Development of ELISAs for detecting domoic acid, okadaic acid, and saxitoxin and their applicability for the detection of marine toxins in samples collected in Belgium

Okadaic acid, a diarrhetic shellfish poison, domoic acid, an amnesic shellfish poison, and saxitoxin, a paralytic shellfish poison, are three of the best-known marine biotoxins. The mouse bioassay is the method most widely used to detect many of these toxins in shellfish samples, but animal welfare concerns have prompted researchers to seek alternative methods of detection. In this study, three direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), each based on antibodies raised in rabbits against a conjugate of the analyte of interest, were developed for marine biotoxin detection in mussel, oyster, and scallop. One assay was for okadaic acid, one for saxitoxin, and one for domoic acid usually detected and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet light (HPLC-UV). All three compounds and a number of related toxins were extracted quickly and simply from the shellfish matrices with a 9 : 1 mixture of ethanol and water before analysis. The detection capabilities (CC values) of the developed ELISAs were 150 mu g kg-1 for okadaic acid, 50 mu g kg-1 for domoic acid, and 5 mu g kg-1 or less for saxitoxin. The assays proved satisfactory when used over a 4-month period for the analysis of 110 real samples collected in Belgium.

Development of a recombinant Fab-fragment based electrochemical immunosensor for deoxynivalenol detection in food samples

A reliable and cost-effective electrochemical method for the detection of deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereals and cereal-based food samples based on the use of a novel anti-DON Fab fragment is presented. The analytical system employed, Enzyme-Linked-Immunomagnetic-Electrochemical (ELIME) assay, is based on the use of immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) coupled with eight magnetized screen-printed electrodes (8-mScPEs) as electrochemical transducers.

Effective monitoring for ractopamine residues in samples of animal origin by SPR biosensor and mass spectrometry

Ractopamine (RCT) is a member of the beta-2-agonist (beta-agonist) family. It is licensed for use as an animal growth promoter in more than 20 countries worldwide, including the United States and Canada, but is either not licensed or prohibited by over 150 others, including those within the European Union. The issue of the use of RCT in livestock bound for human consumption has risen to prominence recently following the decision by The People's Republic of China to ban the import of pork from a number of processing plants after finding traces of RCT in shipments from the U.S.A.

Dynamics of Gompertzian tumour growth under environmental fluctuations

We investigate the effect of correlated additive and multiplicative Gaussian white noise oil the Gompertzian growth of tumours. Our results are obtained by Solving numerically the time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation (FPE) associated with the stochastic dynamics. In Our numerical approach we have adopted B-spline functions as a truncated basis to expand the approximated eigenfunctions. The eigenfunctions and eigenvalues obtained using this method are used to derive approximate solutions of the dynamics under Study. We perform simulations to analyze various aspects, of the probability distribution. of the tumour cell populations in the transient- and steady-state regimes. More precisely, we are concerned mainly with the behaviour of the relaxation time (tau) to the steady-state distribution as a function of (i) of the correlation strength (lambda) between the additive noise and the multiplicative noise and (ii) as a function of the multiplicative noise intensity (D) and additive noise intensity (alpha). It is observed that both the correlation strength and the intensities of additive and multiplicative noise, affect the relaxation time.

Association Study of SNAP25 and Schizophrenia in Irish Family and Case-Control Samples

SNAP25 occurs on chromosome 20p12.2, which has been linked to schizophrenia in some samples, and recently linked to latent classes of psychotic illness in our sample. SNAP25 is crucial to synaptic functioning, may be involved in axonal growth and dendritic sprouting, and its expression may be decreased in schizophrenia. We genotyped 18 haplotype-tagging SNPs in SNAP25 in a sample of 270 Irish high-density families. Single marker and haplotype analyses were performed in FBAT and PDT. We adjusted for multiple testing by computing q values. Association was followed up in an independent sample of 657 cases and 411 controls. We tested for allelic effects on the clinical phenotype by using the method of sequential addition and 5 factor-derived scores of the OPCRIT. Nine of 18 SNPs had Pvalues

