Sample records for urine lead concentration

  1. Determination of Lead in Urine by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry1

    PubMed Central

    Selander, Stig; Cramé, Kim

    1968-01-01

    A method for the determination of lead in urine by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) is described. A combination of wet ashing and extraction with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate into isobutylmethylketone was used. The sensitivity was about 0·02 μg./ml. for 1% absorption, and the detection limit was about 0·02 μg./ml. with an instrumental setting convenient for routine analyses of urines. Using the scale expansion technique, the detection limit was below 0·01 μg./ml., but it was found easier to determine urinary lead concentrations below 0·05 μg./ml. by concentrating the lead in the organic solvent by increasing the volume of urine or decreasing that of the solvent. The method was applied to fresh urines, stored urines, and to urines, obtained during treatment with chelating agents, of patients with lead poisoning. Urines with added inorganic lead were not used. The results agreed well with those obtained with a colorimetric dithizone extraction method (r = 0·989). The AAS method is somewhat more simple and allows the determination of smaller lead concentrations. PMID:5647975

  2. Diagnostic Accuracy of Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratio Is Influenced by Urine Concentration

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Chih-Yu; Chen, Fu-An; Chen, Chun-Fan; Liu, Wen-Sheng; Shih, Chia-Jen; Ou, Shuo-Ming; Yang, Wu-Chang; Lin, Chih-Ching; Yang, An-Hang

    2015-01-01

    . Conclusions The UPCR in samples with low or high specific gravity is more likely to overestimate or underestimate actual daily urine protein amount, respectively, especially in a dilute urine sample with its creatinine below 38.8 mg/dL or a concentrated sample with its creatinine above 61.5 mg/dL. In particular, UPCR results should be interpreted with caution in cases that involve dilute urine samples because its overestimation may lead to an erroneous diagnosis of proteinuric renal disease or an incorrect staging of chronic kidney disease. PMID:26353117

  3. Diagnostic Accuracy of Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratio Is Influenced by Urine Concentration.

    PubMed

    Yang, Chih-Yu; Chen, Fu-An; Chen, Chun-Fan; Liu, Wen-Sheng; Shih, Chia-Jen; Ou, Shuo-Ming; Yang, Wu-Chang; Lin, Chih-Ching; Yang, An-Hang

    2015-01-01

    or high specific gravity is more likely to overestimate or underestimate actual daily urine protein amount, respectively, especially in a dilute urine sample with its creatinine below 38.8 mg/dL or a concentrated sample with its creatinine above 61.5 mg/dL. In particular, UPCR results should be interpreted with caution in cases that involve dilute urine samples because its overestimation may lead to an erroneous diagnosis of proteinuric renal disease or an incorrect staging of chronic kidney disease.

  4. Urine concentration test

    MedlinePlus

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003608.htm Urine concentration test To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. A urine concentration test measures the ability of the kidneys ...

  5. Serum and urine inorganic fluoride concentrations and urine oxalate concentrations following methoxyflurane anesthesia in the dog.

    PubMed

    Brunson, D B; Stowe, C M; McGrath, C J

    1979-02-01

    Plasma fluoride, urine fluoride and urine oxalate concentrations were measured before administering an anesthetic to 8 dogs, and at 0, 3, 9, 24, 48, and 72 hours following 1.5 hours of anesthesia with 1% methoxyflurane. Plasma and urine osmolalities were measured and compared with fluoride and oxalate values. Fluoride concentration increased in both plasma and urine following anesthesia when compared with the preanesthetic concentrations. Maximum mean plasma inorganic fluoride was 106.71 mumoles per liter (+/- 25.44 SE) at 9 hours after exposure to methoxyflurane was completed. By 72 hours after exposure to methoxyflurane the plasma fluoride concentration was 23.47 microM/L (+/- 5.74 SE). Mean urine inorganic fluoride concentration was highest at 9 hours after exposure to methoxyflurane and reached 6047.03 microM/L (+/- 1378.46 SE) as compared to the mean preanesthetic base-line concentration of 542.68 microM/L (+/- 132.93 SE), and the 72 hour mean urine fluoride concentration which was 1593.78 microM/L (+/- 579.46 SE). Urine oxalate concentrations, when compared with urine osmolality (mg/mOsm), increased throughout the study. The 72-hour concentration after exposure to methoxyflurane was 2.5 times the preanesthetic (mg/mOsm) oxalate concentration. Plasma osmolality did not change markedly during the study. Urine osmolalities varied between animals and collection times, but a consistent pattern did not occur. Clinical and laboratory signs of renal dysfunction were not observed in any animal during the study.

  6. A novel way to monitor urine concentration: fluorescent concentration matrices.

    PubMed

    Dubayova, Katarina; Luckova, Iveta; Sabo, Jan; Karabinos, Anton

    2015-01-01

    The amount of water found in urine is important diagnostic information; nevertheless it is not yet directly determined. Indirectly, the water content in urine is expressed by its density (specific gravity). However, without the diuresis value it is not possible to determine whether the increase in density of urine is due to a decrease in water secretion or an increase in the concentration of secreted substances. This problem can be solved by the use of fluorescent concentration 3D-matrices which characterise urine concentration through the pφ (or -logφ) value of the first fluorescence centre. The urine fluorescent concentration 3D-matrix was created by the alignment of the synchronous spectra of the dilution series of urine starting from undiluted (pφ = 0) to 1000-fold diluted urine (pφ = 3). Using the fluorescence concentration 3D-matrix analysis of the urine samples from healthy individuals, a reference range was established for the value pφ, determining the normal, concentrated or diluted type of urine. The diagnostic potential of this approach was tested on urine samples from two patients with a chronic glomerulonephritis. The pφ value of the urine fluorescence concentration 3D-matrix analysis determines whether the urine sample falls within the normal, concentrated or diluted type of urine. This parameter can be directly utilised in sportsmen's hydration state monitoring, as well as in the diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases. An important advantage of this novel diagnostic approach is that a 12/24 h urine collection is not required, which predetermines it for use especially within paediatrics.

  7. An assessment of contemporary atomic spectroscopic techniques for the determination of lead in blood and urine matrices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parsons, Patrick J.; Geraghty, Ciaran; Verostek, Mary Frances

    2001-09-01

    The preparation and validation of a number of clinical reference materials for the determination of lead in blood and urine is described. Four candidate blood lead reference materials (Lots, 047-050), and four candidate urine lead reference materials (Lots, 034, 035, 037 and 038), containing physiologically-bound lead at clinically relevant concentrations, were circulated to up to 21 selected laboratories specializing in this analysis. Results from two interlaboratory studies were used to establish certified values and uncertainty estimates for these reference materials. These data also provided an assessment of current laboratory techniques for the measurement of lead in blood and urine. For the blood lead measurements, four laboratories used electrothermal atomization AAS, three used anodic stripping voltammetry and one used both ETAAS and ICP-MS. For the urine lead measurements, 11 laboratories used ETAAS (most with Zeeman background correction) and 10 used ICP-MS. Certified blood lead concentrations, ±S.D., ranged from 5.9±0.4 μg/dl (0.28±0.02 μmol/l) to 76.0±2.2 μg/dl (3.67±0.11 μmol/l) and urine lead concentrations ranged from 98±5 μg/l (0.47±0.02 μmol/l) to 641±36 μg/l (3.09±0.17 μmol/l). The highest concentration blood lead material was subjected to multiple analyses using ETAAS over an extended time period. The data indicate that more stringent internal quality control practices are necessary to improve long-term precision. While the certification of blood lead materials was accomplished in a manner consistent with established practices, the urine lead materials proved more troublesome, particularly at concentrations above 600 μg/l (2.90 μmol/l).

  8. Lead Quantification in Urine Samples of Athletes by Coupling DLLME with UV-Vis Spectrophotometry.

    PubMed

    Faraji, Hakim; Helalizadeh, Masoumeh

    2017-04-01

    Urine lead level is one of the most employed measures of lead exposure and risk. The urine samples used in this study were obtained from ten healthy male cyclists. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry was utilized for preconcentration, extraction, and determination of lead in urine samples. Optimization of the independent variables was carried out based on chemometric methods in three steps. According to the screening and optimization study, 133 μL of CCl 4 (extracting solvent), 1.34 mL ethanol (dispersing solvent), pH 2.0, 0.00 % of salt, and 0.1 % O,O-diethyl dithiophosphoric (chelating agent) were used as the optimum independent variables for microextraction and determination of lead. Under the optimized conditions, R 2 was 0.9991, and linearity range was 0.01-100 μg L -1 . Precision was evaluated in terms of repeatability and intermediate precision, with relative standard deviations being <9.1 and <15.3 %, respectively. The accuracy was estimated using urine samples of cyclists as real samples and it was confirmed. The relative error of ≤5 % was considered significant in the method specificity study. The lead concentration mean for the cyclists was 3.79 μg L -1 in urine samples. As a result, the proposed method is a robust technique to quantify lead concentrations higher than 11.6 ng L -1 in urine samples.

  9. Uranium Associations with Kidney Outcomes Vary by Urine Concentration Adjustment Method

    PubMed Central

    Shelley, Rebecca; Kim, Nam-Soo; Parsons, Patrick J.; Lee, Byung-Kook; Agnew, Jacqueline; Jaar, Bernard G.; Steuerwald, Amy J.; Matanoski, Genevieve; Fadrowski, Jeffrey; Schwartz, Brian S.; Todd, Andrew C.; Simon, David; Weaver, Virginia M.

    2017-01-01

    Uranium is a ubiquitous metal that is nephrotoxic at high doses. Few epidemiologic studies have examined the kidney filtration impact of chronic environmental exposure. In 684 lead workers environmentally exposed to uranium, multiple linear regression was used to examine associations of uranium measured in a four-hour urine collection with measured creatinine clearance, serum creatinine- and cystatin-C-based estimated glomerular filtration rates, and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG). Three methods were utilized, in separate models, to adjust uranium levels for urine concentration - μg uranium/g creatinine; μg uranium/L and urine creatinine as separate covariates; and μg uranium/4 hr. Median urine uranium levels were 0.07 μg/g creatinine and 0.02 μg/4 hr and were highly correlated (rs =0.95). After adjustment, higher ln-urine uranium was associated with lower measured creatinine clearance and higher NAG in models that used urine creatinine to adjust for urine concentration but not in models that used total uranium excreted (μg/4 hr). These results suggest that, in some instances, associations between urine toxicants and kidney outcomes may be statistical, due to the use of urine creatinine in both exposure and outcome metrics, rather than nephrotoxic. These findings support consideration of non-creatinine-based methods of adjustment for urine concentration in nephrotoxicant research. PMID:23591699

  10. Urine ethanol concentration and alcohol hangover severity.

    PubMed

    Van de Loo, Aurora; Mackus, Marlou; Korte-Bouws, Gerdien; Brookhuis, Karel; Garssen, Johan; Verster, Joris

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between urine ethanol concentration and alcohol hangover severity. N = 36 healthy social drinkers participated in a naturalistic study, comprising a hangover day and a control day. N = 18 of them have regular hangovers (the hangover group), while the other N = 18 claim to be hangover immune (hangover-immune group). On each test day at 9.30 am, urine samples were collected. Participants rated their overall hangover severity on a scale from 0 (absent) to 10 (extreme), as well as 18 individual hangover symptoms. Urine ethanol concentration was significantly higher on the hangover day when compared to the control day (p = 0.006). On the hangover day, urine ethanol concentration was significantly lower in the hangover-immune group when compared to the hangover group (p = 0.027). In the hangover-immune group, none of the correlations of urine ethanol concentration with individual hangover symptoms was significant. In contrast, in the hangover group, significant correlations were found with a variety of hangover symptoms, including nausea, concentration problems, sleepiness, weakness, apathy, sweating, stomach pain, thirst, heart racing, anxiety, and sleep problems. Urine ethanol levels are significantly associated with the presence and severity of several hangover symptoms.

  11. Urine methanol concentration and alcohol hangover severity.

    PubMed

    Mackus, M; Van de Loo, A J A E; Korte-Bouws, G A H; Van Neer, R H P; Wang, X; Nguyen, T T; Brookhuis, K A; Garssen, J; Verster, J C

    2017-03-01

    Congeners are substances, other than ethanol, that are produced during fermentation. Previous research found that the consumption of congener-rich drinks contributes to the severity of alcohol hangover. Methanol is such a congener that has been related to alcohol hangover. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between urine methanol concentration and alcohol hangover severity. N = 36 healthy social drinkers (22 females, 14 males), aged 18-30 years old, participated in a naturalistic study, comprising a hangover day and a control day (no alcohol consumed the previous day). N = 18 of them had regular hangovers (the hangover group), while the other N = 18 claimed to be hangover-immune (hangover-immune group). Overall hangover severity was assessed, and that of 23 individual hangover symptoms. Urine methanol concentrations on the hangover and control days were compared, and correlated to hangover (symptom) severity. Urine methanol concentration was significantly higher on hangover days compared to control days (p = 0.0001). No significant differences in urine methanol concentration were found between the hangover group and hangover-immune group. However, urine methanol concentration did not significantly correlate with overall hangover severity (r = -0.011, p = 0.948), nor with any of the individual hangover symptoms. These findings were observed also when analyzing the data separately for the hangover-immune group. In the hangover group, a significant correlation with urine methanol concentration was found only with vomiting (r = 0.489, p = 0.037). No significant correlation was observed between urine methanol concentration and hangover severity, nor with individual core hangover symptoms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Urine Concentration and Pyuria for Identifying UTI in Infants.

    PubMed

    Chaudhari, Pradip P; Monuteaux, Michael C; Bachur, Richard G

    2016-11-01

    Varying urine white blood cell (WBC) thresholds have been recommended for the presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) among young infants. These thresholds have not been studied with newer automated urinalysis systems that analyze uncentrifuged urine that might be influenced by urine concentration. Our objective was to determine the optimal urine WBC threshold for UTI in young infants by using an automated urinalysis system, stratified by urine concentration. Retrospective cross-sectional study of infants aged <3 months evaluated for UTI in the emergency department with paired urinalysis and urine culture. UTI was defined as ≥50 000 colony-forming units/mL from catheterized specimens. Test characteristics were calculated across a range of WBC and leukocyte esterase (LE) cut-points, dichotomized into specific gravity groups (dilute <1.015; concentrated ≥1.015). Twenty-seven thousand infants with a median age of 1.7 months were studied. UTI prevalence was 7.8%. Optimal WBC cut-points were 3 WBC/high-power field (HPF) in dilute urine (likelihood ratio positive [LR+] 9.9, likelihood ratio negative [LR‒] 0.15) and 6 WBC/HPF (LR+ 10.1, LR‒ 0.17) in concentrated urine. For dipstick analysis, positive LE has excellent test characteristics regardless of urine concentration (LR+ 22.1, LR‒ 0.12 in dilute urine; LR+ 31.6, LR‒ 0.22 in concentrated urine). Urine concentration should be incorporated into the interpretation of automated microscopic urinalysis in young infants. Pyuria thresholds of 3 WBC/HPF in dilute urine and 6 WBC/HPF in concentrated urine are recommended for the presumptive diagnosis of UTI. Without correction of specific gravity, positive LE by automated dipstick is a reliably strong indicator of UTI. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  13. Behavior of lead and zinc in plasma, erythrocytes, and urine and ALAD in erythrocytes following intravenous infusion of CaEDTA in lead workers.

    PubMed

    Araki, S; Aono, H; Fukahori, M; Tabuki, K

    1984-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate (CaEDTA) on concentrations of lead and zinc in plasma, erythrocytes, whole blood, and urine, we administered CaEDTA by intravenous infusion for 1 hr to seven lead workers with blood lead concentrations of 46-67 micrograms/100 g (mean 54 micrograms/100 g). The plasma lead concentration (PPb) and the mobilization yield of lead in urine by CaEDTA were highest during the period between 1 and 2 hr after the infusion was started. In contrast, the lead concentration in erythrocytes (EPb) and in whole blood (BPb) remained unchanged during the 24 hr following infusion. Plasma zinc concentration (PZn) also fell rapidly following CaEDTA infusion; the decline was followed by a gradual rise in the zinc concentration in erythrocytes (EZn) without alteration in the zinc in whole blood. The mobilization yield of zinc in urine by CaEDTA (MZn) reached its highest level within 1 hr after the start of the infusion. Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity in erythrocytes gradually increased for 5 hr following CaEDTA infusion. These observations suggest that (1) PPb concentration is a more sensitive indicator of the body burden of chelatable lead than is either BPb or EPb; (2) MZn is mobilized mostly from plasma during the first several hours following the start of CaEDTA infusion, and the fall in PZn concentration following infusion is compensated first by a rise in EZn concentration and then by an immediate redistribution of zinc in other organs to the blood; and (3) Pb-inhibited ALAD activity is reactivated by the increased EZn during and shortly after CaEDTA infusion.

  14. Lead and cadmium excretion in feces and urine of children from polluted townships near a lead-zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia.

    PubMed

    Yabe, John; Nakayama, Shouta M M; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Yohannes, Yared B; Bortey-Sam, Nesta; Kabalo, Abel Nketani; Ntapisha, John; Mizukawa, Hazuki; Umemura, Takashi; Ishizuka, Mayumi

    2018-07-01

    Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are toxic metals that exist ubiquitously in the environment. Children in polluted areas are particularly vulnerable to metal exposure, where clinical signs and symptoms could be nonspecific. Absorbed metals are excreted primarily in urine and reflect exposure from all sources. We analyzed Pb and Cd concentrations in blood, feces and urine of children from polluted townships near a lead-zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia, to determine concurrent childhood exposure to the metals. Moreover, the study determined the Pb and Cd relationships among urine, feces and blood as well as accessed the potential of urine and fecal analysis for biomonitoring of Pb and Cd exposure in children. Fecal Pb (up to 2252 mg/kg, dry weight) and urine Pb (up to 2914 μg/L) were extremely high. Concentrations of Cd in blood (Cd-B) of up to 7.7 μg/L, fecal (up to 4.49 mg/kg, dry weight) and urine (up to 18.1 μg/L) samples were elevated. metal levels were higher in younger children (0-3 years old) than older children (4-7). Positive correlations were recorded for Pb and Cd among blood, urine and fecal samples whereas negative correlations were recorded with age. These findings indicate children are exposed to both metals at their current home environment. Moreover, urine and feces could be useful for biomonitoring of metals due to their strong relationships with blood levels. There is need to conduct a clinical evaluation of the affected children to fully appreciate the health impact of these metal exposure. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium in well water, rice, and human urine in Sri Lanka in relation to chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology.

    PubMed

    S Herath, H M Ayala; Kawakami, Tomonori; Nagasawa, Shiori; Serikawa, Yuka; Motoyama, Ayuri; Chaminda, G G Tushara; Weragoda, S K; Yatigammana, S K; Amarasooriya, A A G D

    2018-04-01

    Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is spreading gradually in Sri Lanka. In the current research, 1,435 well water samples from all 25 districts of Sri Lanka, 91 rice samples, and 84 human urine samples from both CKDu-endemic and non-endemic areas in Sri Lanka were analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium to detect whether toxic elements could be a cause of CKDu. The liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) concentration and arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium concentrations of the urine samples were analyzed to determine the relation of L-FABP with arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium. High concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium were not detected in the well water samples from CKDu-endemic areas. Arsenic, cadmium, and lead contents in the rice samples from both CKDu-endemic and non-endemic areas were well below the Codex standard. There were no relationships between the L-FABP concentration and concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium in urine. In addition, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium concentrations in human urine samples from CKDu-endemic areas were not significantly different from those from non-endemic areas. These findings indicated that arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium could not cause CKDu.

  16. Mobile Technology Application for Improved Urine Concentration Measurement Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Walawender, Laura; Patterson, Jeremy; Strouse, Robert; Ketz, John; Saxena, Vijay; Alexy, Emily; Schwaderer, Andrew

    2018-01-01

    Objectives: Low hydration has a deleterious effect on many conditions. In the absence of a urine concentrating defect, urine concentration is a marker of hydration status. However, markers to evaluate hydration status have not been well studied in children. The objectives of this paper are to compare measures of thirst and urine concentration in children and to develop a novel mobile technology application to measure urine concentration. Study Design: Children age 12-17 years were selected ( n = 21) for this pilot study. Thirst perception, specific gravity (automated dipstick analysis and refractometer), and urine color scale results were correlated to urine osmolality. The technology department developed a mobile technology camera application to measure light penetrance into urine which was tested on 25 random anonymized urine samples. Results: The patients' thirst perception and color scale as well as two researchers color scale did not significantly correlate with osmolality. Correlation between osmolality and hydration markers resulted in the following Pearson coefficients: SG automated dipstick, 0.61 ( P 0.003); SG refractometer, 0.98 ( P < 0.0001); urine color scale (patient), 0.37 ( P 0.10), and light penetrance, -0.77 ( P < 0.0001). The correlation of light penetrance with osmolality was stronger than all measures except SG by refractometer and osmolality. Conclusion: The mobile technology application may be a more accurate tool for urine concentration measurement than specific gravity by automated dipstick, subjective thirst, and urine color scale, but lags behind specific gravity measured by refractometer. The mobile technology application is a step toward patient oriented hydration strategies.

  17. [A study of urine concentrating mechanism--a molecular biological approach].

    PubMed

    Marumo, F

    1994-07-01

    Human urine can be concentrated up to four times higher than that of the plasma. Urine concentrating mechanism has attracted for a long time. However, studies in the field are now picking up momentum due to recent breakthrough discoveries using molecular biology techniques. Vasopressin-regulated water channel in the apical membrane of the collecting duct and water channel in the basolateral side of the membrane were cloned. cloned. Osmolality-dependent chloride channel in the thin ascending limb of Henle was also cloned. In addition, vasopressin-regulated urea transporter was found in the collecting duct. These newly discovered channels and transporter should be playing important physiological roles in urine concentrating mechanism. Furthermore, recent findings on osmolytes and their transporters also add to the list of urine concentrating mechanisms.

  18. Microanalyzer for Biomonitoring of Lead (Pb) in Blood and Urine

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yantasee, Wassana; Timchalk, Chuck; Lin, Yuehe

    2007-01-01

    Biomonitoring of lead (Pb) in blood and urine enables quantitative evaluation of human occupational and environmental exposures to Pb. The state-of-the-art ICP-MS instruments analyze metals in laboratories, resulting in lengthy turn around time, and are expensive. In response to the growing need for metal analyzer for on-site, real-time monitoring of trace metals in individuals, we developed a portable microanalyzer based on flow-injection/adsorptive stripping voltammetry and used it to analyze Pb in rat blood and urine. Fouling of electrodes by proteins often prevents the effective use of electrochemical sensors in biological matrices. Minimization of such fouling was accomplished with the suitablemore » sample pretreatment and the turbulent flowing of Pb contained blood and urine onto the glassy electrode inside the microanalyzer, which resulted in no apparent electrode fouling even when the samples contained 50% urine or 10% blood by volume. There was no matrix effect on the voltammetric Pb signals even when the samples contained 10% blood or 10% urine. The microanalyzer offered linear concentration range relevant to Pb exposure levels in human (0-20 ppb in 10%-blood samples, 0-50 ppb in 50%-urine samples). The device had excellent sensitivity and reproducibility; Pb detection limits were 0.54 ppb and 0.42 ppb, and % RSDs were 4.9 and 2.4 in 50%-urine and 10%-blood samples, respectively. It offered a high throughput (3 min per sample) and had economical use of samples (60 ?L per measurement), making the collection of blood being less invasive especially to children, and had low reagent consumption (1 ?g of Hg per measurement), thus minimizing the health concerns of mercury use. Being miniaturized in size, the microanalyzer is portable and field-deployable. Thus, it has a great potential to be the next-generation analyzer for biomonitoring of toxic metals.« less

  19. Stress-induced changes in corticosteroid metabolism. [plasma and urine concentrations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tacker, M. M.

    1975-01-01

    Because plasma and urine corticosteroid concentrations are influenced by several factors in addition to adrenal cortex secretion, the effect of stress on all of these factors was determined in order to interpret the plasma and urine concentrations. Progress on the investigation is reported.

  20. Urine Creatinine Concentrations in Drug Monitoring Participants and Hospitalized Patients.

    PubMed

    Love, Sara A; Seegmiller, Jesse C; Kloss, Julie; Apple, Fred S

    2016-10-01

    Urine drug testing is commonly performed in both clinical and forensic arenas for screening, monitoring and compliance purposes. We sought to determine if urine creatinine concentrations in monitoring program participants were significantly different from hospital in-patients and out-patients undergoing urine drug testing. We retrospectively reviewed urine creatinine submitted in June through December 2015 for all specimens undergoing urine drug testing. The 20,479 creatinine results were categorized as hospitalized patients (H) and monitoring/compliance groups for pain management (P), legal (L) or recovery (R). Median creatinine concentrations (interquartile range, mg/dL) were significantly different (P < 0.001) between groups: H 126 (122-136); P 138 (137-143); L 147 (144-154); R 95 (92-97). In the two groups subject to on-demand sampling time pressures, median creatinine concentrations were significantly lower in the R vs. L group (P<0.001). In conclusion, recovery (R) participants have more dilute specimens, reflected by significantly lower creatinine concentration and may indicate participants' attempts to tamper with their drug test results through dilution means. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Lithium-induced NDI: acetazolamide reduces polyuria but does not improve urine concentrating ability.

    PubMed

    de Groot, Theun; Doornebal, Joan; Christensen, Birgitte M; Cockx, Simone; Sinke, Anne P; Baumgarten, Ruben; Bedford, Jennifer J; Walker, Robert J; Wetzels, Jack F M; Deen, Peter M T

    2017-09-01

    Lithium is the mainstay treatment for patients with bipolar disorder, but it generally causes nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), a disorder in which the renal urine concentrating ability has become vasopressin insensitive. Li-NDI is caused by lithium uptake by collecting duct principal cells and downregulation of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channels, which are essential for water uptake from tubular urine. Recently, we found that the prophylactic administration of acetazolamide to mice effectively attenuated Li-NDI. To evaluate whether acetazolamide might benefit lithium-treated patients, we administered acetazolamide to mice with established Li-NDI and six patients with a lithium-induced urinary concentrating defect. In mice, acetazolamide partially reversed lithium-induced polyuria and increased urine osmolality, which, however, did not coincide with increased AQP2 abundances. In patients, acetazolamide led to the withdrawal of two patients from the study due to side effects. In the four remaining patients acetazolamide did not lead to clinically relevant changes in maximal urine osmolality. Urine output was also not affected, although none of these patients demonstrated overt lithium-induced polyuria. In three out of four patients, acetazolamide treatment increased serum creatinine levels, indicating a decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Strikingly, these three patients also showed a decrease in systemic blood pressure. All together, our data reveal that acetazolamide does not improve the urinary concentrating defect caused by lithium, but it lowers the GFR, likely explaining the reduced urine output in our mice and in a recently reported patient with lithium-induced polyuria. The reduced GFR in patients prone to chronic kidney disease development, however, warrants against application of acetazolamide in Li-NDI patients without long-term (pre)clinical studies. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  2. Photonic crystal based biosensor for the detection of glucose concentration in urine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robinson, Savarimuthu; Dhanlaksmi, Nagaraj

    2017-03-01

    Photonic sensing technology is a new and accurate measurement technology for bio-sensing applications. In this paper, a two-dimensional photonic crystal ring resonator based sensor is proposed and designed to detect the glucose concentration in urine over the range of 0 gm/dl-15 gm/dl. The proposed sensor is consisted of two inverted "L" waveguides and a ring resonator. If the glucose concentration in urine is varied, the refractive index of the urine is varied, which in turn the output response of sensor will be varied. By having the aforementioned principle, the glucose concentration in urine, glucose concentration in blood, albumin, urea, and bilirubin concentration in urine are predicted. The size of the proposed sensor is about 11.4 µm×11.4 µm, and the sensor can predict the result very accurately without any delay, hence, this attempt could be implemented for medical applications.

  3. Correlation between some parameters of lead absorption and lead intoxication

    PubMed Central

    Waldron, H. A.

    1971-01-01

    Waldron, H. A. (1971).Brit. J. industr. Med.,28, 195-199. Correlation between some parameters of lead absorption and lead intoxication. Use has been made of data collected over a number of years from workers exposed to a lead hazard in a motor-car factory. The correlations between various parameters of lead absorption and lead intoxication were computed, including blood and urine lead concentrations, urinary coproporphyrin, ALA and PBG concentrations, and haemoglobin concentration. In all, 15 correlation coefficients were calculated, of which only six showed a statistically significant result (i.e., P<0·05). These six were blood lead and urine lead (r = 0·38, P<0·001), urine lead and coproporphyrin (r = 0·42, P<0·001), urine lead and ALA (r = 0·43, P<0·001), coproporphyrin and ALA (r = 0·75, P<0·001), ALA and PBG (r = 0·49, P<0·001), and urine lead and PBG (r = 0·19, P<0·05). PMID:5572689

  4. Biomonitoring of arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese and mercury in urine and hair of children living near mining and industrial areas.

    PubMed

    Molina-Villalba, Isabel; Lacasaña, Marina; Rodríguez-Barranco, Miguel; Hernández, Antonio F; Gonzalez-Alzaga, Beatriz; Aguilar-Garduño, Clemente; Gil, Fernando

    2015-04-01

    Huelva (South West Spain) and its surrounding municipalities represent one of the most polluted estuaries in the world owing to the discharge of mining and industrial related pollutants in their proximity. A biomonitoring study was conducted to assess exposure to arsenic and some trace metals (cadmium, mercury, manganese and lead) in urine and scalp hair from a representative sample of children aged 6-9 years (n=261). This is the only study simultaneously analyzing those five metal elements in children urine and hair. The potential contribution of gender, water consumption, residence area and body mass index on urinary and hair metal concentrations was also studied. Urine levels of cadmium and total mercury in a proportion (25-50%) of our children population living near industrial/mining areas might have an impact on health, likely due to environmental exposure to metal pollution. The only significant correlation between urine and hair levels was found for mercury. Children living near agriculture areas showed increased levels of cadmium and manganese (in urine) and arsenic (in hair). In contrast, decreased urine Hg concentrations were observed in children living near mining areas. Girls exhibited significantly higher trace metal concentrations in hair than boys. The greatest urine arsenic concentrations were found in children drinking well/spring water. Although human hair can be a useful tool for biomonitoring temporal changes in metal concentrations, levels are not correlated with those found in urine except for total mercury, thus providing additional information. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The Silicon Concentration in Cat Urine and Its Relationship with Other Elements

    PubMed Central

    TAKAHASHI, Fumihito; MOCHIZUKI, Mariko; YOGO, Takuya; ISHIOKA, Katsumi; YUMOTO, Norio; SAKO, Toshinori; UEDA, Fukiko; TAGAWA, Masahiro; TAZAKI, Hiroyuki

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT To understand the effects of silicon (Si) in the urine with respect to the formation of urinary stones, the distribution of Si in urine was observed. Urine samples from cats with urolithiasis (n=10) and healthy cats (n=15) were used. The concentration of Si in the cats with urolithiasis was significantly higher (P<0.001). A significant correlation (P<0.05) was observed between the concentration of Si and those of other elements, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and iron, only in the urine of the healthy cats. The distribution of elements in the urine differed between the cats with urolithiasis and the healthy cats. The Si concentration and its relationship with other elements were suggested to be useful biomarkers for urolithiasis in cats. PMID:24334829

  6. The effects of urine concentration, and cushion centrifugation to remove urine, on the quality of cool-stored stallion sperm.

    PubMed

    Voge, Jared; Varner, Dickson D; Blanchard, Terry L; Meschini, Marika; Turner, Carly; Teague, Sheila R; Brinsko, Steven P; Love, Charles C

    2016-09-15

    Urine-contaminated stallion semen is a clinical problem due to a variety of causes. The effect of the level of urine contamination on the longevity of sperm quality has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of urine concentration level (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) and cushioned centrifugation and resuspension of the sperm pellet in fresh extender, on measures of sperm quality, immediately after semen collection (T0), after 1 hour of storage at room temperature (T1), and after 24 hours of cooled storage (T24). In general, most sperm quality measures declined with increasing urine concentration starting at T0. Cushioned centrifugation (CC), but not simple dilution, generally maintained sperm quality at T24 as compared with T1. At T24, total sperm motility was higher in all urine-contaminated CC samples compared with uncentrifuged samples (P < 0.05); sperm viability was lower in CC than uncentrifuged at a urine concentration of 20%, but higher at 30% and 40% (P < 0.05); and DNA quality was decreased (higher % cells outside the main population) in all urine concentrations (P < 0.05). Immediate extension in semen extender, followed by cushioned centrifugation and resuspension of the sperm pellet in fresh extender, provided the best option for preserving sperm quality of urospermic semen. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Urea and urine concentrating ability in mice lacking AQP1 and AQP3.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Dan; Bankir, Lise; Qian, Liman; Yang, Dayu; Yang, Baoxue

    2006-08-01

    Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) and aquaporin-3 (AQP3) water channels expressed in the kidney play a critical role in the urine concentrating mechanism. Mice with AQP1 or AQP3 deletion have a urinary concentrating defect. To better characterize this defect, we studied the influence of an acute urea load (300 mumol ip) in conscious AQP1-null, AQP3-null, and wild-type mice. Urine was collected and assayed every 2 h, from 2 h before (baseline) to 8 h after the urea load. Mice of all genotypes excreted the urea load in approximately 4 h with the same time course. Interestingly, despite their low baseline, the AQP3-null mice raised their urine osmolality and urea concentration progressively after the urea load to values almost equal to those in wild-type mice at 8 h. In contrast, urine non-urea solute concentration did not change. Urine volume fell in the last 4 h to about one-fourth of basal values. AQP1-null mice increased their urine flow rate much more than AQP3-null mice and showed no change in urine osmolality and urea concentration. The urea load strongly upregulated urea transporter UT-A3 expression in all three genotypes. These observations show that the lack of AQP3 does not interfere with the ability of the kidney to concentrate urea but impairs its ability to concentrate other solutes. This solute-selective response could result from the capacity of AQP3 to transport not only water but also urea. The results suggest a novel role for AQP3 in non-urea solute concentration in the urine.

  8. Nicotine concentrations in urine and saliva of smokers and non-smokers.

    PubMed Central

    Feyerabend, C; Higenbottam, T; Russell, M A

    1982-01-01

    Nicotine concentrations were measured in saliva and urine samples collected from 82 smokers and 56 non-smokers after a morning at work. Each subject answered a series of questions related to their recent intentional or passive exposure to tobacco smoke. All non-smokers had measurable amounts of nicotine in both saliva and urine. Those non-smokers who reported recent exposure to tobacco smoke had significantly higher nicotine concentrations (p less than 0.001) than those who had not been exposed; their concentrations overlapped those of smokers who had smoked up to three cigarettes before sampling had the greatest influence on nicotine concentrations (r=0.62 for saliva and r=0.51 for urine). Neither the nicotine for yield of cigarettes nor the self-reported degree of inhalation had any significant effect on nicotine concentrations. PMID:6802384

  9. Bisphenol A concentrations in maternal breast milk and infant urine

    PubMed Central

    Mendonca, K.; Hauser, R.; Calafat, A.M.; Arbuckle, T.E.; Duty, S.M.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose The present report describes the distribution of breast milk and urinary free and total bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations, from 27 post-partum women and their 31 infants, and explores the influence of age, sex, and nutritional source on infant BPA urinary concentration. Methods Both free (unconjugated) and total (free plus conjugated) BPA concentrations from women’s breast milk samples and infants’ urine samples were measured by online solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography–isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of group comparisons were conducted. Results Total BPA was detected in 93% of urine samples in this healthy infant population aged 3–15 months who were without known environmental exposure to BPA (interquartile range [IQR]=1.2 – 4.4 μg/L). Similarly, 75% of the mothers’ breast milk samples had detectable concentrations of total BPA (IQR=0.4 – 1.4 μg/L). The magnitude and frequency of detection of free BPA in the children’s urine and the mothers’ breast milk were much lower than the total concentrations. Conclusions Total BPA was detected in 93% of this healthy infant population aged 3–15 months who are without known environmental exposure to BPA. Neither free nor total BPA urinary concentrations differed significantly by infant’s sex or by nutritional source (breast milk and/or formula) while age group was of borderline significance. There were no significant correlations between free or total BPA concentrations in mothers’ breast milk and their infants’ urine. PMID:23212895

  10. Fluoride concentration in urine after silver diamine fluoride application on tooth enamel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sari, D. L.; Bahar, A.; Gunawan, H. A.; Adiatman, M.; Rahardjo, A.; Maharani, D. A.; Toptanci, I. R.; Yavuz, I.

    2017-08-01

    Silver Diammine Fluoride (SDF), which contains fluoride, is known to inhibit tooth enamel demineralization and increase fluoride concentrations in saliva and urine. The aim of this study is to analyze the fluoride concentration in urine after application of SDF on tooth enamel. Urine from four subjects was collected prior to, 30 minutes after, and two and three hours after the application of SDF, and an ion-selective electrode was used to measure the fluoride concentrations. There was no significant difference between time 1 and time 2, time 1 and time 3, time 1 and time 4, time 2 and 3 (p > 0.05), and there was a significant difference between time 2 and time 4 as well as time 3 and time 4 (p < 0.05). There was a decrease in the concentration of fluoride ions in urine from the baseline to 30 minutes after application, and an increase from baseline to two and three hours after the application of SDF.

  11. Glycogen synthase kinase 3α regulates urine concentrating mechanism in mice

    PubMed Central

    Nørregaard, Rikke; Tao, Shixin; Nilsson, Line; Woodgett, James R.; Kakade, Vijayakumar; Yu, Alan S. L.; Howard, Christiana

    2015-01-01

    In mammals, glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3 comprises GSK3α and GSK3β isoforms. GSK3β has been shown to play a role in the ability of kidneys to concentrate urine by regulating vasopressin-mediated water permeability of collecting ducts, whereas the role of GSK3α has yet to be discerned. To investigate the role of GSK3α in urine concentration, we compared GSK3α knockout (GSK3αKO) mice with wild-type (WT) littermates. Under normal conditions, GSK3αKO mice had higher water intake and urine output. GSK3αKO mice also showed reduced urine osmolality and aquaporin-2 levels but higher urinary vasopressin. When water deprived, they failed to concentrate their urine to the same level as WT littermates. The addition of 1-desamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin to isolated inner medullary collecting ducts increased the cAMP response in WT mice, but this response was reduced in GSK3αKO mice, suggesting reduced responsiveness to vasopressin. Gene silencing of GSK3α in mpkCCD cells also reduced forskolin-induced aquaporin-2 expression. When treated with LiCl, an isoform nonselective inhibitor of GSK3 and known inducer of polyuria, WT mice developed significant polyuria within 6 days. However, in GSK3αKO mice, the polyuric response was markedly reduced. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that GSK3α could play a crucial role in renal urine concentration and suggest that GSK3α might be one of the initial targets of Li+ in LiCl-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. PMID:25608967

  12. The void in using urine concentration to assess population fluid intake adequacy or hydration status.

    PubMed

    Cheuvront, Samuel N; Muñoz, Colleen X; Kenefick, Robert W

    2016-09-01

    Urine concentration can be used to assess fluid intake adequacy or to diagnose dehydration. However, too often urine concentration is used inappropriately to draw dubious conclusions that could have harmful health and economic consequences. Inappropriate uses of urine concentration relate primarily to convenience sampling (timing) and problems related to convenience sampling (misapplication of thresholds), but a conceptual problem also exists with using urine concentration in isolation. The purpose of this Perspective article is to briefly explain the problematic nature of current practices and to offer a possible solution to improve practice with minimal added complication. When urine is used exclusively to assess fluid intake adequacy and hydration status in adults, we propose that only when urine concentration is high (>850 mmol/kg) and urine excretion rate is low (<850 mL/24 h) should suspicion of inadequate drinking or impending dehydration be considered. Prospective tests of the 850 × 850 thresholds will provide supporting evidence and/or help refine the best thresholds for men and women, young and old. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

  13. [Effect of tobacco smoking on albumin concentration and β-glucuronidase activity in urine of smelters].

    PubMed

    Bizonń, Anna; Witt, Katarzyna; Milnerowicz, Malgorzata; Milnerowicz, Halina

    2014-01-01

    The aim of present study was to estimate the nephrotoxicity of occupational exposure to heavy metals on albumin concentration and β-glucuronidase activity in the urine of smoking and non-smoking smelters. The study was performed in urine of 101 smoking and non-smoking smelters as well as 65 smoking and non-smoking male subjects unexposed to heavy metals. Section into smoking and non-smoking groups was made on basis on direct personal interview and by determination of serum cotinine concentration. The concentration of albumin in urine was measured with commercial test (Micro-Albumin ELISA Cat. No 5MA 74212, ORGENTEC Diagnostika Gmbh, Germany). The activity of β-glucuronidase in urine were determined in urine using 4-nitrophenyl β D-glucuronide (Cat. No 73677, Sigma Aldrich, Germany) as a substrate. We have observed higher albumin concentration and β-glucuronidase activity in urine of smoking and non-smoking smelters when compared to control groups. We have also found the influence of tobacco smoke as well as amount of cigarettes smoked on albumin concentration in urine of smoking smelters. A statistically significant difference was detected between activity of β-glucuronidase in urine of smoking and non-smoking smelters, which suggest as additional negative factor of exposure to tobacco smoke. Analyzing the impact of smoking intensity we have found higher albumin concentration and β-glucuronidase activity in urine of smelters smoking ≥20 cigarettes per day when compared to smelters smoking <20 cigarettes per day. The elevation of albumin concentration and β-glucuronidase activity in urine of workers occupational exposure to heavy metals and tobacco smoke indicated, that environmental exposure on these factors can disorders kidney functions.

  14. Comparative physiology and architecture associated with the mammalian urine concentrating mechanism: role of inner medullary water and urea transport pathways in the rodent medulla.

    PubMed

    Pannabecker, Thomas L

    2013-04-01

    Comparative studies of renal structure and function have potential to provide insights into the urine-concentrating mechanism of the mammalian kidney. This review focuses on the tubular transport pathways for water and urea that play key roles in fluid and solute movements between various compartments of the rodent renal inner medulla. Information on aquaporin water channel and urea transporter expression has increased our understanding of functional segmentation of medullary thin limbs of Henle's loops, collecting ducts, and vasa recta. A more complete understanding of membrane transporters and medullary architecture has identified new and potentially significant interactions between these structures and the interstitium. These interactions are now being introduced into our concept of how the inner medullary urine-concentrating mechanism works. A variety of regulatory pathways lead directly or indirectly to variable patterns of fluid and solute movements among the interstitial and tissue compartments. Animals with the ability to produce highly concentrated urine, such as desert species, are considered to exemplify tubular structure and function that optimize urine concentration. These species may provide unique insights into the urine-concentrating process.(1)

  15. Comparative physiology and architecture associated with the mammalian urine concentrating mechanism: role of inner medullary water and urea transport pathways in the rodent medulla

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Comparative studies of renal structure and function have potential to provide insights into the urine-concentrating mechanism of the mammalian kidney. This review focuses on the tubular transport pathways for water and urea that play key roles in fluid and solute movements between various compartments of the rodent renal inner medulla. Information on aquaporin water channel and urea transporter expression has increased our understanding of functional segmentation of medullary thin limbs of Henle's loops, collecting ducts, and vasa recta. A more complete understanding of membrane transporters and medullary architecture has identified new and potentially significant interactions between these structures and the interstitium. These interactions are now being introduced into our concept of how the inner medullary urine-concentrating mechanism works. A variety of regulatory pathways lead directly or indirectly to variable patterns of fluid and solute movements among the interstitial and tissue compartments. Animals with the ability to produce highly concentrated urine, such as desert species, are considered to exemplify tubular structure and function that optimize urine concentration. These species may provide unique insights into the urine-concentrating process.1 PMID:23364530

  16. Effects of Hydration and Calcium Supplementation on Urine Calcium Concentration in Healthy Postmenopausal Women.

    PubMed

    Harris, Susan S; Dawson-Hughes, Bess

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether calcium supplementation, compared with placebo, increases urine calcium concentrations to levels indicative of increased renal stone risk, and the role that fluid intake, as indicated by urine volume, may play in mitigating this risk. This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized placebo-controlled trial of 500 mg/d calcium supplementation to prevent bone loss. Subjects were 240 white postmenopausal women age 40 to 70 years in good general health. Effects of supplementation on 1-year changes in 24h urine calcium concentration and urine volume were examined. Both treatment group and urine volume were strong independent predictors of urine calcium concentration (p < 0.001). Among subjects with urine volume under 2 L/24 h, more than half of placebo subjects were at lowest risk for renal stones compared with less than 35% of calcium-supplemented subjects. Among those with higher urine volumes, all placebo subjects and more than 80% of calcium supplemented subjects were at lowest risk. The increased risk of renal stones with calcium supplement use may be largely eliminated with adequate fluid intake, but older adults may not spontaneously consume adequate fluids to minimize this risk and should be counseled to do so.

  17. Serum and urine concentrations of trypsinogen-activation peptide as markers for acute pancreatitis in cats

    PubMed Central

    Allen, Heidi S.; Steiner, Jörg; Broussard, John; Mansfield, Caroline; Williams, David A.; Jones, Boyd

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical utility of the serum concentration of feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity (fTLI), the plasma and urine concentrations of trypsinogen-activation peptide (TAP), and the ratio of the urine TAP and creatinine concentrations (TAP:Cr) in the diagnosis of feline acute pancreatitis. We used 13 healthy cats and 10 cats with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. The mean serum fTLI and plasma TAP concentrations were significantly higher in the cats with acute pancreatitis than in the healthy cats (P < 0.05); the mean urine TAP concentrations and the median urine TAP:Cr ratios were not significantly different. Among the cats examined in this study, there was no benefit of plasma TAP over serum fTLI in the evaluation of suspected acute pancreatitis. PMID:17042387

  18. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a sorbent material for the solid phase extraction of lead from urine and subsequent determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peña Crecente, Rosa M.; Lovera, Carlha Gutiérrez; García, Julia Barciela; Méndez, Jennifer Álvarez; Martín, Sagrario García; Latorre, Carlos Herrero

    2014-11-01

    The determination of lead in urine is a way of monitoring the chemical exposure to this metal. In the present paper, a new method for the Pb determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) in urine at low levels has been developed. Lead was separated from the undesirable urine matrix by means of a solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure. Oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been used as a sorbent material. Lead from urine was retained at pH 4.0 and was quantitatively eluted using a 0.7 M nitric acid solution and was subsequently measured by ETAAS. The effects of parameters that influence the adsorption-elution process (such as pH, eluent volume and concentration, sampling and elution flow rates) and the atomic spectrometry conditions have been studied by means of different factorial design strategies. Under the optimized conditions, the detection and quantification limits obtained were 0.08 and 0.26 μg Pb L- 1, respectively. The results demonstrate the absence of a urine matrix effect and this is the consequence of the SPE process carried out. Therefore, the developed method is useful for the analysis of Pb at low levels in real samples without the influence of other urine components. The proposed method was applied to the determination of lead in urine samples of unexposed healthy people and satisfactory results were obtained (in the range 3.64-22.9 μg Pb L- 1).

  19. A method for estimating radioactive cesium concentrations in cattle blood using urine samples.

    PubMed

    Sato, Itaru; Yamagishi, Ryoma; Sasaki, Jun; Satoh, Hiroshi; Miura, Kiyoshi; Kikuchi, Kaoru; Otani, Kumiko; Okada, Keiji

    2017-12-01

    In the region contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear accident, radioactive contamination of live cattle should be checked before slaughter. In this study, we establish a precise method for estimating radioactive cesium concentrations in cattle blood using urine samples. Blood and urine samples were collected from a total of 71 cattle on two farms in the 'difficult-to-return zone'. Urine 137 Cs, specific gravity, electrical conductivity, pH, sodium, potassium, calcium, and creatinine were measured and various estimation methods for blood 137 Cs were tested. The average error rate of the estimation was 54.2% without correction. Correcting for urine creatinine, specific gravity, electrical conductivity, or potassium improved the precision of the estimation. Correcting for specific gravity using the following formula gave the most precise estimate (average error rate = 16.9%): [blood 137 Cs] = [urinary 137 Cs]/([specific gravity] - 1)/329. Urine samples are faster to measure than blood samples because urine can be obtained in larger quantities and has a higher 137 Cs concentration than blood. These advantages of urine and the estimation precision demonstrated in our study, indicate that estimation of blood 137 Cs using urine samples is a practical means of monitoring radioactive contamination in live cattle. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  20. Impedimetric method for measuring ultra-low E. coli concentrations in human urine.

    PubMed

    Settu, Kalpana; Chen, Ching-Jung; Liu, Jen-Tsai; Chen, Chien-Lung; Tsai, Jang-Zern

    2015-04-15

    In this study, we developed an interdigitated gold microelectrode-based impedance sensor to detect Escherichia coli (E. coli) in human urine samples for urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis. E. coli growth in human urine samples was successfully monitored during a 12-h culture, and the results showed that the maximum relative changes could be measured at 10Hz. An equivalent electrical circuit model was used for evaluating the variations in impedance characteristics of bacterial growth. The equivalent circuit analysis indicated that the change in impedance values at low frequencies was caused by double layer capacitance due to bacterial attachment and formation of biofilm on electrode surface in urine. A linear relationship between the impedance change and initial E. coli concentration was obtained with the coefficient of determination R(2)>0.90 at various growth times of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12h in urine. Thus our sensor is capable of detecting a wide range of E. coli concentration, 7×10(0) to 7×10(8) cells/ml, in urine samples with high sensitivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Concentrations of Phthalate Metabolites in Milk, Urine, Saliva, and Serum of Lactating North Carolina Women

    PubMed Central

    Hines, Erin P.; Calafat, Antonia M.; Silva, Manori J.; Mendola, Pauline; Fenton, Suzanne E.

    2009-01-01

    Background Phthalates are ubiquitous in the environment, but concentrations in multiple media from breast-feeding U.S. women have not been evaluated. Objectives The objective of this study was to accurately measure and compare the concentrations of oxidative monoester phthalate metabolites in milk and surrogate fluids (serum, saliva, and urine) of 33 lactating North Carolina women. Methods We analyzed serum, saliva, urine, and milk for the oxidative phthalate metabolites mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate, mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate using isotope-dilution high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy. Because only urine lacks esterases, we analyzed it for the hydrolytic phthalate monoesters. Results We detected phthalate metabolites in few milk (< 10%) and saliva samples. MECPP was detected in > 80% of serum samples, but other metabolites were less common (3–22%). Seven of the 10 urinary metabolites were detectable in ≥ 85% of samples. Monoethyl phthalate had the highest mean concentration in urine. Metabolite concentrations differed by body fluid (urine > serum > milk and saliva). Questionnaire data suggest that frequent nail polish use, immunoglobulin A, and fasting serum glucose and triglyceride levels were increased among women with higher concentrations of urinary and/or serum phthalate metabolites; motor vehicle age was inversely correlated with certain urinary phthalate concentrations. Conclusions Our data suggest that phthalate metabolites are most frequently detected in urine of lactating women and are less often detected in serum, milk, or saliva. Urinary phthalate concentrations reflect maternal exposure and do not represent the concentrations of oxidative metabolites in other body fluids, especially milk. PMID:19165392

  2. Comparison of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron concentrations of elements in 24-h urine and spot urine in hypertensive patients with healthy renal function.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Tianjing; Chang, Xiaoyu; Liu, Wanlu; Li, Xiaoxia; Wang, Faxuan; Huang, Liping; Liao, Sha; Liu, Xiuying; Zhang, Yuhong; Zhao, Yi

    2017-12-01

    Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron are associated with the sequela of hypertension. The most reliable method for testing those elements is by collecting 24-h urine samples. However, this is cumbersome and collection of spot urine is more convenient in some circumstance. The aim of this study was to compare the concentrations of different elements in 24-h urine and spot urine. Data was collected from a sub-study of China Salt Substitute and Stroke Study. 240 participants were recruited randomly from 12 villages in two counties in Ningxia, China. Both spot and 24-h urine specimens were collected from each patient. Routine urine test was conducted, and concentration of elements was measured using microwave digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry. Partial correlation analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were used to investigate the concentration of different elements and the relationship between 24- h urine and spot urine. A partial correlation in sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron was found between paired 24-h urine and spot urine samples except copper and zinc: 0.430, 0.426, 0.550, 0.221 and 0.191 respectively. Spot urine can replace 24-h urine for estimating some of the elements in hypertensive patients with normal renal function. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  3. Short term effects of increasing dietary salt concentrations on urine composition in healthy cats.

    PubMed

    Paßlack, N; Burmeier, H; Brenten, T; Neumann, K; Zentek, J

    2014-09-01

    High dietary salt (NaCl) concentrations are assumed to be beneficial in preventing the formation of calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths in cats, since increased water intake and urine volume have been observed subsequent to intake. In human beings, dietary NaCl restriction is recommended for the prevention of CaOx urolith formation, since high NaCl intake is associated with increased urinary Ca excretion. The aim of the present study was to clarify the role of dietary NaCl in the formation of CaOx uroliths in cats. Eight cats received four diets that differed in Na and Cl concentrations (0.38-1.43% Na and 0.56-2.52% Cl dry matter, DM). Each feeding period consisted of a 21 day adaptation period, followed by a 7 day sampling period for urine collection. Higher dietary NaCl concentrations were associated with increased urine volume and renal Na excretion. Urinary Ca concentration was constant, but renal Ca excretion increased from 0.62 to 1.05 mg/kg bodyweight (BW)/day with higher dietary NaCl concentrations (P ≤ 0.05). Urinary oxalate (Ox), citrate, P and K concentrations decreased when NaCl intake was high (P ≤ 0.05), and urinary pH was low in all groups (6.33-6.45; P > 0.05). Relative supersaturation of CaOx in the urine was unaffected by dietary NaCl concentrations. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated several beneficial effects of high dietary NaCl intake over a relatively short time period. In particular, urinary Ca concentration remained unchanged because of increased urine volume. Decreased urinary Ox concentrations might help to prevent the formation of CaOx uroliths, but this should be verified in future studies in diseased or predisposed cats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. PBPK and population modelling to interpret urine cadmium concentrations of the French population

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Béchaux, Camille, E-mail: Camille.bechaux@anses.fr; Bodin, Laurent; Clémençon, Stéphan

    As cadmium accumulates mainly in kidney, urinary concentrations are considered as relevant data to assess the risk related to cadmium. The French Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) recorded the concentration of cadmium in the urine of the French population. However, as with all biomonitoring data, it needs to be linked to external exposure for it to be interpreted in term of sources of exposure and for risk management purposes. The objective of this work is thus to interpret the cadmium biomonitoring data of the French population in terms of dietary and cigarette smoke exposures. Dietary and smoking habits recorded inmore » the ENNS study were combined with contamination levels in food and cigarettes to assess individual exposures. A PBPK model was used in a Bayesian population model to link this external exposure with the measured urinary concentrations. In this model, the level of the past exposure was corrected thanks to a scaling function which account for a trend in the French dietary exposure. It resulted in a modelling which was able to explain the current urinary concentrations measured in the French population through current and past exposure levels. Risk related to cadmium exposure in the general French population was then assessed from external and internal critical values corresponding to kidney effects. The model was also applied to predict the possible urinary concentrations of the French population in 2030 assuming there will be no more changes in the exposures levels. This scenario leads to significantly lower concentrations and consequently lower related risk. - Highlights: • Interpretation of urine cadmium concentrations in France • PBPK and Bayesian population modelling of cadmium exposure • Assessment of the historic time-trend of the cadmium exposure in France • Risk assessment from current and future external and internal exposure.« less

  5. Blood, urine, and hair kinetic analysis following an acute lead intoxication.

    PubMed

    Ho, G; Keutgens, A; Schoofs, R; Kotolenko, S; Denooz, R; Charlier, C

    2011-01-01

    A case of lead exposure resulting from the accidental ingestion of a lead-containing solution is reported. Because of clinical management rapidly performed through chelation therapy by 2,3-dimercaptopropane sulfonate sodium and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, blood lead levels of this 51-year-old patient were moderate (412.9 μg/L) and no clinical symptoms were observed. Numerous blood and urine samples were collected for kinetic analysis of lead elimination. However, we report the first case in which hair samples were analyzed to determine the excretion level of lead after acute intoxication.

  6. The effects of CaEDTA injection on lead, zinc, copper and ALAD in erythrocyte, plasma and urine in lead-exposed workers: a 24-h observation.

    PubMed

    Aono, H; Araki, S

    1984-01-01

    To evaluate the effects of calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate (CaEDTA) on the concentrations of lead, zinc and copper in plasma, erythrocyte and urine, and the delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity in erythrocyte, we administered CaEDTA in 1-h intravenous infusion to ten male gun metal founders with blood-lead concentration of 39 to 64 micrograms/dl (mean 49 micrograms/dl). We found that the plasma concentration of lead, following a rapid rise within the first 3 h, fell temporarily to the level significantly lower than the initial level 19 h after start of the infusion. The plasma concentration of zinc fell to the minimal level 5 h after the infusion; and the erythrocyte concentration of zinc and the ALAD activity concurrently rose to the maximal level 5 h after the infusion. By contrast, no significant alteration was observed in the concentrations of copper in plasma and erythrocyte. The maximal level of urinary metal excretion was attained during the period between 1 and 2 h after start of CaEDTA infusion for lead; within 2 h for zinc; and between 2 and 4 h for copper. The urinary metal excretion returned to the initial level 14 to 24 h after infusion for zinc and copper; but lead excretion was still higher than the initial level during this period. The difference in the kinetics of the three metals following CaEDTA injection is discussed in the light of these findings.

  7. A population study of urine glycerol concentrations in elite athletes competing in North America.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Brian N; Madsen, Myke; Sharpe, Ken; Nair, Vinod; Eichner, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    Glycerol is an endogenous substance that is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of prohibited threshold substances due to its potential use as a plasma volume expansion agent. The WADA has set the threshold for urine glycerol, including measurement uncertainty, at 1.3 mg/mL. Glycerol in circulation largely comes from metabolism of triglycerides in order to meet energy requirements and when the renal threshold is eclipsed, glycerol is excreted into urine. In part due to ethnic differences in postprandial triglyceride concentrations, we investigated urine glycerol concentrations in a population of elite athletes competing in North America and compared the results to those of athletes competing in Europe. 959 urine samples from elite athletes competing in North America collected for anti-doping purposes were analyzed for urine glycerol concentrations by a gas chromatography mass-spectrometry method. Samples were divided into groups according to: Timing (in- or out-of-competition), Class (strength, game, or endurance sports) and Gender. 333 (34.7%) samples had undetectable amounts of glycerol (<1 μg/mL). 861 (89.8%) of the samples had glycerol concentrations ≤20 μg/mL. The highest glycerol concentration observed was 652 μg/mL. Analysis of the data finds the effects of each category to be statistically significant. The largest estimate of the 99.9(th) percentile, from the in-competition, female, strength athlete samples, was 1813 μg/mL with a 95% confidence range from 774 to 4251 μg/mL. This suggests a conservative threshold of 4.3 mg/mL, which would result in a reasonable detection window for urine samples collected in-competition for all genders and sport classes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Predictors and correlations of phthalate metabolite concentrations in urine and seminal plasma among reproductive-aged men.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yi-Xin; Liu, Chong; Chen, Ying-Jun; Chen, Heng-Gui; Yang, Pan; Wang, Peng; Huang, Li-Li; Ai, Song-Hua; Duan, Peng; Pan, An; Zeng, Qiang; Lu, Wen-Qing

    2018-02-01

    Certain phthalates are suspected to be endocrine disruptors that are adversely associated with male reproductive health. However, the predictors and correlations of phthalate metabolite concentrations in urine and seminal plasma among reproductive-aged men have not been thoroughly studied. To investigate the predictors and correlations of phthalate metabolite concentrations in urine and seminal plasma among adult Chinese males. We measured mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monomethyl phthalate (MMP), monoethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-n-octyl phthalate (MOP), mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) concentrations in seminal plasma and repeated spot-urine samples from 687 men who visited a reproductive center. Mixed-effect models were used to examine the associations of sociodemographic, lifestyle and medical factors with urinary metabolite concentrations. Linear regression models were used to identify predictors of metabolite concentrations in seminal plasma and correlations between metabolite concentrations in spot urine samples and seminal plasma. Measurements taken from spot urine samples poorly predicted same-day seminal plasma concentrations (all R 2 <0.10). Inverse associations were observed between education level and urinary MBP and MEOHP and between household income and urinary MMP; receiving intravenous infusion therapy was associated with increased urinary MBP, MEHHP and MEOHP, use of facial cleanser/cream was associated with increased MEP, and smoking was associated with increased MEHP. The predictors of metabolite concentrations in seminal plasma differed from those in urine, except for the association of intravenous infusion therapy with MBP. BMI was associated with increased seminal plasma MBP, MEHP and MEOHP, smoking was associated with increased MEP, and contact with plastics was associated with increased MEOHP. Phthalate metabolite

  9. Metformin improves urine concentration in rodents with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

    PubMed Central

    Efe, Orhan; Klein, Janet D.; LaRocque, Lauren M.; Ren, Huiwen; Sands, Jeff M.

    2016-01-01

    Urine concentration is regulated by vasopressin. Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is caused by vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R) mutations. We studied whether metformin could improve urine concentration in rodent models of congenital NDI by stimulating AMPK. To block the V2R in rats, tolvaptan (10 mg/kg/d) was given by oral gavage with or without metformin (800 mg/kg/d). Control rats received vehicle with or without metformin. Tamoxifen-induced V2R KO mice were given metformin (600 mg/kg) or vehicle twice daily. Urine osmolality in tolvaptan-treated rats (1,303 ± 126 mOsM) was restored to control levels by metformin (2,335 ± 273 mOsM) within 3 days and was sustained for up to 10 days. Metformin increased protein abundance of inner medullary urea transporter UT-A1 by 61% and aquaporin 2 (AQP2) by 44% in tolvaptan-treated rats, and immunohistochemistry showed increased membrane accumulation of AQP2 with acute and chronic AMPK stimulation. Outer medullary Na+-K+-2Cl– cotransporter 2 (NKCC2) abundance increased (117%) with AMPK stimulation in control rats but not in V2R-blocked rats. Metformin increased V2R KO mouse urine osmolality within 3 hours, and the increase persisted for up to 12 hours. Metformin increased AQP2 in the V2R KO mice similar to the tolvaptan-treated rats. These results indicate that AMPK activators, such as metformin, might provide a promising treatment for congenital NDI. PMID:27478876

  10. A magnetic bead-based method for concentrating DNA from human urine for downstream detection.

    PubMed

    Bordelon, Hali; Russ, Patricia K; Wright, David W; Haselton, Frederick R

    2013-01-01

    Due to the presence of PCR inhibitors, PCR cannot be used directly on most clinical samples, including human urine, without pre-treatment. A magnetic bead-based strategy is one potential method to collect biomarkers from urine samples and separate the biomarkers from PCR inhibitors. In this report, a 1 mL urine sample was mixed within the bulb of a transfer pipette containing lyophilized nucleic acid-silica adsorption buffer and silica-coated magnetic beads. After mixing, the sample was transferred from the pipette bulb to a small diameter tube, and captured biomarkers were concentrated using magnetic entrainment of beads through pre-arrayed wash solutions separated by small air gaps. Feasibility was tested using synthetic segments of the 140 bp tuberculosis IS6110 DNA sequence spiked into pooled human urine samples. DNA recovery was evaluated by qPCR. Despite the presence of spiked DNA, no DNA was detectable in unextracted urine samples, presumably due to the presence of PCR inhibitors. However, following extraction with the magnetic bead-based method, we found that ∼50% of spiked TB DNA was recovered from human urine containing roughly 5×10(3) to 5×10(8) copies of IS6110 DNA. In addition, the DNA was concentrated approximately ten-fold into water. The final concentration of DNA in the eluate was 5×10(6), 14×10(6), and 8×10(6) copies/µL for 1, 3, and 5 mL urine samples, respectively. Lyophilized and freshly prepared reagents within the transfer pipette produced similar results, suggesting that long-term storage without refrigeration is possible. DNA recovery increased with the length of the spiked DNA segments from 10±0.9% for a 75 bp DNA sequence to 42±4% for a 100 bp segment and 58±9% for a 140 bp segment. The estimated LOD was 77 copies of DNA/µL of urine. The strategy presented here provides a simple means to achieve high nucleic acid recovery from easily obtained urine samples, which does not contain inhibitors of PCR.

  11. A Magnetic Bead-Based Method for Concentrating DNA from Human Urine for Downstream Detection

    PubMed Central

    Bordelon, Hali; Russ, Patricia K.; Wright, David W.; Haselton, Frederick R.

    2013-01-01

    Due to the presence of PCR inhibitors, PCR cannot be used directly on most clinical samples, including human urine, without pre-treatment. A magnetic bead-based strategy is one potential method to collect biomarkers from urine samples and separate the biomarkers from PCR inhibitors. In this report, a 1 mL urine sample was mixed within the bulb of a transfer pipette containing lyophilized nucleic acid-silica adsorption buffer and silica-coated magnetic beads. After mixing, the sample was transferred from the pipette bulb to a small diameter tube, and captured biomarkers were concentrated using magnetic entrainment of beads through pre-arrayed wash solutions separated by small air gaps. Feasibility was tested using synthetic segments of the 140 bp tuberculosis IS6110 DNA sequence spiked into pooled human urine samples. DNA recovery was evaluated by qPCR. Despite the presence of spiked DNA, no DNA was detectable in unextracted urine samples, presumably due to the presence of PCR inhibitors. However, following extraction with the magnetic bead-based method, we found that ∼50% of spiked TB DNA was recovered from human urine containing roughly 5×103 to 5×108 copies of IS6110 DNA. In addition, the DNA was concentrated approximately ten-fold into water. The final concentration of DNA in the eluate was 5×106, 14×106, and 8×106 copies/µL for 1, 3, and 5 mL urine samples, respectively. Lyophilized and freshly prepared reagents within the transfer pipette produced similar results, suggesting that long-term storage without refrigeration is possible. DNA recovery increased with the length of the spiked DNA segments from 10±0.9% for a 75 bp DNA sequence to 42±4% for a 100 bp segment and 58±9% for a 140 bp segment. The estimated LOD was 77 copies of DNA/µL of urine. The strategy presented here provides a simple means to achieve high nucleic acid recovery from easily obtained urine samples, which does not contain inhibitors of PCR. PMID:23861895

  12. Identification of the inactivating factors and mechanisms exerted on MS2 coliphage in concentrated synthetic urine.

    PubMed

    Oishi, Wakana; Sano, Daisuke; Decrey, Loic; Kadoya, Syunsuke; Kohn, Tamar; Funamizu, Naoyuki

    2017-11-15

    Volume reduction (condensation) is a key for the practical usage of human urine as a fertilizer because it enables the saving of storage space and the reduction of transportation cost. However, concentrated urine may carry infectious disease risks resulting from human pathogens frequently present in excreta, though the survival of pathogens in concentrated urine is not well understood. In this study, the inactivation of MS2 coliphage, a surrogate for single-stranded RNA human enteric viruses, in concentrated synthetic urine was investigated. The infectious titer reduction of MS2 coliphage in synthetic urine samples was measured by plaque assay, and the reduction of genome copy number was monitored by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RTqPCR). Among chemical-physical conditions such as pH and osmotic pressure, uncharged ammonia was shown to be the predominant factor responsible for MS2 inactivation, independently of urine concentration level. The reduction rate of the viral genome number varied among genome regions, but the comprehensive reduction rate of six genome regions was well correlated with that of the infectious titer of MS2 coliphage. This indicates that genome degradation is the main mechanism driving loss of infectivity, and that RT-qPCR targeting the six genome regions can be used as a culture-independent assay for monitoring infectivity loss of the coliphage in urine. MS2 inactivation rate constants were well predicted by a model using ion composition and speciation in synthetic urine samples, which suggests that MS2 infectivity loss can be estimated solely based on the solution composition, temperature and pH, without explicitly accounting for effects of osmotic pressure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Maximum urine concentrating capability in a mathematical model of the inner medulla of the rat kidney.

    PubMed

    Marcano, Mariano; Layton, Anita T; Layton, Harold E

    2010-02-01

    In a mathematical model of the urine concentrating mechanism of the inner medulla of the rat kidney, a nonlinear optimization technique was used to estimate parameter sets that maximize the urine-to-plasma osmolality ratio (U/P) while maintaining the urine flow rate within a plausible physiologic range. The model, which used a central core formulation, represented loops of Henle turning at all levels of the inner medulla and a composite collecting duct (CD). The parameters varied were: water flow and urea concentration in tubular fluid entering the descending thin limbs and the composite CD at the outer-inner medullary boundary; scaling factors for the number of loops of Henle and CDs as a function of medullary depth; location and increase rate of the urea permeability profile along the CD; and a scaling factor for the maximum rate of NaCl transport from the CD. The optimization algorithm sought to maximize a quantity E that equaled U/P minus a penalty function for insufficient urine flow. Maxima of E were sought by changing parameter values in the direction in parameter space in which E increased. The algorithm attained a maximum E that increased urine osmolality and inner medullary concentrating capability by 37.5% and 80.2%, respectively, above base-case values; the corresponding urine flow rate and the concentrations of NaCl and urea were all within or near reported experimental ranges. Our results predict that urine osmolality is particularly sensitive to three parameters: the urea concentration in tubular fluid entering the CD at the outer-inner medullary boundary, the location and increase rate of the urea permeability profile along the CD, and the rate of decrease of the CD population (and thus of CD surface area) along the cortico-medullary axis.

  14. Essential and toxic element concentrations in blood and urine and their associations with diet: results from a Norwegian population study including high-consumers of seafood and game.

    PubMed

    Birgisdottir, B E; Knutsen, H K; Haugen, M; Gjelstad, I M; Jenssen, M T S; Ellingsen, D G; Thomassen, Y; Alexander, J; Meltzer, H M; Brantsæter, A L

    2013-10-01

    The first aim of the study was to evaluate calculated dietary intake and concentrations measured in blood or urine of essential and toxic elements in relation to nutritional and toxicological reference values. The second aim was to identify patterns of the element concentrations in blood and urine and to identify possible dietary determinants of the concentrations of these elements. Adults with a known high consumption of environmental contaminants (n=111), and a random sample of controls (n=76) answered a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Complete data on biological measures were available for 179 individuals. Blood and urine samples were analyzed for selenium, iodine, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and lead. Principal component analysis was used to identify underlying patterns of correlated blood and urine concentrations. The calculated intakes of selenium, iodine, inorganic arsenic and mercury were within guideline levels. For cadmium 24% of the high consumer group and 8% of the control group had intakes above the tolerable weekly intake. Concentrations of lead in blood exceeded the bench-mark dose lower confidence limits for some participants. However, overall, the examined exposures did not give rise to nutritional or toxicological concerns. Game consumption was associated with lead in blood (B(ln) 0.021; 95%CI:0.010, 0.031) and wine consumption. Seafood consumption was associated with urinary cadmium in non-smokers (B(ln) 0.009; 95%CI:0.003, 0.015). A novel finding was a distinct pattern of positively associated biological markers, comprising iodine, selenium, arsenic and mercury (eigenvalue 3.8), reflecting seafood intake (B 0.007; 95%CI:0.004, 0.010). The study clearly demonstrates the significance of seafood as a source of both essential nutrients and toxic elements simultaneously and shows that exposure to various essential and toxic elements can be intertwined. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. [Blood and urine lead levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Villegas, M del Carmen S; Cortés-Vargas, Astrid; Hidalgo-Luna, Ricardo Gerardo; Alam-Escamilla, David Abraham; Vargas-García, Víctor Manuel; Loría-Castellanos, Jorge

    2014-01-01

    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in children; symptoms can persist into adult life by 60 %. Our objective was to quantify the levels of lead in blood and urine in pediatric patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We did an observational study which included a captive population of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the mental health service of Hospital General, from Centro Médico Nacional La Raza. Lead levels were determined in blood and urine by atomic absorption technique. We included 39 patients, 932 % male, with a mean age of 9.2 ± 2.16 years. The deficit and hyperactivity disorder combined type was the most frequent (69.2 %); 49 % of patients were found with toxic lead levels in blood (above 10 mg/dL); 17.9 % with stage III and 5.12 % with stage IV, according to the Mexican Official Standard (NOM-199-SSA-2000). Significant association was found between blood lead levels and the clinical expression of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Levels of lead exposure during early childhood have been shown to be inversely proportional to neurological development in the first seven years of life. Data results are insufficient to relate them with causality.

  16. Reagent- and separation-free measurements of urine creatinine concentration using stamping surface enhanced Raman scattering (S-SERS)

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ming; Du, Yong; Zhao, Fusheng; Zeng, Jianbo; Mohan, Chandra; Shih, Wei-Chuan

    2015-01-01

    We report a novel reagent- and separation-free method for urine creatinine concentration measurement using stamping surface enhanced Raman scattering (S-SERS) technique with nanoporous gold disk (NPGD) plasmonic substrates, a label-free, multiplexed molecular sensing and imaging technique recently developed by us. The performance of this new technology is evaluated by the detection and quantification of creatinine spiked in three different liquids: creatinine in water, mixture of creatinine and urea in water, and creatinine in artificial urine within physiologically relevant concentration ranges. Moreover, the potential application of our method is demonstrated by creatinine concentration measurements in urine samples collected from a mouse model of nephritis. The limit of detection of creatinine was 13.2 nM (0.15 µg/dl) and 0.68 mg/dl in water and urine, respectively. Our method would provide an alternative tool for rapid, cost-effective, and reliable urine analysis for non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of renal function. PMID:25798309

  17. Osmolality urine test

    MedlinePlus

    ... balance and urine concentration. Osmolality is a more exact measurement of urine concentration than the urine specific ... must be authorized in writing by ADAM Health Solutions. About MedlinePlus Site Map FAQs Customer Support Get ...

  18. Role of thin descending limb urea transport in renal urea handling and the urine concentrating mechanism

    PubMed Central

    Lei, Tianluo; Zhou, Lei; Layton, Anita T.; Zhou, Hong; Zhao, Xuejian; Bankir, Lise

    2011-01-01

    Urea transporters UT-A2 and UT-B are expressed in epithelia of thin descending limb of Henle's loop and in descending vasa recta, respectively. To study their role and possible interaction in the context of the urine concentration mechanism, a UT-A2 and UT-B double knockout (UT-A2/B knockout) mouse model was generated by targeted deletion of the UT-A2 promoter in embryonic stem cells with UT-B gene knockout. The UT-A2/B knockout mice lacked detectable UT-A2 and UT-B transcripts and proteins and showed normal survival and growth. Daily urine output was significantly higher in UT-A2/B knockout mice than that in wild-type mice and lower than that in UT-B knockout mice. Urine osmolality in UT-A2/B knockout mice was intermediate between that in UT-B knockout and wild-type mice. The changes in urine osmolality and flow rate, plasma and urine urea concentration, as well as non-urea solute concentration after an acute urea load or chronic changes in protein intake suggested that UT-A2 plays a role in the progressive accumulation of urea in the inner medulla. These results suggest that in wild-type mice UT-A2 facilitates urea absorption by urea efflux from the thin descending limb of short loops of Henle. Moreover, UT-A2 deletion in UT-B knockout mice partially remedies the urine concentrating defect caused by UT-B deletion, by reducing urea loss from the descending limbs to the peripheral circulation; instead, urea is returned to the inner medulla through the loops of Henle and the collecting ducts. PMID:21849488

  19. Role of thin descending limb urea transport in renal urea handling and the urine concentrating mechanism.

    PubMed

    Lei, Tianluo; Zhou, Lei; Layton, Anita T; Zhou, Hong; Zhao, Xuejian; Bankir, Lise; Yang, Baoxue

    2011-12-01

    Urea transporters UT-A2 and UT-B are expressed in epithelia of thin descending limb of Henle's loop and in descending vasa recta, respectively. To study their role and possible interaction in the context of the urine concentration mechanism, a UT-A2 and UT-B double knockout (UT-A2/B knockout) mouse model was generated by targeted deletion of the UT-A2 promoter in embryonic stem cells with UT-B gene knockout. The UT-A2/B knockout mice lacked detectable UT-A2 and UT-B transcripts and proteins and showed normal survival and growth. Daily urine output was significantly higher in UT-A2/B knockout mice than that in wild-type mice and lower than that in UT-B knockout mice. Urine osmolality in UT-A2/B knockout mice was intermediate between that in UT-B knockout and wild-type mice. The changes in urine osmolality and flow rate, plasma and urine urea concentration, as well as non-urea solute concentration after an acute urea load or chronic changes in protein intake suggested that UT-A2 plays a role in the progressive accumulation of urea in the inner medulla. These results suggest that in wild-type mice UT-A2 facilitates urea absorption by urea efflux from the thin descending limb of short loops of Henle. Moreover, UT-A2 deletion in UT-B knockout mice partially remedies the urine concentrating defect caused by UT-B deletion, by reducing urea loss from the descending limbs to the peripheral circulation; instead, urea is returned to the inner medulla through the loops of Henle and the collecting ducts.

  20. Relationship Not Found Between Blood and Urine Concentrations and Body Mass Index in Humans With Apparently Adequate Boron Status.

    PubMed

    Koc, Fulya; Aysan, Erhan; Hasbahceci, Mustafa; Arpaci, Beyza; Gecer, Salih; Demirci, Selami; Sahin, Fikrettin

    2016-06-01

    The impact of boron on the development of obesity remains controversial in the analysis of experimental and clinical data. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between blood and urine boron concentrations and obesity in normal, overweight, obese, and morbidly obese subjects in different age groups. A total of 105 subjects were categorized into 12 groups based on body mass index and three different age levels: as young adult (18 to 34 years old), adult (35 to 54 years old), and older adult (greater than 55 years old). Age, gender, body mass index, and blood and urine boron concentrations were recorded for each subject. There were 50 women and 55 men, with a mean age of 44.63 ± 17.9 years. Blood and urine boron concentrations were similar among the groups (p = 0.510 and p = 0.228, respectively). However, a positive correlation between age and blood boron concentration (p = 0.001) was detected in contrast to the presence of a negative correlation between age and urine boron concentration (p = 0.027). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that there was no significant relationship between gender, age, and quantitative values of body mass index for each subject, and blood and urine boron concentrations. Although the relationship between boron and obesity has not been confirmed, changes of blood and urine boron concentrations with age may have some physiologic sequences to cause obesity.

  1. 1-Hydroxypyrene concentrations in first morning voids and 24-h composite urine: intra- and inter-individual comparisons.

    PubMed

    Han, In-Kyu; Duan, Xiaoli; Zhang, Lin; Yang, Hongbiao; Rhoads, George G; Wei, Fusheng; Zhang, Junfeng

    2008-09-01

    Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) has been suggested as an exposure biomarker for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, it remains unknown whether a first morning urine sample can be used to reflect average exposure. In this paper, we examine intra-individual differences and inter-individual associations between first morning voids and 24-h composite urine samples. The analysis was performed using data collected from 100 adults who had a wide range of PAH exposure due to differences in their occupation, e.g., coke oven workers vs. non-coke oven workers. For each subject, all the urine voids within each of two 24-h measurement periods were collected. Results showed a significant (40% to 62%) intra-individual difference between first morning voids and 24-h urinary 1-OHP concentrations (in ng/ml urine). Creatinine adjustments of 1-OHP concentrations (in micromol/mol urinary creatinine) reduced the intra-individual difference by approximately 10%. Across all the subjects, a high overall correlation (r=0.76) was observed between first morning and 24-h average 1-OHP concentrations. Work environment and sampling season were found to significantly affect the relationship between first morning and 24-h 1-OHP concentrations. An increase of 1 ng/ml of first morning urinary 1-OHP predicted an increase of 0.5 and 0.25 ng/ml of 24-h urinary 1-OHP for coke oven workers and non-coke oven workers, respectively. Data collected in a winter season showed a higher correlation between first morning and 24-h concentrations than data collected in a fall season. Creatinine adjustments did not significantly improve overall correlations between first morning void and 24-h measurements, but increased total variances for 24-h urines explained by first morning urines in coke workers.

  2. Influence of storage conditions on aluminum concentrations in serum, dialysis fluid, urine, and tap water.

    PubMed

    Wilhelm, M; Ohnesorge, F K

    1990-01-01

    The influence of storage temperature, vessel type, and treatment on alterations of aluminum (Al) concentrations in serum, urine, and dialysis fluid samples was studied at three different concentrations for each sample over an 18-month period. Furthermore, the influence of acidification on Al levels in tap water, urine, and dialysis fluid samples was studied over a four-month period. Al was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Sample storage in glass vessels was unsuitable, whereas only minor alterations of Al levels were observed with storage in polypropylene tubes, polystyrene tubes, and Monovettes. By using appropriate plastic containers, acid washing of the vessels showed no improvement. Frozen storage was superior compared with 4 degrees C, whereas storage at -80 degrees C offered no advantage compared with storage at -20 degrees C. Acidification of tap water samples was necessary to stabilize Al levels during storage. No striking effect of acidification on Al levels in urine and dialysis fluid samples was found. It is concluded that longterm storage of serum, urine, tap water, and dialysis fluid samples is possible if appropriate conditions are used.

  3. Role of urea in the postprandial urine concentration cycle of the insectivorous bat Antrozous pallidus.

    PubMed

    Bassett, John E

    2004-02-01

    Insectivorous bats, which feed once daily, produce maximally concentrated urine only after feeding. The role of urea as an osmolyte in this process was investigated in pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus) in the laboratory. Following a 24-h fast, plasma and urine were sampled before and 2 h after feeding in postprandial (PP) animals and before and 2 h after similar treatment without feeding in nonfed (NF) animals. Food consumption by PP animals and handling of NF animals had no effect on blood water content as measured by hematocrit and plasma oncotic pressure. Food consumption increased both plasma osmolality (P(osm)) and plasma urea (P(urea)) by as much as 15%. Food consumption also increased urine osmolality (U(osm)) and urine urea (U(urea)) by 50-100%. Feeding increased U(osm) regardless of changes in P(osm), and elevation of U(osm) resulted primarily from increased U(urea). In NF bats, P(osm) and P(urea) were unchanged, while U(osm) and U(urea) increased by as much as 25%. Again, increased U(osm) resulted primarily from increased U(urea). The PP urine concentration cycle of pallid bats resulted from increased urea excretion in response to apparent rapid urea synthesis. Bats rapidly metabolized protein and excreted urea following feeding when body water was most plentiful.

