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.     

Pan-cancer proteomic map of 949 human cell lines

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Maternal benzo[a]pyrene exposure is correlated with the meiotic arrest and quality deterioration of offspring oocytes in mice

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in particulate matter that has a diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5). Studies have demonstrated that BaP exposure causes oocyte meiotic arrest in mice. However, whether BaP exposure also affects oocyte maturation in offspring remains unclear. To test this, female mice were administered BaP before pregnancy to generate BaP-exposed offspring. Our findings showed that BaP exposure reduced the in vitro maturation and increased the abnormalities of meiotic apparatus in offspring oocytes. In addition, BaP exposure reduced the mitochondrial content and intracellular ATP generation, induced early apoptosis, increased reactive oxidative species accumulation and the genomic DNA 5-methylcytosine (5mc) level in offspring oocytes. Along with the abovementioned defective parameters, maternal BaP exposure further compromised the embryo developmental competence of offspring oocytes. In summary, our study demonstrated that maternal BaP exposure compromised offspring oocyte maturation and quality.     

微滴式数字PCR和实时荧光定量PCR对新型冠状病毒肺炎患者不同时间血便尿中核酸检测结果初步探讨

目的 分析微滴式数字PCR(droplet digital PCR, ddPCR)和实时荧光定量PCR(quantitative real-time PCR,qPCR)的核酸检测结果,比较两种方法检测各类样本的差异性,为改进新型冠状病毒核酸检测方案提供数据支持。 方法 利用ddPCR和qPCR技术对已经确诊的3例新型冠状病毒肺炎患者发病不同时间的全血、尿液、粪便共22份标本进行新型冠状病毒核酸检测。 结果 两种方法对人保守区域基因扩增结果一致:全血标本信号最强,尿液次之,粪便最少;ddPCR在1份全血,1份尿液,5份粪便中检出ORF-1ab和N基因的阳性微滴,qPCR仅在3份粪便中检出上述基因,漏检的3个标本基因拷贝数平均浓度为128 copies/ml;ddPCR在发病<5、5~15、>15 d的各类标本中都有检出,qPCR检出以中晚期为主;重症病例用ddPCR均可测到阳性微滴,qPCR检测的各类标本均为阴性;轻症病例的各类标本中qPCR只有粪便核酸检测阳性,ddPCR检出率高于qPCR。 结论 ddPCR可以有效克服qPCR 灵敏度不足的难题,是对qPCR 的有益补充,尤其是针对病毒载量比较低的血液、尿液和可疑的粪便或肛拭子标本,适用于早期感染的判断及患者治愈后出院诊断。     

环境水样中痕量铜的浊点萃取-火焰原子吸收光谱测定法

目的建立环境水样中痕量铜的浊点萃取(cloud point extraction,CPE)-火焰原子吸收光谱(flame atomic absorption spectrometry,FAAS)测定法。方法样品在p H 9.5的条件下,加入0.4 ml的1 mmol/L 2-(5-溴-2-吡啶偶氮)-5-二乙氨基酚(5-Br-PADAP)溶液,0.1%氯化钙溶液0.1 ml,5%(W/V)Triton X-114溶液0.8 ml,40℃加热15 min后离心,采用火焰原子吸收光谱法进行检测。结果在2~240μg/L的线性范围内,所得回归方程为A=0.002 7c+0.024 6,r=0.995 8。以3倍信噪比计算,方法的检出限为0.62μg/L,富集倍数为36.58倍,平均加标回收率为96.28%~98.08%,RSD为1.67%~3.13%。结论该方法简单、灵敏,具有良好的重现性,适用于环境水样中痕量铜的测定。     

Redox active or thiol reactive? Optimization of rapid screens to identify less evident nuisance compounds

Compounds that exhibit assay interference or undesirable mechanisms of bioactivity are routinely encountered in assays at various stages of drug discovery. We observed that assays for the investigation of thiol-reactive and redox-active compounds have not been collected in a comprehensive review. Here, we review these assays and subject them to experimental optimization to improve their reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of our assay cascade by assaying a library of bioactive compounds, chemical probes, and a set of approved drugs. These high-throughput assays should complement the array of wet-lab and in silico assays during the initial stages of hit discovery campaigns to pursue only hit compounds with tractable mechanisms of action.     

