Routine Bedside Use of Obstetric Early Warning System in the Postnatal Ward to Identify Maternal Morbidity Among High-Risk Women.

Objective: Several authorities have recommended the use of an obstetric early warning system (OEWS) to prevent severe morbidity and mortality. Data on the accuracy of OEWS in different clinical settings and maternal populations are still scarce. Our aim was to validate OEWS to detect maternal morbidity among high-risk women in the postnatal ward.

Association of transcript levels of 10 established or candidate-biomarker gene targets with cancerous versus non-cancerous prostate tissue from radical prostatectomy specimens.

Objectives: The benefits of PSA (prostate specific antigen)-testing in prostate cancer remain controversial with a consequential need for validation of additional biomarkers. We used highly standardized reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR assays to compare transcript levels of 10 candidate cancer marker genes - BMP6, FGF-8b, KLK2, KLK3, KLK4, KLK15, MSMB, PCA3, PSCA and Trpm8 - in carefully ascertained non-cancerous versus cancerous prostate tissue from patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy.

Design And Methods: Total RNA was isolated from fresh frozen prostate tissue procured immediately after resection from two separate areas in each of 87 radical prostatectomy specimens.

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for PCA3.

Objectives: To develop a quantitative, internally standardized real-time RT-PCR assay for prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3), a non-translated gene found to be prostate-specific and highly overexpressed in cancer, and examine the role of PCA3 in peripheral blood with a small sample cohort.

Design And Methods: The RT-PCR assay for PCA3 is based on target-specific lanthanide probes. Peripheral blood from 91 prostatic cancer/disorder patients and healthy controls was assayed for PCA3 and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression.

Novel homogenous time-resolved fluorometric RT-PCR assays for quantification of PSA and hK2 mRNAs in blood.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to design, validate, and optimize internally standardized real-time quantitative RT-PCR assays and to identify and avoid problems with assay reliability and examine the impact of an exogenous internal standard.

Design And Methods: The model system consisted of internally standardized quantitative real-time RT-PCR assays specific for PSA and hK2 mRNA based on time-resolved fluorometric detection of lanthanide chelates.

Results: Reproducibility was best when large copy numbers (>5000 per milliliter blood) were analyzed.