  4. Validation of uranium determination in urine by ICP-MS.

    PubMed

    Bouvier-Capely, C; Baglan, N; Montègue, A; Ritt, J; Cossonnet, C

    2003-08-01

    A rapid procedure--dilution of urine+ICP-MS measurement--for the determination of uranium in urine was validated. Large ranges of concentration and isotopic composition were studied on urine samples excreted by occupationally exposed workers. The results were consistent with those obtained by fluorimetry and by alpha spectrometry after a purification procedure, two currently used techniques. However, the proposed procedure is limited for determination of the minor isotope 234U. Thus for worker monitoring, the conversion of 234U mass concentration into activity concentration can lead to an erroneous value of the effective dose, in particular for a contamination at very low level with highly enriched uranium. A solution to avoid this hazard is to perform a chemical purification prior to ICP-MS measurement to lower uncertainty and detection limit for 234U.

  5. [Determination of cadmium in urine of tobacco smoking pregnant women].

    PubMed

    Florek, Ewa; Piekoszewski, Wojciech; Kornacka, Maria K; Koroniak, Henryk; Wolna, Malgorzata; Król, Anna

    2004-01-01

    Tobacco smoke contain few thousands of chemical compounds, among them heavy metals. From toxicological point of view most important are lead, cadmium and radioactive polonium 210. The aim of the study was determination of cadmium in urine of tobacco smoking pregnant woman and checking if there is a correlation between the concentration of cadmium and cotinine, the most frequently used tobacco smoke biomarker. The study showed that concentration of cotinine in urine of smoking women was 702.5 +/- 1131.4 ng/mg creatinine and ranged from 50 to more than 6000 ng/mg creatinine. Cadmium concentration in smokers was 1.6 +/- 2.6 ng/ml and ranged from 0 to 11.5 ng/ml. In urine of woman who do not smoke and are not exposure to ETS was 1.1 +/- 2.2 ng/ml in the range 0-2.5 ng/ml and was not statistically different from concentration of cadmium in urine of smoking pregnant woman. In any one non-smoking woman, concentration of cadmium was not higher than 5 ng/ml, but in 11.8% of smoking women this level was exceeded. Calculations showed a weak correlation between concentration of cadmium and cotinine in urine of smoking pregnant women.

  6. Concentrations of Environmental Phenols and Parabens in Milk, Urine and Serum of Lactating North Carolina Women

    PubMed Central

    Hines, Erin P.; Mendola, Pauline; vonEhrenstein, Ondine S.; Ye, Xiaoyun; Calafat, Antonia M.; Fenton, Suzanne E.

    2015-01-01

    Phenols and parabens show some evidence for endocrine disruption in laboratory animals. The goal of the Methods Advancement for Milk Analysis (MAMA) Study was to develop or adapt methods to measure parabens (methyl, ethyl, butyl, propyl) and phenols (bisphenol A (BPA), 2,4- and 2,5-dichlorophenol, benzophenone-3, triclosan) in urine, milk and serum twice during lactation, to compare concentrations across matrices and with endogenous biomarkers among 34 North Carolina women. These non-persistent chemicals were detected in most urine samples (53-100%) and less frequently in milk or serum; concentrations differed by matrix. Although urinary parabens, triclosan and dichlorophenols concentrations correlated significantly at two time points, those of BPA and benzophenone-3 did not, suggesting considerable variability in those exposures. These pilot data suggest that nursing mothers are exposed to phenols and parabens; urine is the best measurement matrix; and correlations between chemical and endogenous immune-related biomarkers merit further investigation. PMID:25463527

  7. The Importance of Urine Concentration on the Diagnostic Performance of the Urinalysis for Pediatric Urinary Tract Infection.

    PubMed

    Chaudhari, Pradip P; Monuteaux, Michael C; Shah, Pinkey; Bachur, Richard G

    2017-07-01

    The presence of leukocyte esterase by urine dipstick and microscopic pyuria are both indicators of possible urinary tract infection. The effect of urine concentration on the diagnostic performance of the urinalysis for pediatric urinary tract infection has not been studied. Our objective is to determine whether the urinalysis performance for detecting urinary tract infection varies by urine concentration as measured by specific gravity. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of the urine laboratory results of children younger than 13 years who presented to the emergency department during 68 months and had a paired urinalysis and urine culture obtained. Urinary tract infection was defined as pure growth of a uropathogen at standard culture thresholds. Test characteristics were calculated across 4 specific gravity groups (1.000 to 1.010, 1.011 to 1.020, 1.021 to 1.030, and >1.030). In total, 14,971 cases were studied. Median age was 1.5 years (interquartile range 0.4 to 5.5 years) and 60% were female patients. Prevalence of urinary tract infection was 7.7%. For the presence of leukocyte esterase and a range of pyuria cut points, the positive likelihood ratios decreased with increasing specific gravity. From most dilute to most concentrated urine, the positive likelihood ratio decreased from 12.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.7 to 13.7) to 4.2 (95% CI 3.0 to 5.8) and 9.5 (95% CI 8.6 to 10.6) to 5.5 (95% CI 3.3 to 9.1) at a threshold of greater than or equal to 5 WBCs per high-power field and presence of leukocyte esterase, respectively. The negative likelihood ratios increased with increasing specific gravity for leukocyte esterase and microscopic pyuria. For the detection of pediatric urinary tract infection, the diagnostic performance of both dipstick leukocyte esterase and microscopic pyuria varies by urine concentration, and therefore the specific gravity should be considered when the urinalysis is interpreted. Copyright © 2016 American College of

  8. Morphine and codeine concentrations in human urine following controlled poppy seeds administration of known opiate content.

    PubMed

    Smith, Michael L; Nichols, Daniel C; Underwood, Paula; Fuller, Zachary; Moser, Matthew A; LoDico, Charles; Gorelick, David A; Newmeyer, Matthew N; Concheiro, Marta; Huestis, Marilyn A

    2014-08-01

    Opiates are an important component for drug testing due to their high abuse potential. Proper urine opiate interpretation includes ruling out poppy seed ingestion; however, detailed elimination studies after controlled poppy seed administration with known morphine and codeine doses are not available. Therefore, we investigated urine opiate pharmacokinetics after controlled oral administration of uncooked poppy seeds with known morphine and codeine content. Participants were administered two 45 g oral poppy seed doses 8 h apart, each containing 15.7 mg morphine and 3mg codeine. Urine was collected ad libitum up to 32 h after the first dose. Specimens were analyzed with the Roche Opiates II immunoassay at 2000 and 300 μg/L cutoffs, and the ThermoFisher CEDIA(®) heroin metabolite (6-acetylmorphine, 6-AM) and Lin-Zhi 6-AM immunoassays with 10 μg/L cutoffs to determine if poppy seed ingestion could produce positive results in these heroin marker assays. In addition, all specimens were quantified for morphine and codeine by GC/MS. Participants (N=22) provided 391 urine specimens over 32 h following dosing; 26.6% and 83.4% were positive for morphine at 2000 and 300 μg/L GC/MS cutoffs, respectively. For the 19 subjects who completed the study, morphine concentrations ranged from <300 to 7522 μg/L with a median peak concentration of 5239 μg/L. The median first morphine-positive urine sample at 2000 μg/L cutoff concentration occurred at 6.6 h (1.2-12.1), with the last positive from 2.6 to 18 h after the second dose. No specimens were positive for codeine at a cutoff concentration of 2000 μg/L, but 20.2% exceeded 300 μg/L, with peak concentrations of 658 μg/L (284-1540). The Roche Opiates II immunoassay had efficiencies greater than 96% for the 2000 and 300 μg/L cutoffs. The CEDIA 6-AM immunoassay had a specificity of 91%, while the Lin-Zhi assay had no false positive results. These data provide valuable information for interpreting urine opiate results. Copyright

  9. Morphine and Codeine Concentrations in Human Urine following Controlled Poppy Seeds Administration of Known Opiate Content

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Michael L.; Nichols, Daniel C.; Underwood, Paula; Fuller, Zachary; Moser, Matthew A.; LoDico, Charles; Gorelick, David A.; Newmeyer, Matthew N.; Concheiro, Marta; Huestis, Marilyn A.

    2014-01-01

    Opiates are an important component for drug testing due to their high abuse potential. Proper urine opiate interpretation includes ruling out poppy seed ingestion; however, detailed elimination studies after controlled poppy seed administration with known morphine and codeine doses are not available. Therefore, we investigated urine opiate pharmacokinetics after controlled oral administration of uncooked poppy seeds with known morphine and codeine content. Participants were administered two 45g oral poppy seed doses 8h apart, each containing 15.7mg morphine and 3mg codeine. Urine was collected ad libitum up to 32h after the first dose. Specimens were analyzed with the Roche Opiates II immunoassay at 2,000 and 300μg/L cutoffs, and the ThermoFisher CEDIA® Heroin Metabolite (6-acetylmorphine, 6AM) and Lin-Zhi 6AM immunoassays with 10μg/L cutoffs to determine if poppy seed ingestion could produce positive results in these heroin marker assays. In addition, all specimens were quantified for morphine and codeine by GC/MS. Participants (N=22) provided 391 urine specimens over 32h following dosing; 26.6% and 83.4% were positive for morphine at 2,000 and 300μg/L GC/MS cutoffs, respectively. For the 19 subjects who completed the study, morphine concentrations ranged from <300 to 7,522μg/L with a median peak concentration of 5,239μg/L. The median first morphine-positive urine sample at 2,000μg/L cutoff concentration occurred at 6.6h (1.2-12.1), with the last positive from 2.6 to 18h after the second dose. No specimens were positive for codeine at a cutoff concentration of 2,000μg/L, but 20.2% exceeded 300μg/L, with peak concentrations of 658 μg/L (284-1540). The Roche Opiates II immunoassay had efficiencies greater than 96% for the 2000 and 300μg/L cutoffs. The CEDIA 6AM immunoassay had a specificity of 91%, while the Lin-Zhi assay had no false positive results. These data provide valuable information for interpreting urine opiate results. PMID:24887324

  10. Architecture of vasa recta in the renal inner medulla of the desert rodent Dipodomys merriami: potential impact on the urine concentrating mechanism.

    PubMed

    Issaian, Tadeh; Urity, Vinoo B; Dantzler, William H; Pannabecker, Thomas L

    2012-10-01

    We hypothesize that the inner medulla of the kangaroo rat Dipodomys merriami, a desert rodent that concentrates its urine to over 6,000 mosmol/kg H(2)O, provides unique examples of architectural features necessary for production of highly concentrated urine. To investigate this architecture, inner medullary vascular segments in the outer inner medulla were assessed with immunofluorescence and digital reconstructions from tissue sections. Descending vasa recta (DVR) expressing the urea transporter UT-B and the water channel aquaporin 1 lie at the periphery of groups of collecting ducts (CDs) that coalesce in their descent through the inner medulla. Ascending vasa recta (AVR) lie inside and outside groups of CDs. DVR peel away from vascular bundles at a uniform rate as they descend the inner medulla, and feed into networks of AVR that are associated with organized clusters of CDs. These AVR form interstitial nodal spaces, with each space composed of a single CD, two AVR, and one or more ascending thin limbs or prebend segments, an architecture that may lead to solute compartmentation and fluid fluxes essential to the urine concentrating mechanism. Although we have identified several apparent differences, the tubulovascular architecture of the kangaroo rat inner medulla is remarkably similar to that of the Munich Wistar rat at the level of our analyses. More detailed studies are required for identifying interspecies functional differences.

  11. Combined processing of lead concentrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kubasov, V. L.; Paretskii, V. M.; Sidorin, G. N.; Travkin, V. F.

    2013-06-01

    A combined scheme of processing of lead concentrates with the production of pure metallic lead and the important components containing in these concentrates is considered. This scheme includes sulfating roasting of the lead concentrates and two-stage leaching of the formed cinder with the formation of a sulfate solution and lead sulfate. When transformed into a carbonate form, lead sulfate is used for the production of pure metallic lead. Silver, indium, copper, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, and other important components are separately extracted from a solution. At the last stage, zinc is extracted by either extraction followed by electrolytic extraction of a metal or the return of the forming solution of sulfuric acid to cinder leaching.

  12. Impact of enzymatic and alkaline hydrolysis on CBD concentration in urine.

    PubMed

    Bergamaschi, Mateus M; Barnes, Allan; Queiroz, Regina H C; Hurd, Yasmin L; Huestis, Marilyn A

    2013-05-01

    A sensitive and specific analytical method for cannabidiol (CBD) in urine was needed to define urinary CBD pharmacokinetics after controlled CBD administration, and to confirm compliance with CBD medications including Sativex-a cannabis plant extract containing 1:1 ∆(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD. Non-psychoactive CBD has a wide range of therapeutic applications and may also influence psychotropic smoked cannabis effects. Few methods exist for the quantification of CBD excretion in urine, and no data are available for phase II metabolism of CBD to CBD-glucuronide or CBD-sulfate. We optimized the hydrolysis of CBD-glucuronide and/or -sulfate, and developed and validated a GC-MS method for urinary CBD quantification. Solid-phase extraction isolated and concentrated analytes prior to GC-MS. Method validation included overnight hydrolysis (16 h) at 37 °C with 2,500 units β-glucuronidase from Red Abalone. Calibration curves were fit by linear least squares regression with 1/x (2) weighting with linear ranges (r(2) > 0.990) of 2.5-100 ng/mL for non-hydrolyzed CBD and 2.5-500 ng/mL for enzyme-hydrolyzed CBD. Bias was 88.7-105.3 %, imprecision 1.4-6.4 % CV and extraction efficiency 82.5-92.7 % (no hydrolysis) and 34.3-47.0 % (enzyme hydrolysis). Enzyme-hydrolyzed urine specimens exhibited more than a 250-fold CBD concentration increase compared to alkaline and non-hydrolyzed specimens. This method can be applied for urinary CBD quantification and further pharmacokinetics characterization following controlled CBD administration.

  13. Impact of enzymatic and alkaline hydrolysis on CBD concentration in urine

    PubMed Central

    Bergamaschi, Mateus M.; Barnes, Allan; Queiroz, Regina H. C.; Hurd, Yasmin L.

    2013-01-01

    A sensitive and specific analytical method for cannabidiol (CBD) in urine was needed to define urinary CBD pharmacokinetics after controlled CBD administration, and to confirm compliance with CBD medications including Sativex—a cannabis plant extract containing 1:1 Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD. Non-psychoactive CBD has a wide range of therapeutic applications and may also influence psychotropic smoked cannabis effects. Few methods exist for the quantification of CBD excretion in urine, and no data are available for phase II metabolism of CBD to CBD-glucuronide or CBD-sulfate. We optimized the hydrolysis of CBD-glucuronide and/or -sulfate, and developed and validated a GC-MS method for urinary CBD quantification. Solid-phase extraction isolated and concentrated analytes prior to GC-MS. Method validation included overnight hydrolysis (16 h) at 37 °C with 2,500 units β-glucuronidase from Red Abalone. Calibration curves were fit by linear least squares regression with 1/x2 weighting with linear ranges (r2>0.990) of 2.5–100 ng/mL for non-hydrolyzed CBD and 2.5–500 ng/mL for enzyme-hydrolyzed CBD. Bias was 88.7–105.3 %, imprecision 1.4–6.4 % CV and extraction efficiency 82.5–92.7 % (no hydrolysis) and 34.3–47.0 % (enzyme hydrolysis). Enzyme-hydrolyzed urine specimens exhibited more than a 250-fold CBD concentration increase compared to alkaline and non-hydrolyzed specimens. This method can be applied for urinary CBD quantification and further pharmacokinetics characterization following controlled CBD administration. PMID:23494274

  14. Adulteration of urine by "Urine Luck".

    PubMed

    Wu, A H; Bristol, B; Sexton, K; Cassella-McLane, G; Holtman, V; Hill, D W

    1999-07-01

    In vitro adulterants are used to invalidate assays for urine drugs of abuse. The present study examined the effect of pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) found in the product "Urine Luck". PCC was prepared and added to positive urine controls at concentrations of 0, 10, 50, and 100 g/L. The controls were assayed for methamphetamine, benzoylecgonine (BE), codeine and morphine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and phencyclidine (PCP) with the Emit II (Syva) and Abuscreen Online (Roche) immunoassays, and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Two tests were also developed to detect PCC in urine: a spot test to detect chromate ions using 10 g/L 1,5-diphenylcarbazide as the indicator, and a GC/MS assay for pyridine. We tested 150 samples submitted for routine urinalysis, compliance, and workplace drug testing for PCC, using these assays. Response rates decreased at 100 g/L PCC for all Emit II drug assays and for the Abuscreen morphine and THC assays. In contrast, the Abuscreen amphetamine assay produced apparently higher results, and no effect was seen on the results for BE or PCP. The PCC did not affect the GC/MS recovery of methamphetamine, BE, PCP, or their deuterated internal standards, but decreased GC/MS recovery of the opiates at both intermediate (50 g/L) and high (100 g/L) PCC concentrations and apparent concentrations of THC and THC-d3 at all PCC concentrations. Two of 50 samples submitted for workplace drug testing under chain-of-custody conditions were positive for PCC, whereas none of the remaining 100 specimens submitted for routine urinalysis or compliance drug testing were positive. PCC is an effective adulterant for urine drug testing of THC and opiates. Identification of PCC use can be accomplished with use of a spot test for the oxidant.

  15. The Concentration Of Tritium In Urine And Internal Radiation Dose Estimation Of PTNBR Radiation Workers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tjahaja, Poppy Intan; Sukmabuana, Putu; Aisyah, Neneng Nur

    2010-12-23

    The operation of Triga 2000 reactor in Nuclear Technology Center for Materials and Radiometry (PTNBR BATAN) normally produce tritium radionuclide which is the activation product of deuterium atom in reactor primary cooling water. According to previous monitoring, tritium was detected with the concentration of 8.236{+-}0.677 kBq/L and 1.704{+-}0.046 Bq/L in the primary cooling water and in reactor hall air, respectively. The tritium in reactor hall air chronically can be inhaled by the workers. In this research, tritium content in radiation workers' urine was determined to estimate the internal radiation doses received by the workers. About 50-100 mL of urine samplesmore » were collected from 48 PTNBR workers that is classified as 24 radiation workers and 24 administration staffs as a control. Urine samples of 25 mL were then prepared by active charcoal and KMnO{sub 4} addition and followed with complete distillation. The 2 mL of distillate was added with 13 mL scintillator, shaked vigorously and remained in cool and dark condition for about 24 hours. The tritium in the samples was then measured using liquid scintillation counter (LSC) for 1 hour. From the measurement results it was obtained that the tritium concentration in the urine of radiation workers were in the range of not detected and 5.191 Bq/mL, whereas in the administration staffs the concentration were between not detected and 4.607 Bq/mL. Internally radiation doses were calculated using the tritium concentration data, and it was found the averages about 0.602 {mu}Sv/year and 0.532 {mu}Sv/year for radiation workers and administration staffs, respectively. The doses received by the workers were lower than that of the permissible doses from tritium, i.e. 40 {mu}Sv/year.« less

  16. Urine cup for collection of urine from cows.

    PubMed

    Fellner, V; Weiss, M F; Belo, A T; Belyea, R L; Martz, F A; Orma, A H

    1988-08-01

    A urine cup for continuous and complete collection of urine from cows was constructed from Plastisol, cotton webb strapping, Velcro Brand touch fasteners [corrected], snap-fasteners, denim patches, weather stripping, and vacuum hose. The urine cup was made from Plastisol using a heated lead mold. It was large enough to enclose a 9 cm x 6 cm area around the vulva of a cow and was attached by strapping and Velcro Brand touch fasteners [corrected] to patches glued to the rump. Urine cups were used repeatedly and provided for long-term collection of urine from cows, eliminating the need for indwelling catheters. Applications include long-term nutrient balance, radioisotope, and metabolism studies.

  17. Lead reduction of petrol and blood lead concentrations of athletes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maresky, L.S.; Kotze, T.J.V.W.; Grobler, S.R.

    In 1984, it was determined that the blood of long-distance runners in South Africa contained unacceptably high concentrations of lead. Subsequently, the petrol lead level in South Africa was reduced from 0.8 g/l to 0.4 g/l. In view of this reduction, a follow-up investigation of its effect on the blood lead concentration of South African runners was undertaken. Blood lead samples were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean values of blood lead concentrations dropped from 52 to 13 {mu}g/dl and from 20 to 8.5 {mu}g/dl for the urban and rural trainers, respectively. A highly significant decrease inmore » blood lead levels was found and was mainly attributable to the reduction in the petrol lead levels. The blood lead results for rural trainers indicated that there still exists a certain degree of lead pollution in athletes from nonremote areas.« less

  18. [Effect of the chelator Zn-DTPA on the excretion of lead in lead intoxication mice detected with ICP-MS].

    PubMed

    Li, Chen; Lu, Kai-zhi; Zhou, Qi; Wang, Qiong; Zeng, Yu-liang; Yin, Hong-jun; He, Xuan-hui; Tian, Ying; Dong, Jun-Xing

    2014-11-01

    To study the lead excretion effect of the chelator Zn-DTPA on the lead intoxication mice, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was applied to detect the lead content of biological samples. The acute lead intoxication mice model was established by injecting lead acetate intraperitoneally with the dose of 1 mg. Zn-DTPA was administered intraperitoneally to mice once daily for five consecutive days 4 h after intoxication. Control group, model group, combination of Zn-DTPA and Ca-DTPA group were evaluated at the same time. The urine was collected every day. The mice were sacrificed in batches in the 2rd, 4th, 6th day. Biological samples including urine, whole blood, femur and brain were prepared and nitrated. Lead concentration was detected by ICP-MS. The result showed that Zn-DTPA could increase lead content in urine markedly and reduce lead content in blood, femur and brain.

  19. Effect of urine creatinine level during pregnancy on dipstick test.

    PubMed

    Baba, Yosuke; Furuta, Itsuko; Zhai, Tianyue; Ohkuchi, Akihide; Yamada, Takahiro; Takahashi, Kayo; Matsubara, Shigeki; Minakami, Hisanori

    2017-06-01

    Dipstick results for proteinuria are affected by urine concentration, and thus urine creatinine concentration ([Cr]). This study was performed to determine whether spot urine [Cr] changes significantly during pregnancy, leading to a significantly different false-negative rate (FNR) on dipstick test between trimester. The [Cr] and protein concentrations ([P]) were analyzed in 631 spot urine samples with negative/equivocal dipstick from 425 pregnant women. False-negative dipstick was defined as [P] : [Cr] ratio (P/Cr) > 0.27 mg/mg. Median [Cr] was 117 mg/dL (range, 6.5-326 mg/dL), 72 mg/dL (range, 4.3-477 mg/dL), and 73 mg/dL (range, 8.4-396 mg/dL) in the first (n = 96), second (n = 344), and third (n = 191) trimester urine samples, respectively (P = 0.000, Kruskal-Wallis). Both [P] and P/Cr increased significantly with advancing gestation. FNR 9.4% (18/191) in the third trimester was significantly higher than that of 0.0% (0/96) in the second trimester and that of 0.5% (2/344) in the third trimester. In the 20 urine samples with false-negative dipstick, median [Cr] was 47.0 mg/dL (range, 11.0-358 mg/dL) and the proportion of samples with dilute urine, that is, [Cr] <47 mg/dL, was significantly higher than in the remaining 611 urine samples (50%, 10/20 vs 28%, 174/611, respectively, P = 0.046). Urine samples in the second and third trimesters were more likely to be diluted compared with the first trimester. This was associated with high FNR in third trimester urine samples. © 2017 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  20. Effects of Fatty Liver Induced by Excess Orotic Acid on B-Group Vitamin Concentrations of Liver, Blood, and Urine in Rats.

    PubMed

    Shibata, Katsumi; Morita, Nobuya; Kawamura, Tomoyo; Tsuji, Ai; Fukuwatari, Tsutomu

    2015-01-01

    Fatty liver is caused when rats are given orotic acid of the pyrimidine base in large quantities. The lack of B-group vitamins suppresses the biosynthesis of fatty acids. We investigated how orotic acid-induced fatty liver affects the concentrations of liver, blood, and urine B-group vitamins in rats. The vitamin B6 and B12 concentrations of liver, blood, and urine were not affected by orotic acid-induced fatty liver. Vitamin B2 was measured only in the urine, but was unchanged. The liver, blood, and urine concentrations of niacin and its metabolites fell dramatically. Niacin and its metabolites in the liver, blood, and urine were affected as expected. Although the concentrations of vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, folate, and biotin in liver and blood were decreased by orotic acid-induced fatty liver, these urinary excretion amounts showed a specific pattern toward increase. Generally, as for the typical urinary excretion of B-group vitamins, these are excreted when the body is saturated. However, the ability to sustain vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, folate, and biotin decreased in fatty liver, which is hypothesized as a specific phenomenon. This metabolic response might occur to prevent an abnormally increased biosynthesis of fatty acids by orotic acid.

  1. Phytoestrogen Concentrations in Human Urine as Biomarkers for Dietary Phytoestrogen Intake in Mexican Women

    PubMed Central

    Chávez-Suárez, Karina M.; Ortega-Vélez, María I.; Valenzuela-Quintanar, Ana I.; Galván-Portillo, Marcia; López-Carrillo, Lizbeth; Esparza-Romero, Julián; Saucedo-Tamayo, María S.; Robles-Burgueño, María R.; Gutiérrez-Coronado, María L.; Campa-Siqueiros, Melissa M.; Grajeda-Cota, Patricia; Caire-Juvera, Graciela

    2017-01-01

    There has been substantial interest in phytoestrogens, because of their potential effect in reducing cancer and heart disease risk. Measuring concentrations of phytoestrogens in urine is an alternative method for conducting epidemiological studies. Our objective was to evaluate the urinary excretion of phytoestrogens as biomarkers for dietary phytoestrogen intake in Mexican women. Participants were 100 healthy women from 25 to 80 years of age. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24 h recall were used to estimate habitual and recent intakes of isoflavones, lignans, flavonols, coumestrol, resveratrol, naringenin, and luteolin. Urinary concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) using the electrospray ionization interface (ESI) and diode array detector (DAD) (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS). Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate associations between dietary intake and urine concentrations. The habitual consumption (FFQ) of total phytoestrogens was 37.56 mg/day. In urine, the higher compounds were naringenin (60.1 µg/L) and enterolactone (41.7 µg/L). Recent intakes (24 h recall) of isoflavones (r = 0.460, p < 0.001), lignans (r = 0.550, p < 0.0001), flavonoids (r = 0.240, p < 0.05), and total phytoestrogens (r = 0.410, p < 0.001) were correlated to their urinary levels. Total phytoestrogen intakes estimated by the FFQ showed higher correlations to urinary levels (r = 0.730, p < 0.0001). Urinary phytoestrogens may be useful as biomarkers of phytoestrogen intake, and as a tool for evaluating the relationship of intake and disease risk in Mexican women. PMID:28961176

  2. Methamphetamine and Amphetamine Isomer Concentrations in Human Urine Following Controlled Vicks VapoInhaler Administration

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Michael L.; Nichols, Daniel C.; Underwood, Paula; Fuller, Zachary; Moser, Matthew A.; Flegel, Ron; Gorelick, David A.; Newmeyer, Matthew N.; Concheiro, Marta; Huestis, Marilyn A.

    2014-01-01

    Legitimate use of legal intranasal decongestants containing l-methamphetamine may complicate interpretation of urine drug tests positive for amphetamines. Our study hypotheses were that commonly used immunoassays would produce no false-positive results and a recently developed enantiomer-specific gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) procedure would find no d-amphetamine or d-methamphetamine in urine following controlled Vicks VapoInhaler administration at manufacturer's recommended doses. To evaluate these hypotheses, 22 healthy adults were each administered one dose (two inhalations in each nostril) of a Vicks VapoInhaler every 2 h for 10 h on Day 1 (six doses), followed by a single dose on Day 2. Every urine specimen was collected as an individual void for 32 h after the first dose and assayed for d- and l-amphetamines specific isomers with a GC–MS method with >99% purity of R-(−)-α-methoxy-α-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetyl derivatives and 10 µg/L lower limits of quantification. No d-methamphetamine or d-amphetamine was detected in any urine specimen by GC–MS. The median l-methamphetamine maximum concentration was 62.8 µg/L (range: 11.0–1,440). Only two subjects had detectable l-amphetamine, with maximum concentrations coinciding with l-methamphetamine peak levels, and always ≤4% of the parent's maximum. Three commercial immunoassays for amphetamines EMIT® II Plus, KIMS® II and DRI® had sensitivities, specificities and efficiencies of 100, 97.8, 97.8; 100, 99.6, 99.6 and 100, 100, 100%, respectively. The immunoassays had high efficiencies, but our first hypothesis was not affirmed. The EMIT® II Plus assay produced 2.2% false-positive results, requiring an enantiomer-specific confirmation. PMID:25217541

  3. Estimation of daily protein intake based on spot urine urea nitrogen concentration in chronic kidney disease patients.

    PubMed

    Kanno, Hiroko; Kanda, Eiichiro; Sato, Asako; Sakamoto, Kaori; Kanno, Yoshihiko

    2016-04-01

    Determination of daily protein intake in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) requires precision. Inaccuracies in recording dietary intake occur, and estimation from total urea excretion presents hurdles owing to the difficulty of collecting whole urine for 24 h. Spot urine has been used for measuring daily sodium intake and urinary protein excretion. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated whether urea nitrogen (UN) concentration in spot urine can be used to predict daily protein intake instead of the 24-h urine collection in 193 Japanese CKD patients (Stages G1-G5). After patient randomization into 2 datasets for the development and validation of models, bootstrapping was used to develop protein intake estimation models. The parameters for the candidate multivariate regression models were male gender, age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum albumin level, spot urinary UN and creatinine level, and spot urinary UN/creatinine levels. The final model contained BMI and spot urinary UN level. The final model was selected because of the higher correlation between the predicted and measured protein intakes r = 0.558 (95 % confidence interval 0.400, 0.683), and the smaller distribution of the difference between the measured and predicted protein intakes than those of the other models. The results suggest that UN concentration in spot urine may be used to estimate daily protein intake and that a prediction formula would be useful for nutritional control in CKD patients.

  4. Evaluation of ames Multistix-SG for urine specific gravity versus refractometer specific gravity.

    PubMed

    Adams, L J

    1983-12-01

    A comparison of urine specific gravity by a commercially available multiple reagent strip (Multistix-SG; Ames Division, Miles Laboratory) versus refractometer specific gravity (TS Meter; American Optical Corporation) was performed on 214 routine urine specimens. Agreement to +/- 0.005 was found in 72% of the specimens (r = 0.80). Urine specific gravity by the Multistix-SG showed a significant positive bias at urine pHs less than or equal to 6.0 and a negative bias at urine pHs greater than 7.0 in comparison to refractometer specific gravity. At concentrated (specific gravity greater than or equal to 1.020) specific gravities, up to 25% of urine specimens were misclassified as not concentrated by Multistix-SG specific gravity in comparison to refractometer specific gravity. The additional cost of the specific gravity reagent to a multiple reagent test strip in addition to the poor performance relative to refractometer specific gravity leads to the conclusion that including this specific gravity methodology on a multiple reagent strip is neither cost effective nor clinically useful.

  5. Methamphetamine and amphetamine isomer concentrations in human urine following controlled Vicks VapoInhaler administration.

    PubMed

    Smith, Michael L; Nichols, Daniel C; Underwood, Paula; Fuller, Zachary; Moser, Matthew A; Flegel, Ron; Gorelick, David A; Newmeyer, Matthew N; Concheiro, Marta; Huestis, Marilyn A

    2014-10-01

    Legitimate use of legal intranasal decongestants containing l-methamphetamine may complicate interpretation of urine drug tests positive for amphetamines. Our study hypotheses were that commonly used immunoassays would produce no false-positive results and a recently developed enantiomer-specific gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) procedure would find no d-amphetamine or d-methamphetamine in urine following controlled Vicks VapoInhaler administration at manufacturer's recommended doses. To evaluate these hypotheses, 22 healthy adults were each administered one dose (two inhalations in each nostril) of a Vicks VapoInhaler every 2 h for 10 h on Day 1 (six doses), followed by a single dose on Day 2. Every urine specimen was collected as an individual void for 32 h after the first dose and assayed for d- and l-amphetamines specific isomers with a GC-MS method with >99% purity of R-(-)-α-methoxy-α-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetyl derivatives and 10 µg/L lower limits of quantification. No d-methamphetamine or d-amphetamine was detected in any urine specimen by GC-MS. The median l-methamphetamine maximum concentration was 62.8 µg/L (range: 11.0-1,440). Only two subjects had detectable l-amphetamine, with maximum concentrations coinciding with l-methamphetamine peak levels, and always ≤ 4% of the parent's maximum. Three commercial immunoassays for amphetamines EMIT(®) II Plus, KIMS(®) II and DRI(®) had sensitivities, specificities and efficiencies of 100, 97.8, 97.8; 100, 99.6, 99.6 and 100, 100, 100%, respectively. The immunoassays had high efficiencies, but our first hypothesis was not affirmed. The EMIT(®) II Plus assay produced 2.2% false-positive results, requiring an enantiomer-specific confirmation. Published by Oxford University Press 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

  6. Measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) and nerve-growth-factor (NGF) concentrations in serum and urine samples of dogs with neurologic disorders.

    PubMed

    Kordass, Ulrike; Carlson, Regina; Stein, Veronika Maria; Tipold, Andrea

    2016-01-08

    The purpose of this study was to prove the hypothesis that C-reactive protein (CRP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) may be potential biomarkers for lower urinary tract disorders and may be able to distinguish between micturition dysfunctions of different origin in dogs with spinal cord diseases. NGF- and CRP- concentrations were measured in serum and urine samples using specific ELISA-Kits. Results in urine were standardized by urine-creatinine levels. CRP in serum was detectable in 32/76 and in urine samples in 40/76 patients. NGF could be measured in all serum and in 70/76 urine samples. Urinary CRP concentrations were significantly higher in dogs with micturition dysfunction (p = 0.0009) and in dogs with different neurological diseases (p = 0.0020) compared to the control group. However, comparing dogs with spinal cord disorders with and without associated micturition dysfunction no significant difference could be detected for NGF and CRP values in urine or serum samples. Additionally, levels did not decrease significantly, when measured at the time when the dogs regained the ability to urinate properly (urinary NGF p = 0.7962; urinary CRP p = 0.078). Urine samples with bacteria and/or leukocytes had no significant increase in urinary NGF (p = 0.1112) or CRP (p = 0.0534) concentrations, but higher CRP-levels in urine from dogs with cystitis were found compared to dogs without signs of cystitis. From these data we conclude that neither CRP nor NGF in urine or serum can be considered as reliable biomarkers for micturition disorders in dogs with spinal cord disorders in a clinical setting, but their production might be part of the pathogenesis of such disorders. Significantly higher levels of CRP could be found in the urine of dogs with micturition dysfunctions compared to control dogs. This phenomenon could potentially be explained by unspecific extrahepatic CRP production by smooth muscle cells in the dilated bladder.

  7. Dietary fat subgroups, zinc and vegetable components are related to urine F2a-isoprostane concentration, a measure of oxidative stress, in midlife women1

    PubMed Central

    Tomey, Kristin M.; Sowers, MaryFran R.; Li, Xizhao; McConnell, Daniel S.; Crawford, Sybil; Gold, Ellen B.; Lasley, Bill; Randolph, John F.

    2009-01-01

    Smoking, diet and physical activity may impact chronic diseases, in part, by promoting or attenuating oxidative stress. We evaluated associations between lifestyle factors and urine F2a-isoprostanes, a marker of oxidative stress among 1610 participants of Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Dietary intake and physical activity were assessed at baseline and year 05 (Y05). These data were related to Y05 urinary F2a-isoprostane concentration with regression analyses. Median urine F2a-isoprostane concentration was 433 ng/L overall, 917 ng/L in smokers (inter-quartile range: 467, 1832 ng/L) and 403 ng/L in non-smokers (inter-quartile range: 228, 709 ng/L; P<0.0001 for difference). Higher trans fat intake was associated with higher urine F2a-isoprostane concentration; partial Spearman correlations (ρx|y) between Y05 urine F2a-isoprostane concentration and trans fatty acids were 0.19 (P=0.03) and 0.13 (P <0.0001) in smokers and non-smokers, respectively. Increased log trans fat intake from baseline to Y05 was associated with higher concentration of logurine F2a-isoprostanes in non-smokers (β=0.131, SE=0.04, P =0.0003). In non-smokers, the partial correlation (ρx|y) between lutein and urine F2a-isoprostane concentration was −0.13 (P <0.0001). Increased intake of log lutein from baseline to Y05 was also associated with lower log urine F2a-isoprostane concentration (β= −0.096, SE=0.03, P =0.0005) in non-smokers. Increased zinc intake from baseline to Y05 was associated with lower log urine F2a-isoprostane concentration in smokers and non-smokers (β= −0.346, SE=0.14, P =0.01), and −0.117, 0.04 (P =0.001), respectively]. In conclusion, diet (fat subtypes, zinc, vegetable components) and smoking were associated with urine F2a-isoprostanes, a marker of oxidative stress. PMID:17951478

  8. On-Demand Urine Analyzer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farquharson, Stuart; Inscore, Frank; Shende, Chetan

    2010-01-01

    A lab-on-a-chip was developed that is capable of extracting biochemical indicators from urine samples and generating their surface-enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) so that the indicators can be quantified and identified. The development was motivated by the need to monitor and assess the effects of extended weightlessness, which include space motion sickness and loss of bone and muscle mass. The results may lead to developments of effective exercise programs and drug regimes that would maintain astronaut health. The analyzer containing the lab-on-a- chip includes materials to extract 3- methylhistidine (a muscle-loss indicator) and Risedronate (a bone-loss indicator) from the urine sample and detect them at the required concentrations using a Raman analyzer. The lab-on- a-chip has both an extractive material and a SERS-active material. The analyzer could be used to monitor the onset of diseases, such as osteoporosis.

  9. Paired Serum and Urine Concentrations of Biomarkers of Diethyl Phthalate, Methyl Paraben, and Triclosan in Rats

    PubMed Central

    Teitelbaum, Susan L.; Li, Qian; Lambertini, Luca; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Manservisi, Fabiana; Falcioni, Laura; Bua, Luciano; Silva, Manori J.; Ye, Xiaoyun; Calafat, Antonia M.; Chen, Jia

    2015-01-01

    Background Exposure to environmental chemicals, including phthalates and phenols such as parabens and triclosan, is ubiquitous within the U.S. general population. Objective This proof-of-concept rodent study examined the relationship between oral doses of three widely used personal care product ingredients [diethyl phthalate (DEP), methyl paraben (MPB), and triclosan] and urine and serum concentrations of their respective biomarkers. Methods Using female Sprague-Dawley rats, we carried out two rounds of experiments with oral gavage doses selected in accordance with no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) derived from previous studies: 1,735 (DEP), 1,050 (MPB), 50 (triclosan) mg/kg/day. Administered doses ranged from 0.005 to 173 mg/kg/day, 10–100,000 times below the NOAEL for each chemical. Controls for the MPB and triclosan experiments were animals treated with olive oil (vehicle) only; controls for the DEP serum experiments were animals treated with the lowest doses of MPB and triclosan. Doses were administered for 5 days with five rats in each treatment group. Urine and blood serum, collected on the last day of exposure, were analyzed for biomarkers. Relationships between oral dose and biomarker concentrations were assessed using linear regression. Results Biomarkers were detected in all control urine samples at parts-per-billion levels, suggesting a low endemic environmental exposure to the three chemicals that could not be controlled even with all of the precautionary measures undertaken. Among the exposed animals, urinary concentrations of all three biomarkers were orders of magnitude higher than those in serum. A consistently positive linear relationship between oral dose and urinary concentration was observed (R2 > 0.80); this relationship was inconsistent in serum. Conclusions Our study highlights the importance of carefully considering the oral dose used in animal experiments and provides useful information in selecting doses for future studies

  10. Comparison of Cannabinoid Concentrations in Plasma, Oral Fluid and Urine in Occasional Cannabis Smokers After Smoking Cannabis Cigarette.

    PubMed

    Marsot, Amélie; Audebert, Christine; Attolini, Laurence; Lacarelle, Bruno; Micallef, Joelle; Blin, Olivier

    A randomized cross-over, double blind placebo controlled study of smoked cannabis was carried out on occasional cannabis smokers. The objective of this research was to describe the pharmacokinetic parameters of THC and its metabolites in plasma, oral fluid and urine, from samples obtained simultaneously to provide estimations of THC and metabolites concentrations after smoking a cannabis cigarette. Blood, oral fluid and urine samples were collected until up to 72 h after smoking the cannabis cigarette (4% of delta-9-tetrathydrocannabinol (THC)). THC, 11-OH-THC and THC-COOH were analyzed by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated from these data. Eighteen male healthy adults participated in the study. In total, 560 plasma, 288 oral fluid and 448 urine samples were quantified for cannabinoids. Plasma, oral fluid and urine pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. A wide range of median THC Cmax (1.6-160.0 µg/L and 55.4-123120.0 µg/L in plasma and oral fluid, respectively), 11-OH-THC Cmax (0-11.1 µg/L in plasma) and THC-COOH Cmax (1.0-56.3 µg/L in plasma) was observed. When expressed as a percentage of the total available THC dose, and corrected for molar equivalents, mean percentage of total THC dose excreted was 1.9 +/-2.5 % with range of 0.2-7.5%. This high inter-individual variability was also observed on other calculated pharmacokinetic parameters. Prediction of plasma THC concentration from THC oral fluid concentration or from THC-COOH urinary concentrations is not feasible due to the large variations observed. The results from this study support the assumption that a positive oral fluid THC result or a positive urine fluid result are indicative of a recent cannabis exposure. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.

  11. Urine specific gravity test

    MedlinePlus

    ... medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003587.htm Urine specific gravity test To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Urine specific gravity is a laboratory test that shows the concentration ...

  12. The urine metabolome differs between lean and overweight Labrador Retriever dogs during a feed-challenge.

    PubMed

    Söder, Josefin; Hagman, Ragnvi; Dicksved, Johan; Lindåse, Sanna; Malmlöf, Kjell; Agback, Peter; Moazzami, Ali; Höglund, Katja; Wernersson, Sara

    2017-01-01

    Obesity in dogs is an increasing problem and better knowledge of the metabolism of overweight dogs is needed. Identification of molecular changes related to overweight may lead to new methods to improve obesity prevention and treatment. The aim of the study was firstly to investigate whether Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) based metabolomics could be used to differentiate postprandial from fasting urine in dogs, and secondly to investigate whether metabolite profiles differ between lean and overweight dogs in fasting and postprandial urine, respectively. Twenty-eight healthy intact male Labrador Retrievers were included, 12 of which were classified as lean (body condition score (BCS) 4-5 on a 9-point scale) and 16 as overweight (BCS 6-8). After overnight fasting, a voided morning urine sample was collected. Dogs were then fed a high-fat mixed meal and postprandial urine was collected after 3 hours. Metabolic profiles were generated using NMR and 45 metabolites identified from the spectral data were evaluated using multivariate data analysis. The results revealed that fasting and postprandial urine differed in relative metabolite concentration (partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) 1 comp: R2Y = 0.4, Q2Y = 0.32; cross-validated ANOVA: P = 0.00006). Univariate analyses of discriminant metabolites showed that taurine and citrate concentrations were elevated in postprandial urine, while allantoin concentration had decreased. Interestingly, lean and overweight dogs differed in terms of relative metabolite concentrations in postprandial urine (PLS-DA 1 comp: R2Y = 0.5, Q2Y = 0.36, cross-validated ANOVA: P = 0.005) but not in fasting urine. Overweight dogs had lower postprandial taurine and a trend of higher allantoin concentrations compared with lean dogs. These findings demonstrate that metabolomics can differentiate 3-hour postprandial urine from fasting urine in dogs, and that postprandial urine metabolites may be more useful than fasting metabolites

  13. The urine metabolome differs between lean and overweight Labrador Retriever dogs during a feed-challenge

    PubMed Central

    Söder, Josefin; Hagman, Ragnvi; Dicksved, Johan; Lindåse, Sanna; Malmlöf, Kjell; Agback, Peter; Moazzami, Ali; Höglund, Katja; Wernersson, Sara

    2017-01-01

    Obesity in dogs is an increasing problem and better knowledge of the metabolism of overweight dogs is needed. Identification of molecular changes related to overweight may lead to new methods to improve obesity prevention and treatment. The aim of the study was firstly to investigate whether Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) based metabolomics could be used to differentiate postprandial from fasting urine in dogs, and secondly to investigate whether metabolite profiles differ between lean and overweight dogs in fasting and postprandial urine, respectively. Twenty-eight healthy intact male Labrador Retrievers were included, 12 of which were classified as lean (body condition score (BCS) 4–5 on a 9-point scale) and 16 as overweight (BCS 6–8). After overnight fasting, a voided morning urine sample was collected. Dogs were then fed a high-fat mixed meal and postprandial urine was collected after 3 hours. Metabolic profiles were generated using NMR and 45 metabolites identified from the spectral data were evaluated using multivariate data analysis. The results revealed that fasting and postprandial urine differed in relative metabolite concentration (partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) 1 comp: R2Y = 0.4, Q2Y = 0.32; cross-validated ANOVA: P = 0.00006). Univariate analyses of discriminant metabolites showed that taurine and citrate concentrations were elevated in postprandial urine, while allantoin concentration had decreased. Interestingly, lean and overweight dogs differed in terms of relative metabolite concentrations in postprandial urine (PLS-DA 1 comp: R2Y = 0.5, Q2Y = 0.36, cross-validated ANOVA: P = 0.005) but not in fasting urine. Overweight dogs had lower postprandial taurine and a trend of higher allantoin concentrations compared with lean dogs. These findings demonstrate that metabolomics can differentiate 3-hour postprandial urine from fasting urine in dogs, and that postprandial urine metabolites may be more useful than fasting

  14. Positive association between concentration of phthalate metabolites in urine and microparticles in adolescents and young adults.

    PubMed

    Lin, Chien-Yu; Hsieh, Chia-Jung; Lo, Shyh-Chyi; Chen, Pau-Chung; Torng, Pao-Ling; Hu, Anren; Sung, Fung-Chang; Su, Ta-Chen

    2016-01-01

    Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been used worldwide in various products for many years. In vitro studies have shown that exposure to DEHP and its metabolite mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) induces endothelial cell apoptosis. Moreover, exposure to DEHP had been linked to cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases in epidemiological studies. Circulating microparticles have been known to be indicators of vascular injury. However, whether DEHP or its metabolites are independently associated with microparticles in humans remains unknown. From 2006 to 2008, we recruited 793 subjects (12-30years) from a population-based sample to participate in this cardiovascular disease prevention examination. Each participant was subjected to interviews and biological sample collection to determine the relationship between concentrations of DEHP metabolites MEHP, mono(ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, and mono(2-ethly-5-oxoheyl) phthalate in urine and concentrations of endothelial microparticles (CD62E and CD31+/CD42a-), platelet microparticles (CD62P and CD31+/CD42a+), and CD14 in serum. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that an ln-unit increase in MEHP concentration in urine was positively associated with an increase in serum microparticle counts/μL of 0.132 (±0.016) in CD31+/CD42a- (endothelial apoptosis marker), 0.117 (±0.023) in CD31+/CD42a+ (platelet apoptosis marker), and 0.026 (±0.007) in CD14 (monocyte, macrophage, and neutrophil activation marker). There was no association between DEHP metabolite concentration and CD62E or CD62P. In conclusion, a higher MEHP concentration in urine was associated with an increase in endothelial and platelet microparticles in this cohort of adolescents and young adults. Further studies are warranted to clarify the causal relationship between exposure to DEHP and atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Optimization of fertilization characteristics of urine by addition of Nitrosomonas europaea bio-seed.

    PubMed

    Hashemi, Shervin; Han, Mooyoung; Kim, Tschungil

    2016-10-01

    Because of the high concentration of nutrients in human urine, its utilization as an organic fertilizer has been notable throughout history. However, the nitrogen compounds in urine are not stable. Therefore, to convert urine into a suitable fertilizer, it is important to stabilize and adjust unstable nitrogen compounds such as ammonia. Because nitrification can influence the nitrogen profile, the use of nitrifying microorganisms can be useful for stabilizing the nitrogen profile of urine. This study investigated the changes in nitrogen compounds in pure urine and examined the effect of adding Nitrosomonas europaea bio-seed solution on these changes. It was found that the addition of bio-seed could reduce nitrogen loss as well as the time required to stabilize the nitrogen profile. Furthermore, the optimum concentration of bio-seed (6 × 10(5) N. europaea cells L(-1) ) that not only leads to the least nutrient loss but also results in an adequate nitrate/ammonium ratio and regulates the amount of nitrate produced, thereby preventing over-fertilization, was determined. At this concentration, no dilution or dewatering is required, thus minimizing water and energy consumption. Usage of the optimum of concentration of bio-seed will also eliminate the need for inorganic chemical additives. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  16. Increased dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids alter serum fatty acid concentrations and lower risk of urine stone formation in cats.

    PubMed

    Hall, Jean A; Brockman, Jeff A; Davidson, Stephen J; MacLeay, Jen M; Jewell, Dennis E

    2017-01-01

    The lifespan of cats with non-obstructive kidney stones is shortened compared with healthy cats indicating a need to reduce stone formation and minimize chronic kidney disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increasing dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on urine characteristics. Domestic-short-hair cats (n = 12; mean age 5.6 years) were randomized into two groups and fed one of two dry-cat foods in a cross-over study design. For one week before study initiation, all cats consumed control food that contained 0.07% arachidonic acid (AA), but no eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Group 1 continued eating control food for 56 days. Group 2 was fed test food for 56 days, which was control food plus fish oil and high-AA oil. Test food contained 0.17% AA, 0.09% EPA and 0.18% DHA. After 56 days, cats were fed the opposite food for another 56 days. At baseline and after each feeding period, serum was analyzed for fatty acid concentrations, and urine for specific gravity, calcium concentration, relative-super-saturation for struvite crystals, and a calcium-oxalate-titrimetric test was performed. After consuming test food, cats had increased (all P<0.001) serum concentrations of EPA (173%), DHA (61%), and AA (35%); decreased urine specific gravity (P = 0.02); decreased urine calcium concentration (P = 0.06); decreased relative-super-saturation for struvite crystals (P = 0.03); and increased resistance to oxalate crystal formation (P = 0.06) compared with cats consuming control food. Oxalate crystal formation was correlated with serum calcium concentration (r = 0.41; P<0.01). These data show benefits for reducing urine stone formation in cats by increasing dietary PUFA.

  17. Increased dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids alter serum fatty acid concentrations and lower risk of urine stone formation in cats

    PubMed Central

    Brockman, Jeff A.; Davidson, Stephen J.; MacLeay, Jen M.; Jewell, Dennis E.

    2017-01-01

    The lifespan of cats with non-obstructive kidney stones is shortened compared with healthy cats indicating a need to reduce stone formation and minimize chronic kidney disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increasing dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on urine characteristics. Domestic-short-hair cats (n = 12; mean age 5.6 years) were randomized into two groups and fed one of two dry-cat foods in a cross-over study design. For one week before study initiation, all cats consumed control food that contained 0.07% arachidonic acid (AA), but no eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Group 1 continued eating control food for 56 days. Group 2 was fed test food for 56 days, which was control food plus fish oil and high-AA oil. Test food contained 0.17% AA, 0.09% EPA and 0.18% DHA. After 56 days, cats were fed the opposite food for another 56 days. At baseline and after each feeding period, serum was analyzed for fatty acid concentrations, and urine for specific gravity, calcium concentration, relative-super-saturation for struvite crystals, and a calcium-oxalate-titrimetric test was performed. After consuming test food, cats had increased (all P<0.001) serum concentrations of EPA (173%), DHA (61%), and AA (35%); decreased urine specific gravity (P = 0.02); decreased urine calcium concentration (P = 0.06); decreased relative-super-saturation for struvite crystals (P = 0.03); and increased resistance to oxalate crystal formation (P = 0.06) compared with cats consuming control food. Oxalate crystal formation was correlated with serum calcium concentration (r = 0.41; P<0.01). These data show benefits for reducing urine stone formation in cats by increasing dietary PUFA. PMID:29073223

  18. Vitreous Fluid and/or Urine Glucose Concentrations in 1,335 Civil Aviation Accident Pilot Fatalities

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-05-01

    glucose, and in those cases wherein glucose levels are elevated, blood hemoglobin A1c ( HbA1c ) is measured. These analyses are conducted to monitor...diabetes. In this study, the prevalence of elevated glucose concentrations in fatally injured civilian pilots is evaluated. Glucose and HbA1c are measured...whom samples were received during 1998–2005 and whose vitreous fluid and/or urine glucose concentrations were measured. HbA1c levels and information

  19. Quantitative urine confirmatory testing for synthetic cannabinoids in randomly collected urine specimens

    PubMed Central

    Castaneto, Marisol S.; Scheidweiler, Karl B.; Gandhi, Adarsh; Wohlfarth, Ariane; Klette, Kevin L.; Martin, Thomas M.; Huestis, Marilyn A.

    2014-01-01

    Synthetic cannabinoid intake is an ongoing health issue worldwide, with new compounds continually emerging, making drug testing complex. Parent synthetic cannabinoids are rarely detected in urine, the most common matrix employed in workplace drug testing. Optimal identification of synthetic cannabinoid markers in authentic urine specimens and correlation of metabolite concentrations and toxicities would improve synthetic cannabinoid result interpretation. We screened 20,017 randomly collected US military urine specimens between July 2011 and June 2012 with a synthetic cannabinoid immunoassay yielding 1,432 presumptive positive specimens. We analyzed all presumptive positive and 1,069 negative specimens with our qualitative synthetic cannabinoid LC-MS/MS method, which confirmed 290 positive specimens. All 290 positive and 487 randomly-selected negative specimens were quantified with the most comprehensive urine quantitative LC-MS/MS method published to date. 290 specimens confirmed positive for 22 metabolites from 11 parent synthetic cannabinoids. The five most predominant metabolites were JWH-018 pentanoic acid (93%), JWH-018 N-hydroxypentyl (84%), AM2201 N-hydroxypentyl (69%), JWH-073 butanoic acid (69%), and JWH-122 N-hydroxypentyl (45%) with 11.1 (0.1–2434), 5.1 (0.1–1239), 2.0 (0.1–321), 1.1 (0.1–48.6), and 1.1 (0.1–250) μg/L median (range) concentrations, respectively. Alkyl hydroxy and carboxy metabolites provided suitable biomarkers for 11 parent synthetic cannabinoids; although, hydroxyindoles also were observed. This is by far the largest data set of synthetic cannabinoid metabolites urine concentrations from randomly collected workplace drug testing specimens rather than acute intoxications or driving under the influence of drugs. These data improve the interpretation of synthetic cannabinoid urine test results and suggest suitable urine markers of synthetic cannabinoid intake. PMID:25231213

  20. Quantitative urine confirmatory testing for synthetic cannabinoids in randomly collected urine specimens.

    PubMed

    Castaneto, Marisol S; Scheidweiler, Karl B; Gandhi, Adarsh; Wohlfarth, Ariane; Klette, Kevin L; Martin, Thomas M; Huestis, Marilyn A

    2015-06-01

    Synthetic cannabinoid intake is an ongoing health issue worldwide, with new compounds continually emerging, making drug testing complex. Parent synthetic cannabinoids are rarely detected in urine, the most common matrix employed in workplace drug testing. Optimal identification of synthetic cannabinoid markers in authentic urine specimens and correlation of metabolite concentrations and toxicities would improve synthetic cannabinoid result interpretation. We screened 20 017 randomly collected US military urine specimens between July 2011 and June 2012 with a synthetic cannabinoid immunoassay yielding 1432 presumptive positive specimens. We analyzed all presumptive positive and 1069 negative specimens with our qualitative synthetic cannabinoid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method, which confirmed 290 positive specimens. All 290 positive and 487 randomly selected negative specimens were quantified with the most comprehensive urine quantitative LC-MS/MS method published to date; 290 specimens confirmed positive for 22 metabolites from 11 parent synthetic cannabinoids. The five most predominant metabolites were JWH-018 pentanoic acid (93%), JWH-N-hydroxypentyl (84%), AM2201 N-hydroxypentyl (69%), JWH-073 butanoic acid (69%), and JWH-122 N-hydroxypentyl (45%) with 11.1 (0.1-2,434), 5.1 (0.1-1,239), 2.0 (0.1-321), 1.1 (0.1-48.6), and 1.1 (0.1-250) µg/L median (range) concentrations, respectively. Alkyl hydroxy and carboxy metabolites provided suitable biomarkers for 11 parent synthetic cannabinoids; although hydroxyindoles were also observed. This is by far the largest data set of synthetic cannabinoid metabolites urine concentrations from randomly collected workplace drug testing specimens rather than acute intoxications or driving under the influence of drugs. These data improve the interpretation of synthetic cannabinoid urine test results and suggest suitable urine markers of synthetic cannabinoid intake. This article is a U

  1. Urine osmolality in the US population: Implications for environmental biomonitoring

    PubMed Central

    Yeh, Hung-Chieh; Lin, Yu-Sheng; Kuo, Chin-Chi; Weidemann, Darcy; Weaver, Virginia; Fadrowski, Jeffrey; Neu, Alicia; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2018-01-01

    Background For many environmental chemicals, concentrations in spot urine samples are considered valid surrogates of exposure and internal dose. To correct for urine dilution, spot urine concentrations are commonly adjusted for urinary creatinine. There are, however, several concerns about the use of urine creatinine. While urine osmolality is an attractive alternative; its characteristics and determinants in the general population remain unknown. Our objective was to describe the determinants of urine osmolality and to contrast the difference between osmolality and creatinine in urine. Methods From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2012, 10,769 participants aged 16 years or older with measured urine osmolality and creatinine were used in the analysis. Very dilute and very concentrated urine was defined as urine creatinine lower than 0.3 g/l and higher than 3 g/l, respectively. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations of interest. Results Urine osmolality and creatinine were highly correlated (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.75) and their respective median values were 648 mOsm/kg and 1.07 g/l. The prevalence of very dilute and very concentrated urine samples was 8.1% and 3.1%, respectively. Factors associated in the same direction with both urine osmolality and urine creatinine included age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, water intake, and blood osmolality. The magnitude of associations expressed as percent change was significantly stronger with creatinine than osmolality. Compared to urine creatinine, urine osmolality did not vary by diabetes status but was affected by daily total protein intake. Participants with chronic kidney disease (CKD) had significantly higher urine creatinine concentrations but lower urine osmolality. Both very dilute and concentrated urine were associated with a diverse array of sociodemographic, medical conditions, and dietary factors

  2. Neonicotinoid concentrations in urine from chronic kidney disease patients in the North Central Region of Sri Lanka.

    PubMed

    Kabata, Risako; Nanayakkara, Shanika; Senevirathna, Stmld; Harada, Kouji H; Chandrajith, Rohana; Hitomi, Toshiaki; Abeysekera, Tilak; Takasuga, Takumi; Koizumi, Akio

    2016-01-01

    Neonicotinoid insecticides have been widely used around the world since the 1990s. Reports have been made since the 1990s of rice paddy farmers in the North Central Region (NCR) of Sri Lanka suffering from chronic kidney disease with unknown etiology (CKDu). A preliminary evaluation of the exposure of local farmers in the NCR of Sri Lanka to neonicotinoids was performed. We analyzed neonicotinoid and neonicotinoid metabolite concentrations in spot urine samples. We selected 40 samples, 10 from farmers with CKDu and 10 from controls from each of two areas, Medawachchiya and Girandurukotte. Imidacloprid and desmethyl-acetamiprid were found at significantly higher concentrations in the control samples (with medians of 51 ng/l and 340 ng/l, respectively) than in the CKDu samples (medians of 15 ng/l and 150 ng/l, respectively) when the results were not adjusted for the creatinine contents. None of the six compounds that were measured in the urine samples were found at significantly higher concentrations in the CKDu samples than in the control samples. None of the neonicotinoid concentrations in the samples analyzed in this study exceeded the concentrations that have been found in samples from the general population of Japan. Farmers (both with and without CKDu) living in CKDu-endemic areas in the NCR of Sri Lanka are exposed to lower neonicotinoid concentrations than non-occupationally exposed residents of Japan.

  3. An investigation of normal urine with a creatinine concentration under the cutoff of 20 mg/dL for specimen validity testing in a toxicology laboratory.

    PubMed

    Holden, Brad; Guice, Erica A

    2014-05-01

    In clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories, one commonly used method for urine specimen validity testing is creatinine concentration. In this study, workplace guidelines are examined to determine their relevance to forensic and clinical toxicology samples. Specifically, it investigates the occurrence of urine creatinine concentrations under 20 mg/dL and notes potential issues with factors influencing creatinine concentration by utilizing a simple, novel method consisting of cation-paring high-pressure liquid chromatography in tandem with ultraviolet detection to determine the creatinine concentration in 3019 donors. Of the 4227 sample population in this study, 209 (4.94%) were below the cutoff value of 20 mg/dL for dilute urine. Because there are many factors that can influence the urinary creatinine concentration, samples that have creatinine under the 20 mg/dL cutoff do not always implicate sample adulteration. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  4. Stabilization of source-separated human urine by chemical oxidation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yang; Li, Zifu; Zhao, Yuan; Chen, Shuangling; Mahmood, Ibrahim Babatunde

    2013-01-01

    The inhibitory effect of ozone and hydrogen peroxide (HP) on urea hydrolysis in stored urine was investigated and compared. Ozone showed less effect on urea hydrolysis due to the complicated composition of urine (including a large amount of urease-producing bacteria) and bacteria regeneration. Ozone concentration and total heterotrophic bacteria analysis demonstrated that residual ozone concentration decreased by 43% within 15 hr from 13.50 to 7.72 mg/L in the one-time ozonation urine test, and finally completely decomposed within 4 days. In addition, bacteria regenerated quickly after ozone completely decomposed. However, HP showed a significant effect on inhibiting urea hydrolysis not only in stored urine but also in fecal-contaminated urine. The suitable doses of applied HP to inhibit urea hydrolysis in stored urine, concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 g feces per liter of fecal-contaminated urine, were 0.03, 0.16 and 0.23 mol/L, respectively. The urea concentrations after 2 months stored were 7,145, 7,109 and 7,234 mg/L, respectively.

  5. Tracer techniques for urine volume determination and urine collection and sampling back-up system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramirez, R. V.

    1971-01-01

    The feasibility, functionality, and overall accuracy of the use of lithium were investigated as a chemical tracer in urine for providing a means of indirect determination of total urine volume by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. Experiments were conducted to investigate the parameters of instrumentation, tracer concentration, mixing times, and methods for incorporating the tracer material in the urine collection bag, and to refine and optimize the urine tracer technique to comply with the Skylab scheme and operational parameters of + or - 2% of volume error and + or - 1% accuracy of amount of tracer added to each container. In addition, a back-up method for urine collection and sampling system was developed and evaluated. This back-up method incorporates the tracer technique for volume determination in event of failure of the primary urine collection and preservation system. One chemical preservative was selected and evaluated as a contingency chemical preservative for the storage of urine in event of failure of the urine cooling system.

  6. An analysis of workers' tritium concentration in urine samples as a function of time after intake at Korean pressurised heavy water reactors.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hee Geun; Kong, Tae Young

    2012-12-01

    In general, internal exposure from tritium at pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) accounts for ∼20-40 % of the total radiation dose. Tritium usually reaches the equilibrium concentration after a few hours inside the body and is then excreted from the body with an effective half-life in the order of 10 d. In this study, tritium metabolism was reviewed using its excretion rate in urine samples of workers at Korean PHWRs. The tritium concentration in workers' urine samples was also measured as a function of time after intake. On the basis of the monitoring results, changes in the tritium concentration inside the body were then analysed.

  7. Concentrations of cysteinyl leukotrienes in urine and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of cats with experimentally induced asthma.

    PubMed

    Norris, Carol R; Decile, Kendra C; Berghaus, Londa J; Berghaus, Roy D; Walby, William F; Schelegle, Edward S; Hyde, Dallas M; Gershwin, Laurel J

    2003-11-01

    To evaluate changes in cysteinyl leukotriene (LT) concentrations in urine and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in cats with experimentally induced asthma. 19 cats with experimentally induced asthma and 5 control cats. Cats were sensitized to Bermuda grass or house dust mite allergen, and phenotypic features of asthma were confirmed with intradermal skin testing, evaluation of BALF eosinophil percentages, and pulmonary function testing. A competitive ELISA kit for LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4 was used for quantitative analysis of LTs. Urinary creatinine concentrations and BALF total protein (TP) concentrations were measured, and urinary LT-to-creatinine ratios and BALF LT-to-TP ratios were calculated. Mean urinary LT-to-creatinine ratios did not differ significantly between control cats and allergen-sensitized cats before or after sensitization and challenge exposure with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution or allergen, respectively. In BALF the mean LT-to-TP ratio of control cats did not differ significantly before or after sensitization and challenge exposure with saline. Asthmatic cats had BALF LT-to-TP ratios that were significantly lower than control cats at all time points, whereas ratios for asthmatic cats did not differ significantly among the various time points. Although LTs were readily detectable in urine, no significant increases in urinary LT concentrations were detected after challenge in allergen-sensitized cats. Spot testing of urinary LT concentrations appears to have no clinical benefit for use in monitoring the inflammatory asthmatic state in cats. The possibility that cysteinyl LTs bind effectively to their target receptors in BALF and, thus, decrease free LT concentrations deserves further study.

  8. Evaluation of the BinaxNOW® Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen test on fresh, frozen and concentrated urine samples in elderly patients with and without community-acquired pneumonia.

    PubMed

    Saukkoriipi, Annika; Pascal, Thierry; Palmu, Arto A

    2016-02-01

    We evaluated the BinaxNOW® urine antigen test in elderly. For fresh un-concentrated urine samples, the sensitivity for pneumococcal pneumonia was 63% and specificity 97%. After freezing and concentration, the results comparable to positive control line in intensity at 60 min gave high sensitivity (81%) with no loss in specificity (96%). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. The effect of interior lead hazard controls on children's blood lead concentrations: a systematic evaluation.

    PubMed Central

    Haynes, Erin; Lanphear, Bruce P; Tohn, Ellen; Farr, Nick; Rhoads, George G

    2002-01-01

    Dust control is often recommended to prevent children's exposure to residential lead hazards, but the effect of these controls on children's blood lead concentrations is uncertain. We conducted a systematic review of randomized, controlled trials of low-cost, lead hazard control interventions to determine the effect of lead hazard control on children's blood lead concentration. Four trials met the inclusion criteria. We examined mean blood lead concentration and elevated blood lead concentrations (> or = 10 microg/dL, > or = 15 microg/dL, and > or = 20 microg/dL) and found no significant differences in mean change in blood lead concentration for children by random group assignment (children assigned to the intervention group compared with those assigned to the control group). We found no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the percentage of children with blood lead > or = 10 microg/dL, 29% versus 32% [odds ratio (OR), 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.56-1.3], but there was a significant difference in the percentage of children with blood lead > or = 15 microg/dL between the intervention and control groups, 6% versus 14% (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21-0.80) and in the percentage of children with blood lead > or = 20 microg/dL between the intervention and control groups, 2% versus 6% (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.85). We conclude that although low-cost, interior lead hazard control was associated with 50% or greater reduction in the proportion of children who had blood lead concentrations exceeding 15 microg/dL and > or = 20 microg/dL, there was no substantial effect on mean blood lead concentration. PMID:11781171

  10. The effect of interior lead hazard controls on children's blood lead concentrations: a systematic evaluation.

    PubMed

    Haynes, Erin; Lanphear, Bruce P; Tohn, Ellen; Farr, Nick; Rhoads, George G

    2002-01-01

    Dust control is often recommended to prevent children's exposure to residential lead hazards, but the effect of these controls on children's blood lead concentrations is uncertain. We conducted a systematic review of randomized, controlled trials of low-cost, lead hazard control interventions to determine the effect of lead hazard control on children's blood lead concentration. Four trials met the inclusion criteria. We examined mean blood lead concentration and elevated blood lead concentrations (> or = 10 microg/dL, > or = 15 microg/dL, and > or = 20 microg/dL) and found no significant differences in mean change in blood lead concentration for children by random group assignment (children assigned to the intervention group compared with those assigned to the control group). We found no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the percentage of children with blood lead > or = 10 microg/dL, 29% versus 32% [odds ratio (OR), 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.56-1.3], but there was a significant difference in the percentage of children with blood lead > or = 15 microg/dL between the intervention and control groups, 6% versus 14% (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21-0.80) and in the percentage of children with blood lead > or = 20 microg/dL between the intervention and control groups, 2% versus 6% (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.85). We conclude that although low-cost, interior lead hazard control was associated with 50% or greater reduction in the proportion of children who had blood lead concentrations exceeding 15 microg/dL and > or = 20 microg/dL, there was no substantial effect on mean blood lead concentration.

  11. Concentrations of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9-carboxytetrahydrocannabinol in blood and urine after passive exposure to Cannabis smoke in a coffee shop.

    PubMed

    Röhrich, J; Schimmel, I; Zörntlein, S; Becker, J; Drobnik, S; Kaufmann, T; Kuntz, V; Urban, R

    2010-05-01

    Cannabinoid concentrations in blood and urine after passive exposure to cannabis smoke under real-life conditions were investigated in this study. Eight healthy volunteers were exposed to cannabis smoke for 3 h in a well-attended coffee shop in Maastricht, Netherlands. An initial blood and urine sample was taken from each volunteer before exposure. Blood samples were taken 1.5, 3.5, 6, and 14 h after start of initial exposure, and urine samples were taken after 3.5, 6, 14, 36, 60, and 84 h. The samples were subjected to immunoassay screening for cannabinoids and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-nor-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-OH), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH). It could be demonstrated that all volunteers absorbed THC. However, the detected concentrations were rather small. None of the urine samples produced immunoassay results above the cutoff concentration of 25 ng/mL. THC-COOH concentrations up to 5.0 and 7.8 ng/mL before and after hydrolysis, respectively, were found in the quantitative GC-MS analysis of urine. THC could be detected in trace amounts close to the detection limit of the used method in the first two blood samples after initial exposure (1.5 and 3.5 h). In the 6 h blood samples, THC was not detectable anymore. THC-COOH could be detected after 1.5 h and was still found in 3 out of 8 blood samples after 14 h in concentrations between 0.5 and 1.0 ng/mL.

  12. Consumption of lead-shot cervid meat and blood lead concentrations in a group of adult Norwegians.

    PubMed

    Meltzer, H M; Dahl, H; Brantsæter, A L; Birgisdottir, B E; Knutsen, H K; Bernhoft, A; Oftedal, B; Lande, U S; Alexander, J; Haugen, M; Ydersbond, T A

    2013-11-01

    Several recent investigations have reported high concentrations of lead in samples of minced cervid meat. This paper describes findings from a Norwegian study performed in 2012 among 147 adults with a wide range of cervid game consumption. The main aim was to assess whether high consumption of lead-shot cervid meat is associated with increased concentration of lead in blood. A second aim was to investigate to what extent factors apart from game consumption explain observed variability in blood lead levels. Median (5 and 95 percentile) blood concentration of lead was 16.6 µg/L (7.5 and 39 µg/L). An optimal multivariate linear regression model for log-transformed blood lead indicated that cervid game meat consumption once a month or more was associated with approximately 31% increase in blood lead concentrations. The increase seemed to be mostly associated with consumption of minced cervid meat, particularly purchased minced meat. However, many participants with high and long-lasting game meat intake had low blood lead concentrations. Cervid meat together with number of bullet shots per year, years with game consumption, self-assembly of bullets, wine consumption and smoking jointly accounted for approximately 25% of the variation in blood lead concentrations, while age and sex accounted for 27% of the variance. Blood lead concentrations increased approximately 18% per decade of age, and men had on average 30% higher blood lead concentrations than women. Hunters who assembled their own ammunition had 52% higher blood lead concentrations than persons not making ammunition. In conjunction with minced cervid meat, wine intake was significantly associated with increased blood lead. Our results indicate that hunting practices such as use of lead-based ammunition, self-assembling of lead containing bullets and inclusion of lead-contaminated meat for mincing to a large extent determine the exposure to lead from cervid game consumption. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights

  13. Water recovery by catalytic treatment of urine vapor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Budininkas, P.; Quattrone, P. D.; Leban, M. I.

    1980-01-01

    The objective of this investigation was to demonstrate the feasibility of water recovery on a man-rated scale by the catalytic processing of untreated urine vapor. For this purpose, two catalytic systems, one capable of processing an air stream containing low urine vapor concentrations and another to process streams with high urine vapor concentrations, were designed, constructed, and tested to establish the quality of the recovered water.

  14. Preventing Precipitation in the ISS Urine Processor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muirhead, Dean; Carter, Layne; Williamson, Jill; Chambers, Antja

    2017-01-01

    The ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) was initially designed to achieve 85% recovery of water from pretreated urine on ISS. Pretreated urine is comprised of crew urine treated with flush water, an oxidant (chromium trioxide), and an inorganic acid (sulfuric acid) to control microbial growth and inhibit precipitation. Unfortunately, initial operation of the UPA on ISS resulted in the precipitation of calcium sulfate at 85% recovery. This occurred because the calcium concentration in the crew urine was elevated in microgravity due to bone loss. The higher calcium concentration precipitated with sulfate from the pretreatment acid, resulting in a failure of the UPA due to the accumulation of solids in the Distillation Assembly. Since this failure, the UPA has been limited to a reduced recovery of water from urine to prevent calcium sulfate from reaching the solubility limit. NASA personnel have worked to identify a solution that would allow the UPA to return to a nominal recovery rate of 85%. This effort has culminated with the development of a pretreatment based on phosphoric acid instead of sulfuric acid. By eliminating the sulfate associated with the pretreatment, the brine can be concentrated to a much higher concentration before calcium sulfate reach the solubility limit. This paper summarizes the development of this pretreatment and the testing performed to verify its implementation on ISS.

  15. Ingestion of lead from ammunition and lead concentrations in white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Sweden.

    PubMed

    Helander, B; Axelsson, J; Borg, H; Holm, K; Bignert, A

    2009-10-15

    In this study we show for the first time that lead poisoning from ammunition is a significant mortality factor for white-tailed sea eagle (WSE) (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Sweden. We analyzed 118 WSEs collected between 1981 and 2004 from which both liver and kidney samples could be taken. A total of 22% of all eagles examined had elevated (>6 microg/gd.w.) lead concentrations, indicating exposure to leaded ammunition, and 14% of the individuals had either liver or kidney lead concentrations diagnostic of lethal lead poisoning (>20 microg/gd.w.). Lead concentrations in liver and kidney were significantly correlated. In individuals with lead levels <6 microg/g, concentrations were significantly higher in kidney than in liver; in individuals with lead levels >20 microg/g, concentrations were significantly higher in liver. The lead isotope ratios indicate that the source of lead in individuals with lethal concentrations is different from that of individuals exhibiting background concentrations of lead (<6 microg/gd.w.) There were no significant sex or age differences in lead concentrations. A study from the Baltic reported in principle no biomagnification of lead, but background lead concentrations in WSE liver in this study were still four to >10 times higher than concentrations reported for Baltic fish from the same time period. In contrast to other biota there was no decrease in lead concentrations in WSE over the study period. The proportion of lead poisoned WSE remained unchanged over the study period, including two years after a partial ban of lead shot was enforced in 2002 for shallow wetlands. The use of lead in ammunition poses a threat to all raptors potentially feeding on shot game or offal. The removal of offal from shot game and alternatives to leaded ammunition needs to be implemented in order to prevent mortality from lead in raptors and scavengers.

  16. Blood lead concentration after a shotgun accident.

    PubMed

    Gerhardsson, Lars; Dahlin, Lars; Knebel, Richard; Schütz, Andrejs

    2002-01-01

    In an accidental shooting, a man in his late forties was hit in his left shoulder region by about 60 lead pellets from a shotgun. He had injuries to the vessels, the clavicle, muscles, and nerves, with total paralysis of the left arm due to axonal injury. After several surgical revisions and temporary cover with split skin, reconstructive surgery was carried out 54 days after the accident. The brachial plexus was swollen, but the continuity of the nerve trunks was not broken (no neuroma present). We determined the blood lead (BPb) concentration during a follow-up period of 12 months. The BPb concentration increased considerably during the first months. Although 30 lead pellets were removed during the reconstructive surgery, the BPb concentration continued to rise, and reached a peak of 62 microg/dL (3.0 micromol/L) on day 81. Thereafter it started to decline. Twelve months after the accident, BPb had leveled off at about 30 microg/dL. At that time, muscle and sensory functions had partially recovered. The BPb concentration exceeded 30 microg/dL for 9 months, which may have influenced the recovery rate of nerve function. Subjects with a large number of lead pellets or fragments embedded in the body after shooting accidents should be followed for many years by regular determinations of BPb. To obtain a more stable basis for risk assessment, the BPb concentrations should be corrected for variations in the subject's hemoglobin concentration or erythrocyte volume fraction.

  17. Stable lead isotopes reveal a natural source of high lead concentrations to gasoline-contaminated groundwater

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Landmeyer, J.E.; Bradley, P.M.; Bullen, T.D.

    2003-01-01

    Concentrations of total lead as high as 1,600 ??g/L were detected in gasoline-contaminated and uncontaminated groundwater at three gasoline-release sites in South Carolina. Total lead concentrations were highest in turbid groundwater samples from gasoline-contaminated and uncontaminated wells, whereas lower turbidity groundwater samples (collected using low-flow methods) had lower total lead concentrations. Dissolved lead concentrations in all wells sampled, however, were less than 15 ??g total lead/L, the current United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL). Because many total lead concentrations exceeded the MCL, the source of lead to the groundwater system at two of the three sites was investigated using a stable lead isotope ratio approach. Plots of the stable isotope ratios of lead (Pb) in groundwater as 207Pb/206Pb versus 208Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/204Pb versus 206Pb/204Pb were similar to ratios characteristic of lead-based minerals in local rocks of the southeastern US, and were not similar to the stable lead isotopes ratios characteristic of distant lead ore deposits such as Broken Hill, Australia, used to produce tetraethyl lead in gasoline products prior to its phase-out and ban in the United States. Moreover, the isotopic composition of dissolved lead was equivalent to the isotopic composition of total lead in turbid samples collected from the same well, suggesting that the majority of the lead detected in the groundwater samples was associated with sediment particulates of indigenous aquifer material, rather than lead associated with spilled leaded gasoline. The results of this investigation indicate that (1) lead detected at some gasoline-release sites may be derived from the local aquifer material, rather than the gasoline release, and consequently may affect site-specific remediation goals; (2) non-low flow groundwater sampling methods, such as a disposable bailer, may result in turbid groundwater samples and

  18. A study examining the bias of albumin and albumin/creatinine ratio measurements in urine.

    PubMed

    Jacobson, Beryl E; Seccombe, David W; Katayev, Alex; Levin, Adeera

    2015-10-01

    The objective of the study was to examine the bias of albumin and albumin/creatinine (ACR) measurements in urine. Pools of normal human urine were augmented with purified human serum albumin to generate a series of 12 samples covering the clinical range of interest for the measurement of ACR. Albumin and creatinine concentrations in these samples were analyzed three times on each of 3 days by 24 accredited laboratories in Canada and the USA. Reference values (RV) for albumin measurements were assigned by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) comparative method and gravimetrically. Ten random urine samples (check samples) were analyzed as singlets and albumin and ACR values reported according to the routine practices of each laboratory. Augmented urine pools were shown to be commutable. Gravimetrically assigned target values were corrected for the presence of endogenous albumin using the LC-MS/MS comparative method. There was excellent agreement between the RVs as assigned by these two methods. All laboratory medians demonstrated a negative bias for the measurement of albumin in urine over the concentration range examined. The magnitude of this bias tended to decrease with increasing albumin concentrations. At baseline, only 10% of the patient ACR values met a performance limit of RV ± 15%. This increased to 84% and 86% following post-analytical correction for albumin and creatinine calibration bias, respectively. International organizations should take a leading role in the standardization of albumin measurements in urine. In the interim, accuracy based urine quality control samples may be used by clinical laboratories for monitoring the accuracy of their urinary albumin measurements.

