C. Booth. 1983. Plant Pathologist's Pocketbook. CMI, Surrey, England.

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Hidrox® Counteracts Cyclophosphamide-Induced Male Infertility through NRF2 Pathways in a Mouse Model

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10050778 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 778

Author(s):

Roberta Fusco ◽

Angela Trovato Salinaro ◽

Rosalba Siracusa ◽

Ramona D’Amico ◽

Daniela Impellizzeri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Lipid Peroxidation ◽

Male Infertility ◽

The Other ◽

Antioxidant Defenses ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Single Intraperitoneal Injection ◽

Strongly Connected ◽

The One ◽

First Time

Background: Every year, men use cyclophosphamide to treat various cancers and autoimmune diseases. On the one hand, this chemotherapy often has the beneficial effect of regressing the tumor, but on the other hand, it leads to infertility due to excessive oxidative stress and apoptosis in the testes caused by its metabolite, acrolein. Methods: The objective of this study was to evaluate the beneficial power of a new compound called Hidrox®, containing 40–50% hydroxytyrosol, in counteracting the damage related to fertility induced by cyclophosphamide. The study was conducted using a single intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w, in distilled water at 10 mL/kg b.w. The treatment was administered via the oral administration of Hidrox® at a dose of 50 mg/kg. Results: Our study confirms that the use of cyclophosphamide causes a series of sperm and histological alterations strongly connected with oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate for the first time that Hidrox® protects testes from CYP-induced alterations by the modulation of physiological antioxidant defenses.

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Oxhydroelectric Effect in Bi-Distilled Water

Key Engineering Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.543.455 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 543 ◽

pp. 455-459 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Roberto Germano ◽

Emilio del Giudice ◽

A. de Ninno ◽

Vittorio Elia ◽

Cornelia Hison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Peroxide ◽

Electric Conductivity ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Electrolytic Solution ◽

Dc Power ◽

Pt Electrodes ◽

First Time

Oxhydroelectric Effect, that is the extraction of electricity from an aqueous electrolytic solution by twin Platinum (Pt) electrodes, mediated by oxygen molecules, has been detected for the first time in bi-distilled water (electric conductivity of 1.2 microSiemens/cm). A dc power of the order of tenths of microW, lasting for many hours, was measured through a resistor (47 kOhm) connected to twin Pt electrodes immersed into bi-distilled water, after the addition of some pieces of Nafion® in one semi-cell and of a very small amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) - as a source of oxygen - in both semi-cells.

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Costing Methods as a Means to Measure the Costs of Pharmacogenomics Testing

The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine ◽

10.1093/jalm/jfaa113 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 1005-1016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stavroula Siamoglou ◽

Kariofyllis Karamperis ◽

Christina Mitropoulou ◽

George P Patrinos

Keyword(s):

Genetic Testing ◽

Blood Sample ◽

Dna Isolation ◽

Clinical Implementation ◽

Sample Collection ◽

Technical Process ◽

Private Providers ◽

The Cost ◽

First Time ◽

And Personalized Medicine

Abstract Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine interventions relies on addressing important financial aspects of the delivery of genetic testing to the patients, be it from public or private providers. Details on how to determine the cost items of the genetic testing are often limited. The goal of this study is to present a costing methodology in order to estimate and measure the costs as far as the technical process of pharmacogenomics testing is concerned. Moreover, an overall cost mindset strategy based on the selective genotyping workflow to guide specialized laboratories of interest effectively is provided. We particularly accounted for the resources consumed within the laboratory premises such as cost of reagents for DNA isolation, cost of consumables, cost of personnel, while costs associated with patient recruitment, blood sample collection and maintenance, administration costs in the hospital, and costs of blood sample shipment were not taken into consideration. Our article presents the first-time detailed information on a costing framework for pharmacogenomic testing that could be employed to laboratories involved in routine clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics.

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Could prokinetic agents protect long-term nasogastric tube-dependent patients from being hospitalized for pneumonia? A nationwide population-based case-crossover study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0249645 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0249645

Author(s):

Kun-Siang Huang ◽

Bo-Lin Pan ◽

Wei-An Lai ◽

Pin-Jie Bin ◽

Yao-Hsu Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crossover Study ◽

Nasogastric Tube ◽

Conditional Logistic Regression ◽

Negative Association ◽

Research Database ◽

Prokinetic Agent ◽

Case Crossover ◽

Prokinetic Agents ◽

First Time

Background Some studies have indicated that the use of prokinetic agents may reduce pneumonia risk in some populations. Nasogastric tube insertion is known to increase the risk of pneumonia because it disrupts lower esophageal sphincter function. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether prokinetic agents could protect long-term nasogastric tube-dependent patients in Taiwan from being hospitalized for pneumonia. Methods A case-crossover study design was applied in this study. Long-term nasogastric tube-dependent patients who had a first-time admission to a hospital due to pneumonia from 1996 to 2013 that was recorded in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were included. The case period was set to be 30 days before admission, and two control periods were selected for analysis. Prokinetic agent use during those three periods was then assessed for the included patients. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for pneumonia admission with the use of prokinetic agents. Results A total of 639 first-time hospitalizations for pneumonia among patients with long-term nasogastric tube dependence were included. After adjusting the confounding factors for pneumonia, no negative association between prokinetic agent use and pneumonia hospitalization was found, and the adjusted OR was 1.342 (95% CI 0.967–1.86). In subgroup analysis, the adjusted ORs were 1.401 (0.982–1.997), 1.256 (0.87–1.814), 0.937 (0.607–1.447) and 2.222 (1.196–4.129) for elderly, stroke, diabetic and parkinsonism patients, respectively. Conclusion Prokinetic agent use had no negative association with pneumonia admission among long-term nasogastric tube-dependent patients in Taiwan.

