ABSTRACT
Abstract Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen. The recent alert for L. monocytogenes in vegetables from Argentina warns about the importance of reinforcing its isolation, characterization and subtyping in food, clinical and environmental samples. The aim of the present study was to compare the discriminatory power of enterobacterial repetitive interpower; genic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR), automated ribotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to subtype strains of L. monocytogenes isolated from Argentine meat and environmental samples. Simpson's Diversity Index (DI) was calculated on the basis of based on the dendrograms obtained in the by cluster analysis, showing the following discriminatory power: ApaI-PFGE (0.980), AscI-PFGE (0.966), ribotyping (0.912), ERIC-PCR (0.886). The ID values between ApaI- and AscI-PFGE and between ribotyping and ERIC-PCR were not significantly different. Of the three techniques evaluated, PFGE showed the highest discriminatory power. However, the subtyping techniques should be accompanied by effective food monitoring strategies and reliable clinical and epidemiological studies.
Resumen Listeria monocytogenes es un patógeno alimentario. La reciente alerta por la presencia de L. monocytogenes en vegetales en Argentina advierte sobre la importancia de reforzar el aislamiento, la caracterización y la subtipificación de esta bacteria en muestras clínicas de alimentos y ambientales. El objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar el poder discriminatorio de enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR), la ribotipificación automatizada y la pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) para subtipificar cepas de L. monocytogenes aisladas de carne y de muestras ambientales en Argentina. El índice de diversidad (ID) de Simpson, calculado a partir de los dendrogramas obtenidos en el análisis de agrupamiento, mostró los siguientes resultados: Apal-PFGE (0,980), AscI-PFGE (0,966), riboti-pado (0,912), ERIC-PCR (0,886). Los valores obtenidos no fueron significativamente diferentes al comparar entre Apal- y AscI-PFGE, ni entre ribotipadoy ERIC-PCR. De las técnicas evaluadas, la PFGE presentó el mayor poder discriminatorio. Sin embargo, las técnicas de subtipificación deberían acompañarse de estrategias de control de los alimentos efectivas y de estudios clínicos y epidemiológicos confiables.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Typing Techniques/methods , Listeria monocytogenes/classification , Discriminant Analysis , Ribotyping/methods , Listeria monocytogenes/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the dissolution behavior of cilnidipine tablets, evaluate the consistency of dissolution behavior between three domestic products and the original tablets, and develop a new dissolution method with discriminatory power for prescription process. METHODS: The dissolution media were hydrochloric acid solution (pH 1.2), acetate buffer (pH 4.0), phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) and water, all containing 0.4% SDS. Using original tablets as the reference preparation, the dissolution curve of the test and reference preparations was compared by the similarity factor method. Apparatus 2 was used for the new method of dissolution test, using 900 mL phosphate buffer with 0.5% SDS (pH 6.8) as the dissolutive medium,at the rate of 75 r·min-1. The dissolution solution was taken at 60 min and analyzed by HPLC. The dissolution limit was set at 70%. RESULTS: For the three domestic pharmaceutical products, only one had consistent dissolution curves in the four dissolution media with the original product from Japanese Ajinomoto Co.. The new method of dissolution test could distinguish the products manufactured by advanced technology from those by process of general level. CONCLUSION: The new dissolution method has discriminatory power for prescription process of insoluble cilnidipine tablets when using phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) as the dissolutive medium, and the quality of the product can be effectively controlled.
ABSTRACT
The genetic diversity of 20 cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata, including sub.var. alba and rubra) cultivars and landraces from the Gene bank of Crop Research Institute was estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker technology. Two cultivars of Brassica pekinensis (syn. Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) were used as outliers in the study. Thirty AFLP primer combinations produced a total of 1084 fragments. A total of 806 fragments, 364 (45 percent) of them polymorphic, were found across 20 Brassica oleracea var. capitata accessions. The accessions were clustered into two main groups. Special subgroups, reflecting place of origin, were observed within these groups. Ten selective primer pairs were found to be most informative because each of these uniquely identified all of the accessions used. Furthermore, two accessions of Brassica pekinensis were clearly differentiated from the Brassica oleracea var. capitata accessions. AFLP is an efficient tool for determination of genetic diversity of cabbage gene bank accessions.