  19. Blood lead concentration after a shotgun accident.

    PubMed Central

    Gerhardsson, Lars; Dahlin, Lars; Knebel, Richard; Schütz, Andrejs

    2002-01-01

    In an accidental shooting, a man in his late forties was hit in his left shoulder region by about 60 lead pellets from a shotgun. He had injuries to the vessels, the clavicle, muscles, and nerves, with total paralysis of the left arm due to axonal injury. After several surgical revisions and temporary cover with split skin, reconstructive surgery was carried out 54 days after the accident. The brachial plexus was swollen, but the continuity of the nerve trunks was not broken (no neuroma present). We determined the blood lead (BPb) concentration during a follow-up period of 12 months. The BPb concentration increased considerably during the first months. Although 30 lead pellets were removed during the reconstructive surgery, the BPb concentration continued to rise, and reached a peak of 62 microg/dL (3.0 micromol/L) on day 81. Thereafter it started to decline. Twelve months after the accident, BPb had leveled off at about 30 microg/dL. At that time, muscle and sensory functions had partially recovered. The BPb concentration exceeded 30 microg/dL for 9 months, which may have influenced the recovery rate of nerve function. Subjects with a large number of lead pellets or fragments embedded in the body after shooting accidents should be followed for many years by regular determinations of BPb. To obtain a more stable basis for risk assessment, the BPb concentrations should be corrected for variations in the subject's hemoglobin concentration or erythrocyte volume fraction. PMID:11781173

  20. Phenolic acid concentrations in plasma and urine from men consuming green or black tea and potential chemopreventive properties for colon cancer

    PubMed Central

    Henning, Susanne M.; Wang, Piwen; Abgaryan, Narine; Vicinanza, Roberto; de Oliveira, Daniela Moura; Zhang, Yanjun; Lee, Ru-Po; Carpenter, Catherine L.; Aronson, William J.; Heber, David

    2013-01-01

    Scope Tea polyphenols are metabolized by the colonic microflora yielding phenolic metabolites, which may contribute to the health benefits of tea. We determined the serum and urine concentrations of phenolic acids, hippuric acid and polyhydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactones during green tea (GT) and black tea (BT) administration. The effects of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (3,4-DHPAA) alone and in combination on bioavailability, intracellular metabolism, and antiproliferative activity was determined in HCT-116 colon cancer cells. Methods and Results The concentration of phenolic metabolites was quantified by HPLC with electrochemical detection and MS. Urine concentrations of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4-HPAA), 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (3-HPAA) and polyhydroxy-γ-valerolactones were increased significantly in men drinking GT compared to control. Urine concentration of 3-O-methylgallic acid (3OMGA) was significantly increased in men drinking BT compared to control. Serum 3,4-DHPAA was significantly increased after consumption of GT and BT and 4-HPAA after GT consumption. In vitro treatment of HCT-116 colon cancer cells with 3,4-DHPAA and EGCG exhibited an additive antiproliferative effect, while methylation of 3,4-DHPAA was significantly decreased. 3OMGA exhibited the strongest antiproliferative activity among the phenolic acids. Conclusions The consumption of both, GT and BT, was associated with a significant increase in urinary and serum phenolic acids. PMID:23319439

  1. Assessment of the body burden of chelatable lead: a model and its application to lead workers.

    PubMed Central

    Araki, S; Ushio, K

    1982-01-01

    A hypothetical model was introduced to estimate the body burden of chelatable lead from the mobilisation yield of lead by calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate (CaEDTA). It was estimated that, on average, 14 and 19% of the body burden was mobilised into the urine during the 24 hours after an injection of 53.4 mumol (20 mg) and 107 mumol (40 mg) CaEDTA per kg bodyweight, respectively. The body burden of chelatable lead ranged from 4 mumol (0.8 mg) to 120 mumol (24.9 mg) (mean 37 mumol (7.7 mg) in lead workers with blood lead concentrations of 0.3-2.9 mumol/kg (6-60 microgram/100 g) (mean 1.4 mumol/kg (29 microgram/100 g)). There were linear relationships between blood lead concentrations and body burden of chelatable lead on a log scale. PMID:6802167

  2. Validation of Surrogates of Urine Osmolality in Population Studies.

    PubMed

    Youhanna, Sonia; Bankir, Lise; Jungers, Paul; Porteous, David; Polasek, Ozren; Bochud, Murielle; Hayward, Caroline; Devuyst, Olivier

    2017-01-01

    The importance of vasopressin and/or urine concentration in various kidney, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases has been emphasized recently. Due to technical constraints, urine osmolality (Uosm), a direct reflect of urinary concentrating activity, is rarely measured in epidemiologic studies. We analyzed 2 possible surrogates of Uosm in 4 large population-based cohorts (total n = 4,247) and in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD, n = 146). An estimated Uosm (eUosm) based on the concentrations of sodium, potassium, and urea, and a urine concentrating index (UCI) based on the ratio of creatinine concentrations in urine and plasma were compared to the measured Uosm (mUosm). eUosm is an excellent surrogate of mUosm, with a highly significant linear relationship and values within 5% of mUosm (r = 0.99 or 0.98 in each population cohort). Bland-Altman plots show a good agreement between eUosm and mUosm with mean differences between the 2 variables within ±24 mmol/L. This was verified in men and women, in day and night urine samples, and in CKD patients. The relationship of UCI with mUosm is also significant but is not linear and exhibits more dispersed values. Moreover, the latter index is no longer representative of mUosm in patients with CKD as it declines much more quickly with declining glomerular filtration rate than mUosm. The eUosm is a valid marker of urine concentration in population-based and CKD cohorts. The UCI can provide an estimate of urine concentration when no other measurement is available, but should be used only in subjects with normal renal function. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. Clinical, Toxicological, Biochemical, and Hematologic Parameters in Lead Exposed Workers of a Car Battery Industry

    PubMed Central

    Kianoush, Sina; Balali-Mood, Mahdi; Mousavi, Seyed Reza; Shakeri, Mohammad Taghi; Dadpour, Bita; Moradi, Valiollah; Sadeghi, Mahmoud

    2013-01-01

    Background: Lead is a toxic element which causes acute, subacute or chronic poisoning through environmental and occupational exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical and laboratory abnormalities of chronic lead poisoning among workers of a car battery industry. Methods: Questionnaires and forms were designed and used to record demographic data, past medical histories and clinical manifestations of lead poisoning. Blood samples were taken to determine biochemical (using Auto Analyzer; Model BT3000) and hematologic (using Cell Counter Sysmex; Model KX21N) parameters. An atomic absorption spectrometer (Perkin-Elmer, Model 3030, USA) was used to determine lead concentration in blood and urine by heated graphite atomization technique. Results: A total of 112 men mean age 28.78±5.17 years, who worked in a car battery industry were recruited in the present study. The most common signs/symptoms of lead poisoning included increased excitability 41.9%, arthralgia 41.0%, fatigue 40.1%, dental grey discoloration 44.6%, lead line 24.1%, increased deep tendon reflexes (DTR) 22.3%, and decreased DTR (18.7%). Blood lead concentration (BLC) was 398.95 µg/L±177.40, which was significantly correlated with duration of work (P=0.044) but not with the clinical manifestations of lead poisoning. However, BLC was significantly correlated with urine lead concentration (83.67 µg/L±49.78; r2=0.711; P<0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (r=-0.280; P=0.011), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (r=-0.304; P=0.006) and fasting blood sugar or FBS (r=-0.258; P=0.010). Conclusion: Neuropsychiatric and skeletal findings were common manifestations of chronic occupational lead poisoning. BLC was significantly correlated with duration of work, urine lead concentration, two hemoglobin indices and FBS. PMID:23645955

  4. Clinical, toxicological, biochemical, and hematologic parameters in lead exposed workers of a car battery industry.

    PubMed

    Kianoush, Sina; Balali-Mood, Mahdi; Mousavi, Seyed Reza; Shakeri, Mohammad Taghi; Dadpour, Bita; Moradi, Valiollah; Sadeghi, Mahmoud

    2013-03-01

    Lead is a toxic element which causes acute, subacute or chronic poisoning through environmental and occupational exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical and laboratory abnormalities of chronic lead poisoning among workers of a car battery industry. Questionnaires and forms were designed and used to record demographic data, past medical histories and clinical manifestations of lead poisoning. Blood samples were taken to determine biochemical (using Auto Analyzer; Model BT3000) and hematologic (using Cell Counter Sysmex; Model KX21N) parameters. An atomic absorption spectrometer (Perkin-Elmer, Model 3030, USA) was used to determine lead concentration in blood and urine by heated graphite atomization technique. A total of 112 men mean age 28.78±5.17 years, who worked in a car battery industry were recruited in the present study. The most common signs/symptoms of lead poisoning included increased excitability 41.9%, arthralgia 41.0%, fatigue 40.1%, dental grey discoloration 44.6%, lead line 24.1%, increased deep tendon reflexes (DTR) 22.3%, and decreased DTR (18.7%). Blood lead concentration (BLC) was 398.95 µg/L±177.40, which was significantly correlated with duration of work (P=0.044) but not with the clinical manifestations of lead poisoning. However, BLC was significantly correlated with urine lead concentration (83.67 µg/L±49.78; r(2)=0.711; P<0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (r=-0.280; P=0.011), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (r=-0.304; P=0.006) and fasting blood sugar or FBS (r=-0.258; P=0.010). Neuropsychiatric and skeletal findings were common manifestations of chronic occupational lead poisoning. BLC was significantly correlated with duration of work, urine lead concentration, two hemoglobin indices and FBS.

  5. The relationship of blood- and urine-boron to boron exposure in borax-workers and usefulness of urine-boron as an exposure marker.

    PubMed Central

    Culver, B D; Shen, P T; Taylor, T H; Lee-Feldstein, A; Anton-Culver, H; Strong, P L

    1994-01-01

    Daily dietary-boron intake and on-the-job inspired boron were compared with blood- and urine-boron concentrations in workers engaged in packaging and shipping borax. Fourteen workers handling borax at jobs of low, medium, and high dust exposures were sampled throughout full shifts for 5 consecutive days each. Airborne borax concentrations ranged from means of 3.3 mg/m3 to 18 mg/m3, measured gravimetrically. End-of-shift mean blood-boron concentrations ranged from 0.11 to 0.26 microgram/g; end-of-shift mean urine concentrations ranged from 3.16 to 10.72 micrograms/mg creatinine. Creatinine measures were used to adjust for differences in urine-specific gravity such that 1 ml of urine contains approximately 1 mg creatinine. There was no progressive increase in end-of-shift blood- or urine-boron concentrations across the days of the week. Urine testing done at the end of the work shift gave a somewhat better estimate of borate exposure than did blood testing, was sampled more easily, and was analytically less difficult to perform. Personal air samplers of two types were used: one, the 37-mm closed-face, two-piece cassette to estimate total dust and the other, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sampler to estimate inspirable particulate mass. Under the conditions of this study, the IOM air sampler more nearly estimated human exposure as measured by blood- and urine-boron levels than did the sampler that measured total dust.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:7889874

  6. Concentrations of nandrolone metabolites in urine after the therapeutic administration of an ophthalmic solution.

    PubMed

    Avois, Lidia; Mangin, Patrice; Saugy, Martial

    2007-05-09

    Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, is used for the treatment of several diseases and is available in various pharmaceutical formulations. The most widely used pharmaceutical formulation is Deca-Durabolin, but other products, such as Keratyl eye drops solution, are also currently administered. Nandrolone is one of the most abused anabolic steroid in sports. Analyses for this anabolic steroid according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) protocol are based on the identification of the nandrolone two main urinary metabolites which, in humans, are glucuronides of 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone. A positive cut off limit of 2 ng/mL has been set by the anti-doping code for the first metabolite, 19-norandrosterone. In this preliminary study, an eye drops solution (Keratyl) containing a therapeutic dose of a nandrolone sodium sulphate was administered to several male volunteers during 3 days and urines were collected during 3 weeks. Surprisingly, contrary to all expectations, the urinary concentrations measured in urines reached 450 ng/mL and 70 ng/mL for norandrosterone and noretiocholanolone, respectively. Moreover, concentration levels near to 2 ng/mL were found, more than 2 weeks after the last administration, depending on individual metabolism. Inter-variability as well as intra-variability of nandrolone excretion kinetic, regarding this particular administration mode, were also evaluated. Quantification of nandrolone metabolites was performed by GC-MS. The method was previously validated in terms of specificity, precision, linearity, LOD, LOQ, robustness, accuracy and the expanded uncertainty was also evaluated.

  7. Chronic lead poisoning in horses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knight, H.D.; Burau, R.G.

    1973-05-01

    Chronic lead poisoning in horses was manifested as anorexia, loss of body weight, muscular weakness, anemia, laryngeal hemiplegia, and, terminally, inhalation pneumonia. Some deaths were sudden and unexplained. The lead content in liver specimens from 10 horses was greater than that considered indicative of lead intoxication; however, the lead content of blood was equivocal. The most conclusive laboratory finding was increased urine lead concentration after chelation therapy. The concentration of lead in a sample of vegetation considered to be representative of what a horse would eat if he was grazing in the area sampled was 325 ppM (oven-dry basis). Itmore » was determined that a 450-kg horse grazing grass of this lead content would consume 2.9 Gm of lead daily (6.4 mg/kg of body weight), an amount considered toxic for horses. Leaching lowered the calcium content of the forage but failed to reduce the lead concentration of the plants significantly, thus opening the possibility that winter rains might have influenced the onset of poisoning. Airborne fallout from a nearby lead smelter was proposed as the primary mode of pasture contamination.« less

  8. Biomonitoring of trace elements in urine samples of children from a coal-mining region.

    PubMed

    Santos, Marina Dos; Flores Soares, Maria Cristina; Martins Baisch, Paulo Roberto; Muccillo Baisch, Ana Luíza; Rodrigues da Silva Júnior, Flavio Manoel

    2018-04-01

    Biomonitoring through urine samples is important for evaluating environmental exposure, since urine is the main form of excretion for most chemical elements. Children are considered more vulnerable to adverse environmental conditions, especially children in developing countries. This study aimed to biomonitor trace elements in urine samples in children from a coal-mining region in the extreme south of Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 96 children between 6 and 11 years of age. Socioeconomic data and urine samples were collected to estimate the concentration of iron, zinc, selenium, lead, and cadmium. The prevalence of metals above the reference values was 52.0% for Se, followed by 15.6% for Zn. The data point toward a vulnerability to adverse environmental conditions in these children. Although the concentrations of the elements did not reveal intoxication cases, biomonitoring should be carried out continuously in order to assess exposure to metals and ensure the health of the population. This article provides data that help determine natural levels of metallic elements in children, specifically in South America, which have not yet been established. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. The Management of Lead Concentrate Acquisition in "Trepca"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haxhiaj, Ahmet; Fan, Maoming; Haxhiaj, Bajram

    Based on the placement of lead and its consumption in industry branches, the paper deals with the composition of lead in the ores of Kopaonik, grinding and flotation recovery of galena. In the flotation process, the flotation machine, the flotation reagents, chemical composition of the flotation concentrates and tailings were discussed in this paper. Verification of the chemical composition of Pb concentrates with Pb, Zn, and Ag, etc. was conducted in this study. It is special that the ratio of Pb to Zn in Kopaonik massive composition is 1.4:1.0. During the flotation, lead tends to float with concentrate more than allowed. In this investigation, effects have been made to minimize the loss of Pb to concentrates. This paper as such gave the first effects in optimizing of these parameters with positive effects in the flotation process in Trepca.

  10. Diet effects on urine composition of cattle and N2O emissions.

    PubMed

    Dijkstra, J; Oenema, O; van Groenigen, J W; Spek, J W; van Vuuren, A M; Bannink, A

    2013-06-01

    Ruminant production contributes to emissions of nitrogen (N) to the environment, principally ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and di-nitrogen (N2) to air, nitrate (NO3 -) to groundwater and particulate N to surface waters. Variation in dietary N intake will particularly affect excretion of urinary N, which is much more vulnerable to losses than is faecal N. Our objective is to review dietary effects on the level and form of N excreted in cattle urine, as well as its consequences for emissions of N2O. The quantity of N excreted in urine varies widely. Urinary N excretion, in particular that of urea N, is decreased upon reduction of dietary N intake or an increase in the supply of energy to the rumen microorganisms and to the host animal itself. Most of the N in urine (from 50% to well over 90%) is present in the form of urea. Other nitrogenous components include purine derivatives (PD), hippuric acid, creatine and creatinine. Excretion of PD is related to rumen microbial protein synthesis, and that of hippuric acid to dietary concentration of degradable phenolic acids. The N concentration of cattle urine ranges from 3 to 20 g/l. High-dietary mineral levels increase urine volume and lead to reduced urinary N concentration as well as reduced urea concentration in plasma and milk. In lactating dairy cattle, variation in urine volume affects the relationship between milk urea and urinary N excretion, which hampers the use of milk urea as an accurate indicator of urinary N excretion. Following its deposition in pastures or in animal houses, ubiquitous microorganisms in soil and waters transform urinary N components into ammonium (NH4 +), and thereafter into NO3 - and ultimately in N2 accompanied with the release of N2O. Urinary hippuric acid, creatine and creatinine decompose more slowly than urea. Hippuric acid may act as a natural inhibitor of N2O emissions, but inhibition conditions have not been defined properly yet. Environmental and soil conditions at the site of

  11. Mobilized plasma lead as an index of lead body burden and its relation to the heme-related indices.

    PubMed

    Sakai, T; Ushio, K; Ikeya, Y

    1998-07-01

    Plasma lead (Pb-P) from workers were distributed in two main fractions: a protein bound fraction and low molecular weight fractions. Lead mobilized into plasma by CaEDTA was mainly observed in the low molecular weight fraction corresponding to lead disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (PbEDTA). The peak levels of Pb-P was attained around 1.5 and 2.5 hours after the start of CaEDTA injection. Pb-P and blood lead levels (Pb-B) at 2 h after the injection were 4.26 (+/- 2.84) and 0.96 (+/- 0.27) fold of the initial levels just before the injection. Pb-P concentrations at 2 hours after the start of CaEDTA injection (MPb-P) were well correlated (r = 0.740) with amounts of lead excreted in urine for 24 h thereafter (MPb-U). log MPb-P as well as log MPb-U were correlated with Pb-B (r = 0.765 and 0.817, respectively). Correlation coefficients of lead body burden (MPb-P or MPb-U) vs the logarithms of the effect indices (delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) dehydratase, ALA in urine, coproporphyrin in urine, and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin) were higher than the correlation coefficients of exposure indices (Pb-B or Pb-U) vs the logarithms of the effect indices. Thus the biological effect monitoring is significant and reliable for evaluating the functional components of lead body burden (MPb-P or MPb-U).

  12. Total arsenic concentrations in Chinese children's urine by different geographic locations, ages, and genders.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xuan; Wang, Beibei; Cui, Xiaoyong; Lin, Chunye; Liu, Xitao; Ma, Jin

    2018-06-01

    Little is known about the variation of Chinese children's exposure to arsenic by geography, age, gender, and other potential factors. The main objective of this study was to investigate the total arsenic concentration in Chinese children's urine by geographic locations, ages, and genders. In total, 259 24-h urine samples were collected from 210 2- to 12-year-old children in China and analyzed for total arsenic and creatinine concentrations. The results showed that the upper limit (upper limit of the 90% confidence interval for the 97.5 fractile) was 27.51 µg/L or 55.88 µg/g creatinine for Chinese children. The total urinary arsenic levels were significantly different for children in Guangdong, Hubei, and Gansu provinces (P < 0.05), where the upper limits were 24.29, 58.70, and 44.29 µg/g creatinine, respectively. In addition, the total urinary arsenic levels were higher for 2- to 7-year-old children than for 7- to 12-year-old children (P < 0.05; the upper limits were 59.06 and 44.29 µg/g creatinine, respectively) and higher for rural children than for urban children (P < 0.05; the upper limits were 59.06 and 50.44 µg/g creatinine, respectively). The total urinary arsenic levels for boys were not significantly different from those for girls (P > 0.05), although the level for boys (the upper limit was 59.30 µg/g) was slightly higher than that for girls (the upper limit was 58.64 µg/g creatinine). Because the total urinary arsenic concentrations are significantly different for general populations of children in different locations and age groups, the reference level of total urinary arsenic might be dependent on the geographic site and the child's age.

  13. [Concentration of cysteine proteinase inhibitors in urine, amniotic fluid and serum from women in pregnancy complicated by EPH-gestosis].

    PubMed

    Karmowski, A; Sobiech, K A; Kertyńska, I; Terpiłowski, L; Słowińska-Lisowska, M; Pałczyński, B; Malik, B

    2000-10-01

    Cysteine proteinase inhibitors (IPC) concentration was measured by the modified Barrett method using papaine in urine, amniotic fluid and serum obtained from the healthy labored women and from labored women in pregnancy complicated by EPH-gestosis. It was noticed the statistically significant increase in the IPC concentration in the material from the pregnant women with EPH-gestosis comparing to the women, which pregnancy had the physiologically normal course.

  14. Cleaved Form of Osteopontin in Urine as a Clinical Marker of Lupus Nephritis

    PubMed Central

    Kitagori, Koji; Yoshifuji, Hajime; Oku, Takuma; Sasaki, Chiyomi; Miyata, Hitomi; Mori, Keita P.; Nakajima, Toshiki; Ohmura, Koichiro; Kawabata, Daisuke; Yukawa, Naoichiro; Imura, Yoshitaka; Murakami, Kosaku; Nakashima, Ran; Usui, Takashi; Fujii, Takao; Sakai, Kaoru; Yanagita, Motoko; Hirayama, Yoshitaka; Mimori, Tsuneyo

    2016-01-01

    We assessed the utility of two forms of osteopontin (OPN), OPN full and its cleaved form (OPN N-half), in plasma and urine as markers of disease activity in lupus nephritis (LN). Samples were collected from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (LN: N = 29, non-LN: N = 27), IgA nephropathy (IgAN) (N = 14), minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) (N = 5), diabetic nephropathy (DN) (N = 14) and healthy volunteers (HC) (N = 17). While there was no significant difference in urine OPN full concentration between groups, urine OPN N-half concentration was significantly higher in patients with LN than HC (p < 0.05). Moreover, urine OPN N-half was higher in LN patients with overt proteinuria (urine protein/creatinine ratio: P/C > 0.5) than LN patients with minimal proteinuria (P/C < 0.5, p < 0.0001), and also higher than in DN patients with overt proteinuria (P/C > 0.5, p < 0.01). Urine thrombin activity correlated with urine OPN N-half concentration (p < 0.0001), but not with urine OPN full concentration. These results suggest that urine OPN N-half concentration reflects renal inflammation. Thus, urine OPN N-half may be a novel disease activity marker for LN. PMID:27992535

  15. Concentrations of phthalates and DINCH metabolites in pooled urine from Queensland, Australia.

    PubMed

    Gomez Ramos, M J; Heffernan, A L; Toms, L M L; Calafat, A M; Ye, X; Hobson, P; Broomhall, S; Mueller, J F

    2016-03-01

    Dialkyl phthalate esters (phthalates) are ubiquitous chemicals used extensively as plasticizers, solvents and adhesives in a range of industrial and consumer products. 1,2-Cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid, diisononyl ester (DINCH) is a phthalate alternative introduced due to a more favourable toxicological profile, but exposure is largely uncharacterised. The aim of this study was to provide the first assessment of exposure to phthalates and DINCH in the general Australian population. De-identified urine specimens stratified by age and sex were obtained from a community-based pathology laboratory and pooled (n=24 pools of 100). Concentrations of free and total species were measured using online solid phase extraction isotope dilution high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Concentrations ranged from 2.4 to 71.9ng/mL for metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, and from <0.5 to 775ng/mL for all other metabolites. Our data suggest that phthalate metabolites concentrations in Australia were at least two times higher than in the United States and Germany; and may be related to legislative differences among countries. DINCH metabolite concentrations were comparatively low and consistent with the limited data available. Ongoing biomonitoring among the general Australian population may help assess temporal trends in exposure and assess the effectiveness of actions aimed at reducing exposures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Blood and urine responses to ingesting fluids of various salt and glucose concentrations. [to combat orthostatic intolerance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frey, Mary A.; Riddle, Jeanne; Charles, John B.; Bungo, Michael W.

    1991-01-01

    To compensate for the reduced blood and fluid volumes that develop during weightlessness, the Space Shuttle crewmembers consume salt tablets and water equivalent to 1 l of normal saline, about 2 hrs before landing. This paper compares the effects on blood, urine, and cardiovascular variables of the ingestion of 1 l of normal (0.9 percent) saline with the effects of distilled water, 1 percent glucose, 0.74 percent saline with 1 percent glucose, 0.9 percent saline with 1 percent glucose, and 1.07 percent saline. It was found that the expansion of plasma volume and the concentration of urine were greater 4 hrs after ingestion of 1.07 percent saline solution than after ingestion of normal saline and that the solutions containig glucose did not enhance any variables as compared with normal saline.

  17. Ratio of urine and blood urea nitrogen concentration predicts the response of tolvaptan in congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    Shimizu, Keisuke; Doi, Kent; Imamura, Teruhiko; Noiri, Eisei; Yahagi, Naoki; Nangaku, Masaomi; Kinugawa, Koichiro

    2015-06-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the ratio of urine and blood urea nitrogen concentration (UUN/BUN) as a new predictive factor for the response of an arginine vasopressin receptor 2 antagonist tolvaptan (TLV) in decompensated heart failure patients. This study enrolled 70 decompensated heart failure patients who were administered TLV at University of Tokyo Hospital. We collected the data of clinical parameters including UUN/BUN before administering TLV. Two different outcomes were defined as follows: having over 300 mL increase in urine volume on the first day (immediate urine output response) and having any decrease in body weight within one week after starting TLV treatment (subsequent clinical response). Among the 70 enrolled patients, 37 patients (52.9%) showed immediate urine output response; 51 patients (72.9%) showed a subsequent clinical response of body weight decrease. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis showed good prediction by UUN/BUN for the immediate response (AUC-ROC 0.86 [0.75-0.93]) and a significantly better prediction by UUN/BUN for the subsequent clinical response compared with urinary osmolality (AUC-ROC 0.78 [0.63-0.88] vs. 0.68 [0.52-0.80], P < 0.05). We demonstrated that a clinical parameter of UUN/BUN can predict the response of TLV even when measured before TLV administration. UUN/BUN might enable identification of good responders for this new drug. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

  18. Pediatric lead poisoning from folk prescription for treating epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Ying, Xiao-Lan; Xu, Jian; Markowitz, Morri; Yan, Chong-Huai

    2016-10-01

    A case of lead poisoning resulting from the ingestion of a folk remedy for treating epilepsy is reported. The initial blood lead concentration of this 6-y-old boy was 63.6μg/dl upon admission. He presented with abdominal pain, constipation, and irritability. The patient's liver function tests were significantly increased. Through chelation therapy, the blood lead concentration dropped markedly and clinical symptoms greatly improved. His blood and urine samples were collected for the kinetic analysis of lead elimination. Folk prescriptions for epilepsy should be considered as potential sources of lead intoxication. Lead poisoning should be taken into consideration for unknown causes of abdominal pain. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. The relationship between sodium concentrations in spot urine and blood pressure increases: a prospective study of Japanese general population: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

    PubMed

    Umesawa, Mitsumasa; Yamagishi, Kazumasa; Noda, Hiroyuki; Ikeda, Ai; Sawachi, Shinobu; Muraki, Isao; Chei, Choy-Lye; Cui, Renzhe; Nagao, Masanori; Ohira, Tetsuya; Sankai, Tomoko; Tanigawa, Takeshi; Kitamura, Akihiko; Kiyama, Masahiko; Iso, Hiroyasu

    2016-03-05

    Although several cross-sectional and intervention studies showed that sodium intake or excretion was associated with blood pressure levels, no prospective study has examined the long-term association between sodium excretion in spot urine and blood pressure changes. We conducted a prospective study of 889 normotensive subjects (295 men and 594 women, mean age 57.3 years) who underwent the baseline survey including spot urine test in 2005 and the follow-up survey in 2009 to 2011 (mean follow-up period: 5.8 years). We examined the association between sodium concentration in spot urine, a validated index of sodium excretion occurring over 24-h, and blood pressure changes between baseline and follow-up survey in all, non-overweight (body mass index(BMI) ≤ 25 kg/m(2)) and overweight normotensives. For all subjects, sodium concentrations in spot urine were not associated with either systolic or diastolic blood pressure changes. When stratified by BMI at baseline survey, sodium concentrations were positively associated with systolic blood pressure changes in non-overweight subjects, but not in overweight subjects. After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, alcohol intake status, current smoking and estimated glomerular filtration rate, the multivariable-adjusted mean values of the systolic blood pressure change among non-overweight subjects was +7.3 mmHg in the highest quartiles of sodium concentrations, while it was +3.9 mmHg in the lowest quartile (P for difference = 0.021, P for trend = 0.040). After further adjustment of baseline blood pressure levels, the association was slightly weakened; the multivariable-adjusted mean values of the systolic blood pressure changes were +7.0 mmHg and +4.2 mmHg (P for difference = 0.047, P for trend = 0.071). High sodium concentrations in spot urine were associated with subsequent systolic blood pressure increases among non-overweight normotensive individuals. (272 words).

  20. Recommended oral sodium bicarbonate administration for urine alkalinization did not affect the concentration of mitomycin-C in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Seo, Ho Kyung; Kim, Sung Han; Ahn, Kyung-Ohk; Lee, Sang-Jin; Park, Weon Seo; Kim, Sohee; Hwang, Sang-Hyun; Lee, Do Hoon; Joung, Jae Young; Chung, Jinsoo; Joo, Jungnam; Jeong, Kyung-Chae

    2017-11-10

    Sodium bicarbonate has been reported to maximize the efficacy of intravesical instillation of mitomycin-C (IVI-MMC) therapy by urine alkalinization in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). This study aimed to analyze the changes in MMC concentration according to urinary pH and evaluate the efficacy of sodium bicarbonate to maintain the concentration of active form of MMC during IVI-MMC. We prospectively enrolled 26 patients with NMIBC after transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Patients with very high-risk and low-risk NMIBC were excluded. Urinary creatinine, volume, pH, and concentrations of MMC and its degraded form were measured immediately before and after IVI-MMC. The patients were administered 1.5 g of oral sodium bicarbonate during the preceding evening, in the morning, and immediately before the fourth cycle of the six-cycle IVI-MMC. The correlation between MMC concentration and urinary pH changes was explored with or without oral bicarbonate therapy. Recurrence without progression to muscle-invasive disease was noted in 4 of 26 patients in a 23.7-month follow-up. The mean urinary pH before and after the therapy increased from 6.03 to 6.50, and 6.46 to 7.24, without or with oral SB therapy, respectively. Despite this increase, the concentration of active form of MMC did not change significantly. No correlation was found between urinary pH and MMC concentration. Urine alkalinization by SB administration did not maintain the high concentration of urinary MMC. Urine alkalinization by sodium bicarbonate administration for IVI-MMC did not maintain the high concentration of active urinary MMC in NMIBC.

  1. Impact of pH on Urine Chemistry Assayed on Roche Analyzers.

    PubMed

    Cohen, R; Alkouri, R; Tostivint, I; Djiavoudine, S; Mestari, F; Dever, S; Atlan, G; Devilliers, C; Imbert-Bismut, F; Bonnefont-Rousselot, D; Monneret, D

    2017-10-01

    The pH may impact the concentration of certain urinary parameters, making urine pre-treatment questionable. 1) Determining the impact of pH in vitro on the urinary concentration of chemistry parameters assayed on Roche Modular analyzers. 2) Evaluating whether concentrations depended on pH in non-pretreated urines from patients. 1) The optimal urinary pH values for each measurement were: 6.3 ± 0.8 (amylase), < 5.5 (calcium and magnesium), < 6.5 (phosphorus), > 6.5 (uric acid). Urinary creatinine, sodium and urea concentrations were not pH-dependent. 2) In urines from patients, the pH was negatively associated with the concentration of some urinary parameters. However, concentrations of all the parameters were strongly and positively correlated with urinary creatinine, and relationships with pH were no longer evidenced after creatinine-normalization. The need for urine pH adjustment does not seem necessary when considering renal function. However, from an analytical and accreditation standpoint, the relationship between urine pH and several parameters justifies its measurement.

  2. Reliability of concentrations of organophosphate pesticide metabolites in serial urine specimens from pregnancy in the Generation R Study.

    PubMed

    Spaan, Suzanne; Pronk, Anjoeka; Koch, Holger M; Jusko, Todd A; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Shaw, Pamela A; Tiemeier, Henning M; Hofman, Albert; Pierik, Frank H; Longnecker, Matthew P

    2015-05-01

    The widespread use of organophosphate (OP) pesticides has resulted in ubiquitous exposure in humans, primarily through their diet. Exposure to OP pesticides may have adverse health effects, including neurobehavioral deficits in children. The optimal design of new studies requires data on the reliability of urinary measures of exposure. In the present study, urinary concentrations of six dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites, the main urinary metabolites of OP pesticides, were determined in 120 pregnant women participating in the Generation R Study in Rotterdam. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) across serial urine specimens taken at <18, 18-25, and >25 weeks of pregnancy were determined to assess reliability. Geometric mean total DAP metabolite concentrations were 229 (GSD 2.2), 240 (GSD 2.1), and 224 (GSD 2.2) nmol/g creatinine across the three periods of gestation. Metabolite concentrations from the serial urine specimens in general correlated moderately. The ICCs for the six DAP metabolites ranged from 0.14 to 0.38 (0.30 for total DAPs), indicating weak to moderate reliability. Although the DAP metabolite levels observed in this study are slightly higher and slightly more correlated than in previous studies, the low to moderate reliability indicates a high degree of within-person variability, which presents challenges for designing well-powered epidemiological studies.

  3. Reliability of concentrations of organophosphate pesticide metabolites in serial urine specimens from pregnancy in the Generation R study

    PubMed Central

    Spaan, Suzanne; Pronk, Anjoeka; Koch, Holger M.; Jusko, Todd A.; Jaddoe, Vincent W.V.; Shaw, Pamela A.; Tiemeier, Henning M.; Hofman, Albert; Pierik, Frank H.; Longnecker, Matthew P.

    2014-01-01

    The widespread use of organophosphate (OP) pesticides has resulted in ubiquitous exposure in humans, primarily through their diet. Exposure to OP pesticides may have adverse health effects, including neurobehavioral deficits in children. The optimal design of new studies requires data on the reliability of urinary measures of exposure. In the present study, urinary concentrations of six dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites, the main urinary metabolites of OP pesticides, were determined in 120 pregnant women participating in the Generation R Study in Rotterdam. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) across serial urine specimens taken at <18, 18–25, and >25 weeks of pregnancy were determined to assess reliability. Geometric mean total DAP metabolite concentrations were 229 (GSD 2.2), 240 (GSD 2.1), and 224 (GSD 2.2) nmol/g creatinine across the three periods of gestation. Metabolite concentrations from the serial urine specimens in general correlated moderately. The ICCs for the six DAP metabolites ranged from 0.14 to 0.38 (0.30 for total DAPs), indicating weak to moderate reliability. Although the DAP metabolite levels observed in this study are slightly higher and slightly more correlated than in previous studies, the low to moderate reliability indicates a high degree of within-person variability, which presents challenges for designing well-powered epidemiologic studies. PMID:25515376

  4. Evaluation of some heavy metals concentration in body fluids of metal workers in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Sani, Ali; Abdullahi, Ibrahim Lawal

    2017-01-01

    Metal workers in urban Kano constitute a major workforce with a considerable population. The present work was aimed at obtaining baseline data on the extent of metal ion concentration in body fluids (urine and blood) of sampled population in the area. The investigation involves interaction with sampled population as well as blood and urine sample collection for heavy metals analysis. The health problems associated with the practice identified by respondents include: metal fume fever; eye and skin irritation; dizziness and respiratory problems; lack of or inadequate protective devices during activity were also reported. Laboratory investigation of urine samples by Atomic absorption spectrophotometry indicated higher concentrations for Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb) and Nickel (Ni); in blood samples, there were higher concentrations of Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr) and Nickel (Ni). Metal workers of urban Kano are at risk because of the concentration of Mn and Pb in particular. There is the need to monitor occupational activities that are responsible for pollution and with serious health risk.

  5. Diagnosis and effects of urine contamination in cooled-extended stallion semen.

    PubMed

    Ellerbrock, R; Canisso, I; Feijo, L; Lima, F; Shipley, C; Kline, K

    2016-04-15

    Urospermia is known to affect semen quality in many mammals, including stallions. Determinations of semen pH and creatinine and urea concentrations have been used to diagnose urine contamination in raw stallion semen. Unfortunately, practitioners suspecting urine contamination in cooled-shipped samples have no proven means to confirm the presence of urine. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to assess the effects of urine contamination on sperm motility of extended fresh and cooled-stored stallion semen, (2) to evaluate the usefulness of semen color, odor, pH, and creatinine and urea concentrations for urospermia diagnosis, and (3) to evaluate the accuracy of a commercial blood urea nitrogen test strip in diagnosing urine contamination in extended-cooled stallion semen. Thirty-seven ejaculates were obtained from 11 stallions with no history of urospermia before division into 5 mL aliquots, and contamination with stallion urine. Each resulting sample was assessed for sperm motility, color, odor, pH, creatinine, and urea nitrogen concentration using both a semiquantitative test strip (Azostix), and a quantitative automated analyzer before and after cooling for 24 hour. Sperm motility parameters, pH, and creatinine and urea concentrations were analyzed using mixed models. Urine contamination decreased total and progressive motility in all samples before and after cooling (P < 0.05). Mean control total motility was 80% at 0 hour and 67% at 24 hours, whereas urine-contaminated samples ranged from 30% to 71% at 0 hour and 27% to 61% at 24 hours. Control mean urea (29 mg/dL) and creatinine (0.6 mg/dL) concentrations were significantly different (P < 0.05) from all urine-contaminated samples (158 mg/dL and 11.6 mg/dL, respectively) at 0 hour. Similarly, control mean urea (8 mg/dL) and creatinine (0.9 mg/dL) concentrations were significantly different than all urine-contaminated samples at 24 hours. Odor assessment presented moderate sensitivity (65

  6. A geospatial analysis of soil lead concentrations around regional Oklahoma airports.

    PubMed

    McCumber, Alexander; Strevett, K A

    2017-01-01

    Lead has been banned from automobile gasoline since 1995; however, lead is still used as an additive to aviation gasoline (avgas). Airports are now one of the greatest sources of lead air emission in the US. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate soil lead levels radially from three regional airports; (2) collect historical meteorological data; (3) examine the soil organic matter content and (4) develop correlation coefficients to evaluate correlations among variables. Soil samples were collected from 3 different airports in Oklahoma and the soil lead concentration was measured using x-ray fluorescence (XRF). The measured soil lead concentrations were plotted with the corresponding GPS location in ArcGIS and Inverse Distance Weight spatial analysis was used to create modeled isopleths of soil lead concentrations. One of the three airports was found to have soil lead concentrations that correlate with soil organic matter with one other showing correlation between soil lead concentration and distance from the airport. The spatial modeled isopleths showed elevated soil lead concentrations in the direction of prevailing winds with "hot spots" near the avgas fueling stations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Chronic use of chloroquine disrupts the urine concentration mechanism by lowering cAMP levels in the inner medulla

    PubMed Central

    von Bergen, Tobias N.

    2012-01-01

    Chloroquine, a widely used anti-malaria drug, has gained popularity for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Unfortunately, chloroquine may also negatively impact renal function for patients whose fluid and electrolyte homeostasis is already compromised by diseases. Chronic administration of chloroquine also results in polyuria, which may be explained by suppression of the antidiuretic response of vasopressin. Several of the transporters responsible for concentrating urine are vasopressin-sensitive including the urea transporters UT-A1 and UT-A3, the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2), and the Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter (NKCC2). To examine the effect of chloroquine on these transporters, Sprague-Dawley rats received daily subcutaneous injections of 80 mg·kg−1·day−1 of chloroquine for 4 days. Twenty-four hour urine output was twofold higher, and urine osmolality was decreased by twofold in chloroquine-treated rats compared with controls. Urine analysis of treated rats detected the presence chloroquine as well as decreased urine urea and cAMP levels compared with control rats. Western blot analysis showed a downregulation of AQP2 and NKCC2 transporters; however, UT-A1 and UT-A3 abundances were unaffected by chloroquine treatment. Immunohistochemistry showed a marked reduction of UT-A1 and AQP2 in the apical membrane in inner medullary collecting ducts of chloroquine-treated rats. In conclusion, chloroquine-induced polyuria likely occurs as a result of lowered cAMP production. These findings suggest that chronic chloroquine treatment would exacerbate the already compromised fluid homeostasis observed in diseases like chronic kidney disease. PMID:22791344

  8. Comparison of osmolality and refractometric readings of Hispaniolan Amazon parrot (Amazona ventralis) urine.

    PubMed

    Brock, A Paige; Grunkemeyer, Vanessa L; Fry, Michael M; Hall, James S; Bartges, Joseph W

    2013-12-01

    To evaluate the relationship between osmolality and specific gravity of urine samples from clinically normal adult parrots and to determine a formula to convert urine specific gravity (USG) measured on a reference scale to a more accurate USG value for an avian species, urine samples were collected opportunistically from a colony of Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis). Samples were analyzed by using a veterinary refractometer, and specific gravity was measured on both canine and feline scales. Osmolality was measured by vapor pressure osmometry. Specific gravity and osmolality measurements were highly correlated (r = 0.96). The linear relationship between refractivity measurements on a reference scale and osmolality was determined. An equation was calculated to allow specific gravity results from a medical refractometer to be converted to specific gravity values of Hispaniolan Amazon parrots: USGHAp = 0.201 +0.798(USGref). Use of the reference-canine scale to approximate the osmolality of parrot urine leads to an overestimation of the true osmolality of the sample. In addition, this error increases as the concentration of urine increases. Compared with the human-canine scale, the feline scale provides a closer approximation to urine osmolality of Hispaniolan Amazon parrots but still results in overestimation of osmolality.

  9. Urine Pretreat Injection System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1995-01-01

    providing the proper concentration in the collected urine. To implement the solid tablet in a bag approach, a design concept was completed with prototype drawings of the complete urine pretreat prefilter assembly. A successful fabrication technique was developed for retaining the Oxone tablets in a fabric casing attached to the end of the existing Space Station Waste Collection System urine prefilter assembly. The final pretreat prefilter configuration held sufficient Oxone in a tablet form to allow normal scheduled daily (or twice daily) change out of the urine filter depending on the use rate of the Space Station urine collection system. The actual tests to prove the concept were conducted using the Urine Fan/Separator assembly that was originally used in the STS-52 Design Test Objective (DTO) urinal assembly. Other related tests were conducted to demonstrate the actual minimum ratio of Oxone to urine that will control microbial growth.

  10. The Urine Preservative Acetic Acid Degrades Urine Protein: Implications for Urine Biorepositories and the AASK Cohort Study.

    PubMed

    Almaani, Salem; Hebert, Lee A; Rovin, Brad H; Birmingham, Daniel J

    2017-05-01

    Patients enrolled in the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) Cohort Study who exhibited overt proteinuria have been reported to show high nonalbumin proteinuria (NAP), which is characteristic of a tubulopathy. To determine whether African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension nephropathy (AASK-N) is a tubulopathy, we obtained urine samples of 37 patients with AASK-N, with 24-hour protein-to-creatinine ratios (milligrams per milligram) ranging from 0.2 to 1.0, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases repository and tested for seven markers of tubular proteinuria. By protocol, each sample had been collected in acetic acid (0.5%; mean final concentration). Compared with samples from patients with lupus nephritis or healthy black controls, AASK-N samples had lower amounts of six markers. Four markers (albumin, β -2-microglobulin, cystatin C, and osteopontin) were undetectable in most AASK-N samples. Examination by SDS-PAGE followed by protein staining revealed protein profiles indicative of severe protein degradation in 34 of 37 AASK-N urine samples. Treatment of lupus nephritis urine samples with 0.5% acetic acid produced the same protein degradation profile as that of AASK-N urine. We conclude that the increased NAP in AASK-N is an artifact of acetic acid-mediated degradation of albumin. The AASK-N repository urine samples have been compromised by the acetic acid preservative. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Nephrology.

  11. The Urine Preservative Acetic Acid Degrades Urine Protein: Implications for Urine Biorepositories and the AASK Cohort Study

    PubMed Central

    Almaani, Salem; Hebert, Lee A.; Rovin, Brad H.

    2017-01-01

    Patients enrolled in the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) Cohort Study who exhibited overt proteinuria have been reported to show high nonalbumin proteinuria (NAP), which is characteristic of a tubulopathy. To determine whether African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension nephropathy (AASK-N) is a tubulopathy, we obtained urine samples of 37 patients with AASK-N, with 24-hour protein-to-creatinine ratios (milligrams per milligram) ranging from 0.2 to 1.0, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases repository and tested for seven markers of tubular proteinuria. By protocol, each sample had been collected in acetic acid (0.5%; mean final concentration). Compared with samples from patients with lupus nephritis or healthy black controls, AASK-N samples had lower amounts of six markers. Four markers (albumin, β-2-microglobulin, cystatin C, and osteopontin) were undetectable in most AASK-N samples. Examination by SDS-PAGE followed by protein staining revealed protein profiles indicative of severe protein degradation in 34 of 37 AASK-N urine samples. Treatment of lupus nephritis urine samples with 0.5% acetic acid produced the same protein degradation profile as that of AASK-N urine. We conclude that the increased NAP in AASK-N is an artifact of acetic acid–mediated degradation of albumin. The AASK-N repository urine samples have been compromised by the acetic acid preservative. PMID:28104821

  12. Feline urine metabolomic signature: characterization of low-molecular-weight substances in urine from domestic cats.

    PubMed

    Rivera-Vélez, Sol-Maiam; Villarino, Nicolas F

    2018-02-01

    Objectives This aim of this study was to characterize the composition and content of the feline urine metabolome. Methods Eight healthy domestic cats were acclimated at least 10 days before starting the study. Urine samples (~2 ml) were collected by ultrasound-guided cystocentesis. Samples were centrifuged at 1000 × g for 8 mins, and the supernatant was analyzed by gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometery. The urine metabolome was characterized using an untargeted metabolomics approach. Results Three hundred and eighteen metabolites were detected in the urine of the eight cats. These molecules are key components of at least 100 metabolic pathways. Feline urine appears to be dominated by carbohydrates, carbohydrate conjugates, organic acid and derivatives, and amino acids and analogs. The five most abundant molecules were phenaceturic acid, hippuric acid, pseudouridine phosphate and 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid. Conclusions and relevance This study is the first to characterize the feline urine metabolome. The results of this study revealed the presence of multiple low-molecular-weight substances that were not known to be present in feline urine. As expected, the origin of the metabolites detected in urine was diverse, including endogenous compounds and molecules biosynthesized by microbes. Also, the diet seemed to have had a relevant role on the urine metabolome. Further exploration of the urine metabolic phenotype will open a window for discovering unknown, or poorly understood, metabolic pathways. In turn, this will advance our understanding of feline biology and lead to new insights in feline physiology, nutrition and medicine.

  13. Oxidative damage of DNA in subjects occupationally exposed to lead.

    PubMed

    Pawlas, Natalia; Olewińska, Elżbieta; Markiewicz-Górka, Iwona; Kozłowska, Agnieszka; Januszewska, Lidia; Lundh, Thomas; Januszewska, Ewa; Pawlas, Krystyna

    2017-09-01

    Exposure to lead (Pb) in environmental and occupational settings continues to be a serious public health problem and may pose an elevated risk of genetic damage. The aim of this study was to assess the level of oxidative stress and DNA damage in subjects occupationally exposed to lead. We studied a population of 78 male workers exposed to lead in a lead and zinc smelter and battery recycling plant and 38 men from a control group. Blood lead levels were detected by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and plasma lead levels by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The following assays were performed to assess the DNA damage and oxidative stress: comet assay, determination of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant status (TAS). The mean concentration of lead in the blood of the exposed group was 392 ± 103 μg/L and was significantly higher than in the control group (30.3 ± 29.4 μg/L, p < 0.0001). Oxidative DNA damages measured by comet assay showed no significant differences between populations. The concentration of 8-OHdG was about twice as high as in the control group. We found a significant positive correlation between the level of biomarkers of lead exposure [lead in blood, lead in plasma, zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP)] and urine concentration of 8-OHdG. The level of oxidative damage of DNA was positively correlated with the level of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and negatively with total anti-oxidative status (TAS). Our study suggests that occupational exposure causes an increase in oxidative damage to DNA, even in subjects with relatively short length of service (average length of about 10 years). 8-OHdG concentration in the urine proved to be a sensitive and non-invasive marker of lead induced genotoxic damage.

  14. Urine chemistry

    MedlinePlus

    ... rate 24-hour urine protein Acid loading test (pH) Adrenalin - urine test Amylase - urine Bilirubin - urine Calcium - urine Citric acid ... Urine dermatan sulfate Urine - hemoglobin Urine metanephrine Urine pH Urine specific gravity Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA)

  15. Albumin adsorption onto surfaces of urine collection and analysis containers☆

    PubMed Central

    Robinson, Mary K.; Caudill, Samuel P.; Koch, David D.; Ritchie, James; Hortin, Glen; Eckfeldt, John H.; Sandberg, Sverre; Williams, Desmond; Myers, Gary; Miller, W. Greg

    2017-01-01

    Background Adsorption of albumin onto urine collection and analysis containers may cause falsely low concentrations. Methods We added 125I-labeled human serum albumin to urine and to phosphate buffered solutions, incubated them with 22 plastic container materials and measured adsorption by liquid scintillation counting. Results Adsorption of urine albumin (UA) at 5–6 mg/l was <0.9%; and at 90 mg/l was <0.4%. Adsorption was generally less at pH 8 than pH 5 but only 3 cases had p <0.05. Adsorption from 11 unaltered urine samples with albumin 5–333 mg/l was <0.8%. Albumin adsorption for the material with greatest binding was extrapolated to the surface areas of 100 ml and 2 l collection containers, and to instrument sample cups and showed <1% change in concentration at 5 mg/l and <0.5% change at 20 mg/l or higher concentrations. Adsorption of albumin from phosphate buffered solutions (2–28%) was larger than that from urine. Conclusions Albumin adsorption differed among urine samples and plastic materials, but the total influence of adsorption was <1% for all materials and urine samples tested. Adsorption of albumin from phosphate buffered solutions was larger than that from urine and could be a limitation for preparations used as calibrators. PMID:24513540

  16. Albumin adsorption onto surfaces of urine collection and analysis containers.

    PubMed

    Robinson, Mary K; Caudill, Samuel P; Koch, David D; Ritchie, James; Hortin, Glen; Eckfeldt, John H; Sandberg, Sverre; Williams, Desmond; Myers, Gary; Miller, W Greg

    2014-04-20

    Adsorption of albumin onto urine collection and analysis containers may cause falsely low concentrations. We added (125)I-labeled human serum albumin to urine and to phosphate buffered solutions, incubated them with 22 plastic container materials and measured adsorption by liquid scintillation counting. Adsorption of urine albumin (UA) at 5-6 mg/l was <0.9%; and at 90 mg/l was <0.4%. Adsorption was generally less at pH8 than pH5 but only 3 cases had p<0.05. Adsorption from 11 unaltered urine samples with albumin 5-333 mg/l was <0.8%. Albumin adsorption for the material with greatest binding was extrapolated to the surface areas of 100 ml and 2l collection containers, and to instrument sample cups and showed <1% change in concentration at 5 mg/l and <0.5% change at 20 mg/l or higher concentrations. Adsorption of albumin from phosphate buffered solutions (2-28%) was larger than that from urine. Albumin adsorption differed among urine samples and plastic materials, but the total influence of adsorption was <1% for all materials and urine samples tested. Adsorption of albumin from phosphate buffered solutions was larger than that from urine and could be a limitation for preparations used as calibrators. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Lead and cadmium concentrations in mink from northern Idaho

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blus, L.J.; Henny, C.J.

    1990-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to determine concentrations of cadmium and lead in mink (Mustela vison) in northern Idaho, to discuss potential effects, and to determine whether levels have declined. Mink (skinned carcasses) from the Coeur d'Alene River system (northern Idaho) were ohtained from trappers during the 1981-82 (n = 17) and 1986-87 (n= 14) seasons. Livers of all eight mink from the uncontaminated North Fork contained low levels of lead; whereas, 9 of the 23 mink from lateral lakes adjoining the contaminated main stem, downstream from a mining-smelting complex, contained potentially hazardous lead levels (>5 ?g/g). Stomach contents of nine mink contained variahle concentrations of lead (0.15 to 51 ?g/g); samples from the main stem contained the highest values. No difference was detected in lead concentrations in livers of mink trapped from the lateral lakes in 1981-82 and 1986-87. Levels of cadmium were low in all samples, but lead levels were the highest ever recorded in mink. Our results suggest that metal pollution has probably led to localized declines in mink populations.

  18. Ethanol and ethyl glucuronide urine concentrations after ethanol-based hand antisepsis with and without permitted alcohol consumption.

    PubMed

    Gessner, Stephan; Below, Elke; Diedrich, Stephan; Wegner, Christian; Gessner, Wiebke; Kohlmann, Thomas; Heidecke, Claus-Dieter; Bockholdt, Britta; Kramer, Axel; Assadian, Ojan; Below, Harald

    2016-09-01

    During hand antisepsis, health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to alcohol by dermal contact and by inhalation. Concerns have been raised that high alcohol absorptions may adversely affect HCWs, particularly certain vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women or individuals with genetic deficiencies of aldehyde dehydrogenase. We investigated the kinetics of HCWs' urinary concentrations of ethanol and its metabolite ethyl glucuronide (EtG) during clinical work with and without previous consumption of alcoholic beverages by HCWs. The median ethanol concentration was 0.7 mg/L (interquartile range [IQR], 0.5-1.9 mg/L; maximum, 9.2 mg/L) during abstinence and 12.2 mg/L (IQR, 1.5-139.6 mg/L; maximum, 1,020.1 mg/L) during alcohol consumption. During abstinence, EtG reached concentrations of up to 958 ng/mL. When alcohol consumption was permitted, the median EtG concentration of all samples was 2,593 ng/mL (IQR, 890.8-3,576 ng/mL; maximum, 5,043 ng/mL). Although alcohol consumption was strongly correlated with both EtG and ethanol in urine, no significant correlation for the frequency of alcoholic hand antisepsis was observed in the linear mixed models. The use of ethanol-based handrub induces measurable ethanol and EtG concentrations in urine. Compared with consumption of alcoholic beverages or use of consumer products containing ethanol, the amount of ethanol absorption resulting from handrub applications is negligible. In practice, there is no evidence of any harmful effect of using ethanol-based handrubs as much as it is clinically necessary. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Cytotoxic drug residues in urine of dogs receiving anticancer chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Knobloch, A; Mohring, S A I; Eberle, N; Nolte, I; Hamscher, G; Simon, D

    2010-01-01

    The presence of cytotoxic drug residues in urine of dogs may represent an exposure risk for pet owners and other people as well as a potential environmental contaminant. However, studies on cytotoxic drug residues in excretions of clinical patients are lacking in veterinary oncology. Variable concentrations of cytotoxic residues are present in urine samples, depending on sampling time and substance. Client-owned dogs with lymphoma or mast cell tumors treated with standard chemotherapy protocols. Urine samples were collected before, directly after, and on days after administration of chemotherapy. Measurement of vincristine, vinblastine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin residues in canine urine was performed by a quantitative liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method. Median cyclophosphamide residue concentration was 398.2 microg/L directly after treatment (d0) and was below the level of detection on days 1-3 (d1, d2, d3). Median vincristine residue concentration was 53.8 microg/L directly after treatment and was 20.2, 11.4, and 6.6 microg/L on days 1, 2, and 3. Median vinblastine residues were 144.9 (d0), 70.8 (d1), 35.6 (d2), and 18.7 microg/L (d3) with low concentrations detectable for 7 days after treatment. Median urine doxorubicin concentrations were 354.0 (d0), 165.6 (d1), 156.9 (d2), and 158.2 microg/L (d3). Low concentrations of doxorubicin were measurable up to 21 days after administration. Variable concentrations of chemotherapeutics were measured in urine samples, depending on sampling time point and drug. Findings may inform current chemoprotection guidelines and help minimize exposure risks.

  20. Environmental lead exposure to toll booth workers in Hong Kong

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tan, T.C.; Wong, L.T.L.; Lam, C.W.K.

    1988-01-01

    A survey of workers in the Lion Rock Tunnel toll booths was conducted, as they were regarded as a high risk group in lead exposure due to high density of vehicular traffic. The exposure of the workers to lead was determined by continuous sapling of air around the breathing zone of workers inside the booths. Blood lead concentration of 50 workers showed a mean of 0.65 {mu}mol/L and the mean urine lead concentration was 0.14 {mu}mol/L. Other tests, such as urinary amino-levulinic acid (ALA), erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) and hemoglobin concentration (Hb), were also preformed. The blood lead concentrations andmore » other biological parameters of the toll-booth workers were acceptable and may be attributed to the recent legislation to lower the lead content in petrol and to the good preventive measures taken by the management.« less

  1. Interaction between vasopressin and angiotensin II in vivo and in vitro: effect on aquaporins and urine concentration

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Weidong; Li, Chunling; Summer, Sandra; Falk, Sandor

    2010-01-01

    The study was undertaken to examine the potential cross talk between vasopressin and angiotensin II (ANG II) intracellular signaling pathways. We investigated in vivo and in vitro whether vasopressin-induced water reabsorption could be attenuated by ANG II AT1 receptor blockade (losartan). On a low-sodium diet (0.5 meq/day) dDAVP-treated animals with or without losartan exhibited comparable renal function [creatinine clearance 1.2 ± 0.1 in dDAVP+losartan (LSDL) vs. 1.1 ± 0.1 ml·100 g−1·day−1 in dDAVP alone (LSD), P > 0.05] and renal blood flow (6.3 ± 0.5 in LSDL vs. 6.8 ± 0.5 ml/min in LSD, P > 0.05). The urine output, however, was significantly increased in LSDL (2.5 ± 0.2 vs. 1.8 ± 0.2 ml·100 g−1·day−1, P < 0.05) in association with decreased urine osmolality (2,600 ± 83 vs. 3,256 ± 110 mosmol/kgH2O, P < 0.001) compared with rats in LSD. Immunoblotting revealed significantly decreased expression of medullary AQP2 (146 ± 6 vs. 176 ± 10% in LSD, P < 0.01), p-AQP2 (177 ± 13 vs. 214 ± 12% in LSD, P < 0.05), and AQP3 (134 ± 14 vs. 177 ± 11% in LSD, P < 0.05) in LSDL compared with LSD. The expressions of AQP1, the α1- and γ-subunits of Na-K-ATPase, and the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter were not different among groups. In vitro studies showed that ANG II or dDAVP treatment was associated with increased AQP2 expression and cAMP levels, which were potentiated by cotreatment with ANG II and dDAVP and were inhibited by AT1 blockade. In conclusion, ANG II AT1 receptor blockade in dDAVP-treated rats on a low-salt diet was associated with decreased urine concentration and decreased inner medullary AQP2, p-AQP2, and AQP3 expression, suggesting that AT1 receptor activation plays a significant role in regulating aquaporin expression and modulating urine concentration in vivo. Studies in collecting duct cells were confirmatory. PMID:20576679

  2. Determination of 238u/235u, 236u/238u and uranium concentration in urine using sf-icp-ms and mc-icp-ms: an interlaboratory comparison.

    PubMed

    Parrish, Randall R; Thirlwall, Matthew F; Pickford, Chris; Horstwood, Matthew; Gerdes, Axel; Anderson, James; Coggon, David

    2006-02-01

    Accidental exposure to depleted or enriched uranium may occur in a variety of circumstances. There is a need to quantify such exposure, with the possibility that the testing may post-date exposure by months or years. Therefore, it is important to develop a very sensitive test to measure precisely the isotopic composition of uranium in urine at low levels of concentration. The results of an interlaboratory comparison using sector field (SF)-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and multiple collector (MC)-ICP-MS for the measurement of uranium concentration and U/U and U/U isotopic ratios of human urine samples are presented. Three urine samples were verified to contain uranium at 1-5 ng L and shown to have natural uranium isotopic composition. Portions of these urine batches were doped with depleted uranium (DU) containing small quantities of U, and the solutions were split into 100 mL and 400 mL aliquots that were subsequently measured blind by three laboratories. All methods investigated were able to measure accurately U/U with precisions of approximately 0.5% to approximately 4%, but only selected MC-ICP-MS methods were capable of consistently analyzing U/U to reasonable precision at the approximately 20 fg L level of U abundance. Isotope dilution using a U tracer demonstrates the ability to measure concentrations to better than +/-4% with the MC-ICP-MS method, though sample heterogeneity in urine samples was shown to be problematic in some cases. MC-ICP-MS outperformed SF-ICP-MS methods, as was expected. The MC-ICP-MS methodology described is capable of measuring to approximately 1% precision the U/U of any sample of human urine over the entire range of uranium abundance down to <1 ng L, and detecting very small amounts of DU contained therein.

  3. Variability of Organophosphorous Pesticide Metabolite Levels in Spot and 24-hr Urine Samples Collected from Young Children during 1 Week

    PubMed Central

    Kogut, Katherine; Eisen, Ellen A.; Jewell, Nicholas P.; Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam; Castorina, Rosemary; Chevrier, Jonathan; Holland, Nina T.; Barr, Dana Boyd; Kavanagh-Baird, Geri; Eskenazi, Brenda

    2012-01-01

    Background: Dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites in spot urine samples are frequently used to characterize children’s exposures to organophosphorous (OP) pesticides. However, variable exposure and short biological half-lives of OP pesticides could result in highly variable measurements, leading to exposure misclassification. Objective: We examined within- and between-child variability in DAP metabolites in urine samples collected during 1 week. Methods: We collected spot urine samples over 7 consecutive days from 25 children (3–6 years of age). On two of the days, we collected 24-hr voids. We assessed the reproducibility of urinary DAP metabolite concentrations and evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of spot urine samples as predictors of high (top 20%) or elevated (top 40%) weekly average DAP metabolite concentrations. Results: Within-child variance exceeded between-child variance by a factor of two to eight, depending on metabolite grouping. Although total DAP concentrations in single spot urine samples were moderately to strongly associated with concentrations in same-day 24-hr samples (r ≈ 0.6–0.8, p < 0.01), concentrations in spot samples collected > 1 day apart and in 24-hr samples collected 3 days apart were weakly correlated (r ≈ –0.21 to 0.38). Single spot samples predicted high (top 20%) and elevated (top 40%) full-week average total DAP excretion with only moderate sensitivity (≈ 0.52 and ≈ 0.67, respectively) but relatively high specificity (≈ 0.88 and ≈ 0.78, respectively). Conclusions: The high variability we observed in children’s DAP metabolite concentrations suggests that single-day urine samples provide only a brief snapshot of exposure. Sensitivity analyses suggest that classification of cumulative OP exposure based on spot samples is prone to type 2 classification errors. PMID:23052012

  4. BLOOD LEAD CONCENTRATION AND DELAYED PUBERTY IN GIRLS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Background
    Environmental lead exposure has been linked to alterations in growth and endocrine function. It is not known whether such exposure affects pubertal development.

    Methods
    We analyzed the relations between blood lead concentration and pubertal...

  5. Changes in urine composition after trauma facilitate bacterial growth

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Critically ill patients including trauma patients are at high risk of urinary tract infection (UTI). The composition of urine in trauma patients may be modified due to inflammation, systemic stress, rhabdomyolysis, life support treatment and/or urinary catheter insertion. Methods Prospective, single-centre, observational study conducted in patients with severe trauma and without a history of UTIs or recent antibiotic treatment. The 24-hour urine samples were collected on the first and the fifth days and the growth of Escherichia coli in urine from patients and healthy volunteers was compared. Biochemical and hormonal modifications in urine that could potentially influence bacterial growth were explored. Results Growth of E. coli in urine from trauma patients was significantly higher on days 1 and 5 than in urine of healthy volunteers. Several significant modifications of urine composition could explain these findings. On days 1 and 5, trauma patients had an increase in glycosuria, in urine iron concentration, and in the concentrations of several amino acids compared to healthy volunteers. On day 1, the urinary osmotic pressure was significantly lower than for healthy volunteers. Conclusion We showed that urine of trauma patients facilitated growth of E. coli when compared to urine from healthy volunteers. This effect was present in the first 24 hours and until at least the fifth day after trauma. This phenomenon may be involved in the pathophysiology of UTIs in trauma patients. Further studies are required to define the exact causes of such modifications. PMID:23194649

  6. Urine and Urination

    MedlinePlus

    Your kidneys make urine by filtering wastes and extra water from your blood. The waste is called urea. Your blood carries it to the kidneys. From the kidneys, urine travels down two thin tubes called ureters to ...

  7. Determinants of bone and blood lead concentrations in the early postpartum period

    PubMed Central

    Brown, M. J.; Hu, H.; Gonzales-Cossio, T.; Peterson, K.; Sanin, L.; Kageyama, M. d.; Palazuelos, E.; Aro, A.; Schnaas, L.; Hernandez-Avila, M.

    2000-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—This study investigated determinants of bone and blood lead concentrations in 430 lactating Mexican women during the early postpartum period and the contribution of bone lead to blood lead.
METHODS—Maternal venous lead was measured at delivery and postpartum, and bone lead concentrations, measured with in vivo K-x ray fluorescence, were measured post partum. Data on environmental exposure, demographic characteristics, and maternal factors related to exposure to lead were collected by questionnaire. Linear regression was used to examine the relations between bone and blood lead, demographics, and environmental exposure variables.
RESULTS—Mean (SD) blood, tibial, and patellar lead concentrations were 9.5 (4.5) µg/dl, 10.2 (10.1) µg Pb/g bone mineral, and 15.2 (15.1) µg Pb/g bone mineral respectively. These values are considerably higher than values for women in the United States. Older age, the cumulative use of lead glazed pottery, and higher proportion of life spent in Mexico City were powerful predictors of higher bone lead concentrations. Use of lead glazed ceramics to cook food in the past week and increased patellar lead concentrations were significant predictors of increased blood lead. Patellar lead concentrations explained one third of the variance accounted for by the final blood lead model. Women in the 90th percentile for patella lead had an untransformed predicted mean blood lead concentration 3.6 µg/dl higher than those in the 10th percentile.
CONCLUSIONS—This study identified the use of lead glazed ceramics as a major source of cumulative exposure to lead, as reflected by bone lead concentrations, as well as current exposure, reflected by blood lead, in Mexico. A higher proportion of life spent in Mexico City, a proxy for exposure to leaded gasoline emissions, was identified as the other major source of cumulative lead exposure. The influence of bone lead on blood lead coupled with the long half life of lead in bone has

  8. SERS quantitative urine creatinine measurement of human subject

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Tsuei Lian; Chiang, Hui-hua K.; Lu, Hui-hsin; Hung, Yung-da

    2005-03-01

    SERS method for biomolecular analysis has several potentials and advantages over traditional biochemical approaches, including less specimen contact, non-destructive to specimen, and multiple components analysis. Urine is an easily available body fluid for monitoring the metabolites and renal function of human body. We developed surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique using 50nm size gold colloidal particles for quantitative human urine creatinine measurements. This paper shows that SERS shifts of creatinine (104mg/dl) in artificial urine is from 1400cm-1 to 1500cm-1 which was analyzed for quantitative creatinine measurement. Ten human urine samples were obtained from ten healthy persons and analyzed by the SERS technique. Partial least square cross-validation (PLSCV) method was utilized to obtain the estimated creatinine concentration in clinically relevant (55.9mg/dl to 208mg/dl) concentration range. The root-mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) is 26.1mg/dl. This research demonstrates the feasibility of using SERS for human subject urine creatinine detection, and establishes the SERS platform technique for bodily fluids measurement.

  9. Relative density of urine: methods and clinical significance.

    PubMed

    Pradella, M; Dorizzi, R M; Rigolin, F

    1988-01-01

    The physical properties and chemical composition of urine are highly variable and are determined in large measure by the quantity and the type of food consumed. The specific gravity is the ratio of the density to that of water, and it is dependent on the number and weight of solute particles and on the temperature of the sample. The weight of solute particles is constituted mainly of urea (73%), chloride (5.4%), sodium (5.1%), potassium (2.4%), phosphate (2.0%), uric acid (1.7%), and sulfate (1.3%). Nevertheless, urine osmolality depends only on the number of solute particles. The renal production of maximally concentrated urine and formation of dilute urine may be reduced to two basic elements: (1) generation and maintenance of a renal medullary solute concentration hypertonic to plasma and (2) a mechanism for osmotic equilibration between the inner medulla and the collecting duct fluid. The interaction of the renal medullary countercurrent system, circulating levels of antidiuretic hormone, and thirst regulates water metabolism. Renin, aldosterone, prostaglandins, and kinins also play a role. Clinical estimation of the concentrating and diluting capacity can be performed by relatively simple provocative tests. However, urinary specific gravity after taking no fluids for 12 h overnight should be 1.025 or more, so that the second urine in the morning is a useful sample for screening purposes. Many preservation procedures affect specific gravity measurements. The concentration of solids (or water) in urine can be measured by weighing, hydrometer, refractometry, surface tension, osmolality, a reagent strip, or oscillations of a capillary tube. These measurements are interrelated, not identical. Urinary density measurement is useful to assess the disorders of water balance and to discriminate between prerenal azotemia and acute tubular necrosis. The water balance regulates the serum sodium concentration, therefore disorders are revealed by hypo- and hypernatremia. The

  10. Catecholamines - urine

    MedlinePlus

    Dopamine - urine test; Epinephrine - urine test; Adrenalin - urine test; Urine metanephrine; Normetanephrine; Norepinephrine - urine test; Urine catecholamines; VMA; HVA; Metanephrine; Homovanillic ...

  11. Highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for chorionic gonadotropin in human urine. [/sup 125/I tracer technique

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ayala, A.R.; Nisula, B.C.; Chen, H.C.

    1978-10-01

    The value of RIAs that measure hCG levels in human urine has been limited principally because of cross-reactivity with human LH. Recently, antisera generated to antigenic determinants on the intact hCG..beta.. subunit and its carboxyl-terminal peptide have been shown to exhibit substantially reduced human LH cross-reactivity. To take maximal advantage of these antisera and to minimize interference by nonspecific substances in urine, a procedure for extracting and concentrating hCG from 24-h urine samples was developed. The procedure involves preparation of a standard kaolin-acetone urine concentrate and adsorption of the hCG in the concentrate to Concanavalin A covalently linked to agarosemore » for purification and subsequent RIA. In urine samples obtained from patients with gestational trophoblastic disease, there was a direct correlation between hCG levels measured by RIA and those estimated by mouse uterine weight bioassy. In individual subjects, hCG levels were determined in serum and urine obtained the same day. When hCG was clearly detectable in the serum at levels greater than 1 ng/ml, the quantity of hCG measured in the urine concentrate exceeded 500 ng/24 h. The concentrates prepared from the urine of normal persons contained an hCG-like glycoprotein substance with antigenic determinants similar to those of the carboxyl-terminal peptide of hCG..beta... As the range of hCG immunoreactivity measured in the urine concentrates of normal subjects was 6 to 52 ng/24 h, specific and sensitive detection of urinary hCG could be accomplished in patients whose sera contained hCG undetectable by conventional RIA. Partial purification and concentration of urinary hCG by this procedure with subsequent RIA provides a sensitive and reliable method for detecting hCG in urine.« less

  12. Detection of depleted uranium in urine of veterans from the 1991 Gulf War.

    PubMed

    Gwiazda, R H; Squibb, K; McDiarmid, M; Smith, D

    2004-01-01

    American soldiers involved in "friendly fire" accidents during the 1991 Gulf War were injured with depleted-uranium-containing fragments or possibly exposed to depleted uranium via other routes such as inhalation, ingestion, and/or wound contamination. To evaluate the presence of depleted uranium in these soldiers eight years later, the uranium concentration and depleted uranium content of urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in (a) depleted uranium exposed soldiers with embedded shrapnel, (b) depleted uranium exposed soldiers with no shrapnel, and (c) a reference group of deployed soldiers not involved in the friendly fire incidents. Uranium isotopic ratios measured in many urine samples injected directly into the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and analyzed at a mass resolution m/delta m of 300 appeared enriched in 235U with respect to natural abundance (0.72%) due to the presence of an interference of a polyatomic molecule of mass 234.81 amu that was resolved at a mass resolution m/delta m of 4,000. The 235U abundance measured on uranium separated from these urines by anion exchange chromatography was clearly natural or depleted. Urine uranium concentrations of soldiers with shrapnel were higher than those of the two other groups, and 16 out of 17 soldiers with shrapnel had detectable depleted uranium in their urine. In depleted uranium exposed soldiers with no shrapnel, depleted uranium was detected in urine samples of 10 out of 28 soldiers. The median uranium concentration of urines with depleted uranium from soldiers without shrapnel was significantly higher than in urines with no depleted uranium, though substantial overlap in urine uranium concentrations existed between the two groups. Accordingly, assessment of depleted uranium exposure using urine must rely on uranium isotopic analyses, since urine uranium concentration is not an unequivocal indicator of depleted uranium presence in soldiers with no

  13. Lead Poison Detection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1976-01-01

    With NASA contracts, Whittaker Corporations Space Science division has developed an electro-optical instrument to mass screen for lead poisoning. Device is portable and detects protoporphyrin in whole blood. Free corpuscular porphyrins occur as an early effect of lead ingestion. Also detects lead in urine used to confirm blood tests. Test is inexpensive and can be applied by relatively unskilled personnel. Similar Whittaker fluorometry device called "drug screen" can measure morphine and quinine in urine much faster and cheaper than other methods.

  14. [Estimation of mercury in the urine of cigarette smokers].

    PubMed

    Kulikowska-Karpińska, Elżbieta; Zdanowicz, Magdalena; Gałażyn-Sidorczuk, Małgorzata

    Cigarette smoking is one of the most common habits of the modern world. According to a NATPOL PLU study, every third adult Pole is dependent on nicotine. Tobacco smoke contains about 5,000 components, of which over 1,000 are very toxic chemical substances (3,4-benzopyrene, heavy metals, free radicals, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxides and N-nitrosamines). Exposure to tobacco smoke is an example of a complex, with a significant number of interactions. To assess the concentration of copper in the urine of smokers. Based on the results, an attempt was made to determine whether smoking can affect the level of copper in the body. The study involved 170 healthy volunteers, 99 smokers and 71 non-smokers (control group). The age of patients in both groups were in the range of 20-60 years. The mean age for men and women was 41 years. The average length of cigarette smoking was 18 years for women and 21 years for men, and the number of cigarettes smoked 1-40 ⁄ 24. The urine concentrations of Cu were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and serum creatinine kinetic method using a set of BIOLAB. Cu concentration in urine was expressed in mg / g creatinine. Smokers were found to have reduced levels of copper in the urine, depending on sex, age and brand of cigarettes. In male smokers, copper concentration in the urine was dependent on age and time of smoking, whereas among women this relationship was not observed. Cigarette smoking significantly influences the level of copper in the urine. Both female and male smokers showed reduced levels of copper in the urine, which may indicate its increased accumulation in the body. Excessive accumulation of copper is very dangerous since it may exhibit toxic effects towards many organs and systems.

  15. Lead concentrations and reproduction in highway-nesting barn swallows

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grue, C.E.; O'Shea, T.J.; Hoffman, D.J.

    1984-01-01

    Swallows (Hirundo rustica) collected within the right-of-way of a major Maryland highway were greater than those found in Barn Swallows nesting within a rural area. Lead concentrations in the feathers of adults from the highway colony were also greater than Lead concentrations in the carcasses and stomach contents of adult and nestling Barn those of rural adults, but concentrations in the feathers of nestlings from the two locations were similar. Activity of u-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase in red blood cells was lower in highway-nesting adults and their young than in their rural counterparts, although hemoglobin concentrations and hematocrits did not differ. The number of eggs, nestlings, and body weights of the latter at 16-18 days of age were similar in the two colonies, as were body weights of adults from the two areas. These results suggest that contamination of roadside habitats by lead from automotive emissions does not pose a serious hazard to birds that are aerial feeders.

  16. Antioxidant capacity of human blood plasma and human urine: simultaneous evaluation of the ORAC index and ascorbic acid concentration employing pyrogallol red as probe.

    PubMed

    Torres, P; Galleguillos, P; Lissi, E; López-Alarcón, C

    2008-10-15

    The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methodology has been employed to estimate the antioxidant capacity of human blood plasma and human urine using pyrogallol red (ORAC-PGR) as target molecule. Uric acid, reduced glutathione, human serum albumin, and ascorbic acid (ASC) inhibited the consumption of pyrogallol red, but only ASC generated an induction time. Human blood plasma and human urine protected efficiently pyrogallol red. In these assays, both biological fluids generated neat induction times that were removed by ascorbate oxidase. From these results, ORAC-PGR method could be proposed as a simple alternative to evaluate an ORAC index and, simultaneously, to estimate the concentration of ascorbic acid in human blood plasma or human urine.

  17. Noninvasive and Painless Urine Glucose Detection by Using Computer-based Polarimeter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sutrisno; Laksono, Y. A.; Hidayat, N.

    2017-05-01

    Diabetes kills millions of people worldwide each year. It challenges us as researchers to give contribution in early diagnosis to ensure a healthy life. As a matter of fact, common glucose testing devices that have been widely used so far are, at least, glucose meter and urine glucose test strip. The glucose meter ordinarily requires blood taken from patient’s finger. The glucose test strip uses patient’s urine but records unspecific urine glucose level, since the strip only provides the glucose level in some particular ranges. Instead of detecting the glucose level in blood and using the non-specific technique, a noninvasive and painless technique that can detect glucose level accurately will provide a more feasible approach for diabetes diagnosis. The noninvasive and painless urine glucose level monitoring by means of computer-based polarimeter is presented in this paper. The instrument consisted of a power source, a sample box, a light sensor, a polarizer, an analyzer, an analog to digital converter (ADC), and a computer. The concentration of urine glucose concentration was evaluated from the curve of the change in detected optical rotation angle and output potential by the computer-based polarimeter. Statistical analyses by means of Gaussian fitting and linear regression were applied to investigate the rotation angle and urine glucose concentration, respectively. From our experiment, the urine glucose level, measured by glucose test strips, of the normal patient was 100 mg/dl, and the diabetic patient was 500 mg/dl. Our polarimeter even read more precise values for the urine glucose concentrations of those normal and diabetic of the same patients, i.e. 50.61 mg/dl and 502.41 mg/dl, respectively. In other words, the results showed that our polarimeter was able to quantitatively measure the urine glucose level more accurate than urine glucose test strips. Hence, this computer-based polarimeter could be used as an alternative for early detection of urine

  18. Urine phenobarbital drug screening: potential use for compliance assessment in neonates.

    PubMed

    Guillet, Ronnie; Kwon, Jennifer M; Chen, Sixaio; McDermott, Michael P

    2012-02-01

    This study was done to determine if urine phenobarbital measurements provide a reliable indicator of presence of the drug in neonates. Urine was collected from neonates treated with phenobarbital for clinical indications within 4 to 6 hours of clinically indicated collection of serum phenobarbital levels. Urine samples were also collected from control neonates not treated with phenobarbital. One aliquot was assayed fresh, another frozen at -30°C and assayed 1 to 3 months later. Phenobarbital was assayed using the ONLINE TDM Roche/Hitachi automated clinical chemistry analyzer. Serum and urine concentrations were compared as were fresh and frozen urine measurements. Serum phenobarbital ranged from 5.6 to 52.7 μg/mL. Matched urine samples were 56.6 ± 12.5% of the serum level. Frozen samples were 98.3 ± 8.0% of the fresh samples. Urine phenobarbital concentrations, either fresh or frozen, can be used in neonates as a noninvasive estimate of drug levels.

  19. Albuminuria is associated with an increased prostasin in urine while aldosterone has no direct effect on urine and kidney tissue abundance of prostasin.

    PubMed

    Oxlund, Christina; Kurt, Birgül; Schwarzensteiner, Ilona; Hansen, Mie R; Stæhr, Mette; Svenningsen, Per; Jacobsen, Ib A; Hansen, Pernille B; Thuesen, Anne D; Toft, Anja; Hinrichs, Gitte R; Bistrup, Claus; Jensen, Boye L

    2017-06-01

    The proteinase prostasin is a candidate mediator for aldosterone-driven proteolytic activation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). It was hypothesized that the aldosterone-mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) pathway stimulates prostasin abundance in kidney and urine. Prostasin was measured in plasma and urine from type 2 diabetic patients with resistant hypertension (n = 112) randomized to spironolactone/placebo in a clinical trial. Prostasin protein level was assessed by immunoblotting in (1) human and rat urines with/without nephrotic syndrome, (2) human nephrectomy tissue, (3) urine and kidney from aldosterone synthase-deficient (AS -/- ) mice and ANGII- and aldosterone-infused mice, and in (4) kidney from adrenalectomized rats. Serum aldosterone concentration related to prostasin concentration in urine but not in plasma. Plasma prostasin concentration increased significantly after spironolactone compared to control. Urinary prostasin and albumin related directly and were reduced by spironolactone. In patients with nephrotic syndrome, urinary prostasin protein was elevated compared to controls. In rat nephrosis, proteinuria coincided with increased urinary prostasin, unchanged kidney tissue prostasin, and decreased plasma prostasin while plasma aldosterone was suppressed. Prostasin protein abundance in human nephrectomy tissue was similar across gender and ANGII inhibition regimens. Prostasin urine abundance was not different in AS -/- and aldosterone-infused mice. Prostasin kidney level was not different from control in adrenalectomized rats and AS -/- mice. We found no evidence for a direct relationship between mineralocorticoid receptor signaling and kidney and urine prostasin abundance. The reduction of urinary prostasin in spironolactone-treated patients is most likely the result of an improved glomerular filtration barrier function and generally reduced proteinuria.

  20. Urine creatinine in treatment-naïve HIV subjects in eastern Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Anyabolu, Ernest Ndukaife

    2016-01-01

    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a global healthcare problem. Some diseases and physiological states may be altered in HIV-infected individuals. Our objective was to evaluate urine creatinine and factors that influence urine creatinine in treatment-naïve HIV subjects in Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study involving treatment-naïve HIV subjects in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Creatinine in spot and 24-hour urine samples and other relevant investigations were performed. Low urine creatinine or dilute urine was defined as 24-hour urine creatinine (24HUCr) <300mg, normal urine creatinine as 24HUCr 300-3000mg and high urine creatinine or concentrated urine as 24HUCr>3000mg.Theassociation of low urine creatinine and high urine creatinine with potential risk factors was determined. The mean spot urine creatinine (SUCr) of the treatment-naïve HIV subjects was 137.21± 98.47(mg/dl), minimum value 13.3mg/dl, maximum value 533.3mg/dl and range of values 520.0mg/dl. The mean 24HUCr was 1507±781mg, minimum value 206mg, maximum value 4849mg and range of values 4643mg. Twenty four-hour urine creatinine<300mg was observed in 2(0.5%) subjects, normal 24HUCr 300-3000mgin 349(93.1%) subjects and 24HUCr>3000mg in 24(6.4%) subjects. There was significant association between 24HUCr and serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL),serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). There was high correlation between 24HUCr>3000mg and 24-hour urine osmolality (24HUOsm) (r=0.95), body mass index (BMI) (r=0.74), CD4 cells count (r=-0.71), serum HDL (r=-0.73). The prevalence of dilute urine and concentrated urine was low. Twenty-four hour urine osmolality. BMI, CD4 cells count and HDL were strong correlates of high urine creatinine. Lipid abnormalities were common in treatment-naïve HIV subjects with high urine creatinine. There is need for clinicians to routinely conduct urine creatinine and further search for abnormalities of serum lipids, weight changes

  1. Urine stability and steroid profile: towards a screening index of urine sample degradation for anti-doping purpose.

    PubMed

    Mazzarino, Monica; Abate, Maria Gabriella; Alocci, Roberto; Rossi, Francesca; Stinchelli, Raffaella; Molaioni, Francesco; de la Torre, Xavier; Botrè, Francesco

    2011-01-10

    The presence of microorganisms in urine samples, under favourable conditions of storage and transportation, may alter the concentration of steroid hormones, thus altering the correct evaluation of the urinary steroid profile in doping control analysis. According to the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA technical document TD2004 EAAS), a testosterone deconjugation higher than 5% and the presence of 5α-androstane-3,17-dione and 5β-androstane-3,17-dione in the deconjugated fraction, are reliable indicators of urine degradation. The determination of these markers would require an additional quantitative analysis since the steroids screening analysis, in anti-doping laboratories, is performed in the total (free+conjugated) fraction. The aim of this work is therefore to establish reliable threshold values for some representative compounds (namely 5α-androstane-3,17-dione and 5β-androstane-3,17-dione) in the total fraction in order to predict directly at the screening stage the potential microbial degradation of the urine samples. Preliminary evidence on the most suitable degradation indexes has been obtained by measuring the urinary concentration of testosterone, epitestosterone, 5α-androstane-3,17-dione and 5β-androstane-3,17-dione by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric every day for 15 days in the deconjugated, glucuronide and total fraction of 10 pools of urines from 60 healthy subjects, stored under different pH and temperature conditions, and isolating the samples with one or more markers of degradation according to the WADA technical document TD2004EAAS. The threshold values for 5α-androstane-3,17-dione and 5β-androstane-3,17-dione were therefore obtained correlating the testosterone deconjugation rate with the urinary concentrations of 5α-androstane-3,17-dione and 5β-androstane-3,17-dione in the total fraction. The threshold values suggested as indexes of urine degradation in the total fraction were: 10 ng mL(-1) for 5α-androstane-3,17-dione

  2. Method for measuring lead concentrations in blood

    DOEpatents

    Nogar, Nicholas S.

