Development and validation of automated methods for COVID-19 PCR Master Mix preparation.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays were widely deployed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for population-scale testing. High-throughput molecular diagnostic laboratories required a high degree of process automation to cope with huge testing demands, fast turnaround times, and quality requirements. However, process developers and optimizers often neglected the critical step of preparing a PCR Master Mix.

Biochemical characterization of Prokineticin 2 binding to Prokineticin receptor 1 in zebrafish.

Prokineticin 2 (PK2) binds to prokineticin receptor 1 and prokineticin receptor 2 (PKR1 and PKR2, respectively), two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that can mediate multiple signalling pathways by promoting the elevation of intracellular calcium and cAMP levels, phosphorylation of Akt and activation of ERK and STAT3. This work aims to evidence the conservation of protein sequence and the mechanism of PK2 binding to PKR1 to use the zebrafish model for the identification of new drugs as targets of prokineticin receptors. To this end, we first demonstrated that the zebrafish genes pk2 and pkr1 are phylogenetically related to orthologous mammalian genes by constructing evolutionary trees and performing syntenic analyses.

Osteoinductive Properties of Autologous Dentin: An Ex Vivo Study on Extracted Teeth.

Over the last decades, a variety of biomaterials, ranging from synthetic products to autologous and heterologous grafts, have been recommended to conserve and regenerate bone tissue after tooth extraction. We conducted a biochemical study on ground extracted teeth that aimed to evaluate the osteoinductive and osteoconductive potential of dentin by assessing the releases of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2), osteocalcin (OC) and osteonectin (ON) over time (24 h, 10 days and 28 days). Twenty-six patients, who required the extraction of nonrestorable teeth, were enrolled in the study according to the inclusion criteria, as follows: thirteen young patients 18 to 49 years of age (UNDER 50), and thirteen patients of 50 to 70 years (OVER 50); a total of twenty-six teeth were extracted, ground and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).