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PubMed2004

Sediment trace metal profiles in lakes of Killarney Park, Canada: from regional to continental influence.

The lakes in Killarney Provincial Park (KPP) located 40-60 km southwest of Sudbury, Ontario are beginning to recover after decades of being severely affected by acidification and atmospheric pollutants. Detailed profiles of acid-recoverable trace elements (As. Cd, Cu, Co. Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were obtained after aqua regia digestion and ICP-OES analysis of sediment cores taken from six Park lakes. Results permitted the identification of two types of profiles. The first type applies to elements such as Fe, Mn, As and Co for which historical deposition and recent recovery are strongly masked by diagenetic remobilization. The second type of profile applies to elements such as Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn on which the history of industrialisation in North America and mining activities in Sudbury can be superimposed. Based on sediment data of trace elements less affected by diagenetic remobilization (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), chemical recovery indices can be estimated from depth profiles. Indices of maximum (C(p)) and surface (C(s)) contamination were calculated by dividing the concentration of a given metal by the pre-industrial level. The ratio of the two indices provided a simple estimation of the chemical recovery of lakes that does not consider the influence of the watershed or the lake pH. Profiles of metals in sediment of KPP complement the water quality monitoring data and tend to indicate that this area is in transition from dominant influence of regional pollution sources to becoming controlled by continental atmospheric deposition.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2005

DNA profiling of trace DNA recovered from bedding.

Trace DNA is often detected on handled items and worn clothing examined in forensic laboratories. In this study, the potential transfer of trace DNA to bedding by normal contact, when an individual sleeps in a bed, is examined. Volunteers slept one night on a new, lower bed sheet in their own bed and one night in a bed foreign to them. Samples from the sheets were collected and analysed by DNA profiling. The results indicate that the DNA profile of an individual can be obtained from bedding after one night of sleeping in a bed. The DNA profile of the owner of the bed could also be detected in the foreign bed experiments. Since mixed DNA profiles can be obtained from trace DNA on bedding, caution should be exercised when drawing conclusions from DNA profiling results obtained from such samples. This transfer may have important repercussions in sexual assault investigations.

Bedding and Linens↗

PubMed2006

Development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamines V: Determination of the variability of the optimised method.

This paper is the fifth in a series of six in relation to the development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamine [L. Aalberg, K. Andersson, C. Bertler, H. Borén, M.D. Cole, J. Dahlén, Y. Finnon, H. Huizer, K. Jalava, E. Kaa, E. Lock, A. Lopes, A. Poortman-van der Meer, E. Sippola, Development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamines I. Synthesis of standards and compilation of analytical data, Forensic Sci. Int. 149 (2005) 219-229; L. Aalberg, K. Andersson, C. Bertler, M.D. Cole, Y. Finnon, H. Huizer, K. Jalava, E. Kaa, E. Lock, A. Lopes, A. Poortman-van der Meer, E. Sippola, J. Dahlén, Development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamines II. Stability of impurities in organic solvents, Forensic Sci. Int. 149 (2005) 231-241]. The third paper [K. Andersson, K. Jalava, E. Lock, L. Aalberg, Y. Finnon, H. Huizer, E. Kaa, A. Lopes, A. Poortman-van der Meer, M.D. Cole, J. Dahlén, E. Sippola, Development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamines III. Development of the gas chromatographic method, Forensic Sci. Int., in press] dealt with the optimisation of the gas chromatographic and detection methods whereas the fourth paper [K. Andersson, K. Jalava, E. Lock, Y. Finnon, S. Stevenson, L. Aalberg, H. Huizer, E. Kaa, A. Lopes, A. Poortman-van der Meer, M.D. Cole, J. Dahlén, E. Sippola, Development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamines IV. Optimisation of sample preparation, Forensic Sci. Int., in press] concerned the optimisation of the extraction method prior to GC analysis. This paper is a study of the optimised method in order to determine its stability. Investigations of within and between day variations were carried out in four laboratories. Moreover, variations between laboratories were also determined. Both flame ionisation detector (FID) and MS detection were used. One laboratory studied nitrogen-phosphorous detector (NPD) detection as well. For this task, 12 batches of amphetamine were prepared. Six of them were synthesised via the Leuckart route, three via the nitrostyrene route and three via the reductive amination route [A.M.A. Verweij, Impurities in illicit drug preparations: amphetamine and methamphetamine, Forensic Sci. Rev. 1 (1989) 2-11]. Taking into account all studied target compounds and the average results from four laboratories, the within day variation was around 6% for FID and 5% for MS, the between days variation was around 10% for FID and 8% for MS. For NPD detection, within day variation was 5% and between days variation 9% (only one laboratory). Finally, the inter-laboratory variation was about 12% for FID (four laboratories) and 10% for MS (three laboratories).