    2001-01-01

    Method for measuring lead concentrations in blood. The present invention includes the use of resonant laser ablation to analyze .ltoreq.1 .mu.L (or equivalent mass) samples of blood for lead content. A typical finger prick, for example, yields about 10 .mu.L. Solid samples may also readily be analyzed by resonant laser ablation. The sample is placed on a lead-free, electrically conducting substrate and irradiated with a single, focused laser beam which simultaneously vaporizes, atomizes, and resonantly ionizes an analyte of interest in a sample. The ions are then sorted, collected and detected using a mass spectrometer.

  3. The influence of indoxyl sulfate and ammonium on the autofluorescence of human urine.

    PubMed

    Perinchery, Sandeep Menon; Kuzhiumparambil, Unnikrishnan; Vemulpad, Subramanyam; Goldys, Ewa M

    2010-01-15

    Despite biological variability the spectral characteristics of undiluted human urine show relatively low autofluorescence at short UV (250-300nm) excitation. However with dilution the fluorescence intensity remarkably increases. This paper examines the mechanisms behind this effect, by using excitation-emission matrices. Corrections for the inner filter effect were made for improved understanding of the spectral patterns. We focused on three major fluorophores (tryptophan, indoxyl sulfate and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetate) that are excited at these wavelengths, and whose content in urine is strongly linked with various health conditions. Their fluorescence was studied both individually and in combinations. We also examined the effect of ammonium on the fluorescence of these major fluorophores individually and in combinations. Through these studies we have identified the leading effects that reduce the UV fluorescence, namely higher concentration of indoxyl sulfate producing the inner filter effect and concentration quenching and quenching of fluorophores by ammonium. This result will assist in broader utilisation of UV fluorescence in medical diagnostics.

  4. Using human urine as food for cyanobacteria in LSS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalacheva, Galina; Gribovskaya, Iliada; Kolmakova, Angela

    In biological LSS: human, higher plants, algae, united by common cycle of matter, native human urine is the most problematic substance for using in inter-link exchange. It contains urea, ammonium compounds and up to 10 g/l of NaCl. Each of the mentioned components is toxic for growing higher plants. As for inferior plants, experiments showed that cyanobacteria of genus Spirulina platensis and similar genus Oscillatoria deflexa can grow at NaCl concentrations up to 20 g/l and NH4Cl concentrations up to 800 mg/l. These cyanobacteria can be used in LSS as a photosynthesizing link. Besides, S. platensis is edible for humans and fish. To use urine as food for algae, it is necessary to remove urea and organics. All previously used methods for urine treatment aimed at urea destruction: heating to 300oC, ultraviolet exposure, freezing, oxidation on reactor with hydrogen peroxide, had no effect. We used the following method of urine treatment: urine evaporation till dry residue, subsequent combustion in muffle furnace at 450-500oC and creation of ash water extract of the same volume as the initial urine. Comparison of standard Zarrouk's solution for S. platensis and O. deflexa with the water extract of urine ash showed that the concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, P, S were similar. Successful experiments were made with O. deflexa that were grown on nutrient solution made of the water extract of urine ash with 10 g/l of NaHCO3 and 2 g/l of NaNO3. The sources of intersystem production of HCO3 and NO3 were shown, and the biochemical composition of the investigated algae species, including mineral composition, protein, carbohydrate, amino acid, lipid and vitamin content were studied.

  5. Towards a method of rapid extraction of strontium-90 from urine: urine pretreatment and alkali metal removal

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hawkins, C.; Dietz, M.; Kaminski, M.

    2016-03-01

    A technical program to support the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is being developed to provide an analytical method for rapid extraction of Sr-90 from urine, with the intent of assessing the general population’s exposure during an emergency response to a radiological terrorist event. Results are presented on the progress in urine sample preparation and chemical separation steps that provide an accurate and quantitative detection of Sr-90 based upon an automated column separation sequence and a liquid scintillation assay. Batch extractions were used to evaluate the urine pretreatment and the column separation efficiency and loading capacity based upon commercial,more » extractant-loaded resins. An efficient pretreatment process for decolorizing and removing organics from urine without measurable loss of radiostrontium from the sample was demonstrated. In addition, the Diphonix® resin shows promise for the removal of high concentrations of common strontium interferents in urine as a first separation step for Sr-90 analysis.« less

  6. Vitamin D receptor Fok1 polymorphism and blood lead concentration in children.

    PubMed Central

    Haynes, Erin N; Kalkwarf, Heidi J; Hornung, Richard; Wenstrup, Richard; Dietrich, Kim; Lanphear, Bruce P

    2003-01-01

    Variation in blood lead concentration is caused by a complex interaction of environmental, social, nutritional, and genetic factors. We evaluated the association between blood lead concentration and a vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism. Environmental samples and blood were analyzed for lead, nutritional and behavioral factors were assessed, and VDR -Fok1 genotype was determined in 245 children. We found a significant interaction between floor dust lead and genotype on blood lead concentration. For every 1 microg/ft(2) increase in floor dust, children with VDR -FF genotype had a 1.1% increase in blood lead [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69-1.5], VDR -Ff, 0.53% increase (95% CI, 0.1-0.92), and VDR -ff, 3.8% increase (95% CI, 1.2-6.3); however, at floor dust levels < 10 microg/ft(2), children with VDR -ff had the lowest blood lead concentrations. These data suggest that VDR -Fok1 is an effect modifier of the relationship of floor dust lead exposure and blood lead concentration. PMID:14527848

  7. Fluoride in drinking water and human urine in Southern Haryana, India.

    PubMed

    Singh, Bhupinder; Gaur, Shalini; Garg, V K

    2007-06-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the fluoride content in drinking water and urine samples of adolescent males aged 11-16 years living in Southern Haryana, India. A total of 30 drinking water sources in the studied habitations were assessed for fluoride contamination. Fluoride was estimated in the urine of 400 male children randomly selected from these habitations. The fluoride concentration in drinking water and urine samples was determined using USEPA fluoride ion selective electrode method. The mean fluoride concentration in drinking water samples of Pataudi, Haily Mandi and Harsaru villages was 1.68+/-0.35, 3.22+/-1.18 and 1.78+/-0.12 mg/l, respectively. The mean urinary fluoride concentration was 2.26+/-0.024 mg/l at Pataudi, 2.48+/-0.77 mg/l at Haily Mandi and 2.43+/-0.84 mg/l at Harsaru village. The higher fluoride levels in the urine of children may be associated to higher fluoride levels in drinking water. The accuracy of measurements was assessed with known addition method in water and urine. Mean fluoride recovery was 98.0 and 99.1% in water and urine. The levels obtained were reproducible with in +/-3% error limit.

  8. Stability of Zika virus in urine: Specimen processing considerations and implications for the detection of RNA targets in urine.

    PubMed

    Tan, Susanna K; Sahoo, Malaya K; Milligan, Stephen B; Taylor, Nathaniel; Pinsky, Benjamin A

    2017-10-01

    Detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) RNA in urine is of increasing interest for the diagnosis of ZIKV infection. Pre-analytical variables can significantly impact the stability of RNA in urine. To determine optimal specimen processing protocols that would maximize detection of ZIKV RNA in urine by real-time, reverse transcriptase PCR, we investigated the effect of temperature, initial ZIKV concentration, use of nucleic acid stabilizers, and time on ZIKV RNA levels. Urine samples from healthy donors were spiked with ZIKV using the Exact Diagnostics ® ZIKV Verification Panel, a commercially available panel composed of heat-inactivated ZIKV, at concentrations of 5.0 log 10 copies/mL (ZIKV-high) and 4.0 log 10 copies/mL (ZIKV-low). Samples were stored at room temperature, 4°C, or -80°C and frozen aliquots were exposed to no stabilizer (urine), Buffer ATL (Qiagen, Germantown, MD), or DNA/RNA Shield (Zymo Research, Irvine, CA). ZIKV RNA levels in urine declined steadily at room temperature, though was not significant by 48h (ZIKV-high, p=0.09; ZIKV-low, p=0.20). ZIKV RNA titers were consistently higher when stored at 4°C, suggesting that storage at 4°C can slow the progression of RNA degradation. Freezing urine samples at -80°C resulted in a significant loss of detectable ZIKV RNA in the ZIKV-low group. ZIKV RNA was detected in 5/6 replicates at 3days, 1/6 replicates at 10days, and 1/3 replicates at 30days, with findings reproducible on repeat testing. Presence of either nucleic acid stabilizer in urine corrected this effect, and resulted in recovery of ZIKV RNA in all replicates. Use of a nucleic acid stabilizer in the ZIKV-high group did not add incremental benefit for the detection or quantitation of ZIKV RNA. ZIKV RNA is prone to degradation in urine with loss of detectable virus even when specimens are frozen at -80°C for 10days. Detection of ZIKV-positive urine samples, particularly those containing low ZIKV titers may be aided with the addition of a nucleic acid

  9. Hormone replacement therapy may reduce the return of endogenous lead from bone to the circulation.

    PubMed Central

    Webber, C E; Chettle, D R; Bowins, R J; Beaumont, L F; Gordon, C L; Song, X; Blake, J M; McNutt, R H

    1995-01-01

    Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women suppresses the increase in bone resorption expected as circulating levels of endogenous estrogen decline. We tested the hypothesis that bone lead content might remain elevated in women on HRT. Fifty six women who at recruitment were on average 35 years postmenopausal were placed on calcium supplementation. Six months later 33 of these women were prescribed either low dose or moderate dose hormone replacement in addition to the calcium supplementation. After approximately 4 years of hormone replacement, lead content was measured at the tibia and calcaneus by in vivo fluorescence excitation, and lead concentrations were measured in serum, whole blood, and urine. Women not taking hormones had significantly lower lead concentrations in cortical bone compared to all women on HRT (p = 0.007). Tibia lead content (mean +/- SD) for women on calcium only was 11.13 +/- 6.22 microgram/g bone mineral. For women on HRT, tibia bone lead was 19.37 +/- 8.62 micrograms/g bone mineral on low-dose HRT and 16.87 +/- 11.68 micrograms/g bone mineral on moderate-dose HRT. There were no differences between groups for lead concentrations measured in trabecular bone, whole blood, serum or urine. Hormone replacement maintains cortical bone lead content. In women not on HRT, there will be a perimenopausal release of lead from bone. Images Figure 1. PMID:8747022

  10. Hemoglobinuria Misidentified as Hematuria: Review of Discolored Urine and Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

    PubMed Central

    Veerreddy, Prashant

    2013-01-01

    Discolored urine is a common reason for office visits to a primary care physician and urology referral. Early differentiation of the type or cause of discolored urine is necessary for accurate diagnosis and prompt management. Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a clonal disorder caused by acquired somatic mutations in the PIG-A gene on the X- chromosome of hemopoietic stem cells and leads to deficiency of surface membrane anchor proteins. The deficiency of these proteins leads to an increased risk of hemolysis of erythrocytes and structural damage of platelets, resulting in a clinical syndrome characterized by complement-mediated intravascular hemolytic anemia, bone marrow failure, and venous thrombosis. Patients with this clinical syndrome present with paroxysms of hemolysis, causing hemoglobinuria manifesting as discolored urine. This can be easily confused with other common causes of discolored urine and result in extensive urologic work-up. Three commonly confused entities of discolored urine include hematuria, hemoglobinuria, and myoglobinuria. Specific characteristics in a dipstick test or urinalysis can guide differentiation of these three causes of discolored urine. This article begins with a case summary of a woman presenting with cranberry-colored urine and a final delayed diagnosis of paryxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Her hemoglobinuria was misdiagnosed as hematuria, leading to extensive urologic work-up. The article also gives an overview of the approach to diagnosing and treating discolored urine. PMID:25512715

  11. Association of beer consumption with arsenic concentration in urine: a result from a cross-sectional study of the general Japanese population.

    PubMed

    Mori, Mitsuru; Sato, Tomoyo; Yoshida, Hideki; Ohira, Yuichi; Itou, Yasushi; Shimizu, Shouko

    2016-09-01

    The first aim of this study was to evaluate the association between time spent living near a contaminated area and concentration of arsenic (As) compounds in the urine among study subjects. The second aim is to assess the association between consumption of various foods or beverages and As concentration in urine among them. Urine sampling was performed on 177 persons who voluntarily participated in the survey in May 2014. The median value of the sum of inorganic As (iAs) and total As (tAs) compounds was used for us to divide into two groups, such as the high and low iAs and high and low tAs groups. We analyzed data separately in two-age strata of age group A (the subjects <18 years old), and age group B (the subjects ≥18 years old). A multivariate analysis was performed with the logistic regression model to adjust for potential confounding variables. No link between time spent living near a contaminated area and urinary As concentration was observed in our study. For age group B, frequently drinking beer was significantly associated with risk of being in the high tAs group (p = 0.008). Compared to not drinking beer, odds ratios (95 % confidence intervals) of drinking beer <1 or 2 times per week, and drinking beer ≥3 or 4 times per week were 3.09 (1.32-7.24) and 3.00 (1.02-8.80), respectively, after adjusting for age, sex, and smoking index. Frequent consumption of beer may be associated with high tAs in age group B.

  12. Criterion values for urine-specific gravity and urine color representing adequate water intake in healthy adults.

    PubMed

    Perrier, E T; Bottin, J H; Vecchio, M; Lemetais, G

    2017-04-01

    Growing evidence suggests a distinction between water intake necessary for maintaining a euhydrated state, and water intake considered to be adequate from a perspective of long-term health. Previously, we have proposed that maintaining a 24-h urine osmolality (U Osm ) of ⩽500 mOsm/kg is a desirable target for urine concentration to ensure sufficient urinary output to reduce renal health risk and circulating vasopressin. In clinical practice and field monitoring, the measurement of U Osm is not practical. In this analysis, we calculate criterion values for urine-specific gravity (U SG ) and urine color (U Col ), two measures which have broad applicability in clinical and field settings. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis performed on 817 urine samples demonstrates that a U SG ⩾1.013 detects U Osm >500 mOsm/kg with very high accuracy (AUC 0.984), whereas a subject-assessed U Col ⩾4 offers high sensitivity and moderate specificity (AUC 0.831) for detecting U Osm >500 m Osm/kg.

  13. NEW COLUMN SEPARATION METHOD FOR EMERGENCY URINE SAMPLES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maxwell, S; Brian Culligan, B

    2007-08-28

    The Savannah River Site Environmental Bioassay Lab participated in the 2007 NRIP Emergency Response program administered by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in May, 2007. A new rapid column separation method was applied directly to the NRIP 2007 emergency urine samples, with only minimal sample preparation to reduce preparation time. Calcium phosphate precipitation, previously used to pre-concentrate actinides and Sr-90 in NRIP 2006 urine and water samples, was not used for the NRIP 2007 urine samples. Instead, the raw urine was acidified and passed directly through the stacked resin columns (TEVA+TRU+SR Resins) to separate the actinides andmore » strontium from the NRIP urine samples more quickly. This improvement reduced sample preparation time for the NRIP 2007 emergency urine analyses significantly. This approach works well for small volume urine samples expected during an emergency response event. Based on initial feedback from NIST, the SRS Environmental Bioassay Lab had the most rapid analysis times for actinides and strontium-90 analyses for NRIP 2007 urine samples.« less

  14. Antioxidant-rich spice added to hamburger meat during cooking results in reduced meat, plasma, and urine malondialdehyde concentrations1234

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhaoping; Henning, Susanne M; Zhang, Yanjun; Zerlin, Alona; Li, Luyi; Gao, Kun; Lee, Ru-Po; Karp, Hannah; Thames, Gail; Bowerman, Susan

    2010-01-01

    Background: Emerging science has shown the effect of oxidation products and inflammation on atherogenesis and carcinogenesis. Cooking hamburger meat can promote the formation of malondialdehyde that can be absorbed after ingestion. Objective:We studied the effect of an antioxidant spice mixture on malondialdehyde formation while cooking hamburger meat and its effects on plasma and urinary malondialdehyde concentrations. Design: Eleven healthy volunteers consumed 2 kinds of burgers in a randomized order: one burger was seasoned with a spice blend, and one burger was not seasoned with the spice blend. The production of malondialdehyde in burgers and malondialdehyde concentrations in plasma and urine after ingestion were measured by HPLC. Results:Rosmarinic acid from oregano was monitored to assess the effect of cooking on spice antioxidant content. Forty percent (19 mg) of the added rosmarinic acid remained in the spiced burger (SB) after cooking. There was a 71% reduction in the malondialdehyde concentration (mean ± SD: 0.52 ± 0.02 μmol/250 g) in the meat of the SBs compared with the malondialdehyde concentration (1.79 ± 0.17 μmol/250 g) in the meat of the control burgers (CBs). The plasma malondialdehyde concentration increased significantly in the CB group as a change from baseline (P = 0.026). There was a significant time-trend difference (P = 0.013) between the 2 groups. Urinary malondialdehyde concentrations (μmol/g creatinine) decreased by 49% (P = 0.021) in subjects consuming the SBs compared with subjects consuming the CBs. Conclusions: The overall effect of adding the spice mixture to hamburger meat before cooking was a reduction in malondialdehyde concentrations in the meat, plasma, and urine after ingestion. Therefore, cooking hamburgers with a polyphenol-rich spice mixture can significantly decrease the concentration of malondialdehyde, which suggests potential health benefits for atherogenesis and carcinogenesis. This trial was registered at

  15. Immunoelectrophoresis - urine

    MedlinePlus

    Immunoglobulin electrophoresis - urine; Gamma globulin electrophoresis - urine; Urine immunoglobulin electrophoresis; IEP - urine ... A clean-catch urine sample is needed. The clean-catch method is used to prevent germs from the penis or vagina from getting ...

  16. Multimedia Exposures to Arsenic and Lead for Children Near an Inactive Mine Tailings and Smelter Site

    PubMed Central

    Loh, Miranda M.; Sugeng, Anastasia; Lothrop, Nathan; Klimecki, Walter; Cox, Melissa; Wilkinson, Sarah T.; Lu, Zhenqiang; Beamer, Paloma I.

    2016-01-01

    Children living near contaminated mining waste areas may have high exposures to metals from the environment. This study investigates whether exposure to arsenic and lead is higher in children in a community near a legacy mine and smelter site in Arizona compared to children in other parts of the United States and the relationship of that exposure to the site. Arsenic and lead were measured in residential soil, house dust, tap water, urine, and toenail samples from 70 children in 34 households up to 7 miles from the site. Soil and house dust were sieved, digested, and analyzed via ICP-MS. Tap water and urine were analyzed without digestion, while toenails were washed, digested and analyzed. Blood lead was analyzed by an independent, certified laboratory. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between each environmental media and urine and toenails for arsenic and lead. Geometric mean arsenic (standard deviation) concentrations for each matrix were: 22.1 (2.59) ppm and 12.4 (2.27) ppm for soil and house dust (<63 μm), 5.71 (6.55) ppb for tap water, 14.0 (2.01) μg/L for specific gravity-corrected total urinary arsenic, 0.543 (3.22) ppm for toenails. Soil and vacuumed dust lead concentrations were 16.9 (2.03) ppm and 21.6 (1.90) ppm. The majority of blood lead levels were below the limit of quantification. Arsenic and lead concentrations in soil and house dust decreased with distance from the site. Concentrations in soil, house dust, tap water, along with floor dust loading were significantly associated with toenail and urinary arsenic but not lead. Mixed models showed that soil and tap water best predicted urinary arsenic. In our study, despite being present in mine tailings at similar levels, internal lead exposure was not high, but arsenic exposure was of concern, particularly from soil and tap water. Naturally occurring sources may be an additional important contributor to exposures in certain legacy mining areas. PMID:26803211

  17. Sample preparation and storage can change arsenic speciation in human urine.

    PubMed

    Feldmann, J; Lai, V W; Cullen, W R; Ma, M; Lu, X; Le, X C

    1999-11-01

    Stability of chemical speciation during sample handling and storage is a prerequisite to obtaining reliable results of trace element speciation analysis. There is no comprehensive information on the stability of common arsenic species, such as inorganic arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine, in human urine. We compared the effects of the following storage conditions on the stability of these arsenic species: temperature (25, 4, and -20 degrees C), storage time (1, 2, 4, and 8 months), and the use of additives (HCl, sodium azide, benzoic acid, benzyltrimethylammonium chloride, and cetylpyridinium chloride). HPLC with both inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and hydride generation atomic fluorescence detection techniques were used for the speciation of arsenic. We found that all five of the arsenic species were stable for up to 2 months when urine samples were stored at 4 and -20 degrees C without any additives. For longer period of storage (4 and 8 months), the stability of arsenic species was dependent on urine matrices. Whereas the arsenic speciation in some urine samples was stable for the entire 8 months at both 4 and -20 degrees C, other urine samples stored under identical conditions showed substantial changes in the concentration of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid. The use of additives did not improve the stability of arsenic speciation in urine. The addition of 0.1 mol/L HCl (final concentration) to urine samples produced relative changes in inorganic As(III) and As(V) concentrations. Low temperature (4 and -20 degrees C) conditions are suitable for the storage of urine samples for up to 2 months. Untreated samples maintain their concentration of arsenic species, and additives have no particular benefit. Strong acidification is not appropriate for speciation analysis.

  18. Urine creatinine in treatment-naïve HIV subjects in eastern Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Anyabolu, Ernest Ndukaife

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a global healthcare problem. Some diseases and physiological states may be altered in HIV-infected individuals. Our objective was to evaluate urine creatinine and factors that influence urine creatinine in treatment-naïve HIV subjects in Nigeria. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving treatment-naïve HIV subjects in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Creatinine in spot and 24-hour urine samples and other relevant investigations were performed. Low urine creatinine or dilute urine was defined as 24-hour urine creatinine (24HUCr) <300mg, normal urine creatinine as 24HUCr 300-3000mg and high urine creatinine or concentrated urine as 24HUCr>3000mg.Theassociation of low urine creatinine and high urine creatinine with potential risk factors was determined. Results The mean spot urine creatinine (SUCr) of the treatment-naïve HIV subjects was 137.21± 98.47(mg/dl), minimum value 13.3mg/dl, maximum value 533.3mg/dl and range of values 520.0mg/dl. The mean 24HUCr was 1507±781mg, minimum value 206mg, maximum value 4849mg and range of values 4643mg. Twenty four-hour urine creatinine<300mg was observed in 2(0.5%) subjects, normal 24HUCr 300-3000mgin 349(93.1%) subjects and 24HUCr>3000mg in 24(6.4%) subjects. There was significant association between 24HUCr and serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL),serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). There was high correlation between 24HUCr>3000mg and 24-hour urine osmolality (24HUOsm) (r=0.95), body mass index (BMI) (r=0.74), CD4 cells count (r=-0.71), serum HDL (r=-0.73). Conclusion The prevalence of dilute urine and concentrated urine was low. Twenty-four hour urine osmolality. BMI, CD4 cells count and HDL were strong correlates of high urine creatinine. Lipid abnormalities were common in treatment-naïve HIV subjects with high urine creatinine. There is need for clinicians to routinely conduct urine creatinine and further search for

  19. The Human Urine Metabolome

    PubMed Central

    Bouatra, Souhaila; Aziat, Farid; Mandal, Rupasri; Guo, An Chi; Wilson, Michael R.; Knox, Craig; Bjorndahl, Trent C.; Krishnamurthy, Ramanarayan; Saleem, Fozia; Liu, Philip; Dame, Zerihun T.; Poelzer, Jenna; Huynh, Jessica; Yallou, Faizath S.; Psychogios, Nick; Dong, Edison; Bogumil, Ralf; Roehring, Cornelia; Wishart, David S.

    2013-01-01

    the complete set of 2651 confirmed human urine metabolite species, their structures (3079 in total), concentrations, related literature references and links to their known disease associations are freely available at http://www.urinemetabolome.ca. PMID:24023812

  20. Calcium - urine

    MedlinePlus

    Urinary Ca+2; Kidney stones - calcium in urine; Renal calculi - calcium in your urine; Parathyroid - calcium in urine ... A 24-hour urine sample is most often needed: On day 1, urinate into the toilet when you wake up in the morning. ...

  1. Determination of urine-derived odorous compounds in a source separation sanitation system.

    PubMed

    Liu, Bianxia; Giannis, Apostolos; Chen, Ailu; Zhang, Jiefeng; Chang, Victor W C; Wang, Jing-Yuan

    2017-02-01

    Source separation sanitation systems have attracted more and more attention recently. However, separate urine collection and treatment could induce odor issues, especially in large scale application. In order to avoid such issues, it is necessary to monitor the odor related compounds that might be generated during urine storage. This study investigated the odorous compounds that emitted from source-separated human urine under different hydrolysis conditions. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of temperature, stale/fresh urine ratio and urine dilution on odor emissions. It was found that ammonia, dimethyl disulfide, allyl methyl sulfide and 4-heptanone were the main odorous compounds generated from human urine, with headspace concentrations hundreds of times higher than their respective odor thresholds. Furthermore, the high temperature accelerated urine hydrolysis and liquid-gas mass transfer, resulting a remarkable increase of odor emissions from the urine solution. The addition of stale urine enhanced urine hydrolysis and expedited odor emissions. On the contrary, diluted urine emitted less odorous compounds ascribed to reduced concentrations of odorant precursors. In addition, this study quantified the odor emissions and revealed the constraints of urine source separation in real-world applications. To address the odor issue, several control strategies are recommended for odor mitigation or elimination from an engineering perspective. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Stability of Synthetic Cathinones in Urine.

    PubMed

    Glicksberg, Lindsay; Kerrigan, Sarah

    2018-03-01

    In this report, we evaluate the concentration, pH, temperature and analyte-dependent effects on cathinone stability in preserved human urine. A total of 22 synthetic cathinones were evaluated at 100 ng/mL and 1,000 ng/mL in pH 4 and pH 8 urine over 6 months. Specimens were stored at -20°C, 4°C, 20°C and 32°C. The stability of synthetic cathinones was highly dependent on urine pH and storage temperature. Cathinones were considerably more stable in acidic urine (pH 4) at low temperature. In alkaline urine (pH 8) at 32°C, significant losses (>20%) were observed within hours for the majority of drugs. In contrast, all drugs were stable in frozen and refrigerated urine at pH 4 for the duration of the study. These results highlight the importance of sample storage and the potential for pre-analytical changes in concentration during routine shipping and handling of specimens. Significant structural influence was also observed. Cathinones bearing a tertiary amine (pyrrolidine group) were significantly more stable than their secondary amine counterparts. The methylenedioxy group also exerted a significant stabilizing effect on both the tertiary and secondary amines. In the absence of the methylenedioxy group, no significant differences in stability were observed between the unsubstituted and ring substituted secondary amines. Half-lives at ambient temperature in pH 8 urine ranged from 9 h (3-fluoromethcathinone) to 4.3 months (methylenedioxypyrovalerone and 3,4-methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinobutiophenone), demonstrating the importance of analyte dependence, and the dual stabilizing effect of both the pyrollidine and methylenedioxy groups. Biological evidence may be subjected to a variety of environmental conditions prior to, and during transport to the forensic laboratory. These findings demonstrate the inherent instability of certain cathinone species in biological evidence under some conditions. Moreover, this study highlights the need for quantitative drug findings in

  3. Characterizing concentrations of diethylene glycol and suspected metabolites in human serum, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid samples from the Panama DEG mass poisoning.

    PubMed

    Schier, J G; Hunt, D R; Perala, A; McMartin, K E; Bartels, M J; Lewis, L S; McGeehin, M A; Flanders, W D

    2013-12-01

    between case status and the following: 1) serum oxalic acid and serum HEAA (both OR = 14.6; 95% C I = 2.8-100.9); 2) serum diglycolic acid and urine diglycolic acid (both OR > 999; exact p < 0.0001); and 3) urinary glycolic acid (OR = 0.057; 95% C I = 0.001-0.55). Two CSF sample results were excluded and two from the same case were averaged, yielding eight samples from eight cases. Diglycolic acid was detected in seven (88%) of case CSF samples (median, 2.03 mcg/mL; range, < LLQ, 7.47). Significantly elevated HEAA (serum) and diglycolic acid (serum and urine) concentrations were identified among cases, which is consistent with animal data. Low urinary glycolic acid concentrations in cases may have been due to concurrent AKI. Although serum glycolic concentrations among cases may have initially increased, further metabolism to oxalic acid may have occurred thereby explaining the similar glycolic acid concentrations in cases and controls. The increased serum oxalic acid concentration results in cases versus controls are consistent with this hypothesis. Diglycolic acid is associated with human DEG poisoning and may be a biomarker for poisoning. These findings add to animal data suggesting a possible role for traditional antidotal therapies. The detection of HEAA and diglycolic acid in the CSF of cases suggests a possible association with signs and symptoms of DEG-associated neurotoxicity. Further work characterizing the pathophysiology of DEG-associated neurotoxicity and the role of traditional toxic alcohol therapies such as fomepizole and hemodialysis is needed.

  4. Urine separating sewage systems--environmental effects and resource usage.

    PubMed

    Jönsson, H

    2002-01-01

    Effects of urine separation on the environment and resource usage were estimated using the simulation package ORWARE. Measurements on the urine-separating system in the housing district Palsternackan in Stockholm and on the fertilising effect of the urine were used in the simulations. The tenants were at home 65% of the time and separated 65% of the urine. Under these conditions, urine separation decreased the waterborne emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus by 55% and 33% respectively. Compared to the conventional system, urine separation increased the flow from the wastewater system to agriculture of plant-available nitrogen by a factor of 28, phosphorus by a factor of 1.35 and potassium by a factor of 23. Urine is a well-balanced complete fertiliser with very low concentrations of heavy metals. Urine separation conserved energy as long as the urine was transported distances shorter than 221 km to the field with a truck and trailer. If all the urine had been separated and transported only 1 km, the energy saving would have been 36%. In this and in previous studies, urine separation proved to be an improvement over the conventional system as regards environmental effects and resource usage.

  5. Optimizing Urine Processing Protocols for Protein and Metabolite Detection.

    PubMed

    Siddiqui, Nazema Y; DuBois, Laura G; St John-Williams, Lisa; Will, Thompson J; Grenier, Carole; Burke, Emily; Fraser, Matthew O; Amundsen, Cindy L; Murphy, Susan K

    In urine, factors such as timing of voids, and duration at room temperature (RT) may affect the quality of recovered protein and metabolite data. Additives may aid with detection, but can add more complexity in sample collection or analysis. We aimed to identify the optimal urine processing protocol for clinically-obtained urine samples that allows for the highest protein and metabolite yields with minimal degradation. Healthy women provided multiple urine samples during the same day. Women collected their first morning (1 st AM) void and another "random void". Random voids were aliquotted with: 1) no additive; 2) boric acid (BA); 3) protease inhibitor (PI); or 4) both BA + PI. Of these aliquots, some were immediately stored at 4°C, and some were left at RT for 4 hours. Proteins and individual metabolites were quantified, normalized to creatinine concentrations, and compared across processing conditions. Sample pools corresponding to each processing condition were analyzed using mass spectrometry to assess protein degradation. Ten Caucasian women between 35-65 years of age provided paired 1 st morning and random voided urine samples. Normalized protein concentrations were slightly higher in 1 st AM compared to random "spot" voids. The addition of BA did not significantly change proteins, while PI significantly improved normalized protein concentrations, regardless of whether samples were immediately cooled or left at RT for 4 hours. In pooled samples, there were minimal differences in protein degradation under the various conditions we tested. In metabolite analyses, there were significant differences in individual amino acids based on the timing of the void. For comparative translational research using urine, information about void timing should be collected and standardized. For urine samples processed in the same day, BA does not appear to be necessary while the addition of PI enhances protein yields, regardless of 4°C or RT storage temperature.

  6. Urine matrix metalloproteinases and their extracellular inducer EMMPRIN in children with chronic kidney disease.

    PubMed

    Musiał, Kinga; Bargenda, Agnieszka; Zwolińska, Danuta

    2015-07-01

    Transforming growth factor (TGF)beta1 and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an essential role in CKD-related tissue remodeling. However, there are no data on urine MMPs and their extracellular inducer EMMPRIN in CKD patients. The aim of study was to assess the concentrations of MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9, EMMPRIN and TGFbeta1 in serum and urine of CKD children and to analyze the potential relations between those parameters. Forty-one pre-dialysis CKD children and 23 age-matched controls were enrolled in the study. The concentrations of analyzed parameters were assessed by ELISA. Serum and urine values of MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9, EMMPRIN and TGFbeta1 were significantly elevated in CKD patients versus controls. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in urine correlated significantly with the corresponding values in serum, whereas MMP-7, EMMPRIN and TGFbeta1 urine concentrations did not. There were also significant correlations between urine values of all parameters. The increased urine levels of MMPs, EMMPRIN and TGFbeta1 indicate enhanced proteolysis and renal tissue remodeling. In the case of MMP-7, EMMPRIN and TGFbeta1 those disturbances seem independent of enhanced serum activity of the corresponding enzymes. The urine MMP-7 and EMMPRIN concentrations may serve as new independent indices of tissue remodeling and renal interstitial fibrosis in children with CKD.

  7. Nephrotoxic contaminants in drinking water and urine, and chronic kidney disease in rural Sri Lanka.

    PubMed

    Rango, Tewodros; Jeuland, Marc; Manthrithilake, Herath; McCornick, Peter

    2015-06-15

    Chronic kidney disease of unknown ("u") cause (CKDu) is a growing public health concern in Sri Lanka. Prior research has hypothesized a link with drinking water quality, but rigorous studies are lacking. This study assesses the relationship between nephrotoxic elements (namely arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and uranium (U)) in drinking water, and urine samples collected from individuals with and/or without CKDu in endemic areas, and from individuals without CKDu in nonendemic areas. All water samples - from a variety of source types (i.e. shallow and deep wells, springs, piped and surface water) - contained extremely low concentrations of nephrotoxic elements, and all were well below drinking water guideline values. Concentrations in individual urine samples were higher than, and uncorrelated with, those measured in drinking water, suggesting potential exposure from other sources. Mean urinary concentrations of these elements for individuals with clinically diagnosed CKDu were consistently lower than individuals without CKDu both in endemic and nonendemic areas. This likely stems from the inability of the kidney to excrete these toxic elements via urine in CKDu patients. Urinary concentrations of individuals were also found to be within the range of reference values measured in urine of healthy unexposed individuals from international biomonitoring studies, though these reference levels may not be safe for the Sri Lankan population. The results suggest that CKDu cannot be clearly linked with the presence of these contaminants in drinking water. There remains a need to investigate potential interactions of low doses of these elements (particularly Cd and As) with other risk factors that appear linked to CKDu, prior to developing public health strategies to address this illness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Comparison of Plasma and Urine Biomarker Performance in Acute Kidney Injury

    PubMed Central

    Schley, Gunnar; Köberle, Carmen; Manuilova, Ekaterina; Rutz, Sandra; Forster, Christian; Weyand, Michael; Formentini, Ivan; Kientsch-Engel, Rosemarie; Eckardt, Kai-Uwe; Willam, Carsten

    2015-01-01

    Background New renal biomarkers measured in urine promise to increase specificity for risk stratification and early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) but concomitantly may be altered by urine concentration effects and chronic renal insufficiency. This study therefore directly compared the performance of AKI biomarkers in urine and plasma. Methods This single-center, prospective cohort study included 110 unselected adults undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass between 2009 and 2010. Plasma and/or urine concentrations of creatinine, cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM1), and albumin as well as 15 additional biomarkers in plasma and urine were measured during the perioperative period. The primary outcome was AKI defined by AKIN serum creatinine criteria within 72 hours after surgery. Results Biomarkers in plasma showed markedly better discriminative performance for preoperative risk stratification and early postoperative (within 24h after surgery) detection of AKI than urine biomarkers. Discriminative power of urine biomarkers improved when concentrations were normalized to urinary creatinine, but urine biomarkers had still lower AUC values than plasma biomarkers. Best diagnostic performance 4h after surgery had plasma NGAL (AUC 0.83), cystatin C (0.76), MIG (0.74), and L-FAPB (0.73). Combinations of multiple biomarkers did not improve their diagnostic power. Preoperative clinical scoring systems (EuroSCORE and Cleveland Clinic Foundation Score) predicted the risk for AKI (AUC 0.76 and 0.71) and were not inferior to biomarkers. Preexisting chronic kidney disease limited the diagnostic performance of both plasma and urine biomarkers. Conclusions In our cohort plasma biomarkers had higher discriminative power for risk stratification and early diagnosis of AKI than urine biomarkers. For preoperative risk stratification of AKI clinical models showed

  9. A surrogate analyte-based LC-MS/MS method for the determination of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in human urine and variation of endogenous urinary concentrations of GHB.

    PubMed

    Kang, Soyoung; Oh, Seung Min; Chung, Kyu Hyuck; Lee, Sooyeun

    2014-09-01

    γ-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a drug of abuse with a strong anesthetic effect; however, proving its ingestion through the quantification of GHB in biological specimens is not straightforward due to the endogenous presence of GHB in human blood, urine, saliva, etc. In the present study, a surrogate analyte approach was applied to accurate quantitative determination of GHB in human urine using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in order to overcome this issue. For this, (2)H6-GHB and (13)C2-dl-3-hydroxybutyrate were used as a surrogate standard and as an internal standard, respectively, and parallelism between the surrogate analyte approach and standard addition was investigated at the initial step. The validation results proved the method to be selective, accurate, and precise, with acceptable linearity within calibration ranges (0.1-1μg/ml). The limit of detection and the limit of quantification of (2)H6-GHB were 0.05 and 0.1μg/ml, respectively. No significant variations were observed among urine matrices from different sources. The stability of (2)H6-GHB was satisfactory under sample storage and in-process conditions. However, in vitro production of endogenous GHB was observed when the urine sample was kept under the in-process condition for 4h and under the storage conditions of 4 and -20°C. In order to facilitate the practical interpretation of urinary GHB, endogenous GHB was accurately measured in urine samples from 79 healthy volunteers using the surrogate analyte-based LC-MS/MS method developed in the present study. The unadjusted and creatinine-adjusted GHB concentrations in 74 urine samples with quantitative results ranged from 0.09 to 1.8μg/ml and from 4.5 to 530μg/mmol creatinine, respectively. No significant correlation was observed between the unadjusted and creatinine-adjusted GHB concentrations. The urinary endogenous GHB concentrations were affected by gender and age while they were not significantly influenced by habitual

  10. Levels and source apportionment of children's lead exposure: could urinary lead be used to identify the levels and sources of children's lead pollution?

    PubMed

    Cao, Suzhen; Duan, Xiaoli; Zhao, Xiuge; Wang, Beibei; Ma, Jin; Fan, Delong; Sun, Chengye; He, Bin; Wei, Fusheng; Jiang, Guibin

    2015-04-01

    As a highly toxic heavy metal, the pollution and exposure risks of lead are of widespread concern for human health. However, the collection of blood samples for use as an indicator of lead pollution is not always feasible in most cohort or longitudinal studies, especially those involving children health. To evaluate the potential use of urinary lead as an indicator of exposure levels and source apportionment, accompanying with environmental media samples, lead concentrations and isotopic measurements (expressed as (207)Pb/(206)Pb, (208)Pb/(206)Pb and (204)Pb/(206)Pb) were investigated and compared between blood and urine from children living in the vicinities of a typical coking plant and lead-acid battery factory. The results showed urinary lead might not be a preferable proxy for estimating blood lead levels. Fortunately, urinary lead isotopic measurements could be used as an alternative for identifying the sources of children's lead exposure, which coincided well with the blood lead isotope ratio analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Intranasal Scopolamine in Plasma Saliva and Urine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, L.; Tam, V. H.; Chow, D. S. L.; Putcha, L.

    2015-01-01

    An intranasal gel dosage formulation of scopolamine (INSCOP) was developed for the treatment of Space Motion Sickness (SMS). The bioavailability and pharmacokinetics (PK) were evaluated under IND (Investigational New Drug) guidelines. The aim of the project was to develop a PK model that can predict the relationships among plasma, saliva and urinary scopolamine concentrations using data collected from the IND clinical trial protocol with INSCOP. Twelve healthy human subjects were administered at three dose levels (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg) of INSCOP. Serial blood, saliva and urine samples were collected between 5 min to 24 h after dosing and scopolamine concentrations were measured by using a validated LC-MS-MS assay. PK compartmental models, using actual dosing and sampling time, were established using Phoenix (version 1.2). Model selection was based on a likelihood ratio test on the difference of criteria (-2LL (i.e. log-likelihood ratio test)) and comparison of the quality of fit plots. The results: Predictable correlations among scopolamine concentrations in compartments of plasma, saliva and urine were established, and for the first time the model satisfactorily predicted the population and individual PK of INSCOP in plasma, saliva and urine. The model can be utilized to predict the INSCOP plasma concentration by saliva and urine data, and it will be useful for monitoring the PK of scopolamine in space and other remote environments using non-invasive sampling of saliva and/or urine.

  12. Coca tea consumption causes positive urine cocaine assay.

    PubMed

    Mazor, Suzan S; Mycyk, Mark B; Wills, Brandon K; Brace, Larry D; Gussow, Leon; Erickson, Timothy

    2006-12-01

    Coca tea, derived from the same plant that is used to synthesize cocaine, is commonly consumed in South America and easily obtained in the United States. To determine whether consumption of coca tea would result in a positive urine toxicology screen for cocaine metabolites. Five healthy adult volunteers consumed coca tea and underwent serial quantitative urine testing for cocaine metabolites by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The cutoff for a positive assay was chosen at 300 ng/ml, the National Institute on Drug Abuse standard. Each participant's urine cocaine assay was positive (level exceeding 300 ng/ml) by 2 h after ingestion. Three out of five participants' samples remained positive at 36 h. Mean urine benzoylecgonine concentrations in all postconsumption samples was 1777 ng/ml (95% confidence interval: 1060-2495). Coca tea ingestion resulted in a positive urine assay for cocaine metabolite. Healthcare professionals should consider a history of coca tea ingestion when interpreting urine toxicology results.

  13. The Use and Interpretation of Sodium Concentrations in Casual (Spot) Urine Collections for Population Surveillance and Partitioning of Dietary Iodine Intake Sources

    PubMed Central

    Conkle, Joel; van der Haar, Frits

    2016-01-01

    In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for joint surveillance of population salt and iodine intakes using urinary analysis. 24-h urine collection is considered the gold standard for salt intake assessment, but there is an emerging consensus that casual urine sampling can provide comparable information for population-level surveillance. Our review covers the use of the urinary sodium concentration (UNaC) and the urinary iodine concentration (UIC) from casual urine samples to estimate salt intakes and to partition the sources of iodine intakes. We reviewed literature on 24-h urinary sodium excretion (UNaE) and UNaC and documented the use of UNaC for national salt intake monitoring. We combined information from our review of urinary sodium with evidence on urinary iodine to assess the appropriateness of partitioning methods currently being adapted for cross-sectional survey analyses. At least nine countries are using casual urine collection for surveillance of population salt intakes; all these countries used single samples. Time trend analyses indicate that single UNaC can be used for monitoring changes in mean salt intakes. However; single UNaC suffers the same limitation as single UNaE; i.e., an estimate of the proportion excess salt intake can be biased due to high individual variability. There is evidence, albeit limited, that repeat UNaC sampling has good agreement at the population level with repeat UNaE collections; thus permitting an unbiased estimate of the proportion of excess salt intake. High variability of UIC and UNaC in single urine samples may also bias the estimates of dietary iodine intake sources. Our review concludes that repeated collection, in a sub-sample of individuals, of casual UNaC data would provide an immediate practical approach for routine monitoring of salt intake, because it overcomes the bias in estimates of excess salt intake. Thus we recommend more survey research to expand the evidence-base on predicted-UNaE from

  14. Use of urine in snow to indicate condition of wolves

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mech, L.D.; Seal, U.S.; DelGiudice, G.D.

    1987-01-01

    Urine deposited in snow by wild gray wolves (Canis lupus) and by fed and fasted captive wolves was analyzed for urea nitrogen, calcium, sodium, potassium, and creatinine. Ratios of the elements with creatinine were considerably higher for fed than for fasted animals, and ratios for fed wolves compared favorably with ratios from wolf urine in snow along trails leading from kills. Thus, wolf urine in the snow can indicate whether wolves have fed recently, and a series of such urine collections from any given pack can indicate relative nutritional state.

  15. Utility of check dams in dilution of fluoride concentration in ground water and the resultant analysis of blood serum and urine of villagers, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India.

    PubMed

    Bhagavan, S V B K; Raghu, V

    2005-02-01

    High levels of fluoride (beyond 1.5 ppm) in ground water as source of drinking water are common in many parts of Andhra Pradesh, India, causing fluorosis. The study carried out in endemic Nalgonda District, Andhra Pradesh, has indicated that the fluoride-rich ground water present in the wells located down stream and close to the surface water bodies is getting diluted by the low-fluoride surface water. Encouraged by this result, check dams were constructed upstream of the identified marginally high fluoride bearing ground water zones in Anantapur District to reduce fluoride levels as an alternate solution for safe drinking water. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the utility and effect of these check dams in dilution of fluoride concentration in drinking water and its resultant impact on the health aspects of certain villagers of Anantapur District through the analysis of their blood serum and urine. Ground water samples from three fluoride-affected villages, blood and urine of males and females from the same villages were collected and analyzed for fluoride using ion selective electrode method. The results indicated that the fluoride levels in blood serum and urine of males in the age group of 5-11 years are found to be the highest. The concentration of fluoride in ground water is directly proportional to the concentration of fluoride in blood serum and urine. The concentration of fluoride in ground water with depth of the aquifer is a function of lithology, amount and duration of rainfall, rate of infiltration, level of ground water exploitation in the area etc. The construction of check dams upstream of the identified marginally high fluoride waters will not only cause additional recharge of ground water but also reduces the fluoride concentration eventually improving the health of the villagers.

  16. Detection and quantification of rituximab in the human urine.

    PubMed

    Jacobs, Roland; Langer-Jacobus, Thais; Duong, Michelle; Stahl, Klaus; Haller, Hermann; Schmidt, Reinhold E; Schiffer, Mario

    2017-12-01

    B cell depletion by rituximab treatment might be inefficient in patients suffering from nephrotic syndrome. Due to the impaired glomerular filtration barrier a significant portion of the therapeutic antibody might be lost into the urinary space. In order to determine the amount of rituximab in the urine of such patients, CD20+ Daudi cells were stained with the patients' urine followed by a fluorochrome-labeled secondary antibody. Mean fluorescence intensity of that way labeled Daudi cells was determined by flow cytometry. Control samples with defined rituximab concentrations were used to create standard curves. The analyses revealed that all nephelometric IgG+ urine samples tested also manifested rituximab at concentrations between 100 and 46,707μg/L. The flow cytometry-based approach is an easy and reliable method to assess rituximab in patients' urine samples for monitoring individual rituximab treatment courses in all patients co-presenting impaired renal filtration. Presence of such antibodies in the urine could be considered as criteria to modify the formulation or modality of rituximab delivery in order to prevent the loss of the therapeutic antibodies and thereby ensuring efficacy of the therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Validation of a urine color scale for assessment of urine osmolality in healthy children.

    PubMed

    Kavouras, Stavros A; Johnson, Evan C; Bougatsas, Dimitris; Arnaoutis, Giannis; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B; Perrier, Erica; Klein, Alexis

    2016-04-01

    Urine color (UC) is a practical tool for hydration assessment. The technique has been validated in adults, but has not been tested in children. The purpose of the study was to test the validity of the urine color scale in young, healthy boys and girls, as a marker of urine concentration, investigate its diagnostic ability of detecting hypohydration and examine the ability of children to self-assess UC. A total of 210 children participated (age: 8-14 years, body mass: 43.4 ± 12.6 kg, height: 1.49 ± 0.13 m, body fat: 25.2 ± 7.8 %). Data collection included: two single urine samples (first morning and before lunch) and 24-h sampling. Hydration status was assessed via urine osmolality (UOsmo) and UC via the eight-point color scale. Mean UC was 3 ± 1 and UOsmo 686 ± 223 mmol kg(-1). UC displayed a positive relationship as a predictor of UOsmo (R (2): 0.45, P < 0.001). Based on the receiver operating curve, UC has good overall classification ability for the three samples (area under the curve 85-92 %), with good sensitivity (92-98 %) and specificity (55-68 %) for detecting hypohydration. The overall accuracy of the self-assessment of UC in the morning or the noon samples ranged from 67 to 78 %. Further threshold analysis indicated that the optimal self-assessed UC threshold for hypohydration was ≥4. The classical eight-point urine color scale is a valid method to assess hydration in children of age 8-14 years, either by researchers or self-assessment.

  18. Human Elimination of Organochlorine Pesticides: Blood, Urine, and Sweat Study

    PubMed Central

    Lane, Kevin; Birkholz, Detlef

    2016-01-01

    Background. Many individuals have been exposed to organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) through food, water, air, dermal exposure, and/or vertical transmission. Due to enterohepatic reabsorption and affinity to adipose tissue, OCPs are not efficiently eliminated from the human body and may accrue in tissues. Many epidemiological studies demonstrate significant exposure-disease relationships suggesting OCPs can alter metabolic function and potentially lead to illness. There is limited study of interventions to facilitate OCP elimination from the human body. This study explored the efficacy of induced perspiration as a means to eliminate OCPs. Methods. Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) were collected from 20 individuals. Analysis of 23 OCPs was performed using dual-column gas chromatography with electron-capture detectors. Results. Various OCPs and metabolites, including DDT, DDE, methoxychlor, endrin, and endosulfan sulfate, were excreted into perspiration. Generally, sweat samples showed more frequent OCP detection than serum or urine analysis. Many OCPs were not readily detected in blood testing while still being excreted and identified in sweat. No direct correlation was found among OCP concentrations in the blood, urine, or sweat compartments. Conclusions. Sweat analysis may be useful in detecting some accrued OCPs not found in regular serum testing. Induced perspiration may be a viable clinical tool for eliminating some OCPs. PMID:27800487

  19. Human Elimination of Organochlorine Pesticides: Blood, Urine, and Sweat Study.

    PubMed

    Genuis, Stephen J; Lane, Kevin; Birkholz, Detlef

    2016-01-01

    Background . Many individuals have been exposed to organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) through food, water, air, dermal exposure, and/or vertical transmission. Due to enterohepatic reabsorption and affinity to adipose tissue, OCPs are not efficiently eliminated from the human body and may accrue in tissues. Many epidemiological studies demonstrate significant exposure-disease relationships suggesting OCPs can alter metabolic function and potentially lead to illness. There is limited study of interventions to facilitate OCP elimination from the human body. This study explored the efficacy of induced perspiration as a means to eliminate OCPs. Methods . Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) were collected from 20 individuals. Analysis of 23 OCPs was performed using dual-column gas chromatography with electron-capture detectors. Results . Various OCPs and metabolites, including DDT, DDE, methoxychlor, endrin, and endosulfan sulfate, were excreted into perspiration. Generally, sweat samples showed more frequent OCP detection than serum or urine analysis. Many OCPs were not readily detected in blood testing while still being excreted and identified in sweat. No direct correlation was found among OCP concentrations in the blood, urine, or sweat compartments. Conclusions . Sweat analysis may be useful in detecting some accrued OCPs not found in regular serum testing. Induced perspiration may be a viable clinical tool for eliminating some OCPs.

  20. Characterizing ammonia emissions from horses fed different crude protein concentrations.

    PubMed

    Weir, J; Li, H; Warren, L K; Macon, E; Wickens, C

    2017-08-01

    Evaluating impact of animal agriculture on air quality has been the focus of recent research. Ammonia (NH) volatilization occurs when undigested protein in feces and urea in urine is broken down by bacteria and enzymes. Information regarding NH emission from equine facilities is limited, and effects of CP intake on NH emissions have not been investigated. Nine mature geldings were used in a 3 × 3 replicated Latin square design study to determine effects of dietary CP on potential NH losses from feces and urine. We hypothesized feeding horses above the CP requirement would result in an increase in NH emissions from urine and feces and different bedding materials would affect NH emissions from urine. Diets were formulated using different ratios of bahiagrass () and Tifton-85 bermudagrass () hays, and a commercial vitamin mineral supplement to provide 3 different CP concentrations and labeled in relation to each other: LOW-CP, MED-CP, and HIGH-CP (10.6%, 11.5%, and 12%, respectively). Each study period consisted of an 11-d diet adaptation phase, followed by a 3-d total collection of urine and feces. To determine total nitrogen (TN) and urea-N concentrations, samples were pooled by period ( = 9). For in vitro determination of NH concentrations, urine and fecal samples were pooled within period by diet ( = 3) and mixed with either wheat straw or wood shavings. Ammonia emission of these samples was measured using a vessel system with an airflow rate (2.5 L/min) at 20°C over a 7-d period. Concentration of NH in each vessel was measured using a photoacoustic multigas analyzer. Temperature, airflow rate, and NH concentration in each vessel were used to calculate NH emission rate (ER). Data were analyzed using a mixed model ANOVA with repeated measures. Urinary TN and urea-N excretion increased as CP intake increased ( < 0.0001). Vessel urinary NH concentrations were not different across diets ( = 0.1225), ranging from 55.48 ppm (LOW-CP) to 101.14 ppm (HIGH-CP); however

  1. Association of lead and cadmium exposure with frailty in US older adults

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    García-Esquinas, Esther, E-mail: esthergge@gmail.com; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD

    Background: Environmental lead and cadmium exposure is associated with higher risk of several age-related chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and osteoporosis. These diseases may lead to frailty, a geriatric syndrome characterized by diminished physiologic reserve in multiple systems with decreased ability to cope with acute stressors. However, no previous study has evaluated the association between lead or cadmium exposure and frailty. Methods: Cross-sectional study among individuals aged ≥60 years who participated in the third U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and had either blood lead (N=5272) or urine cadmium (N=4887) determinations. Frailty was ascertained with amore » slight modification of the Fried criteria, so that individuals meeting ≥3 of 5 pre-defined criteria (exhaustion, low body weight, low physical activity, weakness and slow walking speed), were considered as frail. The association between lead and cadmium with frailty was evaluated using logistic regression with adjustment for relevant confounders. Results: Median (intertertile range) concentrations of blood lead and urine cadmium were 3.9 µg/dl (2.9–4.9) and 0.62 µg/l (0.41–0.91), respectively. The prevalence of frailty was 7.1%. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of frailty comparing the second and third to the lowest tertile of blood lead were, respectively, 1.40 (0.96–2.04) and 1.75 (1.33–2.31). Lead concentrations were also associated with the frequency of exhaustion, weakness and slowness. The corresponding odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for cadmium were, respectively, 0.97 (0.68–1.39) and 1.55 (1.03–2.32), but this association did not hold after excluding participants with reduced glomerular filtration rate: 0.70 (0.43–1.14) and 1.09 (0.56–2.11), respectively. Conclusions: In the US older adult population, blood lead but not urine cadmium concentrations showed a direct dose

  2. Changes in concentrations of lysergol in urine and prolactin in plasma, rectal temperature and respiration rate in sheep selected for resistance or susceptibility to ryegrass staggers and fed ergovaline.

    PubMed

    Gooneratne, S R; Scannell, M; Wellby, M; Fletcher, L

    2011-09-01

    To determine the effects of feeding ryegrass seed containing ergovaline to sheep selected for resistance or susceptibility to ryegrass staggers on concentration of lysergol (a metabolite of ergovaline) in urine, prolactin in plasma, rectal temperature and respiration rate. Two experiments were carried out using 12 Romney crossbred ewe lambs aged 9 months, comprising animals resistant (n=4), susceptible (n=4) or outcross (n=4) to ryegrass staggers. In Experiment 1, sheep were given either a single (Part A) or six (Part B) feed (s) of endophyte-infected seed containing ergovaline at 30 mg/kg dry matter (DM), at 42 μg ergovaline/kg bodyweight (BW), to simulate acute and chronic exposure to ergovaline, respectively. The concentration and excretion of lysergol in urine and concentration of prolactin in plasma were measured over 3 and 12 days, for Parts A and B respectively. In Experiment 2, after a recovery period of 7 days, the same sheep were fed with ergovaline at 67 μg/kg of BW for 7 days. Soon after the seventh feed the sheep were moved to a hothouse at 36.5°C and 60% humidity, and 3 h later their rectal temperatures and respiration rates were measured. The concentration of lysergol and excretion in urine increased to a peak between 6 and 9 h after exposure to ergovaline whereas the concentration of prolactin in plasma was markedly reduced. Differences in concentration and rate of excretion of lysergol in urine between animals resistant, outcross and susceptible to ryegrass staggers were not significant (p>0.1). The animals resistant to ryegrass staggers had a lower rectal temperature (p<0.05) and a faster respiration rate than the outcross and susceptible groups when exposed to high ambient temperature and high humidity. This study showed that excretion of lysergol in urine increased with each exposure of sheep to ergovaline. Animals genetically resistant to ryegrass staggers exhibited a lower rectal temperature and a faster respiration rate than those

  3. Association of expired nitric oxide with urinary metal concentrations in boilermakers exposed to residual oil fly ash.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jee Young; Hauser, Russ; Wand, Matthew P; Herrick, Robert F; Houk, R S; Aeschliman, David B; Woodin, Mark A; Christiani, David C

    2003-11-01

    Exposure to metal-containing particulate matter has been associated with adverse pulmonary responses. Metals in particulate matter are soluble, hence are readily recovered in urine of exposed individuals. This study investigated the association between urinary metal concentrations and the fractional concentration of expired nitric oxide (F(E)NO) in boilermakers (N = 32) exposed to residual oil fly ash (ROFA). Subjects were monitored at a boiler overhaul site located in the New England area, USA. F(E)NO and urine samples were collected pre- and post-workshift for 5 consecutive workdays. Metals investigated included vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb). The median F(E)NO was 7.5 ppb (95% CI: 7.4-8.0), and the median creatinine-adjusted urinary metal concentrations (mug/g creatinine) were: vanadium, 1.37; chromium, 0.48; manganese, 0.30; nickel, 1.52; copper, 3.70; and lead, 2.32. Linear mixed-effects models indicated significant inverse exposure-response relationships between log F(E)NO and the log-transformed urinary concentrations of vanadium, manganese, nickel, copper, and lead at several lag times, after adjusting for smoking status. Urine samples may be utilized as a biomarker of occupational metal exposure. The inverse association between F(E)NO and urinary metal concentrations suggests that exposure to metals in particulate matter may have an adverse effect on respiratory health. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. Stability studies of amphetamine and ephedrine derivatives in urine.

    PubMed

    Jiménez, C; de la Torre, R; Ventura, M; Segura, J; Ventura, R

    2006-10-20

    Knowledge of the stability of drugs in biological specimens is a critical consideration for the interpretation of analytical results. Identification of proper storage conditions has been a matter of concern for most toxicology laboratories (both clinical and forensic), and the stability of drugs of abuse has been extensively studied. This concern should be extended to other areas of analytical chemistry like antidoping control. In this work, the stability of ephedrine derivatives (ephedrine, norephedrine, methylephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and norpseudoephedrine), and amphetamine derivatives (amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)) in urine has been studied. Spiked urine samples were prepared for stability testing. Urine samples were quantified by GC/NPD or GC/MS. The homogeneity of each batch of sample was verified before starting the stability study. The stability of analytes was evaluated in sterilized and non-sterilized urine samples at different storage conditions. For long-term stability testing, analyte concentration in urine stored at 4 degrees C and -20 degrees C was determined at different time intervals for 24 months for sterile urine samples, and for 6 months for non-sterile samples. For short-term stability testing, analyte concentration was evaluated in liquid urine stored at 37 degrees C for 7 days. The effect of repeated freezing (at -20 degrees C) and thawing (at room temperature) was also studied in sterile urine for up to three cycles. No significant loss of the analytes under study was observed at any of the investigated conditions. These results show the feasibility of preparing reference materials containing ephedrine and amphetamine derivatives to be used for quality control purposes.

  5. Concentrations of gatifloxacin in plasma and urine and penetration into prostatic and seminal fluid, ejaculate, and sperm cells after single oral administrations of 400 milligrams to volunteers.

    PubMed

    Naber, C K; Steghafner, M; Kinzig-Schippers, M; Sauber, C; Sörgel, F; Stahlberg, H J; Naber, K G

    2001-01-01

    Gatifloxacin (GTX), a new fluoroquinolone with extended antibacterial activity, is an interesting candidate for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP). Besides the antibacterial spectrum, the concentrations in the target tissues and fluids are crucial for the treatment of CBP. Thus, it was of interest to investigate its penetration into prostatic and seminal fluid. GTX concentrations in plasma, urine, ejaculate, prostatic and seminal fluid, and sperm cells were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography method after oral intake of a single 400-mg dose in 10 male Caucasian volunteers in the fasting state. Simultaneous application of the renal contrast agent iohexol was used to estimate the maximal possible contamination of ejaculate and prostatic and seminal fluid by urine. GTX was well tolerated. The means (standard deviations) for the following parameters were as indicated: time to maximum concentration of drug in serum, 1.66 (0. 91) h; maximum concentration of drug in serum, 2.90 (0.39) microg/ml; area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h, 25.65 microg. h/ml; and half life, 7.2 (0.90) h. Within 12 h about 50% of the drug was excreted unchanged into the urine. The mean renal clearance was 169 ml/min. The gatifloxacin concentrations in ejaculate, seminal fluid, and prostatic fluid were in the range of the corresponding plasma concentrations which were 1.92 (0.27) microg/ml at approximately the same time point (4 h after drug intake). The concentrations in sperm cells (0.195, 0.076, and 0.011 microg/ml) could be determined in three subjects. The good penetration into prostatic and seminal fluid, the good tolerance, and the previously reported broad antibacterial spectrum suggest that GTX may be a good alternative for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis. Clinical studies should be performed to confirm this assumption.

  6. Effect of pH, temperature, and lead concentration on the bioremoval of lead from water using Lemna minor.

    PubMed

    Uysal, Yağmur; Taner, Fadime

    2009-09-01

    This study examined the ability of the aquatic plant Lemna minor (duckweed) to remove soluble lead under various laboratory conditions. In a batch process L. minor was exposed to different pH values (4.5-8.0) and temperature (15-35 degrees C) in presence of different lead concentrations (0.1-10.0 mg L(-1)) for 168 h. The amount of biomass obtained in the study period on a dry weight basis, the concentrations of lead in tissue and in medium and net uptake of lead by Lemna all have been determined in each condition. The percentages of lead uptake ratios (PMU) and bioconcentration factors (BCF) were also calculated for these conditions. Bioaccumulated lead concentrations and the PMU were obtained at lowest pH of 4.5, and at 30 degrees C. The highest accumulated lead concentration was found at pH 4.5 as 3.599 mg Pb g(-1) in 10.0 mg L(-1). It decreased to pH 6.0, but it did not change at pH 6.0-8.0 range. The maximum lead accumulation was obtained at 30 degrees C as 8.622 mg Pb g(-1) in 10 mg L(-1) at pH 5.0, and the minimum was at 15 degrees C as 0.291 mg g(-1) in 0.1 mg L(-1). Lead accumulation gradually increased with increasing lead in medium, but the opposite trend was observed for PMU. Lead accumulation increased up to 50 mg L(-1), but did not change significantly in the 50.0-100.0 mg L(-1) range. The lead uptake from water was modeled and the equation fit the experimental data very well

  7. The clinical pattern of nephrotic syndrome in children has no effect on the concentration of soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) in serum and urine.

    PubMed

    Ochocińska, Agnieszka; Jarmużek, Wioletta; Janas, Roman

    2018-04-23

    Concentration of soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) was regarded as viable marker to differentiate the focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) from other glomerulopathies and also as predictive parameter for progression of renal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum and urine (s)(u)suPAR concentration in steroid-sensitive and steroid-resistant nephrotic children treated with different (double and triple-drug) regimens. Overall 43 children were evaluated including 14 patients with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) aged 9±6 years and 29 with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) aged 9±5 years, as well as control group (n=59). The concentration of suPAR was measured with ELISA kit (R∧D Systems Inc.). There was no difference in serum suPAR level between SRNS (6404, range: 4613-9575 pg/mL) and SSNS (5745, range: 4666-8246 pg/mL) patients, and also in urinary suPAR: SRNS (2877, range: 847- 19121 pg/mL) and SSNS (2854, range: 328-7434 pg/mL), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in serum biomarker concentrations between patients with severe course of the disease, in combination therapy, with three drugs: CsA + MMF + Pred (5968, range: 4613-9575 pg/mL) in comparison with patients receiving double therapy: CsA + Pred or MMF + Pred (5449, range: 4666-6623 pg/mL, 5905, range: 5102-6730 pg/mL, respectively). SuPAR concentration in the urine of patients treated with Pred + MMF was lower (1493, range: 328-4444 pg/mL) than in patients receiving Pred + CsA (3193, range: 629-7434 pg/mL), as well as lower than in patients with triple combination of drugs (3318, range: 448-5570 pg/mL), however the difference was not statistically significant. Serum and urine concentration of suPAR did not different between different clinical patterns of nephrotic syndrome in children, regardless the immunosuppressive treatment used. © 2018 MEDPRESS.

  8. Plasma free metanephrines are superior to urine and plasma catecholamines and urine catecholamine metabolites for the investigation of phaeochromocytoma.

    PubMed

    Hickman, Peter E; Leong, Michelle; Chang, Julia; Wilson, Susan R; McWhinney, Brett

    2009-02-01

    To compare the relative diagnostic efficacy of several different tests used to establish a diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma, in patients with a proven diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma, and in hospital patients with significant disease of other types. We prospectively compared biochemical markers of catecholamine output and metabolism in plasma and urine in 22 patients with histologically proven phaeochromocytoma, 15 intensive care unit (ICU) patients, 30 patients on chronic haemodialysis and both hypertensive (n = 10) and normotensive (n = 16) controls. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted. At the point of maximum efficiency, plasma free metanephrines showed 100% sensitivity and 97.6% specificity, compared with plasma catecholamines (78.6% and 70.7%), urine catecholamines (78.6% and 87.8%), urine metanephrines (85.7% and 95.1%), and urine hydroxymethoxymandelic acid (HMMA or VMA) (93.0% and 75.8%). All patients with phaeochromocytoma had plasma free metanephrine concentrations at least 27% above the upper limit of the reference range. Only three other patients (two on haemodialysis and one in ICU) had PFM concentrations more than 50% above the upper limit of the reference range. In patients with phaeochromocytoma, plasma free metanephrines displayed superior diagnostic sensitivity and specificity compared with other biochemical markers of catecholamine output and metabolism.

  9. Mutagenicity studies in a tyre plant: in-vitro activity of urine concentrates and rubber chemicals.

    PubMed

    Crebelli, R; Falcone, E; Aquilina, G; Carere, A; Paoletti, A; Fabri, G

    1984-01-01

    A possible occupational contribution to urinary mutagenicity was studied in a tyre plant, by assaying concentrates of urine from 72 workmen and 23 controls for their activity in the Ames test and microtitre fluctuation test. The results show that smoking habits but not occupation are related to the appearance of a detectable urinary mutagenicity in strain TA98. A possible synergistic effect of occupation was, however, observed among tyre builders who were smokers. Mutagenicity screening of 25 rubber chemicals, of major technological relevance and used in high volume in the workplace investigated, showed that three of them are weakly active in TA98 and TA100 (tetramethylthiuram disulfide) or TA98 alone (poly-p-dinitrosobenzene and mixed diaryl-p-phenylendiamines).

  10. Myoglobin urine test

    MedlinePlus

    Urine myoglobin; Heart attack - myoglobin urine test; Myositis - myoglobin urine test; Rhabdomyolysis - myoglobin urine test ... The test involves only normal urination, which should cause no discomfort.

  11. Factors associated with blood lead concentrations of children in Jamaica

    PubMed Central

    RAHBAR, MOHAMMAD H.; SAMMS-VAUGHAN, MAUREEN; DICKERSON, AISHA S.; LOVELAND, KATHERINE A.; ARDJOMAND-HESSABI, MANOUCHEHR; BRESSLER, JAN; SHAKESPEARE-PELLINGTON, SYDONNIE; GROVE, MEGAN L.; BOERWINKLE, ERIC

    2015-01-01

    Lead is a heavy metal known to be detrimental to neurologic, physiologic, and behavioral health of children. Previous studies from Jamaica reported that mean lead levels in soil are four times that of lead levels in some other parts of the world. Other studies detected lead levels in fruits and root vegetables, which were grown in areas with lead contaminated soil. In this study, we investigate environmental factors associated with blood lead concentrations in Jamaican children. The participants in this study comprised 125 typically developing (TD) children (ages 2–8 years) who served as controls in an age- and sex-matched case-control study that enrolled children from 2009 – 2012 in Jamaica. We administered a questionnaire to assess demographic and socioeconomic information as well as potential exposures to lead through food. Using General Linear Models (GLMs), we identified factors associated with blood lead concentrations in Jamaican children. The geometric mean blood lead concentration (GMBLC) in the sample of children in this study was 2.80 μg/dL. In univariable GLM analyses, GMBLC was higher for children whose parents did not have education beyond high school compared to those whose parents had attained this level (3.00 μg/dL vs. 2.31 μg/dL; P = 0.05), children living near a high traffic road compared to those who did not (3.43 μg/dL vs. 2.52 μg/dL; P < 0.01), and children who reported eating ackee compared to those who did not eat this fruit (2.89 μg/dL vs. 1.65 μg/dL; P < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, living near a high traffic road was identified as an independent risk factor for higher adjusted GMBLC (3.05 μg/dL vs. 2.19 μg/dL; P = 0.01). While our findings indicate that GMBLC in Jamaican children has dropped by at least 62% during the past two decades, children living in Jamaica still have GMBLC that is twice that of children in more developed countries. In addition, we have identified significant risk factors for higher blood lead

  12. A Direct Aqueous Derivatization GSMS Method for Determining Benzoylecgonine Concentrations in Human Urine.

    PubMed

    Chericoni, Silvio; Stefanelli, Fabio; Da Valle, Ylenia; Giusiani, Mario

    2015-09-01

    A sensitive and reliable method for extraction and quantification of benzoylecgonine (BZE) and cocaine (COC) in urine is presented. Propyl-chloroformate was used as derivatizing agent, and it was directly added to the urine sample: the propyl derivative and COC were then recovered by liquid-liquid extraction procedure. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect the analytes in selected ion monitoring mode. The method proved to be precise for BZE and COC both in term of intraday and interday analysis, with a coefficient of variation (CV)<6%. Limits of detection (LOD) were 2.7 ng/mL for BZE and 1.4 ng/mL for COC. The calibration curve showed a linear relationship for BZE and COC (r2>0.999 and >0.997, respectively) within the range investigated. The method, applied to thirty authentic samples, showed to be very simple, fast, and reliable, so it can be easily applied in routine analysis for the quantification of BZE and COC in urine samples. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  13. Ketones urine test

    MedlinePlus

    Ketone bodies - urine; Urine ketones; Ketoacidosis - urine ketones test; Diabetic ketoacidosis - urine ketones test ... Urine ketones are usually measured as a "spot test." This is available in a test kit that ...

  14. Amphetamine concentrations in human urine following single-dose administration of the calcium antagonist prenylamine-studies using fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) and GC-MS.

    PubMed

    Kraemer, Thomas; Roditis, Susanne K; Peters, Frank T; Maurer, Hans H

    2003-03-01

    Prenylamine (R,S-N-(3,3-diphenylpropyl-methyl-2-phenethylamine), a World Health Organization class V calcium antagonist, is known to be metabolized to amphetamine. In this study, amphetamine concentrations after a single-dose administration of prenylamine were determined to check if they reached values that could be of analytical and/or pharmacological importance in clinical and forensic toxicology. Enantiomeric composition of amphetamine was also studied. Five volunteers received a single 120-mg oral dose of prenylamine. Urine samples were analyzed using the Abbott TDx immunoassay Amphetamine/Methamphetamine II and using our routine systematic toxicological analysis (STA) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) procedure. For quantitation purposes, GC-MS was used in the selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode (ions m/z 118, 122, 240, 244) after solid-phase extraction (Isolute Confirm HCX) and derivatization (heptafluorobutyric anhydride). Amphetamine-d5 was used as internal standard (IS). Chiral separation of the heptafluorobutyrated amphetamine enantiomers was achieved using an Astec Chiraldex G-PN column. The TDx results showed a great variability for the different volunteers. A urine sample of one volunteer showed results as high as 3200 ng/mL, whereas the urine samples of another volunteer never gave results greater than the TDx detection limit (100 ng/mL). Using the STA procedure, the presence of amphetamine could be confirmed in all urine samples with TDx results greater than the cutoff value (300 ng/mL). Using the GC-MS SIM method, amphetamine concentrations up to 1280 ng/mL were determined. Chiral analysis revealed that both enantiomers of amphetamine were present in the samples with a surplus of the S(+)-enantiomer in the early phase of excretion. Forensic implications are discussed.

  15. Total lead concentration in new decorative enamel paints in Lebanon, Paraguay and Russia.

    PubMed

    Clark, C Scott; Speranskaya, Olga; Brosche, Sara; Gonzalez, Hebe; Solis, Daniela; Kodeih, Naji; Roda, Sandy; Lind, Caroline

    2015-04-01

    Lead concentrations in new enamel decorative paints were determined in three countries in different areas of the world where data were not previously available. The average total lead concentration of the enamel decorative paints purchased in Lebanon, Paraguay and Russia was 24,500ppm (ppm, dry weight), more than 270 times the current limit of 90ppm in Canada and in the United States. Sixty-three percent of these paints contained concentrations greater than 90ppm. Fifty-nine percent contained concentrations greater than 600ppm, the current limit in some countries. The maximum concentrations found were 236,000ppm in Lebanon, 169,000ppm in Paraguay and 52,900ppm in Russia. An average of 29% of the samples contained exceedingly high lead concentrations, >=10,000ppm. Five brands of paint were sampled in each of Lebanon and Paraguay and seven in Russia. Three colors from each brand were analyzed. For five of the six samples of the two brands in Lebanon with affiliations outside the country, the lead concentrations ranged from 1360ppm to 135,000ppm. In Lebanon the maximum concentration in the Egypt-affiliated brand (Sipes) was 135,000ppm and the maximum for the USA-affiliated brand (Dutch Boy) was 32,400ppm. Lead was not detected in any paints from the three of the four brands of paint purchased in Paraguay that had headquarters/affiliations in other countries (Brazil-Coralit), Germany (Suvinil) and USA (Novacor)). Two of the three paints from each of the other Paraguay brands contained high levels of lead with the maximum concentrations of 108,000 and 168,000ppm; one of these brands was manufactured under a license from ICI in the Netherlands. All of the paints purchased in Russia were from Russian brands and were manufactured in Russia. All three paints from one brand contained below detection levels of lead. The maximum levels of lead in the other six brands in Russia ranged from 3230 to 52,900ppm. The two brands with the highest lead concentration, TEKS and LAKRA

  16. The relationship between body iron stores and blood and urine cadmium concentrations in US never-smoking, non-pregnant women aged 20-49 years

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gallagher, Carolyn M., E-mail: 2crgallagher@optonline.net; Chen, John J.; Kovach, John S.

    Background: Cadmium is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant associated with increased risk of leading causes of mortality and morbidity in women, including breast cancer and osteoporosis. Iron deficiency increases absorption of dietary cadmium, rendering women, who tend to have lower iron stores than men, more susceptible to cadmium uptake. We used body iron, a measure that incorporates both serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor, as recommended by the World Health Organization, to evaluate the relationships between iron status and urine and blood cadmium. Methods: Serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, urine and blood cadmium values in never-smoking, non-pregnant, non-lactating, non-menopausal women agedmore » 20-49 years (n=599) were obtained from the 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Body iron was calculated from serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor, and iron deficiency defined as body iron <0 mg/kg. Robust linear regression was used to evaluate the relationships between body iron and blood and urine cadmium, adjusted for age, race, poverty, body mass index, and parity. Results: Per incremental (mg/kg) increase in body iron, urine cadmium decreased by 0.003 {mu}g/g creatinine and blood cadmium decreased by 0.014 {mu}g/L. Iron deficiency was associated with 0.044 {mu}g/g creatinine greater urine cadmium (95% CI=0.020, 0.069) and 0.162 {mu}g/L greater blood cadmium (95% CI=0.132, 0.193). Conclusions: Iron deficiency is a risk factor for increased blood and urine cadmium among never-smoking, pre-menopausal, non-pregnant US women, independent of age, race, poverty, body mass index and parity. Expanding programs to detect and correct iron deficiency among non-pregnant women merits consideration as a potential means to reduce the risk of cadmium associated diseases. - Highlights: {yields} Body iron was calculated from serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor. {yields} Body iron was inversely associated

  17. HCG in urine

    MedlinePlus

    Beta-HCG - urine; Human chorionic gonadotropin - urine; Pregnancy test - hCG in urine ... To collect a urine sample, you urinate into a special (sterile) cup. Home pregnancy tests require the test strip to be dipped into ...

  18. Impact of electronic waste disposal on lead concentrations in landfill leachate.

    PubMed

    Spalvins, Erik; Dubey, Brajesh; Townsend, Timothy

    2008-10-01

    Lead is the element most likely to cause discarded electronic devices to be characterized as hazardous waste. To examine the fate of lead from discarded electronics in landfills, five columns were filled with synthetic municipal solid waste (MSW). A mix of electronic devices was added to three columns (6% by weight), while two columns served as controls. A sixth column contained waste excavated from an existing MSW landfill. Leachate quality was monitored for 440 days. In columns with the synthetic waste, leachate pH indicated that the simulated landfill environment was characteristic of the acid phase of waste decomposition; lead leachability should be greater in the acid phase of landfill degradation as compared to the methanogenic phase. Lead concentrations ranged from 7 to 66 microg/L in the columns containing electronic waste and ranged from < 2 to 54 microg/L in the control columns. Although the mean lead concentrations in the columns containing electronic devices were greater than those in the controls, the difference was not found to be statistically significant when comparing the data sets over the entire monitoring period. Lead results from the excavated waste column suggest that lead concentrations in all columns will decrease as the pH increases toward more neutral methanogenic conditions.

  19. Trend and concentrations of legacy lead (Pb) in highway runoff.

    PubMed

    Kayhanian, Masoud

    2012-01-01

    This study presents the results of lead (Pb) concentrations from both highway runoff and contaminated soil along 32 and 23 highway sites, respectively. In general, the Pb concentration on topsoil (0-15 cm) along highways was much higher than the Pb concentration in subsurface soil (15-60 cm). The Pb deposited on soil appears to be anthropogenic and a strong correlation was found between the Pb concentration in surface soil and highway runoff in urban areas. The concentration of Pb measured during 1980s from highways runoff throughout the world was up to 11 times higher than the measured values in mid 1990 s and 2000s. The current Pb deposited on soil near highways appears to be a mixture of paint, tire weight balance and old leaded gasoline combustion. Overall, the Pb phase-out regulation reduced the Pb deposits in the environment and consequently lowered Pb loading into receiving waters. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Urine chromium as an estimator of air exposure to stainless steel welding fumes.

    PubMed

    Sjögren, B; Hedström, L; Ulfvarson, U

    1983-01-01

    Welding stainless steel with covered electrodes, also called manual metal arc welding, generates hexavalent airborne chromium. Chromium concentrations in air and post-shift urine samples, collected the same arbitrarily chosen working day, showed a linear relationship. Since post-shift urine samples reflect chromium concentrations of both current and previous stainless steel welding fume exposure, individual urine measurements are suggested as approximate although not exact estimators of current exposure. This study evaluates the practical importance of such measurements by means of confidence limits and tests of validity.

  1. Automated color classification of urine dipstick image in urine examination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahmat, R. F.; Royananda; Muchtar, M. A.; Taqiuddin, R.; Adnan, S.; Anugrahwaty, R.; Budiarto, R.

    2018-03-01

    Urine examination using urine dipstick has long been used to determine the health status of a person. The economical and convenient use of urine dipstick is one of the reasons urine dipstick is still used to check people health status. The real-life implementation of urine dipstick is done manually, in general, that is by comparing it with the reference color visually. This resulted perception differences in the color reading of the examination results. In this research, authors used a scanner to obtain the urine dipstick color image. The use of scanner can be one of the solutions in reading the result of urine dipstick because the light produced is consistent. A method is required to overcome the problems of urine dipstick color matching and the test reference color that have been conducted manually. The method proposed by authors is Euclidean Distance, Otsu along with RGB color feature extraction method to match the colors on the urine dipstick with the standard reference color of urine examination. The result shows that the proposed approach was able to classify the colors on a urine dipstick with an accuracy of 95.45%. The accuracy of color classification on urine dipstick against the standard reference color is influenced by the level of scanner resolution used, the higher the scanner resolution level, the higher the accuracy.

