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Sample records for plasma hepcidin assays

  1. Improved mass spectrometry assay for plasma hepcidin: detection and characterization of a novel hepcidin isoform.

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    Coby M M Laarakkers

    Full Text Available Mass spectrometry (MS-based assays for the quantification of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin are pivotal to discriminate between the bioactive 25-amino acid form that can effectively block the sole iron transporter ferroportin and other naturally occurring smaller isoforms without a known role in iron metabolism. Here we describe the design, validation and use of a novel stable hepcidin-25(+40 isotope as internal standard for quantification. Importantly, the relative large mass shift of 40 Da makes this isotope also suitable for easy-to-use medium resolution linear time-of-flight (TOF platforms. As expected, implementation of hepcidin-25(+40 as internal standard in our weak cation exchange (WCX TOF MS method yielded very low inter/intra run coefficients of variation. Surprisingly, however, in samples from kidney disease patients, we detected a novel peak (m/z 2673.9 with low intensity that could be identified as hepcidin-24 and had previously remained unnoticed due to peak interference with the formerly used internal standard. Using a cell-based bioassay it was shown that synthetic hepcidin-24 was, like the -22 and -20 isoforms, a significantly less potent inducer of ferroportin degradation than hepcidin-25. During prolonged storage of plasma at room temperature, we observed that a decrease in plasma hepcidin-25 was paralleled by an increase in the levels of the hepcidin-24, -22 and -20 isoforms. This provides first evidence that all determinants for the conversion of hepcidin-25 to smaller inactive isoforms are present in the circulation, which may contribute to the functional suppression of hepcidin-25, that is significantly elevated in patients with renal impairment. The present update of our hepcidin TOF MS assay together with improved insights in the source and preparation of the internal standard, and sample stability will further improve our understanding of circulating hepcidin and pave the way towards further optimization and

  2. A novel immunological assay for hepcidin quantification in human serum.

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    Vasiliki Koliaraki

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Hepcidin is a 25-aminoacid cysteine-rich iron regulating peptide. Increased hepcidin concentrations lead to iron sequestration in macrophages, contributing to the pathogenesis of anaemia of chronic disease whereas decreased hepcidin is observed in iron deficiency and primary iron overload diseases such as hereditary hemochromatosis. Hepcidin quantification in human blood or urine may provide further insights for the pathogenesis of disorders of iron homeostasis and might prove a valuable tool for clinicians for the differential diagnosis of anaemia. This study describes a specific and non-operator demanding immunoassay for hepcidin quantification in human sera. METHODS AND FINDINGS: An ELISA assay was developed for measuring hepcidin serum concentration using a recombinant hepcidin25-His peptide and a polyclonal antibody against this peptide, which was able to identify native hepcidin. The ELISA assay had a detection range of 10-1500 microg/L and a detection limit of 5.4 microg/L. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variance ranged from 8-15% and 5-16%, respectively. Mean linearity and recovery were 101% and 107%, respectively. Mean hepcidin levels were significantly lower in 7 patients with juvenile hemochromatosis (12.8 microg/L and 10 patients with iron deficiency anemia (15.7 microg/L and higher in 7 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (116.7 microg/L compared to 32 age-matched healthy controls (42.7 microg/L. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a new simple ELISA assay for measuring hepcidin in human serum with sufficient accuracy and reproducibility.

  3. Plasma hepcidin levels and anemia in old age. The Leiden 85-Plus Study

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    Elzen, W.P. den; Craen, A.J. de; Wiegerinck, E.T.G.; Westendorp, R.G.J.; Swinkels, D.W.; Gussekloo, J.

    2013-01-01

    Hepcidin, an important regulator of iron homeostasis, is suggested to be causally related to anemia of inflammation. The aim of this study was to explore the role of plasma hepcidin in anemia among older persons from the general population. The Leiden 85-Plus Study is a population-based study of

  4. Hepcidin expression in psoriasis patients

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    Nursel Dilek

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Iron is an essential nutrient for mammals. Accelerated loss of nutrients through hyperproliferation and desquamation from the skin in psoriasis is known. Hepcidin is an important and recently discovered regulator of iron homeostasis. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to investigate the hepcidin expression in psoriasis patients. Materials and Methods: We examined peripheral blood cell counts, serum Fe, ferritin, interleukin-6 (IL-6 and hepcidin levels using respectively automated hematology analyzer, Iron assay on the AEROSET system, chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay with automated analyzer, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The independent comparison of Fe, ferritin, IL-6 and hepcidin levels in psoriasis patients and control group (healthy volunteers revealed lower Fe and higher IL-6, hepcidin levels in psoriasis patients. No significant difference was seen in the ferritin level between the psoriasis and the control group. Conclusions: We think that studies on hepcidin expression in psoriatic plaques will contribute to our understanding the role of iron and hepcidin in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

  5. Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels are influenced by sex and strain but do not predict tissue iron levels in inbred mice.

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    McLachlan, Stela; Page, Kathryn E; Lee, Seung-Min; Loguinov, Alex; Valore, Erika; Hui, Simon T; Jung, Grace; Zhou, Jie; Lusis, Aldons J; Fuqua, Brie; Ganz, Tomas; Nemeth, Elizabeta; Vulpe, Chris D

    2017-11-01

    Iron homeostasis is tightly regulated, and the peptide hormone hepcidin is considered to be a principal regulator of iron metabolism. Previous studies in a limited number of mouse strains found equivocal sex- and strain-dependent differences in mRNA and serum levels of hepcidin and reported conflicting data on the relationship between hepcidin ( Hamp1 ) mRNA levels and iron status. Our aim was to clarify the relationships between strain, sex, and hepcidin expression by examining multiple tissues and the effects of different dietary conditions in multiple inbred strains. Two studies were done: first, Hamp1 mRNA, liver iron, and plasma diferric transferrin levels were measured in 14 inbred strains on a control diet; and second, Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels in both sexes and iron levels in the heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen in males were measured in nine inbred/recombinant inbred strains raised on an iron-sufficient or high-iron diet. Both sex and strain have a significant effect on both hepcidin mRNA (primarily a sex effect) and plasma hepcidin levels (primarily a strain effect). However, liver iron and diferric transferrin levels are not predictors of Hamp1 mRNA levels in mice fed iron-sufficient or high-iron diets, nor are the Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels good predictors of tissue iron levels, at least in males. We also measured plasma erythroferrone, performed RNA-sequencing analysis of liver samples from six inbred strains fed the iron-sufficient, low-iron, or high-iron diets, and explored differences in gene expression between the strains with the highest and lowest hepcidin levels. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Both sex and strain have a significant effect on both hepcidin mRNA (primarily a sex effect) and plasma hepcidin levels (primarily a strain effect). Liver iron and diferric transferrin levels are not predictors of Hamp1 mRNA levels in mice, nor are the Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels good predictors of tissue iron levels, at least

  6. Hepcidin-Induced Iron Deficiency Is Related to Transient Anemia and Hypoferremia in Kawasaki Disease Patients

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    Huang, Ying-Hsien; Kuo, Ho-Chang; Huang, Fu-Chen; Yu, Hong-Ren; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Yang, Ya-Ling; Sheen, Jiunn-Ming; Li, Sung-Chou; Kuo, Hsing-Chun

    2016-01-01

    Kawasaki disease (KD) is a type of systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children under the age of five years old. For sufferers of KD, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been found to successfully diminish the occurrence of coronary artery lesions. Anemia is commonly found in KD patients, and we have shown that in appropriately elevated hepcidin levels are related to decreased hemoglobin levels in these patients. In this study, we investigated the time period of anemia and iron metabolism during different stages of KD. A total of 100 patients with KD and 20 control subjects were enrolled in this study for red blood cell and hemoglobin analysis. Furthermore, plasma, urine hepcidin, and plasma IL-6 levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 20 KD patients and controls. Changes in hemoglobin, plasma iron levels, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) were also measured in patients with KD. Hemoglobin, iron levels, and TIBC were lower (p < 0.001, p = 0.009, and p < 0.001, respectively) while plasma IL-6 and hepcidin levels (both p < 0.001) were higher in patients with KD than in the controls prior to IVIG administration. Moreover, plasma hepcidin levels were positively and significantly correlated with urine hepcidin levels (p < 0.001) prior to IVIG administration. After IVIG treatment, plasma hepcidin and hemoglobin levels significantly decreased (both p < 0.001). Of particular note was a subsequent gradual increase in hemoglobin levels during the three weeks after IVIG treatment; nevertheless, the hemoglobin levels stayed lower in KD patients than in the controls (p = 0.045). These findings provide a longitudinal study of hemoglobin changes and among the first evidence that hepcidin induces transient anemia and hypoferremia during KD’s acute inflammatory phase. PMID:27187366

  7. Hepcidin-Induced Iron Deficiency Is Related to Transient Anemia and Hypoferremia in Kawasaki Disease Patients

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    Ying-Hsien Huang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Kawasaki disease (KD is a type of systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children under the age of five years old. For sufferers of KD, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG has been found to successfully diminish the occurrence of coronary artery lesions. Anemia is commonly found in KD patients, and we have shown that in appropriately elevated hepcidin levels are related to decreased hemoglobin levels in these patients. In this study, we investigated the time period of anemia and iron metabolism during different stages of KD. A total of 100 patients with KD and 20 control subjects were enrolled in this study for red blood cell and hemoglobin analysis. Furthermore, plasma, urine hepcidin, and plasma IL-6 levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 20 KD patients and controls. Changes in hemoglobin, plasma iron levels, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC were also measured in patients with KD. Hemoglobin, iron levels, and TIBC were lower (p < 0.001, p = 0.009, and p < 0.001, respectively while plasma IL-6 and hepcidin levels (both p < 0.001 were higher in patients with KD than in the controls prior to IVIG administration. Moreover, plasma hepcidin levels were positively and significantly correlated with urine hepcidin levels (p < 0.001 prior to IVIG administration. After IVIG treatment, plasma hepcidin and hemoglobin levels significantly decreased (both p < 0.001. Of particular note was a subsequent gradual increase in hemoglobin levels during the three weeks after IVIG treatment; nevertheless, the hemoglobin levels stayed lower in KD patients than in the controls (p = 0.045. These findings provide a longitudinal study of hemoglobin changes and among the first evidence that hepcidin induces transient anemia and hypoferremia during KD’s acute inflammatory phase.

  8. The dynamics of hepcidin-ferroportin internalization and consequences of a novel ferroportin disease mutation.

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    Wallace, Daniel F; McDonald, Cameron J; Ostini, Lesa; Iser, David; Tuckfield, Annabel; Subramaniam, V Nathan

    2017-10-01

    The hepcidin-ferroportin axis underlies the pathophysiology of many iron-associated disorders and is a key target for the development of therapeutics for treating iron-associated disorders. The aims of this study were to investigate the dynamics of hepcidin-mediated ferroportin internalization and the consequences of a novel disease-causing mutation on ferroportin function. Specific reagents for ferroportin are limited; we developed and characterized antibodies against the largest extracellular loop of ferroportin and developed a novel cell-based assay for studying hepcidin-ferroportin function. We show that hepcidin-mediated ferroportin internalization is a rapid process and could be induced using low concentrations of hepcidin. Targeted next-generation sequencing utilizing an iron metabolism gene panel developed in our group identified a novel ferroportin p.D84E variant in a patient with iron overload. Wild-type and mutant ferroportin constructs were generated, transfected into HEK293 cells and analysed using an all-in-one flow-cytometry-based assay to study the effects on hepcidin-mediated internalization and iron transport. Consistent with the classical phenotype of ferroportin disease, the p.D84E mutation results in an inability to transport iron and hepcidin insensitivity. These results validate a recently proposed 3D-structural model of ferroportin and highlight the significance of this variant in the structure and function of ferroportin. Our novel ferroportin antibody and assay will be valuable tools for investigating the regulation of hepcidin/ferroportin function and the development of novel approaches for the therapeutic modulation of iron homeostasis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Hepcidin- A Burgeoning Biomarker

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    Hemkant Manikrao Deshmukh

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The discovery of hepcidin has triggered a virtual ignition of studies on iron metabolism and related disorders. The peptide hormone hepcidin is a key homeostatic regulator of iron metabolism. The synthesis of hepcidin is induced by systemic iron levels and by inflammatory stimuli. Several human diseases are associated with variations in hepcidin concentrations. The evaluation of hepcidin in biological fluids is therefore a promising device in the diagnosis and management of medical situations in which iron metabolism is affected. Thus, it made us to recapitulate role of hepcidin as biomarker.

  10. Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammation: clinical findings and its effect on hepcidin mRNA expression in horses

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    José P. Oliveira-Filho

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Hypoferremia observed during systemic inflammatory disorders is regulated by hepcidin. Hepcidin up-regulation is particularly important during acute inflammation, as it restricts the availability of iron, which is necessary for pathogenic microorganism growth before adaptive immunity occurs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical findings and hepatic hepcidin mRNA expression in horses using a Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA model of inflammation. The expression of hepcidin mRNA in the liver was determined in healthy horses following two intramuscular injections of FCA at 0 h and 12 h. Plasma iron and fibrinogen concentrations were measured at multiple time points between 0 h and 240 h post-FCA injection (PI. Hepcidin mRNA expression was determined by RT-qPCR using liver biopsy samples performed at 0 h (control, 6 h and 18 h PI. The mean plasma fibrinogen level was significantly different from the control values only between 120 and 216 h PI. The mean plasma iron level was significantly lower than the control between 16 and 72 h PI, reaching the lowest levels at 30 h PI (33 % of the initial value, and returned to the reference value from 96 h PI to the end of the experiment. Hepcidin mRNA expression increased at 6 h PI and remained high at 18 h PI. The iron plasma concentration was an earlier indicator of inflammatory processes in horses when compared with fibrinogen and might be useful for the early detection of inflammation in the horse. FCA administration caused the rapid onset of hypoferremia, and this effect was likely the result of up-regulated hepatic hepcidin gene expression. This study emphasizes the importance of hepcidin and iron metabolism during inflammation in horses.

  11. The A736V TMPRSS6 polymorphism influences hepcidin and iron metabolism in chronic hemodialysis patients: TMPRSS6 and hepcidin in hemodialysis

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    Pelusi Serena

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Aim of this study was to evaluate whether the A736V TMPRSS6 polymorphism, a major genetic determinant of iron metabolism in healthy subjects, influences serum levels of hepcidin, the hormone regulating iron metabolism, and erythropoiesis in chronic hemodialysis (CHD. Methods To this end, we considered 199 CHD patients from Northern Italy (157 with hepcidin evaluation, and 188 healthy controls without iron deficiency, matched for age and gender. Genetic polymorphisms were evaluated by allele specific polymerase chain reaction assays, and hepcidin quantified by mass spectrometry. Results Serum hepcidin levels were not different between the whole CHD population and controls (median 7.1, interquartile range (IQR 0.55-17.1 vs. 7.4, 4.5-17.9 nM, respectively, but were higher in the CHD subgroup after exclusion of subjects with relative iron deficiency (p = 0.04. In CHD patients, the A736V TMPRSS6 polymorphism influenced serum hepcidin levels in individuals positive for mutations in the HFE gene of hereditary hemochromatosis (p 30 ng/ml; n = 86, hepcidin was associated with lower mean corpuscular volume (p = 0.002, suggesting that it contributed to iron-restricted erythropoiesis. In line with previous results, in patients without acute inflammation and severe iron deficiency the “high hepcidin” 736 V TMPRSS6 variant was associated with higher erythropoietin maintenance dose (p = 0.016, independently of subclinical inflammation (p = 0.02. Conclusions The A736V TMPRSS6 genotype influences hepcidin levels, erythropoiesis, and anemia management in CHD patients. Evaluation of the effect of TMPRSS6 genotype on clinical outcomes in prospective studies in CHD may be useful to predict the outcomes of hepcidin manipulation, and to guide treatment personalization by optimizing anemia management.

  12. Hepcidin plasma levels are not associated with changes in haemoglobin in early rheumatoid arthritis patients

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    Østgård, R D; Glerup, H; Jurik, A G

    2017-01-01

    Objective: A reduction in haemoglobin level is a frequent complication among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Hepcidin has been linked to disturbed erythropoiesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the longitudinal changes in hepcidin in patients with early RA. Method: Hepcidin...... with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and with additional adalimumab (ADA, n = 42) or placebo (PLA, n = 38) during 52 weeks, using a treat-to-target strategy, aiming for a 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) levels [median (interquartile range)] were 9...... = 0.48, p levels of haemoglobin and hepcidin at baseline or during the 52 week follow-up. No change in haemoglobin levels was seen as a function of hepcidin changes. In a mixed statistical model, no single factor was connected with the regulation...

  13. Urinary Hepcidin Levels in Iron-Deficient and Iron-Supplemented Piglets Correlate with Hepcidin Hepatic mRNA and Serum Levels and with Body Iron Status.

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    Robert Staroń

    Full Text Available Among livestock, domestic pig (Sus scrofa is a species, in which iron metabolism has been most intensively examined during last decade. The obvious reason for studying the regulation of iron homeostasis especially in young pigs is neonatal iron deficiency anemia commonly occurring in these animals. Moreover, supplementation of essentially all commercially reared piglets with iron entails a need for monitoring the efficacy of this routine practice followed in the swine industry for several decades. Since the discovery of hepcidin many studies confirmed its role as key regulator of iron metabolism and pointed out the assessment of its concentrations in biological fluids as diagnostic tool for iron-related disorder. Here we demonstrate that urine hepcidin-25 levels measured by a combination of weak cation exchange chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (WCX-TOF MS are highly correlated with mRNA hepcidin expression in the liver and plasma hepcidin-25 concentrations in anemic and iron-supplemented 28-day old piglets. We also found a high correlation between urine hepcidin level and hepatic non-heme iron content. Our results show that similarly to previously described transgenic mouse models of iron disorders, young pigs constitute a convenient animal model to explore accuracy and relationship between indicators for assessing systemic iron status.

  14. Identification of centrarchid hepcidins and evidence that 17β-estradiol disrupts constitutive expression of hepcidin-1 and inducible expression of hepcidin-2 in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

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    Robertson, L.S.; Iwanowicz, L.R.; Marranca, J.M.

    2009-01-01

    Hepcidin is a highly conserved antimicrobial peptide and iron-regulatory hormone. Here, we identify two hepcidin genes (hep-1 and hep-2) in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Hepcidin-1 contains a putative ATCUN metal-binding site in the amino-terminus that is missing in hepcidin-2, suggesting that hepcidin-1 may function as an iron-regulatory hormone. Both hepcidins are predominately expressed in the liver of largemouth bass, similar to other fish and mammals. Experimental exposure of pond-raised largemouth bass to 17β-estradiol and/or the bacteria Edwardsiella ictaluri led to distinct changes in expression of hep-1 and hep-2. Estradiol reduced the constitutive expression of hep-1 in the liver. Bacterial exposure induced expression of hep-2, suggesting that hepcidin-2 may have an antimicrobial function, and this induction was abolished by estradiol. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the regulation of hepcidin expression by estradiol in either fish or mammals.

  15. Identification of centrarchid hepcidins and evidence that 17beta-estradiol disrupts constitutive expression of hepcidin-1 and inducible expression of hepcidin-2 in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

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    Robertson, Laura S; Iwanowicz, Luke R; Marranca, Jamie Marie

    2009-06-01

    Hepcidin is a highly conserved antimicrobial peptide and iron-regulatory hormone. Here, we identify two hepcidin genes (hep-1 and hep-2) in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Hepcidin-1 contains a putative ATCUN metal-binding site in the amino-terminus that is missing in hepcidin-2, suggesting that hepcidin-1 may function as an iron-regulatory hormone. Both hepcidins are predominately expressed in the liver of largemouth bass, similar to other fish and mammals. Experimental exposure of pond-raised largemouth bass to 17beta-estradiol and/or the bacteria Edwardsiella ictaluri led to distinct changes in expression of hep-1 and hep-2. Estradiol reduced the constitutive expression of hep-1 in the liver. Bacterial exposure induced expression of hep-2, suggesting that hepcidin-2 may have an antimicrobial function, and this induction was abolished by estradiol. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the regulation of hepcidin expression by estradiol in either fish or mammals.

  16. Iron Supplementation during Three Consecutive Days of Endurance Training Augmented Hepcidin Levels

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    Aya Ishibashi

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Iron supplementation contributes an effort to improving iron status among athletes, but it does not always prevent iron deficiency. In the present study, we explored the effect of three consecutive days of endurance training (twice daily on the hepcidin-25 (hepcidin level. The effect of iron supplementation during this period was also determined. Fourteen male endurance athletes were enrolled and randomly assigned to either an iron-treated condition (Fe condition, n = 7 or a placebo condition (Control condition; CON, n = 7. They engaged in two 75-min sessions of treadmill running at 75% of maximal oxygen uptake on three consecutive days (days 1–3. The Fe condition took 12 mg of iron twice daily (24 mg/day, and the CON condition did not. On day 1, both conditions exhibited significant increases in serum hepcidin and plasma interleukin-6 levels after exercise (p < 0.05. In the CON condition, the hepcidin level did not change significantly throughout the training period. However, in the Fe condition, the serum hepcidin level on day 4 was significantly higher than that of the CON condition (p < 0.05. In conclusion, the hepcidin level was significantly elevated following three consecutive days of endurance training when moderate doses of iron were taken.

  17. Iron Supplementation during Three Consecutive Days of Endurance Training Augmented Hepcidin Levels.

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    Ishibashi, Aya; Maeda, Naho; Kamei, Akiko; Goto, Kazushige

    2017-07-30

    Iron supplementation contributes an effort to improving iron status among athletes, but it does not always prevent iron deficiency. In the present study, we explored the effect of three consecutive days of endurance training (twice daily) on the hepcidin-25 (hepcidin) level. The effect of iron supplementation during this period was also determined. Fourteen male endurance athletes were enrolled and randomly assigned to either an iron-treated condition (Fe condition, n = 7) or a placebo condition (Control condition; CON, n = 7). They engaged in two 75-min sessions of treadmill running at 75% of maximal oxygen uptake on three consecutive days (days 1-3). The Fe condition took 12 mg of iron twice daily (24 mg/day), and the CON condition did not. On day 1, both conditions exhibited significant increases in serum hepcidin and plasma interleukin-6 levels after exercise ( p < 0.05). In the CON condition, the hepcidin level did not change significantly throughout the training period. However, in the Fe condition, the serum hepcidin level on day 4 was significantly higher than that of the CON condition ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, the hepcidin level was significantly elevated following three consecutive days of endurance training when moderate doses of iron were taken.

  18. Miraxanthin-V, Liriodenin and Chitranone are Hepcidin Antagonist In silico for Iron Deficiency Anemia

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    Yotriana, S.; Suselo, YH; Muthmainah; Indarto, D.

    2018-03-01

    Anemia is one of the greatest nutrition problem in the world that is commonly found in children, pregnant women and reproductive women. This disorder is predominantly caused by iron deficiency. Hepcidin, a hepatic hormone, regulates iron metabolism and high serum levels of this hormone are detected in patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Anticalin is a sintetic compound which is able to interacts with hepcidin leading to inhibition of ferroportin-hepcidin binding complexes but its therapeutic effects are still under investigation. Indonesia has various herbal plants which are potentially developed to treat some human diseases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify phytochemicals derived from Indonesian plants that is able to inhibit hepcidin-ferroportin interaction. A bioinformatics study with molecular docking method was used in this study. Three-dimensional structures of human hepcidin and anticalin were obtained from the Protein Data Bank (ID: 1M4F and 4QAE respectively). Because their molecular size was big, each molecule was cut into 2 parts of its binding sites. All phytochemicals structures were obtained from HerbalDB and PubChem NCBI database. Truncated anticalin/phytochemicals were molecularly docked with truncated hepcidin by using AutoDock Vina 1.1.2. and their interactions were visualized using PyMol 1.3. Truncated Anticalin had -4.6 and -4.2 kcal/mol binding affinity to truncated human hepcidin. Truncated anticalin 1 was bound to Cys13, Cys14, Arg16 and Ser17 residues in truncated hepcidin 1 while truncated anticalin 2 was at Cy23 and Lys24 residues in truncated hepcidin 2. Miraxanthine-V, Liriodenin and Chitranone had lower binding affinity (-4.8±0.77, -4.7±0.33 and -5.01±0.30 kcal/mol respectively) than that of anticalin and occupied binding sites as same as anticalin did. There are three phytochemicals that potentially become hepcidin antagonists in silico. In vitro assays are required for verification of the antagonist

  19. Hepcidin protects against lethal E. coli sepsis in mice inoculated with isolates from septic patients.

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    Stefanova, Deborah; Raychev, Antoan; Deville, Jaime; Humphries, Romney; Campeau, Shelley; Ruchala, Piotr; Nemeth, Elizabeta; Ganz, Tomas; Bulut, Yonca

    2018-05-07

    Iron is an essential micronutrient for most microbes and their hosts. Mammalian hosts respond to infection by inducing the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin, which causes iron sequestration and a rapid decrease in plasma and extracellular iron concentration (hypoferremia). Previous studies showed that hepcidin regulation of iron is essential for protection from infection-associated mortality with the siderophilic pathogens Yersinia enterocolitica and Vibrio vulnificus However, the evolutionary conservation of the hypoferremic response to infection suggests that not only rare siderophilic bacteria but also common pathogens may be targeted by this mechanism. We tested 10 clinical isolates of E. coli from children with sepsis and found that both genetic (hepcidin knockout, HKO) and iatrogenic iron overload (IV iron) potentiated infection with 8 out of 10 studied isolates: after peritoneal injection of E. coli , iron-loaded mice developed sepsis with 60% to 100% mortality within 24h while control wild type mice suffered 0% mortality. Using one strain for more detailed study, we show that iron overload allowed rapid bacterial multiplication and dissemination. We further found that the presence of non-transferrin bound iron (NTBI) in circulation is more important than total plasma or tissue iron in rendering mice susceptible to infection and mortality. Post infection treatment of HKO mice with just two doses of the hepcidin agonist PR73 abolished NTBI and completely prevented sepsis-associated mortality. We demonstrate that siderophilic phenotype extends to clinically common pathogens. The use of hepcidin agonists promises to be an effective early intervention in patients with infections and dysregulated iron metabolism. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  20. High-Throughput Screening of Small Molecules Identifies Hepcidin Antagonists

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    Fung, Eileen; Sugianto, Priscilla; Hsu, Jason; Damoiseaux, Robert; Ganz, Tomas

    2013-01-01

    Anemia of inflammation (AI) is common in patients with infection, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and chronic kidney disease. Unless the underlying condition can be reversed, treatment options are limited to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents with or without intravenous iron therapy, modalities that are not always effective and can cause serious adverse effects. Hepcidin, the iron regulatory hormone, has been identified as a pathogenic factor in the development of AI. To explore new therapeutic options for AI and other iron-related disorders caused by hepcidin excess, we developed a cell-based screen to identify hepcidin antagonists. Of the 70,000 small molecules in the library, we identified 14 compounds that antagonized the hepcidin effect on ferroportin. One of these was fursultiamine, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved thiamine derivative. Fursultiamine directly interfered with hepcidin binding to its receptor, ferroportin, by blocking ferroportin C326 thiol residue essential for hepcidin binding. Consequently, fursultiamine prevented hepcidin-induced ferroportin ubiquitination, endocytosis, and degradation in vitro and allowed continuous cellular iron export despite the presence of hepcidin, with IC50 in the submicromolar range. Thiamine, the fursultiamine metabolite, and benfotiamine, another thiamine derivative, did not interfere with the effect of hepcidin on ferroportin. Other FDA-approved thiol-reactive compounds were at least 1000-fold less potent than fursultiamine in antagonizing hepcidin. In vivo, fursultiamine did not reproducibly antagonize the effect of hepcidin on serum iron, likely because of its rapid conversion to inactive metabolites. Fursultiamine is a unique antagonist of hepcidin in vitro that could serve as a template for the development of drug candidates that inhibit the hepcidin-ferroportin interaction. PMID:23292796

  1. The Effects of Angelica Sinensis Polysaccharide on Tumor Growth and Iron Metabolism by Regulating Hepcidin in Tumor-Bearing Mice

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    Feng Ren

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Iron plays a fundamental role in cell biology and its concentration must be precisely regulated. It is well documented that excess iron burden contributes to the occurrence and progression of cancer. Hepcidin secreted by liver plays an essential role in orchestrating iron metabolism. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the ability of angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP to decrease iron burden in tumor-bearing mice and the mechanism of ASP regulation hepcidin expression. Methods: Western blot, RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA were used to detect the regulation of hepcidin and related cytokines by ASP. The role of ASP in tumor proliferation was investigated using in vivo assays. Iron depositions and iron concentrations in organs were determined by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E staining and atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: We found that ASP could inhibit tumor growth in mice xenografted with 4T1 and H22 cancer cells. In vivo experiments also showed that ASP could potently regulate hepcidin expression in liver and serum and decrease iron burden in liver, spleen and grafted tumors in mouse model. Treatment with ASP in hepatic cell lines reproduced comparable results in decreasing hepcidin as in mouse liver. Furthermore, we found that ASP markedly suppressed the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6, JAK2, p-STAT3, and p-SMAD1/5/8 in liver, suggesting that JAK/STAT and BMP-SMAD pathways were involved in the regulation of hepcidin expression by ASP. We also found down-regulation of iron-related cytokines in ASP treated mice. Conclusion: The present study provides new evidence that ASP decreases hepcidin expression, which can reduce iron burden and inhibit tumor proliferation. These findings might aid ASP developed as a potential candidate for cancer treatment in patients with iron overload.

  2. Molecular characterization and expression analysis of a hepcidin ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    After challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila infection or iron-dextran stimulation, the hepcidin transcript levels were analyzed by RT-PCR. The results revealed that the expression of hepcidin dramatically increased at 24 h post-infection of the pathogen injection. Moreover, hepcidin mRNAs in the liver, intestine and brain ...

  3. Role of Activins in Hepcidin Regulation during Malaria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spottiswoode, Natasha; Armitage, Andrew E; Williams, Andrew R; Fyfe, Alex J; Biswas, Sumi; Hodgson, Susanne H; Llewellyn, David; Choudhary, Prateek; Draper, Simon J; Duffy, Patrick E; Drakesmith, Hal

    2017-12-01

    Epidemiological observations have linked increased host iron with malaria susceptibility, and perturbed iron handling has been hypothesized to contribute to the potentially life-threatening anemia that may accompany blood-stage malaria infection. To improve our understanding of these relationships, we examined the pathways involved in regulation of the master controller of iron metabolism, the hormone hepcidin, in malaria infection. We show that hepcidin upregulation in Plasmodium berghei murine malaria infection was accompanied by changes in expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/sons of mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) pathway target genes, a key pathway involved in hepcidin regulation. We therefore investigated known agonists of the BMP/SMAD pathway and found that Bmp gene expression was not increased in infection. In contrast, activin B, which can signal through the BMP/SMAD pathway and has been associated with increased hepcidin during inflammation, was upregulated in the livers of Plasmodium berghei -infected mice; hepatic activin B was also upregulated at peak parasitemia during infection with Plasmodium chabaudi Concentrations of the closely related protein activin A increased in parallel with hepcidin in serum from malaria-naive volunteers infected in controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) clinical trials. However, antibody-mediated neutralization of activin activity during murine malaria infection did not affect hepcidin expression, suggesting that these proteins do not stimulate hepcidin upregulation directly. In conclusion, we present evidence that the BMP/SMAD signaling pathway is perturbed in malaria infection but that activins, although raised in malaria infection, may not have a critical role in hepcidin upregulation in this setting. Copyright © 2017 Spottiswoode et al.

  4. Iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) and hepcidin response to iron load in two species of pteropodid fruit bats relative to the common vampire bat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stasiak, Iga M; Smith, Dale A; Ganz, Tomas; Crawshaw, Graham J; Hammermueller, Jutta D; Bienzle, Dorothee; Lillie, Brandon N

    2018-07-01

    Hepcidin is the key regulator of iron homeostasis in the body. Iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) is a frequent cause of liver disease and mortality in captive Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), but reasons underlying this condition are unknown. Hereditary hemochromatosis in humans is due to deficiency of hepcidin or resistance to the action of hepcidin. Here, we investigated the role of hepcidin in iron metabolism in one species of pteropodid bat that is prone to iron storage disease [Egyptian fruit bat (with and without hemochromatosis)], one species of pteropodid bat where iron storage disease is rare [straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum)], and one species of bat with a natural diet very high in iron, in which iron storage disease is not reported [common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)]. Iron challenge via intramuscular injection of iron dextran resulted in significantly increased liver iron content and histologic iron scores in all three species, and increased plasma iron in Egyptian fruit bats and straw-colored fruit bats. Hepcidin mRNA expression increased in response to iron administration in healthy Egyptian fruit bats and common vampire bats, but not in straw-colored fruit bats or Egyptian fruit bats with hemochromatosis. Hepcidin gene expression significantly correlated with liver iron content in Egyptian fruit bats and common vampire bats, and with transferrin saturation and plasma ferritin concentration in Egyptian fruit bats. Induction of hepcidin gene expression in response to iron challenge is absent in straw-colored fruit bats and in Egyptian fruit bats with hemochromatosis and, relative to common vampire bats and healthy humans, is low in Egyptain fruit bats without hemochromatosis. Limited hepcidin response to iron challenge may contribute to the increased susceptibility of Egyptian fruit bats to iron storage disease.

  5. Suppression of iron-regulatory hepcidin by vitamin D.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacchetta, Justine; Zaritsky, Joshua J; Sea, Jessica L; Chun, Rene F; Lisse, Thomas S; Zavala, Kathryn; Nayak, Anjali; Wesseling-Perry, Katherine; Westerman, Mark; Hollis, Bruce W; Salusky, Isidro B; Hewison, Martin

    2014-03-01

    The antibacterial protein hepcidin regulates the absorption, tissue distribution, and extracellular concentration of iron by suppressing ferroportin-mediated export of cellular iron. In CKD, elevated hepcidin and vitamin D deficiency are associated with anemia. Therefore, we explored a possible role for vitamin D in iron homeostasis. Treatment of cultured hepatocytes or monocytes with prohormone 25-hydroxyvitamin D or active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D decreased expression of hepcidin mRNA by 0.5-fold, contrasting the stimulatory effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D on related antibacterial proteins such as cathelicidin. Promoter-reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses indicated that direct transcriptional suppression of hepcidin gene (HAMP) expression mediated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D binding to the vitamin D receptor caused the decrease in hepcidin mRNA levels. Suppression of HAMP expression was associated with a concomitant increase in expression of the cellular target for hepcidin, ferroportin protein, and decreased expression of the intracellular iron marker ferritin. In a pilot study with healthy volunteers, supplementation with a single oral dose of vitamin D (100,000 IU vitamin D2) increased serum levels of 25D-hydroxyvitamin D from 27±2 ng/ml before supplementation to 44±3 ng/ml after supplementation (P<0.001). This response was associated with a 34% decrease in circulating levels of hepcidin within 24 hours of vitamin D supplementation (P<0.05). These data show that vitamin D is a potent regulator of the hepcidin-ferroportin axis in humans and highlight a potential new strategy for the management of anemia in patients with low vitamin D and/or CKD.

  6. Rethinking Iron Regulation and Assessment in Iron Deficiency, Anemia of Chronic Disease, and Obesity: Introducing Hepcidin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tussing-Humphreys, Lisa; Pustacioglu, Cenk; Nemeth, Elizabeta; Braunschweig, Carol

    2012-01-01

    Adequate iron availability is essential to human development and overall health. Iron is a key component of oxygen-carrying proteins, has a pivotal role in cellular metabolism, and is essential to cell growth and differentiation. Inadequate dietary iron intake, chronic and acute inflammatory conditions, and obesity are each associated with alterations in iron homeostasis. Tight regulation of iron is necessary because iron is highly toxic and human beings can only excrete small amounts through sweat, skin and enterocyte sloughing, and fecal and menstrual blood loss. Hepcidin, a small peptide hormone produced mainly by the liver, acts as the key regulator of systemic iron homeostasis. Hepcidin controls movement of iron into plasma by regulating the activity of the sole known iron exporter ferroportin-1. Downregulation of the ferroportin-1 exporter results in sequestration of iron within intestinal enterocytes, hepatocytes, and iron-storing macrophages reducing iron bioavailability. Hepcidin expression is increased by higher body iron levels and inflammation and decreased by anemia and hypoxia. Importantly, existing data illustrate that hepcidin may play a significant role in the development of several iron-related disorders, including the anemia of chronic disease and the iron dysregulation observed in obesity. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to discuss iron regulation, with specific emphasis on systemic regulation by hepcidin, and examine the role of hepcidin within several disease states, including iron deficiency, anemia of chronic disease, and obesity. The relationship between obesity and iron depletion and the clinical assessment of iron status will also be reviewed. PMID:22717199

  7. Hepcidin: A useful marker in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serap Duru

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the levels of hepcidin in the serum of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. Methods: In the study, 74 male patients (ages 45-75 in a stable period for COPD were grouped as Group I: Mild COPD (n:25, Group II: Moderate COPD (n:24, and Group III: Severe COPD (n:25. Healthy non-smoker males were included in Group IV (n:35 as a control group. The differences of hepcidin level among all the groups were examined. Also, in the patient groups with COPD, hepcidin level was compared with age, body mass index, cigarette (package/year, blood parameters (iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, hemoglobin, hematocrit [hct], respiratory function tests, and arterial blood gas results. Results: Although there was no difference between the healthy control group and the mild COPD patient group (P=0.781 in terms of hepcidin level, there was a difference between the moderate (P=0.004 and the severe COPD patient groups (P=0.002. The hepcidin level of the control group was found to be higher than the moderate and severe COPD patient groups. In the severe COPD patients, hepcidin level increased with the increase in serum iron (P=0.000, hct (P=0.009, ferritin levels (P=0.012, and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2, P=0.000. Conclusion: The serum hepcidin level that is decreased in severe COPD brings into mind that it may play a role in the mechanism to prevent hypoxemia. The results suggest that serum hepcidin level may be a useful marker in COPD. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings between hepcidin and COPD.

  8. Mass spectrometry analysis of hepcidin peptides in experimental mouse models.

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    Harold Tjalsma

    Full Text Available The mouse is a valuable model for unravelling the role of hepcidin in iron homeostasis, however, such studies still report hepcidin mRNA levels as a surrogate marker for bioactive hepcidin in its pivotal function to block ferroportin-mediated iron transport. Here, we aimed to assess bioactive mouse Hepcidin-1 (Hep-1 and its paralogue Hepcidin-2 (Hep-2 at the peptide level. To this purpose, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR and tandem-MS was used for hepcidin identification, after which a time-of-flight (TOF MS-based methodology was exploited to routinely determine Hep-1 and -2 levels in mouse serum and urine. This method was biologically validated by hepcidin assessment in: i 3 mouse strains (C57Bl/6; DBA/2 and BABL/c upon stimulation with intravenous iron and LPS, ii homozygous Hfe knock out, homozygous transferrin receptor 2 (Y245X mutated mice and double affected mice, and iii mice treated with a sublethal hepatotoxic dose of paracetamol. The results showed that detection of Hep-1 was restricted to serum, whereas Hep-2 and its presumed isoforms were predominantly present in urine. Elevations in serum Hep-1 and urine Hep-2 upon intravenous iron or LPS were only moderate and varied considerably between mouse strains. Serum Hep-1 was decreased in all three hemochromatosis models, being lowest in the double affected mice. Serum Hep-1 levels correlated with liver hepcidin-1 gene expression, while acute liver damage by paracetamol depleted Hep-1 from serum. Furthermore, serum Hep-1 appeared to be an excellent indicator of splenic iron accumulation. In conclusion, Hep-1 and Hep-2 peptide responses in experimental mouse agree with the known biology of hepcidin mRNA regulators, and their measurement can now be implemented in experimental mouse models to provide novel insights in post-transcriptional regulation, hepcidin function, and kinetics.

  9. Interleukin-10 regulates hepcidin in Plasmodium falciparum malaria

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Honglei

    2014-02-10

    Background: Acute malarial anemia remains a major public health problem. Hepcidin, the major hormone controlling the availability of iron, is raised during acute and asymptomatic parasitemia. Understanding the role and mechanism of raised hepcidin and so reduced iron availability during infection is critical to establish evidence-based guidelines for management of malaria anemia. Our recent clinical evidence suggests a potential role of IL-10 in the regulation of hepcidin in patients with acute P. falciparum malaria. Methods: We have measured secretion of hepcidin by primary macrophages and the hepatoma cell line HepG2 stimulated with IL-10, IL-6 and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Findings: We have observed that IL-10 and IL-6 production increased in primary macrophages when these cells were co-cultured with Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. We found that IL-10 induced hepcidin secretion in primary macrophages in a dose-dependent manner but not in HepG2 cells. These effects were mediated through signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3-phosphorylation and completely abrogated by a specific STAT3 inhibitor. Conclusion: IL-10 can directly regulate hepcidin in primary macrophages but not in HepG2 cells. This effect can be modulated by Plasmodium falciparum. The results are consistent with a role for IL-10 in modulating iron metabolism during acute phase of infection. 2014 Huang et al.

  10. Role of Activins in Hepcidin Regulation during Malaria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Spottiswoode, Natasha; Armitage, Andrew E; Williams, Andrew R

    2017-01-01

    /SMAD pathway and has been associated with increased hepcidin during inflammation, was upregulated in the livers of Plasmodium berghei infected mice; hepatic activin B was also upregulated at peak parasitemia during infection with Plasmodium chabaudi Concentrations of the closely related protein activin...... are unlikely to stimulate hepcidin upregulation directly. In conclusion, we present evidence that the BMP/SMAD signalling pathway is perturbed in malaria infection, but that activins, although raised in malaria infection, may not have a critical role in hepcidin upregulation in this setting....

  11. Effects of an Acute Exercise Bout on Serum Hepcidin Levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raúl Domínguez

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Iron deficiency is a frequent and multifactorial disorder in the career of athletes, particularly in females. Exercise-induced disturbances in iron homeostasis produce deleterious effects on performance and adaptation to training; thus, the identification of strategies that restore or maintain iron homeostasis in athletes is required. Hepcidin is a liver-derived hormone that degrades the ferroportin transport channel, thus reducing the ability of macrophages to recycle damaged iron, and decreasing iron availability. Although it has been suggested that the circulating fraction of hepcidin increases during early post-exercise recovery (~3 h, it remains unknown how an acute exercise bout may modify the circulating expression of hepcidin. Therefore, the current review aims to determine the post-exercise expression of serum hepcidin in response to a single session of exercise. The review was carried out in the Dialnet, Elsevier, Medline, Pubmed, Scielo and SPORTDiscus databases, using hepcidin (and “exercise” or “sport” or “physical activity” as a strategy of search. A total of 19 articles were included in the review after the application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria. This search found that a single session of endurance exercise (intervallic or continuous at moderate or vigorous intensity (60–90% VO2peak stimulates an increase in the circulating levels of hepcidin between 0 h and 6 h after the end of the exercise bout, peaking at ~3 h post-exercise. The magnitude of the response of hepcidin to exercise seems to be dependent on the pre-exercise status of iron (ferritin and inflammation (IL-6. Moreover, oxygen disturbances and the activation of a hypoxia-induced factor during or after exercise may stimulate a reduction of hepcidin expression. Meanwhile, cranberry flavonoids supplementation promotes an anti-oxidant effect that may facilitate the post-exercise expression of hepcidin. Further studies are required to explore the effect

  12. Cationic PEGylated liposomes incorporating an antimicrobial peptide tilapia hepcidin 2-3: an adjuvant of epirubicin to overcome multidrug resistance in cervical cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juang, Vivian; Lee, Hsin-Pin; Lin, Anya Maan-Yuh; Lo, Yu-Li

    Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been recently evaluated as a new generation of adjuvants in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we designed PEGylated liposomes encapsulating epirubicin as an antineoplastic agent and tilapia hepcidin 2-3, an AMP, as a multidrug resistance (MDR) transporter suppressor and an apoptosis/autophagy modulator in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Cotreatment of HeLa cells with PEGylated liposomal formulation of epirubicin and hepcidin 2-3 significantly increased the cytotoxicity of epirubicin. The liposomal formulations of epirubicin and/or hepcidin 2-3 were found to noticeably escalate the intracellular H 2 O 2 and O 2 - levels of cancer cells. Furthermore, these treatments considerably reduced the mRNA expressions of MDR protein 1, MDR-associated protein (MRP) 1, and MRP2. The addition of hepcidin 2-3 in liposomes was shown to markedly enhance the intracellular epirubicin uptake and mainly localized into the nucleus. Moreover, this formulation was also found to trigger apoptosis and autophagy in HeLa cells, as validated by significant increases in the expressions of cleaved poly ADP ribose polymerase, caspase-3, caspase-9, and light chain 3 (LC3)-II, as well as a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. The apoptosis induction was also confirmed by the rise in sub-G1 phase of cell cycle assay and apoptosis percentage of annexin V/propidium iodide assay. We found that liposomal epirubicin and hepcidin 2-3 augmented the accumulation of GFP-LC3 puncta as amplified by chloroquine, implying the involvement of autophagy. Interestingly, the partial inhibition of necroptosis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition by this combination was also verified. Altogether, our results provide evidence that coincubation with PEGylated liposomes of hepcidin 2-3 and epirubicin caused programmed cell death in cervical cancer cells through modulation of multiple signaling pathways, including MDR transporters, apoptosis, autophagy, and/or necroptosis

  13. Hepcidin as a Major Component of Renal Antibacterial Defenses against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houamel, Dounia; Ducrot, Nicolas; Lefebvre, Thibaud; Daher, Raed; Moulouel, Boualem; Sari, Marie-Agnes; Letteron, Philippe; Lyoumi, Said; Millot, Sarah; Tourret, Jerome; Bouvet, Odile; Vaulont, Sophie; Vandewalle, Alain; Denamur, Erick; Puy, Hervé; Beaumont, Carole; Gouya, Laurent

    2016-01-01

    The iron-regulatory peptide hepcidin exhibits antimicrobial activity. Having previously shown hepcidin expression in the kidney, we addressed its role in urinary tract infection (UTI), which remains largely unknown. Experimental UTI was induced in wild-type (WT) and hepcidin-knockout (Hepc−/−) mice using the uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 strain. Compared with infected WT mice, infected Hepc−/− mice showed a dramatic increase in renal bacterial load. Moreover, bacterial invasion was significantly dampened by the pretreatment of WT mice with hepcidin. Infected Hepc−/− mice exhibited decreased iron accumulation in the renal medulla and significant attenuation of the renal inflammatory response. Notably, we demonstrated in vitro bacteriostatic activity of hepcidin against CFT073. Furthermore, CFT073 repressed renal hepcidin, both in vivo and in cultured renal cells, and reduced phosphorylation of SMAD kinase in vivo, suggesting a bacterial strategy to escape the antimicrobial activities of hepcidin. In conclusion, we provide new mechanisms by which hepcidin contributes to renal host defense and suggest that targeting hepcidin offers a strategy to prevent bacterial invasion. PMID:26293821

  14. Hepcidin: an important iron metabolism regulator in chronic kidney disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Azevedo Antunes

    Full Text Available Abstract Anemia is a common complication and its impact on morbimortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD is well known. The discovery of hepcidin and its functions has contributed to a better understanding of iron metabolism disorders in CKD anemia. Hepcidin is a peptide mainly produced by hepatocytes and, through a connection with ferroportin, it regulates iron absorption in the duodenum and its release of stock cells. High hepcidin concentrations described in patients with CKD, especially in more advanced stages are attributed to decreased renal excretion and increased production. The elevation of hepcidin has been associated with infection, inflammation, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance and oxidative stress. Some strategies were tested to reduce the effects of hepcidin in patients with CKD, however more studies are necessary to assess the impact of its modulation in the management of anemia in this population.

  15. Hepcidin mediates transcriptional changes that modulate acute cytokine-induced inflammatory responses in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Domenico, Ivana; Zhang, Tian Y; Koening, Curry L; Branch, Ryan W; London, Nyall; Lo, Eric; Daynes, Raymond A; Kushner, James P; Li, Dean; Ward, Diane M; Kaplan, Jerry

    2010-07-01

    Hepcidin is a peptide hormone that regulates iron homeostasis and acts as an antimicrobial peptide. It is expressed and secreted by a variety of cell types in response to iron loading and inflammation. Hepcidin mediates iron homeostasis by binding to the iron exporter ferroportin, inducing its internalization and degradation via activation of the protein kinase Jak2 and the subsequent phosphorylation of ferroportin. Here we have shown that hepcidin-activated Jak2 also phosphorylates the transcription factor Stat3, resulting in a transcriptional response. Hepcidin treatment of ferroportin-expressing mouse macrophages showed changes in mRNA expression levels of a wide variety of genes. The changes in transcript levels for half of these genes were a direct effect of hepcidin, as shown by cycloheximide insensitivity, and dependent on the presence of Stat3. Hepcidin-mediated transcriptional changes modulated LPS-induced transcription in both cultured macrophages and in vivo mouse models, as demonstrated by suppression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha transcript and secreted protein. Hepcidin-mediated transcription in mice also suppressed toxicity and morbidity due to single doses of LPS, poly(I:C), and turpentine, which is used to model chronic inflammatory disease. Most notably, we demonstrated that hepcidin pretreatment protected mice from a lethal dose of LPS and that hepcidin-knockout mice could be rescued from LPS toxicity by injection of hepcidin. The results of our study suggest a new function for hepcidin in modulating acute inflammatory responses.

  16. Hepcidin Protects Neuron from Hemin-Mediated Injury by Reducing Iron

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    Yu-Fu Zhou

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Hemin plays a key role in mediating secondary neuronal injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH and the cell toxicity of hemin is thought to be due to iron that is liberated when hemin is degraded. In a recent study, we demonstrated the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin reduces brain iron in iron-overloaded rats. Therefore, we hypothesized that hepcidin might be able to reduce iron and then protect neurons from hemin or iron-mediated neurotoxicity in hemin-treated neuronal cells. Here, we tested the hypothesis and demonstrated that ad-hepcidin and hepcidin peptide both have the ability to suppress the hemin-induced increase in LDH release and apoptotic cell numbers, to reduce cell iron and ferritin contents, and to inhibit expression of transferrin receptor 1, divalent metal transporter 1, and ferroportin 1 in hemin-treated neurons. We conclude that hepcidin protects neuron from hemin-mediated injury by reducing iron via inhibition of expression of iron transport proteins.

  17. HJV and HFE Play Distinct Roles in Regulating Hepcidin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Qian; Wang, Hao; An, Peng; Tao, Yunlong; Deng, Jiali; Zhang, Zhuzhen; Shen, Yuanyuan; Chen, Caiyong; Min, Junxia; Wang, Fudi

    2015-05-20

    Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an iron overload disease that is caused by mutations in HFE, HJV, and several other genes. However, whether HFE-HH and HJV-HH share a common pathway via hepcidin regulation is currently unclear. Recently, some HH patients have been reported to carry concurrent mutations in both the HFE and HJV genes. To dissect the roles and molecular mechanisms of HFE and/or HJV in the pathogenesis of HH, we studied Hfe(-/-), Hjv(-/-), and Hfe(-/-)Hjv(-/-) double-knockout mouse models. Hfe(-/-)Hjv(-/-) mice developed iron overload in multiple organs at levels comparable to Hjv(-/-) mice. After an acute delivery of iron, the expression of hepcidin (i.e., Hamp1 mRNA) was increased in the livers of wild-type and Hfe(-/-) mice, but not in either Hjv(-/-) or Hfe(-/-)Hjv(-/-) mice. Furthermore, iron-induced phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 was not detected in the livers of Hjv(-/-) or Hfe(-/-)Hjv(-/-) mice. We generated and phenotypically characterized Hfe(-/-)Hjv(-/-) double-knockout mice. In addition, because they faithfully phenocopy clinical HH patients, these mouse models are an invaluable tool for mechanistically dissecting how HFE and HJV regulate hepcidin expression. Based on our results, we conclude that HFE may depend on HJV for transferrin-dependent hepcidin regulation. The presence of residual hepcidin in the absence of HFE suggests either the presence of an unknown regulator (e.g., TFR2) that is synergistic with HJV or that HJV is sufficient to maintain basal levels of hepcidin.

  18. Hepcidin as a new biomarker for detecting autologous blood transfusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuenberger, Nicolas; Barras, Laura; Nicoli, Raul; Robinson, Neil; Baume, Norbert; Lion, Niels; Barelli, Stefano; Tissot, Jean-Daniel; Saugy, Martial

    2016-05-01

    Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) is an efficient way to increase sport performance. It is also the most challenging doping method to detect. At present, individual follow-up of haematological variables via the athlete biological passport (ABP) is used to detect it. Quantification of a novel hepatic peptide called hepcidin may be a new alternative to detect ABT. In this prospective clinical trial, healthy subjects received a saline injection for the control phase, after which they donated blood that was stored and then transfused 36 days later. The impact of ABT on hepcidin as well as haematological parameters, iron metabolism, and inflammation markers was investigated. Blood transfusion had a particularly marked effect on hepcidin concentrations compared to the other biomarkers, which included haematological variables. Hepcidin concentrations increased significantly: 12 hr and 1 day after blood reinfusion, these concentrations rose by seven- and fourfold, respectively. No significant change was observed in the control phase. Hepcidin quantification is a cost-effective strategy that could be used in an "ironomics" strategy to improve the detection of ABT. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Hepcidin is suppressed by erythropoiesis in hemoglobin E β-thalassemia and β-thalassemia trait

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Emma; Pasricha, Sant-Rayn; Allen, Angela; Evans, Patricia; Fisher, Chris A.; Wray, Katherine; Premawardhena, Anuja; Bandara, Dyananda; Perera, Ashok; Webster, Craig; Sturges, Pamela; Olivieri, Nancy F.; St. Pierre, Timothy; Armitage, Andrew E.; Porter, John B.; Weatherall, David J.

    2015-01-01

    Hemoglobin E (HbE) β-thalassemia is the most common severe thalassemia syndrome across Asia, and millions of people are carriers. Clinical heterogeneity in HbE β-thalassemia is incompletely explained by genotype, and the interaction of phenotypic variation with hepcidin is unknown. The effect of thalassemia carriage on hepcidin is also unknown, but it could be relevant for iron supplementation programs aimed at combating anemia. In 62 of 69 Sri Lankan patients with HbE β-thalassemia with moderate or severe phenotype, hepcidin was suppressed, and overall hepcidin inversely correlated with iron accumulation. On segregating by phenotype, there were no differences in hepcidin, erythropoiesis, or hemoglobin between severe or moderate disease, but multiple linear regression showed that erythropoiesis inversely correlated with hepcidin only in severe phenotypes. In moderate disease, no independent predictors of hepcidin were identifiable; nevertheless, the low hepcidin levels indicate a significant risk for iron overload. In a population survey of Sri Lankan schoolchildren, β-thalassemia (but not HbE) trait was associated with increased erythropoiesis and mildly suppressed hepcidin, suggesting an enhanced propensity to accumulate iron. In summary, the influence of erythropoiesis on hepcidin suppression associates with phenotypic disease variation and pathogenesis in HbE β-thalassemia and indicates that the epidemiology of β-thalassemia trait requires consideration when planning public health iron interventions. PMID:25519750

  20. Hepcidin is an antibacterial, stress-inducible peptide of the biliary system.

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    Pavel Strnad

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepcidin (gene name HAMP, an IL-6-inducible acute phase peptide with antimicrobial properties, is the key negative regulator of iron metabolism. Liver is the primary source of HAMP synthesis, but it is also produced by other tissues such as kidney or heart and is found in body fluids such as urine or cerebrospinal fluid. While the role of hepcidin in biliary system is unknown, a recent study demonstrated that conditional gp130-knockout mice display diminished hepcidin levels and increased rate of biliary infections. METHODS: Expression and localization of HAMP in biliary system was analyzed by real time RT-PCR, in-situ hybridization, immunostaining and -blotting, while prohepcidin levels in human bile were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Hepcidin was detected in mouse/human gallbladder and bile duct epithelia. Biliary HAMP is stress-inducible, in that it is increased in biliary cell lines upon IL-6 stimulation and in gallbladder mucosa of patients with acute cholecystitis. Hepcidin is also present in the bile and elevated prohepcidin levels were observed in bile of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC patients with concurrent bacterial cholangitis compared to PSC subjects without bacterial infection (median values 22.3 vs. 8.9; p = 0.03. In PSC-cholangitis subjects, bile prohepcidin levels positively correlated with C-reactive protein and bilirubin levels (r = 0.48 and r = 0.71, respectively. In vitro, hepcidin enhanced the antimicrobial capacity of human bile (p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Hepcidin is a stress-inducible peptide of the biliary epithelia and a potential marker of biliary stress. In the bile, hepcidin may serve local functions such as protection from bacterial infections.

  1. Hepcidin is elevated in mice injected with Mycoplasma arthritidis

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    Kaplan Jerry

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Mycoplasma arthritidis causes arthritis in specific mouse strains. M. arthritidis mitogen (MAM, a superantigen produced by M. arthritidis, activates T cells by forming a complex between the major histocompatability complex II on antigen presenting cells and the T cell receptor on CD4+ T lymphocytes. The MAM superantigen is also known to interact with Toll-like receptors (TLR 2 and 4. Hepcidin, an iron regulator protein, is upregulated by TLR4, IL-6, and IL-1. In this study, we evaluated serum hepcidin, transferrin saturation, ferritin, IL-6, IL-1, and hemoglobin levels in M. arthritidis injected C3H/HeJ (TLR2+/+, TLR4-/- mice and C3H/HeSnJ (TLR2+/+, TLR4+/+ mice over a 21 day period. C3H/HeJ mice have a defective TLR4 and an inability to produce IL-6. We also measured arthritis severity in these mice and the amount of hepcidin transcripts produced by the liver and spleen. C3H/HeJ mice developed a more severe arthritis than that of C3H/HeSnJ mice. Both mice had an increase in serum hepcidin within three days after infection. Hepcidin levels were greater in C3H/HeJ mice despite a nonfunctioning TLR4 and low serum levels of IL-6. Splenic hepcidin production in C3H/HeJ mice was delayed compared to C3H/HeSnJ mice. Unlike C3H/HeSnJ mice, C3H/HeJ mice did not develop a significant rise in serum IL-6 levels but did develop a significant increase in IL-1β during the first ten days after injection. Both mice had an increase in serum ferritin but a decrease in serum transferrin saturation. In conclusion, serum hepcidin regulation in C3H/HeJ mice does not appear to be solely dependent upon TLR4 or IL-6.

  2. The determinants of hepcidin level in chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis Saudi patients

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    Tarek Mohamed Ali

    2014-06-01

    Conclusions: Hepcidin levels are correlated to the glycemic status in CKD and HD patients and hepcidin levels in hemodialysed patients were significantly correlated with eGFR but it is not considered as an independent predictor for hepcidin level in these patients.

  3. BMP signaling modulates hepcidin expression in zebrafish embryos independent of hemojuvelin.

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    Yann Gibert

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Hemojuvelin (Hjv, a member of the repulsive-guidance molecule (RGM family, upregulates transcription of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin by activating the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP signaling pathway in mammalian cells. Mammalian models have identified furin, neogenin, and matriptase-2 as modifiers of Hjv's function. Using the zebrafish model, we evaluated the effects of hjv and its interacting proteins on hepcidin expression during embryonic development. We found that hjv is strongly expressed in the notochord and somites of the zebrafish embryo and that morpholino knockdown of hjv impaired the development of these structures. Knockdown of hjv or other hjv-related genes, including zebrafish orthologs of furin or neogenin, however, failed to decrease hepcidin expression relative to liver size. In contrast, overexpression of bmp2b or knockdown of matriptase-2 enhanced the intensity and extent of hepcidin expression in zebrafish embryos, but this occurred in an hjv-independent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrated that zebrafish hjv can activate the human hepcidin promoter and enhance BMP responsive gene expression in vitro, but is expressed at low levels in the zebrafish embryonic liver. Taken together, these data support an alternative mechanism for hepcidin regulation during zebrafish embryonic development, which is independent of hjv.

  4. Expression of Hepcidin and Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15 Levels in Thalassemia Patients with Iron Overload and Positive Anti Hepatitis C Virus

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    Nuri Dyah Indrasari

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Thalassemia patients who undergo life-long recurrent blood transfusion will experience iron overload in various organs including the liver and possibly suffer from chronic hepatitis C infection which may lead to liver impairment. The liver produces hepcidin, a hormone which plays role in the regulation of iron level in the blood. Various factors may influence hepcidin level in the blood. Chronic hepatitis C causes iron overload and liver impairment. Liver impairment and haemolytic anaemia due to haemoglobinopathy will suppress hepcidin production. Anaemia stimulates growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15 to increase erythropoiesis and suppress hepcidin production. Iron overload causes increase in hepcidin level. Presence of factors which decrease or increase hepcidin production will express various levels of hepcidin. This study aimed to identify the expression of hepcidin and GDF-15 levels in thalassemia patients with iron overload and positive anti-HCV. Information on hepcidin and GDF-15 levels are beneficial in the management of iron overload in thalassemia with positive anti-HCV. Method: This study was a descriptive analytic study in thalassemia patients who had received recurrent blood transfusion ≥ 12 times, suffered from iron overload (transferrin saturation > 55% and ferritin > 1,000 ng/mL, which consisted of 31 individuals with positive anti-HCV and 27 individuals with negative anti-HCV. This study was performed in Thalassemia Centre Department of Child Health and Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, in October 2011–January 2012. Serum hepcidin and GDF-15 examinations were performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA method. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST and alanine aminotransferase (ALT examinations were performed using colorimetry method. Data on ferritin and transferrin saturation were obtained from medical records in the last 3

  5. Research Article. Comparative Analysis of Hepcidin-25 and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease with and without Anemia

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    Căldăraru Carmen Denise

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Hepcidin is a regulatory protein in iron metabolism; we do not know the role in chronic kidney disease anemia. Methods: 22 patients with CKD anemia and 15 patients with CKD without anemia were investigated. CKD anemia-inclusion criteria: over 18 years, hemoglobin ≤12 g/dl for women and ≤13 g/dl for men, no treatment for anemia 6 months before enrollment, glomerular filtration rate (eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73m2 and stable creatinine three months before enrollment. Exclusion criteria: infection, bleeding, malignancy, systemic or liver disease, immunosuppression, renal replacement therapy. CKD without anemia-inclusion criteria: over 18 years, no anemia or treatment for anemia, CKD with stable creatinine values three months before enrollment. Exclusion criteria: medical conditions known to have a role in the development of polycythemia. Hepcidin-25 and ferritin were measured by ELISA method. Erythropoietin (EPO, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α, interleukin (IL-6 were evaluated using chemiluminescent enzyme immunometric assays. Unpaired T test, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: Hemoglobin values were significantly lower in anemia group. There were no differences in terms of eGFR, age, body mass index, serum hepcidin, erythropoietin, fibrinogen, IL-6, and TNF-α between CKD patients with and without anemia. Serum hepcidin correlated positively with ferritin (r=0.45 p<0.05, TNF-α (r=0.54, p<0.05 and negatively with erythropoietin (r=-0.51, p<0.05. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that TNF-α is an independent predictor of serum hepcidin in our patients (p=0.003, R=0.71. Conclusion: We found no differences in serum hepcidin, erythropoietin and inflammatory markers in non-dialysis CKD patients with and without anemia.

  6. Is hepcidin a new cardiovascular risk marker in polycystic ovary syndrome?

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    Gözdemir, Elif; Kaygusuz, Ikbal; Kafalı, Hasan

    2013-01-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reproductive and metabolic abnormalities and carries a number of cardiovascular risk factors. Low-grade chronic inflammation has been thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and PCOS patients have an increased rate of subclinical inflammation. In the present study, considering the major role that hepcidin plays in the regulation of iron metabolism and as an inflammatory marker, we investigated hepcidin in PCOS patients and its role in predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. Forty patients with PCOS and 40 age- and body mass index-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Iron metabolites, insulin resistance (IR), inflammatory markers and hepcidin levels were analyzed. IR parameters, inflammatory markers, iron parameters and hepcidin levels were similar between the PCOS and control groups. While the inflammatory markers were significantly high in the overweight and obese PCOS subgroup, the hepcidin levels were also high but this elevation was not statistically significant. Obesity is the principle mechanism of chronic inflammation and IR in PCOS patients. C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 should be used to predict and follow the risk of CVD development in PCOS cases. Hepcidin may be used as an additional marker in the follow-up of PCOS patients in the future. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  7. In anemia of multiple myeloma hepcidin is induced by increased bone-morphogenetic protein-2

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    Hepcidin is the principal iron-regulatory hormone and pathogenic factor in anemia of inflammation. Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) frequently present with anemia. We showed that MM patients had increased serum hepcidin, which inversely correlated with hemoglobin, suggesting that hepcidin contrib...

  8. Characterization of the hepcidin gene in eight species of bats.

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    Stasiak, Iga M; Smith, Dale A; Crawshaw, Graham J; Hammermueller, Jutta D; Bienzle, Dorothee; Lillie, Brandon N

    2014-02-01

    Hemochromatosis, or iron storage disease, has been associated with significant liver disease and mortality in captive Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). The physiologic basis for this susceptibility has not been established. In humans, a deficiency or resistance to the iron regulatory hormone, hepcidin has been implicated in the development of hereditary hemochromatosis. In the present study, we compared the coding sequence of the hepcidin gene in eight species of bats representing three distinct taxonomic families with diverse life histories and dietary preferences. Bat hepcidin mRNA encoded a 23 amino acid signal peptide, a 34 or 35 amino acid pro-region, and a 25 amino acid mature peptide, similar to other mammalian species. Differences in the sequence of the portion of the hepcidin gene that encodes the mature peptide that might account for the increased susceptibility of the Egyptian fruit bat to iron storage disease were not identified. Variability in gene sequence corresponded to the taxonomic relationship amongst species. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Post-transfusion changes in serum hepcidin and iron parameters in preterm infants.

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    Stripeli, Fotini; Kapetanakis, John; Gourgiotis, Dimitris; Drakatos, Antonis; Tsolia, Maria; Kossiva, Lydia

    2018-02-01

    Packed red blood cell transfusion is common in preterm neonates. Hepcidin acts as a negative feedback iron regulator. Iron parameters such as immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF) and high-light-scatter reticulocytes (HLR) are used to clarify iron metabolism. Very little is known about the regulation of hepcidin in preterm infants because most reports have evaluated prohepcidin. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate serum hepcidin and establish hematological parameters in preterm infants after transfusion. The subjects consisted of 19 newborns (10 boys) with mean gestational age 29.1 ± 2.0 weeks, who had been transfused at the chronological age of 44.84 ± 19.61 days. Blood sample was collected before the transfusion and thereafter at 5 days and at 1 month. Serum hepcidin and other iron parameters were evaluated. Mean serum hepcidin before and 5 days after transfusion was significantly different (5.5 ± 5.1 vs 10 ± 7.9 ng/mL respectively, P = 0.005). IRF and % HLR were also decreased significantly, 5 days after transfusion (0.4 ± 0.2 vs 0.2 ± 0.1, P = 0.009; 1.4 ± 1.5% vs 0.5 ± 0.4%, P = 0.012, respectively). Changes in hepcidin 5 days after transfusion were correlated significantly with changes in mean corpuscular hemoglobin (β, 0.13; SE, 0.05; P = 0.017), total iron binding capacity (β, 3.74; SE, 1.56; P = 0.016) and transferrin (β, 2.9, SE, 1.4; P = 0.039). Serum hepcidin concentration, along with IRF and HLR, are potentially useful in estimating pre- and post-transfusion iron status. Larger studies are needed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of hepcidin compared with ordinary iron parameters in premature infants. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

  10. Analysis of hepcidin expression: in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction from paraffin sections.

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    Sakuraoka, Yuhki; Sawada, Tokihiko; Shiraki, Takayuki; Park, Kyunghwa; Sakurai, Yuhichiro; Tomosugi, Naohisa; Kubota, Keiichi

    2012-07-28

    To establish methods for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for hepcidin using RNAs isolated from paraffin-embedded sections and in situ hybridization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Total RNA from paraffin-embedded sections was isolated from 68 paraffin-embedded samples of HCC. Samples came from 54 male and 14 female patients with a mean age of 66.8 ± 7.8 years. Quantitative PCR was performed. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization for hepcidin were also performed. Quantitative PCR for hepcidin using RNAs isolated from paraffin-embedded sections of HCC was performed successfully. The expression level of hepcidin mRNA in cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in non-cancer tissues. A method of in situ hybridization for hepcidin was established successfully, and this demonstrated that hepcidin mRNA was expressed in non-cancerous tissue but absent in cancerous tissue. We have established novel methods for quantitative PCR for hepcidin using RNAs isolated from paraffin-embedded sections and in situ hybridization of HCC.

  11. Hepcidin: A Critical Regulator of Iron Metabolism during Hypoxia

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    Korry J. Hintze

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Iron status affects cognitive and physical performance in humans. Recent evidence indicates that iron balance is a tightly regulated process affected by a series of factors other than diet, to include hypoxia. Hypoxia has profound effects on iron absorption and results in increased iron acquisition and erythropoiesis when humans move from sea level to altitude. The effects of hypoxia on iron balance have been attributed to hepcidin, a central regulator of iron homeostasis. This paper will focus on the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia affects hepcidin expression, to include a review of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF/hypoxia response element (HRE system, as well as recent evidence indicating that localized adipose hypoxia due to obesity may affect hepcidin signaling and organismal iron metabolism.

  12. Cationic PEGylated liposomes incorporating an antimicrobial peptide tilapia hepcidin 2–3: an adjuvant of epirubicin to overcome multidrug resistance in cervical cancer cells

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    Juang V

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Vivian Juang,1 Hsin-Pin Lee,2 Anya Maan-Yuh Lin,1,3 Yu-Li Lo1 1Department and Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, 2Department of Biological Sciences and Technology, National University of Tainan, 3Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs have been recently evaluated as a new generation of adjuvants in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we designed PEGylated liposomes encapsulating epirubicin as an antineoplastic agent and tilapia hepcidin 2–3, an AMP, as a multidrug resistance (MDR transporter suppressor and an apoptosis/autophagy modulator in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Cotreatment of HeLa cells with PEGylated liposomal formulation of epirubicin and hepcidin 2–3 significantly increased the cytotoxicity of epirubicin. The liposomal formulations of epirubicin and/or hepcidin 2–3 were found to noticeably escalate the intracellular H2O2 and O2- levels of cancer cells. Furthermore, these treatments considerably reduced the mRNA expressions of MDR protein 1, MDR-associated protein (MRP 1, and MRP2. The addition of hepcidin 2–3 in liposomes was shown to markedly enhance the intracellular epirubicin uptake and mainly localized into the nucleus. Moreover, this formulation was also found to trigger apoptosis and autophagy in HeLa cells, as validated by significant increases in the expressions of cleaved poly ADP ribose polymerase, caspase-3, caspase-9, and light chain 3 (LC3-II, as well as a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. The apoptosis induction was also confirmed by the rise in sub-G1 phase of cell cycle assay and apoptosis percentage of annexin V/propidium iodide assay. We found that liposomal epirubicin and hepcidin 2–3 augmented the accumulation of GFP-LC3 puncta as amplified by chloroquine, implying the involvement of autophagy. Interestingly, the partial inhibition of necroptosis and the epithelial

  13. Improved LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of hepcidin-25 in clinical samples.

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    Abbas, Ioana M; Hoffmann, Holger; Montes-Bayón, María; Weller, Michael G

    2018-06-01

    Mass spectrometry-based methods play a crucial role in the quantification of the main iron metabolism regulator hepcidin by singling out the bioactive 25-residue peptide from the other naturally occurring N-truncated isoforms (hepcidin-20, -22, -24), which seem to be inactive in iron homeostasis. However, several difficulties arise in the MS analysis of hepcidin due to the "sticky" character of the peptide and the lack of suitable standards. Here, we propose the use of amino- and fluoro-silanized autosampler vials to reduce hepcidin interaction to laboratory glassware surfaces after testing several types of vials for the preparation of stock solutions and serum samples for isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS). Furthermore, we have investigated two sample preparation strategies and two chromatographic separation conditions with the aim of developing a LC-MS/MS method for the sensitive and reliable quantification of hepcidin-25 in serum samples. A chromatographic separation based on usual acidic mobile phases was compared with a novel approach involving the separation of hepcidin-25 with solvents at high pH containing 0.1% of ammonia. Both methods were applied to clinical samples in an intra-laboratory comparison of two LC-MS/MS methods using the same hepcidin-25 calibrators with good correlation of the results. Finally, we recommend a LC-MS/MS-based quantification method with a dynamic range of 0.5-40 μg/L for the assessment of hepcidin-25 in human serum that uses TFA-based mobile phases and silanized glass vials. Graphical abstract Structure of hepcidin-25 (Protein Data Bank, PDB ID 2KEF).

  14. A selective splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toki, Yasumichi; Sasaki, Katsunori; Tanaka, Hiroki; Yamamoto, Masayo; Hatayama, Mayumi; Ito, Satoshi; Ikuta, Katsuya; Shindo, Motohiro; Hasebe, Takumu; Nakajima, Shunsuke; Sawada, Koji; Fujiya, Mikihiro; Torimoto, Yoshihiro; Ohtake, Takaaki; Kohgo, Yutaka

    2016-01-01

    Hepcidin is a main regulator of iron metabolism, of which abnormal expression affects intestinal absorption and reticuloendothelial sequestration of iron by interacting with ferroportin. It is also noted that abnormal iron accumulation is one of the key factors to facilitate promotion and progression of cancer including hepatoma. By RT-PCR/agarose gel electrophoresis of hepcidin mRNA in a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HLF, a smaller mRNA band was shown in addition to the wild-type hepcidin mRNA. From sequencing analysis, this additional band was a selective splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA lacking exon 2 of HAMP gene, producing the transcript that encodes truncated peptide lacking 20 amino acids at the middle of preprohepcidin. In the present study, we used the digital PCR, because such a small amount of variant mRNA was difficult to quantitate by the conventional RT-PCR amplification. Among seven hepatoma-derived cell lines, six cell lines have significant copy numbers of this variant mRNA, but not in one cell line. In the transient transfection analysis of variant-type hepcidin cDNA, truncated preprohepcidin has a different character comparing with native preprohepcidin: its product is insensitive to digestion, and secreted into the medium as a whole preprohepcidin form without maturation. Loss or reduction of function of HAMP gene by aberrantly splicing may be a suitable phenomenon to obtain the proliferating advantage of hepatoma cells. - Highlights: • An aberrant splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA lacking exon 2 of HAMP gene. • Absolute quantification of hepcidin mRNA by digital PCR amplification. • Hepatoma-derived cell lines have significant copies of variant-type hepcidin mRNA. • Truncated preprohepcidin is secreted from cells without posttranslational cleavage.

  15. A selective splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

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    Toki, Yasumichi [Division of Gastroenterology and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Hokkaido 078-8510 (Japan); Sasaki, Katsunori, E-mail: k-sasaki@asahikawa-med.ac.jp [Department of Gastrointestinal Immunology and Regenerative Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Hokkaido 078-8510 (Japan); Tanaka, Hiroki [Department of Legal Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Hokkaido 078-8510 (Japan); Yamamoto, Masayo; Hatayama, Mayumi; Ito, Satoshi; Ikuta, Katsuya; Shindo, Motohiro; Hasebe, Takumu; Nakajima, Shunsuke; Sawada, Koji; Fujiya, Mikihiro [Division of Gastroenterology and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Hokkaido 078-8510 (Japan); Torimoto, Yoshihiro [Oncology Center, Asahikawa Medical University Hospital, Hokkaido 078-8510 (Japan); Ohtake, Takaaki; Kohgo, Yutaka [Department of Gastroenterology, International University of Health and Welfare Hospital, Tochigi 329-2763 (Japan)

    2016-08-05

    Hepcidin is a main regulator of iron metabolism, of which abnormal expression affects intestinal absorption and reticuloendothelial sequestration of iron by interacting with ferroportin. It is also noted that abnormal iron accumulation is one of the key factors to facilitate promotion and progression of cancer including hepatoma. By RT-PCR/agarose gel electrophoresis of hepcidin mRNA in a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HLF, a smaller mRNA band was shown in addition to the wild-type hepcidin mRNA. From sequencing analysis, this additional band was a selective splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA lacking exon 2 of HAMP gene, producing the transcript that encodes truncated peptide lacking 20 amino acids at the middle of preprohepcidin. In the present study, we used the digital PCR, because such a small amount of variant mRNA was difficult to quantitate by the conventional RT-PCR amplification. Among seven hepatoma-derived cell lines, six cell lines have significant copy numbers of this variant mRNA, but not in one cell line. In the transient transfection analysis of variant-type hepcidin cDNA, truncated preprohepcidin has a different character comparing with native preprohepcidin: its product is insensitive to digestion, and secreted into the medium as a whole preprohepcidin form without maturation. Loss or reduction of function of HAMP gene by aberrantly splicing may be a suitable phenomenon to obtain the proliferating advantage of hepatoma cells. - Highlights: • An aberrant splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA lacking exon 2 of HAMP gene. • Absolute quantification of hepcidin mRNA by digital PCR amplification. • Hepatoma-derived cell lines have significant copies of variant-type hepcidin mRNA. • Truncated preprohepcidin is secreted from cells without posttranslational cleavage.

  16. Iron status and the acute post-exercise hepcidin response in athletes.

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    Peter Peeling

    Full Text Available This study explored the relationship between serum ferritin and hepcidin in athletes. Baseline serum ferritin levels of 54 athletes from the control trial of five investigations conducted in our laboratory were considered; athletes were grouped according to values 100 μg/L (SF>100. Data pooling resulted in each athlete completing one of five running sessions: (1 8 × 3 min at 85% vVO2peak; (2 5 × 4 min at 90% vVO2peak; (3 90 min continuous at 75% vVO2peak; (4 40 min continuous at 75% vVO2peak; (5 40 min continuous at 65% vVO2peak. Athletes from each running session were represented amongst all four groups; hence, the mean exercise duration and intensity were not different (p>0.05. Venous blood samples were collected pre-, post- and 3 h post-exercise, and were analysed for serum ferritin, iron, interleukin-6 (IL-6 and hepcidin-25. Baseline and post-exercise serum ferritin levels were different between groups (p0.05. Post-exercise IL-6 was significantly elevated compared to baseline within each group (p100; p<0.05. An athlete's iron stores may dictate the baseline hepcidin levels and the magnitude of post-exercise hepcidin response. Low iron stores suppressed post-exercise hepcidin, seemingly overriding any inflammatory-driven increases.

  17. Hepatic iron content is independently associated with serum hepcidin levels in subjects with obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Navarrete, José María; Moreno, María; Puig, Josep; Blasco, Gerard; Ortega, Francisco; Xifra, Gemma; Ricart, Wifredo; Fernández-Real, José Manuel

    2017-10-01

    Serum hepcidin concentration is known to increase in parallel to circulating markers of iron stores. We aimed to investigate whether this is reflected at the tissue level in subjects with obesity. Serum hepcidin and ferritin levels (ELISA) and hepatic iron content (using magnetic resonance imaging) were analyzed longitudinally in 44 participants (19 without obesity and 25 with obesity). In a subgroup of 16 participants with obesity, a weight loss intervention was performed. Serum hepcidin, ferritin and hepatic iron content (HIC) were significantly increased in participants with obesity. Age- and gender-adjusted serum hepcidin was positively correlated with BMI, hsCRP, ferritin and HIC. In addition, age- and gender-adjusted serum hepcidin was positively correlated with ferritin and HIC in both non-obese and obese participants. In multivariate regression analysis, hepatic iron content (p obesity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

  18. Impairment of Hepcidin Upregulation by Lipopolysaccharide in the Interleukin-6 Knockout Mouse Brain

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    Fa-Li Zhang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available To find out whether the Interleukin-6 (IL-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3 signaling pathway is involved in the expression of hepcidin in the mouse brain in vivo, we investigated the phosphorylation of STAT3, as well as the expression of hepcidin mRNA, ferroportin 1 (Fpn1 and ferritin light chain (Ft-L proteins in the cortex and hippocampus of LPS-treated wild type (IL-6+/+ and IL-6 knockout (IL-6-/- mice. We demonstrated that IL-6 knockout could significantly reduce the response of hepcidin mRNA, phospho-STAT3, Fpn1 and Ft-L protein expression to LPS treatment, in both the cortex and hippocampus of mice. Also, Stattic, an inhibitor of STAT3, significantly reduced the expression of phospho-STAT3 and hepcidin mRNA in the cortex and hippocampus of the LPS-treated wild type mice. These findings provide in vivo evidence for the involvement of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway in the expression of hepcidin.

  19. Decreased serum hepcidin concentration correlates with brain iron deposition in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis.

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    Dong Lin

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: Excessive brain iron accumulation contributes to cognitive impairments in hepatitis B virus (HBV-related cirrhotic patients. The underlying mechanism remains unclear. Hepcidin, a liver-produced, 25-aminoacid peptide, is the major regulator of systemic iron metabolism. Abnormal hepcidin level is a key factor in some body iron accumulation or deficiency disorders, especially in those associated with liver diseases. Our study was aimed to explore the relationship between brain iron content in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis and serum hepcidin level. METHODS: Seventy HBV-related cirrhotic patients and forty age- sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Brain iron content was quantified by susceptibility weighted phase imaging technique. Serum hepcidin as well as serum iron, serum transferrin, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, total iron binding capacity, and transferrin saturation were tested in thirty cirrhotic patients and nineteen healthy controls. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to investigate correlation between brain iron concentrations and serum hepcidin, or other iron parameters. RESULTS: Cirrhotic patients had increased brain iron accumulation compared to controls in the left red nuclear, the bilateral substantia nigra, the bilateral thalamus, the right caudate, and the right putamen. Cirrhotic patients had significantly decreased serum hepcidin concentration, as well as lower serum transferring level, lower total iron binding capacity and higher transferrin saturation, compared to controls. Serum hepcidin level negatively correlated with the iron content in the right caudate, while serum ferritin level positively correlated with the iron content in the bilateral putamen in cirrhotic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased serum hepcidin level correlated with excessive iron accumulation in the basal ganglia in HBV-related cirrhotic patients. Our results indicated that systemic iron overload underlined regional

  20. Radioreceptor assays: plasma membrane receptors and assays for polypeptide and glycoprotein hormones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulster, D.

    1977-01-01

    Receptors for peptide, protein and glycoprotein hormones, and the catecholamines are located on the plasma membranes of their target cells. Preparations of the receptors may be used as specific, high-affinity binding agents for these hormones in assay methodology akin to that for radioimmunoassay. A particular advantage of the radioreceptor assay is that it has a specificity directed towards the biologically active region of the hormone, rather than to some immunologically active region that may have little (or no) involvement in the expression of hormonal activity. Methods for hormone receptor preparation vary greatly, and range from the use of intact cells (as the source of hormone receptor) to the use of purified or solubilized membrane receptors. Receptors isolated from plasma membranes have proved to be of variable stability, and may be damaged during preparation and/or storage. Moreover, since they are present in relatively low concentration in the cell, their preparation in sufficient quantity for use in a radioreceptor assay may present technical problems. In general, there is good correlation between radioreceptor assays and in-vitro bioassays; differences between results from radioreceptor assays and radioimmunoassays are similar to those noted between in-vitro bioassays and radioimmunoassays. The sensitivity of the method is such that normal plasma concentrations of various hormones have been assayed by this technique. (author)

  1. Heme Oxygenase Induction Suppresses Hepatic Hepcidin and Rescues Ferroportin and Ferritin Expression in Obese Mice

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    Nitin Puri

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepcidin, a phase II reactant secreted by hepatocytes, regulates cellular iron levels by increasing internalization of ferroportin-a transmembrane protein facilitating egress of cellular iron. Chronic low-grade inflammatory states, such as obesity, have been shown to increase oxidative stress and enhance hepcidin secretion from hepatocytes and macrophages. Heme-heme oxygenase (HO is a stress response system which reduces oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of HO-1 induction on hepatic hepcidin levels and on iron homeostasis in hepatic tissues from lean and obese mice. Obese mice exhibited hyperglycemia (p<0.05; increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines (MCP-1, IL-6, p<0.05; oxidative stress (p<0.05; and increased hepatic hepcidin levels (p<0.05. Enhancement of hepcidin was reflected in the reduced expression of ferroportin in obese mice (p<0.05. However, this effect is accompanied by a significant decline in ferritin expression. Additionally, there are reduced insulin receptor phosphorylation and attenuation of metabolic regulators pAMPK, pAKT, and pLKB1. Cobalt protoporphyrin- (CoPP- induced HO-1 upregulation in obese mice reversed these alterations (p<0.05, while attenuating hepatic hepcidin levels. These effects of CoPP were prevented in obese mice concurrently exposed to an inhibitor of HO (SnMP (p<0.05. Our results highlight a modulatory effect of HO on iron homeostasis mediated through the suppression of hepatic hepcidin.

  2. Effect of excess iron on oxidative stress and gluconeogenesis through hepcidin during mitochondrial dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyo Jung; Choi, Joo Sun; Lee, Hye Ja; Kim, Won-Ho; Park, Sang Ick; Song, Jihyun

    2015-12-01

    Excessive tissue iron levels are a risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which are associated with alterations in iron metabolism. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. This study used human liver SK-HEP-1 cells to examine how excess iron induces mitochondrial dysfunction and how hepcidin controls gluconeogenesis. Excess levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and accumulated iron due to iron overload induced mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to a decrease in cellular adenosine triphosphate content and cytochrome c oxidase III expression, with an associated increase in gluconeogenesis. Disturbances in mitochondrial function caused excess iron deposition and unbalanced expression of iron metabolism-related proteins such as hepcidin, ferritin H and ferroportin during the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα), which are responsible for increased phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase expression. Desferoxamine and n-acetylcysteine ameliorated these deteriorations by inhibiting p38 MAPK and C/EBPα activity through iron chelation and ROS scavenging activity. Based on experiments using hepcidin shRNA and hepcidin overexpression, the activation of hepcidin affects ROS generation and iron deposition, which disturbs mitochondrial function and causes an imbalance in iron metabolism and increased gluconeogenesis. Repression of hepcidin activity can reverse these changes. Our results demonstrate that iron overload is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and that together they can cause abnormal hepatic gluconeogenesis. Hepcidin expression may modulate this disorder by regulating ROS generation and iron deposition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Longitudinal Analysis of the Interaction Between Obesity and Pregnancy on Iron Homeostasis: Role of Hepcidin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores-Quijano, María Eugenia; Montalvo-Velarde, Irene; Vital-Reyes, Victor Saul; Rodríguez-Cruz, Maricela; Rendón-Macías, Mario Enrique; López-Alarcón, Mardia

    2016-10-01

    When pregnancy occurs in obese women, two opposite mechanisms for iron homeostasis concur: increased need for available iron to support erythropoiesis and decreased iron mobilization from diets and stores due to obesity-related inflammation linked to overexpressed hepcidin. Few studies have examined the role of hepcidin on maternal iron homeostasis in the context of obese pregnancy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the combined effect of maternal obesity and pregnancy on hepcidin and maternal iron status while accounting for inflammation and iron supplementation. We conducted a secondary analysis of a cohort of pregnant women recruited from a referral obstetric hospital in Mexico City. Circulating biomarkers of iron status (hepcidin, ferritin [SF], transferrin receptor [sTfR], erythropoietin [EPO]), and inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP], tumor necrosis factor-[TNF]α, and interleukin-[IL]6) were determined monthly throughout pregnancy. Repeated measures ANOVA and logistic regression models were used for statistics. Twenty-three obese (Ob) and 25 lean (Lc) women were studied. SF and hepcidin declined, and EPO and sTfR increased throughout pregnancy in both groups. sTfR increased more in Ob than in Lc (p = 0.024). The smallest hepcidin decline occurred in iron-supplemented Ob women compared to non-supplemented Lc women (p = 0.022). The risk for iron deficiency at the end of pregnancy was higher for Ob than for Lc (OR = 4.45, 95% CI = 2.07-9.58) after adjusting for iron supplementation and hepcidin concentration. Pre-gestational obesity increases the risk of maternal iron deficiency despite iron supplementation. Overexpressed hepcidin appears to be a potential mechanism. Copyright © 2016 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Transgenic HFE-dependent induction of hepcidin in mice does not require transferrin receptor-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Paul J; Fleming, Mark D

    2012-06-01

    Hereditary hemochomatosis (HH) is caused by mutations in several genes, including HFE and transferrin receptor-2 (TFR2). Loss of either protein decreases expression of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin by the liver, leading to inappropriately high iron uptake from the diet, and resulting in systemic iron overload. In tissue culture, overexpressed HFE and TFR2 physically interact. Hepatocellular overexpression of Hfe in vivo increases hepcidin expression, despite an associated decrease in Tfr2. On this basis, we hypothesized that Tfr2 would not be required for Hfe-dependent up-regulation of hepcidin. We show that hepatocellular overexpression of Hfe in Tfr2(Y245X/Y245X) mice leads to hepcidin induction eventuating in iron deficiency and a hypochromic, microcytic anemia. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation studies using liver lysates did not provide evidence for physical interaction between Hfe and Tfr2 in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrate that Tfr2 is not essential for Hfe-mediated induction of hepcidin expression, supporting the possibility that TFR2 may regulate iron metabolism in an HFE-independent manner. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Serum hepcidin-25 may replace the ferritin index in the Thomas plot in assessing iron status in anemic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, C; Kobold, U; Balan, S; Roeddiger, R; Thomas, L

    2011-04-01

    Biochemical markers of iron deficiency do not distinguish iron-deficient anemia (IDA) from the anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and the combined state of ACD/IDA. Serum hepcidin-25 might be a marker resolving this problem. We investigated the extent to which serum hepcidin-25 enables the differentiation of the states above in comparison with the ferritin index plot, the so-called Thomas plot [soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR)/log ferritin and the reticulocyte hemoglobin content (CHr)]. Serum hepcidin-25 was determined in 155 anemic patients who were classified as having latent iron deficiency (latent ID), IDA, ACD, or ACD/IDA using the ferritin index plot (Thomas plot). Hepcidin-25 was determined using an isotope-dilution micro-HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry method. The ability to discriminate among these states based on serum hepcidin-25 alone or in combination with the CHr was evaluated in a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and a comparison with the recently established ferritin index plot. Serum hepcidin-25 correlated with ferritin and the ferritin index. Use of a hepcidin-25 cutoff level of ≤4 nmol/l allowed the differentiation of IDA from ACD and ACD/IDA. Furthermore, the discrimination of ACD/IDA from ACD required combination with CHr in a new plot (hepcidin-25 and the CHr). The hepcidin-25 plot and the ferritin index plot showed a good correspondence in the differentiation of iron states in patients with anemia. Patients with IDA can be differentiated from ACD and ACD/IDA but not ACD from ACD/IDA based on hepcidin-25 alone. The combination of hepcidin-25 with CHr in the hepcidin-25 plot was useful for the differentiation of the states above. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. Hemodiafiltration Improves Plasma 25-Hepcidin Levels: A Prospective, Randomized, Blinded, Cross-Over Study Comparing Hemodialysis and Hemodiafiltration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bergur V. Stefánsson

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Data from studies comparing the effect of hemodiafiltration (HDF and conventional hemodialysis (HD on clinically important outcomes are insufficient to support superiority of HDF. None of these studies has been participant-blinded. Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized, and patient-blinded cross-over study. Twenty patients on chronic HD received either HD for 2 months followed by post-dilution HDF for 2 months or in opposite order. A range of clinical parameters, as well as markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and iron metabolism was measured. Results: The two treatments were similar with respect to dialysis-related complications, quality of life, and the biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Compared to HD, 25-hepcidin and β2-microglobulin were 38 and 32%, respectively, lower after 60 days of HDF (p Conclusion: In short term, HDF is not superior to HD regarding dialysis-related complications. The higher ESA consumption observed with HDF can be explained by blood clotting in tubing and dialyzers, as more anticoagulation was needed with post-dilution HDF. In a longer perspective, lowering serum hepcidin levels may improve pathological iron homeostasis.

  7. Serum hepcidin is significantly associated with iron absorption from food and supplemental sources in healthy young woman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepcidin is a key regulator of iron homeostasis, but to date no studies have examined the effect of hepcidin on iron absorption in humans. Our objective was to assess relations between both serum hepcidin and serum prohepcidin with nonheme-iron absorption in the presence and absence of food with the...

  8. Hepcidin-25 in diabetic chronic kidney disease is predictive for mortality and progression to end stage renal disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Wagner

    Full Text Available Anemia is common and is associated with impaired clinical outcomes in diabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD. It may be explained by reduced erythropoietin (EPO synthesis, but recent data suggest that EPO-resistance and diminished iron availability due to inflammation contribute significantly. In this cohort study, we evaluated the impact of hepcidin-25--the key hormone of iron-metabolism--on clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with CKD along with endogenous EPO levels.249 diabetic patients with CKD of any stage, excluding end-stage renal disease (ESRD, were enrolled (2003-2005, if they were not on EPO-stimulating agent and iron therapy. Hepcidin-25 levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. The association of hepcidin-25 at baseline with clinical variables was investigated using linear regression models. All-cause mortality and a composite endpoint of CKD progression (ESRD or doubling of serum creatinine were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards models.Patients (age 67 yrs, 53% male, GFR 51 ml/min, hemoglobin 131 g/L, EPO 13.5 U/L, hepcidin-25 62.0 ng/ml were followed for a median time of 4.2 yrs. Forty-nine patients died (19.7% and forty (16.1% patients reached the composite endpoint. Elevated hepcidin levels were independently associated with higher ferritin-levels, lower EPO-levels and impaired kidney function (all p<0.05. Hepcidin was related to mortality, along with its interaction with EPO, older age, greater proteinuria and elevated CRP (all p<0.05. Hepcidin was also predictive for progression of CKD, aside from baseline GFR, proteinuria, low albumin- and hemoglobin-levels and a history of CVD (all p<0.05.We found hepcidin-25 to be associated with EPO and impaired kidney function in diabetic CKD. Elevated hepcidin-25 and EPO-levels were independent predictors of mortality, while hepcidin-25 was also predictive for progression of CKD. Both hepcidin-25 and EPO may represent important prognostic factors of clinical outcome and have the

  9. Evaluation of plasma sphingosine 1-phosphate, hepcidin and cardiovascular damage biomarkers (cardiac troponin I and homocysteine) in rats infected with brucellosis and vaccinated (Rev-1, RB-51).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azimzadeh, Kaveh; Nasrollahi Nargesabad, Reza; Vousooghi, Nasim

    2017-08-01

    Brucellosis is known as one of important zoonosis. Studying the histological and biochemical effects of the disease could help to increase our knowledge about it. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes of plasma parameters after intraperitoneal injection of two species of Brucella (Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus) and two vaccines (Rev-1, RB-51) in the rat. Forty male rats were divided into five groups (n = 8 in each group). Two groups received suspensions of Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis and two other groups were injected intraperitoneally with two mentioned vaccines and the last group received only distilled water. The results showed a significant increase in sphingosine 1-phosphate, Malondialdehyde, hepcidin, homocysteine, cardiac troponin I and copper levels and a considerable decrease in the levels of iron and zinc (P ≤ 0.01) in infected groups compared to the control animals. In vaccinated groups, hepcidin was increased but other parameters were not changed in comparison to the control group. It can be concluded that increase of homocysteine and cardiac troponin I in brucellosis could be a warning for cardiac adverse effects. Besides, increase of sphingosine 1-phosphate probably indicates its stimulant and modulatory effects in anti- Brucellosis biochemical pathways of the host. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Expression of the iron hormone hepcidin distinguished different types of anemia in African children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pasricha, S.R.; Atkinson, S.H.; Armitage, A.E.; Khandwala, S.; Veenemans, J.; Cox, S.E.; Eddowes, L.A.; Hayes, T.; Doherty, C.P.; Demir, A.Y.; Tijhaar, E.J.; Verhoef, H.; Prentice, A.M.; Drakesmith, H.

    2014-01-01

    Childhood anemia is a major global health problem resulting from multiple causes. Iron supplementation addresses iron deficiency anemia but is undesirable for other types of anemia and may exacerbate infections. The peptide hormone hepcidin governs iron absorption; hepcidin transcription is mediated

  11. Hepcidin is directly regulated by insulin and plays an important role in iron overload in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Heyang; Li, Hongxia; Jiang, Xin; Shi, Wencai; Shen, Zhilei; Li, Min

    2014-05-01

    Iron overload is frequently observed in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesize that hepcidin may be directly regulated by insulin and play an important role in iron overload in DM2. We therefore examined the hepatic iron content, serum iron parameters, intestinal iron absorption, and liver hepcidin expression in rats treated with streptozotocin (STZ), which was given alone or after insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet. The direct effect of insulin on hepcidin and its molecular mechanisms were furthermore determined in vitro in HepG2 cells. STZ administration caused a significant reduction in liver hepcidin level and a marked increase in intestinal iron absorption and serum and hepatic iron content. Insulin obviously upregulated hepcidin expression in HepG2 cells and enhanced signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein synthesis and DNA binding activity. The effect of insulin on hepcidin disappeared when the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway was blocked and could be partially inhibited by U0126. In conclusion, the current study suggests that hepcidin can be directly regulated by insulin, and the suppressed liver hepcidin synthesis may be an important reason for the iron overload in DM2.

  12. A hepcidina como parâmetro bioquímico na avaliação da anemia por deficiência de ferro Hepcidin as a biochemical parameter for the assessment of iron deficiency anemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea dos Reis Lemos

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A anemia por deficiência de ferro caracteriza-se como o mais prevalente problema nutricional em todo o mundo. Nesta revisão reuniu-se informações a respeito do metabolismo da hepcidina, avaliando-se seu valor como parâmetro bioquímico na anemia por deficiência de ferro. Realizou-se um levantamento bibliográfico nas bases de dados PUBMED e LILACS, período 2006-2010, referentes à hepcidina como um biomarcador para a regulação do metabolismo do ferro. Foram localizados 35 estudos publicados em revistas internacionais e um estudo sobre o assunto em revista nacional. A produção de hepcidina é regulada homeostaticamente pela anemia e hipóxia. Quando a oferta de oxigênio está inadequada ocorre diminuição do nível de hepcidina. Consequentemente, maior quantidade de ferro proveniente da dieta e dos estoques dos macrófagos e hepatócitos se tornam disponíveis. A hepcidina possui a função de se ligar à ferroportina, regulando a liberação do ferro para o plasma. Quando as concentrações de hepcidina estão baixas, as moléculas de ferroportina são expostas na membrana plasmática e liberam o ferro. Quando os níveis de hepcidina aumentam, a hepcidina liga-se às moléculas de ferroportina induzindo sua internalização e degradação, e o ferro liberado diminui progressivamente. Aparentemente o desenvolvimento do diagnóstico e terapia da anemia baseados no bioindicador hepcidina pode oferecer uma abordagem mais efetiva. Estudos epidemiológicos são necessários para comprovar o valor da hepcidina no diagnóstico diferencial das anemias, incluindo protocolos de amostragem para análise, com padronização similar às utilizadas em outras avaliações bioquímicas, e estabelecimento de pontos de corte para a expressão urinária e plasmática desse peptídeo.Iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent nutritional problem in the world. Information on the metabolism of hepcidin and its possible significance as a biochemical

  13. Hepcidin levels are low during pregnancy and increase around delivery in women without iron deficiency - a prospective cohort study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedengran, Katrine K; Nelson, Dick; Andersen, Malene R

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate hepcidin during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum in women with sufficient iron supplementation. METHODS: Hepcidin was measured using LC-MS spectroscopy in 37 women during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum period in this longitudinal study. RESULTS: Hepcidin was low du...

  14. A radioreceptor assay for measurement of plasma glucocorticoid binding activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Jie

    1990-01-01

    A radioreceptor assay (RRA) for plasma glucocorticoid binding activity (GCBA) has been developed using glucocorticoid receptor in rat thymocytes. Unlike other assays for natural and certain synthetic corticosteroids, RRA measures the GCBA of all natural and synthetic GC in plasma. The range of standard curve was 0 ∼ 1.00 mg/L. The sensitivity was 0.01 mg/l. The recovery rate was 92.1%, and the intra and inter assay CV was 0.7% (n = 3) and 4.4% (n = 3) respectively. The level of corticosterone in 9 rat plasma samples was determined by RRA and CBG-isotope binding assay. There was a general correlation over a wide range between the values determined by the two assays (r = 0.95; P < 0.001). The measuring condition was described in detail

  15. Iron status and systemic inflammation, but not gut inflammation, strongly predict gender-specific concentrations of serum hepcidin in infants in rural Kenya.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanja Jaeggi

    Full Text Available Hepcidin regulation by competing stimuli such as infection and iron deficiency has not been studied in infants and it's yet unknown whether hepcidin regulatory pathways are fully functional in infants. In this cross-sectional study including 339 Kenyan infants aged 6.0±1.1 months (mean±SD, we assessed serum hepcidin-25, biomarkers of iron status and inflammation, and fecal calprotectin. Prevalence of inflammation, anemia, and iron deficiency was 31%, 71%, 26%, respectively. Geometric mean (±SD serum hepcidin was 6.0 (±3.4 ng/mL, and was significantly lower in males than females. Inflammation (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 and iron status (serum ferritin, zinc protoporphyrin and soluble transferrin receptor were significant predictors of serum hepcidin, explaining nearly 60% of its variance. There were small, but significant differences in serum hepcidin comparing iron deficient anemic (IDA infants without inflammation to iron-deficient anemic infants with inflammation (1.2 (±4.9 vs. 3.4 (±4.9 ng/mL; P<0.001. Fecal calprotectin correlated with blood/mucus in the stool but not with hepcidin. Similarly, the gut-linked cytokines IL-12 and IL-17 did not correlate with hepcidin. We conclude that hepcidin regulatory pathways are already functional in infancy, but serum hepcidin alone may not clearly discriminate between iron-deficient anemic infants with and without infection. We propose gender-specific reference values for serum hepcidin in iron-replete infants without inflammation.

  16. Development of a rapid, simple assay of plasma total carotenoids

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Plasma total carotenoids can be used as an indicator of risk of chronic disease. Laboratory analysis of individual carotenoids by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is time consuming, expensive, and not amenable to use beyond a research laboratory. The aim of this research is to establish a rapid, simple, and inexpensive spectrophotometric assay of plasma total carotenoids that has a very strong correlation with HPLC carotenoid profile analysis. Results Plasma total carotenoids from 29 volunteers ranged in concentration from 1.2 to 7.4 μM, as analyzed by HPLC. A linear correlation was found between the absorbance at 448 nm of an alcohol / heptane extract of the plasma and plasma total carotenoids analyzed by HPLC, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.989. The average coefficient of variation for the spectrophotometric assay was 6.5% for the plasma samples. The limit of detection was about 0.3 μM and was linear up to about 34 μM without dilution. Correlations between the integrals of the absorption spectra in the range of carotenoid absorption and total plasma carotenoid concentration gave similar results to the absorbance correlation. Spectrophotometric assay results also agreed with the calculated expected absorbance based on published extinction coefficients for the individual carotenoids, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.988. Conclusion The spectrophotometric assay of total carotenoids strongly correlated with HPLC analysis of carotenoids of the same plasma samples and expected absorbance values based on extinction coefficients. This rapid, simple, inexpensive assay, when coupled with the carotenoid health index, may be useful for nutrition intervention studies, population cohort studies, and public health interventions. PMID:23006902

  17. Hepcidin Response to Iron Therapy in Patients with Non-Dialysis Dependent CKD: An Analysis of the FIND-CKD Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaillard, Carlo A; Bock, Andreas H; Carrera, Fernando; Eckardt, Kai-Uwe; Van Wyck, David B; Bansal, Sukhvinder S; Cronin, Maureen; Meier, Yvonne; Larroque, Sylvain; Roger, Simon D; Macdougall, Iain C

    2016-01-01

    Hepcidin is the key regulator of iron homeostasis but data are limited regarding its temporal response to iron therapy, and response to intravenous versus oral iron. In the 56-week, open-label, multicenter, prospective, randomized FIND-CKD study, 626 anemic patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (ND-CKD) and iron deficiency not receiving an erythropoiesis stimulating agent were randomized (1:1:2) to intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), targeting higher (400-600μg/L) or lower (100-200μg/L) ferritin, or to oral iron. Serum hepcidin levels were measured centrally in a subset of 61 patients. Mean (SD) baseline hepcidin level was 4.0(3.5), 7.3(6.4) and 6.5(5.6) ng/mL in the high ferritin FCM (n = 17), low ferritin FCM (n = 16) and oral iron group (n = 28). The mean (SD) endpoint value (i.e. the last post-baseline value) was 26.0(9.1),15.7(7.7) and 16.3(11.0) ng/mL, respectively. The increase in hepcidin from baseline was significantly smaller with low ferritin FCM or oral iron vs high ferritin FCM at all time points up to week 52. Significant correlations were found between absolute hepcidin and ferritin values (r = 0.65, p<0.001) and between final post-baseline increases in both parameters (r = 0.70, p<0.001). The increase in hepcidin levels over the 12-month study generally mirrored the cumulative iron dose in each group. Hepcidin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) absolute values showed no correlation, although there was an association between final post-baseline increases (r = 0.42, p<0.001). Absolute values (r = 0.36, p = 0.004) and final post-baseline increases of hepcidin and hemoglobin (p = 0.30, p = 0.030) correlated weakly. Baseline hepcidin levels were not predictive of a hematopoietic response to iron therapy. In conclusion, hepcidin levels rose in response to either intravenous or oral iron therapy, but the speed and extent of the rise was greatest with intravenous iron targeting a higher ferritin level. However neither the

  18. The effects of fat loss after bariatric surgery on inflammation, serum hepcidin, and iron absorption

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cepeda-Lopez, Ana C.; Allende-Labastida, Javier; Melse-Boonstra, Alida; Osendarp, Saskia J.M.; Herter-Aeberli, Isabelle; Moretti, Diego; Rodriguez-Lastra, Ramiro; Gonzalez-Salazar, Francisco; Villalpando, Salvador; Zimmermann, Michael B.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Iron deficiency is common in obese subjects. This may be due to an increase in serum hepcidin and a decrease in iron absorption from adiposity-related inflammation. Objective: We evaluated whether weight and fat loss in obese subjects would decrease inflammation and serum hepcidin and

  19. The Role of Insulin Therapy in Correcting Hepcidin Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Driton Vela

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Iron overload can cause or contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, but how the major parameters of iron metabolism change in different settings of diabetes are still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between iron, ferritin, and hepcidin levels in diabetic patients and the effect of insulin treatment. Methods: The study included 80 subjects, 60 with T2DM and 20 without (control group. Serum hepcidin, insulin, ferritin, and iron levels were determined as well as other clinical parameters. The associations between these parameters were analyzed between both groups. Results: Hepcidin levels expressed as mean± standard deviation between groups showed no significant changes (14.4±6.7 ng/mL for the control group, and 18.4±7.9 ng/mL for patients with diabetes, p = 0.069. Parameters of iron metabolism showed modest correlation with the parameters of glucose metabolism. However, the correlation between ferritin and insulin in both groups was statistically significant (p = 0.032; ρ = 0.480 vs. p = 0.011; ρ = 0.328. Conclusions: Our study showed that hepcidin levels in patients with T2DM on insulin therapy do not change, which might be a result of treatment with insulin. In this context, insulin treatment can be used as a novel method for correction of hepcidin levels. By correcting hepcidin levels, we can prevent cellular iron overload and reduce the risk of diabetes.

  20. Hepcidin: an important iron metabolism regulator in chronic kidney disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antunes, Sandra Azevedo; Canziani, Maria Eugênia Fernandes

    2016-01-01

    Anemia is a common complication and its impact on morbimortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well known. The discovery of hepcidin and its functions has contributed to a better understanding of iron metabolism disorders in CKD anemia. Hepcidin is a peptide mainly produced by hepatocytes and, through a connection with ferroportin, it regulates iron absorption in the duodenum and its release of stock cells. High hepcidin concentrations described in patients with CKD, especially in more advanced stages are attributed to decreased renal excretion and increased production. The elevation of hepcidin has been associated with infection, inflammation, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance and oxidative stress. Some strategies were tested to reduce the effects of hepcidin in patients with CKD, however more studies are necessary to assess the impact of its modulation in the management of anemia in this population. Resumo Anemia é uma complicação frequente e seu impacto na morbimortalidade é bem conhecido em pacientes com doença renal crônica (DRC). A descoberta da hepcidina e de suas funções contribuíram para melhor compreensão dos distúrbios do metabolismo de ferro na anemia da DRC. Hepcidina é um peptídeo produzido principalmente pelos hepatócitos, e através de sua ligação com a ferroportina, regula a absorção de ferro no duodeno e sua liberação das células de estoque. Altas concentrações de hepcidina descritas em pacientes com DRC, principalmente em estádios mais avançados, são atribuídas à diminuição da excreção renal e ao aumento de sua produção. Elevação de hepcidina tem sido associada à ocorrência de infecção, inflamação, aterosclerose, resistência à insulina e estresse oxidativo. Algumas estratégias foram testadas para diminuir os efeitos da hepcidina em pacientes com DRC, entretanto, serão necessários mais estudos para avaliar o impacto de sua modulação no manejo da anemia nessa população.

  1. Decreased serum hepcidin, inflammation, and improved functional iron status six-months post-restrictive bariatric surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Excess adiposity is associated with low-grade inflammation and decreased iron status. Iron depletion (ID) in obesity is thought to be mediated by an inflammation-induced increase in the body’s main regulator of iron homeostasis, hepcidin. Elevated hepcidin can result in ID as it prevents the release...

  2. Citrate Defines a Regulatory Link Between Energy Metabolism and the Liver Hormone Hepcidin

    OpenAIRE

    Ladeira Courelas da Silva, Ana Rita

    2017-01-01

    Iron plays a critical role as an oxygen carrier in hemoglobin as well as a constituent of iron-sulfur clusters. Increasing evidence suggests that mechanisms maintaining iron homeostasis cross-talk to intermediary metabolism. The liver hormone hepcidin is the key regulator of systemic iron metabolism. Hepcidin transcriptional control is linked to the nutrient-sensing mTOR pathway, proliferative signals, gluconeogenic responses during starvation and hormones that modulate energy metabolism. The...

  3. Development of robotic plasma radiochemical assays for positron emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexoff, D.L.; Shea, C.; Fowler, J.S.; Gatley, S.J.; Schlyer, D.J.

    1995-01-01

    A commercial laboratory robot system (Zymate PyTechnology II Laboratory Automation System; Zymark Corporation, Hopkinton, MA) was interfaced to standard and custom laboratory equipment and programmed to perform rapid radiochemical analyses for quantitative PET studies. A Zymark XP robot arm was used to carry out the determination of unchanged (parent) radiotracer in plasma using only solid phase extraction methods. Robotic throughput for the assay of parent radiotracer in plasma is 4--6 samples/hour depending on the radiotracer. Robotic assays of parent compound in plasma were validated for the radiotracers [ 11 C]Benztropine, [ 11 C]cocaine, [ 11 C]clorgyline, [ 11 C]deprenyl, [ 11 C]methadone, [ 11 C]methylphenidate, [ 11 C]raclorpride, and [ 11 C]SR46349B. A simple robot-assisted methods development strategy has been implemented to facilitate the automation of plasma assays of new radiotracers

  4. Sustained Submicromolar H2O2 Levels Induce Hepcidin via Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3)*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millonig, Gunda; Ganzleben, Ingo; Peccerella, Teresa; Casanovas, Guillem; Brodziak-Jarosz, Lidia; Breitkopf-Heinlein, Katja; Dick, Tobias P.; Seitz, Helmut-Karl; Muckenthaler, Martina U.; Mueller, Sebastian

    2012-01-01

    The peptide hormone hepcidin regulates mammalian iron homeostasis by blocking ferroportin-mediated iron export from macrophages and the duodenum. During inflammation, hepcidin is strongly induced by interleukin 6, eventually leading to the anemia of chronic disease. Here we show that hepatoma cells and primary hepatocytes strongly up-regulate hepcidin when exposed to low concentrations of H2O2 (0.3–6 μm), concentrations that are comparable with levels of H2O2 released by inflammatory cells. In contrast, bolus treatment of H2O2 has no effect at low concentrations and even suppresses hepcidin at concentrations of >50 μm. H2O2 treatment synergistically stimulates hepcidin promoter activity in combination with recombinant interleukin-6 or bone morphogenetic protein-6 and in a manner that requires a functional STAT3-responsive element. The H2O2-mediated hepcidin induction requires STAT3 phosphorylation and is effectively blocked by siRNA-mediated STAT3 silencing, overexpression of SOCS3 (suppressor of cytokine signaling 3), and antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine. Glycoprotein 130 (gp130) is required for H2O2 responsiveness, and Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) is required for adequate basal signaling, whereas Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is dispensable upstream of STAT3. Importantly, hepcidin levels are also increased by intracellular H2O2 released from the respiratory chain in the presence of rotenone or antimycin A. Our results suggest a novel mechanism of hepcidin regulation by nanomolar levels of sustained H2O2. Thus, similar to cytokines, H2O2 provides an important regulatory link between inflammation and iron metabolism. PMID:22932892

  5. Interleukin-10 regulates hepcidin in Plasmodium falciparum malaria

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Honglei; Lamikanra, Abigail A.; Alkaitis, Matthew S.; Thé zé nas, Marie L.; Ramaprasad, Abhinay; Moussa, Ehab; Roberts, David J.; Casals-Pascual, Climent

    2014-01-01

    . falciparum malaria. Methods: We have measured secretion of hepcidin by primary macrophages and the hepatoma cell line HepG2 stimulated with IL-10, IL-6 and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Findings: We have observed that IL-10 and IL-6 production

  6. Combined treatment of 3-hydroxypyridine-4-one derivatives and green tea extract to induce hepcidin expression in iron-overloaded β-thalassemic mice

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    Supranee Upanan

    2015-12-01

    Conclusions: The GTE + DFP treatment could ameliorate iron overload and liver oxidative damage in non-transfusion dependent β-thalassemic mice, by chelating toxic iron in plasma and tissues, and increasing hepcidin expression to inhibit duodenal iron absorption and iron release from hepatocytes and macrophages in the spleen. There is probably an advantage in giving GTE with DFP when treating patients with iron overload.

  7. A low-molecular-weight compound K7174 represses hepcidin: possible therapeutic strategy against anemia of chronic disease.

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    Tohru Fujiwara

    Full Text Available Hepcidin is the principal iron regulatory hormone, controlling the systemic absorption and remobilization of iron from intracellular stores. The expression of the hepcidin gene, HAMP, is increased in patients with anemia of chronic disease. Previously, the synthetic compound K7174 was identified through chemical screening as a novel inhibitor of the adhesion of monocytes to cytokine-stimulated endothelial cells. K7174 also ameliorated anemia induced by inflammatory cytokines in mice, which suggests a possible involvement of hepcidin regulation. The present study was performed to assess the impact of K7174 on hepcidin expression in a human hematoma cell line and in mice in vivo. We first demonstrated that K7174 treatment in HepG2 cells significantly decreased HAMP expression. Then, we conducted microarray analysis to determine the molecular mechanism by which K7174 inhibits HAMP expression. Transcriptional profiling confirmed the downregulation of HAMP. Surprisingly, we found that K7174 strongly induced GDF15, known as a negative regulator of HAMP expression. Western blotting analysis as well as ELISA confirmed the induction of GDF15 by K7174 treatment. Furthermore, K7174-mediated HAMP suppression was rescued by the silencing of GDF15 expression. Interestingly, we found that K7174 also upregulates CEBPB. Promoter analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that CEBPB could contribute to K7174-mediated transcriptional activation of GDF15. Subsequently, we also examined whether K7174 inhibits hepcidin expression in mice. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis with liver samples from K7174-treated mice demonstrated significant upregulation of Gdf15 and downregulation of Hamp expression, as compared to control mice. Furthermore, serum hepcidin concentration was also significantly decreased in K7174-treated mice. In conclusion, K7174 inhibits hepcidin expression partly by inducing GDF15. K-7174 may be a potential therapeutic option to treat

  8. Hepcidin in chronic kidney disease : not an anaemia management tool, but promising as a cardiovascular biomarker

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Weerd, N. C.; Grooteman, M. P. C.; Nube, M. J.; ter Wee, P. M.; Swinkels, D. W.; Gaillard, C. A. J. M.

    Hepcidin is a key regulator of iron homeostasis and plays a role in the pathogenesis of anaemia of chronic disease. Its levels are increased in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to diminished renal clearance and an inflammatory state. Increased hepcidin levels in CKD patients are

  9. Association between baseline serum hepcidin levels and infection in kidney transplant recipients: Potential role for iron overload.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Ruiz, Mario; Parra, Patricia; Ruiz-Merlo, Tamara; López-Medrano, Francisco; San Juan, Rafael; Polanco, Natalia; González, Esther; Andrés, Amado; Aguado, José María

    2018-02-01

    The liver-synthesized peptide hepcidin is a key regulator of iron metabolism and correlates with total iron stores. We analyzed the association between pre-transplant hepcidin-25 levels and infection after kidney transplantation (KT). Serum hepcidin-25 levels were measured at baseline by high-sensitivity ELISA in 91 patients undergoing KT at our institution between December 2011 and March 2013. The impact of this biomarker on the incidence of post-transplant infection (excluding lower urinary tract infection) during the first year was assessed by Cox regression. Mean hepcidin-25 level was 82.3 ± 67.4 ng/mL and strongly correlated with serum ferritin (Spearman's rho = 0.703; P role for iron overload in the individual susceptibility to post-transplant infection. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Iron regulation of hepcidin despite attenuated Smad1,5,8 signaling in mice without transferrin receptor 2 or Hfe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corradini, Elena; Rozier, Molly; Meynard, Delphine; Odhiambo, Adam; Lin, Herbert Y.; Feng, Qi; Migas, Mary C.; Britton, Robert S.; Babitt, Jodie L.; Fleming, Robert E.

    2011-01-01

    Background & Aims HFE and transferrin receptor 2 (TFR2) are each necessary for the normal relationship between body iron status and liver hepcidin expression. In murine Hfe and Tfr2 knockout models of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), signal transduction to hepcidin via the bone morphogenetic protein 6 (Bmp6)/Smad1,5,8 pathway is attenuated. We examined the effect of dietary iron on regulation of hepcidin expression via the Bmp6/Smad1,5,8 pathway using mice with targeted disruption of Tfr2, Hfe, or both genes. Methods Hepatic iron concentrations and mRNA expression of Bmp6 and hepcidin were compared with wild-type mice in each of the HH models on standard or iron-loading diets. Liver phospho-Smad (P-Smad)1,5,8 and Id1 mRNA levels were measured as markers of Bmp/Smad signaling. Results While Bmp6 expression was increased, liver hepcidin and Id1 expression were decreased in each of the HH models compared with wild-type mice. Each of the HH models also demonstrated attenuated P-Smad1,5,8 levels relative to liver iron status. Mice with combined Hfe/Tfr2 disruption were most affected. Dietary iron loading increased hepcidin and Id1 expression in each of the HH models. Compared with wild-type mice, HH mice demonstrated attenuated (Hfe knockout) or no increases in P-Smad1,5,8 levels in response to dietary iron loading. Conclusions These observations demonstrate that Tfr2 and Hfe are each required for normal signaling of iron status to hepcidin via Bmp6/Smad1,5,8 pathway. Mice with combined loss of Hfe and Tfr2 up-regulate hepcidin in response to dietary iron loading without increases in liver BMP6 mRNA or steady-state P-Smad1,5,8 levels. PMID:21745449

  11. Hepcidin Plays a Key Role in 6-OHDA Induced Iron Overload and Apoptotic Cell Death in a Cell Culture Model of Parkinson’s Disease

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    Qi Xu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Elevated brain iron levels have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD. However, the precise mechanism underlying abnormal iron accumulation in PD is not clear. Hepcidin, a hormone primarily produced by hepatocytes, acts as a key regulator in both systemic and cellular iron homeostasis. Objective. We investigated the role of hepcidin in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA induced apoptosis in a cell culture model of PD. Methods. We downregulated hepcidin using siRNA interference in N27 dopaminergic neuronal cells and made a comparison with control siRNA transfected cells to investigate the role of hepcidin in 6-OHDA induced neurodegeneration. Results. Hepcidin knockdown (32.3%, P<0.0001 upregulated ferroportin 1 expression and significantly (P<0.05 decreased intracellular iron by 25%. Hepcidin knockdown also reduced 6-OHDA induced caspase-3 activity by 42% (P<0.05 and DNA fragmentation by 29% (P=0.086 and increased cell viability by 22% (P<0.05. In addition, hepcidin knockdown significantly attenuated 6-OHDA induced protein carbonyls by 52% (P<0.05 and intracellular iron by 28% (P<0.01, indicating the role of hepcidin in oxidative stress. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate that hepcidin knockdown protected N27 cells from 6-OHDA induced apoptosis and that hepcidin plays a major role in reducing cellular iron burden and oxidative damage by possibly regulating cellular iron export mediated by ferroportin 1.

  12. Urinary hepcidin level as an early predictor of iron deficiency in children: A case control study

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    Gharib Amal F

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The ideal screening test would be capable of identifying iron deficiency in the absence of anemia. We tried to detect role of urinary hepcidin-25 level in early prediction of iron deficiency in children. Methods This is a case control study performed on 100 children in Hematology Unit of Pediatric Department, Zagazig University Hospital, Egypt. Our study included 25 cases of iron deficiency (ID stage-1 (iron depletion, 25 cases ID stage-2 (iron-deficient erythropoiesis, 25 cases ID stage-3 (iron deficiency anemia and 25 healthy children as a control group. Estimation of iron status parameters was done. Urinary hepcidin-25 level was detected. Results Urinary hepcidin-25 level was significantly lower in all stages of iron deficiency than in control group, more significant reduction in its level was observed with the progress in severity of iron deficiency. Urinary hepcidin showed significant positive correlation with hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, hematocrit value, serum iron and ferritin and transferrin saturation. In contrary, it showed significant negative correlation with serum transferrin and total iron binding capacity. Urinary hepcidin at cutoff point ≤0.94 nmol/mmol Cr could Predict ID stage-1 with sensitivity 88% and specificity 88%. Cutoff point ≤0.42 nmol/mmol Cr could predict ID stage-2 with sensitivity 96% and specificity 92%. Cutoff point ≤0.08 nmol/mmol Cr could Predict ID stage-3 with Sensitivity 96% and specificity 100%. Conclusions We can conclude that detection of urinary hepcidin-25 level was a simple and non invasive test and could predict iron deficiency very early, before appearance of hematological affections.

  13. Effects of macro- and micronutrients on exercise-induced hepcidin response in highly trained endurance athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahlquist, Dylan T; Stellingwerff, Trent; Dieter, Brad P; McKenzie, Donald C; Koehle, Michael S

    2017-10-01

    Iron deficiency has ergolytic effects on athletic performance. Exercise-induced inflammation impedes iron absorption in the digestive tract by upregulating the expression of the iron regulatory protein, hepcidin. Limited research indicates the potential of specific macro- and micronutrients on blunting exercise-induced hepcidin. Therefore, we investigated the effects of postexercise supplementation with protein and carbohydrate (CHO) and vitamins D 3 and K 2 on the postexercise hepcidin response. Ten highly trained male cyclists (age: 26.9 ± 6.4 years; maximal oxygen uptake: 67.4 ± 4.4 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 completed 4 cycling sessions in a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded, triple-crossover study. Experimental days consisted of an 8-min warm-up at 50% power output at maximal oxygen uptake, followed by 8 × 3-min intervals at 85% power output at maximal oxygen uptake with 1.5 min at 60% power output at maximal oxygen uptake between each interval. Blood samples were collected pre- and postexercise, and at 3 h postexercise. Three different drinks consisting of CHO (75 g) and protein (25 g) with (VPRO) or without (PRO) vitamins D 3 (5000 IU) and K 2 (1000 μg), or a zero-calorie control drink (PLA) were consumed immediately after the postexercise blood sample. Results showed that the postexercise drinks had no significant (p ≥ 0.05) effect on any biomarker measured. There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in hepcidin and interleukin-6 following intense cycling intervals in the participants. Hepcidin increased significantly (p < 0.05) from baseline (nmol·L -1 : 9.94 ± 8.93, 14.18 ± 14.90, 10.44 ± 14.62) to 3 h postexercise (nmol·L -1 : 22.27 ± 13.41, 25.44 ± 11.91, 22.57 ± 15.57) in VPRO, PRO, and PLA, respectively. Contrary to our hypothesis, the drink compositions used did not blunt the postexercise hepcidin response in highly trained athletes.

  14. A multi-scale model of hepcidin promoter regulation reveals factors controlling systemic iron homeostasis.

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    Guillem Casanovas

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Systemic iron homeostasis involves a negative feedback circuit in which the expression level of the peptide hormone hepcidin depends on and controls the iron blood levels. Hepcidin expression is regulated by the BMP6/SMAD and IL6/STAT signaling cascades. Deregulation of either pathway causes iron-related diseases such as hemochromatosis or anemia of inflammation. We quantitatively analyzed how BMP6 and IL6 control hepcidin expression. Transcription factor (TF phosphorylation and reporter gene expression were measured under co-stimulation conditions, and the promoter was perturbed by mutagenesis. Using mathematical modeling, we systematically analyzed potential mechanisms of cooperative and competitive promoter regulation by the transcription factors, and experimentally validated the model predictions. Our results reveal that hepcidin cross-regulation primarily occurs by combinatorial transcription factor binding to the promoter, whereas signaling crosstalk is insignificant. We find that the presence of two BMP-responsive elements enhances the steepness of the promoter response towards the iron-sensing BMP signaling axis, which promotes iron homeostasis in vivo. IL6 co-stimulation reduces the promoter sensitivity towards the BMP signal, because the SMAD and STAT transcription factors compete for recruiting RNA polymerase to the transcription start site. This may explain why inflammatory signals disturb iron homeostasis in anemia of inflammation. Taken together, our results reveal why the iron homeostasis circuit is sensitive to perturbations implicated in disease.

  15. Genomic organization and tissue-specific expression of hepcidin in the pacific mutton hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus (Breder, 1936).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masso-Silva, Jorge; Diamond, Gill; Macias-Rodriguez, Maria; Ascencio, Felipe

    2011-12-01

    Hepcidin is a cysteine-rich peptide involved in iron metabolism, inflammatory response and as antimicrobial peptide. Despite the fact that hepcidins have been identified in several fish species, only few have been completely characterized. This study, described the identification and complete molecular characterization of the hepcidin antimicrobial peptide 1 (HAMP1) gene of Alphestes immaculatus. Moreover, its specific expression level at both basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced conditions in different tissues was also determined by real-time PCR. Results showed that the HAMP1gene consists of three exons and two introns encoding a preprohepcidin composed of 90 aa (24 aa for signal peptide, 40 aa for prodomain and 26 aa for mature peptide). The promoter region analysis revealed a TATA box sequence and several putative transcription factor binding sites. A comparative analysis showed CEBPα, CEBPβ, NF-kB, HNF3, GATA-1 and c-Rel as the most common found in fishes. The mature peptide possesses a pI of 8.34, which is the average among fish hepcidin. In addition, the structural modeling showed a hairpin structure with four putative disulfide bonds. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that this hepcidin gene is a HAMP1 class, and is clustered into the same group with the Serranid fish Epinephelus moara and the Antarctic fish Lycodichthys dearborni. Finally, the relative expression levels showed high basal values in liver and muscle, whereas in LPS-induced fish the relative expression tendency changed, with the highest values in spleen and head kidney tissues. This study describes the completely characterized HAMP1 gene of A. immaculatus and their patterns of expression level at different conditions and in different tissues, showing by first time muscle hepcidin expression could be relevant in the immune response in fish. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The effect of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide on liver hepcidin gene expression in mice lacking antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase-1 or catalase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison-Findik, Duygu Dee; Lu, Sizhao

    2015-05-06

    This study investigates the regulation of hepcidin, the key iron-regulatory molecule, by alcohol and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in glutathione peroxidase-1 (gpx-1(-/-)) and catalase (catalase(-/-)) knockout mice. For alcohol studies, 10% ethanol was administered in the drinking water for 7 days. Gpx-1(-/-) displayed significantly higher hepatic H2O2 levels than catalase(-/-) compared to wild-type mice, as measured by 2'-7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). The basal level of liver hepcidin expression was attenuated in gpx-1(-/-) mice. Alcohol increased H2O2 production in catalase(-/-) and wild-type, but not gpx-1(-/-), mice. Hepcidin expression was inhibited in alcohol-fed catalase(-/-) and wild-type mice. In contrast, alcohol elevated hepcidin expression in gpx-1(-/-) mice. Gpx-1(-/-) mice also displayed higher level of basal liver CHOP protein expression than catalase(-/-) mice. Alcohol induced CHOP and to a lesser extent GRP78/BiP expression, but not XBP1 splicing or binding of CREBH to hepcidin gene promoter, in gpx-1(-/-) mice. The up-regulation of hepatic ATF4 mRNA levels, which was observed in gpx-1(-/-) mice, was attenuated by alcohol. In conclusion, our findings strongly suggest that H2O2 inhibits hepcidin expression in vivo. Synergistic induction of CHOP by alcohol and H2O2, in the absence of gpx-1, stimulates liver hepcidin gene expression by ER stress independent of CREBH.

  17. Evaluation of radioimmunological methods for assay of plasma and urinary aldosterone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pakarinen, A.; Koskinen, L.; Adlercreutz, H.

    1976-01-01

    Two radioimmunological methods for assay of plasma and urinary aldosterone were carefully evaluated. In the plasma method a radioimmunoassay is preceded by chromatography on a Sephadex LH-20 column. The method for urine includes a preextraction, hydrolysis of the acid-labile conjugates of aldosterone, and a radioimmunoassay. Both methods fulfill the criteria of reliability and are suitable for both routine and demanding research assays. The plasma method, using columns of double length is also applicable to analysis of aldosterone on plasma of newborn children, and pregnant females and in cord plasma. The concentration of plasma aldosterone in healthy subjects on an ad lib salt diet was 162 π+ 93 (S.D.) pmol/l in the supine position and 312 π+ 217 (S.D.) pmol/l upright. The urinary excretion of aldosterone in healthy subjects was 28.3 π+ 16.7 (S.D.) nmol/24 h. (Auth.)

  18. Radiometric-microbiologic assay fo vitamin B-6: analysis of plasma samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guilarte, T.R.; McIntyre, P.A.

    1981-01-01

    A radiometric microbiologic assay for the analysis of vitamin B-6 in plasma was developed. The method is based on the measurement of 14CO2 generated from the metabolism of DL-l-14C-valine (L-l-14C-valine) by Kloeckera brevis. The assay is specific for the biologically active forms of the vitamin, that is, pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine, and their respective phosphorylated forms. The biologically inert vitamin B-6 metabolite (4-pyridoxic acid) did not generate a response at concentrations tested. The radiometric technique was shown to be sensitive to the 1 nanogram level. Reproducibility and recovery studies gave good results. Fifteen plasma samples were assayed using the radiometric and turbidimetric techniques. The correlation coefficient was r . 0.98. Turbid material or precipitated debris did not interfere with the radiometric microbiologic assay, thus allowing for simplification of assay procedure

  19. MyD88 Adaptor Protein Is Required for Appropriate Hepcidin Induction in Response to Dietary Iron Overload in Mice

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    Antonio Layoun

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Iron homeostasis is tightly regulated to provide virtually all cells in the body, particularly red blood cells, with this essential element while defending against its toxicity. The peptide hormone hepcidin is central to the control of the amount of iron absorbed from the diet and iron recycling from macrophages. Previously, we have shown that hepcidin induction in macrophages following Toll-like receptor (TLR stimulation depends on the presence of myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88. In this study, we analyzed the regulation of iron metabolism in MyD88−/− mice to further investigate MyD88 involvement in iron sensing and hepcidin induction. We show that mice lacking MyD88 accumulate significantly more iron in their livers than wild-type counterparts in response to dietary iron loading as they are unable to appropriately control hepcidin levels. The defect was associated with inappropriately low levels of Smad4 protein and Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation in liver samples found in the MyD88−/− mice compared to wild-type mice. In conclusion, our results reveal a previously unknown link between MyD88 and iron homeostasis, and provide new insights into the regulation of hepcidin through the iron-sensing pathway.

  20. Hemolytic anemia repressed hepcidin level without hepatocyte iron overload: lesson from Günther disease model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millot, Sarah; Delaby, Constance; Moulouel, Boualem; Lefebvre, Thibaud; Pilard, Nathalie; Ducrot, Nicolas; Ged, Cécile; Lettéron, Philippe; de Franceschi, Lucia; Deybach, Jean Charles; Beaumont, Carole; Gouya, Laurent; De Verneuil, Hubert; Lyoumi, Saïd; Puy, Hervé; Karim, Zoubida

    2017-02-01

    Hemolysis occurring in hematologic diseases is often associated with an iron loading anemia. This iron overload is the result of a massive outflow of hemoglobin into the bloodstream, but the mechanism of hemoglobin handling has not been fully elucidated. Here, in a congenital erythropoietic porphyria mouse model, we evaluate the impact of hemolysis and regenerative anemia on hepcidin synthesis and iron metabolism. Hemolysis was confirmed by a complete drop in haptoglobin, hemopexin and increased plasma lactate dehydrogenase, an increased red blood cell distribution width and osmotic fragility, a reduced half-life of red blood cells, and increased expression of heme oxygenase 1. The erythropoiesis-induced Fam132b was increased, hepcidin mRNA repressed, and transepithelial iron transport in isolated duodenal loops increased. Iron was mostly accumulated in liver and spleen macrophages but transferrin saturation remained within the normal range. The expression levels of hemoglobin-haptoglobin receptor CD163 and hemopexin receptor CD91 were drastically reduced in both liver and spleen, resulting in heme- and hemoglobin-derived iron elimination in urine. In the kidney, the megalin/cubilin endocytic complex, heme oxygenase 1 and the iron exporter ferroportin were induced, which is reminiscent of significant renal handling of hemoglobin-derived iron. Our results highlight ironbound hemoglobin urinary clearance mechanism and strongly suggest that, in addition to the sequestration of iron in macrophages, kidney may play a major role in protecting hepatocytes from iron overload in chronic hemolysis. Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

  1. Iron-dependent regulation of hepcidin in Hjv-/- mice: evidence that hemojuvelin is dispensable for sensing body iron levels.

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    Konstantinos Gkouvatsos

    Full Text Available Hemojuvelin (Hjv is a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP co-receptor involved in the control of systemic iron homeostasis. Functional inactivation of Hjv leads to severe iron overload in humans and mice due to marked suppression of the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin. To investigate the role of Hjv in body iron sensing, Hjv-/- mice and isogenic wild type controls were placed on a moderately low, a standard or a high iron diet for four weeks. Hjv-/- mice developed systemic iron overload under all regimens. Transferrin (Tf was highly saturated regardless of the dietary iron content, while liver iron deposition was proportional to it. Hepcidin mRNA expression responded to fluctuations in dietary iron intake, despite the absence of Hjv. Nevertheless, iron-dependent upregulation of hepcidin was more than an order of magnitude lower compared to that seen in wild type controls. Likewise, iron signaling via the BMP/Smad pathway was preserved but substantially attenuated. These findings suggest that Hjv is not required for sensing of body iron levels and merely functions as an enhancer for iron signaling to hepcidin.

  2. Serum hepcidin levels are associated with serum triglycerides and interleukin-6 concentrations in patients with end-stage renal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samouilidou, Elisabeth; Pantelias, Konstantinos; Petras, Dimitrios; Tsirpanlis, George; Bakirtzi, Joulia; Chatzivasileiou, George; Tzanatos, Helen; Grapsa, Eirini

    2014-06-01

    Hepcidin has emerged as a peptide with a key role in the regulation of iron homeostasis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), having a strong dependence on inflammation. Recent studies reveal that hepcidin may be also associated with the progression of atherosclerosis. This study was performed to analyze the relation of hepcidin to markers of atherosclerosis and inflammation in patients on dialysis. A total of 90 individuals were enrolled. Sixty patients with end-stage renal disease, who were on hemodialysis (HD) (N = 30) and peritoneal dialysis (N = 30) were compared with 30 normal controls (NC). Age, body mass index, time on dialysis, serum lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured and analyzed in correlation with hepcidin concentration. It was found that patients on HD and peritoneal dialysis have significantly higher (P triglycerides (r = 0.401, P = 0.005), HDL-C (r = -0.268, P = 0.048), CRP (r = 0.436, P = 0.0007) and IL-6 (r = 0.569, P triglycerides (β = 0.402, P = 0.041) and IL-6 (β = 0.559, P = 0.006). Moreover, patients with high triglycerides in combination with high IL-6 levels have significantly increased concentrations of hepcidin than those with low triglycerides and low IL-6 levels (P triglycerides and high IL-6 serum concentrations. This probably suggests that hepcidin may play a role to the progression of atherosclerosis and inflammation, but this hypothesis should be further evaluated. © 2013 The Authors. Therapeutic Apheresis and Dialysis © 2013 International Society for Apheresis.

  3. Improved radioenzymatic assay for plasma norepinephrine using purified phenylethanolamine n-methyltransferase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowsher, R.R.; Henry, D.P.

    1986-01-01

    Radioenzymatic assays have been developed for catecholamines using either catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) or phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT). Assays using PNMT are specific for norepinephrine (NE) and require minimal manipulative effort but until now have been less sensitive than the more complex procedures using COMT. The authors report an improved purification scheme for bovine PNMT which has permitted development of an NE assay with dramatically improved sensitivity (0.5 pg), specificity and reproducibility (C.V. < 5%). PNMT was purified by sequential pH 5.0 treatment and dialysis and by column chromatographic procedures using DEAE-Sephacel, Sepharcryl S-200 and Phenyl-Boronate Agarose. Recovery of PNMT through the purification scheme was 50%, while blank recovery was <.001%. NE can be directly quantified in 25 ul of human plasma and an 80 tube assay can be completed within 4 h. The capillary to venous plasma NE gradient was examined in 8 normotensive male subjects. Capillary plasma (NE (211.2 +/- 61.3 pg/ml)) was lower than venous plasma NE (366.6 +/- 92.5 pg/ml) in all subjects (p < 0.005). This difference suggests that capillary (NE) may be a unique indicator of sympathetic nervous system activity in vivo. In conclusion, purification of PNMT has facilitated development of an improved radioenzymatic for NE with significantly improved sensitivity

  4. HPLC assay for 2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethanethiol (WR-1065) in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGovern, E.P.; Swynnerton, N.F.; Steele, P.D.; Mangold, D.J.

    1984-01-01

    A high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) plasma assay for WR-1065 is described which is both precise and accurate throughout the concentration range from 1 to 500 μg/mL of plasma. The analyte is separated by HPLC and detected with a thiol specific electrochemical transducer cell. The detector response is linear over the ranges 1 to 10 μg/mL, 10 to 100 μg/mL, and 100 to 500 μg/mL. The absolute retention times for WR-1065 and WT-1729 are 9 and 12 minutes, respectively. The assay uses 100 μL of plasma and requires a total chromatography cycle time of 40 minutes. The method has been found suitable for the determination of WR-1065 in plasma from a beagle dog after i.v. administration of S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethyl phosphorothioate (WR-2721)

  5. The influence of ketoacids on plasma creatinine assays in diabetic ketoacidosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kemperman, F. A.; Weber, J. A.; Gorgels, J.; van Zanten, A. P.; Krediet, R. T.; Arisz, L.

    2000-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the interference of ketoacids on various routine plasma creatinine assays during a clinical episode of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DESIGN: Observational study. Blood samples were drawn before, during and after standard in-hospital treatment. Plasma creatinine was measured

  6. The impact of maternal obesity on iron status, placental transferrin receptor expression and hepcidin expression in human pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Valdes, L; Campoy, C; Hayes, H; Florido, J; Rusanova, I; Miranda, M T; McArdle, H J

    2015-04-01

    Obesity is associated with decreased iron status, possibly due to a rise in hepcidin, an inflammatory protein known to reduce iron absorption. In animals, we have shown that maternal iron deficiency is minimised in the foetus by increased expression of placental transferrin receptor (pTFR1), resulting in increased iron transfer at the expense of maternal iron stores. This study examines the effect of obesity during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal iron status in human cohorts and whether the placenta can compensate for decreased maternal iron stores by increasing pTFR1 expression. A total of 240 women were included in this study. One hundred and fifty-eight placentas (Normal: 90; Overweight: 37; Obese: 31) were collected at delivery. Maternal iron status was measured by determining serum transferrin receptor (sTFR) and ferritin levels at 24 and 34 weeks and at delivery. Hepcidin in maternal and cord blood was measured by ELISA and pTFR1 in placentas by western blotting and real-time RT-PCR. Low iron stores were more common in obese women. Hepcidin levels (ng ml(-1)) at the end of the pregnancy were higher in obese than normal women (26.03±12.95 vs 18.00±10.77, PMaternal hepcidin levels were correlated with maternal iron status (sTFR r=0.2 P=0.025), but not with neonatal values. mRNA and protein levels of pTFR1 were both inversely related to maternal iron status. For mRNA and all women, sTFR r=0.2 P=0.044. Ferritin mRNA levels correlated only in overweight women r=-0.5 P=0.039 with hepcidin (r=0.1 P=0.349), irrespective of maternal body mass index (BMI). The data support the hypothesis that obese pregnant women have a greater risk of iron deficiency and that hepcidin may be a regulatory factor. Further, we show that the placenta responds to decreased maternal iron status by increasing pTFR1 expression.

  7. Glial cell ceruloplasmin and hepcidin differentially regulate iron efflux from brain microvascular endothelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Ryan C; Kosman, Daniel J

    2014-01-01

    We have used an in vitro model system to probe the iron transport pathway across the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVEC) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This model consists of human BMVEC (hBMVEC) and C6 glioma cells (as an astrocytic cell line) grown in a transwell, a cell culture system commonly used to quantify metabolite flux across a cell-derived barrier. We found that iron efflux from hBMVEC through the ferrous iron permease ferroportin (Fpn) was stimulated by secretion of the soluble form of the multi-copper ferroxidase, ceruloplasmin (sCp) from the co-cultured C6 cells. Reciprocally, expression of sCp mRNA in the C6 cells was increased by neighboring hBMVEC. In addition, data indicate that C6 cell-secreted hepcidin stimulates internalization of hBMVEC Fpn but only when the end-feet projections characteristic of this glia-derived cell line are proximal to the endothelial cells. This hepcidin-dependent loss of Fpn correlated with knock-down of iron efflux from the hBMVEC; this result was consistent with the mechanism by which hepcidin regulates iron efflux in mammalian cells. In summary, the data support a model of iron trafficking across the BBB in which the capillary endothelium induce the underlying astrocytes to produce the ferroxidase activity needed to support Fpn-mediated iron efflux. Reciprocally, astrocyte proximity modulates the effective concentration of hepcidin at the endothelial cell membrane and thus the surface expression of hBMVEC Fpn. These results are independent of the source of hBMVEC iron (transferrin or non-transferrin bound) indicating that the model developed here is broadly applicable to brain iron homeostasis.

  8. Radioreceptor assay for evaluation of the plasma glucocorticoid activity of natural and synthetic steroids in man

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ballard, P.L.; Carter, J.P.; Graham, B.S.; Baxter, J.D.

    1975-01-01

    An assay for plasma glucocorticoid activity has been developed using specific glucocorticoid receptors. Unlike other assays for cortisol and certain synthetic corticosteroids, this radioreceptor assay measures the glucocorticoid activity of all natural and synthetic steroids. Steroids extracted from as little as 0.05 ml of plasma are incubated with 3 H-dexamethasone and cytosol receptors from cultured rat hepatoma cells. From 0.5 to 50 ng of cortisol are accurately detected. Glucocorticoid activities of adult plasmas determined by the assay correlate closely with corticoid levels obtained in the CBG-isotope and fluorometric assays. Other steroids are measured in proportion to both concentration and potency as glucocorticoids. Relative activities include: cortisol 100, dexamethasone 940, prednisolone 230, prednisone 3, estradiol 1 and androstenedione 1. A similar ranking of steroids was found using receptors from a human source (fetal lung). The assay has been useful in detecting glucocorticoid activity in unidentified medications and in measuring plasma glucocorticoid levels after administration of synthetic corticosteroids. (auth)

  9. Methodology for determination of plasma cortisol in fish using Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Velasco-Santamaría, Yohana M.; Cruz-Casallas, Pablo E.

    2007-01-01

    Objective. To determine plasma cortisol procedure in fish using competitive enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Materials and methods. Two plasma samples of juveniles rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were analized by using ELISA human kit for cortisol assay. For standard curve calibration...

  10. Serum hepcidin levels, iron status, and HFE gene alterations during the first year of life in healthy Spanish infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aranda, Nuria; Bedmar, Cristina; Arija, Victoria; Jardí, Cristina; Jimenez-Feijoo, Rosa; Ferré, Natalia; Tous, Monica

    2018-06-01

    The aims of this study were to describe hepcidin levels and to assess their associations with iron status and the main variants in the HFE gene in healthy and full-term newborns during the first year of life, as a longitudinal study conducted on 140 infants. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, hepcidin, hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF), transferrin saturation (TS), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and C-reactive protein (CRP), were assessed in 6- and 12-month-olds. Infants were genotyped for the three main HFE variants: C282Y, H63D, and S65C. Hepcidin levels increased from 6 to 12 months of age (43.7 ± 1.5 to 52.0 ± 1.5 ng/mL; p HFE gene (p = 0.046 and p = 0.048 in 6- and 12-month-olds, respectively). However, this association was not found in HFE-alteration-carrying infants. Hepcidin levels increased in healthy infants during the first year of life and were positively associated with iron levels only in infants with wild-type HFE gene, a situation that requires further investigation.

  11. Estimation of plasma tacrine concentrations using an in vitro cholinesterase inhibition assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moriearty, P.L.; Kenny, W.; Kumar, V.

    1989-01-01

    THA (9-amino, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine; tacrine) is currently under study as a cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitor in Alzheimer disease. In this study, a sensitive radiometric assay for THA inhibition of human plasma ChE, suitable for detection of effects of orally administered drug, is described. The assay is sensitive in a range of 4-50 ng/ml plasma. Reversibility of the inhibition permits distinguishing of drug effects on ChE from changes in amount of enzyme synthesized during treatment

  12. Correlation of HAMP gene polymorphisms and expression with the susceptibility and length of hospital stays in Taiwanese children with Kawasaki disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Hsing-Fang; Wong, Henry Sung-Ching; Yu, Hong-Ren; Kuo, Hsing-Chun; Huang, Fu-Chen; Lo, Mao-Hung; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Chen, Su-Fen; Chang, Wei-Chiao; Kuo, Ho-Chang

    2017-01-01

    Kawasaki disease (KD) is a form of systemic vasculitis. Regarding its pathogenesis, HAMP gene encoding hepcidin, which is significant for iron metabolism, has a vital function. In this study, we recruited a total of 381 KD patients for genotyping. Data from 997 subjects (500 subjects from cohort 1; 497 subjects from cohort 2) were used for analysis. Using TaqMan allelic discrimination, we determined five tag SNPs (rs916145, rs10421768, rs3817623, rs7251432, and rs2293689). Treatment outcome data related to such clinical phenotypes as coronary artery lesions (CAL), coronary artery aneurysms (CAA), and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) effects were also collected. Furthermore, we measured plasma hepcidin levels with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that HAMP gene polymorphism (rs7251432, and rs2293689) was significantly correlated with KD risk and that plasma hepcidin levels both before and after IVIG treatment had a significantly positive correlation with length of hospital stays (R = 0.217, p = 0.046 and R = 0.381, p < 0.0001, respectively). In contrast, plasma hepcidin levels has a negative correlation with KD patients’ albumin levels (R = −0.27, p < 0.001) prior to IVIG treatment. This study's findings indicate that HAMP might have a role in the disease susceptibility, as well as its expressions correlated length of hospital stays, and albumin levels in Taiwanese children with KD. PMID:28881695

  13. High-performance liquid chromatographic radioenzymatic assay for plasma catecyholamines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klaniecki, T.S.; Corder, C.N.; McDonald, R.H. Jr.; Feldman, J.A.

    1977-01-01

    A new assay method for plasma catecholamimes (CA) requiring only 50 μl has been developed, which uses high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (D), and epinephrine (E) compounds found in plasma are radioactively o-methylated with S-[methyl- 3 H]-adenosyl-L-methionine ( 3 H-SAM) 3 H-SAM by the reaction of catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT). The reaction is terminated and a standard mixture of nonradioactive o-methylated analogues of NE, D, and E is added to act as a carrier. Following separation by HPLC, the D,L-normetanephrine (NMN), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyl-amine or 3-methoxytyramine (3-MOT), and metanephrine (MN) radioactive peaks are collected which represent NE, D, and E, respectively. Then MNM and MN are oxidized to vanillin, and 3-MOT is acetylated. The products are subsequently separated by solvent extraction. This is necessary in order to avoid high radioactive blanks and to allow quantitation of the radioactivity by liquid scintillation spectrometry. The mean supine levels of NE, D, and E in normal subjects were respectively 182, 33, and 87 pg/ml of plasma. Similar assays on patients with pheochromocytoma revealed 797, 80, and 470 pg/ml

  14. Iron status and systemic inflammation, but not gut inflammation, strongly predict gender-specific concentrations of serum hepcidin in infants in rural kenya

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jaeggi, T.; Moretti, D.; Kvalsvig, J.; Holding, P.A.; Tjalsma, H.; Kortman, G.A.M.; Joosten, I.; Mwangi, A.; Zimmermann, M.B.

    2013-01-01

    Hepcidin regulation by competing stimuli such as infection and iron deficiency has not been studied in infants and it's yet unknown whether hepcidin regulatory pathways are fully functional in infants. In this cross-sectional study including 339 Kenyan infants aged 6.0+/-1.1 months (mean+/-SD), we

  15. Hepcidin: A Critical Regulator Of Iron Metabolism During Hypoxia

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    inducible factor (HIF)/hypoxia response element ( HRE ) system, as well as recent evidence indicating that localized adipose hypoxia due to obesity may...mechanisms by which hypoxia affects hepcidin expression, to include a review of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)/hypoxia response element ( HRE ) system, as...a battery of genes are induced by the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)/hypoxia response element ( HRE ) system. The HIF system senses O2 levels through

  16. Radiochemical plasma salicylamide assay using ring-labeled tritiated salicylamide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stella, V J; Varia, S A; Riedy, M

    1979-05-01

    A rat plasma salicylamide assay was developed using ring-labeled tritiated salicylamide, synthesized by reacting salicylamide with tritium oxide in the presence of heptafluorobutyric acid. The reaction yielded /sup 3/H-salicylamide of specific activity up to 8.41 mCi/mmole, 60% yield. Plasma containing /sup 3/H-salicylamide and its metabolites was extracted with a toluene-based scintillation fluid, which was subsequently counted. Specificity for free salicylamide was demonstrated by radiochemical and standard fluorescence plasma salicylamide level-time curves. Specificity resulted from nonextraction of the salicylamide sulfate and glucuronide metabolites. Sulfatase and beta-glucuronidase treatment allowed the analysis of plasma sulfate and glucuronide conjugates as free salicylamide. This procedure should be effective for the analysis of salicylamide and its metabolites in the presence of similar phenolic compounds.

  17. Hepcidin promotes osteogenic differentiation through the bone morphogenetic protein 2/small mothers against decapentaplegic and mitogen-activated protein kinase/P38 signaling pathways in mesenchymal stem cells

    OpenAIRE

    LU, HUADING; LIAN, LIYI; SHI, DEHAI; ZHAO, HUIQING; DAI, YUHU

    2014-01-01

    The ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to differentiate into osteogenic lineages requires management for their future use in treating bone destruction and osteoporosis. Hepcidin is closely associated with bone metabolism, however, it remains to be elucidated whether hepcidin affects osteogenic differentiation in MSCs. The present study demonstrated that hepcidin enhanced osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization, which was manifested by an upregulation in the differentiation marke...

  18. Stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of sotalol in plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carr, R A; Foster, R T; Bhanji, N H

    1991-09-01

    A convenient high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay was developed for determination of sotalol (STL) enantiomers in plasma. Following addition of the internal standard (IS; racemic atenolol), enantiomers of STL and IS were extracted using ethyl acetate. After evaporation of the organic layer, samples were derivatized with a solution of S-(+)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate (NEIC). The resulting diastereomers were chromatographed with normal-phase HPLC with chloroform:hexane:methanol [65:33:2 (v/v)] as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 2 ml/min. The fluorescence detection wavelength was set at 220 nm for excitation with no emission filter. The suitability of the assay for pharmacokinetic studies was determined by measuring STL enantiomers in the plasma of a healthy subject after administration of a single 160-mg oral, racemic dose of STL.

  19. Evaluation of assays for quantification of DNA in canine plasma as an indirect marker of NETosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Stephanie A; Lawson, Corinne M; McMichael, Maureen A; Jung, Katrina; O'Brien, Mauria; Achiel, Ron

    2017-06-01

    Neutrophil extracellular traps (NET), consisting of a filamentous DNA/chromatin-histone scaffold originating from neutrophils are part of the innate immune response, may be released under a variety of inflammatory conditions and are associated with an increased risk for thrombosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a SYTOX green fluorescence assay and a histone-DNA complex (hisDNA) ELISA for quantification of NET-related DNA in canine plasma. The influence of variations in blood sample handling on assay results was tested. Accuracy of the SYTOX green fluorescence and the hisDNA ELISA was evaluated with dilutional linearity using serial dilutions. Interference was assessed by addition of purified bilirubin or hemoglobin. Precision was determined by calculating the intra- and inter-assay CV. Preanalytic sample handling did not influence DNA measurements by either assay. Citrate and EDTA plasma samples were equivalent. For the DNA fluorescence assay, dilutional linearity was poor due to autofluorescence, which was corrected by addition of canine plasma to the diluent. The presence of bilirubin and hemoglobin also increased autofluorescence, and resulted in falsely low concentrations of DNA. On the hisDNA ELISA, pigmentemia had no effect. Both assays as modified in this study are suitable for measuring DNA in canine EDTA or citrate plasma. However, performance of the fluorescence assay was impacted by pigmentemia, and it was less sensitive than the ELISA in detecting the presence of nucleosome material in the plasma. © 2017 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

  20. Comparative evaluation of two radioenzymatic procedures designed to determine noradrenaline in the plasma (COMT assay and PNMT assay)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barth, A.

    1984-01-01

    A comparative evaluation of two radioenzymatic procedures to determine the concentration of noradrenaline in the plasma - with linearity, sensitivity, specifity and accuracy serving as test criteria - led to the following results: In view of a probability of error in the order of 2% both methods were judged to show a satisfactory sensitivity. The specific of the COMT assay, by contrast with that of the PNMT assay, was found to be wanting, as the noradrenaline measurements in the presence of other biogenic amines were biassed in such a way that the values determined were higher than the actual concentrations. During antihypertensive treatment even minimal changes in the noradrenaline concentration can be ascertained on a quantitative basis. If suitable hardware is available, the COMT assay permits up to 25 single determinations to be carried out per day, while the number of double determinations is restricted to 7 per day. One advantage, however, lies in the fact that several catecholamines in the plasma can be detected simultaneously, if required. In cases where the noradrenaline concentration alone is to be determined for clinical purposes, preference should be given to the PNMT assay, as both tests showed equal linearity and sensitivity. (TRV) [de

  1. Impact of graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs) on the structural and functional conformations of hepcidin peptide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Krishna P.; Baweja, Lokesh; Wolkenhauer, Olaf; Rahman, Qamar; Gupta, Shailendra K.

    2018-03-01

    Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs) are widely used in various industrial and biomedical applications. GBNMs of different compositions, size and shapes are being introduced without thorough toxicity evaluation due to the unavailability of regulatory guidelines. Computational toxicity prediction methods are used by regulatory bodies to quickly assess health hazards caused by newer materials. Due to increasing demand of GBNMs in various size and functional groups in industrial and consumer based applications, rapid and reliable computational toxicity assessment methods are urgently needed. In the present work, we investigate the impact of graphene and graphene oxide nanomaterials on the structural conformations of small hepcidin peptide and compare the materials for their structural and conformational changes. Our molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed conformational changes in hepcidin due to its interaction with GBMNs, which results in a loss of its functional properties. Our results indicate that hepcidin peptide undergo severe structural deformations when superimposed on the graphene sheet in comparison to graphene oxide sheet. These observations suggest that graphene is more toxic than a graphene oxide nanosheet of similar area. Overall, this study indicates that computational methods based on structural deformation, using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, can be used for the early evaluation of toxicity potential of novel nanomaterials.

  2. Discriminating the hemolytic risk of blood type A plasmas using the complement hemolysis using human erythrocytes (CHUHE) assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunnion, Kenji M; Hair, Pamela S; Krishna, Neel K; Sass, Megan A; Enos, Clinton W; Whitley, Pamela H; Maes, Lanne Y; Goldberg, Corinne L

    2017-03-01

    The agglutination-based cross-matching method is sensitive for antibody binding to red blood cells but is only partially predictive of complement-mediated hemolysis, which is important in many acute hemolytic transfusion reactions. Here, we describe complement hemolysis using human erythrocytes (CHUHE) assays that directly evaluate complement-mediated hemolysis between individual serum-plasma and red blood cell combinations. The CHUHE assay is used to evaluate correlations between agglutination titers and complement-mediated hemolysis as well as the hemolytic potential of plasma from type A blood donors. Plasma or serum from each type A blood donor was incubated with AB or B red blood cells in the CHUHE assay and measured for free hemoglobin release. CHUHE assays for serum or plasma demonstrate a wide, dynamic range and high sensitivity for complement-mediated hemolysis for individual serum/plasma and red blood cell combinations. CHUHE results suggest that agglutination assays alone are only moderately predictive of complement-mediated hemolysis. CHUHE results also suggest that plasma from particular type A blood donors produce minimal complement-mediated hemolysis, whereas plasma from other type A blood donors produce moderate to high-level complement-mediated hemolysis, depending on the red blood cell donor. The current results indicate that the CHUHE assay can be used to assess complement-mediated hemolysis for plasma or serum from a type A blood donor, providing additional risk discrimination over agglutination titers alone. © 2016 AABB.

  3. Plasma catecholamine content using radioenzymatic assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minami, Masaru; Togashi, Hiroko; Koike, Yuichi; Shimamura, Keiichi; Yamazaki, Noriko

    1980-01-01

    Catecholamine (CA) contents in blood plasma of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and human blood plasma were measured by radioenzymatic assay (REA) and trihydroxyindol (THI) fluorescent method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and both measurement methods were compared. The standard curve of REA showed a good linear relationship between total CA contents and separated CA contents. Though there was a danger of exposure to β-ray when REA was performed, this method was useful for measurement of CA contents in blood of small animals and small quantity of blood because CA content of only 50 μg of blood plasma could be measured by this method. Norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) contents in men with normal blood pressure measured by REA was 250 +- 61 pg/ml and 37 +- 22 pg/ml, respectively. NE and E contents in patients with mild hypertension were 460 +- 128 pg/ml and 50 +- 20 pg/ml, respectively. There was not a significant difference between NE and E contents in men with normal blood pressure and those in patients with mild hypertension. Total CA content in blood plasma of SHR killed by decapitation was 5,000 +- 1,131 pg/ml, which was 5 times NE and E contents in blood plasma obtained from femoral vein of anesthetized SHR (816 +- 215 pg/ml and 209 +- 44 pg/ml). Total CA content in the same sample was measured by REA and HPLC. As a result, total CA content measured by REA was higher than that measured by HPLC, but there was a good relationship between total CA content measured by REA and that measured by HPLC. NE content in men with normal blood pressure measured by HPLC was elevated significantly according to an increase in their age, but this tendency was not observed in patients with hypertension. (Tsunoda, M.)