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Magnitude and pattern of 3D kinematic and kinetic gait profiles in persons with stroke: relationship to walking speed.

The purpose of this study was to identify 3D kinematic and kinetic gait profiles in individuals with chronic stroke and to determine whether the magnitude or pattern (shape and direction of curve) of these profiles relate to gait performance (as measured by self-selected gait speed). More than one type of kinematic and kinetic pattern was identified in all three planes in 20 individuals with stroke (age: 61.2+/-8.4 years). Persons in the "fast" speed group did not necessarily exhibit the gait patterns closest to the ones reported for healthy adults. For example, in the frontal plane, a variation from the typical pattern (i.e., a hip abductor pattern in swing) was more common among the "fast" group. Correlations revealed that in addition to the sagittal profiles, the magnitudes of the frontal and transverse profiles are also related to speed, particularly the frontal hip powers. The results support the importance of hip abductors, in addition to the sagittal plane muscle groups, for both the paretic and non-paretic limbs. Furthermore, profiles which resemble gait patterns of neurologically healthy adults do not necessarily result in the faster gait speeds for individuals with chronic stroke.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Evolution of liquid holdup profile in a standing protein stabilized foam.

Evolution of liquid holdup profile in a standing foam formed by whipping and stabilized by sodium caseinate in the presence of xanthan gum when subjected to 16 and 29g centrifugal force fields was measured using magnetic resonance imaging for different pH, ionic strength, protein and xanthan gum concentrations. Drainage resulted in the formation of a separate liquid layer at the bottom at longer times. Foam drainage was slowest at pH 7, lower ionic strength, higher protein and gum concentrations. Foam was found to be most stable at pH 5.1 near the isoelectric point of protein, lower ionic strength and higher protein and xanthan gum concentrations. A predicted equilibrium liquid holdup profile based on a previous model (G. Narsimhan, J. Food Eng. 14 (1991) 139) agreed well with experimental values at sufficiently long times. A proposed model for velocity of drainage of a power law fluid in a Plateau border for two different simplified geometries was incorporated in a previously developed model for foam drainage (G. Narsimhan, J. Food Eng. 14 (1991) 139) to predict the evolution of liquid holdup profiles. The model predictions for simplified circular geometry of Plateau border compared well with the experimental data of liquid holdup profiles at small times. At longer times, however, the predicted liquid holdup profile was larger than the observed, this discrepancy being due to coarsening of bubble size and decrease in foam height not accounted for in the model. A Newtonian model for foam drainage under predicted drainage rates did not agree with the experimental data.

Caseins↗

PubMed2005

A finite element based algorithm for determining interfacial tension (gamma) from pendant drop profiles.