  2. Basic or extended urine sampling to analyse urine production?

    PubMed

    Denys, Marie-Astrid; Kapila, Vansh; Weiss, Jeffrey; Goessaert, An-Sofie; Everaert, Karel

    2017-09-01

    Frequency volume charts are valuable tools to objectify urine production in patients with nocturia, enuresis or nocturnal incontinence. Analyses of daytime and nighttime urine (=basic collection) or analyses of urine samples collected every 3 h (=extended collection) extend this evaluation by describing circadian patterns of water and solute diuresis (=renal function profiles). To assess intra-individual correlation and agreement between renal function profiles provided using basic and extended urine collections, and using two extended urine collections. To create a short-form of the extended collection. This prospective observational study was executed at Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. Study participation was open for anyone visiting the hospital. Participants collected one basic and two extended 24-h urine collections. Urinary levels of osmolality, sodium and creatinine were determined. There was a moderate to strong correlation between results of basic and extended urinalyses. Comparing both extended urinalyses showed a moderate correlation between the eight individual samples and a weak to strong correlation between the mean daytime and nighttime values of renal functions. Different samples could be considered as most representative for mean daytime values, while all samples collected between 03 and 05am showed the highest agreement with mean nighttime values of renal function. Since there is a good correlation and agreement between basic and extended urine collections to study the mechanisms underlying urine production, the choice of urine sampling method to evaluate urine production depends on the purpose. A nighttime-only urine sample collected between 03 and 05am may be the most practical approach. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Association between excess body weight and urine protein concentration in healthy dogs.

    PubMed

    Tefft, Karen M; Shaw, Darcy H; Ihle, Sherri L; Burton, Shelley A; Pack, LeeAnn

    2014-06-01

    Markedly overweight people can develop progressive proteinuria and kidney failure secondary to obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG). Glomerular lesions in dogs with experimentally induced obesity are similar to those in people with ORG. The aim of this study was to evaluate if urine protein and albumin excretion is greater in overweight and obese dogs than in dogs of ideal body condition. Client-owned dogs were screened for underlying health conditions. These dogs were assigned a body condition score (BCS) using a 9-point scoring system. Dogs with a BCS of ≥ 6 were classified as being overweight/obese, and dogs with a BCS of 4 or 5 were classified as being of ideal body weight. The urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine albumin:creatinine ratio (UAC) were then determined, and compared between 20 overweight/obese dogs and 22 ideal body weight control dogs. Median UPC (0.04 [range, 0.01-0.14; interquartile range, 0.07]) and UAC (0.41 [0-10.39; 3.21]) of overweight/obese dogs were not significantly different from median UPC (0.04 [0.01-0.32; 0.07]) and UAC (0.18 [0-7.04; 1.75]) in ideal body weight dogs. Clinicopathologic abnormalities consistent with ORG were absent from overweight/obese dogs in this study. © 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology and European Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

  4. An evaluation of the DRI-ETG EIA method for the determination of ethyl glucuronide concentrations in clinical and post-mortem urine.

    PubMed

    Turfus, Sophie C; Vo, Tu; Niehaus, Nadia; Gerostamoulos, Dimitri; Beyer, Jochen

    2013-06-01

    A commercial enzyme immunoassay for the qualitative and semi-quantitative measurement of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in urine was evaluated. Post-mortem (n=800), and clinical urine (n=200) samples were assayed using a Hitachi 902 analyzer. The determined concentrations were compared with those obtained using a previously published liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of EtG and ethyl sulfate. Using a cut-off of 0.5 µg/ml and LC-MS/MS limit of reporting of 0.1 µg/ml, there was a sensitivity of 60.8% and a specificity of 100% for clinical samples. For post-mortem samples, sensitivity and specificity were 82.4% and 97.1%, respectively. When reducing the cut-off to 0.1 µg/ml, the sensitivity and specificity were 83.3% and 100% for clinical samples whereas for post-mortem samples the sensitivity and specificity were 90.3 % and 88.3 %, respectively. The best trade-offs between sensitivity and specificity for LC-MS/MS limits of reporting of 0.5 and 0.1 µg/ml were achieved when using immunoassay cut-offs of 0.3 and 0.092 µg/ml, respectively. There was good correlation between quantitative results obtained by both methods but analysis of samples by LC-MS/MS gave higher concentrations than by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), with a statistically significant proportional bias (P<0.0001, Deming regression) for both sample types. The immunoassay is reliable for the qualitative and semi-quantitative presumptive detection of ethyl glucuronide in urine. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Formal recycling of e-waste leads to increased exposure to toxic metals: an occupational exposure study from Sweden.

    PubMed

    Julander, Anneli; Lundgren, Lennart; Skare, Lizbet; Grandér, Margaretha; Palm, Brita; Vahter, Marie; Lidén, Carola

    2014-12-01

    Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) contains multiple toxic metals. However, there is currently a lack of exposure data for metals on workers in formal recycling plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate workers' exposure to metals, using biomarkers of exposure in combination with monitoring of personal air exposure. We assessed exposure to 20 potentially toxic metals among 55 recycling workers and 10 office workers at three formal e-waste recycling plants in Sweden. Workers at two of the plants were followed-up after 6 months. We collected the inhalable fraction and OFC (37-mm) fraction of particles, using personal samplers, as well as spot samples of blood and urine. We measured metal concentrations in whole blood, plasma, urine, and air filters using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following acid digestion. The air sampling indicated greater airborne exposure, 10 to 30 times higher, to most metals among the recycling workers handling e-waste than among the office workers. The exposure biomarkers showed significantly higher concentrations of chromium, cobalt, indium, lead, and mercury in blood, urine, and/or plasma of the recycling workers, compared with the office workers. Concentrations of antimony, indium, lead, mercury, and vanadium showed close to linear associations between the inhalable particle fraction and blood, plasma, or urine. In conclusion, our study of formal e-waste recycling shows that workers performing recycling tasks are exposed to multiple toxic metals. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Effect of sodium chloride intake on urine volume, urinary urea excretion, and milk urea concentration in lactating dairy cattle.

    PubMed

    Spek, J W; Bannink, A; Gort, G; Hendriks, W H; Dijkstra, J

    2012-12-01

    Milk urea nitrogen (MUN; mg of N/dL) has been shown to be related to excretion of urinary urea N (UUN; g of N/d) and total excretion of urinary N (UN; g of N/d) in dairy cows. In the present experiment, it was hypothesized that MUN and the relationship between MUN and UUN or UN is affected by urine volume as a result of dietary sodium chloride intake. Twelve lactating Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (mean ± SD: milk production 28.1±3.23 kg/d and 190±41 d in milk), of which 4 were fitted with catheters in the urine bladder and jugular vein, were randomly assigned to 4 dietary levels of sodium chloride (3, 9, 14, and 19 g of Na/kg of DM) according to a triple 4×4 Latin square design. Cows were fed at 95% of ad libitum intake, excluding salt addition. Milk was analyzed for MUN and protein content; urine was analyzed for total N, urea, and creatinine content; feces were analyzed for total N and DM content; and blood plasma was analyzed for urea and creatinine content. Creatinine clearance rate (CCR; L/min) and renal urea reabsorption ratio were estimated based on plasma concentrations of urea and creatinine, and total excretion of urea and creatinine in urine. Intake of DM and N, milk production, and milk protein content were (mean ± SD), on average, 21.4±1.24 kg/d, 522±32.0 g/d, 25.4±2.53 kg/d, and 3.64±0.186%, respectively. A linear relationship was found between Na intake and urine production [urine (kg/d; mean ± SE)=7.5±4.33+0.136±0.0143 × Na intake (g/d)] and between Na intake and MUN [MUN (mg/dL; mean ± SE)=13.5±0.35-0.0068±0.00104 × Na intake (g/d)]. Despite the decrease in MUN with increased Na intake, UN excretion increased linearly with Na intake. Excretion of UUN was not affected by dietary Na content. A linear plateau relationship was observed between CCR and renal urea reabsorption. An increase in CCR coincided with an increase in calculated renal urea reabsorption until a CCR breakpoint value (mean ± SD) of 1.56±0.063 L/min was reached. We

  7. Chemical Method of Urine Volume Measurement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petrack, P.

    1967-01-01

    A system has been developed and qualified as flight hardware for the measurement of micturition volumes voided by crewmen during Gemini missions. This Chemical Urine Volume Measurement System (CUVMS) is used for obtaining samples of each micturition for post-flight volume determination and laboratory analysis for chemical constituents of physiological interest. The system is versatile with respect to volumes measured, with a capacity beyond the largest micturition expected to be encountered, and with respect to mission duration of inherently indefinite length. The urine sample is used for the measurement of total micturition volume by a tracer dilution technique, in which a fixed, predetermined amount of tritiated water is introduced and mixed into the voided urine, and the resulting concentration of the tracer in the sample is determined with a liquid scintillation spectrometer. The tracer employed does not interfere with the analysis for the chemical constituents of the urine. The CUVMS hardware consists of a four-way selector valve in which an automatically operated tracer metering pump is incorporated, a collection/mixing bag, and tracer storage accumulators. The assembled system interfaces with a urine receiver at the selector valve inlet, sample bags which connect to the side of the selector valve, and a flexible hose which carries the excess urine to the overboard drain connection. Results of testing have demonstrated system volume measurement accuracy within the specification limits of +/-5%, and operating reliability suitable for system use aboard the GT-7 mission, in which it was first used.

  8. Prevalence of isolated non-albumin proteinuria in the US population tested for both, urine total protein and urine albumin: An unexpected discovery.

    PubMed

    Katayev, Alexander; Zebelman, Arthur M; Sharp, Thomas M; Samantha Flynn; Bernstein, Richard K

    2017-04-01

    Isolated non-albumin proteinuria (NAP) is a condition when urine total protein concentrations are elevated without elevation of urine albumin. The prevalence of NAP in the US population tested for both, urine total protein and albumin was assessed in this study. The database of a US nationwide laboratory network was queried for test results when random urine albumin was ordered together with urine total protein and also when timed 24-hour urine albumin was ordered together with urine total protein. The total prevalence of NAP in the US population tested for both, urine total protein and albumin was calculated for patient groups having normal and low-normal urine albumin (random and timed) with elevated and severely increased urine total protein (random and timed). Also, the prevalence of NAP was calculated for patients with normal urine albumin to assess the probability of missing proteinuria if only urine albumin is measured. The prevalence of NAP in the random samples group was 10.1% (15.2% for females and 4.7% for males). Among patients with normal random albumin, there were 20.0% (27.3% of females and 10.7% of males) patients with NAP. The prevalence of NAP in the timed samples group was 24.6% (29.8% for females and 18.5% for males). Among patients with normal timed urine albumin, there were 36.2% (40.0% of females and 30.8% of males) patients with NAP. There was a strong positive association with female gender and NAP in most patients groups. Testing for only urine (micro)albumin can miss up to 40% of females and 30.8% of males with gross proteinuria. Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Urine Color

    MedlinePlus

    ... during urinary tract infections caused by pseudomonas bacteria. Dark brown or cola-colored urine Brown urine can ... of fava beans, rhubarb or aloe can cause dark brown urine. Medications. A number of drugs can ...

  10. Characterization of ultrafiltration of undiluted and diluted stored urine.

    PubMed

    Ouma, J; Septien, S; Velkushanova, K; Pocock, J; Buckley, C

    2016-11-01

    Urine ultrafiltration (UF) was studied in terms of flux, permeability, resistance and fouling. Two types of samples were used: stored urine representing the feedstock obtained from urine diversion dry toilets; and diluted stored urine representing the feedstock obtained from urinals. Three different filtration experiment sets were adopted in this study. For the first case, pressure was set in an ascending order, i.e. from 10 to 60 kPa during filtration of stored urine. For the second case, pressure was set in a descending order, i.e. from 60 to 10 kPa for the same feed stream. The third case involved filtration of diluted urine with pressure in ascending order, i.e. from 10 to 60 kPa. The results indicated that diluted urine had higher flux than undiluted urine with maximum values of 43 and 26 L·m -2 ·h -1 respectively. Cake formation was the dominating fouling mechanism during urine filtration with a contribution of about 90% to the total hydraulic resistance. The contribution of chemically irreversible fouling was low (-2%), unless operating from high to low pressures. Indeed, irreversible fouling appeared to be greater during the experiments starting at higher pressure. Although undiluted urine had a higher fouling potential compared to diluted urine, the specific cake resistance was higher for diluted urine, probably due to a denser cake caused by lower particle sizes in that sample. The permeate obtained after urine filtration had much lower suspended solids content compared to the feedstock, with rejections up to 99%. The concentration of the ionic species remained unchanged, and 75% of the organic compounds and dissolved solids remained in the permeate. Urine UF could then be used as pre-treatment to remove suspended solids.

  11. Lead concentrations in bullfrog Rana catesbeiana and green frog R. clamitans tadpoles inhabiting highway drainages

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Birdsall, C.W.; Grue, C.E.; Anderson, A.

    1986-01-01

    Lead concentrations were determined in sediment and tadpoles of bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana and green frogs R. clamitans from drainages along highways with different daily average traffic volumes (range, 4272 to I08,800 vehicles day-I) and from ponds >0.4 km from the nearest highway. Lead concentrations (mg kg--I dry weight) in sediment (7-8 to 940) were usually greater (4-5 times) than those in the tadpoles (bullfrog, 0,07 to 270; green frog, 0,90 to 240 mg kg-I). Lead concentrations in sediment (r =0.63) and in both species of tadpoles (bullfrog, r = 0.69; green frog, r = 0.57) were positively correlated with average daily traffic volume. Lead concentrations in both species of tadpoles (bullfrog, r = (). 76: green frog, r = 0.75) were also positively correlated with lead concentrations in sediment. At sites where both bullfrog and green frog tadpoles were collected. lead concentrations in the two species were closely related (r = 0.84). Lead concentrations in tadpoles living near highways may contribute to the elevated lead levels reported in wildlife that are potential tadpole predators. Dietary lead concentrations similar to those in our tadpoles have been associated with physiological and reproductive effects in some species of birds and mammals. However, additional data are needed to determine the hazards to predators of lead concentrations in tadpoles.

  12. Liver lead concentrations in raptors in New Jersey, USA, 2008-2010.

    PubMed

    Stansley, William; Murphy, Lisa A

    2011-08-01

    Lead exposure in New Jersey raptors was assessed by analyzing liver samples from carcasses obtained from wildlife rehabilitators. Samples were collected from 221 individuals representing 13 species. Concentrations were within the range of normal background exposure in 12 species. One red-tailed hawk had a liver lead concentration consistent with clinical poisoning (7.4 μg/g wet weight), which represents an incidence of 1% (1/104) in that species and 0.5% (1/221) in the overall sample. A second red-tailed hawk had a liver lead concentration consistent with subclinical exposure (2.1 μg/g wet weight). The combined incidence of elevated exposure (subclinical exposure + clinical poisoning) was 2% (2/104) in red-tailed hawks and 1% (2/221) in the overall sample.

  13. Relation of waterfowl poisoning to sediment lead concentrations in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Beyer, W.N.; Audet, D.J.; Heinz, G.H.; Hoffman, D.J.; Day, D.

    2000-01-01

    For many years, waterfowl have been poisoned by lead after ingesting contaminated sediment in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin, in Idaho. Results of studies on waterfowl experimentally fed this sediment were combined with results from field studies conducted in the Basin to relate sediment lead concentration to injury to waterfowl. The first step in the model estimated exposure as the relation of sediment lead concentration to blood lead concentration in mute swans (Cygnus olor), ingesting 22% sediment in a rice diet. That rate corresponded to the 90th percentile of sediment ingestion estimated from analyses of feces of tundra swans (Olor columbianus) in the Basin. Then, with additional laboratory studies on Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) fed the sediment, we developed the general relation of blood lead to injury in waterfowl. Injury was quantified by blood lead concentrations, ALAD (-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase) activity, protoporphyrin concentrations, hemoglobin concentrations, hepatic lead concentrations, and the prevalence of renal nuclear inclusion bodies. Putting the exposure and injury relations together provided a powerful tool for assessing hazards to wildlife in the Basin. The no effect concentration of sediment lead was estimated as 24 mg/kg and the lowest effect level as 530 mg/kg. By combining our exposure equation with data on blood lead concentrations measured in moribund tundra swans in the Basin, we estimated that some mortality would occur at a sediment lead concentration as low as 1800 mg/kg.

  14. Unmetabolized VOCs in urine as biomarkers of low level occupational exposure.

    PubMed

    Janasik, Beata; Jakubowski, Marek; Wesołowski, Wiktor; Kucharska, Małgorzata

    2010-01-01

    To compare the usefulness of determining unchanged forms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely toluene (TOL), ethylbenzene (EB) and xylene (XYL), in urine with the effectiveness of the already used biomarkers of occupational exposure. Surveys were conducted in two workplaces (paint factory and footwear factory). In total, 65 subjects participated in the study. Air samples were collected using individual samplers during work shift. Urine and blood samples were collected at the end of work shift. Urine samples were analyzed for unchanged compounds and selected metabolites, while blood samples were tested for unchanged compounds. VOCs in blood and urine were determined by solid phase microextraction gas chromatography (SPME-GC-MS). In the paint factory, the geometric mean (GM) concentrations of VOCs in the air ranged as follows: 0.2-4.7 mg/m(3) for TOL, 0.4-40.9 mg/m(3) for EB and 0.1-122.6 mg/m(3) for XYL. In the footwear factory, the GM concentration of TOL in the air amounted to 105.4 mg/m(3). A significant correlation (p < 0.05) was observed between VOCs in blood, urine and air. The regression analyses performed for paint factory workers showed that TOL-U and TOL-B were better biomarkers of exposure (r = 0.72 and r = 0.81) than benzoic acid (r = 0.12) or o-cresol (r = 0.55). The findings of the study point out that the concentration of unchanged VOCs in urine can be a reliable biological indicator of low level occupational exposure to these compounds.

  15. Geochemical controls on lead concentrations in stream water and sediments

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hem, J.D.

    1976-01-01

    The equilibrium distribution of lead in solution and adsorbed on cation exchange sites in sediment theoretically may be calculated from equations representing selectivities of substrate for lead over H+, Ca2+ and Na+, and the stabilities of lead solute species. Such calculations include consideration of total concentrations of major ions, cation exchange capacity (CEC) of substrate, and pH, at values expected in various natural systems. Measurements of CEC and selectivity coefficients were made for synthetic halloysite, a finely divided amorphous 1:1 clay prepared by precipitation from a mixture of solutions of aluminum and silica. Where suspended sediment having the same properties is present in concentrations of 10-1,000 mg/1 at pH 6-8, more than 90% of the lead present can be adsorbed on sediment surfaces. The cation exchange behavior of lead and other minor cationic species in natural systems could be predicted by this type of model if enough other supporting information were available. Information of the type needed describing natural stream sediments, however, is presently inadequate for accurate predictions. ?? 1976.

  16. Concentrations of Gatifloxacin in Plasma and Urine and Penetration into Prostatic and Seminal Fluid, Ejaculate, and Sperm Cells after Single Oral Administrations of 400 Milligrams to Volunteers

    PubMed Central

    Naber, Christoph K.; Steghafner, Michaela; Kinzig-Schippers, Martina; Sauber, Christian; Sörgel, Fritz; Stahlberg, Hans-Jürgen; Naber, Kurt G.

    2001-01-01

    Gatifloxacin (GTX), a new fluoroquinolone with extended antibacterial activity, is an interesting candidate for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP). Besides the antibacterial spectrum, the concentrations in the target tissues and fluids are crucial for the treatment of CBP. Thus, it was of interest to investigate its penetration into prostatic and seminal fluid. GTX concentrations in plasma, urine, ejaculate, prostatic and seminal fluid, and sperm cells were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography method after oral intake of a single 400-mg dose in 10 male Caucasian volunteers in the fasting state. Simultaneous application of the renal contrast agent iohexol was used to estimate the maximal possible contamination of ejaculate and prostatic and seminal fluid by urine. GTX was well tolerated. The means (standard deviations) for the following parameters were as indicated: time to maximum concentration of drug in serum, 1.66 (0.91) h; maximum concentration of drug in serum, 2.90 (0.39) μg/ml; area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h, 25.65 μg · h/ml; and half life, 7.2 (0.90) h. Within 12 h about 50% of the drug was excreted unchanged into the urine. The mean renal clearance was 169 ml/min. The gatifloxacin concentrations in ejaculate, seminal fluid, and prostatic fluid were in the range of the corresponding plasma concentrations which were 1.92 (0.27) μg/ml at approximately the same time point (4 h after drug intake). The concentrations in sperm cells (0.195, 0.076, and 0.011 μg/ml) could be determined in three subjects. The good penetration into prostatic and seminal fluid, the good tolerance, and the previously reported broad antibacterial spectrum suggest that GTX may be a good alternative for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis. Clinical studies should be performed to confirm this assumption. PMID:11120980

  17. Elimination of 7-aminoclonazepam in urine after a single dose of clonazepam.

    PubMed

    Negrusz, Adam; Bowen, Andrew M; Moore, Christine M; Dowd, Sheila M; Strong, Mary Jane; Janicak, Philip G

    2003-08-01

    The objective of this paper was to determine how long after administration of benzodiazepine clonazepam (CLO), its major metabolite 7-aminoclonazepam (7-ACLO) could be detected in urine collected from 10 healthy volunteers who received a single 3-mg dose of Klonopin (clonazepam). Such data would be of great importance to law enforcement agencies trying to determine the best time interval for urine collection from a victim of drug-facilitated sexual assault in order to reveal drug use. A highly sensitive NCI-GC-MS method for the simultaneous quantitation of CLO and its major metabolite 7-ACLO in urine was developed and validated. The following urine samples were collected from each volunteer: one before CLO administration, and 6 h, and 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, 21 and 28 days after. All urine samples (1 mL) were extracted following addition of the internal standard (D(5)-diazepam) and enzymatic hydrolysis ( beta-glucuronidase) using solid-phase extraction columns. Standard curves for CLO (500-4000 pg x mL(-1)) and 7-ACLO (50-2000 pg x mL(-1)) were prepared by spiking aliquots of negative urine. The urine from every subject was still positive for 7-ACLO 14 days after administration of the drug. Eight of the ten volunteers had measurable amounts of the metabolite 21 days after administration. One volunteer was still positive 28 days after administration. Six of the volunteers had urine concentrations of 7-ACLO that peaked at 1 day after administration. One volunteer had the highest concentration of 7-ACLO at 3 days, two volunteers at 5 days, and one at 8 days. The range of concentrations detected was from 73.0 pg x mL(-1) to 183.2 ng x mL(-1). CLO was not detected in any of the samples.

  18. Increase in Lead Concentration in the Drinking Water of an Animal Care Facility.

    PubMed

    Davidowitz, Bradley; Boehm, Kirk; Banovetz, Sandra; Binkley, Neil

    1998-01-01

    We report here the unexpected detection, and subsequent correction, of a problem that resulted in an increase in lead concentration in the drinking water of an animal research facility. At the initiation of a study, analysis of a water sample obtained from the drinking spout of an animal cage revealed a lead concentration nearly twice the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum acceptable concentration. Because the municipal water supply routinely had been tested and found to be free of lead, it was assumed that this contamination was within the animal care facility. It was hypothesized that the brass fitting connecting the drinking spout to a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe was the source of contamination. Water samples were obtained hourly from 0700 to 1600 hours before and after replacement of the brass fitting with a PVC fitting. After this change, lead concentrations in all samples were within acceptable limits. Although blood lead concentrations were undetectable in 47 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) housed in the facility, subclinical lead toxicosis could have resulted and potentially complicated studies in which these monkeys were used. We recommend that the water supply of research facilities be monitored periodically.

  19. Porphyrins - urine test

    MedlinePlus

    Urine uroporphyrin; Urine coproporphyrin; Porphyria - uroporphyrin ... After you provide a urine sample, it is tested in the lab. This is called a random urine sample. If needed, your health care provider ...

  20. Simultaneous LC/MS/MS determination of thiols and disulfides in urine samples based on differential labeling with ferrocene-based maleimides.

    PubMed

    Seiwert, Bettina; Karst, Uwe

    2007-09-15

    A method for the simultaneous determination of a series of thiols and disulfides in urine samples has been developed based on the sequential labeling of free and bound thiol functionalities with two ferrocene-based maleimide reagents. The sample is first exposed to N-(2-ferroceneethyl)maleimide, thus leading to the derivatization of free thiol groups in the sample. After quantitative reaction and subsequent reduction of the disulfide-bound thiols by tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, the newly formed thiol functionalities are reacted with ferrocenecarboxylic acid-(2-maleimidoyl)ethylamide. The reaction products are determined by LC/MS/MS in the multiple reaction mode, and precursor ion scan as well as neutral loss scan is applied to detect unknown further thiols. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of free and disulfide-bound thiols in urine samples. Limits of detection are 30 to 110 nM, and the linear range comprises two decades of concentration, thus covering the relevant concentration range of thiols in urine samples. The thiol and disulfide concentrations were referred to the creatinine content to compensate for different sample volumes. As some calibration standards for the disulfides are not commercially available, they were synthesized in an electrochemical flow-through cell. This allowed the synthesis of hetero- and homodimeric disulfides.

  1. Adsorptive removal of sulfonamide antibiotics in livestock urine using the high-silica zeolite HSZ-385.

    PubMed

    Fukahori, S; Fujiwara, T; Funamizu, N; Matsukawa, K; Ito, R

    2013-01-01

    The adsorptive removal of seven sulfonamide antibiotics using the high-silica zeolite HSZ-385 from distilled water, synthetic urine and real porcine urine was investigated. The pH greatly affected the adsorption efficiency, and the amounts of all sulfonamide antibiotics adsorbed on HSZ-385 decreased at alkaline conditions compared with that at neutral conditions. During storage, the pH and ammonium-ion concentration increased with urea hydrolysis for porcine urine. We clarified that the adsorption efficiency of sulfonamides in synthetic urine was equivalent to that in distilled water, suggesting that adsorption behavior was not affected by coexistent ions. HSZ-385 could adsorb sulfonamide antibiotics in real porcine urine even though the non-purgeable organic carbon concentration of porcine urine was 4-7 g/L and was two orders of magnitude higher than those of sulfonamides (10 mg/L each). Moreover, the adsorption of sulfonamides reached equilibrium within 15 min, suggesting that HSZ-385 is a promising adsorbent for removing sulfonamides from porcine urine.

  2. Protein urine test

    MedlinePlus

    Urine protein; Albumin - urine; Urine albumin; Proteinuria; Albuminuria ... After you provide a urine sample, it is tested. The health care provider uses a dipstick made with a color-sensitive pad. The color change ...

  3. Urine benzodiazepines screening of involuntarily drugged and robbed or raped patients.

    PubMed

    Boussairi, A; Dupeyron, J P; Hernandez, B; Delaitre, D; Beugnet, L; Espinoza, P; Diamant-Berger, O

    1996-01-01

    This study involved 35 patients who claimed to have been drugged before being robbed or raped, despite urine negative toxicologic screening by immunoenzymatic methods. The urines were frozen for further investigations, including enzymatic hydrolysis of urinary conjugates, liquid-solid extraction and, finally, immunoenzymatic screening of concentrated urine extract. Urine benzodiazepines were analyzed by immunoenzymatic assay before and after enzymatic hydrolysis combined with extraction. On direct immunoenzymatic screening, 17 of the 35 urine samples were benzodiazepine positive. Enrichment of preserved specimens improved the detection threshold from 200 ng/mL to 50 ng/mL and 10 of the 18 negative urines became positive. This method allowed us to demonstrate the benzodiazepines in half of previously negative urine samples. Benzodiazepine screening is particularly problematic because of low dosage, rapid elimination, failure to detect conjugated metabolites by immunoenzymatic reagents and high threshold of sensitivity for certain substances.

  4. Parabens and Their Metabolites in Pet Food and Urine from New York State, United States.

    PubMed

    Karthikraj, Rajendiran; Borkar, Sonali; Lee, Sunmi; Kannan, Kurunthachalam

    2018-03-20

    The exposure of pets, such as dogs and cats, to a wide range of chemicals present in the indoor environment and the concomitant increase in noninfectious diseases in these companion animals are a concern. Nevertheless, little is known about the sources and pathways of exposure to chemicals in pets. In this study, we determined the concentrations of parabens in commercially available cat and dog foods as well as in urine samples from these pets collected from the Albany area of the state of New York in the United States. Parabens, especially methyl paraben (MeP), and their metabolites were found in all pet food and urine samples. The mean concentrations of total parabens (i.e., sum of parabens and their metabolites) in dog ( n = 23) and cat ( n = 35) food were 1350 and 1550 ng/g fresh wt, respectively. Dry food contained higher concentrations of parabens and their metabolites than did wet food, and cat food contained higher concentrations of target chemicals than did dog food. The mean concentrations of total parabens found in dog ( n = 30) and cat ( n = 30) urine were 7230 and 1040 ng/mL, respectively. In both pet food and urine, MeP (among parabens) and 4-hydroxy benzoic acid (4-HB) (among metabolites) were the dominant compounds. The metabolites of parabens accounted for ∼99% (∼99.1% in food and ∼98.9% in urine) of the total concentrations in both food and urine. The profiles of parabens and their metabolites in the urine of dogs and cats varied. In addition to diet, other sources of paraben exposures were found for dogs, whereas, for cats, the majority of exposures was identified as related to diet.

  5. Modeling the effect of succimer (DMSA; dimercaptosuccinic acid) chelation therapy in patients poisoned by lead.

    PubMed

    van Eijkeren, Jan C H; Olie, J Daniël N; Bradberry, Sally M; Vale, J Allister; de Vries, Irma; Clewell, Harvey J; Meulenbelt, Jan; Hunault, Claudine C

    2017-02-01

    Kinetic models could assist clinicians potentially in managing cases of lead poisoning. Several models exist that can simulate lead kinetics but none of them can predict the effect of chelation in lead poisoning. Our aim was to devise a model to predict the effect of succimer (dimercaptosuccinic acid; DMSA) chelation therapy on blood lead concentrations. We integrated a two-compartment kinetic succimer model into an existing PBPK lead model and produced a Chelation Lead Therapy (CLT) model. The accuracy of the model's predictions was assessed by simulating clinical observations in patients poisoned by lead and treated with succimer. The CLT model calculates blood lead concentrations as the sum of the background exposure and the acute or chronic lead poisoning. The latter was due either to ingestion of traditional remedies or occupational exposure to lead-polluted ambient air. The exposure duration was known. The blood lead concentrations predicted by the CLT model were compared to the measured blood lead concentrations. Pre-chelation blood lead concentrations ranged between 99 and 150 μg/dL. The model was able to simulate accurately the blood lead concentrations during and after succimer treatment. The pattern of urine lead excretion was successfully predicted in some patients, while poorly predicted in others. Our model is able to predict blood lead concentrations after succimer therapy, at least, in situations where the duration of lead exposure is known.

  6. Elevated soil lead concentrations in residential yards in Appleton, WI, a small Midwestern city

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, J. J.; Knudsen, A. C.

    2010-12-01

    Elevated soil lead concentrations are well documented in large urban areas, having been attributed to a combination of leaded-paint, leaded-gasoline, and industrial emissions. Fewer studies, however, have been conducted in smaller communities. We analyzed 200 surface soils in the neighborhood near Lawrence University’s campus in Appleton, WI (population ~70,000). Like many larger cities Appleton has a historic city-center. However, it is has no high-density housing or commercial districts and has not seen heavy traffic. The socioeconomic pressures that lead to disrepair of inner city neighborhoods have been less prevalent here as well. At each property 3 integrated samples were taken, one adjacent to the front of the house, one in the front lawn, and one between the road and sidewalk. We correlated building and property traits (e.g. structure age, distance from road, exterior type, exterior condition, direction of exposure, and assessed home value) with soil lead concentrations determined by XRF and subsequently, mapped these data for geospatial patterns. Soil lead concentrations in the city park and campus greens were typically less than 100 ppm. The highest lead concentrations are close to campus, which has a number of civil war era buildings and homes. High lead concentrations (averaging over 1,000 ppm near the home, with concentrations as high as 10,000 ppm) were associated with aging, poorly maintained structures as expected. However, a number of well-maintained structures also show substantially elevated concentrations. These soil lead concentrations are not dissimilar to those found in much larger cities such as New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Lead levels dropped quickly as distance from the house increased suggesting that the contamination is from lead paint and not from gasoline exhaust. Furthermore, samples taken adjacent to the main arterial through town exhibited relatively low, but slightly elevated lead levels (~250 ppm). Not surprisingly

  7. Effect of injected rotenone on the production and composition of urine from the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Erickson, D.A.; Gingerich, W.H.

    1986-01-01

    Renal function was evaluated in adult rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) dosed i.a. with rotenone at 225 and 275 μg/kg. The chemical composition of urine samples and urine flow rates collected over a 5-h pretreatment period were compared with hourly urine samples collected over a 5-h posttreatment period. Significant increases in osmolality and in concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, and total protein were observed in the urine of treated fish. Urine solute concentrations reached maximum values within 1 to 3 h after treatment and decreased thereafter, indicating that the effects were reversible. Concentrations of sodium and chloride were highly correlated in 2-h posttreatment urine samples at the low (r = 0.922) and high (r = 0.981) rotenone treatments. Urine flow rates were reduced in trout at each dose of rotenone but the decrease in volume of urine voided was not dose-dependent. In a separate study, [14C]polyethylene glycol was used as a filtration marker to determine the effect of rotenone treatment (225 &mu:g/kg) on urine flow rate, glomerular filtration rate, and renal water reabsorption. We showed that posttreatment urine flow rates were reduced partly by reduced glomerular filtration and partly by increased water reabsorption. Transient increases in plasma osmolality and hematocrit also were observed 0.5 h after rotenone treatment.

  8. Evaluation of 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol in clinical and forensic urine samples.

    PubMed

    Sydow, Konrad; Wiedfeld, Christopher; Musshoff, Frank; Madea, Burkhard; Tschoepe, Diethelm; Stratmann, Bernd; Hess, Cornelius

    2018-06-01

    Because of the lack of characteristic morphological findings post mortem diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and identification of diabetic coma can be complicated. 1,5-Anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), the 1-deoxy form of glucose, competes with glucose for renal reabsorption. Therefore low serum concentrations of 1,5-AG, reflect hyperglycemic excursions over the prior 1-2 weeks in diabetic patients. Next to clinical applications determination of 1,5-AG can also be used in forensic analysis. To investigate the elimination of 1,5-AG, a liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the determination of 1,5-AG and creatinine in urine was developed and validated according to international guidelines. To evaluate ante mortem concentrations of 1,5-AG spot urine samples of 30 healthy subjects, 46 type 1 and 46 type 2 diabetic patients were analyzed. 1,5-AG urine concentrations of diabetic patients were significantly (p<0.001) lower (mean: 1.54μg/ml, n=92) compared to concentrations of healthy subjects (mean: 4.76μg/ml, n=30) which led to the idea that 1,5-AG urine concentrations post mortem might help in the interpretation of a diabetic coma post mortem. Urine of 47 deceased non-diabetics, 37 deceased diabetic and 9 cases of diabetic coma were measured. Comparison of blood and urine 1,5-AG concentrations in clinic samples (linear, R 2 =0.13) and forensic samples (linear, R 2 =0.02) showed no correlation. Urinary levels of 1,5-AG in deceased diabetic (mean 6.9μg/ml) and in non-diabetic patients (mean 6.3μg/ml) did not show a significant difference (p=0.752). However, urinary 1,5-AG concentrations in deceased due to diabetic coma (mean: 1.7μg/ml) were significantly lower than in non-diabetic (mean: 6.3μg/ml, p=0.039) and lower than in diabetic cases (mean: 4.7μg/ml, p=0.058). The determination of a reliable cut-off for the differentiation of diabetic to diabetic coma cases was not possible. Normalization of urinary 1,5-AG concentrations with the respective creatinine

  9. Factors associated with elevated blood lead concentrations in children in Karachi, Pakistan.

    PubMed Central

    Rahbar, Mohammad Hossein; White, Franklin; Agboatwalla, Mubina; Hozhabri, Siroos; Luby, Stephen

    2002-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To confirm whether blood lead concentrations in Karachi were as high as reported in 1989 and to identify which types of exposure to lead contribute most to elevated blood lead concentrations in children in Karachi. METHODS: A total of 430 children aged 36-60 months were selected through a geographically stratified design from the city centre, two suburbs, a rural community and an island situated within the harbour at Karachi. Blood samples were collected from children and a pretested questionnaire was administered to assess the effect of various types of exposure. Cooked food, drinking-water and house dust samples were collected from households. FINDINGS: About 80% of children had blood lead concentrations 10 g/dl, with an overall mean of 15.6 g/dl. At the 5% level of significance, houses nearer to the main intersection in the city centre, application of surma to children's eyes, father's exposure to lead at workplace, parents' illiteracy and child's habit of hand- to-mouth activity were among variables associated with elevated lead concentrations in blood. CONCLUSION: These findings are of public health concern, as most children in Karachi are likely to suffer some degree of intellectual impairment as a result of environmental lead exposure. We believe that there is enough evidence of the continuing problem of lead in petrol to prompt the petroleum industry to take action. The evidence also shows the need for appropriate interventions in reducing the burden due to other factors associated with this toxic element. PMID:12471396

  10. Urine Anion Gap to Predict Urine Ammonium and Related Outcomes in Kidney Disease.

    PubMed

    Raphael, Kalani L; Gilligan, Sarah; Ix, Joachim H

    2018-02-07

    Low urine ammonium excretion is associated with ESRD in CKD. Few laboratories measure urine ammonium, limiting clinical application. We determined correlations between urine ammonium, the standard urine anion gap, and a modified urine anion gap that includes sulfate and phosphate and compared risks of ESRD or death between these ammonium estimates and directly measured ammonium. We measured ammonium, sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and sulfate from baseline 24-hour urine collections in 1044 African-American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension participants. We evaluated the cross-sectional correlations between urine ammonium, the standard urine anion gap (sodium + potassium - chloride), and a modified urine anion gap that includes urine phosphate and sulfate in the calculation. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models determined the associations of the standard urine anion gap and the modified urine anion gap with the composite end point of death or ESRD; these results were compared with results using urine ammonium as the predictor of interest. The standard urine anion gap had a weak and direct correlation with urine ammonium ( r =0.18), whereas the modified urine anion gap had a modest inverse relationship with urine ammonium ( r =-0.58). Compared with the highest tertile of urine ammonium, those in the lowest urine ammonium tertile had higher risk of ESRD or death (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 1.87) after adjusting for demographics, GFR, proteinuria, and other confounders. In comparison, participants in the corresponding standard urine anion gap tertile did not have higher risk of ESRD or death (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 1.07), whereas the risk for those in the corresponding modified urine anion gap tertile (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.68) approximated that of directly measured urine ammonium. Urine anion gap is a poor surrogate of urine ammonium in CKD unless phosphate and

  11. Blood lead concentrations as a result of retained lead pellets in the craniomaxillofacial region in Benin City, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Edetanlen, B E; Saheeb, B D

    2016-06-01

    Patients who survive gunshot wounds often retain pellets in their bodies, which cause delayed morbidity from lead poisoning, and even death. Our aim was to find out whether there is a high concentration of lead in the blood of patients who have asymptomatic retention of lead pellets in the craniomaxillofacial region. We prospectively studied 28 patients who were admitted to our hospital with gunshot injuries to the region, and 28 control subjects. Each was originally recruited three days after injury. The control subjects were chosen from people who lived in the same household or worked in the same place as the patients. Any previous exposure to lead was excluded. Blood samples were collected three days and three months after injury and analysed for the presence of lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean (SD) age for both patients and control subjects was 33 (12) years. The mean (SD) and range of concentrations of lead in patients three days after injury was 0.11 (0.07), range 0.01-0.32μmol/L, while those of the control subjects were 0.03 (0.02) and 0-0.06, respectively. Three months after injury, the mean (SD) and range of concentrations of the patients were 0.30 (0.11) and 0.12-0.59μmol/L, while those of the control subjects were 0-1.25 and 0.12 (0.006) μmol/L, respectively (p= 0.000). The study showed a higher mean blood lead concentration in patients with gunshot injuries than in control subjects, but lower than the threshold values published by the Centers for Disease Control/Occupational Health and Safety Administration in the United States. Copyright © 2016 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Urine melanin test

    MedlinePlus

    Thormahlen's test; Melanin - urine ... A clean-catch urine sample is needed. ... this substance that it shows up in the urine. ... Normally, melanin is not present in urine. Normal value ranges may ... measurements or test different samples. Talk to your health ...

  13. Urine pretreatment for waste water processing systems. [for space station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Winkler, H. E.; Verostko, C. E.; Dehner, G. F.

    1983-01-01

    Recovery of high quality water from urine is an essential part of life support on a Space Station to avoid costly launch and resupply penalties. Water can be effectively recovered from urine by distillation following pretreatment by a chemical agent to inhibit microorganism contamination and fix volatile ammonia constituents. This paper presents the results of laboratory investigations of several pretreatment chemicals which were tested at several concentration levels in combination with sulfuric acid in urine. The optimum pretreatment formulation was then evaluated with urine in the Hamilton Standard Thermoelectric Integrated Membrane Evaporation Subsystem (TIMES). Over 2600 hours of test time was accumulated. Results of these laboratory and system tests are presented in this paper.

  14. Impact of Low Blood Lead Concentrations on IQ and School Performance in Chinese Children

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Jianghong; Li, Linda; Wang, Yingjie; Yan, Chonghuai; Liu, Xianchen

    2013-01-01

    Objectives Examine the relationships between blood lead concentrations and children's intelligence quotient (IQ) and school performance. Participants and Methods Participants were 1341 children (738 boys and 603 girls) from Jintan, China. Blood lead concentrations were measured when children were 3–5 years old. IQ was assessed using the Chinese version and norms of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Revised when children were 6 years old. School performance was assessed by standardized city tests on 3 major subjects (Chinese, Math, and English [as a foreign language]) when children were age 8–10 years. Results Mean blood lead concentration was 6.43 µg/dL (SD = 2.64). For blood lead concentrations, 7.8% of children (n = 105) had ≥10.0 µg/dL, 13.8% (n = 185) had 8.0 to <10.0 µg/dL, and 78.4% (n = 1051) had <8.0 µg/dL. Compared to children with blood lead concentrations <8 µg/dL, those with blood lead concentrations ≥8 µg/dL scored 2–3 points lower in IQ and 5–6 points lower in school tests. There were no significant differences in IQ or school tests between children with blood lead concentrations groups 8–10 and ≥10 µg/dL. After adjustment for child and family characteristics and IQ, blood lead concentrations ≥10 µg/dL vs <8 µg/dL at ages 3–5 years was associated with reduced scores on school tests at age 8–10 years (Chinese, β = −3.54, 95%CI = −6.46, −0.63; Math, β = −4.63, 95%CI = −7.86, −1.40; English, β = −4.66, 95%CI = −8.09, −1.23). IQ partially mediated the relationship between elevated blood lead concentrations and later school performance. Conclusions Findings support that blood lead concentrations in early childhood, even <10 µg/dL, have a long-term negative impact on cognitive development. The association between blood lead concentrations 8–10 µg/dL and cognitive development needs further study in Chinese children and children from

  15. Intercomparison of analytical methods for arsenic speciation in human urine.

    PubMed Central

    Crecelius, E; Yager, J

    1997-01-01

    An intercomparison exercise was conducted for the quantification of arsenic species in spiked human urine. The primary objective of the exercise was to determine the variance among laboratories in the analysis of arsenic species such as inorganic As (As+3 and As+5), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Laboratories that participated had previous experience with arsenic speciation analysis. The results of this interlaboratory comparison are encouraging. There is relatively good agreement on the concentrations of these arsenic species in urine at concentrations that are relevant to research on the metabolism of arsenic in humans and other mammals. Both the accuracy and precision are relatively poor for arsenic concentrations of less than about 5 micrograms/l. PMID:9288500

  16. Intercomparison of analytical methods for arsenic speciation in human urine.

    PubMed

    Crecelius, E; Yager, J

    1997-06-01

    An intercomparison exercise was conducted for the quantification of arsenic species in spiked human urine. The primary objective of the exercise was to determine the variance among laboratories in the analysis of arsenic species such as inorganic As (As+3 and As+5), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Laboratories that participated had previous experience with arsenic speciation analysis. The results of this interlaboratory comparison are encouraging. There is relatively good agreement on the concentrations of these arsenic species in urine at concentrations that are relevant to research on the metabolism of arsenic in humans and other mammals. Both the accuracy and precision are relatively poor for arsenic concentrations of less than about 5 micrograms/l.

  17. Metabolic Acidosis or Respiratory Alkalosis? Evaluation of a Low Plasma Bicarbonate Using the Urine Anion Gap.

    PubMed

    Batlle, Daniel; Chin-Theodorou, Jamie; Tucker, Bryan M

    2017-09-01

    Hypobicarbonatemia, or a reduced bicarbonate concentration in plasma, is a finding seen in 3 acid-base disorders: metabolic acidosis, chronic respiratory alkalosis and mixed metabolic acidosis and chronic respiratory alkalosis. Hypobicarbonatemia due to chronic respiratory alkalosis is often misdiagnosed as a metabolic acidosis and mistreated with the administration of alkali therapy. Proper diagnosis of the cause of hypobicarbonatemia requires integration of the laboratory values, arterial blood gas, and clinical history. The information derived from the urinary response to the prevailing acid-base disorder is useful to arrive at the correct diagnosis. We discuss the use of urine anion gap, as a surrogate marker of urine ammonium excretion, in the evaluation of a patient with low plasma bicarbonate concentration to differentiate between metabolic acidosis and chronic respiratory alkalosis. The interpretation and limitations of urine acid-base indexes at bedside (urine pH, urine bicarbonate, and urine anion gap) to evaluate urine acidification are discussed. Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Ammonia volatilization from artificial dung and urine patches measured by the equilibrium concentration technique (JTI method)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saarijärvi, K.; Mattila, P. K.; Virkajärvi, P.

    The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamics of ammonia (NH 3) volatilization from intensively managed pastures on a soil type typical of the dairy production area in Finland and to clarify the effect of rainfall on NH 3 volatilization. The study included two experiments. In Experiment 1 the total amount of NH 3-N emitted was calculated based on the annual surface coverage of dung (4%) and urine (17%). The application rate of total N in the simulated dung and urine patches was approximately 47 g N m -2 and 113 g N m -2, respectively. In Experiment 1 the general level of NH 3 emissions from the urine patches was high and the peak volatilization rate was 0.54 g NH 3-N m -2 h -1. As expected, emissions from the dung pats were clearly lower with a maximum rate of 0.10 g NH 3-N m -2 h -1. The total emission calculated for the whole pasture area (stocking rate four cows ha -1 y -1, urine coverage 17% and dung coverage 4%) was 16.1 kg NH 3-N ha -1. Approximately 96% of the total emission originated from urine. In Experiment 2 we measured the emissions from urine only and the treatments on the urine patches were: (1) no irrigation, (2) 5+5 mm and (3) 20 mm irrigation. The peak emission rates were 0.13, 0.09 and 0.04 g NH 3-N m -2 h -1 and the total emissions were 6.9, 3.0 and 1.7 kg NH 3-N ha -1, for treatments (1), (2) and (3), respectively. In both measurements over 80% of the total emission occurred during the first 48 h and there was a clear diurnal rhythm. Increasing rainfall markedly decreased NH 3 emission. Volatilization was highest with dry and warm soil. The JTI method appeared to be suitable for measuring NH 3 volatilization in this kind of experiment. According to our results, the importance of pastures as a source of NH 3 emission in Finland is minor.

  19. [Urine levels of fenethylline and amphetamine after administration of Captagon].

    PubMed

    Iffland, R

    1982-01-01

    The limit for detecting fenethylline and its metabolite amphetamine in GLC with N-FID is in the range of nanograms. The elimination of these substances in urine was measured after giving different quantities of Captagon to six volunteers. The concentrations of fenethylline and amphetamine in urine allow to estimate with some limitations time and amount of consuming Captagon for forensic purposes.

  20. Random left censoring: a second look at bone lead concentration measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popovic, M.; Nie, H.; Chettle, D. R.; McNeill, F. E.

    2007-09-01

    Bone lead concentrations measured in vivo by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) are subjected to left censoring due to limited precision of the technique at very low concentrations. In the analysis of bone lead measurements, inverse variance weighting (IVW) of measurements is commonly used to estimate the mean of a data set and its standard error. Student's t-test is used to compare the IVW means of two sets, testing the hypothesis that the two sets are from the same population. This analysis was undertaken to assess the adequacy of IVW in the analysis of bone lead measurements or to confirm the results of IVW using an independent approach. The rationale is provided for the use of methods of survival data analysis in the study of XRF bone lead measurements. The procedure is provided for bone lead data analysis using the Kaplan-Meier and Nelson-Aalen estimators. The methodology is also outlined for the rank tests that are used to determine whether two censored sets are from the same population. The methods are applied on six data sets acquired in epidemiological studies. The estimated parameters and test statistics were compared with the results of the IVW approach. It is concluded that the proposed methods of statistical analysis can provide valid inference about bone lead concentrations, but the computed parameters do not differ substantially from those derived by the more widely used method of IVW.

  1. Confirmation of the Department of Transportation criteria for a substituted urine specimen.

    PubMed

    Barbanel, Cheryl S; Winkelman, James W; Fischer, George A; King, Andrew J

    2002-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether people could naturally produce urine sufficiently dilute to meet the federal criteria for a "substituted" specimen. The United States Department of Transportation Regulations (49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 40) defines a urine specimen as substituted if it has a creatinine concentration of < or = 5 mg/dL and a specific gravity of < or = 1.001 or > or = 1.020. These criteria have been criticized based on the contention that an insufficient number of specimens had been tested from the same urine sample for both creatinine and specific gravity measurements. We reviewed the results of 803,130 random urine specimens measured for creatinine and/or specific gravity in a hospital-based laboratory. In this database, 13,467 urine specimens had both creatinine and specific gravity measurements. None of these 13,467 paired urine specimens met the lower limit of specific gravity (< or = 1.001) and creatinine (< or = 5 mg/dL) criteria for a Department of Transportation substituted specimen. We also examined the medical records of those patients meeting even one of the two criteria; creatinine concentration < or = 5 mg/dL or specific gravity < or = 1.001. These patients were neonatal, moribund, or so severely ill that essentially none could have been among the working population. These data in patients with various pathologic states support our belief that normal individuals do not produce urine dilute enough to meet the lower limit of the specific gravity (< or = 1.001) and creatinine (< or = 5 mg/dL) required for meeting substituted specimen criteria. Eleven patients met the criteria for a substituted specimen, with elevated specific gravity of > or = 1.020 and creatinine concentration of < or = 5 mg/dL; however, these patients were seriously ill or terminally ill.

  2. High Throughput Method of Extracting and Counting Strontium-90 in Urine

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shkrob, I.; Kaminski, M.; Mertz, C.

    2016-03-01

    A method has been developed for the rapid extraction of Sr-90 from the urine of individuals exposed to radiation in a terrorist attack. The method employs two chromatographic ion-exchange materials: Diphonix resin and Sr resin, both of which are commercially available. The Diphonix resin reduces the alkali ion concentrations below 10 mM, and the Sr resin concentrates and decontaminates strontium-90. Experimental and calculational data are given for a variety of test conditions. On the basis of these results, a flowsheet has been developed for the rapid concentration and extraction of Sr-90 from human urine samples for subsequent beta-counting.

  3. Vasopressin, cortisol, and catecholamine concentrations in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.

    PubMed

    Tidholm, Anna; Häggström, Jens; Hansson, Kerstin

    2005-10-01

    To evaluate plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of vasopressin and cortisol and urinary excretion of catecholamines in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). 15 dogs with clinical signs of DCM, 15 dogs with preclinical DCM, and 15 control dogs. Physical examinations, thoracic radiography, ECG, and echocardiography were performed on all dogs. Blood and urine samples were collected. Plasma concentration of vasopressin and the urine cortisol-to-urine creatinine ratio were significantly increased in dogs with clinical signs of DCM and dogs with preclinical DCM, compared with control dogs. Plasma vasopressin concentration was significantly higher in dogs with clinical signs of DCM, compared with dogs with preclinical DCM. Urine vasopressin-to-urine creatinine ratio was significantly increased in dogs with clinical signs of DCM, compared with dogs with preclinical DCM and control dogs. Urine epinephrine-to-urine creatinine ratio and urine norepinephrine-to-urine creatinine ratio were significantly increased in dogs with clinical signs of DCM, compared with control dogs. Plasma concentration of cortisol and urine dopamine-to-urine creatinine ratio did not differ significantly among groups. According to this study, the neuroendocrine pattern is changed in dogs with preclinical DCM. These changes are even more pronounced in dogs with clinical signs of DCM. Analysis of concentrations of vasopressin, cortisol, and catecholamines may aid in identification of the clinical stages of DCM. These findings may also provide a basis for additional studies of the possible beneficial effects of vasopressin antagonists and beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists in the treatment of dogs with congestive heart failure and DCM.

  4. S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine in urine of rats and workers after exposure to benzene

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jongeneelen, F.J.; Dirven, H.A.; Leijdekkers, C.M.

    1987-05-01

    An HPLC method for the determination of S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine in urine is described. The sensitivity is 6 mumol/L (CV = 9%) urine. Exposure of rats to six different concentrations of benzene, ranging from 0-30 ppm, was highly associated with urinary excretion of S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine (r = 0.86) and with total phenol (r = 0.81). A background level of phenol was found in urine of both non-exposed rats and of non-exposed referents. However, no background excretion of S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine was found, either in rats or in humans. In urine of exposed rats, the level of S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine was approximately five times lower than the phenolmore » level. Workers occupationally exposed to benzene, showing high levels of urinary phenol, revealed low concentrations of urinary S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine. The biological monitoring of industrial exposure to benzene by determination of S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine in urine is not better than the determination of phenol in urine.« less

  5. Lead concentrations: Bats vs. terrestrial small mammals collected near a major highway

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clark, D.R.

    1979-01-01

    Wholebody lead concentrations of two species of bats (big brown and little brown) and three species of terrestrial mammals (meadow voles, white-footed mice, and short-tailed shrews) trapped along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in 1976 are compared, including embryo lead concentration. These data are also compared to those of previous studies conducted in Illinois and Virginia within 20 miles of highways with high traffic volumes. Minimum dosages of various lead compounds that cause mortality or reproductive impairment in six species of domestic mammals (horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, rats, and mice) are noted.

  6. Ion Exchange Technology Development in Support of the Urine Processor Assembly

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mitchell, Julie; Broyan, James; Pickering, Karen

    2013-01-01

    The urine processor assembly (UPA) on the International Space Station (ISS) recovers water from urine via a vacuum distillation process. The distillation occurs in a rotating distillation assembly (DA) where the urine is heated and subjected to sub-ambient pressure. As water is removed, the original organics, salts, and minerals in the urine become more concentrated and result in urine brine. Eventually, water removal will concentrate the urine brine to super saturation of individual constituents, and precipitation occurs. Under typical UPA DA operating conditions, calcium sulfate or gypsum is the first chemical to precipitate in substantial quantity. During preflight testing with ground urine, the UPA achieved 85% water recovery without precipitation. However, on ISS, it is possible that crewmember urine can be significantly more concentrated relative to urine from ground donors. As a result, gypsum precipitated in the DA when operating at water recovery rates at or near 85%, causing the failure and subsequent re14 NASA Tech Briefs, September 2013 placement of the DA. Later investigations have demonstrated that an excess of calcium and sulfate will cause precipitation at water recovery rates greater than 70%. The source of the excess calcium is likely physiological in nature, via crewmembers' bone loss, while the excess sulfate is primarily due to the sulfuric acid component of the urine pretreatment. To prevent gypsum precipitation in the UPA, the Precipitation Prevention Project (PPP) team has focused on removing the calcium ion from pretreated urine, using ion exchange resins as calcium removal agents. The selectivity and effectiveness of ion exchange resins are determined by such factors as the mobility of the liquid phase through the polymer matrix, the density of functional groups, type of functional groups bound to the matrix, and the chemical characteristics of the liquid phase (pH, oxidation potential, and ionic strength). Previous experience with ion

  7. Prednisolone and prednisone neo-formation in bovine urine after sampling.

    PubMed

    Arioli, F; Casati, A; Fidani, M; Silvestri, M; Pompa, G

    2012-06-01

    The rise in the frequency of detecting prednisolone in bovine urine from northern Italy has come into focus of attention in recent years. The possibility that neo-formation of prednisolone or that prednisone may occur in urine after collection of samples was therefore investigated. Cow urine collected for official routine controls in Lombardy containing more than 80 ng/ml cortisol, and prednisolone and prednisone below the decision limit (CCα) of the method (0.4 and 0.5 ng/ml, respectively) was used. The C1-2 dehydrogenation of naturally present cortisol and cortisone was checked by incubating urine, both contaminated and uncontaminated with faeces, at 37°C and by collecting samples at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 24 h. The influence of Helix pomatia juice was also investigated in order to determine whether deconjugation could influence the reliability of the results. All samples were analysed by HPLC-MS3 for the presence of cortisol, cortisone, prednisolone and prednisone in negative electrospray ionisation mode, utilising the consecutive reaction monitoring of product ions derived from the formate molecular adduct ([M+HCOO]-). The observed neo-formation of prednisolone shows that inappropriate temperatures in sample storage and processing can result in an incorrect accusation of non-compliance. The faecal contamination of urine, performed with the aim to mimic a collection conducted without the necessary care, moreover, evoked a high increase in prednisolone concentration in two out of seven animals. Moreover, H. pomatia juice had no significant effect on the prednisolone concentration, indicating that this corticosteroid is present in its free form in cow urine.

  8. Flow-injection chemiluminescence determination of melamine in urine and plasma.

    PubMed

    Tang, Xiaoshuang; Shi, Xiyan; Tang, Yuhai; Yue, Zhongjin; He, Qiqi

    2012-01-01

    A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of melamine in urine and plasma was developed. It was found that melamine can remarkably enhance chemiluminescence emission from the luminol-K(3) Fe(CN)(6) system in an alkaline medium. Under the optimum conditions, chemiluminescence intensity had a good linear relationship with the concentration of melamine in the range 9.0 × 10(-9) -7.0 × 10(-6) g/mL, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992. The detection limit (3σ) was 3.5 ng/mL. The method has been applied to determine the concentration of melamine in samples using liquid-liquid extraction. Average recoveries of melamine were 102.6% in urine samples and 95.1% in plasma samples. The method provided a reproducible and stable approach for the sensitive detection of melamine in urine and plasma samples. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Subsurface cadmium loss from a stony soil-effect of cow urine application.

    PubMed

    Gray, Colin William; Chrystal, Jane Marie; Monaghan, Ross Martin; Cavanagh, Jo-Anne

    2017-05-01

    Cadmium (Cd) losses in subsurface flow from stony soils that have received cow urine are potentially important, but poorly understood. This study investigated Cd loss from a soil under a winter dairy-grazed forage crop that was grazed either conventionally (24 h) or with restricted grazing (6 h). This provided an opportunity to test the hypothesis that urine inputs could increase Cd concentrations in drainage. It was thought this would be a result of cow urine either (i) enhancing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations via an increase in soil pH, resulting in the formation of soluble Cd-organic carbon complexes and, or (ii) greater inputs of chloride (Cl) via cow urine, promoting the formation of soluble Cd-Cl complexes. Cadmium concentrations in subsurface flow were generally low, with a spike above the water quality guidelines for a month after the 24-h grazing. Cadmium fluxes were on average 0.30 g Cd ha -1  year -1 (0.27-0.32 g Cd ha -1  year -1 ), in line with previous estimates for agricultural soils. The mean Cd concentration in drainage from the 24-h grazed plots was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than 6-h plots. No increase in DOC concentrations between the treatments was found. However, Cl concentrations in drainage were significantly higher (P < 0.001) from the 24-h than the 6-h grazed treatment plots, and positively correlated with Cd concentrations, and therefore, a possible mechanism increasing Cd mobility in soil. Further study is warranted to confirm the mechanisms involved and quantities of Cd lost from other systems.

  10. Tissue lead concentration during chronic exposure of Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow) to lead nitrate in aquarium water.

    PubMed

    Spokas, Eric G; Spur, Bernd W; Smith, Holly; Kemp, Francis W; Bogden, John D

    2006-11-01

    The fathead minnow is a useful species for evaluating the toxicity of wastewater effluents. While this fish is widely used for "survival" studies of metal toxicity, little or no work has been done on the tissue distribution of metals in fathead minnows. To determine the distribution of tissue lead, aquarium studies were conducted for several weeks with fish maintained in soft synthetic freshwater. Lead- (II) nitrate was added to three aquaria attaining concentrations of 20-30 ppb (aquarium B), 100-140 ppb (aquarium C), and roughly 200 ppb (aquarium D). Results were compared to controls (aquarium A). During the initial week, the majority of aquarium D fish died, whereas few deaths occurred in the other groups. Lead accumulation was dose- and tissue-dependent, with highest uptake by the gills. Gill concentrations of aquarium D fish averaged about 4-fold higherthan in skeleton or skin and muscle. In vitro, lead (2.5-25 ppm) caused dose-dependent reductions in the ratio of reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) in gills incubated in physiological buffer. These findings demonstrate that fathead minnow gills bind and accumulate waterborne lead rapidly and preferentially and raise the possibility that gill lipid peroxidation contributes to lead toxicity at low water hardness.

  11. Size-exclusion chromatography-based enrichment of extracellular vesicles from urine samples

    PubMed Central

    Lozano-Ramos, Inés; Bancu, Ioana; Oliveira-Tercero, Anna; Armengol, María Pilar; Menezes-Neto, Armando; Del Portillo, Hernando A.; Lauzurica-Valdemoros, Ricardo; Borràs, Francesc E.

    2015-01-01

    Renal biopsy is the gold-standard procedure to diagnose most of renal pathologies. However, this invasive method is of limited repeatability and often describes an irreversible renal damage. Urine is an easily accessible fluid and urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) may be ideal to describe new biomarkers associated with renal pathologies. Several methods to enrich EVs have been described. Most of them contain a mixture of proteins, lipoproteins and cell debris that may be masking relevant biomarkers. Here, we evaluated size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) as a suitable method to isolate urinary EVs. Following a conventional centrifugation to eliminate cell debris and apoptotic bodies, urine samples were concentrated using ultrafiltration and loaded on a SEC column. Collected fractions were analysed by protein content and flow cytometry to determine the presence of tetraspanin markers (CD63 and CD9). The highest tetraspanin content was routinely detected in fractions well before the bulk of proteins eluted. These tetraspanin-peak fractions were analysed by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis revealing the presence of EVs. When analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, tetraspanin-peak fractions from urine concentrated samples contained multiple bands but the main urine proteins (such as Tamm–Horsfall protein) were absent. Furthermore, a preliminary proteomic study of these fractions revealed the presence of EV-related proteins, suggesting their enrichment in concentrated samples. In addition, RNA profiling also showed the presence of vesicular small RNA species. To summarize, our results demonstrated that concentrated urine followed by SEC is a suitable option to isolate EVs with low presence of soluble contaminants. This methodology could permit more accurate analyses of EV-related biomarkers when further characterized by -omics technologies compared with other approaches. PMID:26025625

  12. Solid phase extraction of 2,4-D from human urine.

    PubMed

    Thompson, T S; Treble, R G

    1996-10-01

    A method for determining urinary concentrations of 2,4-D in samples collected from non-occupationally, environmentally exposed individuals was developed. The 2,4-D was extracted from fortified human urine samples using octadecylsilane solid phase extraction cartridges. The average percent recovery for urine samples spiked at 2 and 20 ng/mL was 100% and 93%, respectively. The method detection limit was estimated to be 0.75 ng of 2,4-D per mL of urine based on a 10 mL sample size. The potential use of 2,4-dichlorophenylacetic acid as a surrogate standard was also investigated.

  13. Evaluation of abalone β-glucuronidase substitution in current urine hydrolysis procedures.

    PubMed

    Malik-Wolf, Brittany; Vorce, Shawn; Holler, Justin; Bosy, Thomas

    2014-04-01

    This study examined the potential of abalone β-glucuronidase as a viable and cost effective alternative to current hydrolysis procedures using acid, Helix pomatia β-glucuronidase and Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase. Abalone β-glucuronidase successfully hydrolyzed oxazepam-glucuronide and lorazepam-glucuronide within 5% of the spiked control concentration. Benzodiazepines present in authentic urine specimens were within 20% of the concentrations obtained with the current hydrolysis procedure using H. pomatia β-glucuronidase. JWH 018 N-(5-hydroxypentyl) β-d-glucuronide was hydrolyzed within 10% of the control concentration. Authentic urine specimens showed improved glucuronide cleavage using abalone β-glucuronidase with up to an 85% increase of drug concentration, compared with the results obtained using E. coli β-glucuronidase. The JWH 018 and JWH 073 carboxylic acid metabolites also showed increased drug concentrations of up to 24%. Abalone β-glucuronidase was able to completely hydrolyze a morphine-3-glucuronide control, but only 82% of total morphine was hydrolyzed in authentic urine specimens compared with acid hydrolysis results. Hydrolysis of codeine and hydromorphone varied between specimens, suggesting that abalone β-glucuronidase may not be as efficient in hydrolyzing the glucuronide linkages in opioid compounds compared with acid hydrolysis. Abalone β-glucuronidase demonstrates effectiveness as a low cost option for enzyme hydrolysis of benzodiazepines and synthetic cannabinoids.

  14. Blood Lead Concentrations in Jamaican Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Rahbar, Mohammad H.; Samms-Vaughan, Maureen; Dickerson, Aisha S.; Loveland, Katherine A.; Ardjomand-Hessabi, Manouchehr; Bressler, Jan; Shakespeare-Pellington, Sydonnie; Grove, Megan L.; Pearson, Deborah A.; Boerwinkle, Eric

    2014-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder manifesting by early childhood. Lead is a toxic metal shown to cause neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Several studies have investigated the possible association between exposure to lead and ASD, but their findings are conflicting. Using data from 100 ASD cases (2–8 years of age) and their age- and sex-matched typically developing controls, we investigated the association between blood lead concentrations (BLC) and ASD in Jamaican children. We administered a questionnaire to assess demographic and socioeconomic information as well as exposure to potential lead sources. We used General Linear Models (GLM) to assess the association of BLC with ASD status as well as with sources of exposure to lead. In univariable GLM, we found a significant difference between geometric mean blood lead concentrations of ASD cases and controls (2.25 μg/dL cases vs. 2.73 μg/dL controls, p < 0.05). However, after controlling for potential confounders, there were no significant differences between adjusted geometric mean blood lead concentrations of ASD cases and controls (2.55 μg/dL vs. 2.72 μg/dL, p = 0.64). Our results do not support an association between BLC and ASD in Jamaican children. We have identified significant confounders when assessing an association between ASD and BLC. PMID:25546274

  15. Behavior of heavy metals in human urine and blood following calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate injection: observations in metal workers.

    PubMed

    Sata, F; Araki, S; Murata, K; Aono, H

    1998-06-12

    To evaluate the effects of calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate (CaEDTA) on the behavior of 8 heavy metals in human urine and blood, CaEDTA was administered for 1 h by intravenous injection to 18 male metal foundry workers, whose blood lead concentrations (PbB) were between 16 and 59 (mean 34) microg/dl. Significant increases were found in urinary excretion of manganese, chromium, lead, zinc, and copper after the start of CaEDTA injection. Urinary chromium excretion reached a maximal level within 1 h after the start of injection, while urinary manganese, lead, and zinc excretion reached their highest concentrations between 1 and 2 h. Urinary copper excretion reached the highest level between 2 and 4 h. The rapid increases in urinary excretion of five metals were different from the "circadian rhythms," which are the normal, daily variations in renal glomerular filtration, reabsorption, and excretory mechanisms. Plasma lead concentrations were highest 1.5 h after the start of the 1-h injection, while plasma zinc concentration became lowest 5 h after the start of CaEDTA injection. Data suggest that manganese and chromium absorbed in human tissues might be mobilized by CaEDTA.

  16. Urine drainage bags

    MedlinePlus

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000142.htm Urine drainage bags To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Urine drainage bags collect urine. Your bag will attach ...

  17. Urine - abnormal color

    MedlinePlus

    ... medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003139.htm Urine - abnormal color To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. The usual color of urine is straw-yellow. Abnormally colored urine ...

  18. Examination of lead concentrations in new decorative enamel paints in four countries with different histories of activity in lead paint regulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Clark, C. Scott, E-mail: clarkcs@ucmail.uc.edu; International POPS Elimination Network; Kumar, Abhay

    Paints with high lead concentrations (ppm) continue to be sold around the world in many developing countries and those with economies in transition representing a major preventable environmental health hazard that is being increased as the economies expand and paint consumption is increasing. Prior lead paint testing had been performed in Brazil and India and these countries were selected to examine the impact of a new regulatory limit in Brazil and the impact of efforts of non-governmental organizations and others to stop the use of lead compounds in manufacturing paints. Armenia and Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, were selected because nomore » information on lead concentration in those regions was available, no regulatory activities were evident and non-governmental organizations in the IPEN network were available to participate. Another objective of this research was to evaluate the lead loading (µg/cm{sup 2}) limit determined by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) for areas on toys that are too small to obtain a sample of sufficient size for laboratory analysis. The lead concentrations in more than three-fourths of the paints from Armenia and Kazakhstan exceeded 90 ppm, the limit in the United States, and 600 ppm, the limit in Brazil. The percentages were about one-half as high in Brazil and India. The average concentration in paints purchased in Armenia, 25,000 ppm, is among the highest that has been previously reported, that in Kazakhstan, 15,700 ppm, and India, 16,600, about median. The average concentration in Brazil, 5600 ppm, is among the lowest observed. Paints in Brazil that contained an average of 36,000 ppm before the regulatory limit became effective were below detection (<9 ppm) in samples collected in the current study. The lack of any apparent public monitoring of paint lead content as part of regulatory enforcement makes it difficult to determine whether the regulation was a major factor contributing to the decline in lead use in these paints. Using data

  19. Trends in lead concentrations in major US rivers and their relation to historical changes in gasoline-lead consumption, by Richard B. Alexander and Richard A. Smith

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Flegal, A.R.; Coale, K.H.

    1989-12-01

    The sequential development of trace metal clean techniques has resulted in a systematic decrease in reported lead concentrations in the ocean. Similar decreases have been observed in reports of lead concentrations in fresh water. This was illustrated by the changes in reported baseline concentrations of lead in Lake Huron. However, even the latest (1980) of those concentrations (19 ng/L) appears to be erroneously high based on recent measurements of lead concentrations in the Great Lakes. Lead concentrations in surface waters in the center of Lake Ontario are < 2 ng/L or one order of magnitude lower than the reported baselinemore » concentration of Lake Huron in 1980. Corresponding concentrations of lead in surface waters of Lake Huron should be equal to or less than those in Lake Ontario. Anthropogenic lead fluxes to Lake Huron (621 metric tons per year) and Lake Ontario (592 metric tons per year) are comparable, while the assimilative capacity of Lake Huron is two-fold greater than that of Lake Ontario. Moreover, the atmospheric flux of industrial lead aerosols to surface waters in Lake Huron is approximately one half of the flux in Lake Ontario. Therefore, if removal rates are similar in these two lakes, the authors expect the baseline concentration of lead in Lake Huron to be {le} 2 ng/L or one order of magnitude lower than the 1980 baseline concentration. Concentrations in remote fresh water systems in North America, where inputs of industrial lead aerosols are orders of magnitude lower should also be < 2 ng/L. The preceding measurements and projected concentrations of lead in fresh water systems in North America are of note in light of some recent reports on the decrease of lead in natural waters within the US. Those reports are questionable, in spite of other reports of decreasing lead concentrations in the Mississippi River and North Atlantic.« less

  20. Fully automated methods for the determination of hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma and urine.

    PubMed

    Hsieh, J Y; Lin, C; Matuszewski, B K; Dobrinska, M R

    1994-12-01

    LC assays utilizing fully automated sample preparation procedures on Zymark PyTechnology Robot and BenchMate Workstation for the quantification of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in human plasma and urine have been developed. After aliquoting plasma and urine samples, and adding internal standard (IS) manually, the robot executed buffer and organic solvent addition, liquid-liquid extraction, solvent evaporation and on-line LC injection steps for plasma samples, whereas, BenchMate performed buffer and organic solvent addition, liquid-liquid and solid-phase extractions, and on-line LC injection steps for urine samples. Chromatographic separations were carried out on Beckman Octyl Ultrasphere column using the mobile phase composed of 12% (v/v) acetonitrile and 88% of either an ion-pairing reagent (plasma) or 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (urine). The eluent from the column was monitored with UV detector (271 nm). Peak heights for HCTZ and IS were automatically processed using a PE-Nelson ACCESS*CHROM laboratory automation system. The assays have been validated in the concentration range of 2-100 ng ml-1 in plasma and 0.1-20 micrograms ml-1 in urine. Both plasma and urine assays have the sensitivity and specificity necessary to determine plasma and urine concentrations of HCTZ from low dose (6.25/12.5 mg) administration of HCTZ to human subjects in the presence or absence of losartan.

  1. Monitoring of occupational exposure to methylene chloride: sampling protocol and stability of urine samples.

    PubMed

    Hoffer, Erica; Tabak, Arek; Shcherb, Inna; Wiener, Avi; Bentur, Yedidia

    2005-01-01

    A sampling protocol for biomonitoring of the volatile solvent methylene chloride (MeCl(2)) by analysis of urine from exposed workers was established. Storage temperature, sample volume in headspace vial (HSV), and time to sealing HSV on determination of MeCl(2) in urine were evaluated. MeCl(2) was analyzed by a solid-phase microextraction technique combined with gas chromatography. Volume of urine in HSV has no effect on MeCl(2) analysis. Delays of 30 and 60 min from collection of urine until sealing the HSV caused 14.47 +/- 6.98% and 26.17 +/- 9.57% decreases from baseline concentration, respectively. MeCl(2) concentration in spiked urine samples stored in sealed HSVs decreased on day 2 and then remained stable for 2 weeks. Refrigeration did not improve recovery although it seems to be associated with less variability. MeCl(2) in urine samples of seven exposed workers was in the range of 0.02-0.06 mg/L. Sampling of MeCl(2)-containing urine should include collection of urine in closed plastic bottles, transfer to HSV within 15 min, sealing and clamping of HSV within 15 s, and storage of HSV in refrigeration until analysis, but no longer than 2 weeks. Standard samples should be prepared on the day of test sample collection and handled under the same conditions.

  2. Urine output - decreased

    MedlinePlus

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003147.htm Urine output - decreased To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Decreased urine output means that you produce less urine than ...

  3. Effects of processing delay, temperature, and transport tube type on results of quantitative bacterial culture of canine urine.

    PubMed

    Patterson, Carly A; Bishop, Micah A; Pack, Julie D; Cook, Audrey K; Lawhon, Sara D

    2016-01-15

    To determine the impact of processing delay, temperature, and transport tube type on results of quantitative bacterial culture (QBC) of canine urine. Diagnostic test evaluation. 60 mL of pooled urine from 4 dogs, divided into six 10-mL aliquots. Urine aliquots were spiked with bacteria from 1 of 6 independent Escherichia coli cultures to achieve a target bacterial concentration of 10(5) CFUs/mL. One milliliter from each aliquot was transferred into 5 silicone-coated clot tubes (SCTs) and 5 urine transport tubes (UTTs). Samples were stored at 4°C (39°F) and 25°C (77°F) for 0, 8, and 24 hours, and then standard QBCs were performed. Median bacterial concentration for urine samples stored in a UTT for 24 hours at 4°C was lower than that for samples stored in an SCT under the same conditions. Conversely, a substantial decrease in median bacterial concentration was identified for samples stored for 24 hours in an SCT at 25°C, compared with the median concentration for samples stored in a UTT under the same conditions. Median bacterial concentration in samples stored in an SCT at 25°C for 24 hours (275 CFUs/mL) was less than the cutoff typically used to define clinically important bacteriuria by use of urine samples obtained via cystocentesis (ie, > 1,000 CFUs/mL). Canine urine samples submitted for immediate QBC should be transported in plain sterile tubes such as SCTs. When prolonged (24-hour) storage at room temperature is anticipated, urine samples should be transported in UTTs.

  4. Reduction of lead concentrations in vegetables grown in Tarragona Province, Spain, as a consequence of reduction of lead in gasoline

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Belles, M.; Rico, A.; Schuhmacher, M.

    1995-12-31

    Lead concentrations were determined in 350 samples belonging to 13 different species of vegetables from Tarragona Province, Spain. The samples were subjected to lead analyses by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. During the period 1989-1994, an average decrease for lead concentrations of 69% was estimated. Spinach showed the lowest reduction2 in lead content (6%), while the highest decreases were observed for onion (87%) and leek (90%). Taking into account the average consumption of vegetable foodstuffs by the population of Tarragona Province, the daily lead intake through edible vegetables was reduced from 41.5 {mu}g/d in 1989 to 10.6 {mu}g/d in 1994.more » The results of the current study demonstrate a substantial decline in the lead levels of vegetables from Tarragona Province. The major cause of this decline is most likely the reduced leaded gasoline consumption.« less

  5. Glucose urine test

    MedlinePlus

    Urine sugar test; Urine glucose test; Glucosuria test; Glycosuria test ... After you provide a urine sample, it is tested right away. The health care provider uses a dipstick made with a color-sensitive pad. The ...

  6. Comparison of population iodine estimates from 24-hour urine and timed-spot urine samples.

    PubMed

    Perrine, Cria G; Cogswell, Mary E; Swanson, Christine A; Sullivan, Kevin M; Chen, Te-Ching; Carriquiry, Alicia L; Dodd, Kevin W; Caldwell, Kathleen L; Wang, Chia-Yih

    2014-04-01

    Median urine iodine concentration (UIC; μg/L) in spot urine samples is recommended for monitoring population iodine status. Other common measures are iodine:creatinine ratio (I/Cr; μg/g) and estimated 24-hour urine iodine excretion (UIE; I/Cr × predicted 24-hour Cr; μg/day). Despite different units, these measures are often used interchangeably, and it is unclear how they compare with the reference standard 24-hour UIE. Volunteers aged 18-39 years collected all their urine samples for 24 hours (n=400). Voids from morning, afternoon, evening, overnight, and a composite 24-hour sample were analyzed for iodine. We calculated median observed 24-hour UIE and 24-hour UIC, and spot UIC, I/Cr, and two measures of estimated UIE calculated using predicted 24-hour Cr from published estimates by Kesteloot and Joosens (varies by age and sex) and published equations by Mage et al. (varies by age, sex, race, and anthropometric measures). We examined mean differences and relative difference across iodine excretion levels using Bland-Altman plots. Median 24-hour UIE was 173.6 μg/day and 24-hour UIC was 144.8 μg/L. From timed-spot urine samples, estimates were: UIC 147.3-156.2 μg/L; I/Cr 103.6-114.3 μg/g, estimated 24-hour UIE (Kesteloot and Joosens) 145.7-163.3 μg/day; and estimated 24-hour UIE (Mage) 176.5-187.7 μg/day. Iodine measures did not vary consistently by timing of spot urine collection. Compared with observed 24-hour UIE, on average, estimated (Mage) 24-hour UIE was not significantly different, while estimated 24-hour UIE (Kesteloot and Joosens) was significantly different for some ethnicity/sex groups. Compared with 24-hour UIC, on average, spot UIC did not differ. Estimates of UIC, I/Cr, and estimated 24-hour UIE (I/Cr × predicted 24-hour Cr) from spot urine samples should not be used interchangeably. Estimated 24-hour UIE, where predicted 24-hour Cr varies by age, sex, ethnicity, and anthropometric measures and was calculated with prediction

  7. A prototype urine collection device for female aircrew

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bisson, Roger U.; Delger, Karlyna L.

    1993-01-01

    Women are gaining increased access to small military cockpits. This shift has stimulated the search for practical urine containment and disposal methods for female aircrew. There are no external urine collection devices (UCD) for women that are comfortable, convenient, and leak free. We describe a prototype UCD that begins to meet this need. Materials used to make custom aviator masks were adapted to mold a perineal mask. First, a perineal cast (negative) was used to make a mold (positive). Next, a perineal mask made of wax was formed to fit the positive mold. Finally, a soft, pliable perineal mask was fabricated using the wax model as a guide. The prototype was tested for comfort, fit, and leakage. In the sitting position, less than 5 cc of urine leakage occurred with each 600 cc of urine collected. Comfort was mostly satisfactory, but ambulation was limited and the outlet design could lead to kinking and obstruction. We concluded that a perineal mask may serve as a comfortable and functional external UCD acceptable for use by females in confined environments. Changes are needed to improve comfort, fit, and urine drainage. Integration into cockpits, pressure suits, chemical defense gear, and environments where access to relief facilities is restricted is planned.

  8. Source Separation of Urine as an Alternative Solution to Nutrient Management in Biological Nutrient Removal Treatment Plants.

    PubMed

    Jimenez, Jose; Bott, Charles; Love, Nancy; Bratby, John

    2015-12-01

    Municipal wastewater contains a mixture of brown (feces and toilet paper), yellow (urine), and gray (kitchen, bathroom and wash) waters. Urine contributes approximately 70-80% of the nitrogen (N), 50-70% of the phosphorus (P) load and 60-70% of the pharmaceutical residues in normal domestic sewage. This study evaluated the impact of different levels of source separation of urine on an existing biological nutrient removal (BNR) process. A process model of an existing biological nutrient removal (BNR) plant was used. Increasing the amount of urine diverted from the water reclamation facilities, has little impact on effluent ammonia (NH₃-N) concentration, but effluent nitrate (NO₃-N) concentration decreases. If nitrification is necessary then no reduction in the sludge age can be realized. However, a point is reached where the remaining influent nitrogen load matches the nitrogen requirements for biomass growth, and no residual nitrogen needs to be nitrified. That allows a significant reduction in sludge age, implying reduced process volume requirements. In situations where nitrification is required, lower effluent nitrate (NO₃-N) concentrations were realized due to both the lower influent nitrogen content in the wastewater and a more favorable nitrogen-to-carbon ratio for denitrification. The external carbon requirement for denitrification decreases as the urine separation efficiency increases due to the lower influent nitrogen content in the wastewater and a more favorable nitrogen-to-carbon ratio for denitrification. The effluent phosphorus concentration decreases when the amount of urine sent to water reclamation facilities is decreased due to lower influent phosphorus concentrations. In the case of chemical phosphate removal, urine separation reduces the amount of chemicals required.

