Validation of a blood gas device for ionized calcium analysis in Holstein cows.

BACKGROUND: Accurate analysis of ionized calcium (iCa) is critical for the detection of hypocalcemia or subclinical hypocalcemia. The Edan i15 Vet (EDAN) blood gas device has not been validated for iCa in dairy cows. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to validate the EDAN blood gas device against the Gem Premier 3000 (GEM) analyzer by measuring iCa concentrations and evaluating the ability of these measurements, compared with serum total calcium (TCa) concentrations, to diagnose subclinical hypocalcemia. METHODS: iCa concentrations were measured with the EDAN and GEM devices, and serum TCa concentrations were measured with a wet biochemistry method with blood from 125 lactating Holstein cows between calving to day 27 postpartum. RESULTS: Bland-Altman plots showed a mean and total bias of 0.05 and 0.24 mmol/L for the EDAN device, respectively. The intercept did not include zero, but the slope included 1.0 in the Passing-Bablok regression. The sensitivity and specificity (Se/Sp) of the EDAN device were 93/94%, 93/90%, 91/93%, and 85/95% for iCa cut-off values of <1.00, 1.05, 1.10, and 1.15 mmol/L, respectively, as determined with the GEM device. The Se/Sp were 57/82% and 72/80% for EDAN and 57/80% and 72/79% for GEM at serum TCa cut-off points <2.15 and <2.00 mmol/L, respectively. The average iCa concentrations analyzed with the GEM and EDAN devices were 1.04 ± 0.18 and 1.09 ± 0.17, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The EDAN device did not have satisfactory agreement with GEM and could not be used interchangeably, but it had satisfactory Se/Sp to diagnose subclinical hypocalcemia compared with the GEM-derived iCa cut-off points. Serum TCa concentration cut-off values were not suitable for diagnosing subclinical hypocalcemia because of unsatisfactory Se/Sp compared with iCa concentrations analyzed by the GEM and EDAN devices. The iCa values analyzed using the EDAN and GEM devices were consistent with previously reported data.

Arsenic and Human Health: Genotoxicity, Epigenomic Effects, and Cancer Signaling.

Arsenic is a well-known element because of its toxicity. Humans as well as plants and animals are negatively affected by its exposure. Some countries suffer from high levels of arsenic in their tap water and soils, which is considered a primary arsenic-linked risk factor for living beings. Humans generally get exposed to arsenic by contaminated drinking waters, resulting in many health problems, ranging from cancer to skin diseases. On the other hand, the FDA-certified drug arsenic trioxide provides solutions for various diseases, including several types of cancers. This issue emphasizes the importance of speciation of the metalloid elements in terms of impacts on health. When species get exposed to arsenic, it affects the cells altering their involvement. It can lead to abnormalities in inflammatory mechanisms and the immune system which contribute to the negative impacts generated on the body. The poisoning originating from arsenic gives rise to various biological signs on the body which can be useful for the diagnosis. It is important to find true biomarkers for the detection of arsenic poisoning. In view of its application in medicine and biology, studies on understanding the biological activity of arsenic have increased. In this review, we aim at summarizing the current state of knowledge of arsenic and the mechanism behind its toxicity including genotoxicity, oxidative insults, epigenomic changes, and alterations in cellular signaling.

Molecular Biology of Cadmium Toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal mainly originating from industrial activities and causes environmental pollution. To better understand its toxicity and pollution remediation, we must understand the effects of Cd on living beings. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) is an eukaryotic unicellular model organism. It has provided much scientific knowledge about cellular and molecular biology in addition to its economic benefits. Effects associated with copper and zinc, sulfur and selenium metabolism, calcium (Ca2+) balance/signaling, and structure of phospholipids as a result of exposure to cadmium have been evaluated. In yeast as a result of cadmium stress, "mitogen-activated protein kinase," "high osmolarity glycerol," and "cell wall integrity" pathways have been reported to activate different signaling pathways. In addition, abnormalities and changes in protein structure, ribosomes, cell cycle disruption, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) following cadmium cytotoxicity have also been detailed. Moreover, the key OLE1 gene that encodes for delta-9 FA desaturase in relation to cadmium toxicity has been discussed in more detail. Keeping all these studies in mind, an attempt has been made to evaluate published cellular and molecular toxicity data related to Cd stress, and specifically published on S. cerevisiae.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever infections reported by ProMED.

OBJECTIVE: There are limited sources describing the global burden of emerging diseases. We reviewed the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) infections reported by ProMED and assessed the reliability of the data retrieved compared to published reports. We evaluated the effectiveness of ProMED as a source of epidemiological data by focusing on CCHFV infections. METHODS: Using the keywords "Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever" and "Crimean Congo" in the ProMED search engine, we reviewed all the information about the news and harvested data using a structured form, including year, country, gender, occupation, the number of infected individuals, and the number of fatal cases. RESULTS: We identified 383 entries reported between January 1998 and October 2013. A total 3426 infected cases were reported, with 451 fatal cases, giving an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 13%. Out of 144 cases for which the gender was reported, 97 (67%) were male. Most of the cases were reported from Turkey, followed by Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. CONCLUSIONS: Case reporting systems such as ProMED are useful to gather information and synthesize knowledge on the emerging infections. Although certain areas need to be improved, ProMED provided good information about Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.