Investigation of non-linear Mate1-mediated efflux of trimethoprim in the mouse kidney as the mechanism underlying drug-drug interactions between trimethoprim and organic cations in the kidney

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the involvement of Mate1 in the tubular secretion of trimethoprim and saturation of Mate1-mediated efflux to address the mechanisms underlying the pharmacokinetic drug interactions with trimethoprim. Trimethoprim is a more potent inhibitor of MATE2-K than MATE1 with K_i values (μM) of 0.030–0.28 and 2.4–5.9, respectively. Trimethoprim is a substrate of human MATE1 and MATE2-K with K_m values of 2.3 ± 0.9 and 0.018 ± 0.004 μM, and mouse Mate1, but not human OCT2, mouse Oct1 and Oct2. Pyrimethamine significantly reduced the renal clearance (CL_R) of trimethoprim (mL/min/kg) from 40.0 ± 5.1 to 20.1 ± 3.7 (p < 0.05). Trimethoprim was given to mice at three infusion rates (150, 500, and 1500 nmol/min/kg). Together with an increase in the plasma concentrations of trimethoprim, the CL_R (mL/min/kg) of trimethoprim decreased to 25.9 ± 3.2, 13.5 ± 5.7, and 8.92 ± 1.50 at the respective rates. Trimethoprim decreased the CL_R of rhodamine 123 in an infusion rate-dependent manner: 11.5 ± 1.3 (control), 5.17 ± 1.55, 1.31 ± 0.50, and 0.532 ± 0.180. These results suggest that Mate1 mediates the tubular secretion of trimethoprim, and at therapeutic doses, MATEs-mediated efflux can be saturated, and thereby, cause drug interactions with other MATE substrates.     

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging improves the nodal yield in neck dissection in oral cavity cancer – A randomized study

IntroductionLymph node yield (LNY) in neck dissection has been identified as a prognostic factor in oral cavity cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of additional use of optical imaging on LNY in therapeutic ND in oral cancer.MethodsConsecutive patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma with clinical neck metastasis planned for primary tumor resection were randomized to conventional neck dissection or near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF)-guided neck dissection, respectively. In the intervention group, patients were injected with ICG-Nanocoll prior to surgery. Intraoperatively, an optical hand-held camera system was used for lymph node identification. Also, NIRF imaging of the neck specimen was performed, and optical signals were pinned with needle markings to guide the pathological examination. The endpoint of the study was LNY per neck side in levels Ib-III.Results31 patients were included with 18 neck sides in the control group and 18 neck sides in the intervention group for evaluation. During NIRF-guided ND, individual lymph nodes could be identified by a bright fluorescent signal and individual tumor-related drainage patterns could be observed in the neck. The LNY in the intervention group was significantly higher compared to the control group (p = 0.032) with a mean of 24 LN (range: 12–33 LN in levels Ib-III compared to 18 LN (range: 10–36 LN) in the control group, respectively.ConclusionsNIRF-guided ND significantly improved the nodal yield compared to the control group. Intraoperative real-time optical imaging enabled direct visualization of tumor-related drainage patterns within the neck lymphatics.     

基于UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS分析刺果番荔枝叶的化学成分

目的利用UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS技术对刺果番荔枝叶的化学成分进行定性分析。方法采用Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T 3色谱柱(2.1 mm×100 mm,1.8μm),流动相为0.1%甲酸水(A)和乙腈(B)梯度洗脱,流速为0.3 mL/min,进样量2μL,在电喷雾正负离子模式下采集数据。经Reaxys数据库检索番荔枝属类化合物信息,通过质谱信息比对各化合物的m/z值、保留时间、质谱特征碎片等,并结合文献数据对鉴定的化合物进行验证。结果根据各化合物的特征裂解规律,从刺果番荔枝叶中共鉴定出45个化合物,包括16个生物碱类,14个番荔枝内酯类,7个黄酮类和8个其他类化合物,其中以番荔枝内酯类和生物碱类成分居多,与文献报道番荔枝内酯与生物碱类化合物是发挥抗癌的主要活性成分一致。结论利用UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS技术对刺果番荔枝叶中的化学成分进行了快速、准确的定性分析,为刺果番荔枝叶的提取分离与药效物质基础的研究提供依据。