  9. Performance and exposure indices of rats exposed to low concentrations of lead.

    PubMed

    Cory-Slechta, D A; Weiss, B; Cox, C

    1985-04-01

    To further characterize the lower end of the function relating lead exposure and biological exposure indices to behavior, male weanling rats were exposed chronically to drinking solutions containing 25 ppm sodium acetate (controls) or 25 ppm lead acetate. Behavioral training began when the animals reached 50 days of age, and performance on a fixed-interval 1-min schedule of food reinforcement was then assessed over 90 experimental sessions (136 days). This exposure produced overall response rate increases over the first 40 sessions that were similar to those observed previously with higher concentrations of lead. Response rates of the two groups tended to merge subsequently. The increased overall response rates in the treated group derived primarily from an increased frequency of shorter interresponse times (IRTs) and increased running rates (calculated without the postreinforcement interval). Blood lead (PbB) and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) values were determined following sessions 30, 60, and 90. PbB values of the lead-exposed group averaged 15 to 20 micrograms/dl throughout the study; ZPP did not differ. The mean brain lead value of the treated group was 0.07 micrograms Pb/g. Blood-brain ratios (1.38 to 4.06) were substantially greater than those previously observed at higher exposures. These data extend to even lower exposures, and lower blood lead concentrations, the effective concentration for behavioral effects, and further emphasize the importance of the sensitivity of the endpoint in assessing behavioral toxicity.

  10. Integrated forward osmosis-membrane distillation process for human urine treatment.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qianliang; Liu, Caihong; Zhao, Lei; Ma, Weichao; Liu, Huiling; Ma, Jun

    2016-03-15

    This study demonstrated a forward osmosis-membrane distillation (FO-MD) hybrid system for real human urine treatment. A series of NaCl solutions at different concentrations were adopted for draw solutions in FO process, which were also the feed solutions of MD process. To establish a stable and continuous integrated FO-MD system, individual FO process with different NaCl concentrations and individual direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process with different feed temperatures were firstly investigated separately. Four stable equilibrium conditions were obtained from matching the water transfer rates of individual FO and MD processes. It was found that the integrated system is stable and sustainable when the water transfer rate of FO subsystem is equal to that of MD subsystem. The rejections to main contaminants in human urine were also investigated. Although individual FO process had relatively high rejection to Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Ammonium Nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) in human urine, these contaminants could also accumulate in draw solution after long term performance. The MD process provided an effective rejection to contaminants in draw solution after FO process and the integrated system revealed nearly complete rejection to TOC, TN and NH4(+)-N. This work provided a potential treatment process for human urine in some fields such as water regeneration in space station and water or nutrient recovery from source-separated urine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Supported liquid membrane coupled on-line to potentiometric stripping analysis at a mercury-coated reticulated vitreous carbon electrode for trace metal determinations in urine.

    PubMed

    Djane, N K; Armalis, S; Ndung'u, K; Johansson, G; Mathiasson, L

    1998-02-01

    A method for trace metal determinations in complex matrices is presented. The method combines supported liquid membrane (SLM) sample clean-up and enrichment with potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA) in a flow system using reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) as the electrode material. The membrane contained 40% m/m di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid dissolved in kerosene. Lead was used as a model substance in high-purity water and urine samples. The samples were enriched after a simple pH adjustment. The SLM enrichment time was 10 min when the last 5 min electrodeposition on the RVC electrode at -1.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl) was performed simultaneously. The influence of various experimental parameters such as deposition time, deposition potential and flow rate on the lead signal was investigated. With a 10 min SLM enrichment including a 5 min deposition time, the detection limit for lead was 0.3 microgram l-1. The relative standard deviation for lead concentrations in the range 4-20 micrograms l-1 was 0.05%. The overall SLM-PSA system was found to be stable for at least 100 urine analyses. The method was validated by running a reference urine sample. The result obtained (five replicates) was 9.7 micrograms l-1 (standard deviation 1.8 micrograms l-1) which is within the recommended range of 9.2-10.8 micrograms l-1.

  12. Urine and toenail cadmium levels in pregnant women: A reliability study.

    PubMed

    White, Alexandra J; O'Brien, Katie M; Jackson, Brian P; Karagas, Margaret R

    2018-05-29

    Cadmium, as measured in human tissue, has been associated with numerous health outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the reliability of cadmium measurements across different biologic samples. We evaluated toenail cadmium levels over time and compared toenail cadmium to urinary cadmium. We also evaluated the relationship between biomarker concentrations and cigarette smoking, a known source of cadmium exposure. Cadmium was assessed in urine and toenail samples collected from 1338 pregnant women participating in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Each participant was asked to provide a urine and a toenail sample at enrollment (between 24 and 28 weeks gestation) and another toenail sample 2-8 weeks postpartum. Cadmium concentrations were determined using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Spearman correlations were assessed for cadmium in the toenails across the two-time points and comparing toenail and urine levels. Smoking status was evaluated as a predictor of cadmium levels. Toenail cadmium assessed during pregnancy and postpartum were modestly correlated (R = 0.3, p < 0.0001). However, urine and toenail cadmium levels were unrelated (R = -0.03, p = 0.46). Both toenail and urinary cadmium levels were associated with women's smoking status. Our findings suggest that both toenail and urinary cadmium concentrations reflect the major source of exposure - cigarette smoking. Toenail cadmium concentrations are modestly reproducible pre- and postpartum; but do not appear to be related to urinary cadmium and thus likely represent different windows and chronicity of exposure among pregnant women. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. Selenium metabolites in urine of cancer patients receiving L-selenomethionine at high doses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuehnelt, Doris; Juresa, Dijana; Francesconi, Kevin A.

    2007-04-15

    We investigated, with quantitative HPLC/mass spectrometry, the selenium metabolites in urine from five cancer patients receiving high doses of L-selenomethionine over an extended period (2 x 4000 {mu}g Se/day for 7 days, then 4000 {mu}g Se/day for 21 days) as an adjunct to their normal cancer chemotherapy. Urine samples were collected at day 0 (all 5 patients), and at 2-3 additional collection times ranging from 1 to 33 days. The background selenium concentrations ranged from 12 to 55 {mu}g Se/L and increased to 870 to 4420 {mu}g Se/L for the five patients during the study. All five patients had appreciablemore » levels of selenosugars in their background urine sample, and the concentrations increased dramatically after selenium intake. Trimethylselenonium ion (TMSe), on the other hand, was generally present as only a trace metabolite in background urine, and, although the concentration of TMSe increased following selenium exposure, it became a less significant proportion relative to selenosugars. These data refute the currently accepted role of TMSe as the preferred excretion metabolite when selenium exposure is high.« less

  14. Urine sample (image)

    MedlinePlus

    A "clean-catch" urine sample is performed by collecting the sample of urine in midstream. Men or boys should wipe clean the head ... water and rinse well. A small amount of urine should initially fall into the toilet bowl before ...

  15. Chemical composition of rainbow trout urine following acute hypoxic stress

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hunn, Joseph B.

    1969-01-01

    Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii) were anesthetized with MS-222, catheterized, and introduced into urine collecting chambers. Twenty-four hours after introduction, a 4-hour accumulation of urine was collected to serve as the control. Water flow to the chambers was then discontinued for 30 minutes during which the oxygen content of the water exiting in the chamber dropped from 4.9 to 2.8 mg/l. Following this hypoxic stress fresh water was restored and accumulated urine samples were taken for analysis at 1, 4, and 20 hours post-hypoxic stress. Rainbow trout excrete abnormally high concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Cl, and inorganic PO4 following hypoxia.

  16. Impacts of nitric oxide and superoxide on renal medullary oxygen transport and urine concentration.

    PubMed

    Fry, Brendan C; Edwards, Aurélie; Layton, Anita T

    2015-05-01

    The goal of this study was to investigate the reciprocal interactions among oxygen (O2), nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide (O2 (-)) and their effects on medullary oxygenation and urinary output. To accomplish that goal, we developed a detailed mathematical model of solute transport in the renal medulla of the rat kidney. The model represents the radial organization of the renal tubules and vessels, which centers around the vascular bundles in the outer medulla and around clusters of collecting ducts in the inner medulla. Model simulations yield significant radial gradients in interstitial fluid oxygen tension (Po2) and NO and O2 (-) concentration in the OM and upper IM. In the deep inner medulla, interstitial fluid concentrations become much more homogeneous, as the radial organization of tubules and vessels is not distinguishable. The model further predicts that due to the nonlinear interactions among O2, NO, and O2 (-), the effects of NO and O2 (-) on sodium transport, osmolality, and medullary oxygenation cannot be gleaned by considering each solute's effect in isolation. An additional simulation suggests that a sufficiently large reduction in tubular transport efficiency may be the key contributing factor, more so than oxidative stress alone, to hypertension-induced medullary hypoxia. Moreover, model predictions suggest that urine Po2 could serve as a biomarker for medullary hypoxia and a predictor of the risk for hospital-acquired acute kidney injury. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  17. Impacts of nitric oxide and superoxide on renal medullary oxygen transport and urine concentration

    PubMed Central

    Edwards, Aurélie; Layton, Anita T.

    2015-01-01

    The goal of this study was to investigate the reciprocal interactions among oxygen (O2), nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide (O2−) and their effects on medullary oxygenation and urinary output. To accomplish that goal, we developed a detailed mathematical model of solute transport in the renal medulla of the rat kidney. The model represents the radial organization of the renal tubules and vessels, which centers around the vascular bundles in the outer medulla and around clusters of collecting ducts in the inner medulla. Model simulations yield significant radial gradients in interstitial fluid oxygen tension (Po2) and NO and O2− concentration in the OM and upper IM. In the deep inner medulla, interstitial fluid concentrations become much more homogeneous, as the radial organization of tubules and vessels is not distinguishable. The model further predicts that due to the nonlinear interactions among O2, NO, and O2−, the effects of NO and O2− on sodium transport, osmolality, and medullary oxygenation cannot be gleaned by considering each solute's effect in isolation. An additional simulation suggests that a sufficiently large reduction in tubular transport efficiency may be the key contributing factor, more so than oxidative stress alone, to hypertension-induced medullary hypoxia. Moreover, model predictions suggest that urine Po2 could serve as a biomarker for medullary hypoxia and a predictor of the risk for hospital-acquired acute kidney injury. PMID:25651567

  18. Plasma and urine levels of electrolytes, urea and steroid hormones involved in osmoregulation of cetaceans.

    PubMed

    Birukawa, Naoko; Ando, Hironori; Goto, Mutsuo; Kanda, Naohisa; Pastene, Luis A; Nakatsuji, Hiroki; Hata, Hiroshi; Urano, Akihisa

    2005-11-01

    Cetaceans are well adapted to their hyperosmotic environment by properly developed osmoregulatory ability. A question here is how they regulate water and mineral balances in marine habitats. In the present study, we determined blood and urine levels of various chemicals involved in osmoregulation, compared them with those in artiodactyls, and characterized the values in the whales. Blood and urine samples obtained from baleen whales of common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), sei (B. borealis), and Bryde's whales (B. brydei), and toothed whales of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were analyzed for osmolality, major electrolytes, urea, steroid hormones and glucose. The urine osmolality and Na(+) concentrations in the cetaceans were much higher than those in the cattle. Furthermore, the cetaceans had 5 to 11-fold urea in plasma than the cattle, and 2 to 4-fold urea in urine. There were no significant difference in the plasma concentrations of corticosteroids between the cetaceans and the cattle. The present results indicate that the osmoregulatory parameters seem to be not affected by the reproductive stage and sex steroid hormones. The concentrations of urea in plasma and urine of the baleen whales were higher than those of the sperm whales, indicating a possibility that their osmoregulatory mechanisms may be correlated to their feeding habits. The present results suggest that cetaceans have unique osmoregulatory mechanisms by which they excrete strongly hypertonic urine to maintain fluid homeostasis in marine habitats.

  19. Elevated Blood Lead Concentrations in Essential Tremor: A Case–Control Study in Mersin, Turkey

    PubMed Central

    Dogu, Okan; Louis, Elan D.; Tamer, Lulufer; Unal, Ozgur; Yilmaz, Arda; Kaleagasi, Hakan

    2007-01-01

    Background Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common neurologic disorders. Aside from underlying susceptibility genes, recent studies have also begun to focus on environmental toxic factors. Yet there remains a paucity of information on such factors, making studies of environmental factors important. A recent study in New York City found blood lead concentrations to be elevated in ET cases compared with matched controls. Chronic exposure to lead produces cerebellar damage, and this could predispose individuals to develop ET. Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether the elevation in blood lead concentrations observed in a single study in New York was similarly present in ET cases sampled from a completely different geographic region. Methods Blood lead concentrations were measured in 105 ET cases and 105 controls at Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey. Results The median blood lead concentration was 2.7 μg/dL in ET cases compared with 1.5 μg/dL in controls (p < 0.001). In an unadjusted logistic regression model, blood lead concentration was associated with diagnosis: odds ratio (OR) = 4.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.53–6.37; p < 0.001 (i.e., each 1-μg/dL increase in blood lead concentration was associated with a 4-fold increased odds of ET). This association was more robust when cases were compared with a subsample of controls who did not share the same home environment (OR = 8.13; 95% CI, 3.05–21.65; p < 0.001). In adjusted models, results were similar. Conclusions These data replicate those of a previous study in New York and demonstrate an association between the environmental toxicant lead and a common neurologic disorder. PMID:18007985

  20. Estimation of nitrite in source-separated nitrified urine with UV spectrophotometry.

    PubMed

    Mašić, Alma; Santos, Ana T L; Etter, Bastian; Udert, Kai M; Villez, Kris

    2015-11-15

    Monitoring of nitrite is essential for an immediate response and prevention of irreversible failure of decentralized biological urine nitrification reactors. Although a few sensors are available for nitrite measurement, none of them are suitable for applications in which both nitrite and nitrate are present in very high concentrations. Such is the case in collected source-separated urine, stabilized by nitrification for long-term storage. Ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry in combination with chemometrics is a promising option for monitoring of nitrite. In this study, an immersible in situ UV sensor is investigated for the first time so to establish a relationship between UV absorbance spectra and nitrite concentrations in nitrified urine. The study focuses on the effects of suspended particles and saturation on the absorbance spectra and the chemometric model performance. Detailed analysis indicates that suspended particles in nitrified urine have a negligible effect on nitrite estimation, concluding that sample filtration is not necessary as pretreatment. In contrast, saturation due to very high concentrations affects the model performance severely, suggesting dilution as an essential sample preparation step. However, this can also be mitigated by simple removal of the saturated, lower end of the UV absorbance spectra, and extraction of information from the secondary, weaker nitrite absorbance peak. This approach allows for estimation of nitrite with a simple chemometric model and without sample dilution. These results are promising for a practical application of the UV sensor as an in situ nitrite measurement in a urine nitrification reactor given the exceptional quality of the nitrite estimates in comparison to previous studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Urine collection device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Michaud, R. B. (Inventor)

    1981-01-01

    A urine collection device for females is described. It is comprised of a collection element defining a urine collection chamber and an inlet opening into the chamber and is adapted to be disposed in surrounding relation to the urethral opening of the user. A drainage conduit is connected to the collection element in communication with the chamber whereby the chamber and conduit together comprise a urine flow pathway for carrying urine generally away from the inlet. A first body of wicking material is mounted adjacent the collection element and extends at least partially into the flow pathway. The device preferably also comprise a vaginal insert element including a seal portion for preventing the entry of urine into the vagina.

  2. Lead Concentration Levels in Water Samples Collected in Alameda County, CA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sethy, D.; Hoang, R.; Yu, I.; Hernandez, N.; Fang, K.; Zhang, W.; Li, J.; Munui, K. N.; Sot, R.; Luong, K.; Bonzo, R.; Sankar, R.; Chiu, D.; Rodriguez, V. A.

    2016-12-01

    The recent health crisis in Flint, Michigan has attracted an amount of interest in other public utilities' water supplies and infrastructure with regards to concerns over the presence of lead. In an effort to begin assessing the potential for a health crisis similar to that experienced in Flynt, during 2016 our team measured lead concentration levels in water samples by collected in Alameda County. More than 12 sites were selected from which samples were collected. These sites included parks, schools, and private residences. At each site 500mL samples were collected and prepared for later analysis. Samples were subjected to an analytical chemistry technique designed to isolate and concentrate lead to detectable levels of 1 part per billion (ppb). All 8 samples yielded detectable levels of lead; all samples were also well below the EPA regulatory 15 ppb. Two samples collected in West Oakland parks were found to have the highest and lowest levels: DeFremery (4 ppb) and Raimondi (1ppb), respectively. Though preliminary in nature, results from this study suggest that further investigations should be undertaken to assess possible lead contamination associated with drinking water sources in Alameda County.

  3. Metabolomic analysis of urine samples by UHPLC-QTOF-MS: Impact of normalization strategies.

    PubMed

    Gagnebin, Yoric; Tonoli, David; Lescuyer, Pierre; Ponte, Belen; de Seigneux, Sophie; Martin, Pierre-Yves; Schappler, Julie; Boccard, Julien; Rudaz, Serge

    2017-02-22

    Among the various biological matrices used in metabolomics, urine is a biofluid of major interest because of its non-invasive collection and its availability in large quantities. However, significant sources of variability in urine metabolomics based on UHPLC-MS are related to the analytical drift and variation of the sample concentration, thus requiring normalization. A sequential normalization strategy was developed to remove these detrimental effects, including: (i) pre-acquisition sample normalization by individual dilution factors to narrow the concentration range and to standardize the analytical conditions, (ii) post-acquisition data normalization by quality control-based robust LOESS signal correction (QC-RLSC) to correct for potential analytical drift, and (iii) post-acquisition data normalization by MS total useful signal (MSTUS) or probabilistic quotient normalization (PQN) to prevent the impact of concentration variability. This generic strategy was performed with urine samples from healthy individuals and was further implemented in the context of a clinical study to detect alterations in urine metabolomic profiles due to kidney failure. In the case of kidney failure, the relation between creatinine/osmolality and the sample concentration is modified, and relying only on these measurements for normalization could be highly detrimental. The sequential normalization strategy was demonstrated to significantly improve patient stratification by decreasing the unwanted variability and thus enhancing data quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Urine Bacterial Community Convergence through Fertilizer Production: Storage, Pasteurization, and Struvite Precipitation.

    PubMed

    Lahr, Rebecca H; Goetsch, Heather E; Haig, Sarah J; Noe-Hays, Abraham; Love, Nancy G; Aga, Diana S; Bott, Charles B; Foxman, Betsy; Jimenez, Jose; Luo, Ting; Nace, Kim; Ramadugu, Kirtana; Wigginton, Krista R

    2016-11-01

    Source-separated human urine was collected from six public events to study the impact of urine processing and storage on bacterial community composition and viability. Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a complex community of bacteria in fresh urine that differed across collection events. Despite the harsh chemical conditions of stored urine (pH > 9 and total ammonia nitrogen > 4000 mg N/L), bacteria consistently grew to 5 ± 2 × 10 8 cells/mL. Storing hydrolyzed urine for any amount of time significantly reduced the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) to 130 ± 70, increased Pielou evenness to 0.60 ± 0.06, and produced communities dominated by Clostridiales and Lactobacillales. After 80 days of storage, all six urine samples from different starting materials converged to these characteristics. Urine pasteurization or struvite precipitation did not change the microbial community, even when pasteurized urine was stored for an additional 70 days. Pasteurization decreased metabolic activity by 50 ± 10% and additional storage after pasteurization did not lead to recovery of metabolic activity. Urine-derived fertilizers consistently contained 16S rRNA genes belonging to Tissierella, Erysipelothrix, Atopostipes, Bacteroides, and many Clostridiales OTUs; additional experiments must determine whether pathogenic species are present, responsible for observed metabolic activity, or regrow when applied.

  5. Comparative Study of Lead Concentration in Feathers of Urban and Rural Passerines in Merida, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Nava-Diaz, Remedios; Hoogesteijn, Almira L; Erosa, Mercy Dzul; Febles, Jose L; Mendez-Gonzalez, Rosa M

    2015-10-01

    Lead is a commonly monitored heavy metal because of potential health effects on exposed organisms. We quantified lead in secondary feathers of two passerine bird species, clay-colored thrushes (Turdus grayi) and great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus), from an urban and a rural site in the municipality of Merida, Yucatan. Urban lead concentration was significantly higher than its rural counterpart for both species (p < 0.05). In the urban site, lead concentration was similar in both species (p = 0.14). However, data from the rural site showed that lead concentration was significantly higher in thrush feathers (p < 0.05). Lead levels herein presented are among the lowest ever reported suggesting that either lead accumulation or absorption is limited. Finally, our data seem to support the hypothesis that species feeding ecology plays a major role in lead accumulation.

  6. Assessment of semen function and lipid peroxidation among lead exposed men

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kasperczyk, Aleksandra; Kasperczyk, Slawomir; Horak, Stanislaw

    The study population included healthy, fertile men, employees of Zinc and Lead Metalworks (n = 63). Workers exposed to lead were divided into two groups: a group with moderate exposure to lead (ME) - blood lead level (PbB) 25-40 {mu}g/dl and a group with high exposure to lead (HE) PbB = 40-81 {mu}g/dl. The control group consisted of office workers with no history of occupational exposure to lead. Evaluation of lead, cadmium and zinc level in blood and seminal plasma, zinc protoporphyrin in blood (ZPP), 5-aminolevulinic acid in urine (ALA), malondialdehyde (MDA) in seminal plasma and sperm analysis were performed.more » No differences were noted in the concentration of cadmium and zinc in blood and seminal plasma in the study population. Lipid peroxidation in seminal plasma, represented as MDA concentration, significantly increased by about 56% in the HE group and the percentage of motile sperm cells after 1 h decreased by about 34% in comparison to the control group. No statistically significant correlation between other parameters of sperm analysis and lead exposure parameters nor between lead, cadmium and zinc concentration in blood and seminal plasma were found. A positive association between lead intoxication parameters (PbB, ZPP, lead seminal plasma) and MDA concentration in sperm plasma and inverse correlation with sperm cells motility (PbB, ZPP) was found. An increased concentration of MDA was accompanied by a drop in sperm cells motility. In conclusion, we report that high exposure to lead causes a decrease of sperm motility in men most likely as a result of increased lipid peroxidation, especially if the level in the blood surpasses the concentration of 40 {mu}g/dl.« less

  7. Cortisol - urine

    MedlinePlus

    ... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003703.htm Cortisol urine test To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. The cortisol urine test measures the level of cortisol in the ...

  8. Detection of Ciprofloxacin in Urine through Sensitized Lanthanide Luminescence

    PubMed Central

    Singha, Subhankar; Ahn, Kyo Han

    2016-01-01

    Ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is widely used for the treatment of bacterial infection in humans due to its broad antibacterial spectrum. An excessive use or overdose of ciprofloxacin on the other hand can cause several adverse effects not only to humans but also to microorganisms. Unabsorbed ciprofloxacin in the body is mostly excreted through urine and finally goes to the environment, providing a drug resistance pressure on bacteria. Hence a simple and efficient detection method of ciprofloxacin is necessary, which, for example, can be used to analyze ciprofloxacin content in urine. Although ciprofloxacin itself shows inherent fluorescence, direct fluorescent detection of ciprofloxacin in raw urine sample is difficult due to autofluorescence of urine by other components. Herein we report that a Tb(III) complex of DO3A (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid) can be efficiently sensitized by ciprofloxacin to emit luminescence separately from the urine autofluorescence wavelength region. Tb-DO3A shows excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of three parts per billion in aqueous buffer solution. Further, Tb-DO3A is used to detect ciprofloxacin with high sensitivity and selectivity in a raw urine sample without any purification or separation procedures in the concentrations ranging from 1 µg·mL−1 to 50 µg·mL−1. The direct measurement of ciprofloxacin excreted in urine may be used to control overdose of the drug. PMID:27929396

  9. Amylase - urine

    MedlinePlus

    ... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003607.htm Amylase - urine To use the sharing features on this page, ... test that measures the amount of amylase in urine. Amylase is an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrates. ...

  10. Mutagenic activity and metabolites in the urine of workers exposed to trinitrotoluene (TNT).

    PubMed Central

    Ahlborg, G; Einistö, P; Sorsa, M

    1988-01-01

    Urine samples taken after work and after a free weekend from 50 workers employed in various activities in a chemical plant manufacturing explosives were analysed. On the basis of hygienic surveys, the subjects were divided into three categories of exposure to trinitrotoluene (TNT). The urine analyses consisted of gas chromatographic identification of TNT and its two metabolites, 4-ADNT and 2-ADNT, and a determination of the mutagenic activity. Two frame shift detector strains of Salmonella typhimurium were used, TA 98 and TA 98 NR, the latter being deficient in endogenous nitroreductase activity. On the basis of previous results on TNT mutagenicity, no exogeneous metabolic system was used to test the urine concentrates. Both tester strains showed that the mean urinary mutagenic activity was higher in the after work samples than in post weekend samples from the same subjects, showing that bacterial nitroreductase activity was not significantly responsible for the mutagenicity, although the response was higher with strain TA 98 than with TA 98 NR. The interindividual variation in urine mutagenicity was high, however, and the difference between the two sampling times was statistically significant (p less than 0.05) only for the high exposed group (workers in trotyl foundry and sieve house). Correlation between urinary mutagenicity and concentration of TNT in urine was poor; correlation was significant only with the urinary concentration of 4-ADNT. The correlation between urinary TNT and both metabolites was good (p less than 0.001). These results suggest that analysis of 4-ADNT in urine would be a sufficient biological measure for controlling exposure to TNT. PMID:3378017

  11. Urination - painful

    MedlinePlus

    ... the urine ? Are there any changes in the volume or frequency of urination? Do you feel the ... Walls RM, et al, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier ...

  12. A simple high performance liquid chromatography method for determination of rebamipide in rat urine.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Dustin L; Harirforoosh, Sam

    2014-01-01

    Rebamipide is a mucoprotective agent commonly used to prevent nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastrointenstinal side effects [1]. Human plasma and urine analysis of rebamipide utilizing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been reported [2]. Recently, we reported on the plasma levels of rebamipide in presense or absence of celecoxib or diclofenac in rats [3] using a modified HPLC method of detection developed by Jeoung et al. [4]. To tailor the method towards use in urinary rebamipide extraction and analysis, the following modifications were made:•To compensate for high concentrations of rebamipide found in urine, a new rebamipide stock solution was prepared with a final concentration of 50,000 ng/mL.•Rat urine calibration standards were obtained within the range of 50-1000 ng/mL and 1000-50,000 ng/mL.•Plasma samples were replaced with urine samples.

  13. Experimental lead intoxication in dogs: a comparison of blood lead and urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid following intoxication and chelation therapy.

    PubMed Central

    Green, R A; Selby, L A; Zumwalt, R W

    1978-01-01

    Intravenous lead administration to dogs produced an acute syndrome of lead intoxication charcterized by depression, vomiting, anorexia and weight loss. The effect of chelation therapy with calcium disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate, penicillamine or both was determined by serially monitoring changes in blood lead and urine delta-aminolevulinic acid. Following therapy, blood lead values were significantly lower in chelated dogs than non-treated lead exposed dogs on days 7 and 10. Urine delta-aminolevulinic acid at day 7 was significantly higher in untreated lead exposed dogs than in other groups. There was no significant difference in blood lead or urine delta-aminolevulinic acid between lead intoxicated dogs which underwent the indicated chelation therapy protocols. There was, however, a trend for higher urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid excretion in those intoxicated dogs undergoing calcium disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate therapy as opposed to those undergoing penicilamine therapy. There was no significant correlation between blood lead and urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid previous to lead exposure. However, after lead exposure significant correlation was present at days 4, 7, 10 and 14. Certain lead exposed dogs following chelation therapy were noted to have normal blood lead levels but elevated urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid suggesting that blood lead does not always correlate with metabolic effects of lead in the body. Urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid was therefore recommended as an additional laboratory parameter which improved assessment of lead exposure in dogs, particularly in determining adequacy of chelation therapy. PMID:667707

  14. Urine Cytology

    MedlinePlus

    ... types of cells were found in your urine sample. You may need to repeat the test. Negative. This means no cancer cells were identified in your urine sample. Atypical. This indicates that some abnormalities were found ...

  15. Relationship between timed and spot urine collections for measuring phosphate excretion.

    PubMed

    Tan, Sven-Jean; Smith, Edward R; Cai, Michael M X; Holt, Stephen G; Hewitson, Tim D; Toussaint, Nigel D

    2016-01-01

    Twenty-four hour urinary phosphate excretion (UPE) reflects intestinal phosphate absorption in steady state and may be more informative than serum phosphate (sPi) when assessing phosphate homoeostasis clinically. Timed urine collections are cumbersome and prone to collection errors. Spot urine phosphate/creatinine ratio (uPiCr) may be a useful, simple surrogate for 24-h UPE, but requires further validation. This study aimed to determine the relationship between uPiCr and 24-h UPE. This single-centre cross-sectional study examined contemporaneous serum, spot urine and 24-h urine. Serum biochemistry was analysed. Urine phosphate concentration (uPi) and creatinine concentration (uCr) were measured in spot and 24-h urine collections. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between spot uPiCr and UPE. Backward multivariate analysis was undertaken for UPE prediction. One hundred and sixteen participants (77 with kidney disease and 39 healthy volunteers) were studied. Seventy-four (63.8 %) were male. Median (IQR) age was 61(49-71) years. Median (IQR) spot uPiCr and total UPE were 1.7 (1.3-2.2) mmol/mmol and 25.8 (19.9-35.0) mmol/d, respectively. There was no correlation between spot uPiCr and 24-h UPE (R = 0.064, P = 0.51) but spot uPi significantly correlated with 24-h UPE (R = 0.385, P < 0.001). Although spot and 24-h measures of phosphate handling correlated (all P < 0.001), Bland-Altman analysis revealed bias between collection techniques. UPE prediction model using the independent variables of eGFR, sPi, albumin and spot uPi provided R (2) = 0.443. No direct correlation was noted between spot uPiCr and 24-h UPE. Normalization of uPi to uCr on spot urine samples may be inappropriate when evaluating urinary phosphate excretion in adults and thus, a spot uPiCr is not a suitable surrogate for measuring UPE. A UPE prediction model utilising spot urine biochemistry cannot be advocated at present.

  16. Measurement of vitamin D3 metabolites in smelter workers exposed to lead and cadmium

    PubMed Central

    Chalkley, S. R.; Richmond, J.; Barltrop, D.

    1998-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of lead and cadmium on the metabolic pathway of vitamin D3. METHODS: Blood and urinary cadmium and urinary total proteins were measured in 59 smelter workers occupationally exposed to lead and cadmium. In 19 of these workers, the plasma vitamin D3 metabolites, (25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25 OHD3), 24R, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (24R,25(OH)2D3) and 1 alpha,25- dihydroxycholecalciferol (1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3)) were measured together with blood lead. Vitamin D3 metabolites were measured by radioimmunoassay, (RIA), lead and cadmium by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and total proteins with a test kit. RESULTS: Ranges for plasma 25(OH)D3, 24R,25(OH)2D3 and 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 were 1.0-51.9 ng/ml, 0.6-5.8 ng/ml, and 0.1-75.7 pg/ml, respectively. Ranges for blood lead were 1-3.7 mumol/l, (21-76 micrograms/dl), blood cadmium 6- 145 nmol/l, and urinary cadmium 3-161 nmol/l. Total proteins in random urine samples were 2.1-32.6 mg/dl. Concentrations of lead and cadmium in blood showed no correlation (correlation coefficient -0.265) but there was a highly significant correlation between blood and urinary cadmium. Concentrations for 24R,25(OH)2D3 were depressed below the normal range as blood and urinary cadmium increased, irrespective of lead concentrations. High cadmium concentrations were associated with decreased plasma 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 when lead concentrations were < 1.9 mumol/l and with above normal plasma 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 when lead concentrations were > 1.9 mumol/l, Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (K-W ANOVA) chi 2 = 10.3, p = 0.006. Plasma 25(OH)D3 was negatively correlated with both urinary total proteins and urinary cadmium, but showed no correlation with plasma 24R,25(OH)2D3, 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3, blood lead, or blood cadmium. CONCLUSION: Continuous long term exposure to cadmium may result in a state of equilibrium between blood and urinary cadmium. Cadmium concentrations in blood could be predicted from the cadmium

  17. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of urine by an ingenious near-infrared Raman spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Shangyuan; Chen, Weiwei; Li, Yongzeng; Chen, Guannan; Huang, Zufang; Liao, Xiaohua; Xie, Zhiming; Chen, Rong

    2007-11-01

    This paper demonstrates the potential of an elaborately devised near-infrared Raman system in analysis of urine. The broad band in the long-wavelength region of the electronic absorption spectra of the sol with added adsorbent at certain concentrations has been explained in terms of the aggregation of the colloidal silver particles. We have reported the surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) spectra of urine, and studied the silver solution enhanced effects on the urine Raman scattering. The Raman bands of human's urine was assigned to certain molecule vibrations. We have found that different donators have dissimilar SERS of urine in different physiological condition. Comparatively few studies have explored the ability of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of urine acid. In the present report, we investigated the ability of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy to measure uric acid in the human urine. The results suggested that the present Raman system holds considerable promise for practical use. Practical applications such as the quantitative medical examination of urine metabolites may also be feasible in the near future.

  18. The efficacy of semi-quantitative urine protein-to-creatinine (P/C) ratio for the detection of significant proteinuria in urine specimens in health screening settings.

    PubMed

    Chang, Chih-Chun; Su, Ming-Jang; Ho, Jung-Li; Tsai, Yu-Hui; Tsai, Wei-Ting; Lee, Shu-Jene; Yen, Tzung-Hai; Chu, Fang-Yeh

    2016-01-01

    Urine protein detection could be underestimated using the conventional dipstick method because of variations in urine aliquots. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the semi-quantitative urine protein-to-creatinine (P/C) ratio compared with other laboratory methods. Random urine samples were requested from patients undergoing chronic kidney disease screening. Significant proteinuria was determined by the quantitative P/C ratio of at least 150 mg protein/g creatinine. The semi-quantitative P/C ratio, dipstick protein and quantitative protein concentrations were compared and analyzed. In the 2932 urine aliquots, 156 (5.3 %) urine samples were considered as diluted and 60 (39.2 %) were found as significant proteinuria. The semi-quantitative P/C ratio testing had the best sensitivity (70.0 %) and specificity (95.9 %) as well as the lowest underestimation rate (0.37 %) when compared to other laboratory methods in the study. In the semi-quantitative P/C ratio test, 19 (12.2 %) had positive, 52 (33.3 %) had diluted, and 85 (54.5 %) had negative results. Of those with positive results, 7 (36.8 %) were positive detected by traditional dipstick urine protein test, and 9 (47.4 %) were positive detected by quantitative urine protein test. Additionally, of those with diluted results, 25 (48.1 %) had significant proteinuria, and all were assigned as no significant proteinuria by both tests. The semi-quantitative urine P/C ratio is clinically applicable based on its better sensitivity and screening ability for significant proteinuria than other laboratory methods, particularly in diluted urine samples. To establish an effective strategy for CKD prevention, urine protein screening with semi-quantitative P/C ratio could be considered.

  19. Biological monitoring of glazers exposed to lead in the ceramics industry in Iran.

    PubMed

    Shouroki, Fatemeh Kargar; Shahtaheri, Seyed Jamaleddin; Golbabaei, Farideh; Barkhordari, Abolfazle; Rahimi-Froushani, Abbas

    2015-01-01

    Exposure to heavy metals, particularly lead, takes place in the ceramics industry. Lead is used in glaze to produce smooth and brilliant surfaces; thus, there is a likelihood of occupational adverse effects on humans. Urine samples were collected from 49 glazers at the start and end of the work shifts (98 samples). Solid phase extraction was used for separation and pre-concentration of the analyte. Samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Lung function tests were performed on both control and lead exposed subjects. Statistical analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to evaluate the data obtained. The concentration of lead in glazers was 6.37 times higher than in the control group. Lung functions were significantly lower in the glazers compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Results showed that poor ventilation systems, overtime work and work history are effective determinants of high exposure levels.

  20. Impact of bone lead and bone resorption on plasma and whole blood lead levels during pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Téllez-Rojo, Martha María; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio; Lamadrid-Figueroa, Héctor; Smith, Donald; Hernández-Cadena, Leticia; Mercado, Adriana; Aro, Antonio; Schwartz, Joel; Hu, Howard

    2004-10-01

    The authors tested the hypotheses that maternal bone lead burden is associated with increasing maternal whole blood and plasma lead levels over the course of pregnancy and that this association is modified by rates of maternal bone resorption. A total of 193 Mexican women were evaluated (1997-1999) in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. Whole blood lead and plasma lead levels were measured in each trimester. Urine was analyzed for cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTx) of type I collagen, a biomarker of bone resorption. Patella and tibia lead levels were measured at 4 weeks postpartum. The relation between whole blood, plasma, and bone lead and NTx was assessed using mixed models. Plasma lead concentrations followed a U-shape, while NTx levels increased significantly during pregnancy. In a multivariate model, the authors observed a significant and positive interaction between NTx and bone lead when plasma lead was used as the outcome variable. Dietary calcium intake was inversely associated with plasma lead. Results for whole blood lead were similar but less pronounced. These results confirm previous evidence that bone resorption increases during pregnancy, with a consequential significant release of lead from bone, constituting an endogenous source of prenatal exposure. They also provide a rationale for testing strategies (e.g., nutritional supplementation with calcium) aimed at decreasing prenatal lead exposure.

  1. Microdetermination of urea in urine using p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde /PDAB/

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Geiger, P. J.

    1969-01-01

    Adaptation of the p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde method for determining urea concentration in urine is an improved micromechanical method. Accuracy and precision are satisfactory. This method avoids extra steps of deproteinizing or removing normal urinary chromogens.

  2. Urine Monitoring System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feedback, Daniel L.; Cibuzar, Branelle R.

    2009-01-01

    The Urine Monitoring System (UMS) is a system designed to collect an individual crewmember's void, gently separate urine from air, accurately measure void volume, allow for void sample acquisition, and discharge remaining urine into the Waste Collector Subsystem (WCS) onboard the International Space Station. The Urine Monitoring System (UMS) is a successor design to the existing Space Shuttle system and will resolve anomalies such as: liquid carry-over, inaccurate void volume measurements, and cross contamination in void samples. The crew will perform an evaluation of airflow at the ISS UMS urinal hose interface, a calibration evaluation, and a full user interface evaluation. o The UMS can be used to facilitate non-invasive methods for monitoring crew health, evaluation of countermeasures, and implementation of a variety of biomedical research protocols on future exploration missions.

  3. Copper, lead and zinc concentrations of human breast milk as affected by maternal dietary practices

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Umoren, J.; Kies, C.

    1986-03-01

    Maternal dietary practices have been found to affect the concentrations of some nutrients in human breast milk. Lead toxicity is a concern in young children. Lead, copper and zinc are thought to compete for intestinal absorption sites. The objective of the current project was to compare copper, lead and zinc contents of breast milk from practicing lacto-vegetarian and omnivore, lactating women at approximately four months post-partum. Analyses were done by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using a carbon rod attachment. Copper concentrations were higher in milk samples from lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Milk samples from the omnivores had the highest lead and zinc concentrations. Leadmore » and copper concentrations in milk were negatively correlated. The higher zinc concentrations in the milk of the omnivore women may have been related to better utilization of zinc from meat than from plant food sources.« less

  4. Excretion profile of boldenone in urine of veal calves fed two different milk replacers.

    PubMed

    Draisci, R; Merlanti, R; Ferretti, G; Fantozzi, L; Ferranti, C; Capolongo, F; Segato, S; Montesissa, C

    2007-03-14

    The residue profiles of 17alpha-/17beta-boldenone conjugated (17alpha/beta-Bol) and ADD were investigated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in urine of male veal calves fed two commercial milk replacers, with different content of cholesterol and phytosterols. The urine samples were collected within 4 h after feeding and further from all the animals. Detectable amounts of 17alpha-Bol conjugated were measured in urine collected from all calves, but the concentrations of 17alpha-Bol were higher in urine from calves receiving the milk replacer with the greater amount of phytosterols. During the whole experiment, 17beta-Bol and ADD were never detected in urine samples collected.

  5. Comparative study of CTX-II, Zn2+, and Ca2+ from the urine for knee osteoarthritis patients and healthy individuals

    PubMed Central

    Xin, Linwei; Wu, Zhihai; Qu, Quanli; Wang, Ruiying; Tang, Jichun; Chen, Lei

    2017-01-01

    Abstract The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the concentration of C-telopeptide fragments of type II collagen (CTX-II), Zn2+, and Ca2+ in urine and knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Eighty-two patients with KOA and 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Anteroposterior and lateral position x-rays of knee joints were collected. The images were classified according to Kellgren-Lawrence radiographic grading criterion. The patients were divided into group grade I, group grade II, group grade III, and grade IV. The concentration of CTX-II in the urine was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The concentration of Zn2+ and Ca2+ in urine was detected by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Compared with the healthy individuals, the concentration of CTX-II was significantly higher in KOA patients. The concentration of CTX-II in KOA patients from high to low was as follows: group IV, group III, group II, and group I. There was no significant difference between group I and healthy individuals. The concentration of Zn2+ and Ca2+ in urine of KOA patients was higher than that in healthy individuals. There was no difference in each KOA group. The concentration of CTX-II is instrumental to diagnose the progress of KOA. The concentration of Zn2+ and Ca2+ in urine is helpful for early diagnosis of KOA. PMID:28796042

  6. The Critical Importance of Urinary Concentrating Ability in the Generation of Urinary Carbon Dioxide Tension

    PubMed Central

    Arruda, Jose A. L.; Nascimento, Luiz; Mehta, Pradeep K.; Rademacher, Donald R.; Sehy, John T.; Westenfelder, Christof; Kurtzman, Neil A.

    1977-01-01

    Measurement of urine to blood (U-B) carbon dioxide tension (PCO2) gradient during alkalinization of the urine has been suggested to assess distal H+ secretion. A fact that has not been considered in previous studies dealing with urinary PCO2 is that dissolution of HCO3 in water results in elevation of PCO2 which is directly proportional to the HCO3 concentration. To investigate the interrelationship of urinary HCO3 and urinary acidification, we measured U-B PCO2 in (a) the presence of enhanced H+ secretion and decreased concentrating ability i.e., chronic renal failure (CRF), (b) animals with normal H+ secretion and decreased concentrating ability, Brattleboro (BB) rats, and (c) the presence of both impaired H+ secretion and concentrating ability (LiCl treatment and after release of unilateral ureteral obstruction). At moderately elevated plasma HCO3 levels (30-40 meq/liter), normal rats achieved a highly alkaline urine (urine pH > 7.8) and raised urine HCO3 concentration and U-B PCO2. At similar plasma HCO3 levels, BB rats had a much higher fractional water excretion and failed to raise urine pH, urine HCO3 concentration, and U-B PCO2 normally. At a very high plasma HCO3 (>50 meq/liter), BB rats raised urine pH, urine HCO3 concentration, and U-B PCO2 to the same levels seen in normals. CRF rats failed to raise urine pH, urine HCO3, and U-B PCO2 normally at moderately elevated plasma HCO3 levels; at very high plasma HCO3 levels, CRF rats achieved a highly alkaline urine but failed to raise U-B PCO2. Dogs and patients with CRF were also unable to raise urine pH, urine HCO3 concentration, and U-B PCO2 normally at moderately elevated plasma HCO3 levels. In rats, dogs, and man, U-B PCO2 was directly related to urine HCO3 concentration and inversely related to fractional water excretion. At moderately elevated plasma HCO3 levels, animals with a distal acidification defect failed to raise U-B PCO2; increasing the plasma HCO3 to very high levels resulted in a significant

  7. 21 CFR 862.3550 - Lead test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... Lead test system. (a) Identification. A lead test system is a device intended to measure lead, a heavy metal, in blood and urine. Measurements obtained by this device are used in the diagnosis and treatment...

  8. 21 CFR 862.3550 - Lead test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... Lead test system. (a) Identification. A lead test system is a device intended to measure lead, a heavy metal, in blood and urine. Measurements obtained by this device are used in the diagnosis and treatment...

  9. 21 CFR 862.3550 - Lead test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Lead test system. (a) Identification. A lead test system is a device intended to measure lead, a heavy metal, in blood and urine. Measurements obtained by this device are used in the diagnosis and treatment...

  10. 21 CFR 862.3550 - Lead test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Lead test system. (a) Identification. A lead test system is a device intended to measure lead, a heavy metal, in blood and urine. Measurements obtained by this device are used in the diagnosis and treatment...

  11. 21 CFR 862.3550 - Lead test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... Lead test system. (a) Identification. A lead test system is a device intended to measure lead, a heavy metal, in blood and urine. Measurements obtained by this device are used in the diagnosis and treatment...

  12. Human urine as test material in 1H NMR-based metabonomics: recommendations for sample preparation and storage.

    PubMed

    Lauridsen, Michael; Hansen, Steen H; Jaroszewski, Jerzy W; Cornett, Claus

    2007-02-01

    Metabonomic approaches are believed to have the capability of revolutionizing diagnosis of diseases and assessment of patient conditions after medical interventions. In order to ensure comparability of metabonomic 1H NMR data from different studies, we suggest validated sample preparation guidelines for human urine based on a stability study that evaluates effects of storage time and temperature, freeze-drying, and the presence of preservatives. The results indicated that human urine samples should be stored at or below -25 degrees C, as no changes in the 1H NMR fingerprints have been observed during storage at this temperature for 26 weeks. Formation of acetate, presumably due to microbial contamination, was occasionally observed in samples stored at 4 degrees C without addition of a preservative. Addition of a preserving agent is not mandatory provided that the samples are stored at -25 degrees C. Thus, no differences were observed between 1H NMR spectra of nonpreserved urines and urines with added sodium azide and stored at -25 degrees C, whereas the presence of sodium fluoride caused a shift of especially citrate resonances. Freeze-drying of urine and reconstitution in D2O at pH 7.4 resulted in the disappearance of the creatinine CH2 signal at delta 4.06 due to deuteration. A study evaluating the effects of phosphate buffer concentration on signal variability and assessment of the probability of citrate or creatinine resonances crossing bucket border (a boundary between adjacent integrated regions) led to the conclusion that a minimum buffer concentration of 0.3 M is adequate for normal urines used in this study. However, final buffer concentration of 1 M will be required for very concentrated urines.

  13. The Analysis of Riboflavin in Urine Using Fluorescence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henderleiter, Julie A.; Hyslop, Richard M.

    1996-06-01

    To become functional as scientists, chemistry students must integrate concepts learned in their classes and apply them to novel, "real life" situations. The laboratory provides an important place for the students to practice integrating concepts. This laboratory experiment, designed for undergraduate biochemistry students, requires each student to determine the amount of riboflavin excreted by his/her body following oral administration of riboflavin contained in a multi-vitamin tablet. The experimental procedure describes a protocol for the analysis of riboflavin concentration in urine using a fluorometric assay. The students must draw upon their knowledge of solution preparation, construction of a standard curve, and back-calculation procedures to determine the concentration of riboflavin in their urine. Students need to combine knowledge from general and analytical chemistry with that learned in biochemistry to complete this analysis, thus providing an opportunity to integrate knowledge while answering a novel question.

  14. Mobilisation of heavy metals into the urine by CaEDTA: relation to erythrocyte and plasma concentrations and exposure indicators.

    PubMed

    Araki, S; Aono, H; Murata, K

    1986-09-01

    To investigate the effects of calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate (CaEDTA) on the urinary excretion, erythrocyte, and plasma concentrations and exposure indicators of seven heavy metals, CaEDTA was administered by intravenous infusion to 20 workers exposed to lead, zinc, and copper. The workers' blood lead concentrations ranged from 22 to 59 micrograms/dl (mean 38 micrograms/dl (1.8 mumol/l]. The 24 hour urinary excretion of metals after CaEDTA administration (mobilisation yield) was on average 13 times the background excretion for lead, 11 times for zinc, 3.8 times for manganese, 3.4 times for cadmium, 1.3 times for copper, and 1.1 times for chromium; no significant increase was found for mercury. The mobilisation yield of lead (MPb) was significantly correlated with whole blood and erythrocyte concentrations and the urinary excretion of lead but not with its plasma concentration; similarly, the mobilisation yield of cadmium was significantly correlated with its erythrocyte concentration. In addition, MPb was significantly correlated with intra-erythrocytic enzyme delta-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase activity and urinary coproporphyrin excretion. The relation between the mobilisation yield of heavy metals and their body burden (and toxic signs) is discussed in the light of these findings.

  15. Mobilisation of heavy metals into the urine by CaEDTA: relation to erythrocyte and plasma concentrations and exposure indicators.

    PubMed Central

    Araki, S; Aono, H; Murata, K

    1986-01-01

    To investigate the effects of calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate (CaEDTA) on the urinary excretion, erythrocyte, and plasma concentrations and exposure indicators of seven heavy metals, CaEDTA was administered by intravenous infusion to 20 workers exposed to lead, zinc, and copper. The workers' blood lead concentrations ranged from 22 to 59 micrograms/dl (mean 38 micrograms/dl (1.8 mumol/l]. The 24 hour urinary excretion of metals after CaEDTA administration (mobilisation yield) was on average 13 times the background excretion for lead, 11 times for zinc, 3.8 times for manganese, 3.4 times for cadmium, 1.3 times for copper, and 1.1 times for chromium; no significant increase was found for mercury. The mobilisation yield of lead (MPb) was significantly correlated with whole blood and erythrocyte concentrations and the urinary excretion of lead but not with its plasma concentration; similarly, the mobilisation yield of cadmium was significantly correlated with its erythrocyte concentration. In addition, MPb was significantly correlated with intra-erythrocytic enzyme delta-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase activity and urinary coproporphyrin excretion. The relation between the mobilisation yield of heavy metals and their body burden (and toxic signs) is discussed in the light of these findings. PMID:3092853

  16. Determination of glucose in human urine by cyclic voltammetry method using gold electrode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riyanto; Supwatul Hakim, Muh.

    2018-01-01

    This study has been the determination of glucose in human urine by cyclic voltammetry method using gold electrode. The gold electrode was prepared using gold wire with purity 99.99%, size 1.0 mm by length and wide respectively, connected with silver wire using silver conductive paint. The effect of electrolyte, pH and glucose concentration has been determined to produce the optimum method. The research showed the KNO3 is a good electrolyte for determination of glucose in human urine using gold electrode. The effect of glucose concentration have the coefficient correlation is R2 = 0.994. The results of the recovery using addition method showed at range95-105%. As a conclusion isa gold electrode is a good electrode for electrochemical sensors to the determination of glucose in human urine.

  17. The use of sweat to monitor lead absorption through the skin.

    PubMed

    Lilley, S G; Florence, T M; Stauber, J L

    1988-10-15

    It is usually assumed that lead can be absorbed through the skin only if it is present as an organolead compound such as tetraethyllead or lead naphthanate. It has been found, however, that finely-powdered lead metal or lead nitrate solution placed on the skin results in rapid absorption of lead, and transport of the metal around the body. The absorbed lead appears in sweat and saliva, but not in blood or urine. The application of 6 mg of lead as 0.5 M lead nitrate to the left arm resulted in an increase in lead concentration in pilocarpine-induced iontophoresis sweat samples taken from the right arm, from an initial value of 15-25 micrograms Pbl-1 to greater than 300 micrograms Pbl-1 after 2 days. Saliva lead increased from 2.5 to 15 micrograms Pbl-1 in the same period. The rate of lead absorption through the skin increases with increased sweating of the skin. Since no measurable increase in blood lead has been found, the lead must be transported in the plasma and rapidly concentrated into the extracellular fluid pool (sweat and saliva), without significant uptake by the erythrocytes, and with a very low transient concentration in the plasma. Workers occupationally exposed to lead have extremely high levels of lead in sweat even though their lead in blood is only moderately elevated. Lead absorbed through the skin may be eliminated via sweat and other extracellular fluids, and hence not be as great a health hazard as ingested lead, but this will need to be proved by further studies.

  18. Energy efficient reconcentration of diluted human urine using ion exchange membranes in bioelectrochemical systems.

    PubMed

    Tice, Ryan C; Kim, Younggy

    2014-11-01

    Nutrients can be recovered from source separated human urine; however, nutrient reconcentration (i.e., volume reduction of collected urine) requires energy-intensive treatment processes, making it practically difficult to utilize human urine. In this study, energy-efficient nutrient reconcentration was demonstrated using ion exchange membranes (IEMs) in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) where substrate oxidation at the MEC anode provides energy for the separation of nutrient ions (e.g., NH4(+), HPO4(2-)). The rate of nutrient separation was magnified with increasing number of IEM pairs and electric voltage application (Eap). Ammonia and phosphate were reconcentrated from diluted human urine by a factor of up to 4.5 and 3.0, respectively (Eap = 1.2 V; 3-IEM pairs). The concentrating factor increased with increasing degrees of volume reduction, but it remained stationary when the volume ratio between the diluate (urine solution that is diluted in the IEM stack) and concentrate (urine solution that is reconcentrated) was 6 or greater. The energy requirement normalized by the mass of nutrient reconcentrated was 6.48 MJ/kg-N (1.80 kWh/kg-N) and 117.6 MJ/kg-P (32.7 kWh/kg-P). In addition to nutrient separation, the examined MEC reactor with three IEM pairs showed 54% removal of COD (chemical oxygen demand) in 47-hr batch operation. The high sulfate concentration in human urine resulted in substantial growth of both of acetate-oxidizing and H2-oxidizing sulfate reducing bacteria, greatly diminishing the energy recovery and Coulombic efficiency. However, the high microbial activity of sulfate reducing bacteria hardly affected the rate of nutrient reconcentration. With the capability to reconcentrate nutrients at a minimal energy consumption and simultaneous COD removal, the examined bioelectrochemical treatment method with an IEM application has a potential for practical nutrient recovery and sustainable treatment of source-separated human urine. Copyright © 2014

  19. The examination of urine samples for pathogenic microbes by the luciferase assay for ATP. 1: The effect of the presence of fungi, fungal like bacteria and kidney cells in urine samples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bush, V. N.

    1973-01-01

    A method for accurately determining urinary tract infections in man is introduced. The method is based on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration in urine samples after removing nonbacterial ATP. Adenosine triphosphate concentration is measured from the bioluminescent reaction of luciferase when mixed with ATP. An examination was also made of the effectiveness of rupturing agents on monkey kidney cells Candia albicans, a Rhodotorula species, and a Streptomyces species in determining whether these cells could contribute ATP to the bacterial ATP value of a urine sample.

  20. Quantification of chromatographic effects of vitamin B supplementation in urine and implications for hydration assessment.

    PubMed

    Kenefick, Robert W; Heavens, K R; Dennis, W E; Caruso, E M; Guerriere, K I; Charkoudian, N; Cheuvront, S N

    2015-07-15

    Changes in body water elicit reflex adjustments at the kidney, thus maintaining fluid volume homeostasis. These renal adjustments change the concentration and color of urine, variables that can, in turn, be used as biomarkers of hydration status. It has been suggested that vitamin supplementation alters urine color; it is unclear whether any such alteration would confound hydration assessment via colorimetric evaluation. We tested the hypothesis that overnight vitamin B2 and/or B12 supplementation alters urine color as a marker of hydration status. Thirty healthy volunteers were monitored during a 3-day euhydrated baseline, confirmed via first morning nude body mass, urine specific gravity, and urine osmolality. Volunteers then randomly received B2 (n = 10), B12 (n = 10), or B2 + B12 (n = 10) at ∼200 × recommended dietary allowance. Euhydration was verified on trial days (two of the following: body mass ± 1.0% of the mean of visits 1-3, urine specific gravity < 1.02, urine osmolality < 700 mmol/kg). Vitamin purity and urinary B2 concentration ([B2]) and [B12] were quantified via ultraperformance liquid chromatography. Two independent observers assessed urine color using an eight-point standardized color chart. Following supplementation, urinary [B2] was elevated; however, urine color was not different between nonsupplemented and supplemented trials. For example, in the B2 trial, urinary [B2] increased from 8.6 × 10(4) ± 7.7 × 10(4) to 5.7 × 10(6) ± 5.3 × 10(6) nmol/l (P < 0.05), and urine color went from 4 ± 1 to 5 ± 1 (P > 0.05). Both conditions met the euhydrated color classification. We conclude that a large overnight dose of vitamins B2 and B12 does not confound assessment of euhydrated status via urine color. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  1. Genital region cleansing wipes: Effects on urine culture contamination.

    PubMed

    Selek, Mehmet Burak; Bektöre, Bayhan; Sezer, Ogün; Kula Atik, Tuğba; Baylan, Orhan; Özyurt, Mustafa

    2017-01-30

    Urine culture is the gold standard test for revealing the microbial agent causing urinary tract infection (UTI). Culture results are affected by sampling techniques; improper sampling leads to contamination of urine and thus contamination of the culture with urogenital flora. We aimed to evaluate the effect of urogenital cleansing, performed with chlorhexidine-containing genital region cleansing wipes (GRCW) on contamination rates. A total of 2,665 patients with UTI-related complaints and with urine culture requests from various outpatient clinics were enrolled in the study. Of the patients, 1,609 in the experimental group used GRCW before sampling, while 1,046 in the control group did not use any wipes. The contamination rate in the experimental group patients was 7.7%, while it was 15.8% in the control group. Contamination rates were significantly higher in the control group than in the experimental group for both women and men. Contamination rates for children and adults were also significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Our study, conducted in a large population, showed that the use of chlorhexidine-containing cleansing wipes significantly reduced urine culture contamination rates in both genders, in both child and adult age groups. Using GRCW, collection of urine after urogenital area cleansing will decrease the contamination problem.

  2. [Comparative measurement of urine specific gravity: reagent strips, refractometry and hydrometry].

    PubMed

    Costa, Christian Elías; Bettendorff, Carolina; Bupo, Sol; Ayuso, Sandra; Vallejo, Graciela

    2010-06-01

    The urine specific gravity is commonly used in clinical practice to measure the renal concentration/dilution ability. Measurement can be performed by three methods: hydrometry, refractometry and reagent strips. To assess the accuracy of different methods to measure urine specific gravity. We analyzed 156 consecutive urine samples of pediatric patients during April and May 2007. Urine specific gravity was measured by hydrometry (UD), refractometry (RE) and reagent strips (TR), simultaneously. Urine osmolarity was considered as the gold standard and was measured by freezing point depression. Correlation between different methods was calculated by simple linear regression. A positive and acceptable correlation was found with osmolarity for the RE as for the UD (r= 0.81 and r= 0.86, respectively). The reagent strips presented low correlation (r= 0.46). Also, we found good correlation between measurements obtained by UD and RE (r= 0.89). Measurements obtained by TR, however, had bad correlation when compared to UD (r= 0.46). Higher values of specific gravity were observed when measured with RE with respect to UD. Reagent strips are not reliable for measuring urine specific gravity and should not be used as an usual test. However, hydrometry and refractometry are acceptable alternatives for measuring urine specific gravity, as long as the same method is used for follow-up.

  3. Development of an Advanced Recycle Filter Tank Assembly for the ISS Urine Processor Assembly

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Link, Dwight E., Jr.; Carter, Donald Layne; Higbie, Scott

    2010-01-01

    Recovering water from urine is a process that is critical to supporting larger crews for extended missions aboard the International Space Station. Urine is collected, preserved, and stored for processing into water and a concentrated brine solution that is highly toxic and must be contained to avoid exposure to the crew. The brine solution is collected in an accumulator tank, called a Recycle Filter Tank Assembly (RFTA) that must be replaced monthly and disposed in order to continue urine processing operations. In order to reduce resupply requirements, a new accumulator tank is being developed that can be emptied on orbit into existing ISS waste tanks. The new tank, called the Advanced Recycle Filter Tank Assembly (ARFTA) is a metal bellows tank that is designed to collect concentrated brine solution and empty by applying pressure to the bellows. This paper discusses the requirements and design of the ARFTA as well as integration into the urine processor assembly.

  4. Lead and cadmium concentrations in seawater and algae of the Tunisian coast.

    PubMed

    El Ati-Hellal, M; Hedhili, A; Hellal, F; Boujlel, K; Dachraoui, M; Bousnina, M; Ghorbel, H; Ndhif, M

    2005-01-01

    Both lead and cadmium are toxic trace metals, even in very weak concentrations. The aim of this study was to estimate lead and cadmium pollution in various sites of the Tunisian coast and to verify the possibility of modification of the algae bioconcentration power according to water physico-chemical conditions. Our study concerned 99 samples of algae and 99 samples of seawater, taken in different sites of the Tunisian littoral. The analysis was realized by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (oven graphite). In algae, Sfax site presented the highest concentrations of lead when Sousse site showed the lowest ones. In seawater, the most amounts of lead were observed in Bizerte, Mahdia and Sfax sites, and those of cadmium in Bizerte and Medenine coasts. Bizerte's coast seems to be the most exposed zone to pollution. Indeed, the intensification of sea traffic may take place on this pollution because hydrocarbons derived from petroleum contain some tetraethylic lead characterised by its great toxicity. Sousse's region is the least polluted zone; it might be due to the development of tourism and a strict regulation of pollution in this district.

  5. The potential of at-home prediction of the formation of urolithiasis by simple multi-frequency electrical conductivity of the urine and the comparison of its performance with urine ion-related indices, color and specific gravity.

    PubMed

    Silverio, Angelito A; Chung, Wen-Yaw; Cheng, Cheanyeh; Wang, Hai-Lung; Kung, Chien-Min; Chen, Jun; Tsai, Vincent F S

    2016-04-01

    It is important to control daily diet, water intake and life style as well as monitor the quality of urine for urolithiasis prevention. For decades, many ion-related indices have been developed for predicting the formation of urinary stones or urolithiasis, such as EQUILs, relative supersaturation (RSS), Tiselius indices (TI), Robertson risk factor algorithms (RRFA) and more recently, the Bonn risk index. However, they mostly demand robust laboratory analysis, are work-intensive, and even require complex computational programs to get the concentration patterns of several urine analytes. A simple and fast platform for measuring multi-frequency electrical conductivity (MFEC) of morning spot urine (random urine) to predict the onset of urolithiasis was implemented in this study. The performance thereof was compared to ion-related indices, urine color and specific gravity. The concentrations of relevant ions, color, specific gravity (SG) and MFEC (MFEC tested at 1, 10, 100, 5001 KHz and 1 MHz) of 80 random urine samples were examined after collection. Then, the urine samples were stored at 4 °C for 24 h to determine whether sedimentation would occur or not. Ion-activity product index of calcium oxalate (AP(CaOx) EQ2) was calculated. The correlation between AP(CaOx) EQ2, urine color, SG and MFEC were analyzed. AP(CaOx) EQ2, urine color and MFEC (at 5 frequencies) all demonstrated good prediction (p = 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, respectively) for stone formation. The positive correlation between AP(CaOx) EQ2 and MFEC is also significant (p = 0.01). MFEC provides a good metric for predicting the onset of urolithiasis, which is comparable to conventional ion-related indices and urine color. This technology can be implemented with much ease for objectively monitoring the quality of urine at points-of-care or at home.

  6. Maple syrup urine disease: mechanisms and management.

    PubMed

    Blackburn, Patrick R; Gass, Jennifer M; Vairo, Filippo Pinto E; Farnham, Kristen M; Atwal, Herjot K; Macklin, Sarah; Klee, Eric W; Atwal, Paldeep S

    2017-01-01

    Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by defects in the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, which results in elevations of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in plasma, α-ketoacids in urine, and production of the pathognomonic disease marker, alloisoleucine. The disorder varies in severity and the clinical spectrum is quite broad with five recognized clinical variants that have no known association with genotype. The classic presentation occurs in the neonatal period with developmental delay, failure to thrive, feeding difficulties, and maple syrup odor in the cerumen and urine, and can lead to irreversible neurological complications, including stereotypical movements, metabolic decompensation, and death if left untreated. Treatment consists of dietary restriction of BCAAs and close metabolic monitoring. Clinical outcomes are generally good in patients where treatment is initiated early. Newborn screening for MSUD is now commonplace in the United States and is included on the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). We review this disorder including its presentation, screening and clinical diagnosis, treatment, and other relevant aspects pertaining to the care of patients.

  7. Maple syrup urine disease: mechanisms and management

    PubMed Central

    Farnham, Kristen M; Atwal, Herjot K; Macklin, Sarah; Klee, Eric W; Atwal, Paldeep S

    2017-01-01

    Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by defects in the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, which results in elevations of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in plasma, α-ketoacids in urine, and production of the pathognomonic disease marker, alloisoleucine. The disorder varies in severity and the clinical spectrum is quite broad with five recognized clinical variants that have no known association with genotype. The classic presentation occurs in the neonatal period with developmental delay, failure to thrive, feeding difficulties, and maple syrup odor in the cerumen and urine, and can lead to irreversible neurological complications, including stereotypical movements, metabolic decompensation, and death if left untreated. Treatment consists of dietary restriction of BCAAs and close metabolic monitoring. Clinical outcomes are generally good in patients where treatment is initiated early. Newborn screening for MSUD is now commonplace in the United States and is included on the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). We review this disorder including its presentation, screening and clinical diagnosis, treatment, and other relevant aspects pertaining to the care of patients. PMID:28919799

  8. Minimum urine flow rate during water deprivation: importance of the nonurea versus total osmolality in the inner medulla.

    PubMed

    Soroka, S D; Chayaraks, S; Cheema-Dhadli, S; Myers, J A; Rubin, S; Sonnenberg, H; Halperin, M L

    1997-06-01

    Antidiuretic hormone leads to an increase in the permeability for water and urea in the inner medullary collecting duct. Hence, urea may not be an "effective" osmole in the inner medulla during maximal renal water conservation. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether differences in the rate of urea excretion would influence maximum renal water conservation in humans. In water-deprived rats, the concentration of urea and total osmolality were somewhat higher in the urine exiting the inner medullary collecting duct than in interstitial fluid obtained from the entire papillary tip. Nevertheless, the "nonurea" (total osmolality minus urea in millimolar terms) osmolality was virtually identical in both locations. Chronically fasted human subjects that were water-deprived for 16 h had a lower rate of urea excretion (71 +/- 7 versus 225 +/- 14 mumol/min) and a somewhat lower urine osmolality (745 +/- 53 versus 918 +/- 20 mosmol/kg H2O). Nevertheless, they had identical urine flow rates (0.5 +/- 0.01 and 0.5 +/- 0.02 ml/min, respectively), and their nonurea osmolality also was similar (587 +/- 25 and 475 +/- 14 mosmol/kg H2O, respectively) to the water-deprived normal subjects. The composition of their urine differed in that the principal nonurea osmoles became NH4+ and beta-hydroxybutyrate rather than Na and C1. During water deprivation in normal subjects, the ingestion of urea caused a twofold rise in urine flow rate, a fall in the nonurea osmolality, and a rise in the rate of excretion of nonurea osmoles. The nonurea osmolality of the urine, and presumably the medullary interstitial fluid as well, was inversely related to the urea excretion rate. In chronic fasting, the nature, but not the quantity, of nonurea osmoles changed. The similar minimum urine volume was predictable from an analysis based on nonurea osmole considerations.

  9. Urine Odor

    MedlinePlus

    ... doctor. Brunzel NA. Physical examination of urine. In: Fundamentals of Urine and Body Fluid Analysis. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders Elsevier; 2013:97. McPherson RA, et al., eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: ...

  10. Measurement of natural carbon isotopic composition of acetone in human urine.

    PubMed

    Yamada, Keita; Ohishi, Kazuki; Gilbert, Alexis; Akasaka, Mai; Yoshida, Naohiro; Yoshimura, Ryoko

    2016-02-01

    The natural carbon isotopic composition of acetone in urine was measured in healthy subjects using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry combined with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME-GC-C-IRMS). Before applying the technique to a urine sample, we optimized the measurement conditions of HS-SPME-GC-C-IRMS using aqueous solutions of commercial acetone reagents. The optimization enabled us to determine the carbon isotopic compositions within ±0.2 ‰ of precision and ±0.3‰ of error using 0.05 or 0.2 mL of aqueous solutions with acetone concentrations of 0.3-121 mg/L. For several days, we monitored the carbon isotopic compositions and concentrations of acetone in urine from three subjects who lived a daily life with no restrictions. We also monitored one subject for 3 days including a fasting period of 24 h. These results suggest that changes in the availability of glucose in the liver are reflected in changes in the carbon isotopic compositions of urine acetone. Results demonstrate that carbon isotopic measurement of metabolites in human biological samples at natural abundance levels has great potential as a tool for detecting metabolic changes caused by changes in physiological states and disease.

  11. Hydrophobic Sand Is a Non-Toxic Method of Urine Collection, Appropriate for Urinary Metal Analysis in the Rat

    PubMed Central

    Hoffman, Jessica F.; Vergara, Vernieda B.; Mog, Steven R.; Kalinich, John F.

    2017-01-01

    Hydrophobic sand is a relatively new method of urine collection in the rodent, comparable to the established method using a metabolic cage. Urine samples are often used in rodent research, especially for biomarkers of health changes after internal contamination from embedded metals, such as in a model of a military shrapnel wound. However, little research has been done on the potential interference of hydrophobic sand with urine metal concentrations either by contamination from the sand particulate, or adsorption of metals from the urine. We compare urine collected from rats using the metabolic cage method and the hydrophobic sand method for differences in metal concentration of common urinary metals, and examine physical properties of the sand material for potential sources of contamination. We found minimal risk of internal contamination of the rat by hydrophobic sand, and no interference of the sand with several common metals of interest (cobalt, strontium, copper, and manganese), although we advise caution in studies of aluminum in urine. PMID:29051457

  12. Compatibility Testing of Non-Metallic Materials for the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) of International Space Station (ISS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wingard, Charles Doug; Munafo, Paul M. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    In the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will convert urine into potable water with the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). The urine is distilled, with the concentrated form containing about 15% brine solids, and the dilute form as a blend of pre-treated urine/wastewater. Eighteen candidate non-metallic materials for use with the UPA were tested in 2000 for compatibility with the concentrated and dilute urine solutions for continuous times of at least 30 days, and at conditions of 0.5 psia pressure and 100 F, to simulate the working UPA environment. A primary screening test for each material (virgin and conditioned) was dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in the stress relaxation mode, with the test data used to predict material performance for a 10-year use in space. Data showed that most of the candidate materials passed the compatibility testing, although a few significant changes in stress relaxation modulus were observed.

  13. Urine oxalate biological variation in patients with primary hyperoxaluria.

    PubMed

    Clifford-Mobley, Oliver; Sjögren, Anna; Lindner, Elisabeth; Rumsby, Gill

    2016-08-01

    Hyperoxaluria is a well-recognised risk factor for urolithiasis and patients with primary hyperoxaluria (PH) gradually build up calcium oxalate deposits leading to chronic kidney disease. Efforts to improve treatment for PH have focused on reducing urine oxalate excretion and thus decreasing lithogenesis. To determine the efficacy of treatments designed to alter a biochemical parameter it is necessary to know the biological and analytical variation of that parameter. In this study, we estimated the intra-individual biological variation of urine oxalate excretion in patients with PH, and from this determined what would constitute a significant change in the form of a reference change value (RCV). Each patient collected four 24-h urines on consecutive weeks. The intra-individual biological variation of oxalate excretion calculated from these samples ranged from 0 to 36 % with a mean of 14 %. The corresponding RCVs were 4-84 % with a mean of 32 %. This result implies that, on average, a reduction of almost one-third in urine oxalate excretion is required to prove an effect from treatment. The wide range of biological variation between individuals may reflect other, as yet unknown, determinants of oxaluria in PH, as well as inaccuracies in urine collection. The data suggest that it is more appropriate to use individual RCVs established prior to treatment to determine its efficacy: a relatively small fall in urine oxalate excretion may be outside the biological variation of some patients but not of others.

  14. The Effects of Different Concentrations of Lead Salts on a Variety of Crop Plants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whiteley, Liz; Gibbon, Jamie; Hofgartner, Jon; Mason, Craig; Willmetts, Helen

    2003-01-01

    An investigation is described that would be suitable for A-level or first year degree Biology or Environmental Science students. Crop plants were grown in different concentrations of lead chloride and lead nitrate. French beans, carrots and Brussels sprouts were all inhibited at concentrations over 0.01 mol dm[superscript -3] showing stunted root…

  15. [Microbiota of urine and vagina of healthy postmenopausal women (a pilot study)].

    PubMed

    Naboka, Yu L; Rymashevsky, A N; Kogan, M I; Gudima, I A; Borovleva, O A; Jalagonia, K T; Zarutskiy, S A

    2016-02-01

    Studying microbiota of different urogenital tract habitats in healthy postmenopausal women is of practical importance in deciding on the appropriateness of correction of dysbiotic disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the vaginal and urine microbiota of healthy postmenopausal women. The study included 20 healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 59,0+/-2,1 years). Duration of menopause in all subjects was more than 8 years. Bacteriological testing of urine and vaginal specimen was carried out on the extended media (15) for cultivating facultative anaerobic bacteria (FAB) and nonclostridial anaerobic bacteria (NAB) and included PCR of midstream morning urine. Among FAB in the urine and vagina dominated coagulase-negative staphylococci and NAB. Bacterial patterns of studied habitats turned out to be similar in many respects. In the urine Megasphaera spp., Veillonella spp., Prevotella spp., Mobiluncus spp., Fusobacterium spp. were found, whereas in the vagina these microorganisms were not present. Cluster analysis revealed no significant differences in the concentration of the same microorganisms isolated from the urine and vagina. When comparing the frequency of microorganism detection in urine by bacteriological method and by PCR, bacterial patterns were identical in 56% of cases.

  16. Operating a pilot-scale nitrification/distillation plant for complete nutrient recovery from urine.

    PubMed

    Fumasoli, Alexandra; Etter, Bastian; Sterkele, Bettina; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Udert, Kai M

    2016-01-01

    Source-separated urine contains most of the excreted nutrients, which can be recovered by using nitrification to stabilize the urine before concentrating the nutrient solution with distillation. The aim of this study was to test this process combination at pilot scale. The nitrification process was efficient in a moving bed biofilm reactor with maximal rates of 930 mg N L(-1) d(-1). Rates decreased to 120 mg N L(-1) d(-1) after switching to more concentrated urine. At high nitrification rates (640 mg N L(-1) d(-1)) and low total ammonia concentrations (1,790 mg NH4-N L(-1) in influent) distillation caused the main primary energy demand of 71 W cap(-1) (nitrification: 13 W cap(-1)) assuming a nitrogen production of 8.8 g N cap(-1) d(-1). Possible process failures include the accumulation of the nitrification intermediate nitrite and the selection of acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Especially during reactor start-up, the process must therefore be carefully supervised. The concentrate produced by the nitrification/distillation process is low in heavy metals, but high in nutrients, suggesting a good suitability as an integral fertilizer.

  17. Evaluation of Equations for Predicting 24-Hour Urinary Sodium Excretion from Casual Urine Samples in Asian Adults.

    PubMed

    Whitton, Clare; Gay, Gibson Ming Wei; Lim, Raymond Boon Tar; Tan, Linda Wei Lin; Lim, Wei-Yen; van Dam, Rob M

    2016-08-01

    The collection of 24-h urine samples for the estimation of sodium intake is burdensome, and the utility of spot urine samples in Southeast Asian populations is unclear. We aimed to assess the validity of prediction equations with the use of spot urine concentrations. A sample of 144 Singapore residents of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnicity aged 18-79 y were recruited from the Singapore Health 2 Study conducted in 2014. Participants collected urine for 24 h in multiple small bottles on a single day. To determine the optimal collection time for a spot urine sample, a 1-mL sample was taken from a random bottle collected in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Published equations and a newly derived equation were used to predict 24-h sodium excretion from spot urine samples. The mean ± SD concentration of sodium from the 24-h urine sample was 125 ± 53.4 mmol/d, which is equivalent to 7.2 ± 3.1 g salt. Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement at the group level between estimated and actual 24-h sodium excretion, with biases for the morning period of -3.5 mmol (95% CI: -14.8, 7.8 mmol; new equation) and 1.46 mmol (95% CI: -10.0, 13.0 mmol; Intersalt equation). A larger bias of 25.7 mmol (95% CI: 12.2, 39.3 mmol) was observed for the Tanaka equation in the morning period. The prediction accuracy did not differ significantly for spot urine samples collected at different times of the day or at a random time of day (P = 0.11-0.76). This study suggests that the application of both our own newly derived equation and the Intersalt equation to spot urine concentrations may be useful in predicting group means for 24-h sodium excretion in urban Asian populations. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

  18. Associations between IVF outcomes and essential trace elements measured in follicular fluid and urine: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Ingle, Mary E; Bloom, Michael S; Parsons, Patrick J; Steuerwald, Amy J; Kruger, Pamela; Fujimoto, Victor Y

    2017-02-01

    A hypothesis-generating pilot study exploring associations between essential trace elements measured in follicular fluid (FF) and urine and in vitro fertilization (IVF) endpoints. We recruited 58 women undergoing IVF between 2007 and 2008, and measured cobalt, chromium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc in FF (n = 46) and urine (n = 45) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We used multivariable regression models to assess the impact of FF and urine trace elements on IVF outcomes, adjusted for age, body mass index, race, and cigarette smoking. Trace elements were mostly present at lower concentrations in FF than in urine. The average number of oocytes retrieved was positively associated with higher urine cobalt, chromium, copper, and molybdenum concentrations. FF chromium and manganese were negatively associated with the proportion of mature oocytes, yet urine manganese had a positive association. FF zinc was inversely associated with average oocyte fertilization. Urine trace elements were significant positive predictors for the total number of embryos generated. FF copper predicted lower embryo fragmentation while urine copper was associated with higher embryo cell number and urine manganese with higher embryo fragmentation. No associations were detected for implantation, pregnancy, or live birth. Our results suggest the importance of trace elements in both FF and urine for intermediate, although not necessarily clinical, IVF endpoints. The results differed using FF or urine biomarkers of exposure, which may have implications for the design of clinical and epidemiologic investigations. These initial findings will form the basis of a more definitive future study.

  19. Evidence for false-positive results for boldenone testing of veal urine due to faecal cross-contamination during sampling.

    PubMed

    Sgoifo Rossi, C A; Arioli, F; Bassini, A; Chiesa, L M; Dell'Orto, V; Montana, M; Pompa, G

    2004-08-01

    European Directive 96/22/EC, which controls veterinary residues in animals, does not permit the presence of synthetic growth promoters in products of animal origin or in livestock. Boldenone is categorized in class A3 (growth promoters -- steroids) and is thus a banned substance. Testing of veal urine for banned substances is part of the European Union statutory programme for animals going into the food chain. In relation to this monitoring, three studies were conducted to investigate the apparent presence of the banned growth promoter boldenone in veal urine, which was suspected as being caused by interference from faecal contamination of the sample. In the first study, urine samples were collected at different times (time 0 and after 30 min) using (1) a conventional zoonotechnical apron and (2) a technique designed specifically to avoid faecal contamination ('kettle'). This resulted in samples that were, respectively, positive and negative for the presence of alpha-boldenone (alpha-BOL). In a second study, urine samples negative to alpha-BOL were collected from eight veal calves, but became positive after deliberate faecal contamination. In a third study, data obtained from the Italian RNP (Residual National Program) indicated that 18.1% of 3295 urine samples collected using the zootechnical apron were positive for alpha-BOL and 2.1% for beta-boldenone (beta-BOL), whilst of 902 samples collected using the kettle, beta-BOL was not detected in any samples and only 0.2% were positive to alpha-BOL, in concentrations lower than 2 ng ml(-1). These results further support the supposition that faecal contamination of the urine during sample collection can lead to false-positive results during boldenone analysis.

  20. New insights into urea and glucose handling by the kidney, and the urine concentrating mechanism.

    PubMed

    Bankir, Lise; Yang, Baoxue

    2012-06-01

    The mechanism by which urine is concentrated in the mammalian kidney remains incompletely understood. Urea is the dominant urinary osmole in most mammals and may be concentrated a 100-fold above its plasma level in humans and even more in rodents. Several facilitated urea transporters have been cloned. The phenotypes of mice with deletion of the transporters expressed in the kidney have challenged two previously well-accepted paradigms regarding urea and sodium handling in the renal medulla but have provided no alternative explanation for the accumulation of solutes that occurs in the inner medulla. In this review, we present evidence supporting the existence of an active urea secretion in the pars recta of the proximal tubule and explain how it changes our views regarding intrarenal urea handling and UT-A2 function. The transporter responsible for this secretion could be SGLT1, a sodium-glucose cotransporter that also transports urea. Glucagon may have a role in the regulation of this secretion. Further, we describe a possible transfer of osmotic energy from the outer to the inner medulla via an intrarenal Cori cycle converting glucose to lactate and back. Finally, we propose that an active urea transporter, expressed in the urothelium, may continuously reclaim urea that diffuses out of the ureter and bladder. These hypotheses are all based on published findings. They may not all be confirmed later on, but we hope they will stimulate further research in new directions.

