Development and evaluation of mouse anti-Ara h 1 and Ara h 3 IgE monoclonal antibodies for advancing peanut allergy research.

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions to peanuts are a considerable public health concern due to the acute and severe IgE mediated reactions. To conduct research on the pathogenesis and therapeutics of peanut allergies, it is imperative to have mouse anti-crude peanut extract (CPE) IgE monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for both and assays. Without these tools, it is difficult to advance research in this field.

Development of canine C-reactive protein assays.

C-reactive protein (CRP), which is released during tissue damage and inflammation, is a useful nonspecific inflammatory marker in both human and veterinary clinical practice. Veterinarians have often used human CRP assays to analyze samples from canine patients, but cross-reactivities between the species affect assay sensitivity and reliability, leading to inaccurate inflammation assessment. To improve the efficiency of inflammation assessment, we developed a canine CRP detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitative analysis and an immunochromatography assay (ICA) for semiquantitative point-of-care (POC) analysis.

A double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over clinical trial of DONepezil In Posterior cortical atrophy due to underlying Alzheimer's Disease: DONIPAD study.

Background: The study investigated whether donepezil exerts symptomatic benefit in patients with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), an atypical variant of Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: A single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical trial was performed to assess the efficacy of donepezil in patients with PCA. Each patient received either donepezil (5 mg once daily in the first 6 weeks and 10 mg once daily in the second 6 weeks) or placebo for 12 weeks.

Preventing intense false positive and negative reactions attributed to the principle of ELISA to re-investigate antibody studies in autoimmune diseases.

To study the possible involvement of potential environmental pathogens in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, it is essential to investigate antibody responses to a variety of environmental agents and autologous components. However, none of the conventional ELISA buffers can prevent the false positive and negative reactions attributed to its principal, which utilizes the high binding affinity of proteins to plastic surfaces. The aims of this study are to reveal all types of non-specific reactions associated with conventional buffer systems, and to re-investigate antibody responses to potential environmental pathogenic and autologous antigens in patients with autoimmune diseases using a newly developed buffer system "ChonBlock™" by ELISA.

Involuntary admissions under the Mental Health Act 2007 (New South Wales): a comparison of patients detained by ambulance officers, medical practitioners and accredited persons in an emergency department.

Objective: The Mental Health Act (MHA) 2007 (New South Wales [NSW]) is used to transport to, detain and treat individuals in a mental health facility. Patients are frequently taken to EDs under the MHA or detained in the ED for a mental health assessment. In NSW, medical practitioners, accredited persons, police and more recently ambulance officers, are authorised to write certificates under the MHA.

Symptoms of memory loss as predictors of cognitive impairment?: the use and reliability of memory ratings in a clinic population.

Background: Symptoms of memory loss are very common with estimated prevalence between 22% and 50% in those older than 65 years of age. Those with symptoms of memory loss and impaired performance on memory tests are at high risk of progression to Alzheimer disease. The relative importance of different aspects of the clinical history in predicting cognitive impairment is uncertain.