  4. Association between ferritin and hepcidin levels and inflammatory status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Mónica; Soto, Néstor; Arredondo-Olguín, Miguel

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the association between iron parameters and inflammation in obese individuals with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We studied 132 obese individuals (OB), 60 individuals with T2DM, 106 obese individuals with T2DM (T2DOB), and 146 controls (C). All of were men aged >30 y. Biochemical, iron nutrition, and oxidative stress parameters were determined. Peripheral mononuclear cells were isolated and total RNA was extracted to quantify tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, nuclear factor (NF)-κB, interleukin (IL)-6, toll-like receptor (TLR)-2/4 and hepcidin by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. OB, T2DM, and T2DOB individuals had higher ferritin, retinol-binding protein 4, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBAR) levels than controls. T2DOB and T2DM individuals showed high high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels and OB with and without T2DM had elevated levels of serum hepcidin. Heme oxygenase activity was high in OB and T2DM and there were no differences observed in superoxide dismutase and glutathione parameters. A correlation between TBARS and ferritin in T2DOB was observed (r = 0.31; P diabetes and obesity with ferritin, TBARS, and hsCRP levels. The upper quartiles of ferritin, TBARS and hepcidin showed an adjusted odd ratio for T2DM of 1.782, 2.250, and 4.370, respectively. TNF-α, IL-6, hepcidin, NF-κB, TLR-2/4 mRNA abundances were increased in T2DM and T2DOB. Elevated hsCRP and hepcidin levels, and increased gene expression of TNF-α, IL-6, NF-κB, and TLR-2/4 in patients with diabetes, obesity, or both exacerbate and perpetuate the insulin resistance and inflammatory state. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Assay reproducibility in clinical studies of plasma miRNA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Rice

    Full Text Available There are increasing reports of plasma miRNAs as biomarkers of human disease but few standards in methodologic reporting, leading to inconsistent data. We systematically reviewed plasma miRNA studies published between July 2013-June 2014 to assess methodology. Six parameters were investigated: time to plasma extraction, methods of RNA extraction, type of miRNA, quantification, cycle threshold (Ct setting, and methods of statistical analysis. We compared these data with a proposed standard methodologic technique. Beginning with initial screening for 380 miRNAs using microfluidic array technology and validation in an additional cohort of patients, we compared 11 miRNAs that exhibited differential expression between 16 patients with benign colorectal neoplasms (advanced adenomas and 16 patients without any neoplasm (controls. Plasma was isolated immediately, 12, 24, 48, or 72 h following phlebotomy. miRNA was extracted using two different techniques (Trizol LS with pre-amplification or modified miRNeasy. We performed Taqman-based RT-PCR assays for the 11 miRNAs with subsequent analyses using a variable Ct setting or a fixed Ct set at 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, or 0.5. Assays were performed in duplicate by two different operators. RNU6 was the internal reference. Systematic review yielded 74 manuscripts meeting inclusion criteria. One manuscript (1.4% documented all 6 methodological parameters, while < 5% of studies listed Ct setting. In our proposed standard technique, plasma extraction ≤12 h provided consistent ΔCt. miRNeasy extraction yielded higher miRNA concentrations and fewer non-expressed miRNAs compared to Trizol LS (1/704 miRNAs [0.14%] vs 109/704 miRNAs [15%], not expressed, respectively. A fixed Ct bar setting of 0.03 yielded the most reproducible data, provided that <10% miRNA were non-expressed. There was no significant intra-operator variability. There was significant inter-operator variation using Trizol LS extraction, while this was

  6. Modelling Systemic Iron Regulation during Dietary Iron Overload and Acute Inflammation: Role of Hepcidin-Independent Mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enculescu, Mihaela; Metzendorf, Christoph; Sparla, Richard; Hahnel, Maximilian; Bode, Johannes; Muckenthaler, Martina U; Legewie, Stefan

    2017-01-01

    Systemic iron levels must be maintained in physiological concentrations to prevent diseases associated with iron deficiency or iron overload. A key role in this process plays ferroportin, the only known mammalian transmembrane iron exporter, which releases iron from duodenal enterocytes, hepatocytes, or iron-recycling macrophages into the blood stream. Ferroportin expression is tightly controlled by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms in response to hypoxia, iron deficiency, heme iron and inflammatory cues by cell-autonomous and systemic mechanisms. At the systemic level, the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin is released from the liver in response to these cues, binds to ferroportin and triggers its degradation. The relative importance of individual ferroportin control mechanisms and their interplay at the systemic level is incompletely understood. Here, we built a mathematical model of systemic iron regulation. It incorporates the dynamics of organ iron pools as well as regulation by the hepcidin/ferroportin system. We calibrated and validated the model with time-resolved measurements of iron responses in mice challenged with dietary iron overload and/or inflammation. The model demonstrates that inflammation mainly reduces the amount of iron in the blood stream by reducing intracellular ferroportin transcription, and not by hepcidin-dependent ferroportin protein destabilization. In contrast, ferroportin regulation by hepcidin is the predominant mechanism of iron homeostasis in response to changing iron diets for a big range of dietary iron contents. The model further reveals that additional homeostasis mechanisms must be taken into account at very high dietary iron levels, including the saturation of intestinal uptake of nutritional iron and the uptake of circulating, non-transferrin-bound iron, into liver. Taken together, our model quantitatively describes systemic iron metabolism and generated experimentally testable predictions for additional

  7. Monoclonal antibodies to human factor VII: production of immunodepleted plasma for VII:C assays.

    OpenAIRE

    Takase, T; Tuddenham, E G; Chand, S; Goodall, A H

    1988-01-01

    A high affinity monoclonal antibody to factor VII (RFF-VII/1), coupled to sepharose, was used to immunodeplete factor VII from normal plasma. The plasma could be used as a substrate in a one stage coagulation assay and performed as well as, or better than, commercially available factor VII deficient plasma or plasma from congenitally deficient factor VII patients. Plasma from normal donors (n = 20), patients with liver disease (n = 20), and patients receiving warfarin (n = 20), or congenitall...

  8. Expression and cellular localization of hepcidin mRNA and protein in normal rat brain

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Raha-Chowdhury, R.; Raha, A.A.; Forostyak, Serhiy; Zhao, J.W.; Stott, S.R.W.; Bomford, A.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 16, APR 21 (2015), s. 24 ISSN 1471-2202 Institutional support: RVO:68378041 Keywords : hepcidin * ferroportin * defensin * inflammatory cytokines * brain iron homeostasis * blood brain barrier * pericytes * sub-ventricular zone * neurogenesis Subject RIV: FH - Neurology Impact factor: 2.304, year: 2015

  9. Role of hepcidin-ferroportin axis in the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of anemia of chronic inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langer, Arielle L; Ginzburg, Yelena Z

    2017-06-01

    Anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI) is a frequently diagnosed anemia and portends an independently increased morbidity and poor outcome associated with multiple underlying diseases. The pathophysiology of ACI is multifactorial, resulting from the effects of inflammatory cytokines which both directly and indirectly suppress erythropoiesis. Recent advances in molecular understanding of iron metabolism provide strong evidence that immune mediators, such as IL-6, lead to hepcidin-induced hypoferremia, iron sequestration, and decreased iron availability for erythropoiesis. The role of hepcidin-ferroportin axis in the pathophysiology of ACI is stimulating the development of new diagnostics and targeted therapies. In this review, we present an overview of and rationale for inflammation-, iron-, and erythropoiesis-related strategies currently in development. © 2017 International Society for Hemodialysis.

  10. Hepcidin regulation in wild-type and Hfe knockout mice in response to alcohol consumption: evidence for an alcohol-induced hypoxic response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heritage, Mandy L; Murphy, Therese L; Bridle, Kim R; Anderson, Gregory J; Crawford, Darrell H G; Fletcher, Linda M

    2009-08-01

    Expression of Hamp1, the gene encoding the iron regulatory peptide hepcidin, is inappropriately low in HFE-associated hereditary hemochromatosis and Hfe knockout mice (Hfe(-/-)). Since chronic alcohol consumption is also associated with disturbances in iron metabolism, we investigated the effects of alcohol consumption on hepcidin mRNA expression in Hfe(-/-) mice. Hfe(-/-) and C57BL/6 (wild-type) mice were pair-fed either an alcohol liquid diet or control diet for up to 8 weeks. The mRNA levels of hepcidin and ferroportin were measured at the mRNA level by RT-PCR and protein expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1alpha) was measured by western blot. Hamp1 mRNA expression was significantly decreased and duodenal ferroportin expression was increased in alcohol-fed wild-type mice at 8 weeks. Time course experiments showed that the decrease in hepcidin mRNA was not immediate, but was significant by 4 weeks. Consistent with the genetic defect, Hamp1 mRNA was decreased and duodenal ferroportin mRNA expression was increased in Hfe(-/-) mice fed on the control diet compared with wild-type animals and alcohol further exacerbated these effects. HIF-1alpha protein levels were elevated in alcohol-fed wild-type animals compared with controls. Alcohol may decrease Hamp1 gene expression independently of the HFE pathway possibly via alcohol-induced hypoxia.

  11. The cell-based L-glutathione protection assays to study endocytosis and recycling of plasma membrane proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cihil, Kristine M; Swiatecka-Urban, Agnieszka

    2013-12-13

    Membrane trafficking involves transport of proteins from the plasma membrane to the cell interior (i.e. endocytosis) followed by trafficking to lysosomes for degradation or to the plasma membrane for recycling. The cell based L-glutathione protection assays can be used to study endocytosis and recycling of protein receptors, channels, transporters, and adhesion molecules localized at the cell surface. The endocytic assay requires labeling of cell surface proteins with a cell membrane impermeable biotin containing a disulfide bond and the N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester at 4 ºC - a temperature at which membrane trafficking does not occur. Endocytosis of biotinylated plasma membrane proteins is induced by incubation at 37 ºC. Next, the temperature is decreased again to 4 ºC to stop endocytic trafficking and the disulfide bond in biotin covalently attached to proteins that have remained at the plasma membrane is reduced with L-glutathione. At this point, only proteins that were endocytosed remain protected from L-glutathione and thus remain biotinylated. After cell lysis, biotinylated proteins are isolated with streptavidin agarose, eluted from agarose, and the biotinylated protein of interest is detected by western blotting. During the recycling assay, after biotinylation cells are incubated at 37 °C to load endocytic vesicles with biotinylated proteins and the disulfide bond in biotin covalently attached to proteins remaining at the plasma membrane is reduced with L-glutathione at 4 ºC as in the endocytic assay. Next, cells are incubated again at 37 °C to allow biotinylated proteins from endocytic vesicles to recycle to the plasma membrane. Cells are then incubated at 4 ºC, and the disulfide bond in biotin attached to proteins that recycled to the plasma membranes is reduced with L-glutathione. The biotinylated proteins protected from L-glutathione are those that did not recycle to the plasma membrane.

  12. Analysis of human blood plasma cell-free DNA fragment size distribution using EvaGreen chemistry based droplet digital PCR assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernando, M Rohan; Jiang, Chao; Krzyzanowski, Gary D; Ryan, Wayne L

    2018-04-12

    Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragment size distribution provides important information required for diagnostic assay development. We have developed and optimized droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays that quantify short and long DNA fragments. These assays were used to analyze plasma cfDNA fragment size distribution in human blood. Assays were designed to amplify 76,135, 490 and 905 base pair fragments of human β-actin gene. These assays were used for fragment size analysis of plasma cell-free, exosome and apoptotic body DNA obtained from normal and pregnant donors. The relative percentages for 76, 135, 490 and 905 bp fragments from non-pregnant plasma and exosome DNA were 100%, 39%, 18%, 5.6% and 100%, 40%, 18%,3.3%, respectively. The relative percentages for pregnant plasma and exosome DNA were 100%, 34%, 14%, 23%, and 100%, 30%, 12%, 18%, respectively. The relative percentages for non-pregnant plasma pellet (obtained after 2nd centrifugation step) were 100%, 100%, 87% and 83%, respectively. Non-pregnant Plasma cell-free and exosome DNA share a unique fragment distribution pattern which is different from pregnant donor plasma and exosome DNA fragment distribution indicating the effect of physiological status on cfDNA fragment size distribution. Fragment distribution pattern for plasma pellet that includes apoptotic bodies and nuclear DNA was greatly different from plasma cell-free and exosome DNA. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Novel liquid chromatographic assay for the low-level determination of apomorphine in plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priston, M J; Sewell, G J

    1996-05-31

    A novel HPLC assay which is rapid, reproducible and sensitive has been developed for the analysis of apomorphine in plasma. The assay incorporates boldine as an internal standard, and uses solid-phase extraction on C18 mini-columns for sample clean-up and concentration, so enabling quantitation of apomorphine at 500 pg/ml using fluorescence detection (lambda(ex) 270 nm, lambda(em) 450 nm). The HPLC assay comprised a 25 cm-long Techopak C18 column and a mobile phase of (0.25 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate plus 0.25% heptane sulphonic acid, to pH 3.3 with orthophosphoric acid) containing 30% (v/v) methanol and 0.003% (w/v) EDTA, run at a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min. Calibration plots prepared in plasma were linear over the range 1-30 ng/ml, (limit of quantitation (LOQ) = 490 pg/ml) with R.S.D. of 0.05% and R.E. of 5.0% at the level of 1 ng/ml. Preliminary pharmacokinetic data from two patients given apomorphine by 12 h subcutaneous infusion (patient A dose = 35 mg and patient B dose = 141 mg) showed apomorphine elimination from plasma to fit a two-compartment model, with initial half-lives of 8.2 and 46.6 min, elimination half-lives of 76.4 and 166.5 min and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) values of 236 and 405 ng h/ml, respectively.

  14. A seven day running training period increases basal urinary hepcidin levels as compared to cycling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sim, M.; Dawson, B.; Landers, G.J.; Swinkels, D.W.; Tjalsma, H.; Wiegerinck, E.T.G.; Trinder, D.; Peeling, P.

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: This investigation compared the effects of an extended period of weight-bearing (running) vs. non-weight-bearing (cycling) exercise on hepcidin production and its implications for iron status. METHODS: Ten active males performed two separate exercise training blocks with either running

  15. Simulating the influence of plasma protein on measured receptor affinity in biochemical assays reveals the utility of Schild analysis for estimating compound affinity for plasma proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blakeley, D; Sykes, D A; Ensor, P; Bertran, E; Aston, P J; Charlton, S J

    2015-11-01

    Plasma protein binding (PPB) influences the free fraction of drug available to bind to its target and is therefore an important consideration in drug discovery. While traditional methods for assessing PPB (e.g. rapid equilibrium dialysis) are suitable for comparing compounds with relatively weak PPB, they are not able to accurately discriminate between highly bound compounds (typically >99.5%). The aim of the present work was to use mathematical modelling to explore the potential utility of receptor binding and cellular functional assays to estimate the affinity of compounds for plasma proteins. Plasma proteins are routinely added to in vitro assays, so a secondary goal was to investigate the effect of plasma proteins on observed ligand-receptor interactions. Using the principle of conservation of mass and the law of mass action, a cubic equation was derived describing the ligand-receptor complex [LR] in the presence of plasma protein at equilibrium. The model demonstrates the profound influence of PPB on in vitro assays and identifies the utility of Schild analysis, which is usually applied to determine receptor-antagonist affinities, for calculating affinity at plasma proteins (termed KP ). We have also extended this analysis to functional effects using operational modelling and demonstrate that these approaches can also be applied to cell-based assay systems. These mathematical models can potentially be used in conjunction with experimental data to estimate drug-plasma protein affinities in the earliest phases of drug discovery programmes. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

  16. Development of a quantitative bead capture assay for soluble IL-7 receptor alpha in human plasma.

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    Sylvie Faucher

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: IL-7 is an essential cytokine in T-cell development and homeostasis. It binds to the IL-7R receptor, a complex of the IL-7Ralpha (CD127 and common gamma (CD132 chains. There is significant interest in evaluating the expression of CD127 on human T-cells as it often decreased in medical conditions leading to lymphopenia. Previous reports showed the usefulness of CD127 as a prognostic marker in viral infections such as HIV, CMV, EBV and HCV. A soluble CD127 (sCD127 is released in plasma and may contribute to disease pathogenesis through its control on IL-7 activities. Measuring sCD127 is important to define its role and may complement existing markers used in lymphopenic disease management. We describe a new quantitative assay for the measurement of sCD127 in plasma and report sCD127 concentrations in healthy adults. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed a quantitative bead-based sCD127 capture assay. Polyclonal CD127-specific antibodies were chosen for capture and a biotinylated monoclonal anti-CD127 antibody was selected for detection. The assay can detect native sCD127 and recombinant sCD127 which served as the calibrator. The analytical performance of the assay was characterized and the concentration and stability of plasma sCD127 in healthy adults was determined. The assay's range was 3.2-1000 ng/mL. The concentration of plasma sCD127 was 164+/-104 ng/mL with over a log variation between subjects. Individual sCD127 concentrations remained stable when measured serially during a period of up to one year. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first report on the quantification of plasma sCD127 in a population of healthy adults. Soluble CD127 plasma concentrations remained stable over time in a given individual and sCD127 immunoreactivity was resistant to repeated freeze-thaw cycles. This quantitative sCD127 assay is a valuable tool for defining the potential role of sCD127 in lymphopenic diseases.

  17. Improved HPLC assay for S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethyl phosphorothioate (WR-2721) in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swynnerton, N.F.; McGovern, E.P.; Nino, J.A.; Mangold, D.J.

    1984-01-01

    An HPLC assay is presented for the detection and quantitation of the radioprotective drug S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethyl phosphorothioate (WR-2721, ethiofos) present in plasma. Improved selectivity and a 40-fold increase in sensitivity have been demonstrated over the method previously reported by this laboratory. Using precolumn derivatization with fluorescamine and S-3-(4-aminobutylamino)propyl phosphorothioate (WR-80855, a homolog of WR-2721) as the internal standard, drug levels of 0.05 to 1000 μg/mL were determined with excellent precision. Detector response was linear over the entire range. The assay uses 150 μL of plasma and requires a total chromatography time of about 50 minutes. The method was found suitable for pharmacokinetic studies in a preliminary experiment with a beagle dog in which no interferences due to plasma constituents or drug metabolites were observed

  18. Renal function and plasma dabigatran level measured at trough by diluted thrombin time assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta E. Martinuzzo

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Dabigatran etexilate (direct thrombin inhibitor is effective in preventing embolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. It does not require laboratory control, but given the high renal elimination, its measurement in plasma is important in renal failure. The objectives of the study were to verify the analytical quality of the diluted thrombin time assay for measurement of dabigatran plasma concentration (cc, correlate cc with classic coagulation assays, prothrombin time (PT and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT, and evaluate them according to the creatinine clearance (CLCr. Forty plasma samples of patients (34 consecutive and 6 suspected of drug accumulation receiving dabigatran at 150 (n = 19 or 110 (n = 21 mg/12 hours were collected. Blood samples were drawn at 10-14 hours of the last intake. Dabigatran concentration was determined by diluted thrombin time (HemosIl DTI, Instrumentation Laboratory (IL. PT and APTT (IL were performed on two fotooptical coagulometers, ACL TOP 300 and 500 (IL. DTI presented intra-assay coefficient of variation < 5.4% and inter-assay < 6%, linearity range 0-493 ng/ml. Patients' cc: median 83 (4-945 ng/ml. Individuals with CLCr in the lowest tertile (22.6-46.1 ml/min showed significantly higher median cc: 308 (49-945, compared to the average 72 (12-190 and highest tertile, 60 (4-118 ng/ml. Correlation between cc and APTT or PT were moderate, r2 = 0.59 and -0.66, p < 0.0001, respectively. DTI test allowed us to quantify plasma dabigatran levels, both in patients with normal or altered renal function, representing a useful tool in clinical situations such as renal failure, pre surgery or emergencies

  19. Plasma myelin basic protein assay using Gilford enzyme immunoassay cuvettes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groome, N P

    1981-10-01

    The assay of myelin basic protein in body fluids has potential clinical importance as a routine indicator of demyelination. Preliminary details of a competitive enzyme immunoassay for this protein have previously been published by the author (Groome, N. P. (1980) J. Neurochem. 35, 1409-1417). The present paper now describes the adaptation of this assay for use on human plasma and various aspects of routine data processing. A commercially available cuvette system was found to have advantages over microtitre plates but required a permuted arrangement of sample replicates for consistent results. For dose interpolation, the standard curve could be fitted to a three parameter non-linear equation by regression analysis or linearised by the logit/log transformation.

  20. Comparison and validation of ELISA assays for plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 in the horse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Courtnay L. Baskerville

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1 plays several important physiological roles, and IGF-related pathways have been implicated in developmental osteochondral disease and endocrinopathic laminitis. This factor is also a downstream marker of growth hormone activity and its peptide mimetics. Unfortunately, previously used assays for measuring equine IGF-1 (radioimmunoassays and ELISAs are no longer commercially available, and many of the kits on the market give poor results when used on horse samples. The aim of the present study was to compare three different ELISA assays (two human and one horse-specific. Plasma samples from six Standardbreds, six ponies and six Andalusians were used. The human IGF-1 ELISA kit from Immunodiagnostic Systems (IDS proved to be the most accurate and precise of the three kits; the other two assays gave apparently much lower concentrations, with poor recovery of spiked recombinant human IGF-1 and unacceptably poor intra-assay coefficients of variation (CV. The IDS assay gave an intra-assay CV of 3.59 % and inter-assay CV of 7.31%. Mean percentage recovery of spiked IGF-1 was 88.82%, and linearity and dilutional parallelism were satisfied. The IGF-1 plasma concentrations were 123.21 ±8.24 ng/mL for Standardbreds, 124.95 ±3.69 ng/mL for Andalusians and 174.26 ±1.94 ng/mL for ponies. Therefore of the three assays assessed, the IGF-1 ELISA manufactured by IDS was the most suitable for use with equine plasma samples and may have many useful applications in several different research areas. However, caution should be used when comparing equine studies where different analytical techniques and assays may have been used to measure this growth factor.

  1. Insights into the Antimicrobial Properties of Hepcidins: Advantages and Drawbacks as Potential Therapeutic Agents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa Lombardi

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The increasing frequency of multi-drug resistant microorganisms has driven research into alternative therapeutic strategies. In this respect, natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs hold much promise as candidates for the development of novel antibiotics. However, AMPs have some intrinsic drawbacks, such as partial degradation by host proteases or inhibition by host body fluid composition, potential toxicity, and high production costs. This review focuses on the hepcidins, which are peptides produced by the human liver with a known role in iron homeostasis, as well by numerous other organisms (including fish, reptiles, other mammals, and their potential as antibacterial and antifungal agents. Interestingly, the antimicrobial properties of human hepcidins are enhanced at acidic pH, rendering these peptides appealing for the design of new drugs targeting infections that occur in body areas with acidic physiological pH. This review not only considers current research on the direct killing activity of these peptides, but evaluates the potential application of these molecules as coating agents preventing biofilm formation and critically assesses technical obstacles preventing their therapeutic application.

  2. High performance liquid chromatographic assay for the quantitation of total glutathione in plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abukhalaf, Imad K.; Silvestrov, Natalia A.; Menter, Julian M.; von Deutsch, Daniel A.; Bayorh, Mohamed A.; Socci, Robin R.; Ganafa, Agaba A.

    2002-01-01

    A simple and widely used homocysteine HPLC procedure was applied for the HPLC identification and quantitation of glutathione in plasma. The method, which utilizes SBDF as a derivatizing agent utilizes only 50 microl of sample volume. Linear quantitative response curve was generated for glutathione over a concentration range of 0.3125-62.50 micromol/l. Linear regression analysis of the standard curve exhibited correlation coefficient of 0.999. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) values were 5.0 and 15 pmol, respectively. Glutathione recovery using this method was nearly complete (above 96%). Intra-assay and inter-assay precision studies reflected a high level of reliability and reproducibility of the method. The applicability of the method for the quantitation of glutathione was demonstrated successfully using human and rat plasma samples.

  3. Serum Hepcidin and Soluble Transferrin Receptor in the Assessment of Iron Metabolism in Children on a Vegetarian Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambroszkiewicz, Jadwiga; Klemarczyk, Witold; Mazur, Joanna; Gajewska, Joanna; Rowicka, Grażyna; Strucińska, Małgorzata; Chełchowska, Magdalena

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the effect of vegetarian diet on iron metabolism parameters paying special attention to serum hepcidin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) concentrations in 43 prepubertal children (age range 4.5-9.0 years) on vegetarian and in 46 children on omnivorous diets. There were no significant differences according to age, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) between vegetarian and omnivorous children. Vegetarians had similar intake of iron and vitamin B 12 and a significantly higher intake of vitamin C (p vegetarians. Hematologic parameters and serum iron concentrations were within the reference range in both groups of children. Serum transferrin levels were similar in all subjects; however, ferritin concentrations were significantly (p vegetarians than in omnivores. In children on a vegetarian diet, median hepcidin levels were lower (p vegetarians. We did not find significant associations with concentration of sTfR and selected biochemical, anthropometric, and dietary parameters in any of the studied groups of children. As hematologic parameters and iron concentrations in vegetarians and omnivores were comparable and ferritin level was lower in vegetarians, we suggest that inclusion of novel markers, in particular sTfR (not cofounded by inflammation) and hepcidin, can better detect subclinical iron deficiency in children following vegetarian diets.

  4. A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the analysis of atomoxetine in human plasma and in vitro cellular samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appel, David I.; Brinda, Bryan; Markowitz, John S.; Newcorn, Jeffrey H.; Zhu, Hao-Jie

    2012-01-01

    A simple, rapid and sensitive method for quantification of atomoxetine by liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed. This assay represents the first LC-MS/MS quantification method for atomoxetine utilizing electrospray ionization. Deuterated atomoxetine (d3-atomoxetine) was adopted as the internal standard. Direct protein precipitation was utilized for sample preparation. This method was validated for both human plasma and in vitro cellular samples. The lower limit of quantification was 3 ng/ml and 10 nM for human plasma and cellular samples, respectively. The calibration curves were linear within the ranges of 3 ng/ml to 900 ng/ml and 10 nM to 10 μM for human plasma and cellular samples, respectively (r2 > 0.999). The intra- and inter-day assay accuracy and precision were evaluated using quality control samples at 3 different concentrations in both human plasma and cellular lysate. Sample run stability, assay selectivity, matrix effect, and recovery were also successfully demonstrated. The present assay is superior to previously published LC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods in terms of sensitivity or the simplicity of sample preparation. This assay is applicable to the analysis of atomoxetine in both human plasma and in vitro cellular samples. PMID:22275222

  5. The diagnostic value of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy combined with plasma D-dimer assay in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Qian; Huang Lili; Qin Shuling; Yue Minggang; Wang Yu; Nie Yuxin; Liang Tiejun

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the clinical diagnostic value of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy combined with plasma D-dimer assay in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: One hundred and four patients with clinically suspected PE underwent both pulmonary ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy and plasma D-dimer assay. According to the criteria of prospective investigation of the pulmonary embolism diagnosis (PIOPED), ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy was interpreted as normal, very low or low probability of PE, intermediate probability of PE and high probability of PE. High probability was considered as positive; normal and very low or low probability as negative and intermediate probability as non-diagnostic. Plasma D-dimer levels were measured using a quantitative immunoturbidimetric method, and a cut-off value of 500 mg/L was used in the diagnosis of PE. Clinical diagnostic value of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy, D-dimer assay and combined use of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy and D-dimer assay for diagnosing PE was evaluated, respectively, comparing with the final clinical diagnosis that was based on the clinical findings. Results: Among the 104 patients, 44 were diagnosed with PE and 60 were excluded. Ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy provided diagnostic interpretations for 86 (82.7%) patients, and non-diagnostic interpretations for 18 (17.3%) patients. For diagnosing PE, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy was 84.1%, 75.0%, 78.8%, 71.2% and 86.5%, respectively, and with D-dimer assay was 93.2%, 60.0%, 74.0%, 63.1% and 92.3%, respectively. If a plasma D-dimer level of < 500 mg/L was taken as a criterion to exclude PE for those intermediate probability of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy, the diagnostic specificity and accuracy would be raised to 85.0% and 84.6%, respectively. Conclusions: When a non-diagnostic interpretation was occurred on

  6. Assay for plasma somatomedin: (/sup 3/H)thymidine incorporation by isolated rabbit chondrocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ashton, I K; Francis, M J.O. [Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford (UK)

    1977-01-01

    The incorporation of (/sup 3/H)thymidine by rabbit chondrocytes in vitro has been developed as a sensitive assay for plasma somatomedin. A concentration of normal plasma of 2.5% enhanced (/sup 3/H)thymidine incorporation by 5- to 20-fold compared with basal levels in the absence of plasma. The mean potency of plasma from normal adult men was 0.96 +-0.1 u./ml (mean +- S.D.) and from acromegalic patients 1.9 +- 0.4 u./ml. The apparent potency of hypopituitary plasma alone increased on heating which suggested the presence of heat-labile inhibitors of somatomedin activity. The potency of heated hypopituitary plasma (0.6 +- 0.09 u./ml) remained significantly lower (P < 0.01) than normal plasma. Human growth hormone (0.1 to 20 ..mu..u/ml), bovine growth hormone (0.5 to 20 ..mu..u/ml), insulin (0.5 to 5 ..mu..u/ml) and glucose (0.3 to 2 mmol/l) had no direct effect on the incorporation of (/sup 3/H)thymidine. Chondrocytes which had been previously stored frozen also showed a response to plasma somatomedin.

  7. Hepcidin and hemoglobin content parameters in the diagnosis of iron deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis patients with anemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Santen, S. van; Dongen-Lases, E.C. van; Vegt, F. de; Laarakkers, C.M.; Riel, P.L. van; Ede, A.E. van; Swinkels, D.W.

    2011-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To explore the utility of the novel iron indices hepcidin, reticulocyte hemoglobin content (Ret-Hgb), and erythrocyte (red blood cell) hemoglobin content (RBC-Hgb) for detection of iron deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with anemia and active inflammation and to compare

  8. Aspirin down Regulates Hepcidin by Inhibiting NF-κB and IL6/JAK2/STAT3 Pathways in BV-2 Microglial Cells Treated with Lipopolysaccharide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan-Ying Li

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Aspirin down regulates transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1 and up regulates ferroportin 1 (Fpn1 and ferritin expression in BV-2 microglial cells treated without lipopolysaccharides (LPS, as well as down regulates hepcidin and interleukin 6 (IL-6 in cells treated with LPS. However, the relevant mechanisms are unknown. Here, we investigate the effects of aspirin on expression of hepcidin and iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1, phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3 and P65 (nuclear factor-κB, and the production of nitric oxide (NO in BV-2 microglial cells treated with and without LPS. We demonstrated that aspirin inhibited hepcidin mRNA as well as NO production in cells treated with LPS, but not in cells without LPS, suppresses IL-6, JAK2, STAT3, and P65 (nuclear factor-κB phosphorylation and has no effect on IRP1 in cells treated with or without LPS. These findings provide evidence that aspirin down regulates hepcidin by inhibiting IL6/JAK2/STAT3 and P65 (nuclear factor-κB pathways in the cells under inflammatory conditions, and imply that an aspirin-induced reduction in TfR1 and an increase in ferritin are not associated with IRP1 and NO.

  9. Influenza A plasma and serum virus antibody detection comparison in dogs using blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. T. Lin

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: The influenza A virus (IAV is an important zoonotic pathogen with infections also reported in dogs. IAV infections can be detected through the presence of antibodies using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. Serum is the only standard sample source; however, there is no information on the availability of other sample sources for IAV antibody detection in dogs. Compared with serum, plasma is more widely employed in most animal hospitals. The object of this study is to investigate whether plasma collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA tubes (EDTA plasma or heparin tubes (heparin plasma could be used in the ELISA protocol instead of serum for IAV antibody detection in dogs. Materials and Methods: Totally, 82 matched EDTA plasma and serum sample pairs and 79 matched heparin plasma and serum sample pairs were employed using blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA. The agreement and correlation between the plasma (EDTA or heparin plasma and serum were assessed using the agreement index kappa (kD calculation and Pearson correlation coefficient, respectively. Results: The agreement index kD of EDTA plasma and serum was 1.0, and that of heparin plasma and serum was 0.85. The Pearson correlation coefficient of EDTA plasma and serum was 0.87 (p<0.01, and that of heparin plasma and serum was 0.82 (p<0.01. Conclusion: The results proved that plasma, especially EDTA plasma, could be substituted for serum in the bELISA test. This might greatly expand the clinical applicability of IAV antibody detection in dogs.

  10. Treatment with anti-IL-6 receptor antibody prevented increase in serum hepcidin levels and improved anemia in mice inoculated with IL-6–producing lung carcinoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noguchi-Sasaki, Mariko; Sasaki, Yusuke; Shimonaka, Yasushi; Mori, Kazushige; Fujimoto-Ouchi, Kaori

    2016-01-01

    Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, is produced mainly by interleukin-6 (IL-6) during inflammation. A mechanism linking cancer-related anemia and IL-6 through hepcidin production is suggested. To clarify the hypothesis that overproduction of IL-6 elevates hepcidin levels and contributes to the development of cancer-related anemia, we evaluated anti-IL-6 receptor antibody treatment of cancer-related anemia in an IL-6–producing human lung cancer xenograft model. Nude mice were subcutaneously inoculated with cells of the IL-6–producing human lung cancer cell line LC-06-JCK and assessed as a model of cancer-related anemia. Mice bearing LC-06-JCK were administered rat anti-mouse IL-6 receptor antibody MR16-1 and their serum hepcidin levels and hematological parameters were determined. LC-06-JCK–bearing mice developed anemia according to the production of human IL-6 from xenografts, with decreased values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) compared to non–tumor-bearing (NTB) mice. LC-06-JCK–bearing mice showed decreased body weight and serum albumin with increased serum amyloid A. MR16-1 treatment showed significant inhibition of decreased body weight and serum albumin levels, and suppressed serum amyloid A level. There was no difference in tumor volume between MR16-1-treated mice and immunoglobulin G (IgG)-treated control mice. Decreased hemoglobin, hematocrit, and MCV in LC-06-JCK–bearing mice was significantly relieved by MR16-1 treatment. LC-06-JCK–bearing mice showed high red blood cell counts and erythropoietin levels as compared to NTB mice, whereas MR16-1 treatment did not affect their levels. Serum hepcidin and ferritin levels were statistically elevated in mice bearing LC-06-JCK. LC-06-JCK–bearing mice showed lower values of MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and serum iron as compared to NTB mice. Administration of MR16-1 to mice bearing LC-06-JCK significantly suppressed levels of both serum hepcidin and

  11. Multiplex bio-assay with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: Towards a massively multivariate single-cell technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanner, Scott D.; Ornatsky, Olga; Bandura, Dmitry R.; Baranov, Vladimir I.

    2007-01-01

    Recent progress in the development of massively multiplexed bioanalytical assays using element tags with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection is reviewed. Feasibility results using commercially available secondary immunolabeling reagents for leukemic cell lines are presented. Multiplex analysis of higher order is shown with first generation tag reagents based on functionalized carriers that bind lanthanide ions. DNA quantification using metallointercalation allows for cell enumeration or mitotic state differentiation. In situ hybridization permits the determination of cellular RNA. The results provide a feasibility basis for the development of a multivariate assay tool for individual cell analysis based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in a cytometer configuration

  12. Multiplex bio-assay with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: Towards a massively multivariate single-cell technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanner, Scott D. [Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Room 407, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9 (Canada)], E-mail: sd.tanner@utoronto.ca; Ornatsky, Olga; Bandura, Dmitry R.; Baranov, Vladimir I. [Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Room 407, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9 (Canada)

    2007-03-15

    Recent progress in the development of massively multiplexed bioanalytical assays using element tags with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection is reviewed. Feasibility results using commercially available secondary immunolabeling reagents for leukemic cell lines are presented. Multiplex analysis of higher order is shown with first generation tag reagents based on functionalized carriers that bind lanthanide ions. DNA quantification using metallointercalation allows for cell enumeration or mitotic state differentiation. In situ hybridization permits the determination of cellular RNA. The results provide a feasibility basis for the development of a multivariate assay tool for individual cell analysis based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in a cytometer configuration.

  13. Direct measurement of the precursors of adrenocorticotropin in human plasma by two-site immunoradiometric assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crosby, S.R.; Stewart, M.F.; Ratcliffe, J.G.; White, A.

    1988-01-01

    An immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for the direct measurement of the precursors of ACTH in unextracted human plasma has been developed and evaluated clinically in normal subjects and patients with disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The IRMA is based on an iodinated monoclonal antibody to ACTH and a monoclonal antibody to gamma MSH coupled to Sephacryl S300. The assay detects only peptides containing both epitopes, i.e. POMC (31K) and pro-ACTH (22K). The reference standard was partially purified POMC from culture medium of human corticotroph adenoma cells. The detection limit (greater than +2.5SD of the 0 standard) was 2.0 pmol/L and the within-assay coefficient of variation was less than 10% between 29 and 2600 pmol/L. Plasma concentrations of ACTH precursor peptides in 11 normal subjects sampled at 0930 h ranged from 5-34 pmol/L. The concentrations in the patient groups studied were: 260-2300 pmol/L in 5 patients with the ectopic ACTH syndrome associated with small cell lung cancer, less than 2.0-104 pmol/L in 10 patients with pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease, 23 pmol/L in a patient with Nelson's syndrome, and 3.0-230 pmol/L in 5 patients with Addison's disease. We conclude that this IRMA offers a simple and reliable method for measuring ACTH precursors in unextracted plasma. The proportionately greater elevation of ACTH precursors compared to ACTH in patients with the ectopic ACTH syndrome associated with small cell lung cancer but not in pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome, suggests that this assay may be clinically useful

  14. HPLC assay for ethiofos in plasma: Application to pharmacokinetics in the beagle dog

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swynnerton, N.F.; Mangold, D.J.; Ludden, T.M.

    1985-01-01

    An HPLC assay for ethiofos [S-2-(3-amino-propylamino)ethyl phosphorothioate, WR 2727] in plasma is presented. Its application to the development of pharmacokinetic parameters following IV administration of the drug to beagle dogs is demonstrated and preliminary pharmacokinetics of four dosings will be presented. Following a dose of 150 mg kg -1 , the plasma concentration versus time profile was best described by a two-compartment pharmacokinetics model. Mean pharmacokinetic parameters were: terminal elimination half-life = 16.0 minutes, volume of central compartment = 129 mL kg -1 , and clearance = 11.0 mL min -1 kg -1

  15. Specific, sensitive, precise, and rapid functional chromogenic assay of activated first complement component (C1) in plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munkvad, S; Jespersen, J; Sidelmann, Johannes Jakobsen

    1990-01-01

    We present a new functional assay for the first complement component (C1) in plasma, based on its activation by inhibition of the C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-inh) when monospecific antiserum to C1-inh is added to the plasma. After maximal activation, we can determine the concentration of activated ...

  16. Detection of tetracosactide in plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Laurent; Chaabo, Ayman; Lasne, Françoise

    2015-06-01

    As a synthetic analogue of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), tetracosactide is prohibited in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method is proposed for detection of this drug in plasma. Since its structure corresponds to the 24 N-terminal of the 39 amino acids of the natural endogenous peptide ACTH, tetracosactide can be detected with a commercial ELISA kit for ACTH that uses antibodies, the epitopes of which are located in the 1-24 part of ACTH. However, an essential condition for detection specificity is the preliminary total clearance of endogenous ACTH in the plasma samples. This is achieved by a preparative step based on cation-exchange chromatography before ELISA. The method is specific and sensitive (LOD: 30 pg/mL) and may be used as a screening analysis in anti-doping control. The pre-analytical conditions are shown to be of the upmost importance and recommendations for blood collection (EDTA tubes), sample transport (4 °C) and plasma sample storage (-20 °C) are presented. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Novel double-isotope technique for enzymatic assay of catecholamines, permitting high precision, sensitivity and plasma sample capacity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, M.J.; Jenner, D.A.

    1981-01-01

    A novel use of a double-isotope method is described which allows radioenzymatic assays to combine precision and sensitivity. In the catechol O-methyltransferase assay separate portions of each plasma sample are incubated with either S-[ 3 H]- or S-[ 14 C]-adenosyl-L-methionine. Standards of noradrenaline and adrenaline are added to the latter portions and are thus converted into standards of [ 14 C]metadrenalines. These are added to the 3 H-labelled portions after the incubation, where they function as tracers. The final recovery of 14 C radioactivity corrects for (a) the efficiency of methylation in the plasma sample concerned and (b) the recovery of metadrenalines during the extraction procedures. The 3 H/ 14 C ratio is constant in each assay for a given catecholamine concentration and is determined for samples to which standards of noradrenaline and adrenaline are added to the 3 H- (as well as the 14 C-) labelled portions before the initial incubation. The sensitivity of the assay is increased by using high specific radioactivity S-[ 3 H]adenosyl-L-methionine, and low backgrounds are maintained by catecholamine depletion in vivo in the rats used for enzyme preparation. Both catecholamines (1.5 pg/ml; 10 pmol/l) may be detected; the coefficients of variation are 3.0 and 3.2% for noradrenaline and adrenaline respectively (intra-assay) and 4.6 and 5.0% (inter-assay). (author)

  18. Distinct roles for hepcidin and interleukin-6 in the recovery from anemia in mice injected with heat-killed Brucella abortus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gardenghi, Sara; Renaud, Tom M; Meloni, Alessandra; Casu, Carla; Crielaard, Bart J; Bystrom, Laura M; Greenberg-Kushnir, Noa; Sasu, Barbra J; Cooke, Keegan S; Rivella, Stefano

    2014-01-01

    Anemia of inflammation (AI) is commonly observed in chronic inflammatory states and may hinder patient recovery and survival. Induction of hepcidin, mediated by interleukin 6, leads to iron-restricted erythropoiesis and anemia. Several translational studies have been directed at neutralizing

  19. Decreased iron burden in overweight C282Y homozygous women: Putative role of increased hepcidin production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desgrippes, Romain; Lainé, Fabrice; Morcet, Jeff; Perrin, Michèle; Manet, Ghislain; Jezequel, Caroline; Bardou-Jacquet, Edouard; Ropert, Martine; Deugnier, Yves

    2013-05-01

    An excess of visceral adipose tissue could be involved as a modulator of the penetrance of HFE hemochromatosis since fat mass is associated with overexpression of hepcidin and low transferrin saturation was found to be associated with being overweight in women. This study was aimed at assessing the relationship between body mass index (BMI), a surrogate marker of insulin resistance, and iron burden in HFE hemochromatosis. In all, 877 patients from a cohort of C282Y homozygotes were included in the study when BMI at diagnosis and amount of iron removed (AIR) by phlebotomy were available. No relationship between AIR and BMI was found in men, whereas 15.1% (52/345) of women with AIR lean (7.9 mmoL/L ± 4.3) women (P = 0.0005). In C282Y homozygous women, BMI ≥28 kg/m(2) is independently associated with a lower amount of iron removed by phlebotomy. BMI is likely a modulator factor of the phenotypic expression of C282Y homozygosity, likely through an increase of circulating levels of hepcidin. Copyright © 2013 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  20. Meticulous plasma isolation is essential to avoid false low-level viraemia in Roche Cobas HIV-1 viral load assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortier, Virginie; Vancoillie, Leen; Dauwe, Kenny; Staelens, Delfien; Demecheleer, Els; Schauvliege, Marlies; Dinakis, Sylvie; Van Maerken, Tom; Dessilly, Géraldine; Ruelle, Jean; Verhofstede, Chris

    2017-10-24

    Pre-analytical sample processing is often overlooked as a potential cause of inaccurate assay results. Here we demonstrate how plasma, extracted from standard EDTA-containing blood collection tubes, may contain traces of blood cells consequently resulting in a false low-level HIV-1 viral load when using Roche Cobas HIV-1 assays. The presence of human DNA in Roche Cobas 4800 RNA extracts and in RNA extracts from the Abbott HIV-1 RealTime assay was assessed by quantifying the human albumin gene by means of quantitative PCR. RNA was extracted from plasma samples before and after an additional centrifugation and tested for viral load and DNA contamination. The relation between total DNA content and viral load was defined. Elevated concentrations of genomic DNA were detected in 28 out of 100 Cobas 4800 extracts and were significantly more frequent in samples processed outside of the AIDS Reference Laboratory. An association between genomic DNA presence and spurious low-level viraemia results was demonstrated. Supplementary centrifugation of plasma before RNA extraction eliminated the contamination and the false viraemia. Plasma isolated from standard EDTA-containing blood collection tubes may contain traces of HIV DNA leading to false viral load results above the clinical cutoff. Supplementary centrifugation of plasma before viral load analysis may eliminate the occurrence of this spurious low-level viraemia.

  1. A rapid, accurate and robust particle-based assay for the simultaneous screening of plasma samples for the presence of five different anti-cytokine autoantibodies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guldager, Daniel Kring Rasmussen; von Stemann, Jakob Hjorth; Larsen, Rune

    2015-01-01

    suitable for larger screenings. Based on confirmed antibody binding characteristics and the resultant reactivity in this multiplex assay, a classification of the c-aAb levels was suggested. The screening results of the recipients who received blood transfusions indicate that more studies are needed...... plasma samples and pooled normal immunoglobulin preparations were used to validate the assay. Plasma samples from 98 transfusion recipients, half of whom presented with febrile reactions, were tested by the assay. RESULTS: The assay detected specific and saturable immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding to each...... cytokine autoantibodies quantities in the negative plasma samples ranged between 80% and 125%. The analytical intra- and inter-assay variations were 4% and 11%, respectively. Varying c-aAb levels were detectable in the transfusion recipients. There was no difference in c-aAb frequency between the patients...

  2. A specific radioenzymatic assay for dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). Plasma DOPA may be the precursor of urine free dopamine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, M.J.; Dollery, C.T.

    1981-01-01

    A sensitive radioenzymatic assay was developed, in which DOPA is enzymatically decarboxylated to dopamine and the latter converted to [ 3 H]-methoxytryamine in the presence of [ 3 H]-S-adenosyl-L-methionine and catechol-o-methyltransferase. The assay was specific for DOPA, and was sensitive to 50 pg/ml. Endogenous DOPA was found to be present in the plasma of eight human volunteers at a concentration of 10.46 +- 2.42 nmol/l. Simultaneous urine collections in the same subjects showed a free dopamine excretion of 68.88 +- 17.70 nmol/h. There was a significant correlation (P < 0.01) between plasma DOPA concentration and urine free dopamine excretion (r = 0.84). After the oral administration of 250 mg levodopa, plasma DOPA and urine dopamine both increased by a similar proportion (98 +- 8.4-fold, and 93.4 +- 6.9-fold respectively). These compare with an increase in plasma dopamine of only 26 +- 15-fold (P<0.01). Following the oral dose of DOPA, the increase in plasma DOPA, but not plasma dopamine, could account for the increase in urine dopamine. The calculated clearance of plasma DOPA by renal decarboxylation to dopamine was 114 +- 20 ml/min. This is not significantly different from the apparent clearance of endogenous DOPA by renal decarboxylation to dopamine, and suggests that there is adequate renal decarboxylase activity for DOPA to be the precursor for renal dopamine formation. (author)

  3. Radioenzymatic assay of DOPA (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, G.A.; Gren, J.M.; Kupiecki, R.

    1978-01-01

    We modified the single-isotope radioenzymatic assay for catecholamines [Life Sci. 21, 625(1977)] to assay 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). DOPA decarboxylase is used to convert DOPA to dopamine, which concurrently is converted to [ 3 H]-3-O-methyldopamine in the presence of catechol-O-methyltransferase and [methyl- 3 H]-S-adenosylmethionine and assayed radioenzymatically. For assay of plasma DOPA, 50 μl of untreated plasma is added directly into the incubation mixture. A duplicate mixture containing an internal standard requires a second 50-μl aliquot of plasma. Because the assay measures both DOPA and endogenous dopamine, two additional aliquots of plasma must be assayed for dopamine in the absence of the decarboxylase by the differential assay; DOPA is estimated by difference. The assay is sensitive to 25 pg (500 ng/liter of plasma). Analysis of DOPA (DOPA plus dopamine) and the concurrent differential assay of catecholamines in at least 10 samples can be done in a single working day. Plasma DOPA concentrations for 42 normotensive adults were 1430 +- 19 ng/liter (mean +- SEM). In contrast, dopamine concentrations for these same subjects averaged 23 +- 20 ng/liter. Values for the 24 women subjects (1510 +- 62 ng/liter) significantly (P = 0.04) exceeded those for the men

  4. A modified Plasmodium falciparum growth inhibition assay (GIA) to assess activity of plasma from malaria endemic areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mlambo, Godfree; Kumar, Nirbhay

    2007-02-01

    Plasma samples from patients undergoing treatment in malaria endemic countries often contain anti-malaria drugs, that may overstate effects of specific antibodies in growth inhibition assays (GIA). We describe a modified assay that uses drug resistant P. falciparum parasites (W2) that circumvents the requirement for dialyzing samples that may likely contain drugs such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP).

  5. Elevated Serum Hepcidin Levels during an Intensified Training Period in Well-Trained Female Long-Distance Runners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aya Ishibashi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Iron is essential for providing oxygen to working muscles during exercise, and iron deficiency leads to decreased exercise capacity during endurance events. However, the mechanism of iron deficiency among endurance athletes remains unclear. In this study, we compared iron status between two periods involving different training regimens. Sixteen female long-distance runners participated. Over a seven-month period, fasting blood samples were collected during their regular training period (LOW; middle of February and during an intensified training period (INT; late of August to determine blood hematological, iron, and inflammatory parameters. Three-day food diaries were also assessed. Body weight and lean body mass did not differ significantly between LOW and INT, while body fat and body fat percentage were significantly lower in INT (p < 0.05. Blood hemoglobin, serum ferritin, total protein, and iron levels, total iron-binding capacity, and transferrin saturation did not differ significantly between the two periods. Serum hepcidin levels were significantly higher during INT than LOW (p < 0.05. Carbohydrate and iron intakes from the daily diet were significantly higher during INT than LOW (p < 0.05. In conclusion, an elevated hepcidin level was observed during an intensified training period in long-distance runners, despite an apparently adequate daily intake of iron.

  6. Contribution of Hfe expression in macrophages to the regulation of hepatic hepcidin levels and iron loading

    OpenAIRE

    Makui, Hortence; Soares, Ricardo J.; Jiang, Wenlei; Constante, Marco; Santos, Manuela M.

    2005-01-01

    Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), an iron overload disease associated with mutations in the HFE gene, is characterized by increased intestinal iron absorption and consequent deposition of excess iron, primarily in the liver. Patients with HH and Hfe-deficient (Hfe−/−) mice manifest inappropriate expression of the iron absorption regulator hepcidin, a peptide hormone produced by the liver in response to iron loading. In this study, we investigated the contribution of Hfe expression in macrophag...

  7. Glomerular filtration rate estimation from plasma creatinine after inhibition of tubular secretion: relevance of the creatinine assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemperman, F A; Silberbusch, J; Slaats, E H; van Zanten, A P; Weber, J A; Krediet, R T; Arisz, L

    1999-05-01

    Estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from plasma creatinine concentration after inhibition of tubular creatinine secretion with cimetidine provides a good assessment in patients with various nephropathies and with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The aim of this study was to compare cimetidine-aided GFR estimations using various creatinine assays. In 30 outpatients with NIDDM GFR was measured as the urinary clearance of continuously infused [125I]iothalamate. Plasma creatinine concentration was analysed after oral cimetidine with an alkaline picrate (AP) method, with an enzymatic (PAP) assay and with HPLC. GFR estimations were calculated with the Cockcroft Gault formula (CG). AP creatinine concentrations were significantly higher than PAP or HPLC values. GFR estimations by AP (CG(AP) 66 +/- 19 ml/min/1.73 m2, mean SD) were significantly lower than GFR (89 +/- 30), whereas CG(PAP) (85 +/- 30) and CG(HPLC) (84 +/- 34 ml/min/1.73 m2) were not. Bland and Altman analysis showed a difference between CG(AP) and GFR of -22.4 +/- 17.7 ml/min/1.73 m2; this difference becomes larger when the GFR increases. The difference between CG and GFR was only -3.8 +/- 14.8 ml/min/1.73 m2 for PAP and -4.4 +/- 17.5 ml/min/1.73 m2 for HPLC, without any systematic difference. A good assessment of the GFR from plasma creatinine after cimetidine administration is possible when creatinine is measured with an enzymatic assay or with the less convenient HPLC method. The more widespread and cheaper alkaline picrate assay is not suitable for GFR-estimation.

  8. The Human Plasma Proteome Draft of 2017: Building on the Human Plasma PeptideAtlas from Mass Spectrometry and Complementary Assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwenk, Jochen M; Omenn, Gilbert S; Sun, Zhi; Campbell, David S; Baker, Mark S; Overall, Christopher M; Aebersold, Ruedi; Moritz, Robert L; Deutsch, Eric W

    2017-12-01

    Human blood plasma provides a highly accessible window to the proteome of any individual in health and disease. Since its inception in 2002, the Human Proteome Organization's Human Plasma Proteome Project (HPPP) has been promoting advances in the study and understanding of the full protein complement of human plasma and on determining the abundance and modifications of its components. In 2017, we review the history of the HPPP and the advances of human plasma proteomics in general, including several recent achievements. We then present the latest 2017-04 build of Human Plasma PeptideAtlas, which yields ∼43 million peptide-spectrum matches and 122,730 distinct peptide sequences from 178 individual experiments at a 1% protein-level FDR globally across all experiments. Applying the latest Human Proteome Project Data Interpretation Guidelines, we catalog 3509 proteins that have at least two non-nested uniquely mapping peptides of nine amino acids or more and >1300 additional proteins with ambiguous evidence. We apply the same two-peptide guideline to historical PeptideAtlas builds going back to 2006 and examine the progress made in the past ten years in plasma proteome coverage. We also compare the distribution of proteins in historical PeptideAtlas builds in various RNA abundance and cellular localization categories. We then discuss advances in plasma proteomics based on targeted mass spectrometry as well as affinity assays, which during early 2017 target ∼2000 proteins. Finally, we describe considerations about sample handling and study design, concluding with an outlook for future advances in deciphering the human plasma proteome.

  9. Clot lysis time in platelet-rich plasma: method assessment, comparison with assays in platelet-free and platelet-poor plasmas, and response to tranexamic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panes, Olga; Padilla, Oslando; Matus, Valeria; Sáez, Claudia G; Berkovits, Alejandro; Pereira, Jaime; Mezzano, Diego

    2012-01-01

    Fibrinolysis dysfunctions cause bleeding or predisposition to thrombosis. Platelets contain several factors of the fibrinolytic system, which could up or down regulate this process. However, the temporal relationship and relative contributions of plasma and platelet components in clot lysis are mostly unknown. We developed a clot lysis time (CLT) assay in platelet-rich plasma (PRP-CLT, with and without stimulation) and compared it to a similar one in platelet-free plasma (PFP) and to another previously reported test in platelet-poor plasma (PPP). We also studied the differential effects of a single dose of tranexamic acid (TXA) on these tests in healthy subjects. PFP- and PPP-CLT were significantly shorter than PRP-CLT, and the three assays were highly correlated (p plasma PAI-1, von Willebrand factor, fibrinogen, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides (p platelet aggregation/secretion, platelet counts, and pro-coagulant tests to explore factor X activation by platelets, PRP clotting time, and thrombin generation in PRP. Among all the studied variables, PFP-CLT was independently associated with plasma PAI-1, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides and, additionally, stimulated PRP-CLT was also independently associated with plasma fibrinogen. A single 1 g dose of TXA strikingly prolonged all three CLTs, but in contrast to the results without the drug, the lysis times were substantially shorter in non-stimulated or stimulated PRP than in PFP and PPP. This standardized PRP-CLT may become a useful tool to study the role of platelets in clot resistance and lysis. Our results suggest that initially, the platelets enmeshed in the clot slow down the fibrinolysis process. However, the increased clot resistance to lysis induced by TXA is overcome earlier in platelet-rich clots than in PFP or PPP clots. This is likely explained by the display of platelet pro-fibrinolytic effects. Focused research is needed to disclose the mechanisms for the relationship between CLT and plasma

  10. Direct measurement of human plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone by two-site immunoradiometric assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linton, E.A.; McLean, C.; Nieuwenhuyzen Kruseman, A.C.; Tilders, F.J.; Van der Veen, E.A.; Lowry, P.J.

    1987-01-01

    A ''two-site'' immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) which allows the direct estimation of human CRH (hCRH) in plasma is described. Using this IRMA, basal levels of CRH in normal subjects ranged from 2-28 pg/mL [mean, 15 +/- 7 (+/- SD) pg/mL; n = 58]. Values in men and women were similar. Plasma CRH values within this range were also found in patients with Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease, and Nelson's syndrome, with no correlation between plasma CRH and ACTH levels in these patients. Elevated plasma CRH levels were found in pregnant women near term [1462 +/- 752 (+/- SD) pg/mL; n = 55], and the dilution curve of this CRH-like immunoreactivity paralleled the IRMA standard curve. After its immunoadsorption from maternal plasma, this CRH-like material eluted on reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography with a retention time identical to that of synthetic CRH and had equipotent bioactivity with the synthetic peptide in the perfused anterior pituitary cell bioassay. Circulating CRH was not detected in Wistar rats, even after adrenalectomy and subsequent ether stress. Synthetic hCRH was degraded by fresh human plasma relatively slowly; 65% of added CRH remained after 1 h of incubation at 37 C. Degradation was inhibited by heat treatment (54 C; 1 h), cold treatment (4 C; 4 h), or freezing and thawing. Loss of synthetic rat CRH occurred more rapidly when fresh rat plasma was used; only 20% of added CRH remained under the same conditions. The inability to measure CRH in peripheral rat plasma may be due to the presence of active CRH-degrading enzymes which fragment the CRH molecule into forms not recognized by the CRH IRMA

  11. [The effect of exogenous antioxidants on the antioxidant status of erythrocytes and hepcidin content in blood of patients with disorders of iron metabolism regulation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shcherbinina, S P; Levina, A A; Lisovskaia, I L; Ataullakhanov, F I

    2013-01-01

    In many diseases associated with impairments in iron metabolism, erythrocytes exhibit an increased sensitivity to oxidative stress induced in vitro. In this study, we have examined the antioxidant status of erythrocytes from healthy donors and from 12 patients with disorders of iron homeostasis by measuring the extent of t-BHP-induced hemolysis in vitro. The extent of hemolysis observed with patient erythrocytes was significantly higher than that observed in experiment with normal cells. After therapeutic infusions of the antioxidants mexidol or emoxypin, oxidative hemolysis in patients was restored to normal values and blood hepcidin content increased significantly. A significant correlation was observed between hepcidin concentration after treatment and t-BHP-induced hemolysis before treatment. These data suggest that antioxidants may exert a favorable effect under pathological conditions associated with iron overload disease.

  12. An immunoradiometric assay for procoagulant factor VIII antigen: results in haemophilia, von Willebrand's disease and fetal plasma and serum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peake, I.R.; Bloom, A.L.; Giddings, J.C.; Ludlam, C.A.

    1979-01-01

    An immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) has been developed based on the inhibitor which arose in a polytransfused severe haemophiliac. The two-site IRMA measured antigens closely associated with the procoagulant parts of the factor VIII complex, which are termed FVIIIC antigens or FVIIICAG. FVIIICAG was present in normal plasma and also, at a slightly lower concentration, in normal serum. In 37 patients with haemophilia A, 36 had FVIIICAG levels of less than 10% of the normal plasma pool. In patients with von Willebrand's disease the levels of FVIIIC and FVIIICAG were in good agreement, both before and after treatment with cryoprecipitate or DDAVP. FVIIICAG was relatively stable in plasma at 37 0 C and could also be detected in cord and fetal serum. The assay is of potential value for detecting reduced levels of factor VIII, for carrier detection and for the prenatal diagnosis of haemophilia. (author)

  13. Quantitative determination of polysulfide in albumins, plasma proteins and biological fluid samples using a novel combined assays approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Mayumi; Ishima, Yu; Shibata, Akitomo; Chuang, Victor T G; Sawa, Tomohiro; Ihara, Hideshi; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Xian, Ming; Ouchi, Yuya; Shimizu, Taro; Ando, Hidenori; Ukawa, Masami; Ishida, Tatsuhiro; Akaike, Takaaki; Otagiri, Masaki; Maruyama, Toru

    2017-05-29

    Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) signaling involves polysulfide (RSS n SR') formation on various proteins. However, the current lack of sensitive polysulfide detection assays poses methodological challenges for understanding sulfane sulfur homeostasis and signaling. We developed a novel combined assay by modifying Sulfide Antioxidant Buffer (SAOB) to produce an "Elimination Method of Sulfide from Polysulfide" (EMSP) treatment solution that liberates sulfide, followed with methylene blue (MB) sulfide detection assay. The combined EMSP-MB sulfide detection assay performed on low molecular weight sulfur species showed that sulfide was produced from trisulfide compounds such as glutathione trisulfide and diallyl trisulfide, but not from the thiol compounds such as cysteine, cystine and glutathione. In the case of plasma proteins, this novel combined detection assay revealed that approximately 14.7, 1.7, 3.9, 3.7 sulfide mol/mol released from human serum albumin, α 1 -anti-trypsin, α 1 -acid glycoprotein and ovalbumin, respectively, suggesting that serum albumin is a major pool of polysulfide in human blood circulation. Taken together with the results of albumins of different species, the liberated sulfide has a good correlation with cysteine instead of methionine, indicating the site of incorporation of polysulfide is cysteine. With this novel sulfide detention assay, approximately 8,000, 120 and 1100 μM of polysulfide concentrations was quantitated in human healthy plasma, saliva and tear, respectively. Our promising polysulfide specific detection assay can be a very important tool because quantitative determination of polysulfide sheds light on the functional consequence of protein-bound cysteine polysulfide and expands the research area of reactive oxygen to reactive polysulfide species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. A novel double-isotope technique for the enzymatic assay of plasma histamine: application to estimation of mast cell activation assessed by antigen challenge in asthmatics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, M.J.; Ind, P.W.; Causon, R.; Lee, T.H.

    1982-01-01

    The concentration of plasma histamine may provide an index of mast cell activation (degranulation) and can be measured by a sensitive radioenzymatic assay based on its specific conversion to (/sup 3/H)-methylhistamine in the presence of histamine-N-methyltransferase and (/sup 3/H)-S-adenosyl-L-methionine. In this assay, the separation of excess (/sup 3/H)-S-adenosyl-L-methionine from (/sup 3/H)-methylhistamine requires several steps, for which a correction factors is necessary to maintain precision. In the present modification, duplicate 50-microliters aliquots of each plasma sample were incubated with histamine-N-methyltransferase and (/sup 3/H)-S-adenosyl-L-methionine. A further aliquot, with an added standard of 200 ng/ml histamine, was incubated with histamine-N-methyl-transferase and (/sup 14/C)-S-adenosyl-L-methionine. This standard was converted to (/sup 14/C)-methylhistamine, and its recovery at the end of the assay corrected both for varying efficiency of methylation among plasma samples and for losses during the subsequent extraction and separation stages. The sensitivity of the assay was 25 pg/ml. The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation were 7.2% and 11.6%, respectively. In five asthmatics, antigen challenge caused a 28% fall in FEV1, and this was associated with a twofold to threefold rise in plasma histamine concentration. This assay may thus prove a useful method for assessing the role of mast cell release of mediators in vivo

  15. Early diagnostic value of plasma PCT and BG assay for CRBSI after OLT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, J; Wang, Y; Shen, Z; Zhu, Z; Song, Y; Han, R

    2011-06-01

    The aim was to evaluate the role of procalcitonin (PCT) and (1-3)-β-D-glucan (BG) tests for early detection or exclusion of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) in patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Fifty-five patients with clinically suspected CRBSI were assessed after OLT in this prospective study. On the day of clinical suspicion of CRBSI, blood samples were obtained from central venous catheters and a peripheral vein for blood cultures and from a peripheral vein for PCT and BG tests. Plasma PCT and BG values were measured by using an immunoluminometric assay and Fungitell BG assay, respectively. No prisoners or organs from prisoners were used in this study. Twenty-five patients (45%) were diagnosed with CRBIS. Among them, 13 (52%) displayed gram-positive bacteriemia, 11 (44%) gram-negative bacteriemia, and 1 (4%) fungemia. The PCT values were higher in CRBSI than in non-CRBSI patients (P = .003). CRBSI patients did not show significant increases in plasma BG values compared with non-CRBSI subjects (P = .051). PCT and BG area under receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.840 and 0.486, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of a PCT of ≥ 3.1 ng/mL for the diagnosis of CRBSI were 0.72, 0.87, 0.82, and 0.79, respectively. The figures for a BG of ≥ 83 pg/mL were 0.32, 0.90, 0.73, and 0.61, respectively. Among the 24 patients with bacteria infections, PCT was higher in patients with gram-negative than those with gram-positive bacterial infections (P = .022). We concluded that the PCT assay may be a useful rapid diagnostic adjunct for the diagnosis of suspected CRBSI in OLT patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Regulation of transepithelial transport of iron by hepcidin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    NATALIA P MENA

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepcidin (Hepc is a 25 amino acid cationic peptide with broad antibacterial and antifungal actions. A likely role for Hepc in iron metabolism was suggested by the observation that mice having disruption of the gene encoding the transcription factor USF2 failed to produce Hepc mRNA and developed spontaneous visceral iron overload. Lately, Hepc has been considered the "stores regulator," a putative factor that signals the iron content of the body to intestinal cells. In this work, we characterized the effect of Hepc produced by hepatoma cells on iron absorption by intestinal cells. To that end, human Hepc cDNA was cloned and overexpressed in HepG2 cells and conditioned media from Hepc-overexpressing cells was used to study the effects of Hepc on intestinal Caco-2 cells grown in bicameral inserts. The results indicate that Hepc released by HepG2 inhibited apical iron uptake by Caco-2 cells, probably by inhibiting the expression of the apical transporter DMT1. These results support a model in which Hepc released by the liver negatively regulates the expression of transporter DMT1 in the enterocyte

  17. LC-MS/MS assay for the quantitation of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib in human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiesel, Brian F; Parise, Robert A; Wong, Alvin; Keyvanjah, Kiana; Jacobs, Samuel; Beumer, Jan H

    2017-02-05

    Neratinib is an orally available tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting HER2 (ERBB2) and EGFR (ERBB). It is being clinically evaluated for the treatment of breast and other solid tumors types as a single agent or in combination with other chemotherapies. In support of several phase I/II clinical trials investigating neratinib combinations, we developed and validated a novel LC-MS/MS assay for the quantification of neratinib in 100μL of human plasma with a stable isotopic internal standard. Analytes were extracted from plasma using protein precipitation and evaporation of the resulting supernatant followed by resuspension. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an Acquity UPLC BEH Shield RP18 column and a gradient methanol-water mobile phase containing 10% ammonium acetate. An ABI 4000 mass spectrometer and electrospray positive mode ionization were used for detection. The assay was linear from 2 to 1,000ng/mL and proved to be accurate (98.9-106.5%) and precise (neratinib. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Solid-phase extraction and HPLC assay of nicotine and cotinine in plasma and brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawson, Ralph; Messina, S M; Stokes, C; Salyani, S; Alcalay, N; De Fiebre, N C; De Fiebre, C M

    2002-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a simple and reliable assay for nicotine (NIC) and its major metabolite, cotinine (COT), in plasma and brain. A method was developed that uses an extraction method compatible with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation and ultraviolet (UV) detection. Sequential solid-phase extraction on silica columns followed by extraction using octadecyl (C18) columns resulted in mean percent recovery (n = 5) of 51 +/- 5, 64 +/- 10, and 52 +/- 10% for NIC, COT, and phenylimidazole (PI), respectively, in spiked 1-mL serum samples. Recovery (mean +/- SEM) of the internal standard (PI) from spiked samples of nicotine-injected rats averaged 64.1 +/- 1.5% (n = 138) from plasma, and 20.7+/-0.8% (n = 128) from brain. The limits of detection of NIC in plasma samples were approximately 8 ng per mL, and of COT, 13.6 ng per mL. Further optimization of our extraction method, using slower flow rates and solid-phase extraction on silica columns, followed by C18 column extraction, yielded somewhat better recoveries (38 +/-3%) for 1-mL brain homogenates. Interassay precision (coefficient of variation) was determined on the basis of daily calibrations for 2 months and was found to be 7%, 9%, and 9% for NIC, COT, and PI, respectively, whereas intra-assay variability was 3.9% for both NIC and COT. Limited studies were performed on analytical columns for comparison of retention, resolution, asymmetry, and column capacity. We concluded that a simple two-step solid-phase extraction method, coupled with HPLC separation and UV detection, can be used routinely to measure NIC and COT in biological fluids and tissues.

  19. Analytical and clinical performance of the Hologic Aptima HCV Quant Dx Assay for the quantification of HCV RNA in plasma samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schønning, Kristian; Pedersen, Martin Schou; Johansen, Kim

    2017-01-01

    obtained from 13 patients undergoing treatment with DAAs. RESULTS: Deming regression of results from 187 plasma samples with HCV RNA >2 Log IU/mL indicated that the Aptima assay quantified higher than the CAPCTMv2 test for HCV RNA >4.9 Log IU/mL. The linearity of the Aptima assay was excellent across...

  20. A two-site immunoradiometric assay for human pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) using monoclonal antibodies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mowles, E.A.; Pinto-Furtado, L.G.; Bolton, A.E.

    1986-01-01

    A rapid, sensitive immunoradiometric assay has been developed for human pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) using a purified mouse monoclonal antibody as the tracer and a rabbit polyclonal antibody to this protein in the solid-phase antibody preparation. The assay showed no measurable cross-reaction (< 0.1%) against a range of purified human placental proteins, and a good correlation with a previously described radioimmunoassay procedure when tested on samples taken throughout normal human pregnancies. No PAPP-A-like immunological activity could be detected in sera from non-pregnant women, confirming the absence of this protein from the circulation outside pregnancy. (Auth.)

  1. Radioenzymatic assay of plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline: evidence for a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibiting factor associated with essential hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann, J.J.M.L.; Willemsen, J.J.; Thien, Th.; Benraad, Th.J.

    1982-01-01

    During the evaluation of a modified radioenzymatic determination of plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline, it has been found that there exists a highly significant (p 0 C, but only in plasma from patients with essential hypertension. Plasma from normotensive persons exhibits a complete lack of correlation between these factors. The consequences of the hypertension-associated COMT-inhibiting factor for the assays' specifications are discussed and data are presented for comparison with a recently-described uremia-associated COMT-inhibitor (Demassieux et al, Clin Chim Acta 115, 377-391; 1981). (Auth.)

  2. Validated assay for the simultaneous quantification of total vincristine and actinomycin-D concentrations in human EDTA plasma and of vincristine concentrations in human plasma ultrafiltrate by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Damen, Carola W. N.; Israëls, Trijn; Caron, Huib N.; Schellens, Jan H. M.; Rosing, Hilde; Beijnen, Jos H.

    2009-01-01

    A sensitive, specific and efficient high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) assay for the simultaneous determination of total vincristine and actinomycin-D concentrations in human plasma and an assay for the determination of unbound vincristine are presented.

  3. High performance liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay for the quantitation of BMS-204352 in dog K(3)EDTA plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Ming; Mantha, Subbarao; Shah, Vinod R; Vachharajani, Nimish N; Arnold, Mark E; Pursley, Janice M; Srinivas, Nuggehally R

    2002-05-01

    A high performance liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric (LC/MS) assay was developed and validated for the determination of BMS-204352 in dog K(3)EDTA plasma. A 0.5 mL aliquot of control plasma was spiked with BMS-204352 and internal standard (IS) and buffered with 1 mL of 5 mM ammonium acetate. The mixture was then extracted with 3 mL of toluene. After separation and evaporation of the organic phase to dryness using nitrogen at 40 degrees C, the residue was reconstituted in the mobile phase and 25 microL of the sample were injected onto a Hypersil C(18) column (2 x 50 mm; 3 microm) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The mobile phase was consisted of two solvent mixtures (A and B). Solvent A was composed of 5 mM ammonium acetate and 0.1% triethylamine in 75:25 v/v water:methanol, pH adjusted to 5.5 with glacial acetic acid, and solvent B was 5 mM ammonium acetate in methanol. A linear gradient system was used to elute the analytes. The mass spectrometer was programmed to admit the de-protonated molecules at m/z 352.7 (IS) and m/z 357.9 (BMS-204352). Standard curves of BMS-204352 were linear (r(2) > or = 0.998) over the concentration range of 0.5-1000 ng/mL. The mean predicted quality control (QC) concentrations deviated less than 5.1% from the corresponding nominal values (ie 4, 80, 400 and 2000 ng/mL); the within- and between-assay precision of the assay were within 5.5% relative standard deviation. Stability of BMS-204352 was confirmed after at least three freeze/thaw cycles and BMS-204532 was stable in dog plasma when stored frozen at or below -20 degrees C for at least 16 weeks in spiked QC samples and for at least 4 1/2 weeks for in vivo study samples. BMS-204352 and IS were stable in the injection solvent at room temperature for at least 24 h. The assay was applied to delineate the pharmacokinetic disposition of BMS-204352 in dogs following a single intravenous dose administration. In conclusion, the assay is accurate, precise, specific, sensitive and

  4. Deproteinization is Necessary for the Accurate Determination of Ammonia Levels by Glutamate Dehydrogenase Assay in Blood Plasma From Subjects With Liver Injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vodenicarovova, Melita; Skalska, Hana; Holecek, Milan

    2017-11-08

    To determine the effect of presence of high concentrations of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)- and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-consuming enzymes on the accuracy of glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) assay for ammonia. We measured ammonia concentrations using GLDH and NADH or NADPH in blood-plasma specimens and specimens deproteinized by sulfosalicylic acid from CCl4-treated or control rats. The nonspecific oxidation of NADH and NADPH was measured in mixtures without GLDH. We observed a gradual decrease (~0.5%) in absorbance in the plasma of controls after the addition of NADH but not after adding NADPH. The decrease in absorbance in plasma of CCl4-treated animals was 13.2% and 5.2% after the addition of NADH and NADPH, respectively. The decrease in absorbance was not detected in deproteinized specimens. The values of ammonia concentration were higher in the plasma specimens compared with the deproteinized ones. Deproteinization is necessary for accurate measurement of ammonia using GLDH assay in the blood plasma of subjects with liver injury. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  5. Performance of the new Bayer VERSANT HCV RNA 3.0 assay for quantitation of hepatitis C virus RNA in plasma and serum: Conversion to international units and comparison with the Roche COBAS amplicor HCV monitor, version 2.0, assay

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beld, Marcel; Sentjens, Roel; Rebers, Sjoerd; Weegink, Christine; Weel, Jan; Sol, Cees; Boom, René

    2002-01-01

    We have evaluated the VERSANT HCV RNA 3.0. Assay (HCV 3.0 bDNA assay) (Bayer Diagnostics, Berkeley, Calif.), which is an improved signal amplification procedure for the HCV 2.0 bDNA assay for the quantitation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in serum or plasma of HCV-infected individuals. The HCV 3.0

  6. Assays for calcitonin receptors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teitelbaum, A.P.; Nissenson, R.A.; Arnaud, C.D.

    1985-01-01

    The assays for calcitonin receptors described focus on their use in the study of the well-established target organs for calcitonin, bone and kidney. The radioligand used in virtually all calcitonin binding studies is 125 I-labelled salmon calcitonin. The lack of methionine residues in this peptide permits the use of chloramine-T for the iodination reaction. Binding assays are described for intact bone, skeletal plasma membranes, renal plasma membranes, and primary kidney cell cultures of rats. Studies on calcitonin metabolism in laboratory animals and regulation of calcitonin receptors are reviewed

  7. Total antioxidants in plasma of hemodialysed patients and healthy controls measured by two commercial assays

    OpenAIRE

    Ruskovska, Tatjana; Jansen, Eugene

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: As a result of an increased interest in oxidative stress research, in both basic and clinical studies, numerous commercial test kits became available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results for total antioxidants measured by two commercial assays in a complex clinical condition such as single hemodialysis session in patients on chronic hemodialysis treatment, in comparison to healthy controls. Methods: The level of plasma total antioxidants was measured by BAP ...

  8. Development and validation of a chiral high-performance liquid chromatography assay for rogletimide and rogletimide-N-oxide isomers in plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etienne, M C; Oster, W; Milano, G

    1996-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a stereo-specific high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for rogletimide (Rog) and rogletimide-N-oxide (Nox) isomers in plasma. The assay was performed with a chiral cellulose-[4-methylbenzoate]ester column (Chiracel OJ). Optimal separation was achieved isocratically with a mobile phase consisting of n-hexane/anhydrous ethanol (65/35, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.9 ml/min, with the column being thermostated at +35 degrees C (UV detection at 257 nm). Under these conditions, retention times were approximately 17, 28, 31 and 76 min for R-Rog, S-Rog, R-Nox and S-Nox, respectively. S-aminoglutethimide (S-Ag) served as the internal standard (retention time 70 min). An extraction procedure from plasma samples was developed on Bond Elut RP8 500-mg cartridges; conditioning was performed with 5 ml methanol and 5 ml water, after which 1 ml plasma that had previously been spiked with 5 microM S-Ag was applied. Washing was done with 6 ml water and elution, with 4 ml methanol. After evaporation to dryness, residues were dissolved in 400 microliters anhydrous ethanol and 12-48 microliters was injected onto the HPLC system. Blank plasma from healthy donors showed the random presence of a small interference eluting at the retention time of R-Rog, precluding the accurate quantification of R-Rog concentrations below 2.5 microM. Reproducibility assays demonstrated the need to use an internal standard. Taking into account the internal standard, at 2.5 microM the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 10.5% and 21.0% for R-Rog 5.5% and 8.7% for S-Rog, 7.6% and 20.8% for R-Nox and 11.7% and 6.4% for S-Nox, respectively. The detection limit was 2.5 microM for R-Rog, 0.5 microM for S-Rog, 0.25 microM for R-Nox and 0.5 microM for S-Nox. Linearity was satisfactory at concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 10 microM for R-Rog, from 0.5 to 10 microM for S-Rog, from 0.25 to 2.5 microM for R-Nox and from 0.50 to 2

  9. A new automated method for the determination of the Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC of human plasma, based on the crocin bleaching assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Notas George

    2002-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Antioxidant molecules, which scavenge free radical species to prevent or delay oxidative damage of important macromolecules, membrane lipids and lipoproteins, are prevalent in plasma and other biological fluids. Among them, bilirubin, uric acid and protein thiols are the major endogenous antioxidants, while vitamins C and E, as well as a number of food-derived (polyaromatic substances, belonging to stilbens, flavonoids and phenolic acids, are the main classes of nutritional antioxidants. Assays for total antioxidant capacity in plasma differ in their type of oxidation source, target and measurement used to detect the oxidized product. Methods In the present work we present an automated assay for the estimation of blood total antioxidant capacity (TAC assay, based on the crocin bleaching (oxidation method. This method was adapted on a modern autoanalyzer, was linear over a wide range of values (0–3 mmol/L, and performed using an end point measurement. Results The TAC method presented a linear correlation with another automated commercial Total Antioxidant Status (TAS test. Detection of the interference of different metabolites revealed a significant participation of TAC from uric acid, bilirubin, albumin, a minor interference from ascorbic acid, and no interference from hemoglobin. TAC was not modified by two freeze/thawing cycles, and was stable in samples stored at room temperature for 4 hours. K-EDTA and heparin were the best anticoagulants, while citrate decreased TAC by 20%. Reference values derived from samples of normal blood donors was 1.175 ± 0.007 mmol/L (mean ± SEM, while a diet rich in antioxidants more than doubled this value. Conclusions The proposed TAC assay, is fully automated, stable and reliable, and could be of value in the estimation of the AC of plasma. It is further proposed to calculate the antioxidant capacity of plasma after a subtraction of all interference deriving from endogenous and

  10. Cross-sectional study of expression of divalent metal transporter-1, transferrin, and hepcidin in blood of smelters who are occupationally exposed to manganese

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiyuan Fan

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background Manganese (Mn is widely used in industries including the manufacture of Mn-iron (Fe alloy. Occupational Mn overexposure causes manganism. Mn is known to affect Fe metabolism; this study was designed to test the hypothesis that workers exposed to Mn may have an altered expression of mRNAs encoding proteins in Fe metabolism. Methods Workers occupationally exposed to Mn (n = 71 from a Mn–Fe alloy factory and control workers without Mn-exposure (n = 48 from a pig-iron plant from Zunyi, China, were recruited for this study. Blood samples were collected into Trizol-containing tubes. Total RNA was isolated, purified, and subjected to real-time RT-PCR analysis. Metal concentrations were quantified by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results Working environment and genetic background of both groups were similar except for marked differences in airborne Mn concentrations (0.18 mg/m3 in Mn–Fe alloy factory vs. 0.0022 mg/m3 in pig-Fe plant, and in blood Mn levels (34.3 µg/L vs. 10.4 µg/L. Mn exposure caused a significant decrease in the expression of divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1, transferrin (Tf and hepcidin by 58.2%, 68.5% and 61.5%, respectively, as compared to controls, while the expression of transferrin receptor (TfR was unaltered. Linear regression analysis revealed that expressions of DMT1, Tf and hepcidin were inversely correlated with the accumulative Mn exposure; the correlation coefficients (r are −0.47, −0.54, and −0.49, respectively (p < 0.01. Conclusion The data suggest that occupational Mn exposure causes decreased expressions of DMT1, Tf and hepcidin in blood cells; the finding will help understand the mechanism underlying Mn exposure-associated alteration in Fe homeostasis among workers.