This paper introduces a robust algorithm to determine the interfacial tension (gamma) from pendant drop profiles using the Galerkin finite element method (gamma-PD-FEM) to solve the axisymmetric form of the Young-Laplace (YL) equation. In this algorithm, the theoretical profiles are generated by solving the spherical coordinate form of the YL equation. gamma-PD-FEM also solves for the parameter estimates by minimizing the difference between the theoretical and experimental surface functions, f(theta). This technique is compared to the widely used method of converting the YL equation to the three arc length-based (ALB) first-order ODEs developed by Bashforth and Adams (BA) in 1883, or as denoted in this paper, the gamma-PD-BA method. The drop apex is the initial condition for the gamma-PD-BA algorithm and the integration is terminated at a specified location along the drop profile. In contrast to techniques based on the BA approach, computation of the theoretical drop profile in gamma-PD-FEM is obtained from a second-order ordinary differential equation and requires boundary conditions at the drop apex and at the contact line of the drop to the nozzle. By incorporating both boundary conditions into the problem formulation, the algorithm can also determine if the drop shape is at static equilibrium. Results to be presented include an outline of the computer algorithm, and comparison of gamma values obtained from the gamma-PD-FEM and the traditional gamma-PD-BA method using simulated and experimental drop profile data sets.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

A robust algorithm for the simultaneous parameter estimation of interfacial tension and contact angle from sessile drop profiles.

The pendant and sessile drop profile analysis using the finite element method (PSDA-FEM) is an algorithm which allows simultaneous determination of the interfacial tension (gamma) and contact angle (theta(c)) from sessile drop profiles. The PSDA-FEM algorithm solves the nonlinear second-order spherical coordinate form of the Young-Laplace equation. Thus, the boundary conditions at the drop apex and contact position of the drop with the substrate are required to solve for the drop profile coordinates. The boundary condition at the position where the drop contacts the substrate may be specified as a fixed contact line or fixed contact angle. This paper will focus on the fixed contact angle boundary condition for sessile drops on a substrate and how this boundary condition is used in the PSDA-FEM curve-fitting algorithm. The PSDA-FEM algorithm has been tested using simulated drop shapes with and without the addition of random error to the drop profile coordinates. The random error is varied to simulate the effect of camera resolution on the estimates of gamma and theta(c) values obtained from the curve-fitting algorithm. The error in the experimental values for gamma from sessile drops of water on acrylic and Mazola corn oil on acrylic falls within the predicted range of errors obtained for gamma values from simulated sessile drop profiles with randomized errors that are comparable in magnitude to the resolution of the experimental setup.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

Experimental and clinical investigation of efficiency and ablation profiles of new solid-state deep-ultraviolet laser for vision correction.

