(99m)Tc-DPD-SPECT/CT predicts the outcome of imaging-guided diagnostic anaesthetic injections: A prospective cohort study

We hypothesized that bone SPECT combined with multiplanar reconstructed CT can identify and target the pain-inducing focus in the foot and can be used to successfully guide anaesthetic infiltrations. Therefore we prospectively investigated feasibility and predictive value of bone SPECT/CT for image guided diagnostic infiltrations in patients with chronic foot pain.

Predicting 5-fluorouracil toxicity: DPD genotype and 5,6-dihydrouracil:uracil ratio

AIM Decreased DPD activity is a major cause of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) toxicity, but known reduced-function variants in the DPD gene (DPYD) explain only a part of DPD-related 5-FU toxicities. Here, we evaluated the baseline (pretherapeutic) plasma 5,6-dihydrouracil:uracil (UH2:U) ratio as a marker of DPD activity in the context of DPYD genotypes. MATERIALS & METHODS DPYD variants were genotyped and plasma U, UH2 and 5-FU concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 320 healthy blood donors and 28 cancer patients receiving 5-FU-based chemotherapy. RESULTS Baseline UH2:U ratios were strongly correlated with generally low and highly variable U concentrations. Reduced-function DPYD variants were only weakly associated with lower baseline UH2:U ratios. However, the interindividual variability in the UH2:U ratio was reduced and a stronger correlation between ratios and 5-FU exposure was observed in cancer patients during 5-FU administration. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the baseline UH2:U plasma ratio in most individuals reflects the nonsaturated state of DPD and is not predictive of decreased DPD activity. It may, however, be highly predictive at increased substrate concentrations, as observed during 5-FU administration.

An environmentally friendly flow system for high-sensitivity spectrophotometric determination of free chlorine in natural waters

A green and highly sensitive analytical procedure was developed for the determination of free chlorine in natural waters, based on the reaction with N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD). The flow system was designed with solenoid micro-pumps in order to improve mixing conditions by pulsed flows and to minimize reagent consumption as well as waste generation. A 100-cm optical path flow cell based on a liquid core waveguide was employed to increase sensitivity. A linear response was observed within the range 10.0 to 100.0 mu g L(-1), with the detection limit, coefficient of variation and sampling rate estimated as 6.8 mu g (99.7% confidence level), 0.9% (n = 20) and 60 determinations per hour, respectively. The consumption of the most toxic reagent (DPD) was reduced 20,000-fold and 30-fold in comparison to the batch method and flow injection with continuous reagent addition, respectively. The results for natural and tap water samples agreed with those obtained by the reference batch spectrophotometric procedure at the 95% confidence level. (C) 2010 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.

Downscaling a multicommuted flow injection analysis system for the photometric determination of iodate in table salt

In this work a downscaled multicommuted flow injection analysis setup for photometric determination is described. The setup consists of a flow system module and a LED based photometer, with a total internal volume of about 170 mu L The system was tested by developing an analytical procedure for the photometric determination of iodate in table salt using N,N-diethyl-henylenediamine (DPD) as the chromogenic reagent. Accuracy was accessed by applying the paired r-test between results obtained using the proposed procedure and a reference method, and no significant difference at the 95% confidence level was observed. Other profitable features, such as a low reagent consumption of 7.3 mu g DPD per determination: a linear response ranging from 0.1 up to 3.0 m IO(3)(-), a relative standard deviation of 0.9% (n = 11) for samples containing 0.5 m IO(3)(-), a detection limit of 17 mu g L(-1) IO(3)(-), a sampling throughput of 117 determination per hour, and a waste generation 600 mu L per determination, were also achieved. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suitability of relative humidity as an estimator of leaf wetness duration

