Antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with coronary artery disease: new cardiac risk factors?

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated the presence of aPL in patients with chest pain/acute coronary syndromes (ACS) to determine if aPL were associated with the presence and severity of CAD, adverse outcomes, and other coronary risk factors. Patients with chest pain/ACS were evaluated for aPL prior to diagnostic and therapeutic investigations.

Rapid detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli by optical immunoassay.

In a multi-health center study, a new rapid optical immunoassay (OIA) for the detection of Shiga toxin types 1 and 2, the BioStar OIA SHIGATOX kit (Inverness Medical Professional Diagnostics, Inc.), was used to prospectively screen 742 fresh fecal samples for Shiga toxins in parallel with the Premier enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) kit (Meridian BioScience, Inc.) with and without enrichment of the specimens by incubation in MacConkey broth.

Comparison of the troponin T and troponin I ELISA tests, as measured by microplate immunoassay techniques, in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction.

We describe an improved procedure using a standard microplate immunoassay reader to measure the concentration of troponin T in human serum. We also describe an immunoassay for troponin I in serum. Only 160 microliters of serum are needed for a single analysis of each troponin.

Effect of antiandrogen flutamide on measures of hepatic regeneration in rats.

Male rat liver undergoes a process of demasculinization during hepatic regeneration following partial hepatectomy. The possibility that antiandrogens might potentiate this demasculinization process and in so doing augment the hepatic regenerative response was investigated. Adult male Wistar rats were treated with the antiandrogen flutamide (2 mg/rat/day or 5 mg/rat/day subcutaneously) or vehicle for three days prior to and daily after a 70% partial hepatectomy.

Effect of an antiandrogenic H2 receptor antagonist on hepatic regeneration in rats.

Because biochemical "feminization" of the liver in males is observed with hepatic regeneration and because the hepatic regenerative response in females is greater than that in males, the possibility that antiandrogens might potentiate liver regeneration was investigated. Before 70% hepatectomy, adult male Wistar rats were treated with cimetidine, an antiandrogenic H2 antagonist, at doses up to 10 times greater than those used clinically. Control animals received either the saline vehicle or ranitidine, an H2 antagonist without antiandrogenic properties.