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficiency and ablation profiles of a newly developed, all-solid-state laser platform. SETTING: Experimental investigations performed at Katana Technologies GmbH, Kleinmachnow, Germany, and clinical study, at the Ophthalmology Clinic, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. METHODS: Experimental studies were performed on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and in porcine eyes using an all-solid-state, Q-switched, frequency-shifted laser (LaserSoft, Katana Technologies GmbH) with a Gaussian spot with a diameter of 0.2 mm in the target plane, a peak fluence of 350 mJ/cm2, and a repetition rate of 1 kHz. The ablation profiles were determined using a profile meter (MicroProf, Fries Research and Technology GmbH), corneal topography was analyzed with a TMS 2N (Tomey Inc.), and corneal thickness was measured with an ultrasound pachymeter (DGH Technology). In the clinical study, 9 human eyes were treated with photorefractive keratectomy. The mean outcome measures were uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), corneal topography, and corneal transparency. The follow-up was 1 month for all eyes and 3 months for 4 eyes. Safety, efficacy, and predictability were evaluated. RESULTS: Smooth profiles were found in the PMMA and the porcine eyes. The topographic maps showed central steepening after the hyperopic ablation and slight central flattening of the surface after the myopic treatment. No eye lost lines of BSCVA; the UCVA improved in all eyes. All eyes were within +/-1.00 diopter (D) of emmetropia, and 89% were within +/-0.50 D. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of the ablation was good, with the profile meter results confirmed by the topographic measurements.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Corneal-thickness spatial profile and corneal-volume distribution: tomographic indices to detect keratoconus.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the corneal-thickness spatial profile and corneal-volume distribution differentiate keratoconic corneas from normal corneas using new tomography parameters. SETTING: Subspecialty cornea and refractive practice, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: Forty-six eyes diagnosed with mild to moderate keratoconus and 364 normal eyes were studied by the Pentacam Comprehensive Eye Scanner. Corneal thickness at the thinnest point and the averages of the points on 22 imaginary circles centered on the thinnest point with increased diameters at 0.4 mm steps were calculated to create a corneal-thickness spatial profile. Corneal volume was calculated within diameters from 1.0 to 7.0 mm with 0.5 mm steps centered on the thinnest point to create the corneal-volume distribution. The percentage increase in thickness and the percentage increase in volume were calculated for each position of the corneal-thickness spatial profile and corneal-volume distribution from their first value. Statistical analysis was done using the Wilcoxon 2-independent-sample test to compare mean levels using S-Plus-4.0 software (MathSoft) and a normal linear model under a Bayesian frame for estimating the mean variation in thickness and volume using the BUGS 0.6 package. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed between the groups (P<.05) in all positions of corneal-thickness spatial profile and corneal-volume distribution and in the percentage increase in thickness and percentage increase in volume between 3.5 mm and 7.0 mm diameters. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal-thickness spatial profile, corneal-volume distribution, percentage increase in thickness, and percentage increase in volume were different between keratoconic corneas and normal corneas and could serve as indices to diagnose keratoconus and screen refractive candidates. Further studies are necessary to evaluate whether these tomographic indices are more sensitive and specific than the classic Placido-based topography.

Cornea↗

PubMed2026

Saliva and salivary pellicle composition and proteomic profile in smokers vs. non-smokers and its effect on dental erosion.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the salivary composition and proteomic profile of saliva and the salivary pellicle in smokers compared to non-smokers, and to examine potential differences in the erosion-protective capacity of the salivary pellicle. METHODS: Twenty-five smokers and 25 non-smokers were included. Unstimulated and stimulated saliva samples were analysed regarding flow rate, pH, buffer capacity, calcium, phosphate, fluoride, and protein content. Saliva and salivary pellicle samples were analysed by data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) for proteome profiling. In an in situ experiment, intraoral splints were loaded with bovine enamel and dentine specimens for 120 min. Pellicle-covered specimens were extraorally eroded (HCl, pH 2.3, 60 s). Calcium release was determined photometrically and compared to pellicle-free controls. RESULTS: Except for phosphate in stimulated saliva (padj.=0.003), salivary parameters were not significantly different between smokers and non-smokers. Proteome profiling detected 1759±154 proteins (cumulative 1963) in saliva, and 4262±362 proteins (cumulative 4625) in the salivary pellicle. The relative abundances of 282 (unstimulated saliva), 338 (stimulated saliva), and 4 (salivary pellicle) protein groups differed significantly between smokers and non-smokers. Functional enrichment analysis of differentially abundant human proteins revealed biological processes such as coagulation, immune response, and carcinogenic reactive oxygen species processes to be impacted by smoking. The salivary pellicle had a significant erosion-protective effect in enamel compared to the control (41.4 ± 6.3 nmol/mm2), but no differences between smokers (33.2 ± 10.6 nmol/mm2, padj.=0.001) and non-smokers (32.7 ± 8.6 nmol/mm2, padj.=0.001) were found. CONCLUSION: The proteomic profiles of both unstimulated and stimulated saliva and the salivary pellicle differ between smokers and non-smokers. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the different proteomic profiles indicating a significant impact of smoking on the oral cavity, the erosion-protective capacity of the salivary pellicle of smokers and non-smokers does not differ.

Dental Pellicle↗

PubMed2005

Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and aggregation in four Periplaneta species (Insecta: Dictyoptera).

