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Sea surface temperature (SST) measurements from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) are compared with near-surface temperature (foundation SST) in situ measurements obtained from Argo floats over the Indian Ocean. Spatial variation was compared for 2002-2006 and 11 floats were used for temporal variation collocated observations. The results show that TMI and AMSR-E SST measurements are slightly overestimated during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons and underestimated during the monsoon season. Statistical analysis shows that the SST from the AMSR-E is better correlated with the Argo foundation SST compared to the TMI. The standard deviation (SD) and root mean square error (RMSE) for AMSR-E SST are 0.58°C and 0.35°C, respectively, over the Equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO). The corresponding values for the TMI are 0.66°C and 0.47°C. Over the Arabian Sea the SD values are slightly higher compared to the EIO values, whereas RMSE values are less for both TMI and AMSR-E SST. These retrieval accuracies are above the expected retrieval accuracy. The seasonal average spatial distribution of AMSR-E SST shows a better match with the Argo foundation SST compared to TMI SST distributions. The robustness of the good spatial match during the monsoon season may be attributed to strong winds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observation of photocontact dermatitis from Heracleum mantegazzianwn Sommier et Levier in 2 gardeners at work prompted the analysis of furocoumarin content of stem, leaves and fruits of the plant during a period of 1 yearly. Their concentration was found to be maximal in fruit, intermediate in leaf, and minimal in stem. Psoralen was the most prevalent substance in the leaf and bergapten in the fruit. In the stem, in contrast, individual furocoummarins were found in lower but variable concentrations, furocoumarin seasonal peaks were observed in the leaf: the maximal peak occurred in June, the intermediate in August, the minimal in November. This trends corresponds of 3 biological phases of the weed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interlaboratory validation of analytical procedures for the assay of urinary 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) in the general Italian population is reported. The determinations were performed by high-resolution gas chromatography (HRGS) with electron capture detection and HRGS with mass spectrometry (MS) in 2 laboratories. The urine samples were from 42 participants from 3 regions of Italy. The results were evaluated by interlaboratory quality control. Urinary TCP concentrations were above the detection limit (1.2 micrograms/L) in 88% of the population, with a mean detectable concentration [GM (GSD)] of 2.8 (1.9) micrograms/g creatinine (creat). (GM, geometric mean; GSD, geometric standard deviation.) The Mann-Whitney U test showed that wine consumption was a statistically significant variable (p < 0.05) for urinary concentrations of TCP. Analysis of variance of the logarithm of urinary TCP versus wine consumption and diet showed a statistically significant fit. The model used explained 30% of the total variance: wine consumption and diet accounted for 37 and 17% respectively of the explained variance.

The results of a study in which urinary ethylenethiourea (ETU) was assayed in the general population (167 subjects) of four Regions of Italy (Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont and Trentino Alto Adige) are reported. The results are compared with those in a population of 97 subjects from Rovescala, a hillside wine-producing town a few kilometers from Pavia, where ethylenebisdithiocarbamates are sprayed by helicopter. It was found that an average of 24% of the populations of the four regions, taken together, had urinary ETU levels above detection limits (1.0 microgram 1(-1)) as compared to 37% of the population of Rovescala. The ranges of concentration were 0.8-8.3 micrograms 1(-1) for the four regions and 0.9-61.4 micrograms 1(-1) for Rovescala. Statistically significant variables for urinary ETU levels were smoking and wine drinking.

Anabolic steroids extracted from bovine serum by means of organic solvents or solid-phase extraction techniques with C18 cartridges are not suitable for quantitative analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); therefore, they were extracted from serum by Extrelut columns (Merck; Germany), eluted with diethyl ether, and purified by a solid-phase extraction technique using amino (NH2) columns. The resulting clean extract was treated with heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA); this formed a derivative suitable for GC-MS analysis. Using selected ion monitoring (SIM), quantities as small as 40 pg/mL can be detected.

A quick and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed in order to determine the concentration of Propofol (2,6 diisopropylphenol) in human serum. Propofol can be isolated from serum by adding 0.5 mL precipitating solution. This consists of an acetonitrile and perchloric acid (67:33, v/v) mixture, which also contains dibutylphthalate (2 mg/100 mL) as internal standard. The sample is then mixed for 1 min on a vortex-mixer. The endogenous serum substances precipitated by acetonitrile and perchloric acid are further separated by centrifugation. The supernatant is directly injected into the HPLC system. A 250- x 4.6-mm column, packed with 10-microns Spherisorb reversed-phase octadecylsilane particles (C18), is used for chromatographic separation. The mobile phase consists of an acetonitrile-water mixture (67:33 ratio) with 0.4 mL acetic acid (pH 4). Propofol is monitored by a UV-visible detector at 270 nm and 0.1-0.002 absorbance units full scale (AUFS). The detection limit of Propofol (in human serum) is 0.1 mg/L for a 20-microL injection volume. The time of the assay is less than 20 min, including sample preparation.

A case of occupational asthma in a wool and cotton dyer handling reactive dyes is described. The patient was skin positive, but asymptomatic to house dust mites. A bromoacrilamidic dye (Lanasol Yellow 4G) has been identified through chamber inhalation challenge as being responsible for the sensitization. A very short (4-minute) exposure produced a severe immediate obstructive ventilatory defect followed by arterial hypotension and urticaria. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness as tested through metacholine challenge was absent both in basal conditions and after the dye challenge. Both prick and patch test for the dye were positive in the absence of any sign of contact dermatitis.

In a review of 11 cases of ectopic calcification (5 of which in dialyzed patients and one in a paraplegic), the authors attempt to characterize this disorder in all its various forms using histological, clinical, and chemical methods. In dialyzed patients, two contributing factors were identified: hyperphosphatemia (plus hypercalcemia) and secondary hyperparathyroidism. In hyperphosphatemic patients the calcifications are multiple, paraarticular, labile, and have a fluid-viscous consistency. In secondary hyperparathyroidism, in addition to the above metastatic calcification there is dystrophic calcification typically localized in the anterior muscles of the hip and thigh. The ectopic calcification of the non-dialyzed patients is true ossification. The precise moment of the onset of the lesion is not always discernable, but its evolution points to primary or secondary local irritation as the trigger. Ossification is the predominant phenomenon in the paraplegic as well, while the triggering mechanism is still unknown.