  1. Urine analysis concerning xenon for doping control purposes.

    PubMed

    Thevis, Mario; Piper, Thomas; Geyer, Hans; Schaefer, Maximilian S; Schneemann, Julia; Kienbaum, Peter; Schänzer, Wilhelm

    2015-01-15

    On September 1(st) 2014, a modified Prohibited List as established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) became effective featuring xenon as a banned substance categorized as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activator. Consequently, the analysis of xenon from commonly provided doping control specimens such as blood and urine is desirable, and first data on the determination of xenon from urine in the context of human sports drug testing, are presented. In accordance to earlier studies utilizing plasma as doping control matrix, urine was enriched to saturation with xenon, sequentially diluted, and the target analyte was detected as supported by the internal standard d6 -cyclohexanone by means of gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) using headspace injection. Three major xenon isotopes at m/z 128.9, 130.9 and 131.9 were targeted in (pseudo) selected reaction monitoring mode enabling the unambiguous identification of the prohibited substance. Assay characteristics including limit of detection (LOD), intraday/interday precision, and specificity as well as analyte recovery under different storage conditions were determined. Proof-of-concept data were generated by applying the established method to urine samples collected from five patients before, during and after (up to 48 h) xenon-based general anesthesia. Xenon was traceable in enriched human urine samples down to the detection limit of approximately 0.5 nmol/mL. The intraday and interday imprecision values of the method were found below 25%, and specificity was demonstrated by analyzing 20 different blank urine samples that corroborated the fitness-for-purpose of the analytical approach to unequivocally detect xenon at non-physiological concentrations in human urine. The patients' urine specimens returned 'xenon-positive' test results up to 40 h post-anesthesia, indicating the limits of the expected doping control detection window. Since xenon has been considered a prohibited substance

  2. The Recovery of Water and Nitrogen from Urine in BLSS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Beizhen; Liu, Hong; Deng, Shengda

    The recycle and reuse of the wastewater is one of the main factors for realizing a higher closure degree of bioregenerative life support system (BLSS), and the treatment and recovery of the crew’s urine are the most difficult and critical issues. Urine contains a lot of water and high concentrations of urea and salts. Water can be used for the irrigation of the plants in BLSS, and the nitrogen is also the necessary nutrient for plant growth. Therefore, if the nitrogen could be recycled simultaneously while desalting the urine, the substance circulation and the closure of BLSS could be improved significantly. In this study, two-step method was conducted to treat the urine and recycle the water and nitrogen. The urea was hydrolyzed firstly, and then the water vapor and ammonia gas were cooled and collected by using reduced pressure distillation in alkaline condition. High temperature acidification and urease processing methods were studied during the urea hydrolysis step. The treatment conditions of both methods were optimized and the degrees of hydrolysis were compared. This investigation may provide a reference for the establishment of the urine recycle in BLSS.

  3. Performance evaluation of three on-site adulterant detection devices for urine specimens.

    PubMed

    Peace, Michelle R; Tarnai, Lisa D

    2002-10-01

    The performance of three on-site adulterant detection devices that assess the integrity of urine specimens collected for drug-of-abuse testing was evaluated: the Intect 7, MASK Ultra Screen, and Adultacheck 4. Intect 7 simultaneously tests creatinine, nitrite, glutaraldehyde, pH, specific gravity, and the presence of bleach and pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC). Mask Ultra Screen tests creatinine, nitrite, pH, specific gravity, and oxidants, and Adultacheck 4 tests creatinine, nitrite, glutaraldehyde, and pH. Urine specimens were prepared with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration regulated analytes at 50% above the cut-off concentrations. Stealth, Urine Luck, Instant Clean ADD-IT-ive, and KLEAR were added individually to the drug-added urine specimens so that their concentrations reflected the "optimum" usage reported in their package inserts and 25% above and below that optimum. Stealth is reported to be peroxidase; Urine Luck is believed to be PCC; Instant Clean ADD-it-ive reportedly contains glutaraldehyde, and Klear is a nitrite. The following diluents/adulterants were added at 25%, 33%, and 50% of the volume of drug-added urine: distilled water, bleach, ammonia, and vinegar. Of the devices tested, Intect 7 proved to be the most sensitive, and it correctly indicated the presence of adulterant or diluent in all samples tested. In order to do so, all indication pads had to be assessed in concert. Adultacheck 4 specifically assesses four characteristics of urine integrity and is therefore very limited in detecting the use of several popular adulterants that are commercially available. Although it correctly assessed the four characteristics, it did not detect the use of Stealth, Urine Luck, or Instant Clean ADD-it-ive. Mask Ultra Screen can potentially detect a broader range of adulterants than Adultacheck 4. However, in practice, it only detected them at levels well above their optimum usage, making it less efficacious than Intect 7. Clearly, the

  4. Individual and environmental risk factors for high blood lead concentrations in Danish indoor shooters.

    PubMed

    Grandahl, Kasper; Suadicani, Poul; Jacobsen, Peter

    2012-08-01

    International studies have shown blood lead at levels causing health concern in recreational indoor shooters. We hypothesized that Danish recreational indoor shooters would also have a high level of blood lead, and that this could be explained by shooting characteristics and the physical environment at the shooting range. This was an environmental case study of 58 male and female shooters from two indoor shooting ranges with assumed different ventilation and cleaning conditions. Information was obtained on general conditions including age, gender, tobacco and alcohol use, and shooting conditions: weapon type, number of shots fired, frequency of stays at the shooting range and hygiene habits. A venous blood sample was drawn to determine blood lead concentrations; 14 non-shooters were included as controls. Almost 60% of the shooters, hereof five out of 14 women, had a blood lead concentration above 0.48 micromol/l, a level causing long-term health concern. All controls had blood lead values below 0.17 micromol/l. Independent significant associations with blood lead concentrations above 0.48 micromol/l were found for shooting at a poorly ventilated range, use of heavy calibre weapons, number of shots and frequency of stays at the shooting range. A large proportion of Danish recreational indoor shooters had potentially harmful blood lead concentrations. Ventilation, amounts of shooting, use of heavy calibre weapons and stays at the shooting ranges were independently associated with increased blood lead. The technical check at the two ranges was performed by the Danish Technological Institute and costs were defrayed by the Danish Rifle Association. To pay for the analyses of blood lead, the study was supported by the The Else & Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborg Foundation. The Danish Regional Capital Scientific Ethics Committee approved the study, protocol number H-4-2010-130.

  5. Comparison of daily urine, sweat, and skin swabs among cocaine users.

    PubMed

    Kidwell, D A; Kidwell, J D; Shinohara, F; Harper, C; Roarty, K; Bernadt, K; McCaulley, R A; Smith, F P

    2003-04-23

    This study (1) compares urine, skin swabs, and PharmChek sweat patches for monitoring drug use; (2) measures possible environmental contamination in recent cocaine (COC) users; and (3) evaluates various immunoassays (IA) for screening COC in diverse matrices. Unique aspects include daily urine monitoring of 10 participants for 4 weeks, multiple monitoring methods, analysis for all specimens by IA and gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS), and the potential for continued illicit drug use by participants. Urine served as the "gold standard" specimen for determining drug use. Only cocaine and related substances were detected. Trace amounts of drugs were found on the skin (<50 ng per swab) of urine-negative participants' hands or forehead. In contrast, larger quantities of COC were found on the skin of individuals with BE-positive urines or individuals living with drug users (up to 20 microg per swab). Patch COC amounts among the three regular users (250-9000, 0-240, 160-22,000 ng per patch) exceeded BE (50-950, none, 30-2200 ng per patch). Pre-swabs, valuable for interpreting the source or time frame of positive patch results, contained substantial COC (38-1160, 0-152, 34-762 ng per swab) prior to patch application; therefore, patch results may represent current use, prior use, contamination, or a combination. In three individuals with no indication of cocaine use, false positives (defined as sweat patch positive when urine specimens were <300ng BE/ml) occurred at a 7% rate. Proposed cut-off concentrations of 75 ng cocaine per patch and 300 ng BE/ml urine curtail the incidence of false positives in this limited population. Three immunoassays were compared to screen specimens for cocaine: a modified, manual Microgenics CEDIA; a Cozart ELISA; and an OraSure ELISA. CEDIA's limit of detection (LOD) was 81ng/ml, compared with LODs of 4 ng/ml for the Cozart ELISA and 1.5 ng/ml for the OraSure ELISA. Cozart correlated with OraSure results for COC concentrations

  6. Quantitative electrochemical metalloimmunoassay for TFF3 in urine using a paper analytical device.

    PubMed

    DeGregory, Paul R; Tsai, Yi-Ju; Scida, Karen; Richards, Ian; Crooks, Richard M

    2016-03-07

    We report a paper-based assay platform for the detection of the kidney disease marker Trefoil Factor 3 (TFF3) in human urine. The sensor is based on a quantitative metalloimmunoassay that can determine TFF3 concentrations via electrochemical detection of environmentally stable silver nanoparticle (AgNP) labels attached to magnetic microbeads via a TFF3 immunosandwich. The paper electroanalytical device incorporates two preconcentration steps that make it possible to detect concentrations of TFF3 in human urine at the low end of the target TFF3 concentration range (0.03-7.0 μg mL(-1)). Importantly, the paper device provides a level of accuracy for TFF3 determination in human urine equivalent to that of a commercial kit. The paper sensor has a dynamic range of ∼2.5 orders of magnitude, only requires a simple, one-step incubation protocol, and is fast, requiring only 10 min to complete. The cost of the materials at the prototypic laboratory scale, excluding reagents, is just US$0.42.

  7. Turbid white urine

    PubMed Central

    Vera, Manel; Molano, Alejandra; Rodríguez, Patricia

    2010-01-01

    Turbid white urine ‘albinuria’ is defined as a urine discoloration described as milky or cloudy. One of the most frequent causes of turbid white urine is chyluria complicating filariasis (Table 1). The extant causes of albinuria are non parasitic and rare. Amongst their aetiologies stand excessive mineral sediment excretion such as calciuria and phosphaturia, massive pyuria and fungal infections, and rarely congenital malformations of the lymphatic vessels. Malingering is also possible, in patients adding milk to their urine. We observed a case of albinuria in which the diagnostic work up led to diagnosing an exceptional cause of chyluria in a patient living in a region of Colombia where filariasis is not endemic. PMID:25949403

  8. Correlation of Urine Biomarkers: Microalbuminuria and Spot Urine Protein among Diabetic Patients. Application of Spot Urine Protein in Diabetic Kidney Disease, Nephropathy, Proteinuria Estimation, Diagnosing and Monitoring.

    PubMed

    Aziz, Kamran M A

    2015-01-01

    Current study has invented a new method for utilizing spot urine protein among diabetic patients. There have been various efforts and strategies in research internationally to detect, diagnose and monitor nephropathy/DKD. Although 24-hour urine studies are gold standard, however, there exist some controversies about microalbuminuria and spot urine protein. The current study was designed to utilize spot urine protein among diabetic patients and to find its association with routine dipstick urine test for albumin, and microalbuminuria. The study demonstrated significant association of spot urine protein with urine dipstick albumin, and has demonstrated increasing spot urine protein with increasing albumin in urine (p-value < 0.0001). This study also demonstrated significantly higher levels of spot urine protein between the groups with nephropathy/DKD as compared to those without nephropathy/DKD (p-value < 0.0001). Similarly, spot urine protein and spot urine protein/creatinine were also significantly associated with microalbumin and microalbumin/creatinine in urine. Significant regression models for spot urine protein and microalbuminuria were also developed and proposed to detect and estimate microalbumin in urine while utilizing spot urine protein (< 0.0001). Synthesized regression equations and models can be used confidently to detect, rule out and monitor proteinuria and DKD. ROC curves were utilized to detect spot urine protein cutoff points for nephropathy and DKD with high specificity and sensitivity. Some important patents were also discussed in the paper regarding albuminuria/proteinuria detection and management. Current study has demonstrated and concluded, for the first time, that there exists a significant association of spot urine protein with routine dipstick albumin in urine and microalbuminuria. It is also essential to detect early, monitor and manage proteinuria, hypertension and dyslipidemia with good glycemic control to prevent diabetes

  9. The preservation of urine samples for determination of renal stone risk factors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nicar, M. J.; Hsu, M. C.; Johnson, T.; Pak, C. Y.

    1987-01-01

    A preservation technique for urine specimens before determination of stone risk factors was evaluated. The purpose of these experiments was to prove the effectiveness of the preservatives used to prevent changes in the concentrations of those constituents measured. Measured concentrations in fresh specimens were compared with those in the same specimens after storage with the preservatives. Refrigeration at 4 degrees C up to five days was appropriate in a laboratory setting, as no significant changes in urinary concentrations occurred. Refrigeration, however, did not offer a convenient method for shipping. Chemical preservation was found to be an effective alternative to refrigeration. Thymol prevented changes in concentration of pH, citrate, uric acid, sulfate, sodium, potassium, and cyclic AMP, while a mixture of hydrochloric (HCl) acid and boric acid prevented changes in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, oxalate, ammonium, and creatinine. Thus, the addition of thymol or HCl/boric acid to urine specimens will prevent significant changes in the concentrations of stone risk factors.

  10. Fully electronic urine dipstick probe for combinatorial detection of inflammatory biomarkers

    PubMed Central

    Kamakoti, Vikramshankar; Kinnamon, David; Choi, Kang Hyeok; Jagannath, Badrinath; Prasad, Shalini

    2018-01-01

    Aim: An electrochemical urine dipstick probe biosensor has been demonstrated using molybdenum electrodes on nanoporous polyamide substrate for the quantitative detection of two inflammatory protein biomarkers, CRP and IL-6. Materials & methods: The electrode interface was characterized using ζ-potential and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Detection of biomarkers was demonstrated by measuring impedance changes associated with the dose concentrations of the two biomarkers. A proof of feasibility of point-of-care implementation of the biosensor was demonstrated using a portable electronics platform. Results & conclusion: Limit of detection of 1 pg/ml was achieved for CRP and IL-6 in human urine and synthetic urine buffers. The developed portable hardware demonstrated close correlation with benchtop equipment results. PMID:29796304

  11. Adulterants in Urine Drug Testing.

    PubMed

    Fu, S

    Urine drug testing plays an important role in monitoring licit and illicit drug use for both medico-legal and clinical purposes. One of the major challenges of urine drug testing is adulteration, a practice involving manipulation of a urine specimen with chemical adulterants to produce a false negative test result. This problem is compounded by the number of easily obtained chemicals that can effectively adulterate a urine specimen. Common adulterants include some household chemicals such as hypochlorite bleach, laundry detergent, table salt, and toilet bowl cleaner and many commercial products such as UrinAid (glutaraldehyde), Stealth® (containing peroxidase and peroxide), Urine Luck (pyridinium chlorochromate, PCC), and Klear® (potassium nitrite) available through the Internet. These adulterants can invalidate a screening test result, a confirmatory test result, or both. To counteract urine adulteration, drug testing laboratories have developed a number of analytical methods to detect adulterants in a urine specimen. While these methods are useful in detecting urine adulteration when such activities are suspected, they do not reveal what types of drugs are being concealed. This is particularly the case when oxidizing urine adulterants are involved as these oxidants are capable of destroying drugs and their metabolites in urine, rendering the drug analytes undetectable by any testing technology. One promising approach to address this current limitation has been the use of unique oxidation products formed from reaction of drug analytes with oxidizing adulterants as markers for monitoring drug misuse and urine adulteration. This novel approach will ultimately improve the effectiveness of the current urine drug testing programs. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Nonhazardous Urine Pretreatment Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Akse, James R.; Holtsnider, John T.

    2012-01-01

    A method combines solid phase acidification with two non-toxic biocides to prevent ammonia volatilization and microbial proliferation. The safe, non-oxidizing biocide combination consists of a quaternary amine and a food preservative. This combination has exhibited excellent stabilization of both acidified and unacidified urine. During pretreatment tests, composite urine collected from donors was challenged with a microorganism known to proliferate in urine, and then was processed using the nonhazardous urine pre-treatment method. The challenge microorganisms included Escherichia coli, a common gram-negative bacteria; Enterococcus faecalis, a ureolytic gram-positive bacteria; Candida albicans, a yeast commonly found in urine; and Aspergillus niger, a problematic mold that resists urine pre-treatment. Urine processed in this manner remained microbially stable for over 57 days. Such effective urine stabilization was achieved using non-toxic, non-oxidizing biocides at higher pH (3.6 to 5.8) than previous methods in use or projected for use aboard the International Space Station (ISS). ISS urine pretreatment methods employ strong oxidants including ozone and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), a carcinogenic material, under very acidic conditions (pH = 1.8 to 2.4). The method described here offers a much more benign chemical environment than previous pretreatment methods, and will lower equivalent system mass (ESM) by reducing containment volume and mass, system complexity, and crew time needed to handle pre-treatment chemicals. The biocides, being non-oxidizing, minimize the potential for chemical reactions with urine constituents to produce volatile, airborne contaminants such as cyanogen chloride. Additionally, the biocides are active under significantly less acidic conditions than those used in the current system, thereby reducing the degree of required acidification. A simple flow-through solid phase acidification (SPA) bed is employed to overcome the natural buffering

  13. Does the Exposure of Urine Samples to Air Affect Diagnostic Tests for Urine Acidification?

    PubMed Central

    Yi, Joo-Hark; Shin, Hyun-Jong; Kim, Sun-Moon; Han, Sang-Woong; Oh, Man-Seok

    2012-01-01

    Summary Background and objectives For accurate measurement of pH, urine collection under oil to limit the escape of CO2 on air exposure is recommended. This study aims to test the hypothesis that urine collection under oil is not necessary in acidic urine in which bicarbonate and CO2 are minor buffers, because loss of CO2 would have little effect on its pH. Design, setting, participants, & measurements One hundred consecutive random urine samples were collected under oil and analyzed for pH, pCO2, and HCO3− immediately and after 5 minutes of vigorous shaking in uncovered flasks to allow CO2 escape. Results The pH values in 97 unshaken samples ranged from 5.03 to 6.83. With shaking, urine pCO2 decreased by 76%, whereas urine HCO3− decreased by 60%. Meanwhile, urine baseline median pH (interquartile range) of 5.84 (5.44–6.25) increased to 5.93 (5.50–6.54) after shaking (ΔpH=0.12 [0.07–0.29], P<0.001). ΔpH with pH≤6.0 was significantly lower than the ΔpH with pH>6.0 (0.08 [0.05–0.12] versus 0.36 [0.23–0.51], P<0.001). Overall, the lower the baseline pH, the smaller the ΔpH. Conclusions The calculation of buffer reactions in a hypothetical acidic urine predicted a negligible effect on urine pH on loss of CO2 by air exposure, which was empirically proven by the experimental study. Therefore, exposure of urine to air does not substantially alter the results of diagnostic tests for urine acidification, and urine collection under oil is not necessary. PMID:22700881

  14. Estimating residual kidney function in dialysis patients without urine collection

    PubMed Central

    Shafi, Tariq; Michels, Wieneke M.; Levey, Andrew S.; Inker, Lesley A.; Dekker, Friedo W.; Krediet, Raymond T.; Hoekstra, Tiny; Schwartz, George J.; Eckfeldt, John H.; Coresh, Josef

    2016-01-01

    Residual kidney function contributes substantially to solute clearance in dialysis patients but cannot be assessed without urine collection. We used serum filtration markers to develop dialysis-specific equations to estimate urinary urea clearance without the need for urine collection. In our development cohort, we measured 24-hour urine clearances under close supervision in 44 patients and validated these equations in 826 patients from the Netherlands Cooperative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis. For the development and validation cohorts, median urinary urea clearance was 2.6 and 2.4 mL/min, respectively. During the 24-hour visit in the development cohort, serum β-trace protein concentrations remained in steady state but concentrations of all other markers increased. In the validation cohort, bias (median measured minus estimated clearance) was low for all equations. Precision was significantly better for β-trace protein and β2-microglobulin equations and the accuracy was significantly greater for β-trace protein, β2-microglobulin and cystatin C equations, compared with the urea plus creatinine equation. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for detecting measured urinary urea clearance by equation-estimated urinary urea clearance (both 2 mL/min or more) were 0.821, 0.850 and 0.796 for β-trace protein, β2-microglobulin and cystatin C equations, respectively; significantly greater than the 0.663 for the urea plus creatinine equation. Thus, residual renal function can be estimated in dialysis patients without urine collections. PMID:26924062

  15. The effects of intracrystalline and surface-bound proteins on the attachment of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals to renal cells in undiluted human urine

    PubMed Central

    Grover, Phulwinder K.; Thurgood, Lauren A.; Wang, Tingting; Ryall, Rosemary L.

    2010-01-01

    Objective To compare the binding to Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK)-II cells of: (i) inorganic calcium oxalate monohydrate (iCOM) crystals and COM crystals precipitated from urine containing different concentrations of protein; and (ii) urinary COM crystals containing intracrystalline and intracrystalline + surface-bound protein. Materials and methods Urinary COM crystals were generated in sieved (sCOM), centrifuged and filtered (cfCOM), and ultrafiltered (ufCOM) portions of a pooled human urine and their adhesion to MDCK-II cells was compared using six different ultrafiltered urine samples as the binding medium. Crystal matrix extract (CME) was prepared by demineralizing calcium oxalate crystals precipitated from human urine and used to prepare COM crystals with intracrystalline, and intracrystalline + surface-bound CME at protein concentrations of 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 5.0 mg/L. The amount of protein associated with the crystals was qualitatively assessed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting, using prothrombin fragment 1 (PTF1) as a marker. Protein concentration was determined in sieved, centrifuged and filtered, and ultrafiltered fractions of 10 additional urine samples. Results The median crystal attachment in the six urine types decreased in the order iCOM > ufCOM > cfCOM = sCOM, in inverse proportion to the concentration of protein in the solution or urine from which they were precipitated. sCOM and cfCOM crystals bound ≈□ 23% less than iCOM crystals. The attachment of COM crystals generated in the presence of increasing concentrations of CME proteins was unaffected up to a concentration of 5 mg/L, but binding of crystals containing the same concentrations of intracrystalline + surface-bound proteins decreased proportionally at protein concentrations from 0 to 5.0 mg/L. Conclusion Inorganic COM crystals bind significantly more strongly to MDCK-II cells than urinary crystals precipitated from sieved

  16. Ex vivo spontaneous generation of 19-norandrostenedione and nandrolone detected in equine plasma and urine.

    PubMed

    Guan, Fuyu; Uboh, Cornelius E; Soma, Lawrence R; You, Youwen; Li, Xiaoqing; McDonnell, Sue

    2012-01-01

    19-Norandrostenedione (NAED) and nandrolone are anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs). Nandrolone was regarded solely as a synthetic AAS until the 1980s when trace concentrations of apparently endogenous nandrolone were detected in urine samples obtained from intact male horses (stallions). Since then, its endogenous origin has been reported in boars and bulls; endogenous NAED and nandrolone have been identified in plasma and urine samples collected from stallions. More recently, however, it was suggested that NAED and nandrolone detected in urine samples from stallions are primarily artifacts due to the analytical procedure. The present study was undertaken to determine whether NAED and nandrolone detected in plasma and urine samples collected from stallions are truly endogenous or artifacts from sample processing. To answer this question, fresh plasma and urine samples from ≥8 stallions were analyzed for the two AASs, soon after collection, by liquid chromatography hyphenated to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). NAED and nandrolone were not detected in fresh plasma samples but detected in the same samples post storage. Concentrations of both AASs increased with storage time, and the increases were greater at a higher storage temperature (37°C versus 4°C, and ambient temperature versus 4°C). Although NAED was detected in some fresh stallion urine samples, its concentration (<407 pg/mL) was far lower (<0.4%) than that in the same samples post storage (at ambient temperature for 15 days). Nandrolone was not detected in most of fresh urine samples but detected in the same samples post storage. Based on these results, it is concluded that all NAED and nandrolone detected in stored plasma samples of stallions and most of them in the stored urine samples are not from endogenous origins but spontaneously generated during sample storage, most likely from spontaneous decarboxylation of androstenedione-19-oic acid and testosterone-19-oic acid. To our knowledge, it is

  17. Combined quantification of paclitaxel, docetaxel and ritonavir in human feces and urine using LC-MS/MS.

    PubMed

    Hendrikx, Jeroen J M A; Rosing, Hilde; Schinkel, Alfred H; Schellens, Jan H M; Beijnen, Jos H

    2014-02-01

    A combined assay for the determination of paclitaxel, docetaxel and ritonavir in human feces and urine is described. The drugs were extracted from 200 μL urine or 50 mg feces followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis coupled with positive ionization electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The validation program included calibration model, accuracy and precision, carry-over, dilution test, specificity and selectivity, matrix effect, recovery and stability. Acceptance criteria were according to US Food and Drug Administration guidelines on bioanalytical method validation. The validated range was 0.5-500 ng/mL for paclitaxel and docetaxel, 2-2000 ng/mL for ritonavir in urine, 2-2000 ng/mg for paclitaxel and docetaxel, and 8-8000 ng/mg for ritonavir in feces. Inter-assay accuracy and precision were tested for all analytes at four concentration levels and were within 8.5% and <10.2%, respectively, in both matrices. Recovery at three concentration levels was between 77 and 94% in feces samples and between 69 and 85% in urine samples. Method development, including feces homogenization and spiking blank urine samples, are discussed. We demonstrated that each of the applied drugs could be quantified successfully in urine and feces using the described assay. The method was successfully applied for quantification of the analytes in feces and urine samples of patients. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Mercury concentrations in urine of amerindian populations near oil fields in the peruvian and ecuadorian amazon.

    PubMed

    Webb, Jena; Coomes, Oliver T; Ross, Nancy; Mergler, Donna

    2016-11-01

    Mercury is a global contaminant with toxic, persistent effects on human health. Petroleum extraction is an important source of elemental mercury; little is known about human exposure levels near oil fields in the Amazon basin. To characterize mercury levels in people living near oil production sites in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon, controlling for fish consumption, occupation, source of water and socio-demographic characteristics. Analyze mercury levels in urine samples using cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry from 76 indigenous men and women in eight riverine communities situated near oil wells or pipelines. Subjects answered a questionnaire soliciting socio-demographic, occupational and dietary information. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression modeling. The mean value of U-Hg was 2.61μg/g creatinine (95% CI: 2.14-3.08), with 7% of the sample recording values above the global background standard suggested by The World Health Organization (5μg/g creatinine). Women who used water from a surface source had two and a half times the amount of mercury in their urine (mean=3.70μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 2.26-5.15) compared with women who used other water sources (mean =1.39μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 0.51-2.25). Men who were involved in an oil clean-up operation had twice as much mercury in their urine (mean =3.07μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 1.97-4.16) as did those who worked on other tasks (mean =1.56μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 1.48-2.65). Mercury levels were not associated with the number of fish meals per week. Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon living near oil production sites generally had urine mercury levels within the global background standard suggested by the World Health Organization. Increased levels of mercury in urine were detected for men involved in oil spill remediation and for women who relied on surface water for household needs. These findings signal the need for strict safety measures to limit the amount

  19. Determination of 61 elements in urine samples collected from a non-occupationally exposed UK adult population.

    PubMed

    Morton, Jackie; Tan, Emma; Leese, Elizabeth; Cocker, John

    2014-12-01

    levels for 61 elements were established in urine samples collected from 132 occupationally unexposed UK adults. In this study all elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, but methods were 'tailored' to the elements; in total six analytical methods were undertaken. For the first time in a UK population 95th percentile values are reported for 19 elements for which there is no available comparison. Repeat urine samples were collected from some individuals and mixed effects modelling was carried out on the data to give an estimation of variation both between individuals and within the same individual. The mixed effects modelling was undertaken on 31 of the 61 elements for which there were more than two thirds of data above the LOQ and variations of between and within individuals are reported. The analysis found that creatinine adjustment of analyte concentrations was found to be beneficial for 22 of the 31 elements and that smokers were found to exhibit significantly higher cadmium but lower boron than non-smokers. For most elements, the data compare well with other published data but higher concentrations were observed in this study for urinary lead, chromium, vanadium and tungsten. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  20. [Lead exposure of people living in a lead high exposure area from local diet].

    PubMed

    Zhou, Yong; He, Liping; Huang, Xiao; He, Junshan

    2011-11-01

    To study the lead exposure of people living in a lead high exposure area from local diet, and to assess its health risks. Thirty five subjects were selected by random from a mining area and another 30 subjects were selected from a non-polluted area. The exposure of lead was estimated by the content of lead in drinking water and vegetables, and health risks was estimated by the levels of lead in blood and urine. The content of lead in drinking water and vegetables in the mining area was 20.6 microg/L and 1.61mg/kg (geometric mean) respectively, which were higher than that in the unpolluted area (6.0 microg/L and 0.56 mg/kg, geometric mean) (P < 0.01). The daily lead exposure of male and female inhabitants in the mining area from diet was 16.88 microg/kg and 16.09 microg/kg respectively, which was higher than that in the unpolluted area (P < 0.01), but the sex difference was not significant statistically (P > 0.05). Blood lead and urine lead of inhabitants in the mining-area were higher than those in the unpolluted area. The health risks for male and female inhabitants in the mining area were 4.73 and 4.51. The health risks of lead exposure caused by diet (drinking water and food) were relatively high in the mining area.

  1. Metabolism study of boldenone in human urine by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xinchen; Gao, Feng; Zhang, Wenxin; Ni, Jian

    2015-11-10

    Boldenone (BOLD), an anabolic steroid, is likely to be abused in livestock breeding and in sports. Although some of BOLD metabolites in human urine, such as 5β-adrost-1-en-17β-ol-3-one (BM1), have been detected, investigations on their excretion patterns for both genders are insufficient. Moreover, little research on 17α-BOLD glucuronide as a metabolite in human urine has been reported. The aim of this study is to make a contribution to the knowledge of 17β-BOLD metabolism in humans. Three male and three female volunteers were orally administrated with 30mg 17β-BOLD. Urine samples were collected and analyzed with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The data proved that 17β-BOLD, BM1, and 17α-BOLD were excreted in urine in both free and glucuronic conjugated forms after administration of 17β-BOLD. For most subjects, the urinary concentrations of BM1 were higher than that of 17β-BOLD. 17α-BOLD was excreted in small amounts. 17α-BOLD, 17β-BOLD, and BM1 were present naturally in urine with low concentrations. Administration of 30mg 17β-BOLD could not influence the excretion profiles of urinary androsterone, etiocholanolone, and testosterone/epitestosterone ratio. There were no differences in BOLD metabolic patterns between man and woman. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. S-Adenosylhomocysteine Assay in the Urine by Capillary Electrophoresis.

    PubMed

    Luzyanin, B P; Ivanov, A V; Viryus, E D; Kubatiev, A A

    2015-08-01

    We present a simple and effective method for measuring urine S-adenosylhomocysteine by capillary electrophoresis without using modifiers. The detection threshold of the method is 0.1 μM S-adenosylhomocysteine, the time of analysis 13 min, reproducibility at physiological concentrations within 4%.

  3. The Anaesthetic Management of a Patient with Maple Syrup Urine Disease

    PubMed Central

    Karahan, Mahmut Alp; Sert, Hüseyin; Havlioğlu, İnanç; Yüce, Hasan Hüsnü

    2014-01-01

    Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by a deficit of oxidative decarboxylation of branched-chain aminoacids. It leads to a build-up of leucine, isoleucine, valine, and toxic metabolites in blood and urine, progressing to acute and chronic brain dysfunction. The first symptoms appear in early childhood and are characterized by sweet-smelling urine, with an odor similar to that of maple syrup. At birth, infants seem healthy, but if untreated, they may suffer from neurological deterioration, seizures, hypertonia, or ataxia. During stressful situations, such as infection or surgery, patients may experience severe ketoacidosis, rapid neurological deterioration, and hypoglycemia. We report the anaesthetic management in a child patient with MSUD, admitted for peritonal dialysis catheter insertion with general anaesthesia. PMID:27366451

  4. The Anaesthetic Management of a Patient with Maple Syrup Urine Disease.

    PubMed

    Karahan, Mahmut Alp; Sert, Hüseyin; Havlioğlu, İnanç; Yüce, Hasan Hüsnü

    2014-12-01

    Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by a deficit of oxidative decarboxylation of branched-chain aminoacids. It leads to a build-up of leucine, isoleucine, valine, and toxic metabolites in blood and urine, progressing to acute and chronic brain dysfunction. The first symptoms appear in early childhood and are characterized by sweet-smelling urine, with an odor similar to that of maple syrup. At birth, infants seem healthy, but if untreated, they may suffer from neurological deterioration, seizures, hypertonia, or ataxia. During stressful situations, such as infection or surgery, patients may experience severe ketoacidosis, rapid neurological deterioration, and hypoglycemia. We report the anaesthetic management in a child patient with MSUD, admitted for peritonal dialysis catheter insertion with general anaesthesia.

  5. Fluoride concentrations in urine of delivery ward personnel following exposure to low concentrations of methoxyflurane.

    PubMed

    Dahlgren, B E

    1979-09-01

    Midwives and other delivery ward personnel exposed to methoxyflurane do not have measurable traces of the agent in expired air when examined soon after exposure. This may imply a rapid uptake of the anesthetic. If this is the case, then the products of the metabolism of methoxyflurane, such as fluoride, may appear in the urine of such personnel. The present study investigated urinary fluoride levels in 24 delivery ward personnel and compared the values found after methoxyflurane/nitrous oxide analgesia with those measured in the same individuals after exposure to nitrous oxide alone. A highly significant difference was observed. Thus it would appear that, in spite of an apparently adequate system of environmental ventilation, there is a significant uptake of methoxyflurane by delivery ward personnel when this agent is employed for obstetrical analgesia.

  6. An optical spot test for the detection of dopamine in human urine using stabilized in air lipid films.

    PubMed

    Nikolelis, Dimitrios P; Drivelos, Dimitrios A; Simantiraki, Maria G; Koinis, Spyros

    2004-04-15

    The present technique describes a simple, sensitive spot test for the rapid one-shot detection of dopamine in human urine using lipid films with incorporated resorcin[4]arene receptor that are synthesized by a chemical reaction with a methacrylate polymer on a glass fiber filter. The lipid films without the receptor provided fluorescence under a UV lamp. The use of the receptor in these films quenched this fluorescence, and the color became similar to that of the filters without the lipid films. A drop of dopamine or urine containing this stimulant provided a "switching on" of the fluorescence, which allows the rapid detection of this stimulant in human urine at 10(-8) M concentrations. The novelty of the present work is that it opens new routes in the field of biosensing, i.e., development of sensitive, rapid, and simple methods for detecting species based on the fluorescence of the lipid membranes on a polymer film, and provides a spot test technique for the rapid detection of dopamine. The effect of potent interferences including a wide range of compounds usually found in human urine (i.e., ascorbic aid, glucose, leucine, glycine, tartrate, citrate, bicarbonate, and caffeine) was examined using an aqueous buffered solution that contained the potent interference and dopamine at two lower concentration levels (i.e., 3 x 10(-8)-10(-8) M). The effect of proteins and lipids was also investigated at these two lower dopamine concentration levels in aqueous buffered solution. The results showed no interferences from all these constituents at concentrations usually found in human urine samples; for example, albumin up to 3.22 g/L concentration levels did not provide any interference (i.e., no fluorescence). A drop of urine containing this stimulant provided similar results, i.e., a "switching on" of the fluorescence that allows a technique for the rapid detection of this stimulant in human urine at 10(-8) M concentrations. The technique is not based on a calibration

  7. Urine podocyte mRNAs mark disease activity in IgA nephropathy

    PubMed Central

    Fukuda, Akihiro; Sato, Yuji; Iwakiri, Takashi; Komatsu, Hiroyuki; Kikuchi, Masao; Kitamura, Kazuo; Wiggins, Roger C.; Fujimoto, Shouichi

    2015-01-01

    Background Podocyte depletion is a major mechanism driving glomerulosclerosis. We and others have previously projected from model systems that podocyte-specific mRNAs in the urine pellet might serve as glomerular disease markers. We evaluated IgA nephropathy (IgAN) to test this concept. Methods From 2009 to 2013, early morning voided urine samples and kidney biopsies from IgAN patients (n = 67) were evaluated in comparison with urine samples from healthy age-matched volunteers (n = 28). Urine podocyte (podocin) mRNA expressed in relation to either urine creatinine concentration or a kidney tubular marker (aquaporin 2) was tested as markers. Results Urine podocyte mRNAs were correlated with the severity of active glomerular lesions (segmental glomerulosclerosis and acute extracapillary proliferation), but not with non-glomerular lesions (tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis) or with clinical parameters of kidney injury (serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate), or with degree of accumulated podocyte loss at the time of biopsy. In contrast, proteinuria correlated with all histological and clinical markers. Glomerular tuft podocyte nuclear density (a measure of cumulative podocyte loss) correlated with tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis, estimated-glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria, but not with urine podocyte markers. In a subset of the IgA cohort (n = 19, median follow-up period = 37 months), urine podocyte mRNAs were significantly decreased after treatment, in contrast to proteinuria which was not significantly changed. Conclusions Urine podocyte mRNAs reflect active glomerular injury at a given point in time, and therefore provide both different and additional clinical information that can complement proteinuria in the IgAN decision-making paradigm. PMID:25956757

  8. The fascinating story of urine examination: From uroscopy to the era of microscopy and beyond.

    PubMed

    Magiorkinis, Emmanouil; Diamantis, Aristidis

    2015-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to present the evolution of ideas on the examination of urine from antiquity till our days. A thorough study of texts, medical books from antiquity till twentieth century along with a thorough review of the available literature in PubMed was conducted. The first observation on urine examination can be traced back to the Babylonian and Sumerian texts. Almost all physicians in antiquity including Hippocrates referred to the value of urine examination in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. The construction of first compound microscope lead to the examination of urine sediment and the development of Urine Cytology which was revolutionized during the twentieth century with the studies of important cytologists such as George Papanicolaou, Geoffrey Krabbe, and Leopold Koss. The introduction of molecular tests in the diagnosis of urothelial cancer inaugurated a new era in the study of urine cytology. The history of urine examination spans a period of 6,000 years. The application of microscope in the examination of urine sediment during the nineteenth century established urine analysis as an important diagnostic tool in clinical practice. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Phenols: Concentrations in Amniotic Fluid and Variability in Urinary Concentrations during Pregnancy

    PubMed Central

    Wolff, Mary S.; Calafat, Antonia M.; Ye, Xiaoyun; Bausell, Rebecca; Meadows, Molly; Stone, Joanne; Slama, Rémy; Engel, Stephanie M.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Maternal urinary biomarkers are often used to assess fetal exposure to phenols and their precursors. Their effectiveness as a measure of exposure in epidemiological studies depends on their variability during pregnancy and their ability to accurately predict fetal exposure. Objectives: We assessed the relationship between urinary and amniotic fluid concentrations of nine environmental phenols, and the reproducibility of urinary concentrations, among pregnant women. Methods: Seventy-one women referred for amniocentesis were included. Maternal urine was collected at the time of the amniocentesis appointment and on two subsequent occasions. Urine and amniotic fluid were analyzed for 2,4- and 2,5-dichlorophenols, bisphenol A, benzophenone-3, triclosan, and methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, and butylparabens using online solid phase extraction–high performance liquid chromatography–isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Only benzophenone-3 and propylparaben were detectable in more than half of the amniotic fluid samples; for these phenols, concentrations in amniotic fluid and maternal urine collected on the same day were positively correlated (ρ = 0.53 and 0.32, respectively). Other phenols were detected infrequently in amniotic fluid (e.g., bisphenol A was detected in only two samples). The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of urinary concentrations in samples from individual women ranged from 0.48 and 0.62 for all phenols except bisphenol A (ICC = 0.11). Conclusion: Amniotic fluid detection frequencies for most phenols were low. The reproducibility of urine measures was poor for bisphenol A, but good for the other phenols. Although a single sample may provide a reasonable estimate of exposure for some phenols, collecting multiple urine samples during pregnancy is an option to reduce exposure measurement error in studies regarding the effects of phenol prenatal exposure on health. Citation: Philippat C, Wolff MS, Calafat AM, Ye X, Bausell

  10. Urine drug screen

    MedlinePlus

    Drug screen - urine ... detect the presence of illegal and some prescription drugs in your urine. Their presence may indicate that you recently used these drugs. Some drugs may remain in your system for ...

  11. Influence of hypernatraemia and urea excretion on the ability to excrete a maximally hypertonic urine in the rat

    PubMed Central

    Cheema-Dhadli, Surinder; Halperin, Mitchell L

    2002-01-01

    Rats normally excrete 20-25 mmol of sodium (Na+) + potassium (K+) per kilogram per day. To minimize the need for a large water intake, they must excrete urine with a very high electrolyte concentration (tonicity). Our objective was to evaluate two potential factors that could influence the maximum urine tonicity, hypernatraemia and the rate of urea excretion. Balance studies were carried out in vasopressin-treated rats fed a low-electrolyte diet. In the first series, the drinking solution contained an equivalent sodium chloride (NaCl) load at 150 or 600 mmol l−1. In the second series, the maximum urine tonicity was evaluated in rats consuming 600 mmol l−1 NaCl with an 8-fold range of urea excretion. Hypernatraemia (148 ± 1 mmol l−1) developed in all rats that drank 600 mmol l−1 saline. Although the rate of Na+ + K+ excretion was similar in both saline groups, the maximum urine total cation concentration was significantly higher in the hypernatraemic group (731 ± 31 vs. 412 ± 37 mmol l−1). Only when the rate of excretion of urea was very low, was there a further increase in the maximum urine total cation concentration (1099 ± 118 mmol l−1). Thus hypernatraemia was the most important factor associated with a higher urine tonicity. PMID:12068051

  12. Sodium urine test

    MedlinePlus

    ... or monitor many types of kidney diseases. Normal Results For adults, normal urine sodium values are generally ... meaning of your specific test result. What Abnormal Results Mean A higher than normal urine sodium level ...

  13. Mercury concentrations in urine of amerindian populations near oil fields in the peruvian and ecuadorian amazon

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Webb, Jena, E-mail: jena.webb@mail.mcgill.ca

    Background: Mercury is a global contaminant with toxic, persistent effects on human health. Petroleum extraction is an important source of elemental mercury; little is known about human exposure levels near oil fields in the Amazon basin. Objectives: To characterize mercury levels in people living near oil production sites in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon, controlling for fish consumption, occupation, source of water and socio-demographic characteristics. Methods: Analyze mercury levels in urine samples using cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry from 76 indigenous men and women in eight riverine communities situated near oil wells or pipelines. Subjects answered a questionnaire soliciting socio-demographic,more » occupational and dietary information. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression modeling. Results: The mean value of U-Hg was 2.61 μg/g creatinine (95% CI: 2.14–3.08), with 7% of the sample recording values above the global background standard suggested by The World Health Organization (5 μg/g creatinine). Women who used water from a surface source had two and a half times the amount of mercury in their urine (mean=3.70 μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 2.26–5.15) compared with women who used other water sources (mean =1.39 μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 0.51–2.25). Men who were involved in an oil clean-up operation had twice as much mercury in their urine (mean =3.07 μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 1.97–4.16) as did those who worked on other tasks (mean =1.56 μg/g creatinine, 95% CI: 1.48–2.65). Mercury levels were not associated with the number of fish meals per week. Conclusions: Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon living near oil production sites generally had urine mercury levels within the global background standard suggested by the World Health Organization. Increased levels of mercury in urine were detected for men involved in oil spill remediation and for women who relied on surface water for household needs

  14. Primary health care providers surveyed commonly misinterpret 'first void urine' for chlamydia screening.

    PubMed

    Lusk, M Josephine; Uddin, Ruby; Ferson, Mark; Rawlinson, William; Konecny, Pam

    2009-03-01

    An open question survey of general practitioners (GP) and hospital emergency department (ED) doctors revealed that the term 'FVU' (first void urine) used for urine chlamydia testing, is ambiguous, potentially leading to incorrect urine sample collection and barriers to effective screening. The results of this survey indicate that only 4.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5-14.5%) of GP and 6.9% (95% CI 0.9-22.8%) of ED doctors respectively, correctly interpreted the meaning of FVU. The majority of clinicians surveyed misunderstood 'FVU' to require the first urine void of the day, accounting for 68.1% (95% CI 52.9-80.9%) of GP responses and 37.9% (95% CI 20.7-57.7%) of ED doctors responses. This highlights the need for clarification and standardisation of terminology used in urine chlamydia screening for health care providers, in order to optimise strategies for diagnosis and control of the ongoing chlamydia epidemic.

  15. Stability of drugs of abuse in urine samples stored at -20 degrees C.

    PubMed

    Dugan, S; Bogema, S; Schwartz, R W; Lappas, N T

    1994-01-01

    Isolated studies of the stability of individual drugs of abuse have been reported. However, few have evaluated stability in frozen urine samples stored for 12 months. We have determined the stability of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (9-COOH-THC), amphetamine, methamphetamine, morphine, codeine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and phencyclidine in 236 physiological urine samples. Following the initial quantitative analysis, the samples were stored at -20 degrees C for 12 months and then reanalyzed. All drug concentrations were determined by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric methods with cutoff concentrations of 5 ng/mL for 9-COOH-THC and phencyclidine and 100 ng/mL for each of the other drugs. The average change in the concentrations of these drugs following this long-term storage was not extensive except for an average change of -37% in cocaine concentrations.

  16. Interlaboratory trial for the measurement of total cobalt in equine urine and plasma by ICP-MS.

    PubMed

    Popot, Marie-Agnes; Ho, Emmie N M; Stojiljkovic, Natali; Bagilet, Florian; Remy, Pierre; Maciejewski, Pascal; Loup, Benoit; Chan, George H M; Hargrave, Sabine; Arthur, Rick M; Russo, Charlie; White, James; Hincks, Pamela; Pearce, Clive; Ganio, George; Zahra, Paul; Batty, David; Jarrett, Mark; Brooks, Lydia; Prescott, Lise-Anne; Bailly-Chouriberry, Ludovic; Bonnaire, Yves; Wan, Terence S M

    2017-09-01

    Cobalt is an essential mineral micronutrient and is regularly present in equine nutritional and feed supplements. Therefore, cobalt is naturally present at low concentrations in biological samples. The administration of cobalt chloride is considered to be blood doping and is thus prohibited. To control the misuse of cobalt, it was mandatory to establish an international threshold for cobalt in plasma and/or in urine. To achieve this goal, an international collaboration, consisting of an interlaboratory comparison between 5 laboratories for the urine study and 8 laboratories for the plasma study, has been undertaken. Quantification of cobalt in the biological samples was performed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Ring tests were based on the analysis of 5 urine samples supplemented at concentrations ranging from 5 up to 500 ng/mL and 5 plasma samples spiked at concentrations ranging from 0.5 up to 25 ng/mL. The results obtained from the different laboratories were collected, compiled, and compared to assess the reproducibility and robustness of cobalt quantification measurements. The statistical approach for the ring test for total cobalt in urine was based on the determination of percentage deviations from the calculated means, while robust statistics based on the calculated median were applied to the ring test for total cobalt in plasma. The inter-laboratory comparisons in urine and in plasma were successful so that 97.6% of the urine samples and 97.5% of the plasma samples gave satisfactory results. Threshold values for cobalt in plasma and urine were established from data only obtained by laboratories involved in the ring test. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Uric acid - urine

    MedlinePlus

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003616.htm Uric acid urine test To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. The uric acid urine test measures the level of uric acid ...

  18. A modified LC-MS/MS method to simultaneously quantify glycerol and mannitol concentrations in human urine for doping control purposes.

    PubMed

    Dong, Ying; Yan, Kuan; Ma, Yanhua; Yang, Zhiyong; Zhao, Jun; Ding, Jinglin

    2016-06-01

    Glycerol and mannitol have the potential to act as plasma volume expanders and have been prohibited as masking agents by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accordingly. In this study, an improved strategy was developed and validated for the determination of urinary glycerol and mannitol levels simultaneously using a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry technique within 7min in an initial testing procedure. For confirmation, mannitol and all possible hexitols (allitol, altritol, galactitol, iditol and sorbitol) that can occur in human urine were baseline separated. This method made use of the derivatization of glycerol and mannitol by benzoyl chloride followed by analysis via LC-ESI-MS/MS with limited sample preparation. The limit of detection (LOD) for glycerol and mannitol was lower than 50ng/mL. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for both substances was below 150ng/mL. The assay was linear from 0.15 to 1000μg/mL for glycerol and mannitol in human urine. The coefficients of variation of all inter- and intra-assay determinations at three concentration levels (0.5, 500, 900μg/mL) were better than 13% for glycerol and under 15% for mannitol. The method also afforded satisfactory results in terms of accuracy, derivatization yield, extraction recovery, matrix effect and specificity for both substances. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Quantifying creatinine and urea in human urine through Raman spectroscopy aiming at diagnosis of kidney disease

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saatkamp, Cassiano Junior; de Almeida, Maurício Liberal; Bispo, Jeyse Aliana Martins; Pinheiro, Antonio Luiz Barbosa; Fernandes, Adriana Barrinha; Silveira, Landulfo, Jr.

    2016-03-01

    Due to their importance in the regulation of metabolites, the kidneys need continuous monitoring to check for correct functioning, mainly by urea and creatinine urinalysis. This study aimed to develop a model to estimate the concentrations of urea and creatinine in urine by means of Raman spectroscopy (RS) that could be used to diagnose kidney disease. Midstream urine samples were obtained from 54 volunteers with no kidney complaints. Samples were subjected to a standard colorimetric assay of urea and creatinine and submitted to spectroscopic analysis by means of a dispersive Raman spectrometer (830 nm, 350 mW, 30 s). The Raman spectra of urine showed peaks related mainly to urea and creatinine. Partial least squares models were developed using selected Raman bands related to urea and creatinine and the biochemical concentrations in urine measured by the colorimetric method, resulting in r=0.90 and 0.91 for urea and creatinine, respectively, with root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSEcv) of 312 and 25.2 mg/dL, respectively. RS may become a technique for rapid urinalysis, with concentration errors suitable for population screening aimed at the prevention of renal diseases.

  20. Concentrations of selenium, mercury, and lead in blood of emperor geese in western Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Franson, J.C.; Schmutz, J.A.; Creekmore, L.H.; Fowler, A.C.

    1999-01-01

    We found up to 10 ppm wet weight of selenium in blood samples collected from emperor geese (Chen canagica) on their breeding grounds on the Yukon‐Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska, USA. Incubating adult females captured in late May through mid‐June 1997 had significantly higher concentrations of selenium in their blood (mean = 5.60 ppm) than adult females captured during wing molt in late July 1996 (mean = 2.78 ppm). Females that nested early or were in good body condition had higher concentrations of selenium in their blood than did other nesting females. Blood samples from 4 of 29 goslings had detectable levels of selenium (mean = 0.14 ppm). Our findings suggest that emperor geese are exposed to more selenium in the marine environment of their wintering and staging areas on the Alaska Peninsula than on the breeding grounds. The highest concentration of mercury found in the blood of emperor geese was 0.24 ppm. One bird had a blood lead concentration of 0.67 ppm, but 82% had no detectable lead in their blood, suggesting that lead exposure from the ingestion of lead shot poses little threat for emperor geese in western Alaska, contrary to findings reported for sympatric spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri).

  1. An approach to standardization of urine sediment analysis via suggestion of a common manual protocol.

    PubMed

    Ko, Dae-Hyun; Ji, Misuk; Kim, Sollip; Cho, Eun-Jung; Lee, Woochang; Yun, Yeo-Min; Chun, Sail; Min, Won-Ki

    2016-01-01

    The results of urine sediment analysis have been reported semiquantitatively. However, as recent guidelines recommend quantitative reporting of urine sediment, and with the development of automated urine sediment analyzers, there is an increasing need for quantitative analysis of urine sediment. Here, we developed a protocol for urine sediment analysis and quantified the results. Based on questionnaires, various reports, guidelines, and experimental results, we developed a protocol for urine sediment analysis. The results of this new protocol were compared with those obtained with a standardized chamber and an automated sediment analyzer. Reference intervals were also estimated using new protocol. We developed a protocol with centrifugation at 400 g for 5 min, with the average concentration factor of 30. The correlation between quantitative results of urine sediment analysis, the standardized chamber, and the automated sediment analyzer were generally good. The conversion factor derived from the new protocol showed a better fit with the results of manual count than the default conversion factor in the automated sediment analyzer. We developed a protocol for manual urine sediment analysis to quantitatively report the results. This protocol may provide a mean for standardization of urine sediment analysis.

  2. Effects of calcium disodium EDTA and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid on tissue concentrations of lead for use in treatment of calves with experimentally induced lead toxicosis.

    PubMed

    Meldrum, James B; Ko, Kam W

    2003-06-01

    To compare the efficacy of calcium disodium EDTA (CaNa2EDTA) and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) in reducing concentrations of lead in selected tissues for use in treatment of calves with experimentally induced lead toxicosis. 19 sexually intact male Holstein calves that weighed 35 to 60 kg. Calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 treatment groups: group 1, control calves; group 2, lead only; group 3, lead and EDTA; group 4, lead and DMSA; and group 5, lead, EDTA, and DMSA. Calves in groups 2 to 5 were dosed daily with lead (5 mg/kg, PO) for 10 days. Doses of EDTA (100 mg/kg) and DMSA (25 mg/kg) were administered IV once daily for 4 consecutive days beginning on day 11. Effects of the chelators on lead concentrations in the liver, kidneys, testes, muscles, bones, and brain were compared among the various groups. Compared with the effects of EDTA, DMSA greatly reduced lead concentrations in renal and hepatic tissues. We did not detect significant differences for the effects of EDTA or DMSA on lead concentrations in the testes; there was an adverse interaction of EDTA with DMSA that caused an increase in lead concentrations in the testes. DMSA is much more effective than EDTA in removing lead from renal and hepatic tissues in calves. Use of DMSA in calves with lead intoxication appears to be a viable treatment option. Combining DMSA and EDTA as a treatment modality in calves did not offer any advantages.

  3. Dynamics of L-Carnitine in Plasma and Urine in Patients Undergoing Cisplatin Chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Gomi, Daisuke; Tanaka, Aika; Fukushima, Toshirou; Kobayashi, Takashi; Matsushita, Hirohide; Sekiguchi, Nodoka; Sakamoto, Akiyuki; Sasaki, Shigeru; Mamiya, Keiko; Koizumi, Tomonobu

    2017-01-01

    Several studies have indicated that cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II; CDDP) causes urinary excretion of L-carnitine (LC). However, the underlying cofactors affecting the increased urinary excretion remain unclear. The present study was performed to evaluate the dynamics of LC in plasma and urine after CDDP chemotherapy and to examine the relations with clinical parameters, such as gender, body mass index (BMI), and renal function. Twenty-two patients treated with CDDP therapy were selected. Blood and urine samples were taken from patients before starting CDDP treatment (day 0), on the next day (day 1), and on the seventh day (day 7). We measured plasma and urine concentrations of total, free, and acyl-LC, and examined the relationships with gender, age, treatment cycle, skeletal muscle mass, BMI, glomerular filtration rate, and change in creatinine concentration after CDDP administration. Both urinary and plasma concentrations of 3 types of LC increased markedly on day 1 and subsequently reverted to the pre-CDDP level on day 7. There was a positive correlation between the % changes in plasma and urine LC (correlation coefficient 0.59, p = 0.003) on day 1, but no significant relations were seen in other clinical parameters. CDDP transiently increased plasma LC levels. The mechanism seemed to involve recruitment for marked urinary loss of LC. However, these changes in plasma and urinary LC levels were not related to clinical factors, suggesting that the dynamics of LC were independent of preexisting physical parameters. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  4. Human Excretion of Bisphenol A: Blood, Urine, and Sweat (BUS) Study

    PubMed Central

    Genuis, Stephen J.; Beesoon, Sanjay; Birkholz, Detlef; Lobo, Rebecca A.

    2012-01-01

    Background. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an ubiquitous chemical contaminant that has recently been associated with adverse effects on human health. There is incomplete understanding of BPA toxicokinetics, and there are no established interventions to eliminate this compound from the human body. Using 20 study participants, this study was designed to assess the relative concentration of BPA in three body fluids—blood, urine, and sweat—and to determine whether induced sweating may be a therapeutic intervention with potential to facilitate elimination of this compound. Methods. Blood, urine, and sweat were collected from 20 individuals (10 healthy participants and 10 participants with assorted health problems) and analyzed for various environmental toxicants including BPA. Results. BPA was found to differing degrees in each of blood, urine, and sweat. In 16 of 20 participants, BPA was identified in sweat, even in some individuals with no BPA detected in their serum or urine samples. Conclusions. Biomonitoring of BPA through blood and/or urine testing may underestimate the total body burden of this potential toxicant. Sweat analysis should be considered as an additional method for monitoring bioaccumulation of BPA in humans. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of BPA. PMID:22253637

  5. Lead concentrations: bats vs. terrestrial small mammals collected near a major highway

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Clark, D.R.

    Lead concentrations in two species of bats and three species of terrestrial small mammals (meadow voles, short-tailed shrews, and white-footed mice) collected near a heavily travelled highway are compared. Roosting bats away from the parkway contained as much or more lead as the terrestrial mammals that were collected within 18 m of the road. Estimated doses of lead ingested by little brown bats, shrews, and voles equal or exceed doses that have caused mortality or reproductive impairment in domestic mammals. (24 references, 3 tables)

  6. Estimation of Cutoff Values of Cotinine in Urine and Saliva for Pregnant Women in Poland

    PubMed Central

    Polańska, Kinga

    2013-01-01

    Setting appropriate cutoff values and the use of a highly sensitive analytical method allow for correct classification of the smoking status. Urine-saliva pairs samples of pregnant women in the second and third trimester, and saliva only in the first trimester were collected. Offline SPE and LC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed in the broad concentration range (saliva 0.4–1000 ng/mL, urine 0.8–4000 ng/mL). The mean recoveries were 3.7 ± 7.6% for urine and 99.1 ± 2.6% for saliva. LOD for saliva was 0.12 ng/mL and for urine 0.05 ng/mL; LOQ was 0.4 ng/mL and 0.8 ng/mL, respectively. Intraday and interday precision equaled, respectively, 1.2% and 3.4% for urine, and 2.3% and 6.4% for saliva. There was a strong correlation between salivary cotinine and the uncorrected cotinine concentration in urine in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The cutoff values were established for saliva 12.9 ng/mL and urine 42.3 ng/mL or 53.1 μg/g creatinine with the ROC curve analysis. The developed analytical method was successfully applied to quantify cotinine, and a significant correlation between the urinary and salivary cotinine levels was found. The presented cut-off values for salivary and urinary cotinine ensure a categorization of the smoking status among pregnant women that is more accurate than self-reporting. PMID:24228246

  7. Comparison of Four Strong Acids on the Precipitation Potential of Gypsum in Brines During Distillation of Pretreated, Augmented Urine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muirhead, Dean

    2011-01-01

    Two batches of nominally pretreated and augmented urine were prepared with the baseline pretreatment formulation of sulfuric acid and chromium trioxide. The urine was augmented with inorganic salts and organic compounds in order to simulate a urinary ionic concentrations representing the upper 95 percentile on orbit. Three strong mineral acids: phosphoric, hydrochloric, and nitric acid, were substituted for the sulfuric acid for comparison to the baseline sulfuric acid pretreatment formulation. Three concentrations of oxidizer in the pretreatment formulation were also tested. Pretreated urine was distilled to 85% water recovery to determine the effect of each acid and its conjugate base on the precipitation of minerals during distillation. The brines were analyzed for calcium and sulfate ion, total, volatile, and fixed suspended solids. Test results verified that substitution of phosphoric, hydrochloric, or nitric acids for sulfuric acid would prevent the precipitation of gypsum up to 85% recovery from pretreated urine representing the upper 95 percentile calcium concentration on orbit.

  8. Feather lead concentrations and (207)Pb/(206)Pb ratios reveal lead exposure history of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus).

    PubMed

    Finkelstein, M E; George, D; Scherbinski, S; Gwiazda, R; Johnson, M; Burnett, J; Brandt, J; Lawrey, S; Pessier, A P; Clark, M; Wynne, J; Grantham, J; Smith, D R

    2010-04-01

    Lead poisoning is a primary factor impeding the survival and recovery of the critically endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). However, the frequency and magnitude of lead exposure in condors is not well-known in part because most blood lead monitoring occurs biannually, and biannual blood samples capture only approximately 10% of a bird's annual exposure history. We investigated the use of growing feathers from free-flying condors in California to establish a bird's lead exposure history. We show that lead concentration and stable lead isotopic composition analyses of sequential feather sections and concurrently collected blood samples provided a comprehensive history of lead exposure over the 2-4 month period of feather growth. Feather analyses identified exposure events not evident from blood monitoring efforts, and by fitting an empirically derived timeline to actively growing feathers, we were able to estimate the time frame for specific lead exposure events. Our results demonstrate the utility of using sequentially sampled feathers to reconstruct lead exposure history. Since exposure risk in individuals is one determinant of population health, our findings should increase the understanding of population-level effects from lead poisoning in condors; this information may also be helpful for other avian species potentially impacted by lead poisoning.

  9. Feather lead concentrations and 207Pb/206Pb ratios reveal lead exposure history of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Finkelstein, M.E.; George, D.; Scherbinski, S.; Gwiazda, R.; Johnson, M.; Burnett, J.; Brandt, J.; Lawrey, S.; Pessier, Allan P.; Clark, M.R.; Wynne, J.; Grantham, And J.; Smith, D.R.

    2010-01-01

    Lead poisoning is a primary factor impeding the survival and recovery of the critically endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). However, the frequency and magnitude of lead exposure in condors is not well-known in part because most blood lead monitoring occurs biannually, and biannual blood samples capture only ∼10% of a bird’s annual exposure history. We investigated the use of growing feathers from free-flying condors in California to establish a bird’s lead exposure history. We show that lead concentration and stable lead isotopic composition analyses of sequential feather sections and concurrently collected blood samples provided a comprehensive history of lead exposure over the 2−4 month period of feather growth. Feather analyses identified exposure events not evident from blood monitoring efforts, and by fitting an empirically derived timeline to actively growing feathers, we were able to estimate the time frame for specific lead exposure events. Our results demonstrate the utility of using sequentially sampled feathers to reconstruct lead exposure history. Since exposure risk in individuals is one determinant of population health, our findings should increase the understanding of population-level effects from lead poisoning in condors; this information may also be helpful for other avian species potentially impacted by lead poisoning.

  10. Urine Culture Testing in Community Nursing Homes: Gateway to Antibiotic Overprescribing.

    PubMed

    Sloane, Philip D; Kistler, Christine E; Reed, David; Weber, David J; Ward, Kimberly; Zimmerman, Sheryl

    2017-05-01

    OBJECTIVE To describe current practice around urine testing and identify factors leading to overtreatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in community nursing homes (NHs) DESIGN Observational study of a stratified random sample of NH patients who had urine cultures ordered in NHs within a 1-month study period SETTING 31 NHs in North Carolina PARTICIPANTS 254 NH residents who had a urine culture ordered within the 1-month study period METHODS We conducted an NH record audit of clinical and laboratory information during the 2 days before and 7 days after a urine culture was ordered. We compared these results with the urine antibiogram from the 31 NHs. RESULTS Empirical treatment was started in 30% of cases. When cultures were reported, previously untreated cases received antibiotics 89% of the time for colony counts of ≥100,000 CFU/mL and in 35% of cases with colony counts of 10,000-99,000 CFU/mL. Due to the high rate of prescribing when culture results returned, 74% of these patients ultimately received a full course of antibiotics. Treated and untreated patients did not significantly differ in temperature, frequency of urinary signs and symptoms, or presence of Loeb criteria for antibiotic initiation. Factors most commonly associated with urine culture ordering were acute mental status changes (32%); change in the urine color, odor, or sediment (17%); and dysuria (15%). CONCLUSIONS Urine cultures play a significant role in antibiotic overprescribing. Antibiotic stewardship efforts in NHs should include reduction in culture ordering for factors not associated with infection-related morbidity as well as more scrutiny of patient condition when results become available. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:524-531.

  11. Establishment of a Method for Measuring Antioxidant Capacity in Urine, Based on Oxidation Reduction Potential and Redox Couple I2/KI

    PubMed Central

    Cao, Tinghui; He, Min; Bai, Tianyu

    2016-01-01

    Objectives. To establish a new method for determination of antioxidant capacity of human urine based on the redox couple I2/KI and to evaluate the redox status of healthy and diseased individuals. Methods. The method was based on the linear relationship between oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and logarithm of concentration ratio of I2/KI. ORP of a solution with a known concentration ratio of I2/KI will change when reacted with urine. To determine the accuracy of the method, both vitamin C and urine were reacted separately with I2/KI solution. The new method was compared with the traditional method of iodine titration and then used to measure the antioxidant capacity of urine samples from 30 diabetic patients and 30 healthy subjects. Results. A linear relationship was found between logarithm of concentration ratio of I2/KI and ORP (R 2 = 0.998). Both vitamin C and urine concentration showed a linear relationship with ORP (R 2 = 0.994 and 0.986, resp.). The precision of the method was in the acceptable range and results of two methods had a linear correlation (R 2 = 0.987). Differences in ORP values between diabetic group and control group were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions. A new method for measuring the antioxidant capacity of clinical urine has been established. PMID:28115919

  12. Monitoring cocaine use in substance-abuse-treatment patients by sweat and urine testing.

    PubMed

    Preston, K L; Huestis, M A; Wong, C J; Umbricht, A; Goldberger, B A; Cone, E J

    1999-09-01

    Sweat and urine specimens were collected from 44 methadone-maintenance patients to evaluate the use of sweat testing to monitor cocaine use. Paired sweat patches that were applied and removed weekly (on Tuesdays) were compared with 3-5 consecutive urine specimens collected Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. All patches (N = 930) were extracted in 2.5 mL of solvent and analyzed by ELISA immunoassay (cutoff concentration 10 ng/mL); a subset of patches (N = 591) was also analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for cocaine, benzoylecgonine (BZE), and ecgonine methyl ester (EME) (cutoff concentration 5 ng/mL). Urine specimens were subjected to qualitative analysis by EMIT (cutoff 300 ng/mL) and subsets were analyzed by TDx (semiquantitative, LOD 30 ng/mL) and by GC-MS for cocaine (LOD 5 ng/mL). Results were evaluated to (1) determine the relative amounts of cocaine and its metabolites in sweat; (2) assess replicability in duplicate patches; (3) compare ELISA and GC-MS results for cocaine in sweat; and (4) compare the detection of cocaine use by sweat and urine testing. Cocaine was detected by GC-MS in 99% of ELISA-positive sweat patches; median concentrations of cocaine, BZE, and EME were 378, 78.7, and 74 ng/mL, respectively. Agreement in duplicate patches was approximately 90% by ELISA analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of sweat ELISA cocaine results as compared with sweat GC-MS results were 93.6%, 91.3%, and 93.2%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency between ELISA sweat patch and EMIT urine results were 97.6%, 60.5%, and 77.7%, respectively. These results support the use of sweat patches for monitoring cocaine use, though further evaluation is needed.

  13. Estimating residual kidney function in dialysis patients without urine collection.

    PubMed

    Shafi, Tariq; Michels, Wieneke M; Levey, Andrew S; Inker, Lesley A; Dekker, Friedo W; Krediet, Raymond T; Hoekstra, Tiny; Schwartz, George J; Eckfeldt, John H; Coresh, Josef

    2016-05-01

    Residual kidney function contributes substantially to solute clearance in dialysis patients but cannot be assessed without urine collection. We used serum filtration markers to develop dialysis-specific equations to estimate urinary urea clearance without the need for urine collection. In our development cohort, we measured 24-hour urine clearances under close supervision in 44 patients and validated these equations in 826 patients from the Netherlands Cooperative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis. For the development and validation cohorts, median urinary urea clearance was 2.6 and 2.4 ml/min, respectively. During the 24-hour visit in the development cohort, serum β-trace protein concentrations remained in steady state but concentrations of all other markers increased. In the validation cohort, bias (median measured minus estimated clearance) was low for all equations. Precision was significantly better for β-trace protein and β2-microglobulin equations and the accuracy was significantly greater for β-trace protein, β2-microglobulin, and cystatin C equations, compared with the urea plus creatinine equation. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for detecting measured urinary urea clearance by equation-estimated urinary urea clearance (both 2 ml/min or more) were 0.821, 0.850, and 0.796 for β-trace protein, β2-microglobulin, and cystatin C equations, respectively; significantly greater than the 0.663 for the urea plus creatinine equation. Thus, residual renal function can be estimated in dialysis patients without urine collections. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Chemistry and kinetics of I2 loss in urine distillate and humidity condensate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atwater, James E.; Wheeler, Richard R., Jr.; Olivadoti, J. T.; Sauer, Richard L.

    1992-01-01

    Time-resolved molecular absorption spectrophotometry of iodinated ersatz humidity condensates and iodinated ersatz urine distillates across the UV and visible spectral regions are used to investigate the chemistry and kinetics of I2 loss in urine distillate and humidity condensate. Single contaminant systems at equivalent concentrations are also employed to study rates of iodine. Pseudo-first order rate constants are identified for ersatz contaminant model mixtures and for individual reactive constituents. The second order bimolecular reaction of elemental iodine with formic acid, producing carbon dioxide and iodine anion, is identified as the primary mechanism underlying the decay of residual I2 in ersatz humidity concentrate.

  15. 2D-electrophoresis and the urine proteome map: where do we stand?

    PubMed

    Candiano, Giovanni; Santucci, Laura; Petretto, Andrea; Bruschi, Maurizio; Dimuccio, Veronica; Urbani, Andrea; Bagnasco, Serena; Ghiggeri, Gian Marco

    2010-03-10

    The discovery of urinary biomarkers is a main topic in clinical medicine. The development of proteomics has rapidly changed the knowledge on urine protein composition and probably will modify it again. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) coupled with mass spectrometry has represented for years the technique of choice for the analysis of urine proteins and it is time to draw some conclusions. This review will focus on major methodological aspects related to urine sample collection, storage and analysis by 2D-PAGE and attempt to define an advanced normal urine protein map. Overall, 1118 spots were reproducibly found in normal urine samples but only 275 were characterized as isoforms of 82 proteins. One-hundred height spots belonging to 30 proteins were also detected in plasma and corresponded to typical plasma components. The identity of most of the proteins found in normal urine by 2D-PAGE remains to be determined, the majority being low-molecular weight proteins (<30 kDa). Equalization procedures would also enhance sensitivity of the analysis and allow low abundance proteins to be characterized. Therefore, we are still on the way to define the normal urine composition. Technology advancements in concentrating procedure will improve sensitivity and give the possibility to purify proteins for mass spectrometry. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Nitrites in Urine

    MedlinePlus

    ... Why do I need a nitrites in urine test? Your health care provider may have ordered a urinalysis as part ... Fever What happens during a nitrites in urine test? Your health care provider will need to collect a sample of ...

  17. Urobilinogen in Urine

    MedlinePlus

    ... Why do I need a urobilinogen in urine test? Your health care provider may have ordered this test as part ... skin What happens during a urobilinogen in urine test? Your health care provider will need to collect a sample of ...

  18. Quantification of six herbicide metabolites in human urine.

    PubMed

    Norrgran, Jessica; Bravo, Roberto; Bishop, Amanda M; Restrepo, Paula; Whitehead, Ralph D; Needham, Larry L; Barr, Dana B

    2006-01-18

    We developed a sensitive, selective and precise method for measuring herbicide metabolites in human urine. Our method uses automated liquid delivery of internal standards and acetate buffer and a mixed polarity polymeric phase solid phase extraction of a 2 mL urine sample. The concentrated eluate is analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Isotope dilution calibration is used for quantification of all analytes. The limits of detection of our method range from 0.036 to 0.075 ng/mL. The within- and between-day variation in pooled quality control samples range from 2.5 to 9.0% and from 3.2 to 16%, respectively, for all analytes at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 12 ng/mL. Precision was similar with samples fortified with 0.1 and 0.25 ng/mL that were analyzed in each run. We validated our selective method against a less selective method used previously in our laboratory by analyzing human specimens using both methods. The methods produced results that were in agreement, with no significant bias observed.

  19. Urinary concentration does not exclusively rely on plasma vasopressin. A study between genders. Gender and diurnal urine regulation.

    PubMed

    Graugaard-Jensen, C; Hvistendahl, G M; Frøkiaer, J; Bie, P; Djurhuus, J C

    2014-09-01

    We investigated the influence of gender on the diurnal regulation of urine production with special focus on vasopressin, oxytocin and prostaglandin E2. Fifteen young women in mid-follicular phase and 22 young men (20-33 years) were included. All participants underwent a 24-h circadian inpatient study under standardized conditions for measurements of plasma vasopressin, oxytocin, sodium and osmolality. Urine was fractionally collected for measurements of electrolytes, aquaporin-2 and prostaglandin E2. Plasma vasopressin expressed a diurnal rhythm with a night-time increase in both genders (P < 0.001). The ratio between mean daytime and mean night-time was 1.57 [95% CI: 1.33-1.84] P < 0.001 in men and 1.35 [95% CI: 1.11-1.64] P = 0.002 in women. P-vasopressin was higher in males during the night (P < 0.05). There was no difference in diuresis (P = 0.43), urine osmolality (P = 0.12) or aquaporin-2 excretion (P = 0.80) between genders. We found a trend towards a higher reabsorption of free water in males (P = 0.07). The excretion of prostaglandin E2 was higher in males (P < 0.001). There was no diurnal rhythm in p-oxytocin (P = 0.37) and no correlation to diuresis, urine osmolality or aquaporin-2 excretions. Similar urinary flows and osmolalities are associated with levels of plasma vasopressin and renal PGE2, which are higher in males than in females. Oxytocin does not seem to play a role in the diurnal urine formation, whereas prostaglandin E2 could represent a mediator of the gender difference, not only as a mediator of the vasopressin response, but also as an independent factor. These findings need further elucidation. © 2014 Scandinavian Physiological Society. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Effects of pyridinium chlorochromate adulterant (urine luck) on testing for drugs of abuse and a method for quantitative detection of chromium (VI) in urine.

    PubMed

    Paul, B D; Martin, K K; Maguilo, J; Smith, M L

    2000-01-01

    Pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) as an adulterant is popular for concealing drug-positive results. When 11-nor-delta9-THC-9-carboxylic acid (THC-acid) in urine was treated with 2 mmol/L of PCC (Cr6+ 104 microg/mL), 58-100% of the THC-acid was lost. The loss increased with decreasing pH and increasing reaction time (0-3 days). Free codeine and free morphine remained unaffected by PCC at pH within the physiological range of the urine (pH 5-7). At lower pH, the loss of free morphine varied from 0 to 100%. Amphetamine, methamphetamine, benzoylecgonine, and PCP remained unaffected by PCC when exposed to the oxidant for three days in urine pH of 3-7. Chromium (VI) from PCC in a urine solution was detected by a color reaction with 1,5-diphenylcarbazide (DPC). When the reagent was added to the urine, an immediate red-violet color appeared. The chromium-DPC complex showed a characteristic absorption peak at wavelength 544 nm with a shoulder at wavelength 575 nm. The ratio of absorption was used to identify the chromium compound. The concentration of chromium (VI) was determined by measuring absorption at wavelength 544 nm and was linear over 0.5-20 microg/mL. The limit of detection of the procedure was 0.37 microg/mL.

  1. Blood lead concentrations in mallards from Delevan and Colusa National Wildlife Refuges

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mauser, David M.; Rocke, Tonie E.; Mensik, John G.; Brand, Christopher J.

    1990-01-01

    Blood samples were taken from 181 (108 adult drakes and 73 individuals of mixed age and sex) mallards, Anas platyrhynchos , from Colusa and Delevan National Wildlife Refuges during late winter and summer of 1987. The percentage of birds with elevated lead concentration was 28.7 for late winter and 16.4 for late summer. For summer trapped birds, a significantly greater proportion of males than females contained elevated lead levels. These findings indicate that lead poisoning may be a year-round event in certain areas of the Sacramento Valley.

  2. Increased intestinal macromolecular permeability and urine nitrite excretion associated with liver cirrhosis with ascites.

    PubMed

    Lee, Soong; Son, Seung-Cheol; Han, Moon-Jong; Kim, Woo-Jin; Kim, Soo-Hyun; Kim, Hye-Ran; Jeon, Woo-Kyu; Park, Ki-Hong; Shin, Myung-Geun

    2008-06-28

    To determine intestinal permeability, the serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha level and urine nitric oxide (NO) metabolites are altered in liver cirrhosis (LC) with or without ascites. Fifty-three patients with LC and 26 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. The intestinal permeability value is expressed as the percentage of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 and 3350 retrieval in 8-h urine samples as determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Serum TNF-alpha concentrations and urine NO metabolites were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Greiss reaction method, respectively. The intestinal permeability index was significantly higher in patients with LC with ascites than in healthy control subjects or patients with LC without ascites (0.88 +/- 0.12 vs 0.52 +/- 0.05 or 0.53 +/- 0.03, P < 0.05) and correlated with urine nitrite excretion (r = 0.98). Interestingly, the serum TNF-alpha concentration was significantly higher in LC without ascites than in control subjects or in LC with ascites (198.9 +/- 55.8 pg/mL vs 40.9 +/- 12.3 pg/mL or 32.1 +/- 13.3 pg/mL, P < 0.05). Urine nitrite excretion was significantly higher in LC with ascites than in the control subjects or in LC without ascites (1170.9 +/- 28.7 micromol/L vs 903.1 +/- 55.1 micromol/L or 956.7 +/- 47.7 micromol/L, P < 0.05). Increased intestinal macromolecular permeability and NO is probably of importance in the pathophysiology and progression of LC with ascites, but the serum TNF-alpha concentration was not related to LC with ascites.

  3. Evaluation of biomarkers in plasma, blood, and urine samples from coke oven workers: significance of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed Central

    Ovrebø, S; Haugen, A; Farmer, P B; Anderson, D

    1995-01-01

    OBJECTIVE--The aim was to assess the significance of two biomarkers; antibody to benzo(a)pyrene DNA adducts and concentration of hydroxyethylvaline haemoglobin adducts in samples from a well studied group of coke oven workers. As a measure of exposure we have used 1-hydroxypyrene in urine. METHODS--Urine and blood samples were collected from coke oven workers and a control group. Samples from coke oven plant workers were collected in January and June. 1-Hydroxypyrene was measured in urine by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), antibodies to benzo(a)pyrene DNA adducts were measured by ELISA and hydroxyethylvaline haemoglobin adducts were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS--Mean urinary 1-hydroxypyrene in samples from coke oven workers varied from 1.11 to 5.53 umol/mol creatinine and 0.14 umol/mol creatinine in the control group. Workers at the top side had the highest values of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene. Antibody to benzo(a)pyrene DNA adducts did not correlate with either 1-hydroxypyrene nor length of work at the coke oven plant. But antibody concentration in samples collected in January was predictive of the concentration in samples collected in June. A small non-significant increase in hydroxyethylvaline haemoglobin adducts was found in samples from coke oven workers relative to the control group when comparing smokers and nonsmokers separately. CONCLUSION--1-Hydroxypyrene correlates well with exposure groups based on job description. Antibodies to benzo(a)-pyrene DNA adducts was related to people and not exposure. Work at a coke oven plant might lead to increased hydroxyethylvaline haemoglobin adducts. PMID:8535495

  4. Dairy farm effluent effects on urine patch nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions.

    PubMed

    Clough, Tim J; Kelliher, Francis M

    2005-01-01

    Dairy farm effluent (DFE) comprises animal feces, urine, and wash-down water collected at the milking shed. This is collected daily during the milking season and sprayed onto grazed dairy pastures. Urine patches in grazed pastures make a significant contribution to anthropogenic N(2)O emissions. The DFE could potentially mitigate N(2)O emissions by influencing the N(2)O to dinitrogen (N(2)) ratio, since it contains water-soluble carbon (WSC). Alternatively, DFE may enhance N(2)O emissions from urine patches. The application of DFE may also provide a substrate for the production of CO(2) in pasture soils. The effects of DFE on the CO(2) and N(2)O emissions from urine patches are unknown. Thus a laboratory experiment was performed where repeated DFE applications were made to repacked soil cores. Dairy farm effluent was applied at 0, 7, or 14 d after urine deposition. The urine was applied once on Day 0. Urine contained (15)N-enriched urea. Measurements of N(2)O, N(2), and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) fluxes, soil pH, and soil inorganic N concentrations were made. After 43 d the DFE had not mitigated N(2)O fluxes from urine patches. A small increase in the N(2)O flux occurred from the urine-treated soils where DFE was applied 1 wk after urine deposition. The amount of WSC applied in the DFE proved to be insignificant compared with the amount of soil C released as CO(2) following urine application. The priming of soil C in urine patches has implications for the understanding of soil C processes in grazed pasture ecosystems and the budgeting of C within these ecosystems.

  5. Relationship between blood and urine alcohol concentrations in apprehended drivers who claimed consumption of alcohol after driving with and without supporting evidence.