Cuticular hydrocarbon (CH) profiles of four Periplaneta species were compared and their role in aggregation and interspecific recognition was evaluated. CH profiles are species specific and include from 19 to 25 hydrocarbons. P. brunnea, P. fuliginosa and P. australasiae have more CH components in common with one another than with P. americana. P. americana hydrocarbons include components from 24 to 43 carbon atoms but hydrocarbons for the three other species range from 21 to 41 atoms. The major compound in CH profiles in P. americana is 6,9-heptacosadiene that is absent from the three other species. The major compound in CH profiles of P. Brunnea and P. fuliginosa is 13-methyl pentacosane that is not found in the CH profile of P. americana. Major compounds in P. australasiae species are tricosene and 13-methyl pentacosane, respectively, in males and females. Binary choice tests demonstrated that specific CH extracts induced aggregation in the four species. High CH amounts were required to induce aggregation of P. americana and P. brunnea on conditioned sites, whereas low amounts were sufficient to induce aggregation of P. fuliginosa and P. australasiae. These results suggest that CHs are involved in aggregation and interspecific recognition.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Oxidative stress in Alzheimer's and vascular dementias: masking of the antioxidant profiles by a concomitant Type II diabetes mellitus condition.

Oxidative stress is associated with Alzheimer's (DAT) and vascular (VD) dementias, as well as Type II diabetes mellitus (DIAB) and affected by hypoglycemic therapy. The population (n = 122; males = 60; mean age = 72.57 +/- 7.06) consisted of controls (CTR), DAT and VD patients, with (DAT + DIAB, VD + DIAB) and without concomitant DIAB, resulting in six groups where the antioxidant profile was determined: copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total antioxidant capacity (TRAP). The results were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA design and Bonferroni statistic. The ANOVAs yielded significant differences between groups for all components of the profile: SOD, p = 0.00000006; TBARS, p = 0.0000012; TRAP, p = 0.0000003. The significance level for comparisons between groups was set at alpha = 0.05. The comparisons DIAB vs. CTR, DAT+DIAB vs. DAT, and DIAB demented vs. DIAB non-demented resulted significant for all variables. VD + DIAB vs. VD resulted significant for all variables except TRAP. The antioxidant profiles of DIAB and CTR are different. The differences cannot be directly related with what is observed in dementias. The differences in profiles of demented and non-demented are somewhat hidden when demented patients are affected by a concomitant DIAB condition and/or hypoglycemic treatment, thus conditioning the diagnostic value for dementias of the profiles.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Brain profiling and clinical-neuroscience.

The current psychiatric diagnostic system, the diagnostic statistic manual, has recently come under increasing criticism. The major reason for the shortcomings of the current psychiatric diagnosis is the lack of a scientific brain-related etiological knowledge about mental disorders. The advancement toward such knowledge is further hampered by the lack of a theoretical framework or "language" that translates clinical findings of mental disorders to brain disturbances and insufficiencies. Here such a theoretical construct is proposed based on insights from neuroscience and neural-computation models. Correlates between clinical manifestations and presumed neuronal network disturbances are proposed in the form of a practical diagnostic system titled "Brain Profiling". Three dimensions make-up brain profiling, "neural complexity disorders", "neuronal resilience insufficiency", and "context-sensitive processing decline". The first dimension relates to disturbances occurring to fast neuronal activations in the millisecond range, it incorporates connectivity and hierarchical imbalances appertaining typically to psychotic and schizophrenic clinical manifestations. The second dimension relates to disturbances that alter slower changes namely long-term synaptic modulations, and incorporates disturbances to optimization and constraint satisfactions within relevant neuronal circuitry. Finally, the level of internal representations related to personality disorders is presented by a "context-sensitive process decline" as the third dimension. For practical use of brain profiling diagnosis a consensual list of psychiatric clinical manifestations provides a "diagnostic input vector", clinical findings are coded 1 for "detection" and 0 for "non-detection", 0.5 is coded for "questionable". The entries are clustered according to their presumed neuronal dynamic relationships and coefficients determine their relevance to the specific related brain disturbance. Relevant equations calculate and normalize the different values attributed to relevant brain disturbances culminating in a three-digit estimation representing the three diagnostic dimensions. brain profiling has the promise for a future brain-related diagnosis. It offers testable predictions about the etiology of mental disorders because being brain-related it lends readily to brain imaging investigations. Being presented also as a one-point representation in a three-dimensional space, multiple follow-up diagnoses trace a trajectory representing an easy-to-see clinical history of the patient. Additional, more immediate, advantages involve reduced stigma because it relaters the disorder to the brain not the person, in addition the three-digit diagnostic code is clinically informative unlike the DSM codes that have no clinical relevance. To conclude, brain profiling diagnosis of mental disorders could be a bold new step toward a "clinical-neuroscience" substituting "psychiatry".