FBXL21 Association With Schizophrenia in Irish Family and Case-Control Samples

FBXL21 gene encodes an F-box containing protein functioning in the SCIP ubiquitin ligase complex. The role of the F-box protein is to recruit proteins designated for degradation to the ligase complex so they would be ubiquitinated. Using both family and case-control samples, we found consistent associations in and around FBXL21 gene. In the family sample (Irish study of high density schizophrenia families, ISHDSF, 1,350 subjects from 273 families), a minimal PDT P-value of 0.0011 was observed at rs31555. In the case-control sample (Irish case-control study of schizophrenia, ICCSS, 814 cases and 625 controls), significant associations were observed at two markers (rs1859427 P=0.0197, and rs6861170 P=0.0197). In haplotype analyses, haplotype 1-1 (C-T) of rs1859427-rs6861170 was overtransmitted in the ISHDSF (P=0.0437) and was over-represented in the ICCSS (P=0.0177). For both samples, the associated alleles and haplotypes were identical. These data suggested that FBXL21 maybe associated with schizophrenia in the Irish samples. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Does pre-operative estimation of oesophageal tumour metabolic length using F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT images compare with surgical pathology length?

PURPOSE:
The aim of the study was to compare the pre-operative metabolic tumour length on FDG PET/CT with the resected pathological specimen in patients with oesophageal cancer.

METHODS:
All patients diagnosed with oesophageal carcinoma who had undergone staging PET/CT imaging between the period of June 2002 and May 2008 who were then suitable for curative surgery, either with or without neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, were included in this study. Metabolic tumour length was assessed using both visual analysis and a maximum standardised uptake value (SUV(max)) cutoff of 2.5.

RESULTS:
Thirty-nine patients proceeded directly to curative surgical resection, whereas 48 patients received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, followed by curative surgery. The 95% limits of agreement in the surgical arm were more accurate when the metabolic tumour length was visually assessed with a mean difference of -0.05 cm (SD 2.16 cm) compared to a mean difference of +2.42 cm (SD 3.46 cm) when assessed with an SUV(max) cutoff of 2.5. In the neo-adjuvant group, the 95% limits of agreement were once again more accurate when assessed visually with a mean difference of -0.6 cm (SD 1.84 cm) compared to a mean difference of +1.58 cm (SD 3.1 cm) when assessed with an SUV(max) cutoff of 2.5.

CONCLUSION:
This study confirms the high accuracy of PET/CT in measuring gross target volume (GTV) length. A visual method for GTV length measurement was demonstrated to be superior and more accurate than when using an SUV(max) cutoff of 2.5. This has the potential of reducing the planning target volume with dose escalation to the tumour with a corresponding reduction in normal tissue complication probability.

Activated oncogenic pathways and therapeutic targets in extranodal nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma revealed by gene expression profiling

We performed comprehensive genome-wide gene expression profiling (GEP) of extranodal nasal-type natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (n = 9) and NK cell lines (n = 5) in comparison with normal NK cells, with the objective of understanding the oncogenic pathways involved in the pathogenesis of NKTL and to identify potential therapeutic targets. Pathway and network analysis of genes differentially expressed between NKTL and normal NK cells revealed significant enrichment for cell cycle-related genes and pathways, such as PLK1, CDK1, and Aurora-A. Furthermore, our results demonstrated a pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic phenotype in NKTL characterized by activation of Myc and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B), and deregulation of p53. In corroboration with GEP findings, a significant percentage of NKTLs (n = 33) overexpressed c-Myc (45.4%), p53 (87.9%), and NF-kappa B p50 (67.7%) on immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray containing 33 NKTL samples. Notably, overexpression of survivin was observed in 97% of cases. Based on our findings, we propose a model of NKTL pathogenesis where deregulation of p53 together with activation of Myc and NF-kappa B, possibly driven by EBV LMP-1, results in the cumulative up-regulation of survivin. Down-regulation of survivin with Terameprocol (EM-1421, a survivin inhibitor) results in reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis in tumour cells, suggesting that targeting survivin may be a potential novel therapeutic strategy in NKTL. Copyright (C) 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

MicroRNA-130b regulates the tumour suppressor RUNX3 in gastric cancer

Aim: Accumulating evidence indicates that RUNX3 is an important tumour suppressor that is inactivated in many cancer types. This study aimed to assess the role of microRNA (miRNA) in the regulation of RUNX3.

Comparative validation of c-kit exon 11 mutation analysis on cytology samples and corresponding surgical resections of gastrointestinal stromal tumours

Objective: