Assessment of Groundwater Quality by Chemometrics.

Chemometric methods were used to analyze large data sets of groundwater quality from 18 wells supplying the central drinking water system of Larissa city (Greece) during the period 2001 to 2007 (8.064 observations) to determine temporal and spatial variations in groundwater quality and to identify pollution sources. Cluster analysis grouped each year into three temporal periods (January-April (first), May-August (second) and September-December (third).

Assessment and modeling of routinely used biochemical laboratory data of healthy individuals and end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients by three different chemometric methods.

Background: In recent years, the use of biochemical markers has received increasing attention for purposes of risk assessment and clinical management in renal failure patients. Chemometric methods are often used in medical studies and there are already indications for their specific role as a tool of the medical statistics.

Methods: Three chemometric methods, discriminant analysis (DA), binary logistic regression analysis (BLRA), and cluster analysis (CA), were used for assessment and modeling of routinely used biochemical laboratory data of 18 parameters that were determined from 185 healthy individuals (HIs) and 173 end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients.

PCR-SSCP: a method for the molecular analysis of genetic diseases.

Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) is a reproducible, rapid and quite simple method for the detection of deletions/insertions/rearrangements in polymerase chain reaction amplified DNA. All the details for the use of PCR-SSCP are presented in the direction of genetic diseases (beta-thalassaemia, cystic fibrosis), optimum gel conditions, sensitivity and the latest modifications of the method, which are applied in most laboratories. This non-radioactive PCR-SSCP method can be reliably used to identify mutations in patients (beta-globin, CFTR), provided suitable controls are available.