Comparison of two methods of estimation of low density lipoprotein cholesterol, the direct versus friedewald estimation

Current recommendations of the Adult Treatment Panel and Adolescents Treatment Panel of National Cholesterol Education Program make the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in serum the basis of classification and management of hypercholesterolemia. A number of direct homogenous assays based on surfactant/solubility principles have evolved in the recent past. This has made LDL-C estimation less cumbersome than the earlier used methods. Here we compared one of the direct homogenous assays with the widely used Friedewald’s method of estimation of LDL-C to see the differences and correlation. We used direct homogenous assay kit to estimate serum LDL-C and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Serum Triglyceride (TG) and Total Cholesterol (TC) was estimated and using Friedewald’s formula LDL-C was calculated. The LDL-C level obtained by both methods in 893 fasting serum samples were compared. The statistical methods used were paired t-test and Pearson’s correlation. There was significant difference in the mean LDL-C levels obtained by the two methods at the TG levels <200 mg/dl (p<0.02) and TC levels >150 mg% (p<0.001). The correlation coefficient (r) between Friedewald’s and direct assay estimation was 0.88. Friedewald’s method classified 23.5 % of patients as high cardiac risk whereas there were 17.58% by direct assay. Both had good correlation even though the serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels affect the difference in LDL-C estimated by both methods. Taking into account the cost and performance, Friedewald’s method is as good or even better for classifying and managing patients.     

Quantitation of compositional changes in high density lipoprotein fraction in alcoholics and its correlation with liver enzymes

The cholesterol of high density lipoprotein (HDL) and its sub-fractions HDL₂, HDL₃, and apoprotein concentrations were monitored in fifty seven male alcoholic subjects. Thirty five of them had normal liver enzymes and twenty two had abnormal liver enzymes. Subjects with abnormal liver enzymes had elevated cholesterol of high density lipoprotein and its sub-fractions and also Apo AI, AII concentrations in plasma, whereas in the group of patients with normal liver enzymes, the concentrations of lipids and apoproteins did not differ significantly from the control group. The quantitation of HDL cholesterol and its sub-fractions along with Apo AI and AII can be used as indicators to characterise the state of hepatic function.     

Effects of feeding Pyrus malus (Apple) on serum lipid profile with special reference to high and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in normal albino rabbits

The effects of regular feeding ofPyrus malus whole fruit and its juice on total serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids have been studied in normal albino rabbits. It was observed that the whole fruit as well as juice caused significant and progressive decrease in total serum cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides within a period of 30 days. On the other hand, serum phospholipids and HDL cholesterol showed progressive and significant increase. Apparently, whole fruit appeared to bring about more per cent lowering in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and more increase in HDL cholesterol as compared to juice. Whole apple fruit also caused increase in body weight of rabbits on 30th day (p<0.05) while oral administration of juice showed insignificant change in body weight even on 30th day (p>0.05).     

The touchstone: the oldest colorimetric method of analysis

Although the invention of modern methods for the analysis of gold alloys has improved the accuracy of the results, the new techniques have not completely replaced the three methods of assaying which have been in use for up to 2500 years. One of the oldest of these is the use of the touchstone.     

A sensitive and economical modified method for estimation of cerebrospinal fluid proteins

Cerebrospinal fluid protein estimation is a routine diagnostic tool for various diseases. The proposed modified bromocresol green (BCG) method is applicable to automated as well as manual measurements. Protein concentrations and absorbance at 600 nm are linearly related throughout a wide range of concentrations from 10 mg % to 2000 mg %. Ninety C.S.F. samples were analyzed and results obtained by both the modified BCG method and routine pyrogallol red method were compared. An excellent co-relation was observed (n=90, g=0.996, P<0.001).     

