ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the occurrence and concentrations of melamine and its analogues in tainted infant formula and to identify the etiologic factors for the urinary stones epidemic in infants and young children in China in 2008.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sanlu infant formula samples were collected from families of the affected children in Gansu province, and markets in Gansu and Hebei provinces and Beijing city. Melamine and its analogues, including cyanuric acid, ammeline, and ammelide were measured by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>High prevalence and concentrations of melamine were found in Sanlu infant formula samples, with low concentrations of cyanuric acid, ammeline and ammelide. Melamine were detected in 87 out of 111 Sanlu infant formula samples with a range of 118 to 4,700 mg/kg.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results provide strong evidence for melamine as the etiological factor for the urinary stones epidemic in infants and young children in China in 2008.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Infant , China , Flame Retardants , Food Contamination , Infant Formula , Chemistry , Triazines , ChemistryABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between lumbosacral transitional vertebra and the lumbar disc herniation (LDH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The X-ray photographs of lumbar vertebra were retrospectively studied of patients with and without LDH confirmed by surgery, furthermore, the differential incidence of LDH between the two groups and the relationship between transitional vertebra and the position of disc herniation were statistically analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of lumbosacral transitional vertebra was 18.3% in the control group, 52.7% in the LDH group, the difference was statistically significant. In the group with single lumbosacral transitional vertebra, there was 75.9% of LDH occurred on the same side of the transitional vertebra, 81.8% of which occurred at the upper one disc of the transitional vertebra; whereas 17.2% of LDH on the opposite side of the transitional vertebra, 80.0% of which occurred at the lower one disc of the transitional vertebra.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There is a closer relationship between lumbosacral transitional vertebra and the LDH, and the lumbosacral transitional vertebra is one of the important factors in the emergence of LDH.</p>
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Case-Control Studies , Intervertebral Disc Displacement , Lumbar Vertebrae , Diagnostic Imaging , Radiography , Sacrum , Diagnostic Imaging , SpondylolisthesisABSTRACT
Accurate determination of HIV-1 proviral burden and viral load is very useful in prognosis of HIV-1 infected patients and in assessment of drug for therapy of AIDS patients. In order to establish a quantitative method in detecting HIV-1 proviral burden and viral load, 8E5 cell line and a recombinant RNA constructs were used as the HIV-1 proviral DNA and viral RNA external references, respectively. The PCR products were labeled with the fluorescent DNA dye SYBR green. The amount of burden or load was measured by GeneAmp 5700 Sequence Detection System. Using this method, the HIV-1 proviral burdens in PBMC of patient and in cell suspension treated with the compounds AZT, GL and WT were measured. HIV-1 viral loads in supernatant of the cell culture treated with the above compounds were also determined. The therapeutic indices (TIs) of the compounds calculated based on the inhibition of virus induced syncytial formation, and inhibitionn of proviral burdens and viral loads were compared, and their TIs successively increased. The fluorescent real time quantitative PCR possesses very good specificity, sensitivity and duplication. TI value of a drug based on inhibition of proviral burden in cell culture, and the proviral burden in PBMC of patient may be useful in evaluating a drug on eradicating provirus from resting and memory CD4 T cells.