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Propensity of Tampons and Barrier Contraceptives to Amplify Staphylococcus aureusToxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-I

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1155/s1064744994000542 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 140-145 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Philip M. Tierno ◽

Bruce A. Hanna

Keyword(s):

Toxic Shock Syndrome ◽

Brain Heart Infusion ◽

The United States ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Supernatant Fluid ◽

Toxic Shock ◽

Menstruating Women ◽

First Time ◽

Culture Supernatants

Objective: Although the incidence of reported cases of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) has declined in recent years, the disease continues to occur in menstruating women using the newer, less-absorbent tampons or barrier contraceptives. Extant tampons and other vaginal devices were tested for the ability to induce TSS toxin-1 (TSST-1) by a TSS strain of Staphylococcus aureus MN8, a known high-toxin producer. Tested for the first time were 20 varieties of tampons, including 2 all-cotton brands newly introduced in the United States, a polyurethane contraceptive sponge, a latex diaphragm, and a polymer menstrual collection cup.Methods: All products were washed in sterile distilled water prior to use to reduce the effect of leachable chemicals. Duplicate experiments with unwashed products were also performed. Entire tampons and other test products were immersed in brain heart infusion broth plus yeast extract (BHIY) and inoculated with S. aureus MN8, a known TSST-1 producer. After incubation, the culture supernatants were assayed for TSST-1 by gel immunodiffusion.Results: Except for all-cotton tampons, greater amounts of TSST-1 were detected in the supernatant fluid of washed tampons than detected in those which were not washed. While TSST-1 levels in unwashed non-cotton tampons ranged from 0.5 to 8 μg/ml, when these products were washed, TSST-1 levels increased to 2–32 μg/ml. In all-cotton tampons, whether washed or not, there was no detectable TSST-1.Conclusions: The propensity for all-cotton tampons not to amplify TSST-1 in vitro suggests they would lower the risk for tampon-associated TSS.

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Metal Contaminants Leached by the Lucky Iron Fish When Boiled in Deionized Distilled Water

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_120 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 269-269

Author(s):

Aviva Rappaport ◽

Tim Green

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Iron Deficiency ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Lemon Juice ◽

Deficiency Anemia ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Funding Sources ◽

Commercial Laboratory ◽

First Time ◽

Children Under 5

Abstract Objectives The Lucky Iron Fish® (LIF) is a reusable fish-shaped iron ingot that was developed to address iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in adults and young children under 5 years. The primary objective of this study was to determine the amount of iron and metals leached from the LIF. Methods LIF produced in Cambodia, Canada, and India were obtained from the LIF company for analysis. Ingots were used for the first time in this study. All equipment was cleaned prior to use. LIF were boiled in deionized distilled water with lemon juice for 10 and 60 minutes. Water samples were sent to a commercial laboratory for analysis. Results When boiled for 10 minutes, the Cambodia, Canada, and India LIF leached concentrations of iron greater than 68,600 ug/L. Quantities of heavy metals leached varied depending on where the ingot was manufactured. When boiled for 10 minutes, arsenic concentrations ranged from 2.5 ug/L to 4.7 ug/L in an India and Cambodia LIF. Chromium ranged from 4–80 ug/L in an India and Cambodia LIF, respectively. Similarly, lead leached ranged from 0.3 ug/L in a Cambodia LIF to 6.3 ug/L in an India LIF. Conclusions Despite high quantities of iron leached in water, it is unclear whether the quantity of absorbable iron leached from the LIF is enough to make a difference on iron stores of a young child. As research on the efficacy of the LIF has not been studied in this population. In addition, the potential harms of ingesting these heavy metals must be further investigated. Funding Sources None.

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Behavioural responses of blue petrel chicks (Halobaena caerulea) to food-related and novel odours in a simple wind tunnel

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102006000393 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 345-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Gregory B. Cunningham ◽

Richard W. Van Buskirk ◽

Mark J. Hodges ◽

Henri Weimerskirch ◽

Gabrielle A. Nevitt

Keyword(s):

Wind Tunnel ◽

Ethyl Alcohol ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Cod Liver Oil ◽

Behavioural Responses ◽

Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol ◽

Olfactory Stimuli ◽

First Time

As a first step towards understanding the development of olfactory behaviours in Antarctic procellariiform seabirds, we recently showed that blue petrel chicks (Halobaena caerulea) could detect both a food-related and a novel odour while asleep. In this current study, we tested chicks in a simple wind tunnel to determine if exploratory behaviours could be initiated by olfactory stimuli as well. We compared the behavioural responses of 30 blue petrel chicks to cod liver oil (a prey-related odour) or phenyl ethyl alcohol (an unfamiliar, rosy-smelling odourant) against a control (distilled water). Six behavioural indices were measured, including head turns, body turns, bites, preening events, wing-stretches, and distance walked. In response to cod liver oil, we found that chicks increased both turning rates and distances walked whereas chicks preened more in response to phenyl ethyl alcohol. Since only cod liver oil initiated behaviours consistent with searching, our results suggest that chicks are attaching biological significance to food-related odours even before they leave the burrow to forage for the first time.

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