  11. High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of Aloe Emodin in mouse plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaffaroni, M; Mucignat, C; Pecere, T; Zagotto, G; Frapolli, R; D'Incalci, M; Zucchetti, M

    2003-10-25

    An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated to determine Aloe Emodin (AE) in mouse plasma. The analysis required 0.3 ml of plasma and involves extraction with dichloromethane. The HPLC separation was carried out on Symmetry Shield RP18, a mobile phase of methanol-water-acetic acid (65:35:0.2) and fluorescence detection at lambda(ex)=410 nm and lambda(em)=510 nm. The retention time of AE was 11.7 min. The assay was linear from 10 to 1,000 ng/ml (r2 > or = 0.999), showed intra- and inter-day precision within 7.8 and 4.7%, and accuracy of 87.3-105.7%. Detection limit (LOD) and quantification limit (LOQ) were 4.5 and 5 ng/ml, respectively. The method was applied to determine for the first time the pharmacokinetic of AE in mice.

  12. Advance in plasma SEPT9 gene methylation assay for colorectal cancer early detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yu; Chen, Pei-Min; Liu, Rong-Bin

    2018-01-15

    This review article summarizes the research advances of the plasma-based SEPT9 gene methylation assay for the clinical detection of colorectal cancer and its limitations. Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy with a poor prognosis and a high mortality, for which early detection and diagnosis are particularly crucial for the high-risk groups. Increasing evidence supported that SEPT9 gene methylation is associated with the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and that detecting the level of methylation of SEPT9 in the peripheral blood can be used for screening of colorectal cancer in susceptible populations. In recent years, the data obtained in clinical studies demonstrated that the SEPT9 gene methylation assay has a good diagnostic performance with regard to both sensitivity and specificity with the advantage of better acceptability, convenience and compliance with serological testing compared with fecal occult blood tests and carcinoembryonic antigen for colorectal cancer (CRC). Furthermore, the combination of multiple methods or markers has become a growing trend for CRC detection and screening. Nevertheless, the clinical availability of the methylated SEPT9 assay is still limited because of the large degree of sample heterogeneity caused by demographic characteristics, pathological features, comorbidities and/or technique selection. Another factor is the cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening strategies that hinders its large-scale application. In addition, improvements in its accuracy in detecting adenomas and premalignant polyps are required.

  13. A validated HPLC-MS/MS assay for quantifying unstable pharmacologically active metabolites of clopidogrel in human plasma: application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furlong, Michael T; Savant, Ishani; Yuan, Moucun; Scott, Laura; Mylott, William; Mariannino, Thomas; Kadiyala, Pathanjali; Roongta, Vikram; Arnold, Mark E

    2013-05-01

    Clopidogrel is prescribed for the treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome and recent myocardial infarction, recent stroke, or established peripheral arterial disease. A sensitive and reliable high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) assay was developed and validated to enable reliable quantification of four diastereomeric and chemically reactive thiol metabolites, two of which are pharmacologically active, in human plasma. The metabolites were stabilized by alkylation of their reactive thiol moieties with 2-bromo-3'-methoxyacetophenone (MPB). Following organic solvent mediated-protein precipitation in a 96-well plate format, chromatographic separation was achieved by gradient elution on an Ascentis Express RP-amide column. Chromatographic conditions were optimized to ensure separation of the four derivatized active metabolites. Derivatized metabolites and stable isotope-labeled internal standards were detected by positive ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The HPLC-MS/MS assay was validated over concentration ranges of 0.125-125 ng/mL for metabolites H1-H3 and 0.101-101 ng/mL for H4. Intra- and inter-assay precision values for replicate quality control samples were within 14.3% for all analytes during the assay validation. Mean quality control accuracy values were within ±6.3% of nominal values for all analytes. Assay recoveries were high (>79%). The four derivatized analytes were stable in human blood for at least 2 h at room temperature and on ice. The analytes were also stable in human plasma for at least 25 h at room temperature, 372 days at -20 °C and -70 °C, and following at least five freeze-thaw cycles. The validated assay was successfully applied to the quantification of all four thiol metabolites in human plasma in support of a human pharmacokinetic study. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Development and Evaluation of a Duplex Real-Time PCR Assay With a Novel Internal Standard for Precise Quantification of Plasma DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dan; Pan, Shiyang; Xie, Erfu; Gao, Li; Xu, Huaguo; Xia, Wenying; Xu, Ting; Huang, Peijun

    2017-01-01

    Circulating levels of cell-free DNA increase in many pathologic conditions. However, notable discrepancies in the quantitative analysis of cell-free DNA from a large number of laboratories have become a considerable pitfall, hampering its clinical application. We designed a novel recombinant DNA fragment that could be applied as an internal standard in a newly developed and validated duplex real-time PCR assay for the quantitative analysis of total cell-free plasma DNA, which was tested in 5,442 healthy adults and 200 trauma patients. Compared with two traditional methods, this novel assay showed a lower detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL, lower intra- and inter-assay CVs, and higher accuracy in the recovery test. The median plasma DNA concentration of healthy males (20.3 ng/mL, n=3,092) was significantly higher than that of healthy females (16.1 ng/mL, n=2,350) (Mann-Whitney two-sample rank sum test, PDNA concentration were 0-45.8 ng/mL and 0-52.5 ng/mL for healthy females and males, respectively. The plasma DNA concentrations of the majority of trauma patients (96%) were higher than the upper normal cutoff values and were closely related to the corresponding injury severity scores (R²=0.916, PDNA, showing promising application in clinical diagnosis.

  15. Effect of N-acetylcysteine on the accuracy of the prothrombin time assay of plasma coagulation factor II+VII+X activity in subjects infused with the drug. Influence of time and temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorsen, Sixtus; Teisner, Ane; Jensen, Søren Astrup; Philips, Malou; Dalhoff, Kim; Bendtsen, Flemming

    2009-01-01

    The prothrombin time (PT) assay of factor II+VII+X activity is an important predictor of liver damage in paracetamol poisoned patients. It complicates interpretation of results that the antidote, acetylcysteine (NAC) depresses this activity. The aim was to investigate if NAC influences the accuracy of the plasma PT assay. The accuracy of Nycotest PT was studied using plasma added NAC in vitro and plasma from subjects infused with NAC. The latter results were compared with those obtained by analysis of PT by CoaguChek S. Therapeutic NAC concentrations added to plasma in vitro decreased factor II+VII+X activity at 37 degrees C in a time-dependent manner. This effect was quenched at temperatures depression of factor II+VII+X activity in plasma from subjects infused with NAC during the first 3h of infusion indicating that it contained reactive NAC. The risk that this NAC interfered with the accuracy of the PT assay was considered minimal with samples stored below 24 degrees C. This was supported by similarity of results obtained by analysis of appropriately stored plasma and simultaneously drawn blood by CoaguChek S. Residual reactive NAC does not interfere with the accuracy of the PT assay of plasma stored below 24 degrees C, but NAC-induced loss in activity at 37 degrees C may be partly recovered during subsequent storage below 24 degrees C.

  16. Noninvasive Personalization of Lung Cancer Therapy Using a New, Clinical-Grade Assay for Plasma-Based Measurement and Monitoring of Tumor Genotype

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    funding to launch our plasma assay as a clinical test at Brigham and Women’s Hospital . With this assay, I have launched an investigator-sponsored trial...Manager [Recently Completed] Phi Beta Psi Charity Trust (Oxnard) 08/15/14 – 08/14/16 *0.00 CM Non-invasive genotyping realized at last...Harvard University, MA BA 06/1999 Chemistry University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, IL MD 06/2005 Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital

  17. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor afatinib in mouse plasma using salting-out liquid-liquid extraction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sparidans, Rolf W; van Hoppe, Stephanie; Rood, Johannes J M; Schinkel, Alfred H; Schellens, Jan H M; Beijnen, Jos H

    2016-01-01

    A quantitative bioanalytical liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) assay for afatinib, an irreversible inhibitor of the ErbB (erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog) tyrosine kinase family, was developed and validated. Plasma samples were pre-treated using salting-out

  18. Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometric Assay for Determination of Stavudine in Human Plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fengdan Jin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A LC-MS/MS method for determination of stavudine in human plasma was established and validated, and it was applied to the pharmaceutical formulations bioequivalence study. 0.5 mL plasma sample was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction. Stavudine was detected by a LC-MS/MS system. The pharmacokinetic parameters of stavudine in different formulations were calculated by noncompartment model statistics. The method was linear over the concentration ranges 5.00–1000 ng/mL in plasma. The intra- and interassay relative standard deviation (RSD was <10%. The average accuracies for the assay at three concentrations (5.00, 80.0, and 900 ng/mL were from 100.2% to 102.5%. Pharmacokinetic parameters of stavudine reference formulation were obtained as follows: Tmax was 0.6±0.2 h, Cmax was 480.7±150.9 g/L, t1/2 was 1.7±0.4 h, and AUC0-t was 872.8±227.8 g·h/L, and pharmacokinetic parameters of stavudine test formulation were obtained as follows: Tmax was 0.5±0.2 h, Cmax was 537.5±178.5 g/L, t1/2 was 1.7±0.3 h, and AUC0-t was (914.1±284.5 g·h/L. Calculated with AUC0-t, the bioavailability of two formulations was 105.0%.

  19. LC–MS/MS assay for olanzapine in human plasma and its application to a bioequivalence study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dinesh S. Patel

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a selective and sensitive assay for the determination of olanzapine (OLZ in human plasma based on liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS. The analyte and quetiapine as internal standard (IS were extracted from 200 μL plasma via solid phase extraction on Waters Oasis HLB cartridges. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an ACE 5C18-300 column (100 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm under isocratic conditions in a run time of 3.5 min. Mass spectrometric detection involved electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode followed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM of the transitions at m/z 313/256 for OLZ and m/z 384/253 for the IS. The assay was linear in the range 0.10–40.0 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantitation and limit of detection of 0.10 and 0.012 ng/mL, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precision (as coefficient of variation and relative recovery were 90%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of 5 and 10 mg OLZ disintegrating tablets in 40 healthy Indian males with reproducibility by incurred sample reanalysis in the range −7.43 to 8.07%.

  20. Detection of EGFR mutations in plasma and biopsies from non-small cell lung cancer patients by allele-specific PCR assays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weber, Britta; Meldgaard, Peter; Hager, Henrik

    2014-01-01

    samples with allele-specific PCR assays. METHODS: Pairs of the diagnostic biopsy and plasma obtained just prior to start of erlotinib treatment were collected from 199 patients with adenocarcinoma of non-small-cell lung cancer. DNA from both sample types was isolated and examined for the presence...... of mutations in exons 18-21 of the EGFR gene, employing the cobas(®) EGFR Tissue Test and cobas(®) EGFR Blood Test (in development, Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., CA, USA). RESULTS: Test results were obtained in all 199 (100%) plasma samples and 196/199 (98%) of the biopsies. EGFR-activating mutations were...... identified in 24/199 (12%) plasma samples and 28/196 (14%) biopsy samples, and 17/196 (9%) matched pairs contained the same mutation. Six EGFR mutations were present only in plasma samples but not in the biopsy samples. The overall concordance of the EGFR gene mutations detected in plasma and biopsy tissue...

  1. Validation of a Commercially Available Enzyme ImmunoAssay for the Determination of Oxytocin in Plasma Samples from Seven Domestic Animal Species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bienboire-Frosini, Cecile; Chabaud, Camille; Cozzi, Alessandro; Codecasa, Elisa; Pageat, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) has a broad range of behavioral effects in mammals. It modulates a multitude of social behaviors, e.g., affiliative and sexual interactions. Consequently, the OT role in various animal species is increasingly explored. However, several issues have been raised regarding the peripheral OT measurement. Indeed, various methods have been described, leading to assay discrepancies and inconsistent results. This highlights the need for a recognized and reliable method to measure peripheral OT. Our aim was to validate a method combining a pre-extraction step, previously demonstrated as essential by several authors, and a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for OT measurement, using plasma from seven domestic species (cat, dog, horse, cow, pig, sheep, and goat). The Oxytocin EIA kit (EnzoLifeSciences) was used to assay the solid-phase extracted samples following the manufacturer's instructions with slight modifications. For all species except dogs and cats, concentration factors were applied to work above the kit's sensitivity (15 pg/ml). To validate the method, the following performance characteristics were evaluated using Validation Samples (VS) at various concentrations in each species: extraction efficiency via spiking tests and intra- and inter-assay precision, allowing for the calculation of total errors. Parallelism studies to assess matrix effects could not be performed because of too low basal concentrations. Quantification ranges and associated precision profiles were established to account for the various OT plasma concentrations in each species. According to guidelines for bioanalytical validation of immunoassays, the measurements were sufficiently precise and accurate in each species to achieve a total error ≤30% in each VS sample. In each species, the inter-assay precision after 3 runs was acceptable, except in low concentration samples. The linearity under dilution of dogs and cats' samples was verified. Although

  2. Validation of a Commercially Available Enzyme ImmunoAssay for the Determination of Oxytocin in Plasma Samples from Seven Domestic Animal Species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecile Bienboire-Frosini

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The neurohormone oxytocin (OT has a broad range of behavioral effects in mammals. It modulates a multitude of social behaviors, e.g., affiliative and sexual interactions. Consequently, the OT role in various animal species is increasingly explored. However, several issues have been raised regarding the peripheral OT measurement. Indeed, various methods have been described, leading to assay discrepancies and inconsistent results. This highlights the need for a recognized and reliable method to measure peripheral OT. Our aim was to validate a method combining a pre-extraction step, previously demonstrated as essential by several authors, and a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA for OT measurement, using plasma from seven domestic species (cat, dog, horse, cow, pig, sheep, and goat. The Oxytocin EIA kit (EnzoLifeSciences was used to assay the solid-phase extracted samples following the manufacturer's instructions with slight modifications. For all species except dogs and cats, concentration factors were applied to work above the kit's sensitivity (15 pg/ml. To validate the method, the following performance characteristics were evaluated using Validation Samples (VS at various concentrations in each species: extraction efficiency via spiking tests and intra- and inter-assay precision, allowing for the calculation of total errors. Parallelism studies to assess matrix effects could not be performed because of too low basal concentrations. Quantification ranges and associated precision profiles were established to account for the various OT plasma concentrations in each species. According to guidelines for bioanalytical validation of immunoassays, the measurements were sufficiently precise and accurate in each species to achieve a total error ≤30% in each VS sample. In each species, the inter-assay precision after 3 runs was acceptable, except in low concentration samples. The linearity under dilution of dogs and cats' samples was

  3. UPLC-MRM Mass Spectrometry Method for Measurement of the Coagulation Inhibitors Dabigatran and Rivaroxaban in Human Plasma and Its Comparison with Functional Assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, Joachim; Gripp, Tatjana; Flieder, Tobias; Dittrich, Marcus; Hendig, Doris; Busse, Jessica; Knabbe, Cornelius; Birschmann, Ingvild

    2015-01-01

    The fast, precise, and accurate measurement of the new generation of oral anticoagulants such as dabigatran and rivaroxaban in patients' plasma my provide important information in different clinical circumstances such as in the case of suspicion of overdose, when patients switch from existing oral anticoagulant, in patients with hepatic or renal impairment, by concomitant use of interaction drugs, or to assess anticoagulant concentration in patients' blood before major surgery. Here, we describe a quick and precise method to measure the coagulation inhibitors dabigatran and rivaroxaban using ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode (UPLC-MRM MS). Internal standards (ISs) were added to the sample and after protein precipitation; the sample was separated on a reverse phase column. After ionization of the analytes the ions were detected using electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Run time was 2.5 minutes per injection. Ion suppression was characterized by means of post-column infusion. The calibration curves of dabigatran and rivaroxaban were linear over the working range between 0.8 and 800 μg/L (r >0.99). Limits of detection (LOD) in the plasma matrix were 0.21 μg/L for dabigatran and 0.34 μg/L for rivaroxaban, and lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) in the plasma matrix were 0.46 μg/L for dabigatran and 0.54 μg/L for rivaroxaban. The intraassay coefficients of variation (CVs) for dabigatran and rivaroxaban were method comparison between our UPLC-MRM MS method, the commercially available automated Direct Thrombin Inhibitor assay (DTI assay) for dabigatran measurement from CoaChrom Diagnostica, as well as the automated anti-Xa assay for rivaroxaban measurement from Chromogenix both performed by ACL-TOP showed a high degree of correlation. However, UPLC-MRM MS measurement of dabigatran and rivaroxaban has a much better selectivity than classical functional

  4. Assay system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patzke, J.B.; Rosenberg, B.J.

    1984-01-01

    The accuracy of assays for monitoring concentrations of basic drugs in biological fluids containing a 1 -acid glycoproteins, such as blood (serum or plasma), is improved by the addition of certain organic phosphate compounds to minimize the ''protein effect.'' Kits containing the elements of the invention are also disclosed

  5. A semi-automated multiplex high-throughput assay for measuring IgG antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) domains in small volumes of plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cham, Gerald K K; Kurtis, Jonathan; Lusingu, John

    2008-01-01

    -based assay was sensitive, accurate and reproducible. Four recombinant PfEMP1 proteins C17, D5, D9 and D12, selected on the basis that they showed a spread of median fluorescent intensity (MFI) values from low to high when analysed by the bead-based assay were analysed by ELISA and the results from both...... reactivity levels to twenty eight different recombinant PfEMP1 proteins were simultaneously measured using a single microliter of plasma. Thus, the assay reported here provides a useful tool for rapid and efficient quantification of antibody reactivity against PfEMP1 variants in human plasma....... of twenty nine PfEMP1 domains were PCR amplified from 3D7 genomic DNA, expressed in the Baculovirus system and purified by metal-affinity chromatography. The antibody reactivity level to the recombinant PfEMP1 proteins in human hyper-immune plasma was measured by ELISA. In parallel, these recombinant PfEMP1...

  6. Radioligand binding assay of cortisol using horse transcortin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dash, R.J.; Sharma, B.R.; Lata, V.

    1979-01-01

    A modified radioligand binding assay was developed to measure cortisol in a single methylene chloride extract of human plasma/serum. The assay utilises 5 percent horse serum for cortisol binding and 3 H-cortisol as tracer. Except for a cross reaction of 13.3 percent for cortisone and 7 percent for prednisolone that for other steroids tested was negligible. The assay sensitivity at the lower 95 percent inhibition of buffer controls was 20 pg/tube. The log dose logit response standard curve was linear between 80 pg and 5 ng/tube. Recovery(Y) of cortisol added (x) to male and pregnant female plasma was quantitated (y = 0.983 X-0.47, r = 0.98). Regression analysis of cortisol estimates obtained in 51 plasma/serum samples with this assay system and a specific radioimmunoassay (using cortisol-3-BSA antiserum) for plasma cortisol gave a coefficient of correlation (r) of 0.95 and a regression coefficient (b) of 0.97. The method was found to be simple and highly reproducible. Availability of all reagents in the aqueous phase permitted handling of a large number of samples by a single technician. (auth.)

  7. UPLC-MRM Mass Spectrometry Method for Measurement of the Coagulation Inhibitors Dabigatran and Rivaroxaban in Human Plasma and Its Comparison with Functional Assays.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joachim Kuhn

    least one week. A method comparison between our UPLC-MRM MS method, the commercially available automated Direct Thrombin Inhibitor assay (DTI assay for dabigatran measurement from CoaChrom Diagnostica, as well as the automated anti-Xa assay for rivaroxaban measurement from Chromogenix both performed by ACL-TOP showed a high degree of correlation. However, UPLC-MRM MS measurement of dabigatran and rivaroxaban has a much better selectivity than classical functional assays measuring activities of various coagulation factors which are susceptible to interference by other coagulant drugs.Overall, we developed and validated a sensitive and specific UPLC-MRM MS assay for the quick and specific measurement of dabigatran and rivaroxaban in human plasma.

  8. Proliferation assay of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells exposed to atmospheric-pressure plasmas at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miura, Taichi; Hirano, Kazumi; Ogura, Chika; Ikeguchi, Masamichi; Seki, Atsushi; Nishihara, Shoko; Ando, Ayumi; Kanazawa, Tatsuya; Hamaguchi, Satoshi

    2014-01-01

    Proliferation assays of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells have been performed with cell culture media exposed to atmospheric-pressure plasmas (APPs), which generate reactive species in the media at room temperature. It is found that serum in cell culture media functions as a scavenger of highly reactive species and tends to protect cells in the media against cellular damage. On the other hand, if serum is not present in a cell culture medium when it is exposed to APP, the medium becomes cytotoxic and cannot be detoxified by serum added afterwards. Plasma-induced cytotoxic media hinder proliferation of mouse ES cells and may even cause cell death. It is also shown by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that organic compounds in cell culture media are in general not significantly modified by plasma exposure. These results indicate that if there is no serum in media when they are exposed to APPs, highly reactive species (such as OH radicals) generated in the media by the APP exposure are immediately converted to less reactive species (such as H 2 O 2 ), which can no longer readily react with serum that is added to the medium after plasma exposure. This study has clearly shown that it is these less reactive species, rather than highly reactive species, that make the medium cytotoxic to mouse ES cells. (paper)

  9. Validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantification of citrullinated histone H3 as a marker for neutrophil extracellular traps in human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thålin, Charlotte; Daleskog, Maud; Göransson, Sophie Paues; Schatzberg, Daphne; Lasselin, Julie; Laska, Ann-Charlotte; Kallner, Anders; Helleday, Thomas; Wallén, Håkan; Demers, Mélanie

    2017-06-01

    There is an emerging interest in the diverse functions of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in a variety of disease settings. However, data on circulating NETs rely largely upon surrogate NET markers such as cell-free DNA, nucleosomes, and NET-associated enzymes. Citrullination of histone H3 by peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) is central for NET formation, and citrullinated histone H3 (H3Cit) is considered a NET-specific biomarker. We therefore aimed to optimize and validate a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify the levels of H3Cit in human plasma. A standard curve made of in vitro PAD4-citrullinated histones H3 allows for the quantification of H3Cit in plasma using an anti-histone antibody as capture antibody and an anti-histone H3 citrulline antibody for detection. The assay was evaluated for linearity, stability, specificity, and precision on plasma samples obtained from a human model of inflammation before and after lipopolysaccharide injection. The results revealed linearity and high specificity demonstrated by the inability of detecting non-citrullinated histone H3. Coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-assay variability ranged from 2.1 to 5.1% and from 5.8 to 13.5%, respectively, allowing for a high precision. Furthermore, our results support an inflammatory induction of a systemic NET burden by showing, for the first time, clear intra-individual elevations of plasma H3Cit in a human model of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation. Taken together, our work demonstrates the development of a new method for the quantification of H3Cit by ELISA that can reliably be used for the detection of NETs in human plasma.

  10. Protein Detection Using the Multiplexed Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) from Plasma and Vaginal Fluid Applied to the Indicating FTA Elute Micro Card™

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berggrund, Malin; Ekman, Daniel; Gustavsson, Inger; Sundfeldt, Karin; Olovsson, Matts; Enroth, Stefan; Gyllensten, Ulf

    2016-01-01

    The indicating FTA elute micro card™ has been developed to collect and stabilize the nucleic acid in biological samples and is widely used in human and veterinary medicine and other disciplines. This card is not recommended for protein analyses, since surface treatment may denature proteins. We studied the ability to analyse proteins in human plasma and vaginal fluid as applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card™ using the sensitive proximity extension assay (PEA). Among 92 proteins in the Proseek Multiplex Oncology Iv2 panel, 87 were above the limit of detection (LOD) in liquid plasma and 56 among 92 above LOD in plasma applied to FTA cards. Washing and protein elution protocols were compared to identify an optimal method. Liquid-based cytology samples showed a lower number of proteins above LOD than FTA cards with vaginal fluid samples applied. Our results demonstrate that samples applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card™ are amendable to protein analyses, given that a sensitive protein detection assay is used. The results imply that biological samples applied to FTA cards can be used for DNA, RNA and protein detection. PMID:28936257

  11. Protein Detection Using the Multiplexed Proximity Extension Assay (PEA from Plasma and Vaginal Fluid Applied to the Indicating FTA Elute Micro Card™

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malin Berggrund

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The indicating FTA elute micro card™ has been developed to collect and stabilize the nucleic acid in biological samples and is widely used in human and veterinary medicine and other disciplines. This card is not recommended for protein analyses, since surface treatment may denature proteins. We studied the ability to analyse proteins in human plasma and vaginal fluid as applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card™ using the sensitive proximity extension assay (PEA. Among 92 proteins in the Proseek Multiplex Oncology Iv2 panel, 87 were above the limit of detection (LOD in liquid plasma and 56 among 92 above LOD in plasma applied to FTA cards. Washing and protein elution protocols were compared to identify an optimal method. Liquid-based cytology samples showed a lower number of proteins above LOD than FTA cards with vaginal fluid samples applied. Our results demonstrate that samples applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card™ are amendable to protein analyses, given that a sensitive protein detection assay is used. The results imply that biological samples applied to FTA cards can be used for DNA, RNA and protein detection.

  12. Protein Detection Using the Multiplexed Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) from Plasma and Vaginal Fluid Applied to the Indicating FTA Elute Micro Card™.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berggrund, Malin; Ekman, Daniel; Gustavsson, Inger; Sundfeldt, Karin; Olovsson, Matts; Enroth, Stefan; Gyllensten, Ulf

    2016-01-01

    The indicating FTA elute micro card™ has been developed to collect and stabilize the nucleic acid in biological samples and is widely used in human and veterinary medicine and other disciplines. This card is not recommended for protein analyses, since surface treatment may denature proteins. We studied the ability to analyse proteins in human plasma and vaginal fluid as applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card™ using the sensitive proximity extension assay (PEA). Among 92 proteins in the Proseek Multiplex Oncology Iv2 panel, 87 were above the limit of detection (LOD) in liquid plasma and 56 among 92 above LOD in plasma applied to FTA cards. Washing and protein elution protocols were compared to identify an optimal method. Liquid-based cytology samples showed a lower number of proteins above LOD than FTA cards with vaginal fluid samples applied. Our results demonstrate that samples applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card™ are amendable to protein analyses, given that a sensitive protein detection assay is used. The results imply that biological samples applied to FTA cards can be used for DNA, RNA and protein detection.

  13. Radioreceptor assay for oxyphenonium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ensing, K.; Zeeuw, R.A. de

    1984-01-01

    The development of a radioreceptor assay for the quaternary anticholinergic drug, oxyphenonium, in plasma is reported. It is based on competition between this drug and 3 H-dexetimide for binding to muscarinic receptors. After ion pair extraction and reextraction, the drug can be determined in plasma at concentrations down to a value of 100 pg/ml. This permits pharmacokinetic studies to be made after inhalation of oxyphenonium. (author)

  14. Quantitation of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid in Dried Blood Spots and Dried Plasma Spots by Stable Isotope Dilution Assays.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Kopp

    Full Text Available Because of minimal data available on folate analysis in dried matrix spots (DMSs, we combined the advantages of stable isotope dilution assays followed by LC-MS/MS analysis with DMS sampling to develop a reliable method for the quantitation of plasma 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in dried blood spots (DBSs and dried plasma spots (DPSs as well as for the quantitation of whole blood 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in DBSs. We focused on two diagnostically conclusive parameters exhibited by the plasma and whole blood 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid levels that reflect both temporary and long-term folate status. The method is performed using the [2H4]-labeled isotopologue of the vitamin as the internal standard, and three steps are required for the extraction procedure. Elution of the punched out matrix spots was performed using stabilization buffer including Triton X-100 in a standardized ultrasonication treatment followed by enzymatic digestion (whole blood only and solid-phase extraction with SAX cartridges. This method is sensitive enough to quantify 27 nmol/L whole blood 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in DBSs and 6.3 and 4.4 nmol/L plasma 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in DBSs and DPSs, respectively. The unprecedented accurate quantification of plasma 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in DBSs was achieved by thermal treatment prior to ultrasonication, inhibiting plasma conjugase activity. Mass screenings are more feasible and easier to facilitate for this method in terms of sample collection and storage compared with conventional clinical sampling for the assessment of folate status.

  15. Validation and Application of a Dried Blood Spot Ceftriaxone Assay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page-Sharp, Madhu; Nunn, Troy; Salman, Sam; Moore, Brioni R.; Batty, Kevin T.; Davis, Timothy M. E.

    2015-01-01

    Dried blood spot (DBS) antibiotic assays can facilitate pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies in situations where venous blood sampling is logistically and/or ethically problematic. In this study, we aimed to develop, validate, and apply a DBS ceftriaxone assay. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) DBS ceftriaxone assay was assessed for matrix effects, process efficiency, recovery, variability, and limits of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD). The effects of hematocrit, protein binding, red cell partitioning, and chad positioning were evaluated, and thermal stability was assessed. Plasma, DBS, and cell pellet ceftriaxone concentrations in 10 healthy adults were compared, and plasma concentration-time profiles of DBS and plasma ceftriaxone were incorporated into population PK models. The LOQ and LOD for ceftriaxone in DBS were 0.14 mg/liter and 0.05 mg/liter, respectively. Adjusting for hematocrit, red cell partitioning, and relative recovery, DBS-predicted plasma concentrations were comparable to measured plasma concentrations (r > 0.95, P 95% initial concentrations in DBS for 14 h, 35 h, 30 days, 21 weeks, and >11 months, respectively. The present DBS ceftriaxone assay is robust and can be used as a surrogate for plasma concentrations to provide valid PK and PK/PD data in a variety of clinical situations, including in studies of young children and of those in remote or resource-poor settings. PMID:26438505

  16. Quantitation of hepatitis B virus DNA in plasma using a sensitive cost-effective "in-house" real-time PCR assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Hubert Darius

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Sensitive nucleic acid testing for the detection and accurate quantitation of hepatitis B virus (HBV is necessary to reduce transmission through blood and blood products and for monitoring patients on antiviral therapy. The aim of this study is to standardize an "in-house" real-time HBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR for accurate quantitation and screening of HBV. Materials and Methods: The "in-house" real-time assay was compared with a commercial assay using 30 chronically infected individuals and 70 blood donors who are negative for hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus (HCV antibody and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV antibody. Further, 30 HBV-genotyped samples were tested to evaluate the "in-house" assay′s capacity to detect genotypes prevalent among individuals attending this tertiary care hospital. Results: The lower limit of detection of this "in-house" HBV real-time PCR was assessed against the WHO international standard and found to be 50 IU/mL. The interassay and intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV of this "in-house" assay ranged from 1.4% to 9.4% and 0.0% to 2.3%, respectively. Virus loads as estimated with this "in-house" HBV real-time assay correlated well with the commercial artus HBV RG PCR assay ( r = 0.95, P < 0.0001. Conclusion: This assay can be used for the detection and accurate quantitation of HBV viral loads in plasma samples. This assay can be employed for the screening of blood donations and can potentially be adapted to a multiplex format for simultaneous detection of HBV, HIV and HCV to reduce the cost of testing in blood banks.

  17. Viral protein Nef is detected in plasma of half of HIV-infected adults with undetectable plasma HIV RNA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Ferdin

    Full Text Available To address the role of translationally active HIV reservoir in chronic inflammation and non-AIDS related disorders, we first need a simple and accurate assay to evaluate viral protein expression in virally suppressed subjects.We optimized an HIV Nef enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and used it to quantify plasma Nef levels as an indicator of the leaky HIV reservoir in an HIV-infected cohort.This study accessed 134 plasma samples from a well-characterized cohort study of HIV-infected and uninfected adults in San Francisco (the SCOPE cohort. We optimized an ELISA for detection of plasma Nef in HIV-negative subjects and HIV-infected non-controllers, and evaluated its utility to quantify plasma Nef levels in a cross-sectional study of ART-suppressed and elite controller HIV-infected subjects.Here, we describe the performance of an optimized HIV Nef ELISA. When we applied this assay to the study cohort we found that plasma Nef levels were correlated with plasma HIV RNA levels in untreated disease. However, we were able to detect Nef in plasma of approximately half of subjects on ART or with elite control, despite the lack of detectable plasma HIV RNA levels using standard assays. Plasma Nef levels were not consistently associated with CD4+ T-cell count, CD8+ T-cell count, self-reported nadir CD4+ T-cell count or the CD4+/CD8+ T-cell ratio in HIV-infected subjects.Since plasma HIV RNA levels are undetectable in virally suppressed subjects, it is reasonable to assume that viral protein expression in leaky reservoir, and not plasma virions, is the source of Nef accumulating in plasma. To examine this further, improvements of the assay sensitivity, by lowering the background through improvements in the quality of Nef antibodies, and detailed characterization of the HIV reservoirs are needed.

  18. Determination of vitamin B6 vitamers and pyridoxic acid in plasma: development and evaluation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bisp, Marianne R; Bor, Mustafa Vakur; Heinsvig, Else-Marie

    2002-01-01

    buffer containing 1 g/L sodium bisulfite. The performance of the assay was evaluated by analyzing six plasma samples with interrelated concentration and two control samples (unspiked and vitamer spiked) over a 3-months period. The HPLC method was able to identify PLP, 4-PA, PM, PL, PN, and PMP from all...... other compounds in plasma in an analytical run of 46 min. The imprecisions and mean values (presented in parenthesis in nmol/L) were (unspiked and spiked sample) 9-8% (41-65) for PLP, 12-7% (18-40) for 4-PA, 67-28% (4-19) for PL, 15% (21) for PN, 10% (27) for PM, and 27% (17) for PMP. All three B6...... will be suitable for routine quantitation of PLP and 4-PA in human plasma. Udgivelsesdato: 2002-Jun-1...

  19. The effects of residual platelets in plasma on plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1-related assays.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlien Pieters

    Full Text Available Due to controversial evidence in the literature pertaining to the activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in platelets, we examined the effects of residual platelets present in plasma (a potential pre-analytical variable on various plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1-related assays. Blood samples were collected from 151 individuals and centrifuged at 352 and 1500 g to obtain plasma with varying numbers of platelet. In a follow-up study, blood samples were collected from an additional 23 individuals, from whom platelet-poor (2000 g, platelet-containing (352 g and platelet-rich plasma (200 g were prepared and analysed as fresh-frozen and after five defrost-refreeze cycles (to determine the contribution of in vitro platelet degradation. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen, tissue plasminogen activator/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex, plasma clot lysis time, β-thromboglobulin and plasma platelet count were analysed. Platelet α-granule release (plasma β-thromboglobulin showed a significant association with plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen levels but weak associations with plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity and a functional marker of fibrinolysis, clot lysis time. Upon dividing the study population into quartiles based on β-thromboglobulin levels, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen increased significantly across the quartiles while plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity and clot lysis time tended to increase in the 4th quartile only. In the follow-up study, plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen was also significantly influenced by platelet count in a concentration-dependent manner. Plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen levels increased further after complete platelet degradation. Residual platelets in plasma significantly influence plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen levels mainly

  20. [The clinical significance of hepcidin detection in the patients with anemia and rheumatoid arthritis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galushko, E A

    2014-01-01

    The prevalence of anemia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) varies from 30 to 70%. 25% of the cases are diagnosed within 1 year after onset of the disease. On the whole, anemia in RA is described as anemia of a chronic disease (ACD). Pathogenesis ofACD is a multifactor process underlain by an immune mechanism: cytokines and cells ofthe reticuloendothelial system cause changes in iron homeostasis, proliferation of erythroid precursors, erythropoietin production and lifespan of erythrocytes. The key pathogenetic factor is disordered iron metabolism. IL-6 increasing hepatic production acute-phase protein (hepcidin) is the most important cytokine involved in ACD pathogenesis. Hence the necessity to measure its serum level for differential diagnostics of anemic syndrome in patients with RA and the choice of effective basal therapy. Recent data on the therapeutic potency of tocilizumab (IL-6 receptor inhibitor) demonstrate not its safety and sustainable beneficial clinical effect in combination with the favourable action on hemoglobin profile and reduction offatigue.

  1. Evaluation of the Aptima HBV Quant assay vs. the COBAS TaqMan HBV test using the high pure system for the quantitation of HBV DNA in plasma and serum samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schalasta, Gunnar; Börner, Anna; Speicher, Andrea; Enders, Martin

    2018-03-28

    Proper management of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection requires monitoring of plasma or serum HBV DNA levels using a highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification test. Because commercially available assays differ in performance, we compared herein the performance of the Hologic Aptima HBV Quant assay (Aptima) to that of the Roche Cobas TaqMan HBV test for use with the high pure system (HPS/CTM). Assay performance was assessed using HBV reference panels as well as plasma and serum samples from chronically HBV-infected patients. Method correlation, analytical sensitivity, precision/reproducibility, linearity, bias and influence of genotype were evaluated. Data analysis was performed using linear regression, Deming correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. Agreement between the assays for the two reference panels was good, with a difference in assay values vs. target 0.98). The two assays had similar bias and precision across the different genotypes tested at low viral loads (25-1000 IU/mL). Aptima has a performance comparable with that of HPS/CTM, making it suitable for use for HBV infection monitoring. Aptima runs on a fully automated platform (the Panther system) and therefore offers a significantly improved workflow compared with HPS/CTM.

  2. Radioligand assay in reproductive biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korenman, S.G.; Sherman, B.M.

    1975-01-01

    Radioligand assays have been developed for the principal reproductive steroids and peptide hormones. Specific binding reagents have included antibodies, plasma binders, and intracellular receptors. In each assay, problems of specificity, sensitivity, and nonspecific inhibitors were encountered. Many features of the endocrine physiology in childhood, during puberty, and in adulthood have been characterized. Hormonal evaluations of endocrine disorders of reproduction are characterized on the basis of their characteristic pathophysiologic alterations. (U.S.)

