Second national external quality assessment scheme in hematology: the Philippine experience.

The Philippine Council for Quality Assurance In Clinical Laboratories has conducted two National External Quality Assessment Schemes (NEQAS) in Hematology. The first survey was conducted in December 1999 and the second in August 2000, with 95 and 187 laboratories, using mostly automated analyzers, participating respectively. Control materials were distributed during a two-week period by human network, and analyzed over a six to eight week period. For the first survey, only 36 laboratories (38.0%) submitted results. Data was divided into 4 peer groups based on the manufacturer. Since most of the samples were hemolysed upon analysis, only WBC and HGB parameters were evaluated. No outliers were detected in each peer group after analysis by the 'Peer Group Mean and SDI' method. Using the clinical laboratory improvement act of 1988 proficiency testing criteria (CLIA'88), only 5 results (13.9%) were unsatisfactory for WBC, and all results were satisfactory for HGB. For the second survey, 87 laboratories (47%) responded. Data was divided into 5 peer groups. There were few incidents of sample deterioration. Although majority of the coefficient of variations were acceptable, about 23 (12.6%) participants showed abnormality in at least one parameter after analysis by the 'Peer Group Mean and SDI'. Using CLIA'88, 5 WBC (6.5%), 6 RBC (7.6%), 8 HGB (9.7%), 15 HCT (19.0%), and 7 PLT (8.0%) results were unsatisfactory. In summary, the first NEQAS study served as a pilot study. Valuable lessons were learned for the improvement of the second NEQAS. The second NEQAS study was marked by a much larger sample size and better results.

Chemical characterization of the lignins of corn and soybean agricultural residues

Corn (CR) and soybean (SR) culture wastes were submitted to extraction with organic solvents for lignin isolation (LGS). The obtained lignin was chemically characterized, and based on studies of functional groups and microanalyses, it was possible to determine the minimum formula. LGS of CR has characteristics that resemble wood and of bamboo lignin, possessing a larger amount of methoxyl groups and vanillin

Lignina isolada da palha de milho utilizada com indicador em ensaios de digestibilidade. Estudo comparativo / Lignin from corn crop residue used with indicator in experiment of apparent digestibility. Comparative study

Este experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de comparar a lignina isolada da palha de milho (LPM-RM) com indicadores utilizados em ensaios de consumo e digestibilidade. Utilizaram-se além da LPM-RM, óxido crômico (Cr2O3), cloreto de itérbio (YbCl3.6H2O), fibra detergente ácido indigestível (FDA - ind), teor de metoxila da lignina (OCH3), lignina Klason (LK) e lignina determinada por espectroscopia no infravermelho (LIG-IV). O coeficiente de digestibilidade diferiu apenas entre a metoxila e os demais indicadores. Todos os indicadores foram semelhantes quanto à recuperaçäo fecal, exceto a metoxila que teve baixa recuperaçäo (44,6 por cento). Os dados de digestibilidade obtidos com LIG-IV, Cr2O3 e YbCl3.6H2O foram semelhantes entre si mas diferentes dos demais indicadores (21 por cento superior no caso do Cr2O3 e 24 por cento inferiores no caso da LIG-IV e do itérbio), quando comparados com a coleta total

Caracaterizaçäo microscópica da lignina dos resíduos agrícolas de milho e de soja submetidos à fermentaçäo ruminal e seus efeitos sobre a digestibilidade da fibra / Microscopic characterization of the lignins from both corn and soybean residues submitted to ruminal degradation, and its effect on fiber digestibility

O trabalho teve por objetico isolar e caracterizar microscopicamente as ligninas de resíduos agrícolas provenientes das culturas de soja (RS) e de milho (RM), bem como verificar o efeito das ligninas sobre a degradaçäo dos tecidos dos resíduos RM e RS. Por meio da microscopia eletrônica de varredura, estudou-se a ultra-estrutura das ligninas e dos tecidos vegetais de RM e RS. Verificou-se que as ligninas da palha moída do RM e da RS säo morfologicamente diferentes (ultra-estruturas diferentes) e que o desaparecimento dos tecidos digestíveis também é diferente, sendo mais prejudicado no RM