    PubMed

    Jones, Alan Wayne; Kugelberg, Fredrik C

    2010-01-30

    For various reasons, many people suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA) are not apprehended sitting behind the wheel, but some time after the driving. This gives them the opportunity to claim they drank alcohol after the time of driving or after they were involved in a road-traffic crash. Alleged post-offence drinking is not easy for the prosecution to disprove, which often means that the DUIA charge is dropped or the person is acquitted if the case goes to trial. The routine practice of sampling and measuring the concentration of alcohol in blood (BAC) and urine (UAC) and calculating urine/blood ratios (UAC/BAC) and the changes in UAC between two successive voids furnishes useful information to support or challenge alleged drinking after driving. We present here a retrospective case series of DUIA offenders (N=40) in half of which there was supporting evidence of an after-drink (eye witness or police reports) and in the other half no such evidence existed apart from the suspect's admission. When there was supporting evidence of an after-drink, the UAC/BAC ratio for the first void was close to or less than unity (mean 1.04, median 1.08, range 0.54-1.21) and the UAC increased by 0.21 g/L (range 0.02-0.57) between the two voids. Without any supporting evidence of post-offence drinking the mean UAC/BAC ratio was 1.46 (range 1.35-1.93) for the first void, verifying that absorption and distribution of alcohol in all body fluids and tissues was complete. In these cases, the UAC between successive voids decreased by 0.25 g/L on average (range 0.10-0.49), indicating the post-absorptive phase of the BAC curve. Long experience from investigating claims of post-offence drinking leads us to conclude that in the vast majority of cases this lacks any substance and is simply a last resort by DUIA offenders to evade justice. Unless supporting evidence exists (eye witness, police reports, etc.) of post-offence drinking the courts are encouraged to ignore this

  6. Lactic acid fermentation of human urine to improve its fertilizing value and reduce odour emissions.

    PubMed

    Andreev, N; Ronteltap, M; Boincean, B; Wernli, M; Zubcov, E; Bagrin, N; Borodin, N; Lens, P N L

    2017-08-01

    During storage of urine, urea is biologically decomposed to ammonia, which can be lost through volatilization and in turn causes significant unpleasant smell. In response, lactic acid fermentation of urine is a cost-effective technique to decrease nitrogen volatilization and reduce odour emissions. Fresh urine (pH = 5.2-5.3 and NH 4 + -N = 1.2-1.3 g L -1 ) was lacto-fermented for 36 days in closed glass jars with a lactic acid bacterial inoculum from sauerkraut juice and compared to untreated, stored urine. In the lacto-fermented urine, the pH was reduced to 3.8-4.7 and the ammonium content by 22-30%, while the pH of the untreated urine rose to 6.1 and its ammonium content increased by 32% due to urea hydrolysis. The concentration of lactic acid bacteria in lacto-fermented urine was 7.3 CFU ml -1 , suggesting that urine is a suitable growth medium for lactic acid bacteria. The odour of the stored urine was subjectively perceived by four people to be twice as strong as that of lacto-fermented samples. Lacto-fermented urine induced increased radish germination compared to stored urine (74-86% versus 2-31%). Adding a lactic acid bacterial inoculum to one week old urine in the storage tanks in a urine-diverting dry toilet reduced the pH from 8.9 to 7.7 after one month, while the ammonium content increased by 35%, probably due to the high initial pH of the urine. Given that the hydrolyzed stale urine has a high buffering capacity, the lactic acid bacterial inoculum should be added to the urine storage tank of a UDDT before urine starts to accumulate there to increase the efficiency of the lactic acid fermentation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Comparison of Four Strong Acids on the Precipitation Potential of Gypsum in Brines During Distillation of Pretreated, Augmented Urine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muirhead, Dean; Carrier, Christopher

    2012-01-01

    In this study, three different mineral acids were substituted for sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in the urine stabilizer solution to eliminate the excess of sulfate ions in pretreated urine and assess the impact on maximum water recovery to avoid precipitation of minerals during distillation. The study evaluated replacing 98% sulfuric acid with 85% phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 37% hydrochloric acid (HCl), or 70% nitric acid (HNO3). The effect of lowering the oxidizer concentration in the pretreatment formulation also was studied. This paper summarizes the test results, defines candidate formulations for further study, and specifies the injection masses required to stabilize urine and minimize the risk of mineral precipitation during distillation. In the first test with a brine ersatz acidified with different acids, the solubility of calcium in gypsum saturated solutions was measured. The solubility of gypsum was doubled in the brines acidified with the alternative acids compared to sulfuric acid. In a second series of tests, the alternative acid pretreatment concentrations were effective at preventing precipitation of gypsum and other minerals up to 85% water recovery from 95th-percentile pretreated, augmented urine. Based on test results, phosphoric acid is recommended as the safest alternative to sulfuric acid. It also is recommended that the injected mass concentration of chromium trioxide solution be reduced by 75% to minimize liquid resupply mass by about 50%, reduce toxicity of brines, and reduce the concentration of organic acids in distillate. The new stabilizer solution formulations and required doses to stabilize urine and prevent precipitation of minerals up to 85% water recovery are given. The formulations in this study were tested on a limited number of artificially augmented urine batches collected from employees at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). This study successfully demonstrated that the desired physical and chemical stability of pretreated urine and brines

  8. Performance of Copan WASP for Routine Urine Microbiology

    PubMed Central

    Quiblier, Chantal; Jetter, Marion; Rominski, Mark; Mouttet, Forouhar; Böttger, Erik C.; Keller, Peter M.

    2015-01-01

    This study compared a manual workup of urine clinical samples with fully automated WASPLab processing. As a first step, two different inocula (1 and 10 μl) and different streaking patterns were compared using WASP and InoqulA BT instrumentation. Significantly more single colonies were produced with the10-μl inoculum than with the 1-μl inoculum, and automated streaking yielded significantly more single colonies than manual streaking on whole plates (P < 0.001). In a second step, 379 clinical urine samples were evaluated using WASP and the manual workup. Average numbers of detected morphologies, recovered species, and CFUs per milliliter of all 379 urine samples showed excellent agreement between WASPLab and the manual workup. The percentage of urine samples clinically categorized as positive or negative did not differ between the automated and manual workflow, but within the positive samples, automated processing by WASPLab resulted in the detection of more potential pathogens. In summary, the present study demonstrates that (i) the streaking pattern, i.e., primarily the number of zigzags/length of streaking lines, is critical for optimizing the number of single colonies yielded from primary cultures of urine samples; (ii) automated streaking by the WASP instrument is superior to manual streaking regarding the number of single colonies yielded (for 32.2% of the samples); and (iii) automated streaking leads to higher numbers of detected morphologies (for 47.5% of the samples), species (for 17.4% of the samples), and pathogens (for 3.4% of the samples). The results of this study point to an improved quality of microbiological analyses and laboratory reports when using automated sample processing by WASP and WASPLab. PMID:26677255

  9. Determination of urine oxalate level in rats with renal calcium oxalate calculus by high-performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Cao, Qiu-shi; Ba, Yuan-ming; Luo, Jun-hua; Dai, Qi

    2015-02-01

    To establish a method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for determining the urine oxalate levle in rats with renal calcium oxalate calculus. Totally 24 SPF Wistar healthy male rats were randomly divided into control group(n=12)and ethylene glycol (EG) group (n=12). Rats in EG group were administered intragastrically with 2% ammonium chloride (AC)2 ml/rat per day+1% ethylene glycol (EG), along with free access to drinking water.The control group was fed with deionized water, along with the intragastric administration of normal saline (1 ml per day). Twenty-eight days after modelling, the 24-hour urine samples were collected, and the urine oxalic acid levels were determined using HPLC and the results were compared with those of catalytic spectrophotometry using oxidation of methyl. During the HPLC, the samples were separated on Aglient 5TC-C18 (250×4.6 mm,5 Μm), eluted with mixture of methanol (0.1 mol/L) and ammonium acetate (15:85) at 1.2 ml/min, and detected at 314 nm, with the column temperature being 20 ℃. The standard curves of high and low concentrations of oxalic acid were y=5909.1x+378730, R² =0.9984 and y=7810.5x-16635, R² =0.9967,respectively. The lowest detectable concentration in this method was 5 Μg/ml. The linear high concentration range of oxalate stood at 62.50-2000.00 Μg/ml, and the linear low concentration range of oxalate stood at 6.25-100.00 Μg/ml. Its average recovery was 95.1%, and its within-day and day-to-day precisions were 3.4%-10.8% and 3.8%-9.4%. Both HPLC and catalytic spectrophotometry showed significantly higher urinary oxalic acid concentration and 24 h urine oxalate level in EG group compared with the control group [urinary oxalic acid concentration: (736.35 ± 254.52) Μg/ml vs.(51.56 ± 36.34) Μg/ml,(687.35 ± 234.53) Μg/ml vs.(50.24 ± 42.34) Μg/ml;24 h urine oxalate level: (11.23 ± 4.12)mg vs.(0.87 ± 0.45)mg,(9.89 ± 3.55)mg vs. (0.77 ± 0.65)mg; all P<0.01]. No statistically significant difference

  10. Prostate Cancer Patients-Negative Biopsy Controls Discrimination by Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis of Urine by LC-QTOF: Upstream Information on Other Omics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernández-Peralbo, M. A.; Gómez-Gómez, E.; Calderón-Santiago, M.; Carrasco-Valiente, J.; Ruiz-García, J.; Requena-Tapia, M. J.; Luque de Castro, M. D.; Priego-Capote, F.

    2016-12-01

    The existing clinical biomarkers for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis are far from ideal (e.g., the prostate specific antigen (PSA) serum level suffers from lack of specificity, providing frequent false positives leading to over-diagnosis). A key step in the search for minimum invasive tests to complement or replace PSA should be supported on the changes experienced by the biochemical pathways in PCa patients as compared to negative biopsy control individuals. In this research a comprehensive global analysis by LC-QTOF was applied to urine from 62 patients with a clinically significant PCa and 42 healthy individuals, both groups confirmed by biopsy. An unpaired t-test (p-value < 0.05) provided 28 significant metabolites tentatively identified in urine, used to develop a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model characterized by 88.4 and 92.9% of sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Among the 28 significant metabolites 27 were present at lower concentrations in PCa patients than in control individuals, while only one reported higher concentrations in PCa patients. The connection among the biochemical pathways in which they are involved (DNA methylation, epigenetic marks on histones and RNA cap methylation) could explain the concentration changes with PCa and supports, once again, the role of metabolomics in upstream processes.

  11. Reference intervals for 24 laboratory parameters determined in 24-hour urine collections.

    PubMed

    Curcio, Raffaele; Stettler, Helen; Suter, Paolo M; Aksözen, Jasmin Barman; Saleh, Lanja; Spanaus, Katharina; Bochud, Murielle; Minder, Elisabeth; von Eckardstein, Arnold

    2016-01-01

    Reference intervals for many laboratory parameters determined in 24-h urine collections are either not publicly available or based on small numbers, not sex specific or not from a representative sample. Osmolality and concentrations or enzymatic activities of sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, creatinine, citrate, cortisol, pancreatic α-amylase, total protein, albumin, transferrin, immunoglobulin G, α1-microglobulin, α2-macroglobulin, as well as porphyrins and their precursors (δ-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen) were determined in 241 24-h urine samples of a population-based cohort of asymptomatic adults (121 men and 120 women). For 16 of these 24 parameters creatinine-normalized ratios were calculated based on 24-h urine creatinine. The reference intervals for these parameters were calculated according to the CLSI C28-A3 statistical guidelines. By contrast to most published reference intervals, which do not stratify for sex, reference intervals of 12 of 24 laboratory parameters in 24-h urine collections and of eight of 16 parameters as creatinine-normalized ratios differed significantly between men and women. For six parameters calculated as 24-h urine excretion and four parameters calculated as creatinine-normalized ratios no reference intervals had been published before. For some parameters we found significant and relevant deviations from previously reported reference intervals, most notably for 24-h urine cortisol in women. Ten 24-h urine parameters showed weak or moderate sex-specific correlations with age. By applying up-to-date analytical methods and clinical chemistry analyzers to 24-h urine collections from a large population-based cohort we provide as yet the most comprehensive set of sex-specific reference intervals calculated according to CLSI guidelines for parameters determined in 24-h urine collections.

  12. Determination of 232Th in urine by ICP-MS for individual monitoring purposes.

    PubMed

    Baglan, N; Cossonnet, C; Ritt, J

    2001-07-01

    Thorium is naturally occurring in various ores used for industrial purposes and has numerous applications. This paper sets out to investigate urine analysis as a suitable monitoring approach for workers potentially exposed to thorium. Due to its biokinetic behavior and its low solubility, urinary concentrations are generally very low, requiring therefore high sensitivity analytical methods. An analytical procedure has been developed for detecting 232Th concentrations of below 1 mBq L(-1) quickly and easily. Due to the long half-life (1.41 x 10(10) y) of 232Th, the potential of a procedure based on urine sample dilution and ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) measurement was investigated first. Two dilution factors were chosen: 100, which is more suitable for long-term measurement trials, and 20, which increases sensitivity. It has been shown that a 100-fold dilution can be used to measure concentrations of below 1 mBq L(-1), whereas a 20-fold one can be used to reach concentrations of below 0.06 mBq L(-1). Then, on the basis of the limitation of the procedure based on urine dilution, the suitable field of application for the different procedures (100-fold and 20-fold dilution and also a chemical purification followed by an ICP-MS measurement) was determined in relation to monitoring objectives.

  13. The effect of diet enriched with rapeseed meal on endogenous thiouracil contents in urine and milk of cattle.

    PubMed

    Wozniak, Barbara; Matraszek-Zuchowska, Iwona; Witek, Sebastian; Zmudzki, Jan; Posyniak, Andrzej

    2018-01-15

    Thyreostatic compounds, such as thiouracil, are orally active drugs that can be used to increase the weight of cattle before slaughter. Due to potentially teratogenic and carcinogenic effects of their residues on public health, the use of thyreostats in animal production has been banned in the European Union since 1981. Systematic detection of low concentrations of thiouracil in the urine of livestock in many countries is believed to be of endogenous origin due to the use of Brassicaceae plants in the animal diet. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine the effects of diets rich in rapeseed meal on formation of thiouracil in urine and milk of dairy cows. For two weeks three cows were subjected to a diet supplemented with rapeseed at 30%, compared to the control cattle diet which contained up to 11% rapeseed. During the experiment, samples of urine and milk were collected and analysed by LC-MS/MS. The increase and decrease of thiouracil concentration in urine samples in different animals was individual and cyclic. The highest concentration of natural thiouracil determined in urine was 3.61 μg l -1 . It has been found that endogenous thiouracil exists in two tautomeric forms. A few days of storage of frozen urine samples affected the stability of natural thiouracil, whereas an acidic medium improved the stability of the compound and its isomer, which remained stable even after two months of storage at temperatures below -18°C. Due to the instability of thiouracil, urine samples upon sampling should be delivered to the laboratory as soon as possible or properly preserved. In milk samples, thiouracil was not found above the decision limit of the applied method of 0.63 μg l -1 . Preliminary studies have shown that faecal examination for banned thiouracil can be a complementary test for urine samples, and may be helpful in determining the origin of the compound present in urine.

  14. Evaluation of a tunable bandpass reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer for the determination of selenium in serum and urine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nixon, David E.; Neubauer, Kenneth R.; Eckdahl, Steven J.; Butz, John A.; Burritt, Mary F.

    2003-01-01

    A Dynamic Reaction Cell™ inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (DRC-ICP-MS) was evaluated for the determination of selenium in serum and urine. Reaction cell conditions were evaluated for the suppression of Ar 2+ dimer at m/ z 78 and 80 using methane as the reaction gas. A diluent containing 10% ethanol, 1% nitric acid, 0.5% Triton X-100 with gallium and yttrium internal standards was used to dilute urine and serum samples. Instrument response calibration was achieved by using aqueous acidic standards spiked into a urine matrix. Slopes for aqueous inorganic selenium, seleno- DL-cystine, seleno- DL-methionine and trimethylselenonium iodide spiked into urine and serum matrices were nearly identical. In general, reagent blank readings and detection limits were significantly lower in the DRC mode (reaction cell pressurized) than the standard mode (cell vented). Average results for the analysis of National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material (NIST SRM) 1598 bovine serum (attained over 13 days) are: 43.8±3.6 μg Se/l. Reference concentration is 43.6±3.6 μg Se/l. For NIST SRM 2670 Normal Urine the DRC-ICP-MS results are 30.7±4.6 μg Se/l with a certified concentration of 30±8 μg Se/l. For NIST SRM 2670 Elevated Urine the DRC-ICP-MS results are 463±35 μg Se/l with a certified concentration of 460±30 μg Se/l. The DRC-ICP-MS results for selenium determinations in urine and serum survey samples from the Institut National de Sante Publique du Quebec were compared with the reference concentrations and results produced by conventional ICP-MS. While conventional ICP-MS gave acceptable results for survey samples, DRC-ICP-MS gave excellent results for both urine and sera. Closer correlation was observed for DRC-ICP-MS results with target concentrations than with conventional ICP-MS.

  15. Accumulation and Depletion of Cadmium in the Blood, Milk, Hair, Feces, and Urine of Cows During and After Treatment.

    PubMed

    Su, Chuanyou; Zhang, Junmin; Li, Zhentian; Zhao, Qingyu; Liu, Kaidong; Sun, Youde; Wang, Jianhua

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the accumulation and depletion of cadmium in the blood, milk, hair, feces, and urine of Holstein cows during and after treatment. Three Holstein cows received daily oral cadmium administrations (as cadmium chloride) of 0.182 mg/kg body weight/day for 21 days followed by a 63-day withdrawal period. Blood, milk, hair, feces, and urine were collected during treatment and withdrawal periods. Cadmium concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Cadmium concentrations in blood (0.61-1.12 μg/L), milk (0.39-1.04 μg/L), and urine (0.41-2.05 μg/L) were low. Comparatively, cadmium concentrations in feces were higher, especially on treatment day 14 (20.11 mg/kg dry matter). Fecal cadmium concentrations decreased to baseline levels (0.12 mg/kg dry matter) on withdrawal day 21. Hair cadmium concentrations increased with treatment, reaching the highest levels on withdrawal day 7 (24.33 μg/kg). Most of the cadmium was excreted via the feces and very little was present in urine or milk. Cadmium residues were detected in blood and milk more than 63 days after cadmium withdrawal. Hair cadmium concentrations may reflect exposure to the metal.

  16. Association between urine fluoride and dental fluorosis as a toxicity factor in a rural community in the state of San Luis Potosi.

    PubMed

    Jarquín-Yañez, Lizet; de Jesús Mejía-Saavedra, José; Molina-Frechero, Nelly; Gaona, Enrique; Rocha-Amador, Diana Olivia; López-Guzmán, Olga Dania; Bologna-Molina, Ronell

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate urine fluoride concentration as a toxicity factor in a rural community in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. A sample of 111 children exposed to high concentrations of fluoride in drinking water (4.13 mg/L) was evaluated. Fluoride exposure was determined by measuring urine fluoride concentration using the potentiometric method with an ion selective electrode. The diagnosis of dental fluorosis was performed by clinical examination, and the severity of damage was determined using Dean's index and the Thylstrup-Fejerskov (TF) index. The range of exposure in the study population, evaluated through the fluoride content in urine, was 1.1 to 5.9 mg/L, with a mean of 3.14±1.09 mg/L. Dental fluorosis was present in all subjects, of which 95% had severe cases. Higher urine fluoride levels and greater degrees of severity occurred in older children. The results show that dental fluorosis was determined by the presence of fluoride exposure finding a high positive correlation between the severity of fluorosis and urine fluoride concentration and the years of exposure suggested a cumulative effect.

  17. [Is bacteriological testing of bladder urine informative in acute obstructive pyelo- nephritis?

    PubMed

    Kogan, M I; Naboka, Yu L; Bedzhanyan, S K; Mitusova, E V; Gudima, I A; Morgun, P P; Vasileva, L I

    2017-07-01

    , Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp. was 71.8%, 40.0% and 66.7%, respectively. Other uropathogens in the pelvic urine mainly had a bacterial count of less or equal 103 CFU/ml. Only the concentration of Corynebacterium spp. in the pelvic urine significantly (p=0.023) differed from that of the bladder urine. There were no significant differences between microbiota of bladder and pelvic urine depending on duration of OOP except higher rates of Corynebacterium spp. in the bladder urine.

  18. Normalization to specific gravity prior to analysis improves information recovery from high resolution mass spectrometry metabolomic profiles of human urine.

    PubMed

    Edmands, William M B; Ferrari, Pietro; Scalbert, Augustin

    2014-11-04

    Extraction of meaningful biological information from urinary metabolomic profiles obtained by liquid-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) necessitates the control of unwanted sources of variability associated with large differences in urine sample concentrations. Different methods of normalization either before analysis (preacquisition normalization) through dilution of urine samples to the lowest specific gravity measured by refractometry, or after analysis (postacquisition normalization) to urine volume, specific gravity and median fold change are compared for their capacity to recover lead metabolites for a potential future use as dietary biomarkers. Twenty-four urine samples of 19 subjects from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) cohort were selected based on their high and low/nonconsumption of six polyphenol-rich foods as assessed with a 24 h dietary recall. MS features selected on the basis of minimum discriminant selection criteria were related to each dietary item by means of orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis models. Normalization methods ranked in the following decreasing order when comparing the number of total discriminant MS features recovered to that obtained in the absence of normalization: preacquisition normalization to specific gravity (4.2-fold), postacquisition normalization to specific gravity (2.3-fold), postacquisition median fold change normalization (1.8-fold increase), postacquisition normalization to urinary volume (0.79-fold). A preventative preacquisition normalization based on urine specific gravity was found to be superior to all curative postacquisition normalization methods tested for discovery of MS features discriminant of dietary intake in these urinary metabolomic datasets.

  19. Ammonia Inactivation of Ascaris Ova in Ecological Compost by Using Urine and Ash

    PubMed Central

    Parzen, Rebecca E.; Mercado Guzmán, Álvaro

    2012-01-01

    Viable ova of Ascaris lumbricoides, an indicator organism for pathogens, are frequently found in feces-derived compost produced from ecological toilets, demonstrating that threshold levels of time, temperature, pH, and moisture content for pathogen inactivation are not routinely met. Previous studies have determined that NH3 has ovicidal properties for pathogens, including Ascaris ova. This research attempted to achieve Ascaris inactivation via NH3 under environmental conditions commonly found in ecological toilets and using materials universally available in an ecological sanitation setting, including compost (feces and sawdust), urine, and ash. Compost mixed with stored urine and ash produced the most rapid inactivation, with significant inactivation observed after 2 weeks and with a time to 99% ovum inactivation (T99) of 8 weeks. Compost mixed with fresh urine and ash achieved a T99 of 15 weeks, after a 4-week lag phase. Both matrices had relatively high total-ammonia concentrations and pH values of >9.24 (pKa of ammonia). In compost mixed with ash only, and in compost mixed with fresh urine only, inactivation was observed after an 11-week lag phase. These matrices contained NH3 concentrations of 164 to 173 and 102 to 277 mg/liter, respectively, when inactivation occurred, which was below the previously hypothesized threshold for inactivation (280 mg/liter), suggesting that a lower threshold NH3 concentration may be possible with a longer contact time. Other significant results include the hydrolysis of urea to ammonia between pH values of 10.4 and 11.6, above the literature threshold pH of 10. PMID:22582051

  20. Ammonia inactivation of Ascaris ova in ecological compost by using urine and ash.

    PubMed

    McKinley, James W; Parzen, Rebecca E; Mercado Guzmán, Álvaro

    2012-08-01

    Viable ova of Ascaris lumbricoides, an indicator organism for pathogens, are frequently found in feces-derived compost produced from ecological toilets, demonstrating that threshold levels of time, temperature, pH, and moisture content for pathogen inactivation are not routinely met. Previous studies have determined that NH(3) has ovicidal properties for pathogens, including Ascaris ova. This research attempted to achieve Ascaris inactivation via NH(3) under environmental conditions commonly found in ecological toilets and using materials universally available in an ecological sanitation setting, including compost (feces and sawdust), urine, and ash. Compost mixed with stored urine and ash produced the most rapid inactivation, with significant inactivation observed after 2 weeks and with a time to 99% ovum inactivation (T(99)) of 8 weeks. Compost mixed with fresh urine and ash achieved a T(99) of 15 weeks, after a 4-week lag phase. Both matrices had relatively high total-ammonia concentrations and pH values of >9.24 (pK(a) of ammonia). In compost mixed with ash only, and in compost mixed with fresh urine only, inactivation was observed after an 11-week lag phase. These matrices contained NH(3) concentrations of 164 to 173 and 102 to 277 mg/liter, respectively, when inactivation occurred, which was below the previously hypothesized threshold for inactivation (280 mg/liter), suggesting that a lower threshold NH(3) concentration may be possible with a longer contact time. Other significant results include the hydrolysis of urea to ammonia between pH values of 10.4 and 11.6, above the literature threshold pH of 10.

  1. Contamination of houses by workers occupationally exposed in a lead-zinc-copper mine and impact on blood lead concentrations in the families.

    PubMed Central

    Chiaradia, M; Gulson, B L; MacDonald, K

    1997-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pathway of leaded dust from a lead-zinc-copper mine to houses of employees, and the impact on blood lead concentrations (PbB) of children. METHODS: High precision lead isotope and lead concentration data were obtained on venous blood and environmental samples (vacuum cleaner dust, interior dustfall accumulation, water, paint) for eight children of six employees (and the employees) from a lead-zinc-copper mine. These data were compared with results for 11 children from occupationally unexposed control families living in the same city. RESULTS: The median (range) concentrations of lead in vacuum cleaner dust was 470 (21-1300) ppm. In the houses of the mine employees, vacuum cleaner dust contained varying higher proportions of mine lead than did airborne particulate matter measured as dustfall accumulated over a three month period. The median (range) concentrations of lead in soil were 30 (5-407) ppm and these showed no evidence of any mine lead. Lead in blood of the mine employees varied from 7 to 25 micrograms/dl and was generally dominated by mine lead (> 60%). The mean (SD) PbB in the children of the mine employees was 5.7 (1.7) micrograms/dl compared with 4.1 (1.4) micrograms/dl for the control children (P = 0.02). The PbB of all children was always < 10 micrograms/dl, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council goal for all Australians. Some of the control children had higher PbB than the children of mine employees, probably from exposure to leaded paint as six of the eight houses of the control children were > 50 years old. In five of the eight children of mine employees > 20% of PbB was from the lead mine. However, in the other three cases of children of mine employees, their PbB was from sources other than mine lead (paint, petrol, background sources). CONCLUSIONS: Houses of employees from a lead mine can be contaminated by mine lead even if they are not situated in the same place as the mine. Delineation of the mine

  2. Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Intranasal Scopolamine in Plasma Saliva and Urine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, L.; Chow, D. S. L.; Tam, V.; Putcha, L.

    2014-01-01

    An intranasal gel formulation of scopolamine (INSCOP) was developed for the treatment of Space Motion Sickness. The bioavailability and pharmacokinetics (PK) were evaluated under the Food and Drug Administration guidelines for clinical trials for an Investigative New Drug (IND). The aim of this project was to develop a PK model that can predict the relationship between plasma, saliva and urinary scopolamine concentrations using data collected from the IND clinical trial with INSCOP. METHODS: Twelve healthy human subjects were administered three dose levels (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg) of INSCOP. Serial blood, saliva and urine samples were collected between 5 min to 24 h after dosing and scopolamine concentrations measured by using a validated LC-MS-MS assay. Pharmacokinetic Compartmental models, using actual dosing and sampling times, were built using Phoenix (version 1.2). Model discrimination was performed, by minimizing the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC), maximizing the coefficient of determination (r²) and by comparison of the quality of fit plots. RESULTS: The best structural model to describe scopolamine disposition after INSCOP administration (minimal AIC =907.2) consisted of one compartment for plasma, saliva and urine respectively that were inter-connected with different rate constants. The estimated values of PK parameters were compiled in Table 1. The model fitting exercises revealed a nonlinear PK for scopolamine between plasma and saliva compartments for K21, Vmax and Km. CONCLUSION: PK model for INSCOP was developed and for the first time it satisfactorily predicted the PK of scopolamine in plasma, saliva and urine after INSCOP administration. Using non-linear PK yielded the best structural model to describe scopolamine disposition between plasma and saliva compartments, and inclusion of non-linear PK resulted in a significant improved model fitting. The model can be utilized to predict scopolamine plasma concentration using saliva and/or urine data that

  3. Diagnostic performance of random urine samples using albumin concentration vs ratio of albumin to creatinine for microalbuminuria screening in patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Wu, Hon-Yen; Peng, Yu-Sen; Chiang, Chih-Kang; Huang, Jenq-Wen; Hung, Kuan-Yu; Wu, Kwan-Dun; Tu, Yu-Kang; Chien, Kuo-Liong

    2014-07-01

    A random urine sample measuring the albumin concentration (UAC) without simultaneously measuring the urinary creatinine is less expensive than measuring the ratio of albumin to creatinine (ACR), but comparisons of their diagnostic performance for microalbuminuria screening among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have not been undertaken in previous meta-analyses. To compare the diagnostic performance of the UAC vs the ACR in random urine samples for microalbuminuria screening among patients with DM. Electronic literature searches of PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus for English-language publications from the earliest available date of indexing through July 31, 2012. Clinical studies assessing the UAC or the ACR of random urine samples in detecting the presence of microalbuminuria among patients with DM using a urinary albumin excretion rate of 30 to 300 mg/d in 24-hour timed urine collections as the criterion standard. Bivariate random-effects models for analysis and pooling of the diagnostic performance measures across studies, as well as comparisons between different screening tests. The primary end point was the diagnostic performance measures of the UAC or the ACR in random urine samples, as well as comparisons between them. We identified 14 studies, with a total of 2078 patients; 9 studies reported on the UAC, and 12 studies reported on the ACR. Meta-analysis showed pooled sensitivities of 0.85 and 0.87 for the UAC and the ACR, respectively, and pooled specificities of 0.88 and 0.88, respectively. No differences in sensitivity (P = .70), specificity (P = .63), or diagnostic odds ratios (P = .59) between the UAC and the ACR were found. The time point of urine collection did not affect the diagnostic performance of either test. The UAC and the ACR yielded high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of microalbuminuria. Because the diagnostic performance of the UAC is comparable to that of the ACR, our findings indicate that the UAC of random

  4. Heteroatom-doped highly porous carbon from human urine.

    PubMed

    Chaudhari, Nitin Kaduba; Song, Min Young; Yu, Jong-Sung

    2014-06-09

    Human urine, otherwise potentially polluting waste, is an universal unused resource in organic form disposed by the human body. We present for the first time "proof of concept" of a convenient, perhaps economically beneficial, and innovative template-free route to synthesize highly porous carbon containing heteroatoms such as N, S, Si, and P from human urine waste as a single precursor for carbon and multiple heteroatoms. High porosity is created through removal of inherently-present salt particles in as-prepared "Urine Carbon" (URC), and multiple heteroatoms are naturally doped into the carbon, making it unnecessary to employ troublesome expensive pore-generating templates as well as extra costly heteroatom-containing organic precursors. Additionally, isolation of rock salts is an extra bonus of present work. The technique is simple, but successful, offering naturally doped conductive hierarchical porous URC, which leads to superior electrocatalytic ORR activity comparable to state of the art Pt/C catalyst along with much improved durability and methanol tolerance, demonstrating that the URC can be a promising alternative to costly Pt-based electrocatalyst for ORR. The ORR activity can be addressed in terms of heteroatom doping, surface properties and electrical conductivity of the carbon framework.

  5. Heteroatom-doped highly porous carbon from human urine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaudhari, Nitin Kaduba; Song, Min Young; Yu, Jong-Sung

    2014-06-01

    Human urine, otherwise potentially polluting waste, is an universal unused resource in organic form disposed by the human body. We present for the first time ``proof of concept'' of a convenient, perhaps economically beneficial, and innovative template-free route to synthesize highly porous carbon containing heteroatoms such as N, S, Si, and P from human urine waste as a single precursor for carbon and multiple heteroatoms. High porosity is created through removal of inherently-present salt particles in as-prepared ``Urine Carbon'' (URC), and multiple heteroatoms are naturally doped into the carbon, making it unnecessary to employ troublesome expensive pore-generating templates as well as extra costly heteroatom-containing organic precursors. Additionally, isolation of rock salts is an extra bonus of present work. The technique is simple, but successful, offering naturally doped conductive hierarchical porous URC, which leads to superior electrocatalytic ORR activity comparable to state of the art Pt/C catalyst along with much improved durability and methanol tolerance, demonstrating that the URC can be a promising alternative to costly Pt-based electrocatalyst for ORR. The ORR activity can be addressed in terms of heteroatom doping, surface properties and electrical conductivity of the carbon framework.

  6. Pathogens and pharmaceuticals in source-separated urine in eThekwini, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Bischel, Heather N; Özel Duygan, Birge D; Strande, Linda; McArdell, Christa S; Udert, Kai M; Kohn, Tamar

    2015-11-15

    In eThekwini, South Africa, the production of agricultural fertilizers from human urine collected from urine-diverting dry toilets is being evaluated at a municipality scale as a way to help finance a decentralized, dry sanitation system. The present study aimed to assess a range of human and environmental health hazards in source-separated urine, which was presumed to be contaminated with feces, by evaluating the presence of human pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and an antibiotic resistance gene. Composite urine samples from households enrolled in a urine collection trial were obtained from urine storage tanks installed in three regions of eThekwini. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeted 9 viral and 10 bacterial human pathogens transmitted by the fecal-oral route. The most frequently detected viral pathogens were JC polyomavirus, rotavirus, and human adenovirus in 100%, 34% and 31% of samples, respectively. Aeromonas spp. and Shigella spp. were frequently detected gram negative bacteria, in 94% and 61% of samples, respectively. The gram positive bacterium, Clostridium perfringens, which is known to survive for extended times in urine, was found in 72% of samples. A screening of 41 trace organic compounds in the urine facilitated selection of 12 priority pharmaceuticals for further evaluation. The antibiotics sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, which are frequently prescribed as prophylaxis for HIV-positive patients, were detected in 95% and 85% of samples, reaching maximum concentrations of 6800 μg/L and 1280 μg/L, respectively. The antiretroviral drug emtricitabine was also detected in 40% of urine samples. A sulfonamide antibiotic resistance gene (sul1) was detected in 100% of urine samples. By coupling analysis of pathogens and pharmaceuticals in geographically dispersed samples in eThekwini, this study reveals a range of human and environmental health hazards in urine intended for fertilizer production. Collection of urine offers the benefit of

  7. Follicular fluid and urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites among infertile women and associations with in vitro fertilization parameters.

    PubMed

    Du, Yao-Yao; Fang, Yue-Li; Wang, Yi-Xin; Zeng, Qiang; Guo, Na; Zhao, Hua; Li, Yu-Feng

    2016-06-01

    Evidence from toxicological studies has demonstrated that phthalates can lead to reduced fertility through effects on folliculogenesis, oocyte maturation and embryonic development, but human data are limited. Concentrations of eight phthalate metabolites in 110 follicular fluid (FF) and urine samples collected from 112 women attending an infertility clinic in Wuhan, China were quantified, and correlations between paired matrices were explored. Associations between metabolite concentrations and in vitro fertilization (IVF) parameters were evaluated with multivariable models. Six metabolites were detected in >72.73% of the FF samples. MEHP and MBP were the dominant metabolites with a median level of 2.80 and 2.05ng/mL, respectively. Significant correlations between the two matrices, urine and FF, were found for MEP (rs=0.44), and MBP (rs=0.22). FF and urinary metabolite concentrations were not associated with any IVF parameters. However, given the prevalence of phthalates exposure, further work is needed to elucidate the potential hazard on female reproduction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Effects of environmental cadmium and lead exposure on adults neighboring a discharge: Evidences of adverse health effects.

    PubMed

    Cabral, Mathilde; Toure, Aminata; Garçon, Guillaume; Diop, Cheikh; Bouhsina, Saâd; Dewaele, Dorothée; Cazier, Fabrice; Courcot, Dominique; Tall-Dia, Anta; Shirali, Pirouz; Diouf, Amadou; Fall, Mamadou; Verdin, Anthony

    2015-11-01

    The purpose of the study was to determine Pb and Cd concentrations in humans and to assess the effect of co-exposure to these metals on biomarkers of oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity. Blood and urine levels of Pb and Cd, oxidative stress and urinary renal biomarkers were measured in 77 subjects neighboring a discharge and 52 in the control site. Exposed subjects showed significantly higher levels of lead and cadmium in blood and urine than the controls. Excessive production of reactive oxygen species induced by these metals in exposed subjects conducted to a decrease in antioxidant defense system (GPx, Selenium, GSH) and an increase in lipid peroxidation (MDA). Moreover, changes in markers of nephrotoxicity (high urinary concentrations of total protein, RBP and CC16, as well as GSTα and LDH increased activities) suggested the occurrence of discrete and early signs of impaired renal function for the discharge neighboring population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Quantitative determination of mycotoxins in urine by LC-MS/MS.

    PubMed

    Ahn, J; Kim, D; Kim, H; Jahng, K-Y

    2010-12-01

    Naturally occurring mycotoxins are responsible for a wide array of adverse health effects. The measurement of urinary mycotoxin levels is a useful means of assessing an individual's exposure, but the development of sensitive and accurate analytical methods for detecting mycotoxins and their metabolites in urine samples is challenging. Urinary mycotoxins are present in low pg ml⁻¹ concentrations, and the chromatographic identification of their metabolites can be obscured by other endogenous metabolites. We developed an analytical method focused on the selection of two appropriate multiple-reaction monitoring transition for unambiguous identification and quantification of carcinogenic aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁), ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisin B₁, B₂ (FB₁, FB₂) in urine samples from a small volunteer group in a pilot study. AFM₁, OTA, FB₁ and FB₂ were concentrated selectively, interfering substances were removed using an immunoaffinity column (IAC), and mycotoxins were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in combination with a stable-isotope standard-dilution assay (SIDA). The method was sensitive enough to measure mycotoxins and their metabolites at pg ml⁻¹ levels in urine. The combination of LC-MS/MS and SIDA was critical to distinguishing pseudo-OTα interference from genuine OTα. Twelve urine samples contained OTA ranging from 0.013 to 0.093 ng ml⁻¹ (mean = 0.031 ng ml⁻¹). AFM₁ were detected in one sample at a 0.002 ng ml⁻¹ level, while FB₁ and FB₂ were undetectable in all 12 samples. None of the samples in this pilot study contained a detectable level of OTα, despite the presence of OTA, and this may suggest the need for further epidemiological investigation of OTA exposure in the Korean population.

  10. Evaluation of lead concentration by one-box type multimedia model in Lake Biwa-Yodo River basin of Japan.

    PubMed

    Kondo, Akira; Yamamoto, Megumi; Inoue, Yoshio; Ariyadasa, B H A K T

    2013-07-01

    A one box type multimedia model was developed and applied for Lake Biwa-Yodo River basin in Japan to assess the distribution of lead in the environment. This model is based on mass balance and includes four environmental media; the atmosphere, the soil, the water body, and the sediment. The mass balance of lead is represented by the summation of mass transfer flux at equilibrium, emission flux, advection flux, and deposition flux or sedimentation flux. In the case of metallic compounds, dissolution rate and exchange equilibrium have also been taken into consideration. Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry (PRTR) in Japan was used as one of the major data source for this study. The emission of lead in Lake Biwa-Yodo River basin is calculated based on five sources of registered emission in PRTR, unregistered emission in PRTR, incinerators, leaded gasoline, and landfills. In this study, we estimated lead emission from 1957 to 2007 to observe the temporal accumulation of lead. Calculated lead concentrations were compared with the measured/observed concentrations. It was found out that the model could closely predict lead concentration in the soil and the water body. The concentration in the atmosphere was underestimated by the calculated concentrations. The reason was attributed to the underestimation of the amount of lead emission from incinerators. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Rapid determination of 226Ra in emergency urine samples

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maxwell, Sherrod L.; Culligan, Brian K.; Hutchison, Jay B.

    2014-02-27

    A new method has been developed at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) that can be used for the rapid determination of 226Ra in emergency urine samples following a radiological incident. If a radiological dispersive device event or a nuclear accident occurs, there will be an urgent need for rapid analyses of radionuclides in urine samples to ensure the safety of the public. Large numbers of urine samples will have to be analyzed very quickly. This new SRNL method was applied to 100 mL urine aliquots, however this method can be applied to smaller or larger sample aliquots as needed.more » The method was optimized for rapid turnaround times; urine samples may be prepared for counting in <3 h. A rapid calcium phosphate precipitation method was used to pre-concentrate 226Ra from the urine sample matrix, followed by removal of calcium by cation exchange separation. A stacked elution method using DGA Resin was used to purify the 226Ra during the cation exchange elution step. This approach combines the cation resin elution step with the simultaneous purification of 226Ra with DGA Resin, saving time. 133Ba was used instead of 225Ra as tracer to allow immediate counting; however, 225Ra can still be used as an option. The rapid purification of 226Ra to remove interferences using DGA Resin was compared with a slightly longer Ln Resin approach. A final barium sulfate micro-precipitation step was used with isopropanol present to reduce solubility; producing alpha spectrometry sources with peaks typically <40 keV FWHM (full width half max). This new rapid method is fast, has very high tracer yield (>90 %), and removes interferences effectively. The sample preparation method can also be adapted to ICP-MS measurement of 226Ra, with rapid removal of isobaric interferences.« less

  12. Monitoring Body Water Balance in Pregnant and Nursing Women: The Validity of Urine Color.

    PubMed

    McKenzie, Amy L; Armstrong, Lawrence E

    2017-01-01

    Urine osmolality (UOSM) reflects the renal regulation of excess fluid or deficit fluid, and therefore, serves as a marker of hydration status. Little is known about monitoring hydration in pregnant and lactating women despite significant physiological challenges to body water balance during that time. Therefore, we designed a study to assess if urine color (UCOL), an inexpensive and practical method, was a valid means of assessing urine concentration. Twenty-four hour UCOL was significantly correlated with 24 h UOSM in all women: pregnant, lactating, and control (r = 0.61-0.84, all p < 0.001). Utilizing a receiver operating characteristic statistical analysis, we found that 24 h and single sample UCOL had excellent diagnostic accuracy for identifying UOSM ≥500 mOsm·kg-1 in all women (area under the curve = 0.68-0.95, p < 0.001-0.46), and the UCOL that reflected this cut off was ≥4 on the UCOL chart. Therefore, UCOL is a valid marker of urine concentration and ultimately hydration status in pregnant, lactating, and non-pregnant, non-lactating women. For pregnant, lactating, and control women, the UCOL chart is a valid tool that can be used to monitor urine concentration in a single sample or over the course of the day via a 24 h sample. Key Message: Women who present with a UCOL of 4 or more likely have a UOSM ≥500 mOsm·kg-1. Given the positive health benefits associated with UOSM <500 mOsm·kg-1, women should aim for a 1, 2, or 3 on the UCOL chart. If a UCOL of ≥4 is observed, women should consider increasing fluid consumption to improve hydration status. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. A girl with headache, confusion and green urine.

    PubMed

    Hufschmidt, Andreas; Krisch, Alexandra; Peschen, I

    2009-07-01

    The case of a 17-year-old girl with a history of headache, blurred vision, confusion, ataxia and syncope is presented. On admission, she had already recovered except for a slurring of speech. Her urine was found to be green. Screening for illegal drugs was negative, but gas chromatography with subsequent mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) revealed an extremely high concentration of flupirtine.

  14. Interferences of homogentisic acid (HGA) on routine clinical chemistry assays in serum and urine and the implications for biochemical monitoring of patients with alkaptonuria.

    PubMed

    Curtis, S L; Roberts, N B; Ranganath, L R

    2014-05-01

    We have assessed the effect of elevated concentrations of homogentisic acid (HGA) as in alkaptonuria (AKU), on a range of routine chemistry tests in serum and urine. HGA was added to pooled serum and a range of assays was analysed with Roche Modular chemistries. Effects on urine were assessed by diluting normal urine with urine from a patient with AKU, adding HGA to urine and after lowering output of urinary HGA with nitisinone treatment. Serum enzymatic creatinine showed 30% negative interference with 100μmol/L HGA and >50% at 400μmol/L. Serum urate 100 to 480μmol/L was reduced up to 20% at 100 and to 50% with 400μmol/L HGA. Serum cholesterol between 3 and 11mmol/L was reduced by 0.5mmol/L with 400μmol/L HGA. Urine enzymatic creatinine and urate with >2mmol/L HGA showed concentration dependent negative interference up to 80%. A positive interference in urine total protein by benzethonium turbidometric assay was observed, with 10mmol/L HGA equivalent to 1g/L protein. Jaffe creatinine, Na, K, Cl, Mg, Ca, phosphate, ALT, GGT, ALP activities and urea in serum and or urine were not affected by increases in HGA. To avoid interferences by HGA in alkaptonuria concentration of HGA should be established before samples are assayed with peroxidase assays and benzethonium urine protein. Copyright © 2013 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. All rights reserved.

  15. DNA typing for personal identification of urine after long-term preservation for testing in doping control.

    PubMed

    Aoki, Kimiko; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Ueki, Makoto

    2017-08-01

    When the tampering of a urine sample is suspected in doping control, personal identification of the sample needs to be determined by short tandem repeat (STR) analysis using DNA. We established a method for extracting DNA from urine samples stored at -20 °C without using any additives or procedures, which is consistent with how samples are required to be managed for doping control. The method, using the Puregene® Blood Core kit followed by NucleoSpin® gDNA Clean-up or NucleoSpin® gDNA Clean-up XS kit, does not need any special instrument and can provide a purified extract with high-quality DNA from up to 40 mL of urine suitable for STR analysis using an AmpFlSTR® Identifiler® PCR amplification kit. Storing urine at -20 °C is detrimental to the stability of DNA. The DNA concentration of preserved urine could not be predicted by specific gravity or creatinine level at the time of urine collection. The DNA concentration of a purified extract (10 μL) was required to be >0.06 ng/μL to ensure a successful STR analysis. Thus, the required extraction volumes of urine preserved for 3-7 years at -20 °C were estimated to be 30 mL and 20 mL to succeed in at least 86% of men and 91% of women, respectively. Considering the long half-life of DNA during long-term preservation, our extraction method is applicable to urine samples stored even for 10 years, which is currently the storage duration allowed (increased from 8 years) before re-examination in doping control. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Influence of multiple injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on urine and serum endogenous steroids concentrations.

    PubMed

    Strahm, Emmanuel; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Pralong, François; Dvorak, Jiri; Saugy, Martial; Baume, Norbert

    2011-12-10

    Since it is established that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) affects testosterone production and release in the human body, the use of this hormone as a performance enhancing drug has been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Nowadays, the only validated biomarker of a hCG doping is its direct quantification in urine. However, this specific parameter is subjected to large inter-individual variability and its determination is directly dependent on the reliability of hCG immunoassays used. In order to counteract these weaknesses, new biomarkers need to be evidenced. To address this issue, a pilot clinical study was performed on 10 volunteers submitted to 3 subsequent hCG injections. Blood and urine samples were collected during two weeks in order to follow the physiological effects on related compounds such as the steroid profile or hormones involved in the hypothalamo-pituitary axis. The hCG pharmacokinetic observed in all subjects was, as expected, prone to important inter-individual variations. Using ROC plots, level of testosterone and testosterone on luteinizing hormone ratio in both blood and urine were found to be the most relevant biomarker of a hCG abuse, regardless of inter-individual variations. In conclusion, this study showed the crucial importance of reliable quantification methods to assess low differences in hormonal patterns. In regard to these results and to anti-doping requirements and constraints, blood together with urine matrix should be included in the anti-doping testing program. Together with a longitudinal follow-up approach it could constitute a new strategy to detect a hCG abuse, applicable to further forms of steroid or other forbidden drug manipulation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. LC-MS/MS determination of alectinib and its major human metabolite M4 in human urine: prevention of nonspecific binding.

    PubMed

    Heinig, Katja; Herzog, Denis; Ferrari, Luca; Fraier, Daniela; Miya, Kazuhiro; Morcos, Peter N

    2017-03-01

    Alectinib (Alecensa ® ) is an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor for the treatment of anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive non-small-cell lung cancer, and M4 is its major pharmacologically active metabolite. To characterize the pharmacokinetics and excretion of alectinib and M4 in human urine, a bioanalytical method was required. An LC-MS/MS method using supported liquid extraction was developed for the determination of alectinib and M4 in human urine over the concentration range 0.5-500 ng/ml. Accuracy ranged from 92.0 to 112.2% and precision (CV) was below 9.6%. The method was successfully employed to determine alectinib and M4 concentrations in urine samples from a clinical mass balance study. Addition of the surfactant Tween-20 to urine prevented nonspecific binding of the analytes.

  18. Determination of struvite crystallization mechanisms in urine using turbidity measurement.

    PubMed

    Triger, Aurélien; Pic, Jean-Stéphane; Cabassud, Corinne

    2012-11-15

    Sanitation improvement in developing countries could be achieved through wastewater treatment processes. Nowadays alternative concepts such as urine separate collection are being developed. These processes would be an efficient way to reduce pollution of wastewater while recovering nutrients, especially phosphorus, which are lost in current wastewater treatment methods. The precipitation of struvite (MgNH(4)PO(4)∙6H(2)O) from urine is an efficient process yielding more than 98% phosphorus recovery with very high reaction rates. The work presented here aims to determine the kinetics and mechanisms of struvite precipitation in order to supply data for the design of efficient urine treatment processes. A methodology coupling the resolution of the population balance equation to turbidity measurement was developed, and batch experiments with synthetic and real urine were performed. The main mechanisms of struvite crystallization were identified as crystal growth and nucleation. A satisfactory approximation of the volumetric crystal size distribution was obtained. The study has shown the low influence on the crystallization process of natural organic matter contained in real urine. It has also highlighted the impact of operational parameters. Mixing conditions can create segregation and attrition which influence the nucleation rate, resulting in a change in crystals number, size, and thus final crystal size distribution (CSD). Moreover urine storage conditions can impact urea hydrolysis and lead to spontaneous struvite precipitation in the stock solution also influencing the final CSD. A few limits of the applied methodology and of the proposed modelling, due to these phenomena and to the turbidity measurement, are also discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Impact of urine preservation methods and duration of storage on measured levels of environmental contaminants.

    PubMed

    Hoppin, Jane A; Ulmer, Ross; Calafat, Antonia M; Barr, Dana B; Baker, Susan V; Meltzer, Helle M; Rønningen, Kjersti S

    2006-01-01

    Collection of urine samples in human studies involves choices regarding shipping, sample preservation, and storage that may ultimately influence future analysis. As more studies collect and archive urine samples to evaluate environmental exposures in the future, we were interested in assessing the impact of urine preservative, storage temperature, and time since collection on nonpersistent contaminants in urine samples. In spiked urine samples stored in three types of urine vacutainers (no preservative, boric acid, and chlorhexidine), we measured five groups of contaminants to assess the levels of these analytes at five time points (0, 24, 48, and 72 h, and 1 week) and at two temperatures (room temperature and 4 degrees C). The target chemicals were bisphenol A (BPA), metabolites of organophosphate (OP), carbamate, and pyrethroid insecticides, chlorinated phenols, and phthalate monoesters, and were measured using five different mass spectrometry-based methods. Three samples were analyzed at each time point, with the exception of BPA. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate effects of storage time, temperature, and preservative. Stability was summarized with percent change in mean concentration from time 0. In general, most analytes were stable under all conditions with changes in mean concentration over time, temperature, and preservative being generally less than 20%, with the exception of the OP metabolites in the presence of boric acid. The effect of storage temperature was less important than time since collection. The precision of the laboratory measurements was high allowing us to observe small differences, which may not be important when categorizing individuals into broader exposure groups.

  20. Advances in the Diagnosis of Human Opisthorchiasis: Development of Opisthorchis viverrini Antigen Detection in Urine

    PubMed Central

    Duenngai, Kunyarat; Wangboon, Chompunoot; Sithithaworn, Jiraporn; Watwiengkam, Nattaya; Namwat, Nisana; Techasen, Anchalee; Loilome, Watcharin; Yongvanit, Puangrat; Loukas, Alex; Sithithaworn, Paiboon; Bethony, Jeffrey M.

    2015-01-01

    Background Many strategies to control opisthorchiasis have been employed in Thailand, but not in the other neighbouring countries. Specific control methods include mass drug administration (MDA) and health education to reduce raw fish consumption. These control efforts have greatly shifted the epidemiology of Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) infection over the last decade from presenting as densely concentrated "heavy" infections in single villages to widespread "light" OV infections distributed over wide geographical areas. Currently, the "gold standard" detection method for OV infection is formalin ethyl-acetate concentration technique (FECT), which has limited diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic specificity for light OV infections, with OV eggs often confused with eggs of minute intestinal flukes (MIFs) in feces. In this study, we developed and evaluated the diagnostic performance of a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of OV excretory-secretory (ES) antigens in urine (urine OV-ES assay) for the diagnosis of opisthorchiasis compared to the gold standard detection FECT method. Methodology We tested several methods for pre-treating urine samples prior to testing the diagnostic performance of the urine OV-ES assay. Using trichloroacetic acid (TCA) pre-treated urine, we compared detection and quantification of OV infection using the urine OV-ES assay versus FECT in OV-endemic areas in Northeastern Thailand. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the urine OV-ES assay using TCA pre-treated urine, and to establish diagnostic positivity thresholds. The Positive Predictive Value as well as the likelihood of obtaining a positive test result (LR+) or a negative test result (LR-) were calculated for the established diagnostic positivity threshold. Diagnostic risks (Odds Ratios) were estimated using logistic regression. Results When urine samples were pre

  1. High Resolution Size Analysis of Fetal DNA in the Urine of Pregnant Women by Paired-End Massively Parallel Sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Tsui, Nancy B. Y.; Jiang, Peiyong; Chow, Katherine C. K.; Su, Xiaoxi; Leung, Tak Y.; Sun, Hao; Chan, K. C. Allen; Chiu, Rossa W. K.; Lo, Y. M. Dennis

    2012-01-01

    Background Fetal DNA in maternal urine, if present, would be a valuable source of fetal genetic material for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. However, the existence of fetal DNA in maternal urine has remained controversial. The issue is due to the lack of appropriate technology to robustly detect the potentially highly degraded fetal DNA in maternal urine. Methodology We have used massively parallel paired-end sequencing to investigate cell-free DNA molecules in maternal urine. Catheterized urine samples were collected from seven pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancies. We detected fetal DNA by identifying sequenced reads that contained fetal-specific alleles of the single nucleotide polymorphisms. The sizes of individual urinary DNA fragments were deduced from the alignment positions of the paired reads. We measured the fractional fetal DNA concentration as well as the size distributions of fetal and maternal DNA in maternal urine. Principal Findings Cell-free fetal DNA was detected in five of the seven maternal urine samples, with the fractional fetal DNA concentrations ranged from 1.92% to 4.73%. Fetal DNA became undetectable in maternal urine after delivery. The total urinary cell-free DNA molecules were less intact when compared with plasma DNA. Urinary fetal DNA fragments were very short, and the most dominant fetal sequences were between 29 bp and 45 bp in length. Conclusions With the use of massively parallel sequencing, we have confirmed the existence of transrenal fetal DNA in maternal urine, and have shown that urinary fetal DNA was heavily degraded. PMID:23118982

  2. Soluble (pro)renin receptor via β-catenin enhances urine concentration capability as a target of liver X receptor

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Xiaohan; Wang, Fei; Xu, Chuanming; Soodvilai, Sunny; Peng, Kexin; Su, Jiahui; Zhao, Long; Yang, Kevin T.; Feng, Yumei; Zhou, Shu-Feng; Gustafsson, Jan-Åke; Yang, Tianxin

    2016-01-01

    The extracellular domain of the (pro)renin receptor (PRR) is cleaved to produce a soluble (pro)renin receptor (sPRR) that is detected in biological fluid and elevated under certain pathological conditions. The present study was performed to define the antidiuretic action of sPRR and its potential interaction with liver X receptors (LXRs), which are known regulators of urine-concentrating capability. Water deprivation consistently elevated urinary sPRR excretion in mice and humans. A template-based algorithm for protein–protein interaction predicted the interaction between sPRR and frizzled-8 (FZD8), which subsequently was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation. A recombinant histidine-tagged sPRR (sPRR-His) in the nanomolar range induced a remarkable increase in the abundance of renal aquaporin 2 (AQP2) protein in primary rat inner medullary collecting duct cells. The AQP2 up-regulation relied on sequential activation of FZD8-dependent β-catenin signaling and cAMP–PKA pathways. Inhibition of FZD8 or tankyrase in rats induced polyuria, polydipsia, and hyperosmotic urine. Administration of sPRR-His alleviated the symptoms of diabetes insipidus induced in mice by vasopressin 2 receptor antagonism. Administration of the LXR agonist TO901317 to C57/BL6 mice induced polyuria and suppressed renal AQP2 expression associated with reduced renal PRR expression and urinary sPRR excretion. Administration of sPRR-His reversed most of the effects of TO901317. In cultured collecting duct cells, TO901317 suppressed PRR protein expression, sPRR release, and PRR transcriptional activity. Overall we demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, that sPRR exerts antidiuretic action via FZD8-dependent stimulation of AQP2 expression and that inhibition of this pathway contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes insipidus induced by LXR agonism. PMID:26984496

  3. Raman spectroscopy applied to identify metabolites in urine of physically active subjects.

    PubMed

    Moreira, Letícia Parada; Silveira, Landulfo; da Silva, Alexandre Galvão; Fernandes, Adriana Barrinha; Pacheco, Marcos Tadeu Tavares; Rocco, Débora Dias Ferraretto Moura

    2017-11-01

    Raman spectroscopy is a rapid and non-destructive technique suitable for biological fluids analysis. In this work, dispersive Raman spectroscopy has been employed as a rapid and nondestructive technique to detect the metabolites in urine of physically active subjects before and after vigorous 30min pedaling or running compared to sedentary subjects. For so, urine samples from 9 subjects were obtained before and immediately after physical activities and submitted to Raman spectroscopy (830nm excitation, 250mW laser power, 20s integration time) and compared to urine from 5 sedentary subjects. The Raman spectra of urine from sedentary showed peaks related to urea, creatinine, ketone bodies, phosphate and other nitrogenous compounds. These metabolic biomarkers presented peaks with different intensities in the urine of physically active individuals after exercises compared to before, measured by the intensity of selected peaks the Raman spectra, which means different concentrations after training. These peaks presented different intensity values for each subject before physical activity, also behaving differently compared to the post-training: some subjects presented increase while others decrease the intensity. Raman spectroscopy may allow the development of a rapid and non-destructive test for metabolic evaluation of the physical training in active and trained subjects using urine samples, allowing nutrition adjustment with the sport's performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Blood lead concentration and related factors in Korea from the 2008 National Survey for Environmental Pollutants in the Human Body.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Seong Wook; Lee, Chae Kwan; Suh, Chun Hui; Kim, Kun Hyung; Son, Byung Chul; Kim, Jeong Ho; Lee, Jong Tae; Lee, Soo Woong; Park, Yeong Beom; Lee, Jong Wha; Yu, Seung-Do; Moon, Chan Seok; Kim, Dae Hwan; Lee, Sang Yoon

    2014-11-01

    This study evaluated blood lead concentrations in the Korean general population and the correlation between various exposure sources using data from the 2008 Korea National Survey for Environmental Pollutants in the Human Body (National Institute of Environmental Research, Korea). The general and occupational characteristics were gathered from 5136 participants who were 20 years of age and older using a structured questionnaire. Blood lead concentrations were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple linear regressions of the log lead concentrations to the independent variables such as age, gender, smoke, herbal medication and drug consumption, drinking water, and living area. Geometric mean (GM) blood lead concentrations in Korean adults were 19.7 μg/l. The blood lead concentrations increased with age; the highest concentrations were found in the 50-69-year age group (p<0.001). Males were higher than in females (p<0.001). Current smokers and drinkers had higher concentrations than nonsmokers (p<0.001) and nondrinkers (p<0.001), respectively. People who took herbal medication and drug consumption were higher than those who did not (p<0.001). Education level was negatively associated with blood lead concentration (p<0.001). People living in or around industrial areas had elevated blood lead concentration (p<0.001). Family income was also negatively associated with lead concentration, but not significantly. For drinking water, the underground water (spring or well water) drinking group had higher concentrations than other types of water drinking groups, but not significantly (p=0.063). The blood lead concentrations by occupation were significant (p<0.034): the highest was in laborer and Agricultural-Fishery-Forestry and the lowest in office workers. In women, blood lead concentrations tended to decrease with increasing delivery times, but not significantly. The blood lead concentration (GM) of the

  5. Evaluation of Aution Max AX-4030 and 9UB Uriflet, 10PA Aution Sticks urine dipsticks in the automated urine test strip analysis.

    PubMed

    Rota, Cristina; Biondi, Marco; Trenti, Tommaso

    2011-09-26

    Aution Max AX-4030, a test strip analyzer recently introduced to the market, represents an upgrade of the Aution Max AX-4280 widely employed for urinalysis. This new instrument model can allocate two different test strips at the same time. In the present study the two instruments have been compared together with the usage of Uriflet 9UB and the recently produced Aution Sticks 10PA urine strips, the latter presenting an additional test area for the measurement of urinary creatinine. Imprecision and correlation between instruments and strips have been evaluated for chemical-physical parameters. Accuracy was evaluated for protein, glucose and creatinine by comparing the semi-quantitative results to those obtained by quantitative methods. The well-known interference effect of high ascorbic acid levels on urine glucose test strip determination was evaluated, ascorbic acid influence was also evaluated on protein and creatinine determination. The two instruments have demonstrated comparable performances: precision and correlation between instruments and strips, evaluated for chemical-physical parameters, were always good. Furthermore, accuracy was always very good: results of protein and glucose semi-quantitative measurements resulted to be highly correlated with those obtained by quantitative methods. Moreover, the semi-quantitative measurements of creatinine, employing Aution Sticks 10PA urine strips, were highly comparable with quantitative results. 10PA urine strips are eligible for urine creatinine determination with the possibility of correcting urinalysis results for urinary creatinine concentration, whenever necessary and calculating the protein creatinine ratio. Further studies should be carried out to evaluate effectiveness and appropriateness of the usage of creatinine semi-quantitative analysis.

  6. Association between Urine Fluoride and Dental Fluorosis as a Toxicity Factor in a Rural Community in the State of San Luis Potosi

    PubMed Central

    Jarquín-Yañez, Lizet; Mejía-Saavedra, José de Jesús; Molina-Frechero, Nelly; Gaona, Enrique; Rocha-Amador, Diana Olivia; López-Guzmán, Olga Dania; Bologna-Molina, Ronell

    2015-01-01

    Objective. The aim of this study is to investigate urine fluoride concentration as a toxicity factor in a rural community in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Materials and Methods. A sample of 111 children exposed to high concentrations of fluoride in drinking water (4.13 mg/L) was evaluated. Fluoride exposure was determined by measuring urine fluoride concentration using the potentiometric method with an ion selective electrode. The diagnosis of dental fluorosis was performed by clinical examination, and the severity of damage was determined using Dean's index and the Thylstrup-Fejerskov (TF) index. Results. The range of exposure in the study population, evaluated through the fluoride content in urine, was 1.1 to 5.9 mg/L, with a mean of 3.14 ± 1.09 mg/L. Dental fluorosis was present in all subjects, of which 95% had severe cases. Higher urine fluoride levels and greater degrees of severity occurred in older children. Conclusions. The results show that dental fluorosis was determined by the presence of fluoride exposure finding a high positive correlation between the severity of fluorosis and urine fluoride concentration and the years of exposure suggested a cumulative effect. PMID:25789336

  7. Urine sampling techniques in symptomatic primary-care patients: a diagnostic accuracy review.

    PubMed

    Holm, Anne; Aabenhus, Rune

    2016-06-08

    Choice of urine sampling technique in urinary tract infection may impact diagnostic accuracy and thus lead to possible over- or undertreatment. Currently no evidencebased consensus exists regarding correct sampling technique of urine from women with symptoms of urinary tract infection in primary care. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of urine culture from different sampling-techniques in symptomatic non-pregnant women in primary care. A systematic review was conducted by searching Medline and Embase for clinical studies conducted in primary care using a randomized or paired design to compare the result of urine culture obtained with two or more collection techniques in adult, female, non-pregnant patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection. We evaluated quality of the studies and compared accuracy based on dichotomized outcomes. We included seven studies investigating urine sampling technique in 1062 symptomatic patients in primary care. Mid-stream-clean-catch had a positive predictive value of 0.79 to 0.95 and a negative predictive value close to 1 compared to sterile techniques. Two randomized controlled trials found no difference in infection rate between mid-stream-clean-catch, mid-stream-urine and random samples. At present, no evidence suggests that sampling technique affects the accuracy of the microbiological diagnosis in non-pregnant women with symptoms of urinary tract infection in primary care. However, the evidence presented is in-direct and the difference between mid-stream-clean-catch, mid-stream-urine and random samples remains to be investigated in a paired design to verify the present findings.

  8. Lead concentration in meat from lead-killed moose and predicted human exposure using Monte Carlo simulation.

    PubMed

    Lindboe, M; Henrichsen, E N; Høgåsen, H R; Bernhoft, A

    2012-01-01

    Lead-based hunting ammunitions are still common in most countries. On impact such ammunition releases fragments which are widely distributed within the carcass. In Norway, wild game is an important meat source for segments of the population and 95% of hunters use lead-based bullets. In this paper, we have investigated the lead content of ground meat from moose (Alces alces) intended for human consumption in Norway, and have predicted human exposure through this source. Fifty-two samples from different batches of ground meat from moose killed with lead-based bullets were randomly collected. The lead content was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The lead intake from exposure to moose meat over time, depending on the frequency of intake and portion size, was predicted using Monte Carlo simulation. In 81% of the batches, lead levels were above the limit of quantification of 0.03 mg kg(-1), ranging up to 110 mg kg(-1). The mean lead concentration was 5.6 mg kg(-1), i.e. 56 times the European Commission limit for lead in meat. For consumers eating a moderate meat serving (2 g kg(-1) bw), a single serving would give a lead intake of 11 µg kg(-1) bw on average, with maximum of 220 µg kg(-1) bw. Using Monte Carlo simulation, the median (and 97.5th percentile) predicted weekly intake of lead from moose meat was 12 µg kg(-1) bw (27 µg kg(-1) bw) for one serving per week and 25 µg kg(-1) bw (45 µg kg(-1) bw) for two servings per week. The results indicate that the intake of meat from big game shot with lead-based bullets imposes a significant contribution to the total human lead exposure. The provisional tolerable weekly intake set by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 25 µg kg(-1) bw is likely to be exceeded in people eating moose meat on a regular basis. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently concluded that adverse effects may be present at even lower exposure doses. Hence, even occasional consumption of big game meat with lead levels as

  9. Leukocyte counts in urine reflect the risk of concomitant sepsis in bacteriuric infants: a retrospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Bonsu, Bema K; Harper, Marvin B

    2007-06-13

    When urine infections are missed in febrile young infants with normal urinalysis, clinicians may worry about the risk--hitherto unverified--of concomitant invasion of blood and cerebrospinal fluid by uropathogens. In this study, we determine the extent of this risk. In a retrospective cohort study of febrile 0-89 day old infants evaluated for sepsis in an urban academic pediatric emergency department (1993-1999), we estimated rates of bacteriuric sepsis (urinary tract infections complicated by sepsis) after stratifying infants by urine leukocyte counts higher, or lower than 10 cells/hpf. We compared the global accuracy of leukocytes in urine, leukocytes in peripheral blood, body temperature, and age for predicting bacteruric sepsis. The global accuracy of each test was estimated by calculating the area under its receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Chi-square and Fisher exact tests compared count data. Medians for data not normally distributed were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Two thousand two hundred forty-nine young infants had a normal screening dipstick. None of these developed bacteremia or meningitis despite positive urine culture in 41 (1.8%). Of 1516 additional urine specimens sent for formal urinalysis, 1279 had 0-9 leukocytes/hpf. Urine pathogens were isolated less commonly (6% vs. 76%) and at lower concentrations in infants with few, compared to many urine leukocytes. Urine leukocytes (AUC: 0.94) were the most accurate predictors of bacteruric sepsis. Infants with urinary leukocytes < 10 cells/hpf were significantly less likely (0%; CI:0-0.3%) than those with higher leukocyte counts (5%; CI:2.6-8.7%) to have urinary tract infections complicated by bacteremia (N = 11) or bacterial meningitis (N = 1)--relative risk, 0 (CI:0-0.06) [RR, 0 (CI: 0-0.02), when including infants with negative dipstick]. Bands in peripheral blood had modest value for detecting bacteriuric sepsis (AUC: 0.78). Cases of sepsis without concomitant bacteriuria were

  10. Association between urine phthalate levels and poor attentional performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with evidence of dopamine gene-phthalate interaction.

    PubMed

    Park, Subin; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cho, Soo-Churl; Kim, Yeni; Kim, Jae-Won; Lee, Ju-Young; Hong, Soon-Beom; Shin, Min-Sup; Yoo, Hee Jeong; Im, Hosub; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Han, Doug Hyun

    2014-06-27

    Although there is some evidence supporting the existence of an association between prenatal maternal or postnatal child's urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances, the interaction between urine phthalate metabolite levels and genetic variation for neuropsychological deficit of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine whether phthalate metabolites in urine are associated with poor neuropsychological performance in children with ADHD, and whether such association is affected by genotype-phthalate interaction. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the continuous performance test (CPT) were performed in 179 Korean children with ADHD recruited from department of psychiatry of university hospital. Correlations between urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the CPT scores were investigated, and the interaction of phthalate metabolite levels with the selected polymorphisms at major candidate genes for ADHD, namely dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), dopamine transporter, α-2A-adrenergic receptor, and norepinephrine transporter genes. For the subjects with the DRD4 4/4 genotype, there were significant associations of the urine phthalate metabolite concentrations with the number of omission errors, the number of commission errors, and the response time variability scores on the CPT. However, for the subjects without the DRD4 4/4 genotype, no significant associations were found. The results of this study suggest a possible association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances of ADHD as well as a genetic influence on this association. Further prospective and epigenetic studies are needed to investigate causality and pathophysiological mechanisms.

  11. Association between Urine Phthalate Levels and Poor Attentional Performance in Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with Evidence of Dopamine Gene-Phthalate Interaction

    PubMed Central

    Park, Subin; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cho, Soo-Churl; Kim, Yeni; Kim, Jae-Won; Lee, Ju-Young; Hong, Soon-Beom; Shin, Min-Sup; Yoo, Hee Jeong; Im, Hosub; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Han, Doug Hyun

    2014-01-01

    Although there is some evidence supporting the existence of an association between prenatal maternal or postnatal child’s urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances, the interaction between urine phthalate metabolite levels and genetic variation for neuropsychological deficit of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine whether phthalate metabolites in urine are associated with poor neuropsychological performance in children with ADHD, and whether such association is affected by genotype-phthalate interaction. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the continuous performance test (CPT) were performed in 179 Korean children with ADHD recruited from department of psychiatry of university hospital. Correlations between urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the CPT scores were investigated, and the interaction of phthalate metabolite levels with the selected polymorphisms at major candidate genes for ADHD, namely dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), dopamine transporter, α-2A-adrenergic receptor, and norepinephrine transporter genes. For the subjects with the DRD4 4/4 genotype, there were significant associations of the urine phthalate metabolite concentrations with the number of omission errors, the number of commission errors, and the response time variability scores on the CPT. However, for the subjects without the DRD4 4/4 genotype, no significant associations were found. The results of this study suggest a possible association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances of ADHD as well as a genetic influence on this association. Further prospective and epigenetic studies are needed to investigate causality and pathophysiological mechanisms. PMID:24978879

  12. Life cycle comparison of centralized wastewater treatment and urine source separation with struvite precipitation: Focus on urine nutrient management.

    PubMed

    Ishii, Stephanie K L; Boyer, Treavor H

    2015-08-01

    Alternative approaches to wastewater management including urine source separation have the potential to simultaneously improve multiple aspects of wastewater treatment, including reduced use of potable water for waste conveyance and improved contaminant removal, especially nutrients. In order to pursue such radical changes, system-level evaluations of urine source separation in community contexts are required. The focus of this life cycle assessment (LCA) is managing nutrients from urine produced in a residential setting with urine source separation and struvite precipitation, as compared with a centralized wastewater treatment approach. The life cycle impacts evaluated in this study pertain to construction of the urine source separation system and operation of drinking water treatment, decentralized urine treatment, and centralized wastewater treatment. System boundaries include fertilizer offsets resulting from the production of urine based struvite fertilizer. As calculated by the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI), urine source separation with MgO addition for subsequent struvite precipitation with high P recovery (Scenario B) has the smallest environmental cost relative to existing centralized wastewater treatment (Scenario A) and urine source separation with MgO and Na3PO4 addition for subsequent struvite precipitation with concurrent high P and N recovery (Scenario C). Preliminary economic evaluations show that the three urine management scenarios are relatively equal on a monetary basis (<13% difference). The impacts of each urine management scenario are most sensitive to the assumed urine composition, the selected urine storage time, and the assumed electricity required to treat influent urine and toilet water used to convey urine at the centralized wastewater treatment plant. The importance of full nutrient recovery from urine in combination with the substantial chemical inputs required for N recovery

  13. Hydrogen ion secretion by the collecting duct as a determinant of the urine to blood PCO2 gradient in alkaline urine

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    DuBose, T.D. Jr.

    1982-01-01

    Several theories have been advanced to explain the elevation in urinary PCO/sub 2/ during bicarbonate loading and include: (a) H+ secretion, (b) countercurrent system for CO/sub 2/, (c) the ampholyte properties of bicarbonate, and (d) mixing of urine of disparate bicarbonate and butter concentrations. In this study microelectrodes were used to measure in situ and equilibrium pH (pHis and pHeq) and PCO/sub 2/ in control and bicarbonate loaded rats before and after infusion of carbonic anhydrase. The disequilibrium pH method (pHdq . pHis - pHeq) was used to demonstrate H+ secretion. Control rats excreting an acid urine (pH . 6.04more » +/- 0.06) failed to display a significant disequilibrium pH at the base (BCD), or tip (TCD) of the papillary collecting duct. Urine pH (7.54 +/- 0.12), and urine to blood (U-B) PCO/sub 2/ increased significantly during NaHCO/sub 3/ loading while PCO/sub 2/ at the BCD and TCD also increased (95 +/- 4 and 122 +/- 4). Furthermore, an acid disequilibrium pH was present at both the BCD and TCD (-0.42 +/- 0.04 and -0.36 +/- 0.03) and was obliterated by carbonic anhydrase. Comparison of the PCO/sub 2/ in the BCD or TCD with the adjacent vasa recta revealed similar values (r . 0.97). It is concluded that H+ secretion by the collecting duct into bicarbonate containing fluid with delayed dehydration of H/sub 2/CO/sub 3/, is the most likely determinant of the U-B PCO/sub 2/ in alkaline urine. Similar values for PCO/sub 2/ in the collecting duct and the adjacent vasa recta suggests trapping of CO/sub 2/ in the medullary countercurrent system. The rise in PCO/sub 2/ occurs both along the collecting duct and after exit from the papilla.« less

  14. Collection and storage of urine specimens for measurement of urolithiasis risk factors.

    PubMed

    Wu, Wenqi; Yang, Dong; Tiselius, Hans-Goran; Ou, Lili; Mai, Zanlin; Chen, Kang; Zhu, Hanliang; Xu, Shaohong; Zhao, Zhijian; Zeng, Guohua

    2015-02-01

    To evaluate how different methods for storage and preservation of urine samples affected the outcome of analysis of risk factors for stone formation. Spot urine samples were collected from 21 healthy volunteers. Each fresh urine sample was divided into ten 10-mL aliquots: 2 without preservative, 2 with thymol, 2 with toluene, 2 with hydrochloric acid (HCl), and 2 with sodium azide. One sample of each pair was stored at 4 °C and the other at room temperature. The concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphate, urate, oxalate, citrate, and pH in each urine sample were analyzed immediately after collection (0 hour) and after 24 and 48 hours. There were no significant differences in calcium, oxalate, magnesium, phosphate, sodium, urate or pH (without acidification) between samples with different preservation methods (P >.05). Urinary citrate, however, was significantly lower in the urine collected with HCl than when other preservatives were used, both at room temperature and at 4 °C. Urine pH was significantly higher after 48 hours than after 24 hours, whether the samples were stored at room temperature or at 4 °C. Antibacterial preservatives (eg, thymol or toluene) can be recommended as preservatives for 24-hour urine collections. Ideally, the samples should be stored at 4 °C. When HCl is used as a preservative, it seems essential to neutralize the samples before analysis. This is particularly obvious with the chromatographic method used for analysis of citrate that was used in this study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. GC-MS Quantification Method for Mephedrone in Plasma and Urine: Application to Human Pharmacokinetics.

    PubMed

    Olesti, Eulàlia; Pujadas, Mitona; Papaseit, Esther; Pérez-Mañá, Clara; Pozo, Óscar J; Farré, Magí; de la Torre, Rafael

    2017-03-01

    Increasing consumption has been observed among young people of new psychoactive substances, including synthetic cathinone derivatives. The most well known of these is mephedrone whose use has been related to acute intoxication and fatality. Several methods able to detect mephedrone have been reported, although to date, none have been applied to human pharmacokinetic studies in a controlled setting. We developed a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique for mephedrone quantification in human plasma and urine. Plasma after deproteinization and urine were submitted to a liquid-liquid extraction and derivatization of the extract with MSTFA prior to analysis. Calibration curves covered concentration ranges in plasma between 5 and 300 ng/mL and in urine between 20 and 1,500 ng/mL. The method has been successfully applied to biological samples obtained from a pilot clinical trial intended to evaluate the human pharmacology of mephedrone and its relative bioavailability and pharmacokinetics. Six healthy males were administered 150 mg of mephedrone by the oral route in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over controlled trial. Peak plasma concentration (Cmax = 122.6 ± 32.9 ng/mL) was reached at 1 hour (0.5-2 h) post-drug administration. Mephedrone showed a rapid elimination half-life (t1/2 = 2.2 h) compared to other psychostimulants. Less than 15% of the dose was excreted in urine as a free-form. Mephedrone concentrations displayed a relevant inter-subject variability. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. [Relationship between XRCC3 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to lead poisoning in male lead-exposed workers].

    PubMed

    Liu, Xiang-quan; Zhang, Zhong

    2013-06-01

    To investigate the relationship between genetic polymorphism of X-ray repair cross-complementing gene 3 (XRCC3) and susceptibility to lead poisoning in male lead-exposed workers. Peripheral venous blood and morning urine samples were collected from 326 male lead-exposed workers in a storage battery factory in Fuzhou. Blood lead, urine lead, blood zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), blood calcium, and blood iron were measured. The genotype of XRCC3 was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The relationship between XRCC3 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to lead poisoning in male lead-exposed workers was analyzed. Genetic polymorphism of XRCC3 was seen in the 326 subjects. The frequency distribution of XRCC3 genotypes, XRCC3-241CC (wild type), XRCC3-241CT (heterozygous mutation), and XRCC3-241TT (homozygous mutation), was in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in urine lead, blood ZPP, blood calcium, and blood iron between the lead-exposed workers with different XRCC3 genotypes (P > 0.05). The workers with XRCC3-241CT/TT had a significantly higher mean blood lead level than those with XRCC3-241CC (P < 0.05). With a blood lead level of 1.90 µmol/L as the cutoff value, the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis showed that the proportion of workers with XRCC3-241CT/TT was significantly higher than that of workers with XRCC3-241CC in the subjects with high blood leads (P < 0.05) and that the risk of high blood lead was significantly higher in the workers with XRCC3-241CT/TT than in those with XRCC3-241CC (OR = 2.34, 95%CI = 1.61 ∼ 5.13); the multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the workers with XRCC3-241CT/TT had high blood lead levels (β = 0.116, P < 0.05), the workers with smoking habit demonstrated marked lead absorption (β = 0.188, P < 0.05), good individual protection could reduce lead absorption (β = -0.247, P < 0.05), and the

  17. Development of biomonitoring equivalents for barium in urine and plasma for interpreting human biomonitoring data.

    PubMed

    Poddalgoda, Devika; Macey, Kristin; Assad, Henry; Krishnan, Kannan

    2017-06-01

    The objectives of the present work were: (1) to assemble population-level biomonitoring data to identify the concentrations of urinary and plasma barium across the general population; and (2) to derive biomonitoring equivalents (BEs) for barium in urine and plasma in order to facilitate the interpretation of barium concentrations in the biological matrices. In population level biomonitoring studies, barium has been measured in urine in the U.S. (NHANES study), but no such data on plasma barium levels were identified. The BE values for plasma and urine were derived from U.S. EPA's reference dose (RfD) of 0.2 mg/kg bw/d, based on a lower confidence limit on the benchmark dose (BMDL 05 ) of 63 mg/kg bw/d. The plasma BE (9 μg Ba/L) was derived by regression analysis of the near-steady-state plasma concentrations associated with the administered doses in animals exposed to barium chloride dihydrate in drinking water for 2-years in a NTP study. Using a human urinary excretion fraction of 0.023, a BE for urinary barium (0.19 mg/L or 0.25 mg/g creatinine) was derived for US EPA's RfD. The median and the 95 th percentile barium urine concentrations of the general population in U.S. are below the BE determined in this study, indicating that the population exposure to inorganic barium is expected to be below the exposure guidance value of 0.2 mg/kg bw/d. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Identification of Sulfated Metabolites of 4-Chlorobiphenyl (PCB3) in the Serum and Urine of Male Rats

    PubMed Central

    Dhakal, Kiran; He, Xianran; Lehmler, Hans-Joachim; Teesch, Lynn M.; Duffel, Michael W.; Robertson, Larry W.

    2012-01-01

    Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are legacy pollutants that exert toxicities through various mechanisms. In the recent years exposure to PCBs via inhalation has been recognized as a hazard. Those PCBs with lower numbers of chlorine atoms (LC-PCBs) are semi-volatile, and have been reported in the urban air, as well as in the indoor air of older buildings. LC-PCBs are bioactivated to phenols and further to quinone electrophiles with genotoxic/carcinogenic potential. We hypothesized that phenolic LC-PCBs are subject to conjugation and excretion in the urine. PCB3, often present in high concentrations in air, is a prototypical congener for the study of the metabolism and toxicity of LC-PCBs. Our objective was to identify metabolites of PCB3 in urine that could be potentially employed in the estimation of exposure to LC-PCBs. Male Sprague Dawley rats (150–175 g) were housed in metabolism cages and received a single intraperitoneal injection of 600 µmol/kg body weight of PCB3. Urine was collected every four hours; rats were euthanized at 36 h and serum was collected. LC-MS analysis of urine before and after incubation with β-glucuronidase and sulfatase showed that sulfate conjugates were in higher concentrations than glucuronide conjugates and free phenolic forms. At least two major metabolites, and two minor metabolites were identified in urine that could be attributed to mercapturic acid metabolites of PCB3. Quantitation by authentic standards confirmed that approximately 3% of the dose was excreted in the urine as sulfates over 36 hours; with peak excretion occurring at 10–20 h after exposure. The major metabolites were 4’PCB3 sulfate, 3’PCB3 sulfate, 2’PCB3 sulfate, and presumably a catechol sulfate. The serum concentration of 4’PCB3 sulfate was 6.18±2.16 µg/mL. This is the first report that sulfated metabolites of PCBs are formed in vivo. These findings suggest a prospective approach for exposure assessment of LC- PCBs by analysis of phase II

  19. Imaging in Classic Form of Maple Syrup Urine Disease: A Rare Metabolic Central Nervous System

    PubMed Central

    Jain, Aditi; Jagdeesh, K.; Mane, Ranoji; Singla, Saurabh

    2013-01-01

    Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of branched-chain amino acid metabolism. The condition gets its name from the distinctive sweet odour of affected infants’ urine. MSUD is caused by a deficiency of the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase enzyme complex, leading to accumulation of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and their toxic by-products (ketoacids) in the blood and urine. Imaging is characterestized by MSUD oedema affecting the myelinated white matter. We present a neonate with classic type of MSUD and its imaging features on computed tomography, conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. PMID:24049754

  20. Imaging in classic form of maple syrup urine disease: a rare metabolic central nervous system.

    PubMed

    Jain, Aditi; Jagdeesh, K; Mane, Ranoji; Singla, Saurabh

    2013-04-01

    Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of branched-chain amino acid metabolism. The condition gets its name from the distinctive sweet odour of affected infants' urine. MSUD is caused by a deficiency of the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase enzyme complex, leading to accumulation of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and their toxic by-products (ketoacids) in the blood and urine. Imaging is characterestized by MSUD oedema affecting the myelinated white matter. We present a neonate with classic type of MSUD and its imaging features on computed tomography, conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.