Trace elements in bovine muscle: an ongoing project for a new certified reference material

In the framework of the activities of the Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for residues at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) of Rome, a number of proficiency tests were performed in order to assess and improve, wherever necessary, the quality of regulatory residue analysis within the EU. In this context, a pilot study was undertaken with the purpose of ascertaining the feasibility of a project for the certification of a new reference material for trace elements in bovine muscle. On behalf of the ISS, approximately 70 kg of bovine muscle, collected at a slaughterhouse in Geel (Belgium), were freeze-dried, homogenized, stabilized and bottled under argon atmosphere by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Joint Research Centre, European Commission (IRMM-JRC-EC). Preliminary analyses were carried out with Quadrupole (Q) and High Resolution (HR) Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to evaluate the content of As, Cd, Cu and Pb, whereas the Flow Injection Mercury System (FIMS) was used to quantify Hg. Digestion of the matrix was achieved by acid-assisted microwave irradiation. The mean values of experimentally obtained data were the following (in nanograms per gram): As, 24.2±1.2; Cd, 5.48±0.29; Cu, 4765±95; Hg, 3.37±0.73; and Pb, 184±7. Subsequently, 16 National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) for residues in the Member States plus the Norwegian one and eight Italian public laboratories were accepted to participate in the project and received one bottle of the freeze-dried bovine muscle. The laboratories were requested to perform three different analytical runs (in three different days), each consisting of three individual measurements. Preliminary results showed good agreement and fair evidence for homogeneity of the entire mass, thus setting the stage for the future certification of this candidate CRM.     

大鼠心肌钙的AAS法测定

本文提出了一个精确，简便和快速测定大鼠心肌中微量钙的方法。采用硝酸与高氯酸消化心肌组织，火焰原子吸收法测定钙含量，钙的回收率为９４．７８±５．７７％。     

涉及肌肉作用影响的髓内钉屈曲分析

在骨折的修复过程中，常发生髓内钉断骨内的情况。其主要原因是涉及肌肉影响后，髓内钉不是单钝的受压杆件，而是多种组合变形的屈曲问题。文中利用有限元法对目前较新结构的髓内钉在骨折治疗中涉及肌肉作用影响进行多方面的压、弯曲与扭转组合变形屈曲分析。得出了三叶瓣型髓内钉在涉及肌肉影响时的屈曲临界压力比单纯受压时髓内钉的屈曲临界压力小51％。并得出髓内钉只能额外承受15Nm左右的外来扭力。这些结果可供髓内钉进一步发展及临床应用参考。通过有限元的分析还可以对髓内钉受力状态的薄弱环节有一个全面的认识，为髓内钉合理设计、材料的选择等进行优化设计提供依据。     

Development of a highly sensitive and specific immunoassay for enrofloxacin based on heterologous coating haptens

In the paper, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent immunoassay (ELISA) for detection of enrofloxacin was described using one new derivative of enrofloxacin as coating hapten, resulting in surprisingly high sensitivity and specificity. Incorporation of aminobutyric acid (AA) in the new derivative of enrofloxacin had decreased the IC₅₀ of the ELISA for enrofloxacin from 1.3 μg L⁻¹ to as low as 0.07 μg L⁻¹. The assay showed neglect cross-reactivity for other fluoroquinolones but ofloxacin (8.23%), marbofloxacin (8.97%) and pefloxacin (7.29%). Analysis of enrofloxacin fortified chicken muscle showed average recoveries from 81 to 115%. The high sensitivity and specificity of the assay makes it a suitable screening method for the determination of low levels of enrofloxacin in chicken muscle without clean-up step.     

高效液相色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱联用同时测定鸡肉与鸡肝中的7种砷形态

建立了一种同时测定阿散酸、亚砷酸根、砷酸根、砷胆碱、砷甜菜碱、一甲基砷和二甲基砷等7种砷形态的高效液相色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱分析方法。样品采用人工胃液作为提取液进行超声处理,再以碳酸铵溶液和水作为流动相,采用阴离子分析柱将样品提取液进行分离,最后进入电感耦合等离子体质谱测定。各砷形态在1～50 μg/kg范围内线性关系良好,相关系数r2均在0.999以上;在1、2、10 μg/kg 3个添加水平进行了方法学验证,平均回收率为84.3%～106.6%,相对标准偏差为1.4%～4.2%; 7种砷形态的定量限均为1 μg/kg。方法重现性好、灵敏度高、前处理简单,适用于鸡肉和鸡肝中主要有机砷和无机砷残留的分析检测。     