Isolamento e caracterizaçäo por espectroscopia no infravermelho da lignina dos resíduos agrícolas de milho e soja / Isolation and infrared spectroscopic characterization of lignin from both corn and soybean agricultural residues

Este trabalho teve por objetivo isolar e caracterizar ligninas de resíduos agrícolas das culturas de soja (Glycine max L.) (RS) e de milho (Zea mays) (RM). Para tanto, isolou-se a lignina da palha moída (LPM), após moagem em moinho de bolas, seguida de extraçäo por solventes orgânicos. As fraçöes assim obtidas foram analisadas por espectroscopia no infravermelho (IV). Nas fraçöes correspondentes às LPM de soja e milho pôde-se verificar absorçäo em 137Ocm elevado a -1 para RS e em 136Ocm elevado -1 para RM. Esses dados säo característicos de grupos siringila que apresentam absorçäo em torno de 137Ocm elevado a -1. Observou-se ainda em cada lignina a banda em 1265cm elevado a -1, indicativa da presença do grupo guaiacila. Finalmente, uma banda observada em 122Ocm elevada a -1 para RS e 1215cm elevado a -1 para RM pode caracterizar grupamento p-hidroxifenila

The radioprotective effect of a new aminothiol (20-PRA)

We examined the radioprotective effect of aminothiol 2-N-propylamine-cyclo-hexanethiol (20-PRA) on a human leukemic cell line (K562) following various radiation doses (5, 7.5 and 20 Gy) using a source of (60)Co gamma-rays. At 5 Gy and 1 nM 20-PRA, a substantial protective effect (58 per cent) was seen 24 h after irradiation, followed by a decrease at 48 h (11 per cent). At the high radiation dose (20 Gy) a low protective effect was also seen (35 per cent). In addition, the antitumorigenic potential of 10 nM 20-PRA was shown by the inhibition of crown gall formation induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The radioprotective potency of 20-PRA is 10(5)-10(6) times higher than that of the aminothiol WR-1065 N-(2-mercaptoethyl) - 1,3-diaminopropane) whose protective effect is in the 0.1 to 1.0 mM range.

Evidence for the presence of a kininogen-like species in a case of total deficiency of low and high molecular weight kininogens

Low and high molecular weight kininogens (LK and HK), containing 409 and 626 amino acids with masses of ~65 and 120120 kDa after glycosylation, respectively, are coded by a single gene mapped to the human chromosome 3 by alternative splicing of the transcribed mRNA. The NH2-termini Glu(1)-Thr(383) region, identical in LK and HK, contains bradykinin (BK) moieties Arg(363)-Arg(371). LK, HK and their kinin products Lys-BK and BK are involved in several biological processes. They are evolutionarily conserved and only 7 patients, all apparently normal, have been reported to lack them. In one of these patients (Williams'trait), a codon mutation (Arg(178) r stop) has been blamed for the absence of LK and HK. However, using Western blots with 2 monoclonal anti-HK antibodies, one that recognizes the region common to LK and HK and the other that recognizes only HK, I detected ~110-kDa bands in the plasma of this LK/HK-deficient patient vs ~120-kDa bands in normal human and ape plasmas. With polyclonal anti-Lys-BK antibody, which strongly detects BK eleaved at its COOH-terminus in purified HK, I detected ~110-kDa bands in the normal and the deficient plasmas. Western blots with a monoclonal anti-prekallikrein (PK) antibody showed that surface activation of PK and distribution of PK activation products, both dependent on HK, were similar in these plasmas. These findings suggest that a mutant gene yielded a kininogen-like species possibly involving aberrant mRNA splicing - structurally different from normal HK, but apparently with the capacity to carry out seemingly vital HK functions.