Immediate outcome prognostic value of plasma factors in patients with acute ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolytic treatment.

In the present study, we explored multiple plasma factors to predict the outcomes of patients with AIS after IVT. Fifty AIS patients who received IVT with alteplase were recruited and divided into two groups according to their NIHSS scores. Serum from all subjects was collected to quantitatively analyze the levels of different plasma factors, IL-6, MMP-9, ADAMTS13, TNC, GSN and TRX, using Luminex assays or ELISA measurements. Compared with the levels assessed at the onset of AIS, the levels of MMP-9 (P < 0.001), ADAMTS13 (P < 0.001), and TRX (P < 0.001) significantly decreased after IVT. The level of IL-6 was significantly increased in the NIHSS > 5 group at admission (P < 0.001) compared to the NIHSS ≤ 5 group. AIS patients with a poor prognosis had lower levels of ADAMTS13 at 72 h post-IVT compared with patients with a good prognosis (P = 0.021). IL-6 also was notably higher in the poor outcome group (P = 0.012). After adjusting for confounders, ADAMTS13 at 72 h post-IVT was an independent protective factor for prognosis in AIS patients with an adjusted OR of 0.07 (P = 0.049), whereas IL-6 was an independent predictor of risk for AIS patients with an adjusted OR of 1.152 (P = 0.028). IVT decreased MMP-9, ADAMTS13, and TRX levels in the plasma of AIS patients. Patients with a NIHSS score of less than 5 exhibited lower IL-6 levels, indicating that increased levels of IL-6 correlated with AIS severity after IVT. Therefore, IL-6 and ADAMTS13 might be useful plasma markers to predict the prognosis in AIS patients at 90-days after IVT.

In vivo study of spoilage bacteria on polyphenoloxidase activity and melanosis of modified atmosphere packaged Pacific white shrimp.

This study investigated the effect of the three spoilage bacteria (Carnobacterium maltaromaticum, Shewanella putrefaciens and Aeromonas salmonicida) on the development of melanosis by inoculating the bacteria on modified atmosphere packaged shrimp. The three bacteria, which inoculated at about 5 log cfu/g, proliferated to a maximum level of 7.49, 6.86 and 6.89 log cfu/g, respectively at the end of storage. In regards to the effect of bacteria on melanosis, it was found that C. maltaromaticum did not display a significant effect on PPO activity and melanosis, and A. salmonicida showed an inhibitory effect on PPO activity with an activity value of less than 1.5 Units/ml. However, the PPO activity of shrimp inoculated S. putrefaciens was about one time higher than other samples and greater melanosis was displayed in the first 48 h. As melanosis can cause sensory quality loss, the growth of S. putrefaciens should be limited.

Impact of the O2 concentrations on bacterial communities and quality of modified atmosphere packaged Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

The importance of spoilage-related bacteria in fresh Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) under different modified atmospheres (MAs) at 4 °C and the effect of O2 were demonstrated in the current study. The changes of bacterial communities in MA-packed shrimp during cold storage were studied by a combined method of plate counts with isolation and identification. Three gas mixtures were applied: 80% CO2 /5% O2 /15% N2, 80% CO2 /10% O2 /10% N2 and 80% CO2 /20% O2, and unsealed packages of shrimp were used as the control. In addition, the TVB-N, pH, whiteness index, and sensory scores were also determined to evaluate the quality changes of shrimp. MA packaging effectively inhibited the increase of total psychrotrophic bacteria counts and H2 S-producing bacteria counts by about 1.7 and 2.1 log cycles, respectively. The growth of Gram-negative spoilage bacteria in shrimp, including Shewanella spp., Aeromonas spp., and Pseudomonas spp., was inhibited by MA packaging, but the growth rate of Gram-positive bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Brochothrix spp. were less affected by MA as effectively as Gram-negative bacteria. In comparison with the MA-packaged samples, the counts of H2 S producers in shrimp under a CO2 -enriched atmosphere with 20% O2 were slightly lower than the count in samples under an atmosphere with 5% O2 . However, MA with 20% O2 led to higher concentrations of TVB-N, and lower whiteness values and sensory scores. The shelf life of shrimp under 80% CO2 /10% O2 /10% N2 has been prolonged by > 6 d in comparison with the control according to the sensory scores.

Use of steel slag as a granular material: volume expansion prediction and usability criteria.

The theoretical equation for predicting volume expansion of steel slag is deduced based on both chemical reaction and physical changes of free lime in steel slag during the hydration process. Laboratory volume expansion testing is conducted to compare the results with the theoretical volume expansion. It is proved that they correlated well. It is furthermore experimentally proved that certain volume expansion of steel slag can be absorbed internally by the void volume in bulk steel slag under external surcharge weight making the apparent volume expansion equal zero. The minimum (lowest) absorbable void volume is approximately 7.5%, which is unrelated to the free lime content. A usability criterion is then developed based on the volume expansion of steel slag (%) and the minimum percentage of the volume that can take the volume expansion of steel slag (%). Eventually the criterion (relationship) is established based on the free lime content, the specific gravity and bulk relative gravity of a specific steel slag sample. The criteria can be used as guidance and specification for the use of steel slag and other expansion-prone nonferrous slags, copper, nickel for instance as a granular material in highway construction.