超高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定鱼组织中6种抗雌激素药物

采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱(UPLC-MS/MS)在多反应监测(MRM)模式下建立了鱼肉、鱼肝中6种抗雌激素类药物(托瑞米芬、氯米芬、他莫昔芬、雷洛昔芬、阿那曲唑、来曲唑)的检测方法。样品采用乙腈超声提取,上清液中加入适量水稀释提取液,经混合型阳离子交换(MCX)固相萃取柱富集、净化后进行UPLC-MS/MS分析。UPLC分离在ACQUITY UPLCTM BEH C18柱(100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm)上进行,以乙腈和0.1%甲酸水溶液为流动相进行梯度洗脱。6种抗雌激素药物的定量限(以信噪比为10计)为0.1～0.3 μg/kg; 4个加标水平的平均回收率为84.9%～112.2%,相对标准偏差为0.9%～14.3%。该方法可用于鱼肉、鱼肝中6种抗雌激素药物的痕量分析。     

Intracellular pH mapping with SNARF-1 and confocal microscopy. I: A quantitative technique for living tissue and isolated cells

A fluorescent pH indicator in conjunction with confocal microscopy, was used to map intracellular pH in a variety of cells and tissues with high spatial resolution. The new pH-sensitive fluorescent probe SNARF-1 was excited with the 488 nm band of the argon ion laser of a Bio-Rad MRC-500 confocal microscope. Ratio images were created with pixel-by-pixel division, with the intensity of these images representing a function of pH, that is independent of dye concentration, photobleaching or path length. Cell cultures of rat aortic smooth muscle were loaded with 20 μм SNARF-1/AM for 20 min at 37°C. Intracellular pH levels were calibrated in situ by treatment of each cell with nigericin (20 μм) in solutions of known pH. The cytosolic pH of the majority of cells was uniform, however, pH gradients were evident between the cytosol and nuclear regions, indicating the ability of this technique to map intracellular and intraorganelle pH. Rat C6 glioblastoma spheroids were cultured then loaded with SNARF-1/AM at 10°C for 90 min. The pH values were calibrated in vitro, using SNARF-1 acid in buffered solutions of known pH. Ratio images of the bisected spheroids showed a marked gradient in pH from the outer cells compared with central necrotic cells. The degree of involvement of acidification in muscle fatigue was investigated by simultaneously determining force generation and intracellular pH in individual fibres of an intact rat muscle. The investigation was performed during a stimulation protocol which induced significant fatigue in the force response of the muscle. The fatigue protocol induced little change in cytosolic pH in the fibres. We show that the use of SNARF-1, in conjunction with confocal microscopy is a powerful technique for accurately mapping pH within single cells, multicellular tissues and intact organs, as well as for accurately recording dynamic changes in pH.     

Preliminaries to the body-cover theory of pitch control

Preliminary theoretical and empirical work suggest that increased thyroarytenoid muscle activity may either increase or decrease fundamental frequency, depending on cricothyroid muscle activity and a new cross-sectional area parameter. This parameter is defined as the ratio of muscular tissue in vibration to total tissue in vibration. Canine laryngeal nerves were stimulated to measure vocal-fold length changes. These data, combined with previously reported tissue density, passive stress, and passive frequency data, were used to construct a set of curves predicting canine fundamental frequency from thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid muscle activity and the area ratio. The results suggest that high cricothyroid muscle activity and small area ratios tend to cause fundamental frequency lowering with increased thyroarytenoid muscle activity.     

An effective skeletal muscle prefractionation method to remove abundant structural proteins for optimized two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Proteomic analysis of biological samples in disease models or therapeutic intervention studies requires the ability to detect and identify biologically relevant proteins present in relatively low concentrations. The detection and analysis of these low-level proteins is hindered by the presence of a few proteins that are expressed in relatively high concentrations. In the case of muscle tissue, highly abundant structural proteins, such as actin, myosin, and tropomyosin, compromise the detection and analysis of more biologically relevant proteins. We have developed a practical protocol which exploits high-pH extraction to reduce or remove abundant structural proteins from skeletal muscle crude membrane preparations in a manner suitable for two dimensional gel electrophoresis. An initial whole-cell muscle lysate is generated by homogenization of powdered tissue in Tris-base. This lysate is subsequently partitioned into a supernatant and pellet containing the majority of structural proteins. Treatment of the pellet with high-pH conditions effectively releases structural proteins from membrane compartments which are then removed through ultracentrifugation. Mass spectrometric identification shows that the majority of protein spots reduced or removed by high-pH treatment were contractile proteins or contractile-related proteins. Removal of these proteins enabled successful detection and identification of minor proteins. Structural protein removal also results in significant improvement of gel quality and the ability to load higher amounts of total protein for the detection of lower abundant protein classes.     

Characterization and comparison of soluble and immobilized pig muscle aldolases

Pig muscle aldolase was insolubilized by covalent attachment to a polyacrylamide matrix containing carboxylic functional groups. The catalytic activity of the Akrilex C-aldolase was 2014 units/g solid, i.e., an activity loss of only about 5% relative to the initial activity. The pH optimum for catalytic activity shifted form 7.25 to 7.5 and the apparent temperature optimum from 313 to 318 K. The Michaelis constant of the insolubilized enzyme was significantly higher than that of the soluble aldolase. Heat- and urea-inactivation experiments revealed that the immobilization increased the stability of the enzyme.