Rapid prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidy from uncultured amniotic fluid cells using five-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization

In this paper we describe the use of five-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization for prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidy using uncultured amniotic fluid cells. The analysis is based on ratio mixing of dual-labelled probes and digital imaging for the detection and visualization of five different probes specific for the five target chromosomes, 13, 18, 21, X, and Y. A retrospective blind analysis of 30 coded uncultured amniotic fluid samples correctly detected fetal sex and five trisomy 21 cases. Multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization used in this way allows rapid and simultaneous detection of the most frequent aneuploidies.     

Prenatal application of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for identification of a mosaic Y-chromosome marker,IDIC(Yp)

An amniocentesis was performed at 13.3 weeks' gestation for advanced maternal age. A mosaic sex chromosome pattern was found: of 50 cells examined, 34 had a 45,X karyotype. In 14 cells with a modal number of 46, a recognizable Y was substituted by a small non-fluorescent marker. C-banding identified the marker as an isodicentric in 12 cells. In two cells, the non-fluorescent marker appeared to be monocentric and looked like a non-fluorescent del (Yq), but could have been an isodicentric Y with inactivation of one of the centromeres. Two cells with a modal number of 47 showed two copies of the monocentric marker. Fluorescent in situ hybridization with an alpha satellite Y-specific centromeric probe confirmed the Y-chromosome origin of the markers and allowed for more accurate prenatal diagnostic information.     

Applicability of LIVE/DEAD BacLight stain with glutaraldehyde fixation for the measurement of bacterial abundance and viability in rainwater

Rainwater contains substantial bacteria and rain is an efficient pathway for the dissemination of bacteria from the atmosphere to land and water surfaces.However,quantitative information on rainwater bacteria is very limited due to the lack of a reliable method.In this study,the epifluorescence microscopy enumeration with the LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability Kit stain was verified to quantify the abundance of viable and non-viable bacterial cells in rainwater,with the 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole(DAPI) stain for the reference of total cell counts.Results showed that the total counts of bacterial cells by LIVE/DEAD BacLight staining were consistent with those by DAPI staining,and the average detection efficiency was(109 ± 29)%.The ratio of cell count with glutaraldehyde fixation to that without fixation was(106 ± 5)%on average.The bacterial concentration in negative control was usually an order of magnitude lower than that in rainwater samples.However,in case of small precipitation,the abundance in negative control could be more than that in rainwater samples.These results indicate that the enumeration with LIVE/DEAD BacLight bacterial viability assay coupled with glutaraldehyde fixation and careful negative control investigation is an approach applicable to the measurement of the concentration and viability of bacterial cells in rainwater.     

Accurate sampling of PCDD/F in high temperature flue-gas using cooled sampling probes

In a laboratory-scale combustion reactor, flue-gas samples were collected at two temperatures in the post-combustion zone, 700 °C and 400 °C, using two different water-cooled sampling probes. The probes were the cooled probe described in the European Standard method EN-1948:1, referred to as the original probe, and a modified probe that contained a salt/ice mixture to assist the cooling, referred to as the sub-zero probe. To determine the efficiency of the cooling probes, internal temperature measurements were recorded at 5 cm intervals inside the probes. Flue-gas samples were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Samples collected at 700 °C using the original cooling probe showed higher concentrations of PCDD/Fs compared to samples collected using the sub-zero probe. No significant differences were observed between samples collected at 400 °C. The results indicated that artifact formation of PCDD/Fs readily occurs during flue-gas sampling at high temperatures if the cooling within the probe is insufficient, as found for the original probe at 700 °C. It was also shown that this problem could be alleviated by using probes with an enhanced cooling capacity, such as the sub-zero probe.Although this may not affect samples collected for regulatory purposes in exit gases, it is of great importance for research conducted in the high-temperature region of the post-combustion zone.     

