The distribution PFTα of MCYST in water and surface scum and toxin bioaccumulations in the omnivorous fish species Carassius gibelio were surveyed in all lakes. Considerable amounts of MCYST were found in water and scum of all lakes, irrespective of the trophic state, the type of the lake, and the reported dominant cyanobacterial species. Toxin accumulation in six tissues (liver, brain, intestine, kidney, ovary, and muscle) of C. gibelio was also analyzed. Even though the target organ for MCYST is the liver, in our study, MCYST were found also in the rest of C. gibelio tissues in the following order: liver > intestine > kidney > brain > ovaries > muscle. Risk assessments were carried out, taking into account
the WHO guidelines and the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for MCYST. Our findings suggest that the amounts of MCYST found in water of Lakes Kastoria, Koronia, Pamvotis, Doirani, Mikri Prespa, Petron, and Zazari, pose adverse health risks. Also, it is likely to be unsafe to consume C. gibelio in Lakes Koronia, Kastoria, Pamvotis, and Mikri Prespa due to the high concentrations of accumulated MCYST. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 25: 418-427, 2010.”
“Aims: Our study aims to estimate whether measurement of maternal
anti-cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin-M antibody (CMV-IgM) levels are useful as a screening method for achieving early detection of congenital CMV infection. Material and Methods: Levels of maternal CMV-IgM Selleck Vadimezan were measured by enzyme immunoassay in all (n = 2865) pregnant women who visited our hospital in the first trimester during the period from January 2005 to December 2009. Results: Among them, 21 individuals (0.73%) had a CMV-IgM titer of =0.08 MK-2206 cost and were judged to be CMV-IgM-positive.
Informed consent was obtained from all 21 individuals to perform the confirmation test that quantifies the levels of cytomegalovirus DNA (CMV-DNA) in amniotic fluid by real-time polymerase chain reaction. However, only one (0.03%) of the 21 individuals was CMV-DNA-positive (CMV-DNA concentration, 1.0 x 104 copies/ml). Conclusion: In order to detect congenital CMV infection in early pregnancy, it is considered appropriate to use ultrasound for close examination of embryo or fetal symptoms indicative of CMV instead of performing serological screening based on CMV-IgM.”
“OBJECTIVE: To update a previously reported meta-analysis of evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy and performance characteristics of commercial and non-commercial phage-based assays for the detection of rifampicin (RMP) resistant tuberculosis (TB).
DESIGN AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of test accuracy using bivariate random effects regression and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics (HSROC) analysis. Tests included the commercial FASTPlaque (TM) assays, luciferase reporter phage (LRP) assays, and in-house phage amplification tests.