Alterations of serum cholesterol and serum lipoprotein in breast cancer of women

Fasting blood sample of 50 normal subjects (control) and 100 patients of breast cancer were investigated for serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein cholesterol:low density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and total cholesterol:high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio during breast cancer of women. Five cancer stages, types, age groups, parity and menopausal status were undertaken for the study. It was observed that there was a significant rise in serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol whereas high density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol were not significant. The ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol:low density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol:high density lipoprotein cholesterol values increased significantly in breast cancer patients.     

隐性成本含义、估测方法和控制方法研究述评

隐性成本作为成本内容的重要组成部分,在很大程度上影响着企业的决策和财务绩效,更关乎企业的长远发展,目前隐性成本已成为近些年来企业成本管理的重要内容。为了对目前隐性成本的研究有系统地认识和了解,文章在对国内外相关文献进行回顾的基础上,对隐性成本含义、隐性成本的估测方法和控制方法进行分析述评,总结了目前研究存在的不足,并对未来隐性成本进一步需要深入研究的问题进行展望。     

Evaluation of a new equation for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol through the comparison with various recommended methods

IntroductionThe accurate estimation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is crucial for management of patients at risk of cardiovascular events due to dyslipidemia. The LDL is typically calculated using the Friedewald equation and/or direct homogeneous assays. However, both methods have their own limitations, so other equations have been proposed, including a new equation developed by Sampson. The aim of this study was to evaluate Sampson equation by comparing with the Friedewald and Martin-Hopkins equations, and with a direct LDL method.Materials and methodsResults of standard lipid profile (total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides (TG)) were obtained from two anonymized data sets collected at two laboratories, using assays from different manufacturers (Beckman Coulter and Roche Diagnostics). The second data set also included LDL results from a direct assay (Roche Diagnostics). Passing-Bablok and Bland-Altman analysis for method comparison was performed.ResultsA total of 64,345 and 37,783 results for CHOL, HDL and TG were used, including 3116 results from the direct LDL assay. The Sampson and Friedewald equations provided similar LDL results (difference ≤ 0.06 mmol/L, on average) at TG ≤ 2.0 mmol/L. At TG between 2.0 and 4.5 mmol/L, the Sampson-calculated LDL showed a constant bias (- 0.18 mmol/L) when compared with the Martin-Hopkins equation. Similarly, at TG between 4.5 and 9.0 mmol/L, the Sampson equation showed a negative bias when compared with the direct assay, which was proportional (- 16%) to the LDL concentration.ConclusionsThe Sampson equation may represent a cost-efficient alternative for calculating LDL in clinical laboratories.     

An easy and robust method for the isolation of high quality RNA from coconut tissues

BackgroundCoconut tissues consist of a complex network of polysaccharides, proteins, polyphenols, and lipids that can bind to nucleic acids and pose difficulty in isolation. Certainly, a vigorous method is required to isolate high quality and quantity of RNA from such tissues for the purpose of downstream experiments. In this paper, we discuss a newly developed method for the Isolation of RNA from Complex Matrices (IRCM) method from coconut tissues.ResultsThe method is robust, cheap, and efficient for the extraction of quality RNA in high quantities from the solid endosperm of stored and fresh coconut (150 μg/g FW with A260/280 = 1.89 and 247.5 μg/g FW with A260/280 = 1.91), coconut apple (263.8 μg/g FW with A260/280 = 1.97), and coconut bud (1052.5 μg/g FW with A260/280 = 2.00). The other well established methods, such as Method of RNA Isolation from Palm (MRIP), Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), TRIZOL, and RNA plant kit failed to isolate quality RNA in appreciable quantities from the coconut tissues. Furthermore, the resultant RNA performed well in the downstream experiment, that is, RT-PCR for the production and amplification of cDNA.ConclusionsFrom the study, we concluded that the present method will play a vital role in the extraction of high quality RNA from complex matrices in a short time.How to cite: Iqbal A, Yang Y, Wu Y, et al. An easy and robust method for the isolation of high quality RNA from coconut tissues. Electron J Biotechnol 2020;48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2020.09.008     