Brain↗

PubMed2003

Apolipoprotein AI- and AI:AII-containing lipoproteins in white men and women of the HERITAGE Family study: Associations with metabolic risk profile variables.

It is now well established that an increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level, especially in the HDL(2) subfraction, is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, little is known about the associations between the apolipoprotein (apo) composition of HDL and CHD metabolic risk factors. In the present study, we examined the gender differences in plasma concentration of HDL containing apo AI only (LpAI) versus both apoAI and apoAII (LpAI/AII), and also compared their associations with body composition, adipose tissue (AT) distribution, and metabolic risk profile variables. For that purpose, we measured fasting plasma lipoprotein-lipid levels including LpAI and LpAI/AII concentrations in a sample of 215 men and 174 women, all Caucasians, of the HERITAGE Family Study. All subjects underwent anthropometric, body fatness (underwater weighing) and abdominal AT accumulation (computed tomography) measurements. We found that, women had higher LpAI and lower LpAI/AII concentrations compared with men. Whereas in women, LpAI levels were correlated to body fat mass and waist circumference, no association between body composition, fat distribution, and LpAI concentrations was noted in men. Increased LpAI concentrations were associated with higher HDL(2) cholesterol levels in both men and women. Overall, elevated LpAI and LpAI/AII concentrations showed contrasting associations with metabolic risk profile variables as high LpAI, but not LpAI/AII concentrations were associated with a more favorable metabolic risk profile. We also found that high HDL cholesterol appeared to be more closely related to a better metabolic risk profile than high LpAI in both genders. Our results suggest that LpAI and HDL cholesterol levels are good correlates of the metabolic profile, but that HDL cholesterol concentrations could still represent a better index in CHD risk assessment.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2005

Strain-specific expression profiles of virulence genes in Helicobacter pylori during infection of gastric epithelial cells and granulocytes.

Helicobacter pylori expresses a variety of known virulence-associated factors, whose expression is likely to be dependent on the ecological niche of this pathogen. Here, we compared the temporal changes in the level of virulence-associated gene transcription in H. pylori strains isolated from patients with different pathology. Our aim was to study the coordinated gene expression profiles of these virulence factors during infection of AGS gastric epithelial cells and granulocytes. Using real-time quantitative (TaqMan) RT-PCR, we determined the mRNA expression of cagA, ureA, napA, katA, vacAs1 and vacAs2 alleles in a time course up to 6 h. The expression profiles of the investigated genes vary according to the strain, and were mainly either upregulated or unchanged upon bacterial contact with AGS cells. In contrast, upon contact with granulocytes, the majority of the genes were repressed in H. pylori. The following major results were obtained: (i) genetically diverse H. pylori exhibit different mRNA expression profiles, (ii) the expression patterns were strain-specific and time-dependent and (iii) the regulation of expression profiles was host cell dependent. These data were statistically significant and suggest that contact with target cells leads to an active cross-talk between the pathogen and its host. The use of Taqman-PCR to analyse the expression of mRNA of a bacterial pathogen in response to a changing host environment enabled us to identify variable and strain-specific transcription profiles in a sensitive and reproducible manner.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Heterogeneity of schizophrenia: a study of individual neuropsychological profiles.