A method for the determination of rhodamine b and brilliant sulfaflavine on cotton string collectors and in a spray tank solution mixture

Abstract

A fluorescent method for the determination of rhodamine B (RhB) and brilliant sulfaflavine (BSF) dual tracers on cotton string collectors and in spray tank solutions was developed for the evaluation of the effects of adjuvants on the atmospheric drift of agricultural sprays. Both tracers on collectors were extracted with deionized water simultaneously and measured directly with a Fluorescent Specrometer by switching the maximum excitation and emission wavelengths. The linear ranges of the RhB and BSF standard curves were 0–50 and 0–10 ppb respectively. Recoveries of tracers on cotton strings ranged from 92.9% ± 1.1% to 95.1% ± 1.0% for RhB and 91.9% ± 2.8% to 103% ± 0.6% for BSF when spiked levels ranged from 0.25 to 2.5 μg per collector. The detection limit of the instrument was approximately 0.1 ppb for both tracers. The detection limits of the analytical method were approximately 0.1 ppb for RhB and 0.3 ppb for BSF when the background levels of cotton strings were subtracted. The presence of one tracer in the solution did not significantly interfere with the detection of the other tracer in the same solution. The presence of adjuvants added to the spray tank solutions did not interfere with the detection of both tracers when the adjuvants were applied at the manufacturer's maximum recommendation rates.     

带防腐层在役压力容器表面磁粉探伤灵敏度的试验研究

采用人工裂纹试样的方法 ,模拟压力容器涂刷油漆防腐层的状况进行磁粉探伤 ,得出了油漆防腐层厚度与裂纹检出灵敏度的定量关系 ;结合CVDA《压力容器缺陷评定》规范 ,探讨了试验方法对一般在役压力容器带有油漆的情况下 ,进行磁粉探伤检验的可行性。研究表明 :采用交流磁化法进行探伤 ,当漆层厚度大约小于2 5 0 μm时 ,灵敏度影响较小 ,同时亦表明不宜使用直流磁化方法。该结论对承受低应力工况条件下的压力容器安全质量检验和评估 ,具有重要参考价值     

偶极子探头的低频特性分析

宽带电磁探头是电磁兼容测量中的一个重要器件。对宽带探头进行分析需要求解矩阵方程。对于目前所用的计算电磁学全波方法,当在低频计算的时候,会遇到阻抗矩阵奇异性的问题。针对低频阻抗矩阵奇异性问题,采用奇异值分解的方法求解矩量法方程。对比广义本征值方法,计算仿真分析表明,奇异值分解方法与广义本征值方法一样,可以有效地解决低频奇异性的问题。     

基于吸附质-分子探针的新型交联壳聚糖的吸附特性

研究了CCTS对低浓度游离酸的吸附特性,基于吸附质-分子探针电位法,考察了吸附剂活性中心数目、游离酸种类和温度对吸附行为的影响。结果表明,在30℃时,CCTS吸附游离酸的过程,遵循单分子层机理进行吸附。吸附剂―吸附质相互作用能U制约表观吸附速率常数K,K、U大小分别为2.519×10-2,4.084×10-2,9.398×10-2L/min和7.264,7.420,7.926 kJ/mol,两者存在线性相关性,呈逐渐增大趋势。K、U大小随着活性中心数目G的增加而增大。CCTS吸附游离酸为吸热过程,吸附表观活化能Ea为33.98 kJ/mol。3种类型游离酸K、U的大小顺序为:HClO4>HNO3>H2SO4,吸附分维数Dw分别为1.384、1.567、1.911,Dw值越大,导致表观吸附速率常数降低。     

一种新型"Turn-on"荧光探针用于硫化氢可视化检测

硫化氢(H2S)是表征水体污染的重要参数之一,对其进行快速、有效地检测十分重要.荧光检测法由于具有不可比拟的优势得到了广泛的关注.以2-(2'-羟基苯基)苯并咪唑为荧光团,基于H2S的亲核性,设计合成了一种新型检测H2S的荧光探针.该探针与H2S作用后,荧光强度随H2S浓度的增加逐渐增强,颜色由淡黄色变成紫色,因此能够进行可视化检测,可视化检测限为3μmol·L-1.探针的最佳激发/发射波长为320/460 nm,对H2S表现出了良好的选择性和很快的响应速度(5 min),在较宽的p H(6~9)范围内,仍然表现出较好的荧光性能,荧光检测限为6μmol·L-1.该探针为H2S的检测提供了新方法.