Evaluation of the cobas® HCV test for quantifying HCV RNA in dried plasma spots collected using the cobas® Plasma Separation Card.

Objective: This study evaluated the performance of the cobas® hepatitis C virus (HCV) Test for use on the cobas® 6800/8800 Systems for the detection and quantification of HCV RNA collected using the cobas® Plasma Separation Card (PSC) compared with plasma samples.

Methods: Whole EDTA-venous blood was collected from 50 HCV-positive donors and 140 μL from each donor was spotted onto a PSC and stored either frozen or at ambient temperature. These were compared with matched EDTA-plasma samples.

Separation of Plasma from Whole Blood by Use of the cobas Plasma Separation Card: a Compelling Alternative to Dried Blood Spots for Quantification of HIV-1 Viral Load.

Plasma HIV viral load testing is the preferred means of monitoring antiretroviral treatment response. Dried blood spots (DBSs) hold considerable logistical advantages over EDTA samples, but they more frequently misclassify virological failure and have higher limits of detection (LoD). Plasma separation cards (PSCs) may overcome these limitations.

Iron bioavailability from fresh cheese fortified with iron-enriched yeast.

Purpose: An iron-enriched yeast able to lyse at body temperature was developed for iron fortification of chilled dairy products. The aim was to evaluate iron (Fe) absorption from iron-enriched yeast or ferrous sulfate added to fresh cheese.

Methods: Two stable isotope studies with a crossover design were conducted in 32 young women.

Iron speciation in beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) biofortified by common breeding.

The iron storage protein ferritin is a potential vehicle to enhance the iron content of biofortified crops. With the aim of evaluating the potential of ferritin iron in plant breeding, we used species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry to quantify ferritin iron in bean varieties with a wide range of total iron content. Zinc, phytic acid, and polyphenols were also measured.

Peak bone strength is influenced by calcium intake in growing rats.

In this study we investigated the effect of supplementing the diet of the growing male rat with different levels of calcium (from low to higher than recommended intakes at constant Ca/P ratio), on multiple factors (bone mass, strength, size, geometry, material properties, turnover) influencing bone strength during the bone accrual period. Rats, age 28days were supplemented for 4weeks with high Ca (1.2%), adequate Ca (0.

Quantification of ferritin-bound iron in plant samples by isotope tagging and species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

Ferritin is nature's predominant iron storage protein. The molecule consists of a hollow protein shell composed of 24 subunits which is capable of storing up to 4500 iron atoms per molecule. Recently, this protein has been identified as a target molecule for increasing iron content in plant staple foods in order to combat dietary iron deficiency, a major public health problem in developing countries.

Ferritin-iron is released during boiling and in vitro gastric digestion.

Biofortification of staple foods with iron in the form of ferritin-iron is a promising approach to fighting iron-deficiency anemia in developing countries. However, contradictory results regarding iron bioavailability to humans from ferritin are not yet fully clarified. Furthermore, the question has been raised whether ferritin can potentially survive gastric passage intact and be absorbed via a ferritin-specific uptake mechanism.

Biosynthesis, isolation and characterization of 57Fe-enriched Phaseolus vulgaris ferritin after heterologous expression in Escherichia coli.

Ferritin is the major iron storage protein in the biosphere. Iron stores of an organism are commonly assessed by measuring the concentration of the protein shell of the molecule in fluids and tissues. The amount of ferritin-bound iron, the more desirable information, still remains inaccessible owing to the lack of suitable techniques.