BACKGROUND: The ammonia contained in tobacco fillers and mainstream and sidestream cigarette smoke accelerates nicotine dependence in cigarette smokers. Ammonia has been included in the non-exhaustive priority list of 39 tobacco components and emissions of cigarette published by the World Health Organization (WHO) Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation. The development of a simple ammonia detection method will contribute to the establishment of tobacco product regulation under tobacco control policies and allow surveys to be conducted, even by laboratories with small research budgets. METHODS: We developed a simple colorimetric method based on the salicylate-chlorine reaction and absorption spectrometry with two reagents (sodium nitroprusside and sodium dichloroisocyanurate). To compare this method to conventional ion chromatography, we analyzed the ammonia levels in tobacco fillers extracted from 35 Japanese commercially marketed cigarette brands manufactured by four tobacco companies (Japan Tobacco (JT) Inc., British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris Japan, and Natural American Spirit). We also analyzed the ammonia levels in the sidestream smoke from cigarettes of the brands that were found to contain high or low tobacco filler ammonia levels. RESULTS: The ammonia levels in the reference cigarette (3R4F) measured by our method and ion chromatography were similar and comparable to previously reported levels. The ammonia levels in tobacco fillers extracted from 35 cigarette brands ranged from 0.25 to 1.58 mg/g. The mean ammonia level of JT cigarette brands was significantly higher (0.83 ± 0.28 mg/g) than that of Natural American Spirit cigarette brands (0.30 ± 0.08 mg/g) and lower than those in the other two cigarette brands (1.11 ± 0.19 mg/g for BAT and 1.24 ± 0.15 mg/g for Philip Morris) (p < 0.001 by Bonferroni test). The ammonia levels in the sidestream smoke of CABIN, Marlboro Black Menthol, American Spirit Light, and Seven Stars were 5.89 ± 0.28, 5.23 ± 0.12, 6.92 ± 0.56, and 4.14 ± 0.19 mg/cigarette, respectively. The ammonia levels were higher in sidestream smoke than in tobacco filler. CONCLUSIONS Our simple colorimetric could be used to analyze ammonia in tobacco fillers and sidestream smoke. There were significant differences between the ammonia levels of the 35 commercially marketed cigarette brands in Japan manufactured by four tobacco manufacturers. Over 90% of the ammonia in sidestream smoke was in gaseous phase.
Ammonia ; analysis ; Colorimetry ; methods ; Japan ; Smoke ; analysis ; Spectrophotometry ; methods ; Tobacco ; chemistry ; Tobacco Products ; analysis

A simple and sensitive assay for rapid detection of human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) was developed by colorimetic reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). The method employed six specially designed primers that recognized eight distinct regions of the HCoV-NL63 nucleocapsid protein gene for amplification of target sequences under isothermal conditions at 63 degrees C for 1 h Amplification of RT-LAMP was monitored by addition of calcein before amplification. A positive reaction was confirmed by change from light-brown to yellow-green under visual detection. Specificity of the RT-LAMP assay was validated by cross-reaction with different human coronaviruses, norovirus, influenza A virus, and influenza B virus. Sensitivity was evaluated by serial dilution of HCoV-NL63 RNA from 1.6 x 10(9) to 1.6 x 10(1) per reaction. The RT-LAMP assay could achieve 1,600 RNA copies per reaction with high specificity. Hence, our colorimetric RT-LAMP assay could be used for rapid detection of human coronavirus NL63.
Colorimetry ; methods ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; virology ; Coronavirus NL63, Human ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; DNA Primers ; genetics ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Reverse Transcription ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Given the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the risks of spread to other regions, a rapid, sensitive and simple method for the detection of the Ebola virus (EBOV) is of great significance for the prevention and control of Ebola. We developed a simple colorimetric isothermal multiple self-matching initiated amplification (IMSA) for rapid detection of the Zaire subtype of the Ebola virus (EBOV-Z). This method employed six primers that recognized seven sites of the EBOV-Z nucleoprotein gene for amplification of nucleic acids under isothermal conditions at 63 degrees C for 1 h. Amplification products were detected through visual inspection of color change by pre-addition of hydroxyl naphthol blue dye. Relative sensitivity was validated by detection of serial tenfold dilutions of virus-like particles containing the partial EBOV-Z nucleoprotein gene and mock clinical sample. Specificity of IMSA was validated by detection of the plasma of 30 healthy volunteers, the dengue virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus. IMSA had comparable sensitivity to Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and cross-reaction with human plasma or other viruses was not observed. Reverse transcription-isothermal multiple self-matching initiated amplification (RT-IMSA) was also evaluated and compared in parallel with the commercial RT-qPCR kit for detection of EBOV-suspected samples of human blood in Sierra Leone. Sensitivity and specificity of the RT-IMSA was 91.4% and 100%, respectively. These data suggest that RT-IMSA is a valuable tool for the detection of the EBOV with the distinct advantages of simplicity and low cost compared with RT-qPCR.
Colorimetry ; methods ; DNA Primers ; genetics ; Ebolavirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola ; diagnosis ; virology ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate a method of designing an accurate and scientific shade guide, especially used for judging the effect of tooth whitening, by analyzing the colorimetric values of discolored teeth statistically.