Subject(s)
Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis , Brassica/genetics , Genetic Variation , Genetic MarkersABSTRACT
El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar el nivel de dificultad y poder de discriminación del examen diagnóstico de la asignatura Morfofisiología Humana I, del Nuevo Programa de Formación de Médicos en la Facultad-Policlínico Félix Edén Aguada, de Cienfuegos, Cuba. Para ello se calcularon los índices de dificultad y de discriminación, así como el coeficiente de discriminación a la totalidad de los 421 exámenes diagnósticos aplicados de la asignatura de Morfofisiología Humana I. Se entrevistaron profesores como informantes clave y estudiantes destacados. Todas las preguntas dieron la posibilidad de discriminar y predecir. De ellas, dos presentaron un índice de dificultad media, otras dos fueron medianamente fáciles y solo una fue altamente fácil. Se identificó el nivel dificultad y el poder de discriminación de cada pregunta del examen diagnóstico de Morfofisiología Humana I, lo que permitió plantear que el instrumento aplicado, fundamentalmente osciló entre dificultad media y medianamente fácil, con adecuado poder de discriminación. Los profesores y estudiantes reconocen la necesidad de estos exámenes para corregir dificultades en la evaluación, mejorar el trabajo metodológico y reajustar la autopreparación. Se hacen conclusiones.
The objective of this paper is to identify the level of difficulties and the discriminatory power of the diagnostic test of Human Morphophysiological I included in the New Medical Formation Program that is implemented in Felix Edén Aguada teaching polyclinics located in Cienfuegos province, Cuba. To this end, the difficulty and discrimination indexes were estimated together with the discriminatory coefficient of the 421 diagnostic tests of the above-mentioned subject. The professors as key informants and outstanding students were interviewed. All the questions made it possible to discriminate and to predict. Of these, two showed a mean difficulty index, other two were fairly easy and just one was very easy. The level of difficulties and the discriminatory power of each question of the exam were established, which allowed stating that the applied instrument ranged from mean difficulty to moderately easy, with suitable discriminatory power. The professors and the students agreed that these exams were necessary to overcome difficulties in the evaluation process, to improve the methodological work and to re-adjust self-preparation. The conclusions were also submitted.
Subject(s)
Educational Measurement , Educational Measurement/methods , Learning , MorphogenesisABSTRACT
This study was aimed to standardize the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS). In order to slove the unsatisfied discriminating power of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS:Yesavage et al. 1983) presented in Korean studies, the authors made KGDs. The preliminary KGDS was costructed of 40 items selected from GDS, BDI, SDS, MMPI-D, CES-S and had satisfied reliability and validity, but had some problems in item contents, number of times, and sampling. Thus by correcting these problems, the authors made new KGDS of 30 item, and tested the reliability and validity of the final version of KGDS. The values of Cronbach's alpha and Split-half reliability were .88 and .79 respectively, and correlational coefficent with GDS was .87. The differences of means was signified at alpha=.001 level (patients group mean=17.82 (10.52), control group mean=10.52 (5.12), t=12.07). On factor anlaysis, 5 factors in KGDS were extracted. They were labeled Emotional discomfort (factor 1), Negative thinking and Unhappinesss feeling (factor 2), Physical weakening and decreased vitality (factor 3), Cognitive dysfunction (factor 4), Decreased social interest and activity (factor 5), which represent depressive features of the elderly in thought, emotional, cognitive, physical, social aspects. The total percentage of variance of 5 factors was 53.72%. The result of discriminatin anlaysis showed that hit ratio of KGDS was 75%, and the score of 14 was suggested as the optimal cut-off score. Additionally, by use percentile score distribution of control group (normal) subjects, each of the score of 14-18, 19-21, over 22 suggested borderline or mild depression, moderate depression, severe depression, respectively. Conclusively, the final version of KGDS not only improved diagnostic discriminatory power approxtimately 10% than GDS, but also showed satisfiable reliability and validity. So the KGDS could be a useful tool for evaluaion of elderly depression.