Leaf wetness duration (LWD) is a key parameter in agricultural meteorology since it is related to epidemiology of many important crops, controlling pathogen infection and development rates. Because LWD is not widely measured, several methods have been developed to estimate it from weather data. Among the models used to estimate LWD, those that use physical principles of dew formation and dew and/or rain evaporation have shown good portability and sufficiently accurate results, but their complexity is a disadvantage for operational use. Alternatively, empirical models have been used despite their limitations. The simplest empirical models use only relative humidity data. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of three RH-based empirical models to estimate LWD in four regions around the world that have different climate conditions. Hourly LWD, air temperature, and relative humidity data were obtained from Ames, IA (USA), Elora, Ontario (Canada), Florence, Toscany (Italy), and Piracicaba, Sao Paulo State (Brazil). These data were used to evaluate the performance of the following empirical LWD estimation models: constant RH threshold (RH >= 90%); dew point depression (DPD); and extended RH threshold (EXT_RH). Different performance of the models was observed in the four locations. In Ames, Elora and Piracicaba, the RH >= 90% and DPD models underestimated LWD, whereas in Florence these methods overestimated LWD, especially for shorter wet periods. When the EXT_RH model was used, LWD was overestimated for all locations, with a significant increase in the errors. In general, the RH >= 90% model performed best, presenting the highest general fraction of correct estimates (F(C)), between 0.87 and 0.92, and the lowest false alarm ratio (F(AR)), between 0.02 and 0.31. The use of specific thresholds for each location improved accuracy of the RH model substantially, even when independent data were used; MAE ranged from 1.23 to 1.89 h, which is very similar to errors obtained with published physical models for LWD estimation. Based on these results, we concluded that, if calibrated locally, LWD can be estimated with acceptable accuracy by RH above a specific threshold, and that the EXT_RH method was unsuitable for estimating LWD at the locations used in this study. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of oestrogen and alendronate therapies on postmenopausal bone loss around osseointegrated titanium implants

Objectives This study evaluated the influence of oestrogen deficiency and its therapies on bone tissue around osseointegrated implants. Methods Implants were placed in 66 female rats tibiae. The animals were assigned into five groups: control (CTL), sham, ovariectomy (OVX), oestrogen (EST), and alendronate (ALE). While CTL was sacrificed 60 days after implant placement, other groups were subjected to ovariectomy or sham surgery according to group and euthanized after 90 days. Blood and urine samples were collected at sacrifice day for osteocalcin (OCN) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD) quantification. Densitometry of femur and lumbar vertebrae was performed in order to evaluate rats` skeletal impairment. Non-decalcified sections were referred to fluorescent and light microscopy for analyses of mineral apposition rate (MAR), eroded and osteoclastic surfaces, bone-to-implant contact (BIC), and bone area fraction occupancy (BAFO). Results Results from the OVX group showed significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD), BIC, BAFO, and MAR, while OCN, deoxipiridinoline, eroded surface and ostecoclastic surface were increased compared with the other groups of the study. ALE reduced OCN and DPD concentrations, MAR, osteoclastic and eroded surfaces, and no difference was in BIC and BAFO relative to SHAM. EST and CTL showed similar results to SHAM for measurements. Conclusions Oestrogen deficiency exerted a negative influence on bone tissue around implants, while oestrogen replacement therapy and alendronate were effective against its effects. Although alendronate therapy maintained the quantity of bone around implants, studies evaluating bone turnover kinetics are warranted. To cite this article:Giro G, Coelho PG, Pereira RMR, Jorgetti V, Marcantonio E Jr, Orrico SRP. The effect of oestrogen and alendronate therapies on postmenopausal bone loss around osseointegrated titanium implants.Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 22, 2011; 259-264.doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2010.01989.x.

Effects of magnesium intake deficiency on bone metabolism and bone tissue around osseointegrated implants

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of magnesium dietary deficiency on bone metabolism and bone tissue around implants with established osseointegration. Materials and methods: For this, 30 rats received an implant in the right tibial metaphysis. After 60 days for healing of the implants, the animals were divided into groups according to the diet received Control group (CTL) received a standard diet with adequate magnesium content, while test group (Mg) received the same diet except for a 90% reduction of magnesium. The animals were sacrificed after 90 days for evaluation of calcium, magnesium, osteocalcin and parathyroid hormone (PTH) serum levels and the deoxypyridinoline (DPD) level in the urine. The effect of magnesium deficiency on skeletal bone tissue was evaluated by densitometry of the lumbar vertebrae, while the effect of bone tissue around titanium implants was evaluated by radiographic measurement of cortical bone thickness and bone density. The effect on biomechanical characteristics was verified by implant removal torque testing. Results: Magnesium dietary deficiency resulted in a decrease of the magnesium serum level and an increase of PTH and DPD levels (P <= 0.05). The Mg group also presented a loss of systemic bone mass decreased cortical bone thickness and lower values of removal torque of the implants (P <= 0.01). Conclusions: The present study concluded that magnesium-deficient diet had a negative influence on bone metabolism as well as on the bone tissue around the implants.

