Evaluation of the Ph. Eur. anti-A and anti-B assay on a pipetting robot in combination with a camera guided reading mode.

The main objective of this study was the standardization of the direct anti-A, anti-B haemagglutination assay for immunoglobulin products in microtitre plates and gelcards by automation on a liquid handling robot. In addition, the evaluation of the pipetted microtitre plates with a computer-controlled camera was investigated and these results were related to titres from visual live reading. The titres obtained with the automated and the manual assay in microtitre plates and gelcards were compared.

Younger Stroke Patients With Large Pretreatment Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Lesions May Benefit From Endovascular Treatment.

Background And Purpose: Lesion volume on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) before acute stroke therapy is a predictor of outcome. Therefore, patients with large volumes are often excluded from therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of endovascular treatment in patients with large DWI lesion volumes (>70 mL).

Anti-A and anti-B haemagglutinin levels in intravenous immunoglobulins: are they on the rise? A comparison of four different analysis methods and six products.

Recent reports of severe haemolytic reactions upon high dose treatment with new generation intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) prompted us to examine the anti-A and anti-B haemagglutinin content of these therapeutics. We compared four different test methods, namely the indirect and direct haemagglutination test as described in the European Pharmacopoiea (Ph. Eur.

Factors that determine penumbral tissue loss in acute ischaemic stroke.

The goal of acute stroke treatment with intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular recanalization techniques is to rescue the penumbral tissue. Therefore, knowing the factors that influence the loss of penumbral tissue is of major interest. In this study we aimed to identify factors that determine the evolution of the penumbra in patients with proximal (M1 or M2) middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Comparative evaluation of four large-volume RNA extraction kits in the isolation of viral RNA from water samples.

The quality of the RNA extraction system plays a crucial role for the detection of viruses in water or environmental samples. In the present study we investigated the detection limit, the efficiency and the presence of eventually co-extracted inhibitors by comparing four commercially available large scale (>or=1 ml) viral RNA extraction methods (QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit in combination with preconcentration by Centricon YM-100 [Centricon-QIAamp], QIAamp UltraSens Virus Kit, NucliSens Isolation Kit and NucleoSpin RNA Virus F). A 1 ml 50 mM glycine (pH 8.

Hepatitis C virus-polymerase chain reaction minipool testing: 3 years in the largest Swiss blood transfusion service.

Background And Objectives: Hepatitis C virus-polymerase chain reaction (HCV-PCR) minipool testing can improve the safety of labile blood products owing to a reduction in the diagnostic preseroconversion window period. In Switzerland, HCV-PCR minipool testing for the release of labile blood components became mandatory in September 1999. In the largest Swiss blood transfusion centre, HCV-PCR minipool testing began in January 1999.

PCR-based detection of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in ground beef.

Pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli producing verotoxins (VTs) have been recognized as a cause of human disease, and rapid and sensitive detection tests are urgently needed to ensure the safety of food, especially ground beef. We applied two nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect the genes encoding VT1 and VT2 irrespective of the bacterial serotype. In combination with a direct sample preparation protocol, we were able to uncover the presence of about 110 CFU of verotoxinogenic E.

Three-step isolation method for sensitive detection of enterovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, and small round structured viruses in water samples.

Control of drinking or bathing water quality in respect to viral contamination remains an unsolved problem. A highly sensitive isolation protocol was developed for concentration and detection of different enteric viruses from water samples. The three-step isolation procedure combines filtration with a positively charged nylon membrane, ultrafiltration and clean-up of the viral RNA with a silica based membrane.

Seminested RT-PCR systems for small round structured viruses and detection of enteric viruses in seafood.

Highly sensitive seminested RT-PCR systems for the specific detection of genotype I and II small round structured viruses (SRSVs) were developed based on the nucleic acid information deposited in the databanks. SRSVs could be detected in 10(7)-fold dilutions of three different stool samples. In addition, a rapid and simple purification protocol for enteric viruses from seafood tissues was elaborated using poliovirus (PV) as model.

Reverse transcription PCR to detect enteroviruses in surface water.

We have developed a simple, fast, and efficient procedure to detect enteroviruses in water samples. Aliquots of water are subjected to two-step filtration, with the second filter containing a positively charged nylon membrane that holds back virus particles. Viruses thus adsorbed are directly lysed, and RNA is isolated by hybridization to specific oligonucleotides bound to magnetic beads.