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Preliminary Screening (preliminary + screening)
Selected AbstractsDoes PTSD occur in sentenced prison populations?CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2007A systematic literature review Background,A systematic review of the literature on mental disorder in prisoners, published in 2002, made no mention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but indicators from other studies suggest that a history of serious and chronic trauma is common among offenders. Aims,To conduct a systematic review of the literature with the specific questions: does any epidemiological study of sentenced prisoners include data on prevalence of PTSD while in prison? If so, what is the prevalence in this group? Method,Literature databases EMBASE, Medline, PsychInfo, PILOTS and SIGLE were searched. The Journal of Traumatic Stress was searched manually. Preliminary screening was conducted by reading abstracts of hundreds of papers. Ten exclusion criteria were then applied to the screened selection. Reference sections of all accessed papers were searched for any further studies. Results,One hundred and three potentially relevant papers were identified after preliminary screening. Four met all criteria for inclusion and suffered none of the exclusion criteria. PTSD rates ranged from 4% of the sample to 21%. Women were disproportionately affected. Conclusions and implications for practice,All four papers suggested that the prevalence of PTSD among sentenced prisoners is higher than that in the general population, as reported elsewhere. Overall the findings suggest a likely need for PTSD treatment services for sentenced prisoners. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Screening of Piperazine-1-carbodithioate Derivatives of 2-Substituted Quinazolin-4(3H)-onesARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 3 2009Sheng-Li Cao Abstract A new series of piperazine-1-carbodithioate derivatives of 2-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones were synthesized via a five-steps procedure starting from 2-amino-5-methylbenzoic acid. The cytotoxicity of the resulting compounds against A-549 (human lung cancer), HCT-8 (human colon cancer), HepG2 (human liver cancer), and K562 (human myelogenous leukaemia) cell lines was determined by the MTT assay. Preliminary screening results of these compounds are reported. [source] Does PTSD occur in sentenced prison populations?CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2007A systematic literature review Background,A systematic review of the literature on mental disorder in prisoners, published in 2002, made no mention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but indicators from other studies suggest that a history of serious and chronic trauma is common among offenders. Aims,To conduct a systematic review of the literature with the specific questions: does any epidemiological study of sentenced prisoners include data on prevalence of PTSD while in prison? If so, what is the prevalence in this group? Method,Literature databases EMBASE, Medline, PsychInfo, PILOTS and SIGLE were searched. The Journal of Traumatic Stress was searched manually. Preliminary screening was conducted by reading abstracts of hundreds of papers. Ten exclusion criteria were then applied to the screened selection. Reference sections of all accessed papers were searched for any further studies. Results,One hundred and three potentially relevant papers were identified after preliminary screening. Four met all criteria for inclusion and suffered none of the exclusion criteria. PTSD rates ranged from 4% of the sample to 21%. Women were disproportionately affected. Conclusions and implications for practice,All four papers suggested that the prevalence of PTSD among sentenced prisoners is higher than that in the general population, as reported elsewhere. Overall the findings suggest a likely need for PTSD treatment services for sentenced prisoners. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Combined S99/RB51 antigen for complement fixation test for serological diagnosis of brucellosis in cattle and sheepJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2002R. Adone Aims: To assess the efficiency of a single antigen for the complement fixation (CF) test, prepared by combining Brucella abortus smooth strain 99 (S99) with Brucella abortus rough strain RB51(RB51), in detecting cattle and sheep infected or vaccinated with Brucella spp. Methods and Results: Serum samples from B. abortus -infected and RB51-vaccinated cattle were tested by the CF test using S99, RB51 and the combined S99/RB51 as antigens. Likewise, serum samples from Brucella melitensis -infected, RB51-vaccinated and Brucella ovis- infected sheep were tested by the CF test using S99, RB51, hot saline (HS) and combined S99/RB51 as antigens. Comparative analysis of the CF results showed that no reduction of sensitivity or specificity occurs when S99/RB51 antigen is used instead of specific antigens used separately. Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that combined S99/RB51 antigen used in the CF test, because of its specificity and sensitivity, could be used in animal brucellosis surveillance systems to improve the efficiency of the preliminary screening of herds. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study proposes an improved antigen for the CF test for the epidemiological survey of animal brucellosis. It could represent advantages over standard protocols because of its ability to detect antibody responses following infection or vaccination withBrucella strains of rough and smooth phenotype. [source] Characterization of Cell Wall Enzyme Activities, Pectin Composition, and Technological Criteria of Strawberry Cultivars (Fragaria×ananassa Duch)JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 4 2004G. Lefever ABSTRACT: The effects of physical characteristics and cell wall enzymatic activities of several strawberry culti-vars were investigated for possible industrial use. The enzymes study showed that the softest varieties had the highest pectin methylesterase (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG) activities. Differences in alcohol-insoluble pectin, water-soluble pectin, and parietal residue compositions were observed between Darsanga ("firm fruit") and Senga sengana ("soft fruit"). Finally, the study of pectin composition of Darsanga and Senga sengana indicated that the softest fruit had the highest water-soluble pectin content. The measurement of fruit PME activity permitted a preliminary screening of fruit maturity characteristics. [source] Novel 3-benzoyl-2-piperazinylquinoxaline derivatives as potential antitumor agentsJOURNAL OF HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2006Sandra Piras A series of new benzoylquinoxaline derivatives (7-26) was synthesized and evaluated for antitumor activity against a panel of 60 human cell lines at the NCI of Bethesda. Among the compounds which have passed the preliminary screening, compound 23 exhibited the best profile and growth inhibition activity at 100 - 10 ,M. The compounds were then tested towards a folate-dependent enzymes bio-library including Thymidylate synthases enzymes and human Dihydrofolate reductase at 10 ,M. The most of compounds exhibited a moderate inhibitory activity towards all or some of the enzymes tested with detectable inhibition constants (Ki) values in the range of 0.6-70 ,M. Compounds 21, 23, 24 showed Ki in the range of 10-38 ,M against both hDHFR and hTS. [source] Development of insect-resistant transgenic rice with Cry1C*-free endospermPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 9 2009Rongjian Ye Abstract BACKGROUND: Yellow stem borer (Tryporyza incertulas Walker), striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis Walker) and leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guenec) are three lepidopteran pests that cause severe damage to rice in many areas of the world. In this study, novel insect-resistant transgenic rice was developed in which Bt protein expression was nearly absent in the endosperm. The resistant gene, cry1C*, driven by the rice rbcS promoter (small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), was introduced into Zhonghua 11 (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) by Agrobacterium -mediated transformation. RESULTS: A total of 83 independent transformants were obtained, 19 of which were characterised as single-copy foreign gene insertion. After preliminary screening of the T1 families of these 19 transformants in the field, six highly insect-resistant homozygous lines were selected. These six homozygous transgenic lines were field tested for resistance to leaf folders and stem borers, and for their agronomic performance. The Cry1C* protein levels in leaves and endosperm were measured by ELISA. Subsequently, the elite transgenic line RJ5 was selected; this line not only possessed high resistance to leaf folders and stem borers, normal agronomic performance, but also Cry1C* expression was only 2.6 ng g,1 in the endosperm. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that RJ5 has the potential for widespread utility in rice production. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Analgesic and antiinflammatory activity of Cyclamen repandum S. et S.PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2007E. Speroni Abstract According to folk medicine some species belonging to the genus Cyclamen were used for their biological activities. Early investigation of the different species of the genus resulted in the isolation of triterpenic saponins. No phytochemical and biological data are available on C. repandum. As part of a series of phytochemical investigations for bioactive compounds from medicinal plants, Cyclamen repandum S. et S. was investigated. The present study sought to find the antiinflammatory and antinociceptive activities of C. repandum tubers in rats and mice. A preliminary screening was conducted with three different extracts in the tests used, particularly the paw edema and the writhing tests. Subsequently some saponins isolated from the ME extract, the more effective one, have been identified. This paper also describes the results of fractionation and bioassay guided chemical studies. Chemical investigation of the active extract afforded the isolation and characterization of six triterpenic saponins. The possible antiinflammatory and analgesic properties were investigated as the saponin content of the fractions allows to speculate on such aspect. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the determination of sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil and their metabolites in human urineRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 11 2010Sabina Strano-Rossi Sildenafil (SDF), vardenafil (VDF) and tadalafil (TDF) are phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme inhibitors (PDE5Is), used in the treatment of erectile disorders and to improve breathing efficiency in pulmonary hypertension. The increasing incidence of their use among young athletes has drawn the attention of the anti-doping authorities to the possible abuse of PDE5Is by athletes due to their pharmacological activities. This paper describes a method for the determination in urine of PDE5Is and their metabolites by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after liquid/liquid extraction of the analytes from urine and derivatisation to obtain trimethylsilyl derivatives. The metabolic profile was studied on real samples collected from subjects taking PDE5Is (Viagra®, Levitra® or Cialis®); the main urinary metabolites were identified and their MS fragmentation characterized. The sample pre-treatment and GC/MS conditions for the detection of the metabolites have been optimised. A method for their preliminary screening and subsequent confirmation is described that takes into account the general requirements of a routine doping analysis to be used for the screening of large numbers of samples. The main metabolites identified can be included in a general purpose screening method and all the metabolites in a more specific confirmation method. The method developed has been applied for the screening of PDE5Is in 5000 urine samples. Based on the obtained results, the proposed method