Search

The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) is a common contaminant of swine feed which has been related to a wide range of reproductive anomalies in swine, such as pelvic organ prolapse, anestrous, and pseudopregnancy. New information is needed to understand how ZEN and related metabolites accumulate in swine reproductive tissues. We conducted a feeding study to track ZEN and the metabolite α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) in swine liver and reproductive tissues. Thirty pubertal gilts were randomly assigned one of three treatments, with ten pigs in each treatment group: (1) base feed with solvent for 21 days, (2) ZEN-spiked feed for seven days followed by base feed with solvent for 14 days, and (3) ZEN-spiked feed for 21 days. At the end of the trial, liver, anterior vagina, posterior vagina, cervix, uterus, ovaries, and broad ligament were collected from pigs. ZEN was found in the anterior vagina, posterior vagina, cervix, and ovaries, with significantly higher concentrations in the cervix relative to other reproductive tissues. ZEN and α-ZEL were found in liver tissue from pigs in each treatment group. Our results show that ZEN accumulates more in the cervix than other reproductive tissues. The presence of ZEN in reproductive tissues may be indicative of ZEN-related reproductive symptoms. Future work could examine how ZEN concentrations vary in reproductive tissues as a factor of the pigs age, weight, sex, or parity, to establish parameters that make pig more sensitive to ZEN., Highlights • A feeding trial was conducted where gilts consumed varying amounts of zearalenone. • Zearalenone was found in the anterior vagina, posterior vagina, cervix, and ovaries. • Zearalenone concentrations were highest in the cervix. • Zearalenone and alpha-zearalenol were found in the liver.

The analysis of body fluids is of utmost importance in forensic casework since many biological fluids contain DNA. The ATR FT-IR spectroscopy is an emerging approach for the confirmatory, rapid, facile, non-destructive, and on-site identification and differentiation of body fluid stains. Notwithstanding the ATR FT-IR spectroscopy is showing a colossal promise towards the identification of body fluids, and further forensic enquiry related to substrate's interference is still in its infancy stage. Therefore, in the present proof-of-concept study, the ATR FT-IR spectroscopy has been utilized for the detection of vaginal fluid stains and to investigate the effect of different substrates on sample analysis. Simulated vaginal fluid samples were prepared on some selected substrates such as glass, plastic, floor tiles, polished wood, paper, and on various cloth substrates and analyzed without any prior sample preparation. Results suggested that vaginal fluid can be successfully detected on non-porous substrates, but it turned out to be a challenging task on porous substrates. However, on the basis of certain peaks, successful identification of vaginal fluid can be done directly on various case-related substrates. The best approach for the detection of vaginal fluid depends upon the nature of substrates and type of interference encountered. In addition, 10 non-vaginal fluid substances which look similar to vaginal fluid and which may lead to misclassification of vaginal fluid or can deliver false-positive results were also analyzed. The spectra of look-alike substances were classified using the chemometric tools such as PCA and PCA-LDA. The developed PCA model successfully classified all vaginal fluid samples from non-vaginal fluid substances with 100% accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity rate. In addition, the effects of other factors such as aging and mixing with other body fluids have also been studied and the results have been described.

Cervicovaginal fluid plays an important role in the detection of many female genital diseases, but the lack of suitable collection devices in the market severely challenges test success rate. Appropriate clinical sampling devices for cervicovaginal fluid collection would help physicians detect diseases and disease states more rapidly, efficiently, and accurately. The objective of this study was to develop a readily usable sampling collection device that would eliminate macromolecular interference and accurately provide specimens for further studies. This study was designed to develop an effective device to collect cervicovaginal fluid from women with symptoms of endometrial lesions, women appearing in the clinic for a routine Papanicolaou smear, and/or women seeking a routine gynecologic checkup. Paper-based assay, ELISA, and qNano were used to provide accurate diagnoses. A total of 103 patients successfully used the developed device to collect cervicovaginal fluid. Some of the collected specimens were used to detect glycogen, lactate, and pH for determining pathogen infection. Other specimen samples were tested for the presence of female genital cancer by comparing interleukin 6 concentration and microvesicle concentration. We proposed a noninvasive screening test for the diagnosis of female genital diseases using a dual-material collection device. The outer, nonwoven fabric portion of this device was designed to filter macromolecules, and the inner cotton portion was designed to absorb cervicovaginal fluid.

In a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Kunin and Buesching (1) describe a novel technique to diagnose common urinary pathogens in office-collected samples. Using a three-layer circular sandwich with filter paper as the solid-phase dilution device, it was possible to pick up members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and staphylococci from urine specimens. The technology was standardized by monitoring the penetration of microbes through the filter paper onto MacConkey or Trypticase soy medium seeded onto a template. As a control to the sandwich technology, serial 10-fold dilutions of various organisms were cultured on the surfaces of agar plates. The sensitivity and specificity with 487 urine samples for gram-negative bacteria or with 405 samples for gram-positive bacteria were excellent. There is no information on any residual antimicrobial (AM) activity in 892 specimens. However, it would be pertinent to standardize the technology for urine samples with residual AM activity. Bacteriuria and AM activity are often encountered during clinical practice. Recent investigations of AM activity in Taiwan pointed to such an activity in 55.5% of 112 patients on their arrival at an emergency department (2). Furthermore, AM activity was also evident in 25.1% of 203 internal medicine outpatients, 7.6% of 471 high school students, and 7.4% of 202 people at a center for senior citizens. There was no correlation between the bacterial counts and sterility of a specimen and its AM activity. Residual AM activity in urine was likely to interfere in the three-layer sandwich technique during filtration of microbes onto culture medium. Antibacterial substances block the filter paper pores, lowering the number of microbes that filter through. The differently sized AMs may clog the pores in an unspecified manner. Any differential concentration of an antibacterial agent on the culture medium after filtration through the clogged filter paper would adversely affect sensitivity and specificity. Such an effect should be determined by soaking antibacterial agents and microbes onto filter paper. Well-designed experiments to address blockage of filter paper pores or any differential inhibition of bacterial growth are desirable. Such experiments would guarantee that concurrent bacteriuria and AM activity in urine would not interfere with a correct diagnosis, even in areas where AM drugs are freely available and histories of patients tend to be unreliable (2).