Standardization of a colorimetric method for the determination of fructose using o-cresol: Sulphuric acid reagent

Fructose developed a pinkish orange chromogen on treatment with o-cresol: 70% sulphuric acid at 32°C for 15 minutes with a λ max of 500nm. Fructose was 185 times more chromogenic than glucose. Total carbohydrate and fructose values in protein-free filtrate of normal serum samples were in the range, 55.4–86.3 mg/dl and 1.55–3.29 mg/dl, respectively. In diabetes, the observed values were 197–354 mg/dl and 2.91–6.81 mg/dl, respectively.     

A rapid method for plasma ammonia estimation using an indigenously purified enzyme

Determination of ammonia level in blood is important, especially in the diagnosis of hepatic disorders. An indigenously purified enzyme was used in the standardisation of the assay. The assay is a two reagent system, requires five minutes for completion and can be performed at temperature between 25–27°C. Performance of the assay was assessed by linearity, imprecision, functional sensitivity and interference studies. Lyophilised reagent I and reagent II were found stable for at least one year. The plasma level of ammonia for the controls was 13.7±7.3 μMol/L, whereas for subjects of hepatic disorders, it was 69.1±32.4 μMol/L (P<0.001). The functional sensitivity was between 2–1000 μMol/L. Within-run coefficient of variation was between 1.1–2.0% and between-run coefficient of variation was between 1.9–3.7%. The mean recovery after dilution was 99.6%. The present method can estimate ammonia up to 1000 μMol/L without dilution of sample. Assay time of five minute may be shortened to one minute. This method is suited for routine clinical use in treatment of hepatic disorders.     

基于规则的高新技术产品认定方法及应用研究

根据高新技术产品的基本特征和高新技术产业管理需要,通过对反映高新技术产品特性和状态的有关因素进行综合分析,设计高新技术产品认定指标体系,给出各指标的认定规则和标准,提出基于规则的高新技术产品认定方法及其应用程序,并应用于黑龙江省高新技术产品认定工作,可为我国高新技术产品及企业认定和高新技术产业管理提供科学的方法支持和借鉴。     

A lemmatization method for Mongolian and its application to indexing for information retrieval

In Mongolian, two different alphabets are used, Cyrillic and Mongolian. In this paper, we focus solely on the Mongolian language using the Cyrillic alphabet, in which a content word can be inflected when concatenated with one or more suffixes. Identifying the original form of content words is crucial for natural language processing and information retrieval. We propose a lemmatization method for Mongolian. The advantage of our lemmatization method is that it does not rely on noun dictionaries, enabling us to lemmatize out-of-dictionary words. We also apply our method to indexing for information retrieval. We use newspaper articles and technical abstracts in experiments that show the effectiveness of our method. Our research is the first significant exploration of the effectiveness of lemmatization for information retrieval in Mongolian.     

西藏高寒草地主要类型生态环境现状及恢复对策

通过多年对西藏高寒草地主要类型高寒草原草地和高寒草原草地的实地调查和资料参考，分析了两种类型草地的生态环境现状及成因，提出了保护和建设两类草地生态环境的主要对策。     

Effect of glibenclamide,tolbutamide and insulin on serum lipoprotein cholesterol fractions in alloxan diabetic rabbits

The effects of administration of glibenclamide, tolbutamide and insulin on serum lipoprotein fractions in alloxan diabetic rabbits were studied with a view to understand the role played by these antidiabetic drugs to influence serum levels of these fractions. The elevated levels of cholesterol in serum lipoprotein fractions—HDL, LDL and VLDL in alloxan diabetic rabbits were found to be decreased significantly on treatment with glibenclamide, tolbutamide and insulin. However, the LDL-cholesterol: HDL-cholesterol ratio which is considered to be an atherogenic index showed a statistically significant increase in tolbutamide treated group and a statistically significant decrease in insulin-treated group, whereas the glibenclamide treated group showed no change.