Specimen collection tissues

Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. var. meridonalis (Vain) Zahlbr. is a widespread lichen characterized by a lobed structure similar in appearance to alveolar tissue. As Gonzalez et al. (1994) pointed out in their introduction to a discussion of the chemistry of this lichen, its specific epithet reflects its use as a treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis following the Doctrine of Signatures. The varietal name was appended much later to specimens collected in the Philippines. 

Direct fluorescent antibody smears have become a more efficient method than Giemsa stains or tissue cultures fiar identifying chlamydia. Commercially prepared kits make specimen collection convenient, and results are available in approximately 24 hours. Good results, however, depend on obtaining an adequate specimen. Fluorescein-labeled monoclonal antibodies in the staining reagent specific for Chlamydia trachomatis outer membrane proteins bind to the C. trachomatis in the smear. Studies that compare direct fluorescein antibody techniques with tissue culture results have found acceptable sensitivity and specificity values. 

The Analytical Chemistry Branch (ACB) of the Environmental Mon-itoring and Support Laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a number of responsibilities for analytical support. Analyses of fuels, sources, and ambient samples are performed along with the analyses of divers other types of specimens including tissue, both plant and animal. One of the major areas of support rendered by the ACB is in support of the National Air Siurveillance Networks (NASN) a portion of this support consists of the analysis of collected material for airborne metallic elemental content. This chapter will, in the main, be a summary of the work done by the ACB with respect to the collection and analysis of airborne metallic elements. 

The first study where the SCS was applied to MRS analysis of prostate biopsies was undertaken at the IBD in Winnipeg.42 Proton MRS (Bruker Instruments, 8.5 T were performed at 37°C on specimens of benign (n = 66) and malignant (n = 21) human prostate tissue specimens collected from transurethral resection of the prostate and radical prostatectomy from 50 patients. Typical spectra of malignant prostate tissue and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) are shown in Fig. 5.42 The spectral data were subjected to visual inspection analysis and multivariate analysis, specifically LDA. 

Cocaethylene was detected in all tissues from alcohol-pretreated animals, as previously observed following intraperitoneal (IP) coadministration of cocaine and alcohol (Dean et al. 1992). Based on area under the concentration curves (AUCs) from 2.5 to 60 minutes, the amount of cocaethylene in liver and lung was 14 and 11 percent of the measured cocaine, respectively. Peak cocaethylene concentrations in liver, lung, and kidney were noted within 2.5 minutes after cocaine administration, the earliest time point for specimen collection. These observations answered the first question, demonstrating cocaethylene formation sufficient to contribute to the combined effects of cocaine and ethanol. Cocaethylene AUCs in heart, brain, spleen, and serum were less than 2 to 4 percent of the cocaine AUCs, and peak cocaethylene concentrations in these tissues occurred approximately 10 minutes after cocaine administration. 

In the following, sources of error that are important in the process of specimen collection and storage, as well as the physiological factors that cause error in the interpretation of the analysis of trace elements in human tissues are treated. 

The pH optimum of salivary /3-g ucuronidase was found by Yamanaka et al. (196t5) to be 5.0 and the enzyme activity decreased in the specimens collected under sterilized conditions. This suggests that the origin of the salivary enzyme may be derived from desquamated cells, microbes, leukocytes, and tissue exudate. 

Concentrations of PAHs in marine biota indicate a high degree of contamination of certain areas of the region. Data given for the Ligurian Sea ior Mytilus sp. range from 14 to 571 ng/g dw. In other studies, the 14 priority PAHs in mussel tissues Mytilus sp.) and fish livers Serranus and Mullus sp.) of specimens collected in the French and Spanish Mediterranean coasts and found values of 25-82, 27-87 and 15-49 ng/g dw, respectively, n values up to 390 ng/g dw were found in mussels collected inside harbours. Similar determinations carried out in deep sea fish from the NW Mediterranean basin Mora sp.) showed liver concentrations of 7-16 ng/g ww (UNEP, 2002). 

Concerning the frequency of sampling, in most cases, sampling could be done aimually. However, an important factor to consider in wildlife sampling would be season, as discussed in Section 5.2. Additional ancillary data to be collected on individuals, as previously noted, include whether live or dead specimen, age, sex, and site of collection on tissue. 

For primary isolation of HIV, patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are collected, the usual inoculum being 106-107 cells. This is the most productive specimen, although virus has been cultured from plasma, semen, tears, saliva, breast milk, and brain tissue. The virus can be cultured from patient specimens at any time in the course of disease, during which the titer changes. Blood contains approximately 60 TCID50% (50% tissue culture infective dose) per milliliter when a person is asymptomatic, and about 7000TCID50/ml in later stages of HIV disease. 

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