METHODSOne hundred thirty-six pictures of patients who had been receiving the Beyond cold light whitening treatment from February 2009 to July 2014 were analyzed, including 25 tetracycline teeth, 61 mottled-enamel teeth, and 50 yellow teeth. The colorimetric values of discolored teeth were measured. The L* values of shade tabs were calculated by hierarchical clustering of those of discolored teeth. The a* and b* values of shade tabs were the mean of those observed for discolored teeth. Accordingly, different shade guides were designed for each type of discolored teeth, and the effects were evaluated.

RESULTSA statistically significant difference in colorimetric values was found among the three types of discolored teeth. Compared with the Vitapan Classical shade guide, the shade guides designed through the present method were more scientific and accurate in judging the effect of tooth whitening. Moreover, the arrangement of shade tabs was more logical, and the color difference between shade tabs and discolored teeth was smaller.

CONCLUSIONThe proposed designing method is theoretically feasible, although its clinical effect has yet to be proven.

Color ; Colorimetry ; Dental Enamel ; Fluorosis, Dental ; Humans ; Incisor ; Light ; Prosthesis Coloring ; Research ; Tooth Bleaching ; methods ; standards ; Tooth Discoloration

PURPOSE: To evaluate optic disc pallor using ImageJ in traumatic optic neuropathy (TON). METHODS: This study examined unilateral TON patients. The optic disc was divided into 4 quadrants (temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior), consistent with the quadrants on optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness maps. Optic disc photography was performed and disc pallor was quantified using gray scale photographic images imported into ImageJ software. The correlation between optic disc pallor and RNFL thickness was examined in each quadrant. RESULTS: A total of 35 patients (31 male, 4 female) were enrolled in the study. The mean participant age was 34.8 +/- 15.0 years (range, 5 to 63 years). Overall RNFL thickness decreased in 6 patients, with thinning most often occurring in the inferior quadrant (28 of 35 eyes). There was a significant correlation between optic disc pallor and RNFL thickness (superior, rho = -0.358, p = 0.04; inferior, rho = -0.345, p = 0.04; nasal, rho = -0.417, p = 0.01; temporal, rho = -0.390, p = 0.02). The highest level of correspondence between disc pallor and RNFL thickness values outside of the normative 95th percentiles was 39.3% and occurred in the inferior quadrant. CONCLUSIONS: Optic disc pallor in TON was quantified with ImageJ and was significantly correlated with RNFL thickness abnormalities. Thus, ImageJ evaluations of disc pallor may be useful for evaluating RNFL thinning, as verified by OCT RNFL analyses.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Colorimetry/methods/standards ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/*methods/standards ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Optic Atrophy/etiology/*pathology ; Optic Nerve Diseases/etiology/*pathology ; Optic Nerve Injuries/*pathology ; Photography/*methods/standards ; Reproducibility of Results ; Software ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods/standards ; Trauma Severity Indices ; Young Adult

Tooth bleaching agents may weaken the tooth structure. Therefore, it is important to minimize any risks of tooth hard tissue damage caused by bleaching agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of applying 45S5 bioglass (BG) before, after, and during 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP) bleaching on whitening efficacy, physicochemical properties and microstructures of bovine enamel. Seventy-two bovine enamel blocks were prepared and randomly divided into six groups: distilled deionized water (DDW), BG, HP, BG before HP, BG after HP and BG during HP. Colorimetric and microhardness tests were performed before and after the treatment procedure. Representative specimens from each group were selected for morphology investigation after the final tests. A significant color change was observed in group HP, BG before HP, BG after HP and BG during HP. The microhardness loss was in the following order: group HP>BG before HP, BG after HP>BG during HP>DDW, BG. The most obvious morphological alteration of was observed on enamel surfaces in group HP, and a slight morphological alteration was also detected in group BG before HP and BG after HP. Our findings suggest that the combination use of BG and HP could not impede the tooth whitening efficacy. Using BG during HP brought better protective effect than pre/post-bleaching use of BG, as it could more effectively reduce the mineral loss as well as retain the surface integrity of enamel. BG may serve as a promising biomimetic adjunct for bleaching therapy to prevent/restore the enamel damage induced by bleaching agents.
Animals ; Biomimetic Materials ; analysis ; therapeutic use ; Cattle ; Ceramics ; analysis ; chemistry ; Chemical Phenomena ; Color ; Colorimetry ; Dental Enamel ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Electron Probe Microanalysis ; Glass ; analysis ; chemistry ; Hardness ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; pharmacology ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Protective Agents ; analysis ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Solubility ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Time Factors ; Tooth Bleaching ; methods ; Tooth Bleaching Agents ; pharmacology ; Water ; chemistry ; X-Ray Diffraction

The cytotoxicity of medical ultrasonic couplant was tested by MTT assay and agar overlay test. By MTT assay, when the inoculum density was high, the cytotoxicity level was low, or vice versa. The cytotoxicity grade tested by agar overlay was not accord to MTT assay's too. MTT assay is suitable to test the cytotoxicity of medical ultrasonic couplant because it is quantitative and more sensitive, however, the experimental condition and the preparative method of extraction should be determined.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Colorimetry ; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic ; methods ; Mice ; Ultrasonics

OBJECTIVETo compare the differences in uptake of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-conjugated nanoparticles between breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells with high metabolism and breast fibroblasts with normal metabolism, and investigate the feasibility of using the coated nanoparticles as a MRI-targeted contrast agent for highly metabolic carcinoma cells.

