Impact of transition from microscopy to molecular screening for detection of intestinal protozoa in Dutch patients.

Detection of intestinal protozoa by PCR methods has been described as being sensitive and specific, and as improving the diagnostic yield. Here we present the outcome of the transition from microscopy to molecular screening for detection of a select group of intestinal protozoa in faeces in our laboratory. Introduction of molecular screening for intestinal protozoa resulted in higher sensitivity, reduced hands-on-time, reduced time-to-results, leading to improved diagnostic efficiency.

[Fever, malaise and eosinophilia after consumption of raw fish in Italy: infection by a liver fluke (Opisthorchis felineus)].

Background: Infection by a liver fluke (trematode) is rare in Western Europe, but recently a few outbreaks caused by this parasite have been described after consumption of raw freshwater fish caught in Italy.

Case Description: A 35-year-old Dutch woman presented with fever, without localising symptoms. Laboratory tests showed pronounced eosinophilia.

Line mixing and collision induced absorption in the oxygen A-band using cavity ring-down spectroscopy.

This paper reports on the absorption of molecular oxygen in the region of the A-band near 760 nm under atmospheric conditions relevant for satellite retrieval studies. We use pulsed laser cavity ring-down spectroscopy with a narrow bandwidth laser and use pressure scans to increase the accuracy of the measured oxygen extinction coefficients. Absolute binary absorption coefficients in minima between absorption lines of the A-band spectrum have been measured and tabulated.

Quantitative analysis of decay transients applied to a multimode pulsed cavity ringdown experiment.

The intensity and noise properties of decay transients obtained in a generic pulsed cavity ringdown experiment are analyzed experimentally and theoretically. A weighted nonlinear least-squares analysis of digitized decay transients is shown that avoids baseline offset effects that induce systematic deviations in the estimation of decay rates. As follows from simulations not only is it a method that provides correct estimates for the values of the fit parameters, but moreover it also yields a correct estimate of the precision of the fit parameters.

Visible absorption bands of the (O2)2 collision complex at pressures below 760 Torr.

The collision-induced absorption of oxygen in the 540-650-nm wavelength region has been measured ata pressure range from 0 to 730 Torr at T 5 294 K. Pressure-dependent cross sections of the X 3Sigmag(+)+X 3Sigmag alpha 1Deltag(nu =0) + alpha 1Deltag(nu = 1 ) and X 3Simag(+)+ X 3Sigmag+--> alpha 1Deltag(nu =0) + 1 alpha 1Deltag (nu = 0) transitions have been determined by means of cavity-ringdown spectroscopy. Contributions of the overlapping g and d bands of O2 have been evaded, and Rayleigh extinction has been taken into account.