16S rRNA Next Generation Sequencing Analysis Shows Bacteria in Alzheimer's Post-Mortem Brain.

The neurological deterioration associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), involving accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides and neurofibrillary tangles, is associated with evident neuroinflammation. This is now seen to be a significant contributor to pathology. Recently the tenet of the privileged status of the brain, regarding microbial compromise, has been questioned, particularly in terms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Kinetic characterisation of primer mismatches in allele-specific PCR: a quantitative assessment.

A novel method of estimating the kinetic parameters of Taq DNA polymerase during rapid cycle PCR is presented. A model was constructed using a simplified sigmoid function to represent substrate accumulation during PCR in combination with the general equation describing high substrate inhibition for Michaelis-Menten enzymes. The PCR progress curve was viewed as a series of independent reactions where initial rates were accurately measured for each cycle.

SNP genotyping using single-tube fluorescent bidirectional PCR.

SNP genotyping is a well-populatedfield with a large number of assay formats offering accurate allelic discrimination. However, there remains a discord between the ultimate goal of rapid, inexpensive assays that do not require complex design considerations and involved optimization strategies. We describe the first integration of bidirectional allele-specific amplification, SYBR Green I, and rapid-cycle PCR to provide a homogeneous SNP-typing assay.