Based on a strategy developed by Seidman et al. (Seidman, L.J., Faraone, S.V., Kremen, W.S., Pepple, J.R., Lyons, M.J., Tsuang, M.T., 1993. Neuropsychological dysfunctions in the non-psychotic first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients, Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research and Psychopathology. Chicago, IL) we examined neuropsychological heterogeneity in schizophrenia using clinical neuropsychological descriptions of individual cases as the starting point. We blindly rated neuropsychological profiles of 74 schizophrenia patients and 91 normal controls based primarily on prototypes from the clinical literature in neuropsychology. Patients were classified as having the following profile types: within normal limits (WNL) (23%, n=17), frontal/abstraction (46%, n=34), widespread/diffuse (14%, n=10), left temporal/verbal memory (8%, n=6) and other (9%, n=7). As expected based on our classification scheme, the groups had different profile shapes (group x function interactions). They were also significantly different from one another in terms of overall severity (main effects); however, severity differences were not inherent in the definition of all groups. Longer duration of illness and greater overall cognitive impairment were observed as one went from the left temporal to the frontal to the widespread groups. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether the different neuropsychological profiles reflect true subgroup differences or within-person change over time. Further research-probably including neuroimaging and genetic studies-will also be needed to determine the validity and the utility of this strategy for identifying neuropsychological profile types.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Lead fluxes, isotopic and concentration profiles in a peat deposit near a lead smelter (Príbram, Czech Republic).

The content and the isotopic composition of lead (Pb) were studied in a peat deposit on the ridge of the Brdy Hills, in the vicinity of the Príbram metallurgical works, in the Czech Republic. Quadrupole ICP MS was employed to determine the elemental composition and (206)Pb/(207)Pb and (208)Pb/(206)Pb isotope ratios. The individual layers were dated using alpha spectrometric measurement of the (210)Pb activity. The historical time period covered by the studied cores reached back to the 18th century. The Pb concentration in the studied profiles varied from 10 to 550 mg kg(-1). The (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratio varied in the range from 1.154 to 1.194 in the individual parts of the profile. The metallurgy of the Pb ores ((206)Pb/(207)Pb approximately 1.16), lithogenic Pb ((206)Pb/(207)Pb approximately 1.2), metallurgical processing of automobile batteries ((206)Pb/(207)Pb approximately 1.17) and the combustion of coal ((206)Pb/(207)Pb approximately 1.17-1.19) yield isotopic signatures that determine the isotope compositions of the individual profiles. Deposition rates between 15 mg m(-2) year(-1) at the beginning of the 19th century and 320 mg m(-2) year(-1) in the 1980s were determined in the dated profiles. The increased deposition rates determined on the dated profiles correspond to the increasing production of Pb ores in the Príbram mining area at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The maximum for metallurgical production corresponds to the highest deposition rates recorded in 1960s and 1970s. The current deposition rate of 5-89 mg m(-2) year(-1) Pb is related to erosion of contaminated soils and waste dumps.

Czech Republic↗

PubMed2005

Plasma free amino acid profile in cancer patients.

Redistribution or translocation of plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) to support visceral or tumor protein synthesis is an essential feature in cancer patients. An abnormal PFAA profile might be presented via the total reflection of cancer-induced protein metabolism in tumors, skeletal muscle and the liver in cancer patients. Clinical data from 13 studies have demonstrated a cancer-related PFAA profile, especially in digestive organ cancers. The PFAA profile can differ between the early and late stages of cancer. The profile is also affected by the type of cancer. Therefore, it is postulated that a detailed analysis of the PFAA profile may serve as one of the biological markers for cancer patients.

Amino Acids↗