Abnormalities of the PTH-vitamin D axis and bone turnover markers in children, adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis: comparison with healthy controls

Abnormalities of calcium and vitamin D metabolism in cystic fibrosis (CF) are well documented. We tested the hypothesis that alterations in calcium metabolism are related to vitamin D deficiency, and that bone resorption is increased relative to accretion in patients with CF. Calcitropic hormones, electrolytes, osteocalcin (OC) and bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), (markers of bone mineralisation), urinary deoxypyridinoline [total (t) Dpd, a marker of bone resorption] and lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS BMD), expressed as a z-score, were measured in 149 (81 M) CF and 141 (61 M) control children aged 5.3-10.99 years, adolescents aged 11-17.99 years and adults aged 18-55.9 years. Data were analysed by multiple regression to adjust for age. In patients, FEV1% predicted and CRP (as disease severity markers), genotype and pancreatic status (PS) were recorded. The distribution of PTH differed between groups (P

Estudo da transferência das cloraminas da água para o ar duma piscina coberta

Mestrado em Engenharia Química

Department Public Denfense Performance Report, FY 2004

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Department Public Denfense Performance Report, FY 2005

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Combining bone resorption markers and heel quantitative ultrasound to discriminate between fracture cases and control

Rapport de synthèse : L'ostéoporose est reconnue comme un problème majeur de santé publique. Comme il existe actuellement des traitements préventifs efficaces pour minimiser le risque de fracture, il est essentiel de développer des nouvelles stratégies de détection des femmes à risque de fracture. Les marqueurs spécifiques du remodelage osseux dosés dans les urines ainsi que les ultrasons quantitatifs du talon ont été étudiés comme outils cliniques pour prédire le risque fracturaire chez les femmes âgées. Il n'existe cependant que très peu de donnée sur la combinaison de ces deux outils pour améliorer la prédiction du risque de fracture. Cette étude cas-contrôle, réalisée chez 368 femmes âgées de 76 ans en moyenne d'une cohorte suisse de femmes ambulatoires, évalue la capacité discriminative entre 195 femmes avec fracture non-vertébrale à bas traumatisme et 173 femmes sans fractures - de deux marqueurs urinaires de la résorption osseuse, les pyridinolines et les deoxypyridinolines, ainsi que deux ultrasons quantitatifs du talon, le Achilles+ (GE-Lunar, Madison, USA) et le Sahara (Hologic, Waltham, USA). Les 195 patientes avec une fracture ont été choisies identiques aux 173 contrôles concernant Page, l'indice de masse corporel, le centre médical et la durée de suivi jusqu'à la fracture. Cette étude montre que les marqueurs urinaires de la résorption osseuse ont une capacité environ identique aux ultrasons quantitatifs du talon pour discriminer entre les patientes avec fracture non-vertébrale à bas traumatisme et les contrôles. La combinaison des deux tests n'est cependant pas plus performante qu'un seul test. Les résultats de cette étude peuvent aider à concevoir les futures stratégies de détection du risque fracturaire chez les femmes âgées, qui intègrent notamment des facteurs de risque cliniques, radiologiques et biochimiques. Abstract : Summary : This nested case-control analysis of a Swiss ambulatory cohort of elderly women assessed the discriminatory power of urinary markers of bone resorption and heel quantitative ultrasound for non-vertebral fractures. The tests all discriminated between cases and controls, but combining the two strategies yielded no additional relevant information. Introduction : Data are limited regarding the combination of bone resorption markers and heel quantitative bone ultrasound (QUS) in the detection of women at risk for fracture. Methods In a nested case-control analysis, we studied 368 women (mean age 76.213.2 years), 195 with low-trauma non-vertebral fractures and 173 without, matched for age, BMI, medical center, and follow-up duration, from a prospective study designed to predict fractures. Urinary total pyridinolines (PYD) and deoxypyridinolines (DPD) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. All women underwent bone evaluations using Achilles+ and Sahara heel QUS. Results : Areas under the receiver operating-characteristic curve (AUC) for discriminative models of the fracture group, with 95% confidence intervals, were 0.62 (0.560.68) and 0.59 (0.53-0.65) for PYD and DPD, and 0.64 (0.58-0.69) and 0.65 (0.59-0.71) for Achilles+ and Sahara QUS, respectively. The combination of resorption markers and QUS added no significant discriminatory information to either measurement alone with an AUC of 0.66 (0.600.71) for Achilles+ with PYD and 0.68 (0.62-0.73) for Sahara with PYD. Conclusions : Urinary bone resorption markers and QUS are equally discriminatory between non-vertebral fracture patients and controls. However, the combination of bone resorption markers and QUS is not better than either test used alone.

Department Public Defense Performance Report, FY 2007

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Iowa Department of Public Defense Performance Plan, FY 2009

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Iowa Department of Public Defense Strategic Plan, 2002-2022, 2008

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa Department of Public Defense, goals and mission.