The usefulness of measuring n-butyric acid concentration as a new indicator of blood decomposition in forensic autopsy

In forensic medicine, although various alcohols have been reported as indicators of decomposition in collected blood, no studies have examined short-chain fatty acids as indicators. In this study, the blood n-butyric acid concentration was quantified, and the association between n-butyric acid and decomposition was investigated to determine whether the detection of n-butyric acid could be a new indicator of decomposition. Among the forensic autopsies performed from 2016 to 2018 in our laboratory, the cases were divided into decomposed (n = 20) and non-decomposed (n = 20) groups based on macroscopic findings. Blood samples collected at the time of autopsy were derivatized with 3-nitrophenylhydrazine hydrochloride after solid-phase extraction. The n-butyric acid concentration was measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, ethanol and n-propanol were measured using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the concentrations of n-butyric acid between the decomposed and non-decomposed groups (0.343 ± 0.259 [0.030–0.973] and 0.003 ± 0.002 [0.001–0.007] mg/mL, respectively). In the decomposed group, n-butyric acid was detected at high concentrations, even in cases where n-propanol was low. These results suggest that n-butyric acid is more likely to be an indicator of blood decomposition than n-propanol.     

Molecular profiling of ctDNA in pancreatic cancer: Opportunities and challenges for clinical application

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality within the next decade, with limited effective treatment options and a dismal long-term prognosis for patients. Genomic profiling has not yet manifested clinical benefits for diagnosis, treatment or prognosis in PDAC, due to the lack of available tissues for sequencing and the confounding effects of low tumour cellularity in many biopsy specimens. Increasing focus is now turning to the use of minimally invasive liquid biopsies to enhance the characterisation of actionable PDAC tumour genomes. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is the most comprehensively studied liquid biopsy analyte in blood and can provide insight into the molecular profile and biological characteristics of individual PDAC tumours, in real-time and in advance of traditional imaging modalities. This can pave the way for identification of new therapeutic targets, novel risk variants and markers of tumour response, to supplement diagnostic screening and provide enhanced scrutiny in treatment stratification. In the roadmap towards the application of precision medicine for clinical management in PDAC, ctDNA analyses may serve a leading role in streamlining candidate biomarkers for clinical integration. In this review, we highlight recent developments in the use of ctDNA-based liquid biopsies for PDAC and provide new insights into the technical, analytical and biological challenges that must be overcome for this potential to be realised.     

Dynamics of lipid adsorption at the electrified water∣1,2-dichloroethane interface

A recently introduced setup to measure the dynamic interfacial tension of expanding drops was used to compare the adsorption behaviour of a series of lipids at the electrified water∣dichloroethane interface. Phospholipids with saturated carbon chains of different length (DMPC, DPPC, DSPC, DAPC, DBPC), an unsaturated phospholipid (DOPC) and an ethanolamine (DSPE) were compared. It was found that the adsorption decreases with increasing chain length. Also, the increase of the flow rate reduces the degree of adsorption effectively. On the timescale of the experiments, the DSPE, DAPC and DBPC adsorption showed no potential dependence, whereas the adsorption of DOPC was stronger than that of the saturated lipids. Adsorption was modelled using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm; the potential dependence of adsorption is discussed.     

保肾口服液影响IgA肾病小鼠T细胞增殖及分泌IL-2的实验研究

观察保肾口服液对IgA肾病小鼠T细胞^3H-TdR掺入及其分泌IL-2水平的影响，结果表明低、中、高3种浓度的保肾口服液均能显著促进IgA肾病小鼠的自发性和ConA刺激的T细胞^3H-TdR掺入，促进T细胞合成，分泌IL-2，提前给药作用相同。提示保肾口服液有显著增强IgA肾病小鼠细胞免疫功能的作用。     

Radium-228 determination of natural waters via concentration on manganese dioxide and separation using Diphonix ion exchange resin

The objective of this work was to establish a new procedure for ²²⁸Ra determination of natural waters via preconcentration of radium on MnO₂ and separation of its daughter, ²²⁸Ac, using Diphonix ion exchange resin. Following removal of potential interferences via passage through an initial Diphonix Resin column, the first daughter of ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁸Ac, is isolated by chromatographic separation via a second Diphonix column. A holding time of >30 h for ²²⁸Ac ingrowth in between the two column separations ensures secular equilibrium. Barium-133 is used as a yield tracer. Actinium-228 is eluted from the second Diphonix Resin with 5 ml 1 M 1-Hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDPA) and quantified by addition of scintillation cocktail and LSC counting. Radium (and ¹³³Ba) from the load and rinse solutions from the 2nd Diphonix column may be prepared for alpha spectrometry (for determination of ²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, and ²²⁶Ra) by BaSO₄ microprecipitation and filtration. Decontamination tests indicate that U, Th, and Ra series nuclides do not interfere with these measurements, although high contents of ⁹⁰Sr (⁹⁰Y) require additional treatment for accurate measurement of ²²⁸Ra. Addition of stable Sr as a “hold back” carrier during the initial MnO₂ preconcentration step was shown to remove most ⁹⁰Sr interference.     

Double layer capacitance and a microscopic structure of electrified liquid–liquid interfaces

We develop a theory of the double layer at electrolyte–electrolyte interfaces taking in to account the microscopic structure of the interfacial region. This includes a “mixed boundary layer” where the overlapping of two space-charge regions occurs, and the effects of ion association and adsorption at the interface. Theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental data obtained for various organic solvents and electrolytes. The theory suggests a framework for the treatment of the capacitance data and establishes a relationship between experimental results and the microscopic structure of interfaces between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES).     

自制与进口氯化十六烷基吡啶抑菌作用的比较研究

以液体稀释法比较了自制与进口十六烷基吡啶作用于4种口腔常见微生物的最低抑菌浓度和最低杀菌浓度的实验结果,经t检验证明两者间无显著差异,提示自制氯化十六烷基吡啶的药效质量可靠。并就控制接种菌量及杀菌机理等问题作了初步探讨。     

A liquid-scintillation-based primary standardization of Pb

A new radioactivity solution standard of ²¹⁰Pb has been developed and will be disseminated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as standard reference material (SRM) 4337. This new ²¹⁰Pb solution standard is contained in a 5 mL flame-sealed borosilicate glass ampoule, consists of (5.133±0.002) g of a nominal 1 mol L⁻¹ nitric acid solution, has a density of (1.028±0.002) g mL⁻¹ at 20 °C, has carrier ion concentrations of about 11 μg Pb²⁺ and 21 μg Bi³⁺ per gram of solution, and is certified to contain a massic activity (9.037±0.22) kBq g⁻¹ as of the reference time 1200 EST, 15 June 2006. All of the uncertainties cited above correspond to standard uncertainties multiplied by a coverage factor k=2. The standardization for the ²¹⁰Pb content of the solution was based on 4πβ liquid scintillation (LS) measurements using CIEMAT/NIST ³H-standard efficiency tracing (CNET). Confirmatory determinations were also performed by high-resolution HPGe γ-ray spectrometry, by 2π spectrometry with a Si surface barrier detector of separated ²¹⁰Po, and by 4πβ(LS)–γ(NaI) anticoincidence counting.     

鱼腥草止咳口服液治疗难治性肺炎的临床观察

目的:观察鱼腥草止咳口服液对难治性肺炎患者的临床疗效,并探讨其作用机理。方法:65例患者随机分成两组,治疗组35例,对照组30例。对照组采用西医常规治疗,治疗组在同对照组治疗基础上加用鱼腥草止咳口服液口服,观察两组患者症状及体征的改善情况,并检测治疗前后外周血IL-2和TNF-α的变化。结果:治疗后总有效率:治疗组为94.3%,对照组为83.3%,组间比较有显著性差异(P<0.05);治疗组在增加外周血IL-2及降低TNF-α水平方面明显优于对照组。结论:鱼腥草止咳口服液治疗难治性肺炎具有显著疗效,尤其在镇咳、平喘、抗炎、退热及促进排痰、肺部啰音和炎症消失、毒副作用等方面具有明显优势。