METHODSThe γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG was prepared. The glucose metabolism level of both cell lines was determined. The targeting efficacy of γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG and γ-Fe2O3@DMSA NPs to breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells and breast fibroblasts at 10 min, 30 min, 1 h and 2 h was measured with Prussian blue staining and UV colorimetric assay. MRI was performed to visualize the changes of T2WI signal intensity.

RESULTSPrussian blue staining showed more intracellular blue granules in the MDA-MB-231 cells of γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG NPs group than that in the γ-Fe2O3@DMSA NPs group, and the γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG uptake was greatly competed by free D-glucose. As revealed by UV colorimetric assay, MDA-MB-231 cells also showed that the cellular iron amount of γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG group was significantly higher than that of the γ-Fe2O3@DMSA group and γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG + D-glucose group, statistically with a significant difference between them. MRI showed that the signal intensity of γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG group was decrease significantly, the T2 signal intensity was decreased by 10.5%, 37.5%, 72.9%, 92.0% for 10 min, 30 min, 1 h and 2 h, respectively. In contrast, the signal intensity did not show obvious decrease in the γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG group, the T2 signal intensity was decreased by 8.5%, 11.4%, 32.0%, 76.7% for 10 min, 30 min, 1 h and 2 h, respectively. However, HUM-CELL-0056 cells did not produce apparent difference for positive staining in the γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG group, γ-Fe2O3@DMSA group and γ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG+D-glucose group, and the signal intensity also did not produce apparent difference.

CONCLUSIONSγ-Fe2O3@DMSA-DG has good targeting ability to highly metabolic breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231) cells. It is feasible to serve as a specific MRI-targeted contrast agent for highly metabolic carcinoma cells, and deserves further studies in vivo.

Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cells, Cultured ; Colorimetry ; methods ; Contrast Media ; pharmacokinetics ; Deoxyglucose ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Female ; Ferric Compounds ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Iron ; metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Nanoconjugates ; chemistry ; Particle Size ; Succimer ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics

A simple, rapid and sensitive colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) method was established to detect norovirus genotype GII. The method employed a set of six specially designed primers that recognized eight distinct sequences of RNA-dependant RNA polymerase and capsid protein gene for amplification of nucleic acid under isothermal conditions at 65 degrees C for 60 minutes. The amplification process of RT-LAMP was monitored by the addition of HNB (Hydroxy naphthol blue) dye prior to amplification. A positive reaction was indicated by a color change from violet to sky blue and confirmed by agarose electrophoresis. The specificity of the RT-LAMP was validated by detecting several different diarrhea viruses including norovirus genotype GII. The sensitivity was determined by serial dilutions of RNA molecules from in vitro transcription of norovirus genotype GII in parallel with conventional RT-PCR detection. The assay was further evaluated with 93 clinical specimens of diarrhea patients. The results showed that the sensitivity of RT-LAMP was 1 000 copies/microL with a high specificity and the relative sensitivity was at the same level as that of conventional RT-PCR. Positive rate of RT-LAMP in analysis of clinical specimens was approximately the same as that of conventional RT-PCR as well. This colorimetric RT-LAMP assay was potential for rapid detection of norovirus genotype GII on spot due to the observation of visual result with high specificity and sensitivity, time-saving and cost benefit.
Caliciviridae Infections ; diagnosis ; virology ; Colorimetry ; methods ; Feces ; virology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Norovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods

OBJECTIVETo develop a new color matching method in dentistry by application of digital photography.

METHODSDigital photographs were obtained of Vitapan 3D-Master shade guide and natural teeth under the same condition, the L*a*b* values of each digital photography were assessed and analyzed by Photoshop CS4.

RESULTSThe Vitapan 3D-Master shade guide was divided into 5 groups, the L* values were similar in each group, but decreased from group 1 to 5. The a* values of L1.5 and L2.5 were minimum, R1.5 and R2.5 were maximum and M1-M3 were intermediate. Compared with Vitapan 3D-Master shade guide, the L*a*b* values of natural teeth were higher.

CONCLUSIONDigital photography can basically reflect the color of Vitapan 3D-Master shade guide, and provides a reference for color matching in dentistry.

Adult ; Color ; Colorimetry ; methods ; Humans ; Photography, Dental ; methods ; Prosthesis Coloring