appears to be of practical use in analytical and forensic toxicology, including doping analysis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rapid and sensitive determination of strychnine and brucine in human urine by capillary electrophoresis with field-amplified sample stackingBIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2010Junmei Li Abstract A simple, rapid, sensitive and low-cost method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with field-amplified sample stacking (FASS) has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of strychnine and brucine residues in human urine. Before sample loading, a water plug (3.5 kPa, 3,s) was injected to contain sample cations and to permit FASS. Electrokinetic injection at a voltage (20 kV, 25,s) was then used to introduce cations. Separation was performed using 20,mM acetate buffer (pH 3.8) with an applied voltage of 20 kV. The calibration curves were linear over a range of 8.00,2.56 , 102,ng/mL (r = 0.9995) for strychnine and 10.0,3.20 × 102,ng/mL (r = 0.9999) for brucine. Extraction recoveries in urine were greater than 79.6 and 82.8% for strychnine and brucine, respectively, with an RSD of less than 4.9%. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio 3) for strychnine and brucine were 2.00 and 2.50,ng/mL, respectively. A urine sample from one healthy female volunteer (26 years old, 50,kg) was pretreated and analyzed. Strychnine and brucine levels in urine could be detected 24,h after administration. On these grounds, this method was feasible for application to preliminary screening of trace levels of abused drugs for both doping control and forensic analysis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evaluation of a screening interview for restless legs syndromeACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009C. C. Bourguet Objectives,,, We evaluated a fully structured interview for restless legs syndrome (RLS) for potential use in primary care settings and in epidemiological research. Methods,,, Seventy-four veterans were recruited at Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics. The interview was administered telephonically by trained non-clinicians (time 1) and readministered face to face (time 2). A physician conducted gold standard examinations. We calculated sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. Results,,, Reproducibility was low (, = 0.34, P < 0.01), but was higher for interviews repeated within 1 year (, = 0.55, P < 0.01). Including those reporting ,3 symptoms as cases, sensitivity ranged from 63% (time 1) to 75% (time 2). Specificity ranged from 88% to 71%. Conclusions,,, The sensitivity and specificity reported here are lower than previously reported in specialty care. This interview for RLS might be useful for preliminary screening of patients with related complaints if followed by additional diagnostic maneuvers or might be used in observational epidemiological research. [source] A HTS Assay for the Detection of Organophosphorus Nerve Agent ScavengersCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 11 2010Ludivine Louise-Leriche Abstract A new pro-fluorescent probe aimed at a HTS assay of scavengers is able to selectively and efficiently cleave the PS bond of organophosphorus nerve agents and by this provides non-toxic phosphonic acid has been designed and synthesised. The previously described pro-fluorescent probes were based on a conventional activated POaryl bond cleavage, whereas our approach uses a self-immolative linker strategy that allows the detection of phosphonothioase activity with respect to a non-activated PSalkyl bond. Further, we have also developed and optimised a high-throughput screening assay for the selection of decontaminants (chemical or biochemical scavengers) that could efficiently hydrolyse highly toxic V -type nerve agents. A preliminary screening, realised on a small ,-nucleophile library, allowed us to identify some preliminary "hits", among which pyridinealdoximes, ,-oxo oximes, hydroxamic acids and, less active but more original, amidoximes were the most promising. Their selective phosphonothioase activity has been further confirmed by using PhX as the substrate, and thus they offer new perspectives for the synthesis of more potent V nerve agent scavengers. [source] Biosynthesis of New Indigoid Inhibitors of Protein Kinases Using Recombinant Cytochrome P450 2A6CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 1 2005Zhongliu-Liu Wu Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a potential drug target for a number of human diseases. Some indigoids have been found to be potent inhibitors of GSK-3, and individual compounds with better activity, specificity, and solubility are desired. In this work, a new disubstituted indigoid generation system was developed with a tryptophanase-deficient Escherichia coli strain as a host to express the human cytochrome P450 2A6 mutant L240C/N297Q, which catalyzes the oxidation of indole to isatin and indoxyl, which in turn react to generate indigoids. Forty-five substituted 1H -indoles from commercial sources were used as substrates in the system, and indigoid mixtures were tested as potential inhibitors of GSK-3. After preliminary screening, cell extracts with high inhibitory activity towards GSK-3,/, were fractionated, and the IC50 values of twelve individual indigoids were measured for GSK-3,/, as well as the protein kinases CDK1/cyclinB and CDK5/p25. Several indigoids, including an indigo, showed stronger inhibition than found in previous work. The most potent towards GSK-3,/,, dimethyl indirubin 5,5,-dicarboxylate (IC50 of 51,nM), was modified by chemical reactions. One product, indirubin 5,5,-dicarboxylic acid 5-methyl ester, inhibited GSK-3,/, with an IC50 of 14,nM and selectivity nearly 40-fold over CDK1 and CDK5. Indirubin-5-5,-dicarbonitrile was also modified to the corresponding 3,-oxime, which had low specificity but showed very high inhibition of all three kinases with IC50 values of 5, 13, and 10,nM towards GSK-3,/,, CDK1, and CDK5, respectively. Thus, this system has the potential to generate new indigoids with therapeutic potential. [source] | |||||||||||||