  3. Analytical characteristics and comparative evaluation of Aptima HCV quant Dx assay with the Abbott RealTime HCV assay and Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HCV quantitative test v2.0.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worlock, A; Blair, D; Hunsicker, M; Le-Nguyen, T; Motta, C; Nguyen, C; Papachristou, E; Pham, J; Williams, A; Vi, M; Vinluan, B; Hatzakis, A

    2017-04-04

    The Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay (Aptima assay) is a fully automated quantitative assay on the Panther® system. This assay is intended for confirmation of diagnosis and monitoring of HCV RNA in plasma and serum specimens. The purpose of the testing described in this paper was to evaluate the performance of the Aptima assay. The analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity, precision, and linearity of the Aptima assay were assessed. The performance of the Aptima assay was compared to two commercially available HCV assays; the Abbott RealTime HCV assay (Abbott assay, Abbott Labs Illinois, USA) and the Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS Taqman HCV Quantitative Test v2.0 (Roche Assay, Roche Molecular Systems, Pleasanton CA, USA). The 95% Lower Limit of Detection (LoD) of the assay was determined from dilutions of the 2nd HCV WHO International Standard (NIBSC 96/798 genotype 1) and HCV positive clinical specimens in HCV negative human plasma and serum. Probit analysis was performed to generate the 95% predicted detection limits. The Lower Limit of Quantitation (LLoQ) was established for each genotype by diluting clinical specimens and the 2nd HCV WHO International Standard (NIBSC 96/798 genotype 1) in HCV negative human plasma and serum. Specificity was determined using 200 fresh and 536 frozen HCV RNA negative clinical specimens including 370 plasma specimens and 366 serum specimens. Linearity for genotypes 1 to 6 was established by diluting armored RNA or HCV positive clinical specimens in HCV negative serum or plasma from 8.08 log IU/mL to below 1 log IU/mL. Precision was tested using a 10 member panel made by diluting HCV positive clinical specimens or spiking armored RNA into HCV negative plasma and serum. A method comparison was conducted against the Abbott assay using 1058 clinical specimens and against the Roche assay using 608 clinical specimens from HCV infected patients. In addition, agreement between the Roche assay and the Aptima assay using specimens with low

  4. Evaluation of the performance of Abbott m2000 and Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS Taqman assays for HIV-1 viral load determination using dried blood spots and dried plasma spots in Kenya.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeh, Clement; Ndiege, Kenneth; Inzaule, Seth; Achieng, Rebecca; Williamson, John; Chih-Wei Chang, Joy; Ellenberger, Dennis; Nkengasong, John

    2017-01-01

    Routine HIV viral load testing is not widely accessible in most resource-limited settings, including Kenya. To increase access to viral load testing, alternative sample types like dried blood spots (DBS), which overcome the logistic barriers associated with plasma separation and cold chain shipment need to be considered and evaluated. The current study evaluated matched dried blood spots (DBS) and dried plasma spots (DPS) against plasma using the Abbott M 2000 (Abbott) and Roche Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas TaqMan (CAP/CTM) quantitative viral load assays in western Kenya. Matched plasma DBS and DPS were obtained from 200 HIV-1 infected antiretroviral treatment (ART)-experienced patients attending patient support centers in Western Kenya. Standard quantitative assay performance parameters with accompanying 95% confidence intervals (CI) were assessed at the assays lower detection limit (400cps/ml for CAP/CTM and 550cps/ml for Abbott) using SAS version 9.2. Receiver operating curves (ROC) were further used to assess viral-load thresholds with best assay performance (reference assay CAP/CTM plasma). Using the Abbott test, the sensitivity and specificity, respectively, for DPS were (97.3%, [95%CI: 93.2-99.2] and 98.1% [95%CI: 89.7-100]) and those for DBS (93.9% [95%CI: 88.8-97.2] and 88.0% [95%CI: 82.2-92.4]). The correlation and agreement using paired plasma and DPS/DBS were strong, with r2 = 90.5 and rc = 68.1. The Bland-Altman relative percent change was 95.3 for DPS, (95%CI: 90.4-97.7) and 73.6 (95%CI: 51.6-86.5) for DBS. Using the CAP/CTM assay, the sensitivity for DBS was significantly higher compared to DPS (100.0% [95% CI: 97.6-100.0] vs. 94.7% [95%CI: 89.8-97.7]), while the specificity for DBS was lower: 4%, [95% CI: 0.4-13.7] compared to DPS: 94.0%, [95% CI: 83.5-98.7]. When compared under different clinical relevant thresholds, the accuracy for the Abbott assay was 95% at the 1000cps/ml cut-off with a sensitivity and specificity of 96.6% [95% CI 91.8-98.7] and 90

  5. Radioimmunoassay of bleomycin in plasma and urine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teale, J.D.; Clough, J.M.; Marks, V.

    1977-01-01

    Antibodies to bleomycin were raised by immunization of sheep and rabbits with bleomycin-albumin conjugates. The combination of a high-titre, high-avidity sheep antiserum and iodinated bleomycin produced a radioimmunoassay sensitive to 8 ng of bleomycin per ml of plasma or urine. Untreated specimens (100 μl) of plasma or urine could be added directly to the assay tubes. The anti-serum was specific for bleomycin and showed no cross-reaction with other anti-cancer agents used in combination chemotherapy. Over a concentration range of 20 to 100 ng/ml. recovery of bleomycin from plasma was 110% and from urine, 93%. Repeated assay of plasma samples showed a decrease in bleomycin levels unless the samples were kept at 4 0 C or below. Assay of bleomycin levels in plasma and urine from patients under treatment with bleomycin showed similarities with results reported using a microbiological assay. The radioimmunoassay offers a more reliable, rapid and sensitive method for the measurement of bleomycin. (author)

  6. The Use of a Liposomal Formulation Incorporating an Antimicrobial Peptide from Tilapia as a New Adjuvant to Epirubicin in Human Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Pluripotent Testicular Embryonic Carcinoma Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Yu-Li; Lee, Hsin-Pin; Tu, Wei-Chen

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of hepcidin, a potential antimicrobial peptide from Tilapia, and epirubicin (Epi), an antineoplastic agent, on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and link the ROS levels to the reversal mechanisms of multidrug resistance (MDR) by epirubicin and hepcidin in human squamous cell carcinoma SCC15 and human embryonal carcinoma NT2D1 cells. The cells, pretreated with hepcidin, epirubicin, or a combination of these compounds in PEGylated liposomes, were used to validate the molecular mechanisms involved in inhibiting efflux transporters and inducing apoptosis as evaluated by cytotoxicity, intracellular accumulation, mRNA levels, cell cycle distribution, and caspase activity of this combination. We found that hepcidin significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of epirubicin in liposomes. The co-incubation of epirubicin with hepcidin in liposomes intensified the ROS production, including hydrogen peroxide and superoxide free radicals. Hepcidin significantly increased epirubicin intracellular uptake into NT2D1 and SCC15 cells, as supported by the diminished mRNA expressions of MDR1, MDR-associated protein (MRP) 1, and MRP2. Hepcidin and/or epirubicin in liposomes triggered apoptosis, as verified by the reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, increased sub-G1 phase of cell cycle, incremental populations of apoptosis using annexin V/PI assay, and chromatin condensation. As far as we know, this is the first example showing that PEGylated liposomal TH1-5 and epirubicin gives rise to cell death in human squamous carcinoma and testicular embryonic carcinoma cells through the reduced epirubicin efflux via ROS-mediated suppression of P-gp and MRPs and concomitant initiation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Hence, hepcidin in PEGylated liposomes may function as an adjuvant to anticancer drugs, thus demonstrating a novel strategy for reversing MDR. PMID:26393585

  7. Improved radioimmunoassay of plasma cortisol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donohue, J.; Sgoutas, D.

    1975-01-01

    We report a simplified radioimmunoassay procedure for determination of plasma cortisol. The method offers the advantage that tracer, antibody, and assay buffer are added in a single step with the use of semi-automated equipment. Thus, critical pipetting procedures are minimized, and assay time is reduced to 4 h. No prior extraction or chromatographic purification of cortisol is required. The procedure is simple, reliable, and accurate. For either between-assay or within-assay determinations, the coefficients of variation are about 6 percent. Our results compare well with those obtained from a procedure that included extraction and chromatographic purification of cortisol in several plasma samples. Conditions for optimizing the assay are also discussed. (auth)

  8. High-sensitivity simultaneous liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel in human plasma

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Abhishek Gandhi; Swati Guttikar; Priti Trivedi

    2015-01-01

    A sensitive and simultaneous liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for quantification of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel. The analytes were extracted with methyl-tert-butyl ether: n-hexane (50:50, v/v) solvent mixture, followed by dansyl derivatization. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Kinetex C18 (50 mm × 4.6 mm, 2.6μm) column with a mobile phase of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and acetonitrile in gradient composition. The mass transitions were monitored in electrospray positive ionization mode. The assay exhibited a linear range of 0.100-20.0 ng/mL for levonorgestrel and 4.00-500 pg/mL for ethinyl estradiol in human plasma. A run time of 9.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a throughput of more than 100 samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies.

  9. Immunoradiometric quantitation of tissue plasminogen activator-related antigen in human plasma: crypticity phenomenon and relationship to plasma fibrinolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wun, T.C.; Capuano, A.

    1987-01-01

    A two-site immunoradiometric assay for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen has been developed using immunoaffinity purified antibody. Various treatments enhanced the detection of tPA antigen in the plasma samples. Maximum detection was obtained by acidification of plasma to pH 4.8 to 6.5 or addition of 0.5 mol/L of L-lysine or L-arginine. Acidification or addition of lysine to plasma is also required for maximum immunoadsorption of plasma tPA antigen on anti-tPA-Ig-sepharose. These results indicate that plasma tPA antigen is partially cryptic to antibody in untreated plasma. The plasma tPA antigen isolated by immunoadsorption of either untreated plasma or acidified plasma on anti-tPA-Ig-sepharose consists mainly of a 100-kd plasminogen activator species as determined by fibrin-agar zymography. The 100-kd activity is possibly a tPA:inhibitor complex. A standardized sample preparation method was conveniently adopted by mixing 3 vol of plasma and 1 vol of 2 mol/L of L-lysine for the assay. Reconstitution and recovery studies showed that the method is specific and permits full detection of both free tPA and tPA:inhibitor complex. The validity of the assay is further supported by the finding that the spontaneous plasma fibrinolysis previously demonstrated to be dependent on plasma tPA antigen is correlated with tPA antigen content. Using the standardized assay, we found that tPA antigen concentrations in 16 blood bank plasmas are equivalent to 3.7 to 20 ng of 60 kd tPA/mL. In all the plasma tested, more than half of the antigen is undetected unless the plasma is treated as described above

  10. Immunoradiometric quantitation of tissue plasminogen activator-related antigen in human plasma: crypticity phenomenon and relationship to plasma fibrinolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wun, T.C.; Capuano, A.

    1987-05-01

    A two-site immunoradiometric assay for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen has been developed using immunoaffinity purified antibody. Various treatments enhanced the detection of tPA antigen in the plasma samples. Maximum detection was obtained by acidification of plasma to pH 4.8 to 6.5 or addition of 0.5 mol/L of L-lysine or L-arginine. Acidification or addition of lysine to plasma is also required for maximum immunoadsorption of plasma tPA antigen on anti-tPA-Ig-sepharose. These results indicate that plasma tPA antigen is partially cryptic to antibody in untreated plasma. The plasma tPA antigen isolated by immunoadsorption of either untreated plasma or acidified plasma on anti-tPA-Ig-sepharose consists mainly of a 100-kd plasminogen activator species as determined by fibrin-agar zymography. The 100-kd activity is possibly a tPA:inhibitor complex. A standardized sample preparation method was conveniently adopted by mixing 3 vol of plasma and 1 vol of 2 mol/L of L-lysine for the assay. Reconstitution and recovery studies showed that the method is specific and permits full detection of both free tPA and tPA:inhibitor complex. The validity of the assay is further supported by the finding that the spontaneous plasma fibrinolysis previously demonstrated to be dependent on plasma tPA antigen is correlated with tPA antigen content. Using the standardized assay, we found that tPA antigen concentrations in 16 blood bank plasmas are equivalent to 3.7 to 20 ng of 60 kd tPA/mL. In all the plasma tested, more than half of the antigen is undetected unless the plasma is treated as described above.

  11. Development of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay systems for plasma β-galactoside α2,6-sialyltransferase, a possible hepatic disease biomarker

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Futakawa, Satoshi; Kitazume, Shinobu; Oka, Ritsuko; Ogawa, Kazuko; Hagiwara, Yoshiaki; Kinoshita, Akinori; Miyashita, Kazuya; Hashimoto, Yasuhiro

    2009-01-01

    Previous reports, including our work, have shown that plasma β-galactoside α2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal I) activity is significantly increased in particular hepatopathological situations, suggesting that it may represent a sensitive biomarker for diagnosing hepatic diseases. So far, activity of ST6Gal I have been measured by using radioactive tracer method in place of measuring amount of ST6Gal I. However, this method is tangled and cannot exclude other sialyltransferase activities. Thus, simple and specific methods for measuring plasma ST6Gal I had been unavailable. Here, we developed two kinds of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems that specifically detect the soluble cleaved form of ST6Gal I in plasma. In one sandwich ELISA, we detected rat specific sequence, EFQMPK, which is N-terminus of soluble ST6Gal I. In the other sandwich ELISA, we detected internal common sequence among rat, mouse and human ST6Gal I in plasma (M2 ELISA). Using the M2 ELISA, we observed that elevation of plasma ST6Gal I was much faster than elevation of plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced mouse liver injury model. Our data suggest that these ELISA systems are very useful tools for measuring plasma ST6Gal I, which represents a potential biomarker for diagnosing hepatic diseases

  12. Development of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay systems for plasma {beta}-galactoside {alpha}2,6-sialyltransferase, a possible hepatic disease biomarker

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Futakawa, Satoshi [Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1295 (Japan); Kitazume, Shinobu [Disease Glycomics Laboratory, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 560-0082 (Japan); Oka, Ritsuko [CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 560-0082 (Japan); Glyco-chain Functions Laboratory, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Ogawa, Kazuko [Disease Glycomics Laboratory, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 560-0082 (Japan); Hagiwara, Yoshiaki; Kinoshita, Akinori; Miyashita, Kazuya [Department of Biological Sciences, Immuno-Biological Laboratories Co. Ltd., 1091-1 Naka, Fujioka-shi, Gunma 375-0005 (Japan); Hashimoto, Yasuhiro [Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1295 (Japan); CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 560-0082 (Japan)], E-mail: yasuc@fmu.ac.jp

    2009-01-05

    Previous reports, including our work, have shown that plasma {beta}-galactoside {alpha}2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal I) activity is significantly increased in particular hepatopathological situations, suggesting that it may represent a sensitive biomarker for diagnosing hepatic diseases. So far, activity of ST6Gal I have been measured by using radioactive tracer method in place of measuring amount of ST6Gal I. However, this method is tangled and cannot exclude other sialyltransferase activities. Thus, simple and specific methods for measuring plasma ST6Gal I had been unavailable. Here, we developed two kinds of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems that specifically detect the soluble cleaved form of ST6Gal I in plasma. In one sandwich ELISA, we detected rat specific sequence, EFQMPK, which is N-terminus of soluble ST6Gal I. In the other sandwich ELISA, we detected internal common sequence among rat, mouse and human ST6Gal I in plasma (M2 ELISA). Using the M2 ELISA, we observed that elevation of plasma ST6Gal I was much faster than elevation of plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl{sub 4})-induced mouse liver injury model. Our data suggest that these ELISA systems are very useful tools for measuring plasma ST6Gal I, which represents a potential biomarker for diagnosing hepatic diseases.

  13. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay for the quantitative determination of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor quizartinib in mouse plasma using salting-out liquid-liquid extraction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Retmana, Irene A; Wang, Jing; Schinkel, Alfred H; Schellens, Jan H M; Beijnen, Jos H; Sparidans, Rolf W

    2017-01-01

    A bioanalytical assay for quizartinib -a potent, and selective FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor- in mouse plasma was developed and validated. Salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE), using acetonitrile and magnesium sulfate, was selected as sample pretreatment with deuterated quizartinib

  14. Iron Supplementation in Suckling Piglets: How to Correct Iron Deficiency Anemia without Affecting Plasma Hepcidin Levels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Starzynski, R.R.; Laarakkers, C.M.; Tjalsma, H.; Swinkels, D.W.; Pieszka, M.; Stys, A.; Mickiewicz, M.; Lipinski, P.

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the study was to establish an optimized protocol of iron dextran administration to pig neonates, which better meets the iron demand for erythropoiesis. Here, we monitored development of red blood cell indices, plasma iron parameters during a 28-day period after birth (till the weaning),

  15. Comparative evaluation of three automated systems for DNA extraction in conjunction with three commercially available real-time PCR assays for quantitation of plasma Cytomegalovirus DNAemia in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bravo, Dayana; Clari, María Ángeles; Costa, Elisa; Muñoz-Cobo, Beatriz; Solano, Carlos; José Remigia, María; Navarro, David

    2011-08-01

    Limited data are available on the performance of different automated extraction platforms and commercially available quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) methods for the quantitation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in plasma. We compared the performance characteristics of the Abbott mSample preparation system DNA kit on the m24 SP instrument (Abbott), the High Pure viral nucleic acid kit on the COBAS AmpliPrep system (Roche), and the EZ1 Virus 2.0 kit on the BioRobot EZ1 extraction platform (Qiagen) coupled with the Abbott CMV PCR kit, the LightCycler CMV Quant kit (Roche), and the Q-CMV complete kit (Nanogen), for both plasma specimens from allogeneic stem cell transplant (Allo-SCT) recipients (n = 42) and the OptiQuant CMV DNA panel (AcroMetrix). The EZ1 system displayed the highest extraction efficiency over a wide range of CMV plasma DNA loads, followed by the m24 and the AmpliPrep methods. The Nanogen PCR assay yielded higher mean CMV plasma DNA values than the Abbott and the Roche PCR assays, regardless of the platform used for DNA extraction. Overall, the effects of the extraction method and the QRT-PCR used on CMV plasma DNA load measurements were less pronounced for specimens with high CMV DNA content (>10,000 copies/ml). The performance characteristics of the extraction methods and QRT-PCR assays evaluated herein for clinical samples were extensible at cell-based standards from AcroMetrix. In conclusion, different automated systems are not equally efficient for CMV DNA extraction from plasma specimens, and the plasma CMV DNA loads measured by commercially available QRT-PCRs can differ significantly. The above findings should be taken into consideration for the establishment of cutoff values for the initiation or cessation of preemptive antiviral therapies and for the interpretation of data from clinical studies in the Allo-SCT setting.

  16. Iron overload across the spectrum of non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemias: role of erythropoiesis, splenectomy and transfusions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, John B; Cappellini, Maria Domenica; Kattamis, Antonis; Viprakasit, Vip; Musallam, Khaled M; Zhu, Zewen; Taher, Ali T

    2017-01-01

    Non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemias (NTDT) encompass a spectrum of anaemias rarely requiring blood transfusions. Increased iron absorption, driven by hepcidin suppression secondary to erythron expansion, initially causes intrahepatic iron overload. We examined iron metabolism biomarkers in 166 NTDT patients with β thalassaemia intermedia (n = 95), haemoglobin (Hb) E/β thalassaemia (n = 49) and Hb H syndromes (n = 22). Liver iron concentration (LIC), serum ferritin (SF), transferrin saturation (TfSat) and non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) were elevated and correlated across diagnostic subgroups. NTBI correlated with soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), labile plasma iron (LPI) and nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs), with elevations generally confined to previously transfused patients. Splenectomised patients had higher NTBI, TfSat, NRBCs and SF relative to LIC, than non-splenectomised patients. LPI elevations were confined to patients with saturated transferrin. Erythron expansion biomarkers (sTfR, growth differentiation factor-15, NRBCs) correlated with each other and with iron overload biomarkers, particularly in Hb H patients. Plasma hepcidin was similar across subgroups, increased with >20 prior transfusions, and correlated inversely with TfSat, NTBI, LPI and NRBCs. Hepcidin/SF ratios were low, consistent with hepcidin suppression relative to iron overload. Increased NTBI and, by implication, risk of extra-hepatic iron distribution are more likely in previously transfused, splenectomised and iron-overloaded NTDT patients with TfSat >70%. © 2016 The Authors. British Journal of Haematology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Plasma total antioxidant capacity is associated with dietary intake and plasma level of antioxidants in postmenopausal women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ying; Yang, Meng; Lee, Sang-Gil; Davis, Catherine G; Kenny, Anne; Koo, Sung I; Chun, Ock K

    2012-12-01

    Increased plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) has been associated with a high consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, limited information is available on whether plasma TAC reflects the dietary intake of antioxidants and the levels of individual antioxidants in plasma. By using three different assays, the study aimed to determine if plasma TAC can effectively predict dietary intake of antioxidants and plasma antioxidant status. Forty overweight and apparently healthy postmenopausal women were recruited. Seven-day food records and 12-h fasting blood samples were collected for dietary and plasma antioxidant assessments. Plasma TAC was determined by vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC), ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. TAC values determined by VCEAC were highly correlated with FRAP (r=0.79, Pantioxidants and represents more closely the plasma antioxidant levels than ORAC and FRAP. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A serum and platelet-rich plasma serotonin assay using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for monitoring of neuroendocrine tumor patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korse, Catharina M; Buning-Kager, Johanna C G M; Linders, Theodora C; Heijboer, Annemieke C; van den Broek, Daan; Tesselaar, Margot E T; van Tellingen, Olaf; van Rossum, Huub H

    2017-06-01

    Serotonin is used for the diagnosis and follow-up of neuroendocrine tumors (NET). We describe the analytical and clinical validation of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based serotonin assay for serum and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). An LC-MS/MS based method for serum and PRP serotonin was validated by determination of assay imprecision, carry-over, linearity, interference, recovery, sample stability and a matrix/method comparison of serum and PRP serotonin was made with whole blood serotonin. Furthermore, upper limits of normal were determined and serotonin concentrations of healthy individuals, 14 NET patients without evidence of disease and 51 NET patients with evidence of disease were compared. For serum and PRP fractions, total assay imprecision was serotonin upper limit of normal were 5.5nmol/10 9 platelet and 5.1nmol/10 9 platelet, respectively. NET patients with confirmed evidence of disease had significantly higher serum and PRP serotonin levels when compared to NET patients without evidence of disease and healthy volunteers. LC-MS/MS based serum and PRP serotonin assays were developed with suitable analytical characteristics. Furthermore, serum and PRP serotonin was found to be useful for monitoring NET patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. UPLC-MS/MS assay of riluzole in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): Application in samples from spinal cord injured patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Mahua; Grossman, Robert G; Toups, Elizabeth G; Chow, Diana S-L

    2017-11-30

    In the present study, a sensitive and robust LC-MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the quantification of riluzole in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in clinical samples from patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Riluzole and its labeled internal standard (IS) were isolated from plasma and CSF by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. Riluzole (m/z 235→166) and IS (m/z 238→169) were detected by electrospray ionization (ESI) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in a positive mode. The assay was linear in the concentration range of 0.5 (LLOQ, signal/noise ratio>10)-800ng/ml in plasma, and 1.0 (LLOQ)-800ng/ml in CSF samples. The intra- and inter-day accuracy in plasma were 94.2-110.0% and 97.8-102.0%, respectively, and those in CSF were 87.6-105.1% and 91.9-98.8%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision were 2.2-7.2% and 4.0-9.1%, respectively, in plasma, and 1.4-14.1% and 2.6-11.5%, respectively in CSF. Matrix effect was negligible from both matrices with signal percentages of 97.6-100.6% in plasma and 99.4-106.4% in CSF. The recoveries were >75% in plasma, >84% in CSF with low protein (53.9mg/dl), and >68% in CSF with high protein (348.2mg/dl). This method was successfully applied to quantify riluzole concentrations in plasma and CSF from patients with SCI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Sensitive radioimmunoassay for plasma arginine vasopressin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thibonnier, M.; Soto, M.E.; Corvol, P.; Milliez, P.; Marchetti, J.; Menard, J.

    1980-01-01

    Using an ion exchange resin, a sensitive radioimmunoassay for plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) was developed. This assay was characterized by the absence of blank values, an excellent recovery rate, great sensitivity (0.1 pg of AVP was significantly detected) and reproducibility. In 8 normal men, plasma AVP after overnight dehydration was 1.57+-0.17 pg/ml, and dropped to 0.58+-0.11 pg/ml after 20 ml/kg oral water loading. Significant correlations between plasma AVP levels and plasma or urinary osmolality confirm the validity of this assay. In complete pituitary diabetes insipidus (n=4) plasma AVP was undetectable whereas it was frankly increased in Schwartz-Bartter syndrome (3 to 33 pg/ml, n=8) [fr

  1. Direct 125I-radioligand assays for serum progesterone compared with assays involving extraction of serum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ratcliffe, W.A.; Corrie, J.E.T.; Dalziel, A.H.; Macpherson, J.S.

    1982-01-01

    Two direct radioimmunoassays for progesterone in 50 μL of unextracted serum or plasma with assays involving extraction of serum were compared. The direct assays include the use of either danazol at pH 7.4 or 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid at pH 4.0 to displace progesterone from serum binding-proteins. Progesterone is then assayed by using an antiserum to a progesterone 11α-hemisuccinyl conjugate and the radioligand 125 I-labeled progesterone 11α-glucuronyl tyramine, with separation by double-antibody techniques. Direct assays with either displacing agent gave good analytical recovery of progesterone added to human serum, and progesterone values for patients' specimens correlated well (r > 0.96) with results of assays involving extraction of serum. Precision was similar with each displacing agent over the working range 2.5-100 nmol/L and superior to that of extraction assays. We conclude that these direct assays of progesterone are analytically valid and more robust, precise, and technically convenient than many conventional methods involving extraction of serum

  2. Specific high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with ultraviolet detection for the determination of 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-sarcosinamide-1-nitrosourea in plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supko, J G; Phillips, L R; Malspeis, L

    1996-03-03

    A facile, sensitive and highly specific HPLC method for assaying 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-sarcosinamide-1-nitrosourea (SarCNU) in plasma has been developed. The drug was efficiently isolated from plasma by extraction with tert.-butyl methyl ether. A structurally related compound with similar physicochemical properties served as the internal standard (I.S.). Following evaporation of the organic solvent, the extract was reconstituted with 0.05 M ammonium acetate buffer, pH 5.0, and loaded onto a 4 micron Nova-Pak C18 column (15 cm x 3.9 mm), which was preceded by a 7 micron Brownlee RP-18 precolumn (1.5 cm x 3.2 mm). Chromatography was performed at ambient temperature using a mobile phase of methanol-0.1 M ammonium formate buffer, pH 3.7 (25:75, v/v). UV absorbance of the effluent was monitored at 240 nm. A flow-rate of 1.0 ml/ min was used for analyzing mouse and dog plasma extracts. Under these conditions, the drug eluted at 4.0 min and was followed by the I.S. at 6.1 min. An automatic switching valve was employed to allow the precolumn to be flushed 1.5 min into the run, without interrupting the flow of the mobile phase to the analytical column, thereby preventing the apparent build-up of extractable, strongly retained, UV-absorbing components present in mouse and dog plasma. Operating in this manner, more than 100 samples could be analyzed during a day using a refrigerated autosampler for overnight injection. The method was readily adapted to the determination of SarCNU in human plasma by simply decreasing the eluent flow-rate to 0.6 ml/min, whereby SarCNU and the I.S. eluted at approximately 5.8 and 9.1 min, respectively. Furthermore, the switching valve was not necessary for the analysis of human plasma samples. With a 50-microliter sample volume, the lowest concentration of SarCNU included in the plasma standard curves, 0.10 micrograms/ml, was quantified with a 7.8% R.S.D. (n = 27) over a 2 month period. Plasma standards, with concentrations of 0.26 to 5

  3. Evaluation of two real-time multiplex PCR screening assays detecting fetal RHD in plasma from RhD negative women to ascertain the requirement for antenatal RhD prophylaxis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Frederik Banch; Krog, Grethe Risum; Rieneck, Klaus

    2011-01-01

    and 5. We used the same fluorescent dye for the exon 7 and 10 probes to increase sensitivity; exon 5 was VIC labeled. We evaluated possible inhibition of DNA amplification with dilution experiments. We then tested the two multiplex assays with DNA extracted from 97 plasma samples from 38 RhD negative......OBJECTIVE: To evaluate two different multiplex real-time PCR assays detecting fetal RHD for screening of RhD negative women in relation to antenatal RhD prophylaxis. METHODS: We designed a duplex assay for the detection of RHD exon 7 and 10 and a triplex assay for the detection of RHD exon 7, 10...... assay (exon 7/10), accuracy was 94.2%. Detection of exon 5 was less reliable. CONCLUSION: The duplex assay using exon 7/10 was the most reliable for prenatal prediction of fetal RhD type as a candidate assay for screening of RhD negative women in relation to antenatal RhD prophylaxis. The triplex assay...

  4. Comparison and validation of ELISA assays for plasma insulin-like ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    1 in the horse. ... accurate and precise of the three kits; the other two assays gave apparently much lower concentrations, with poor recovery of spiked recombinant human IGF-1 and unacceptably poor intra-assay coefficients of variation (CV).

  5. Convergence of hepcidin deficiency, systemic iron overloading, heme accumulation, and REV-ERBα/β activation in aryl hydrocarbon receptor-elicited hepatotoxicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fader, Kelly A.; Nault, Rance [Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Kirby, Mathew P.; Markous, Gena [Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Matthews, Jason [Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo 0316 (Norway); Zacharewski, Timothy R., E-mail: tzachare@msu.edu [Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States)

    2017-04-15

    Persistent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists elicit dose-dependent hepatic lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis in mice. Iron (Fe) promotes AhR-mediated oxidative stress by catalyzing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. To further characterize the role of Fe in AhR-mediated hepatotoxicity, male C57BL/6 mice were orally gavaged with sesame oil vehicle or 0.01–30 μg/kg 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) every 4 days for 28 days. Duodenal epithelial and hepatic RNA-Seq data were integrated with hepatic AhR ChIP-Seq, capillary electrophoresis protein measurements, and clinical chemistry analyses. TCDD dose-dependently repressed hepatic expression of hepcidin (Hamp and Hamp2), the master regulator of systemic Fe homeostasis, resulting in a 2.6-fold increase in serum Fe with accumulating Fe spilling into urine. Total hepatic Fe levels were negligibly increased while transferrin saturation remained unchanged. Furthermore, TCDD elicited dose-dependent gene expression changes in heme biosynthesis including the induction of aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (Alas1) and repression of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (Urod), leading to a 50% increase in hepatic hemin and a 13.2-fold increase in total urinary porphyrins. Consistent with this heme accumulation, differential gene expression suggests that heme activated BACH1 and REV-ERBα/β, causing induction of heme oxygenase 1 (Hmox1) and repression of fatty acid biosynthesis, respectively. Collectively, these results suggest that Hamp repression, Fe accumulation, and increased heme levels converge to promote oxidative stress and the progression of TCDD-elicited hepatotoxicity. - Highlights: • TCDD represses hepatic hepcidin expression, leading to systemic iron overloading. • Dysregulation of heme biosynthesis is consistent with heme and porphyrin accumulation. • Heme-activated REV-ERBα/β repress circadian-regulated hepatic lipid metabolism. • Disruption of iron

  6. Characterization of equine vitamin D-binding protein, development of an assay, and assessment of plasma concentrations of the protein in healthy horses and horses with gastrointestinal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pihl, Tina H; Jacobsen, Stine; Olsen, Dorthe T; Højrup, Peter; Grosche, Astrid; Freeman, David E; Andersen, Pia H; Houen, Gunnar

    2017-06-01

    OBJECTIVE To purify and characterize equine vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) from equine serum and to evaluate plasma concentrations of VDBP in healthy horses and horses with gastrointestinal injury or disease. ANIMALS 13 healthy laboratory animals (8 mice and 5 rabbits), 61 healthy horses, 12 horses with experimentally induced intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (IR), and 59 horses with acute gastrointestinal diseases. PROCEDURES VDBP was purified from serum of 2 healthy horses, and recombinant equine VDBP was obtained through a commercial service. Equine VDBP was characterized by mass spectrometry. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were raised against equine VDBP, and a rocket immunoelectrophoresis assay for equine VDBP was established. Plasma samples from 61 healthy horses were used to establish working VDBP reference values for study purposes. Plasma VDBP concentrations were assessed at predetermined time points in horses with IR and in horses with naturally occurring gastrointestinal diseases. RESULTS The working reference range for plasma VDBP concentration in healthy horses was 531 to 1,382 mg/L. Plasma VDBP concentrations were significantly decreased after 1 hour of ischemia in horses with IR, compared with values prior to induction of ischemia, and were significantly lower in horses with naturally occurring gastrointestinal diseases with a colic duration of < 12 hours than in healthy horses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Plasma VDBP concentrations were significantly decreased in horses with acute gastrointestinal injury or disease. Further studies and the development of a clinically relevant assay are needed to establish the reliability of VDBP as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in horses.

  7. Radioimmunoassay of cholecystokinin in human plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byrnes, D.J.; Henderson, L.; Borody, T.; Rehfeld, J.F.

    1981-01-01

    A sensitive radioimmunoassay for cholecystokinin (CCK) has been developed. Porcine CCK-33 was labelled by conjugation with 125 I-hydroxyphenyl-propionic acid succinimide ester. Antibodies were raised against porcine CCK-33 covalently coupled to egg albumin. Plasma samples were extracted with 96% ethanol prior to assay. Free and bound hormone were separated by dextran-coated charcoal. The antibodies bound CCK-8 and CCK-33 with equimolar potency. The assay detection limit was 1 pmol/l plasma. Within and between assay coefficients of variation were +-12.7 and 13.0% at mean plasma CCK concentrations of 13.2 and 13.6 pmol/l. The concentration of CCK in 47 normal fasting subjects ranged from undetectable to 22 pmol/l. Ingestion of a mixed meal in 9 normal subjects increased the plasma concentration from 8.3 +- 2.5 S.E. to 24.4 +- 6.5 pmol/l. (Auth.)

  8. Assay of oestrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwards, J.C.

    1981-01-01

    A particular problem with the direct radioimmunoassay of unconjugated oestriol in pregnancy is caused by the increased amount of steroid-binding proteins present in pregnancy serum and plasma. The steroid-binding proteins react with oestriol and 125 I-labelled oestriol during the assay procedure and the steroid-protein bound 125 I-labelled oestriol is precipitated along with the antibody-bound 125 I-labelled oestriol by the ammonium sulphate solution separation system. A novel method is described whereby progesterone (1-20 μg/ml) is used to block the action of steroid-binding proteins in pregnancy serum and plasma samples, thus minimizing interference in a direct radioimmunoassay for unconjugated oestriol using a specific anti-oestriol serum. (U.K.)

  9. The fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindhagen, Elin; Nygren, Peter; Larsson, Rolf

    2008-01-01

    The fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay (FMCA) is a nonclonogenic microplate-based cell viability assay used for measurement of the cytotoxic and/or cytostatic effect of different compounds in vitro. The assay is based on hydrolysis of the probe, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) by esterases in cells with intact plasma membranes. The assay is available as both a semiautomated 96-well plate setup and a 384-well plate version fully adaptable to robotics. Experimental plates are prepared with a small amount of drug solution and can be stored frozen. Cells are seeded on the plates and cell viability is evaluated after 72 h. The protocol described here is applicable both for cell lines and freshly prepared tumor cells from patients and is suitable both for screening in drug development and as a basis for a predictive test for individualization of anticancer drug therapy.

  10. Analytical and Clinical Performance Evaluation of the Abbott Architect PIVKA Assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Dae-Hyun; Hyun, Jungwon; Kim, Hyun Soo; Park, Min-Jeong; Kim, Jae-Seok; Park, Ji-Young; Shin, Dong Hoon; Cho, Hyoun Chan

    2018-01-01

    Protein induced by vitamin K absence (PIVKA) is measured using various assays and is used to help diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study evaluated the analytical and clinical performances of the recently released Abbott Architect PIVKA assay. Precision, linearity, and correlation tests were performed in accordance with the Clinical Laboratory Standardization Institute guidelines. Sample type suitability was assessed using serum and plasma samples from the same patients, and the reference interval was established using sera from 204 healthy individuals. The assay had coefficients of variation of 3.2-3.5% and intra-laboratory variation of 3.6-5.5%. Linearity was confirmed across the entire measurable range. The Architect PIVKA assay was comparable to the Lumipulse PIVKA assay, and the plasma and serum samples provided similar results. The lower reference limit was 13.0 mAU/mL and the upper reference limit was 37.4 mAU/mL. The ability of the Architect PIVKA assay to detect hepatocellular carcinoma was comparable to that of the alpha-fetoprotein test and the Lumipulse PIVKA assay. The Architect PIVKA assay provides excellent analytical and clinical performance, is simple for clinical laboratories to adopt, and has improved sample type suitability that could broaden the assay's utility. © 2018 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.

  11. Bioavailability of two oral formulations of triazolam using radioreceptor assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lapka, R; Cepelakova, H; Rejholec, V; Franc, Z

    1986-04-01

    The radioreceptor assay (RRA) was used to quantitate plasma triazolam concentration in eight female volunteers following single 0.5 mg doses of two tablet formulations in a cross-over study. Bioavailability in terms of area under the plasma concentration versus time curve, maximum plasma concentration, time to maximum, and mean residence time was not statistically significantly different from one formulation to the other.

  12. Characterization of equine vitamin D–binding protein, development of an assay, and assessment of plasma concentrations of the protein in healthy horses and horses with gastrointestinal disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pihl, Tina H.; Jacobsen, Stine; Olsen, Dorthe T.

    2017-01-01

    horses with experimentally induced intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (IR), and 59 horses with acute gastrointestinal diseases. PROCEDURES VDBP was purified from serum of 2 healthy horses, and recombinant equine VDBP was obtained through a commercial service. Equine VDBP was characterized by mass...... spectrometry. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were raised against equine VDBP, and a rocket immunoelectrophoresis assay for equine VDBP was established. Plasma samples from 61 healthy horses were used to establish working VDBP reference values for study purposes. Plasma VDBP concentrations were assessed...

  13. Effect of N-acetylcysteine on the accuracy of the prothrombin time assay of plasma coagulation factor II+VII+X activity in subjects infused with the drug. Influence of time and temperature

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorsen, Sixtus; Teisner, Ane; Jensen, Søren Astrup

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: The prothrombin time (PT) assay of factor II+VII+X activity is an important predictor of liver damage in paracetamol poisoned patients. It complicates interpretation of results that the antidote, acetylcysteine (NAC) depresses this activity. The aim was to investigate if NAC influences...... to plasma in vitro decreased factor II+VII+X activity at 37 degrees C in a time-dependent manner. This effect was quenched at temperatures ... to a significant additional depression of factor II+VII+X activity in plasma from subjects infused with NAC during the first 3h of infusion indicating that it contained reactive NAC. The risk that this NAC interfered with the accuracy of the PT assay was considered minimal with samples stored below 24 degrees C...

  14. Effect of N-acetylcysteine on the accuracy of the prothrombin time assay of plasma coagulation factor II plus VII plus X activity in subjects infused with the drug. Influence of time and temperature

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorsen, S.; Teisner, A.; Jensen, S.A.

    2009-01-01

    Objectives: The prothrombin time (PT) assay of factor II+VII+X activity is an important predictor of liver damage in paracetamol poisoned patients. It complicates interpretation of results that the antidote, acetylcysteine (NAC) depresses this activity. The aim was to investigate if NAC influences...... added to plasma in vitro decreased factor II+VII+X activity at 37 degrees C in a time-dependent manner. This effect was quenched at temperatures 24 degrees C. Activity lost at 37 degrees C could partly be recovered by subsequent incubation at 5 or 20 degrees C. Incubation at 37 degrees C prior to assay...... led to a significant additional depression of factor II+VII+X activity in plasma from subjects infused with NAC during the first 3h of infusion indicating that it contained reactive NAC. The risk that this NAC interfered with the accuracy of the PT assay was considered minimal with samples stored...

  15. Rotor assembly and assay method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burtis, C.A.; Johnson, W.F.; Walker, W.A.

    1993-09-07

    A rotor assembly for carrying out an assay includes a rotor body which is rotatable about an axis of rotation, and has a central chamber and first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chambers which are in communication with and radiate from the central chamber. The rotor assembly further includes a shuttle which is movable through the central chamber and insertable into any of the chambers, the shuttle including a reaction cup carrying an immobilized antigen or an antibody for transport among the chambers. A method for carrying out an assay using the rotor assembly includes moving the reaction cup among the six chambers by passing the cup through the central chamber between centrifugation steps in order to perform the steps of: separating plasma from blood cells, binding plasma antibody or antigen, washing, drying, binding enzyme conjugate, reacting with enzyme substrate and optically comparing the resulting reaction product with unreacted enzyme substrate solution. The movement of the reaction cup can be provided by attaching a magnet to the reaction cup and supplying a moving magnetic field to the rotor. 34 figures.

  16. Validation and application of a high-performance liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry assay for mosapride in human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramakrishna, N V S; Vishwottam, K N; Manoj, S; Koteshwara, M; Chidambara, J; Varma, D P

    2005-09-01

    A simple, rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for quantification of mosapride (I), a novel and potent gastroprokinetic agent that enhances the upper gastrointestinal motility by stimulating 5-HT(4) receptor. The analyte and internal standard, tamsulosin (II), were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl ether-dichloromethane (70:30, v/v) using a Glas-Col Multi-Pulse Vortexer. The chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed-phase Waters symmetry C(18) column with a mobile phase of 0.03% formic acid-acetonitrile (10:90, v/v). The protonated analyte was quantitated in positive ionization by multiple reaction monitoring with a mass spectrometer. The mass transitions m/z 422.3 -->198.3 and m/z 409.1 -->228.1 were used to measure I and II, respectively. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.5-100.0 ng/mL for mosapride in human plasma. The lower limit of quantitation was 500 pg/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 15%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve ranges. A run time of 2.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a throughput of more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. The influence of platelets, plasma and red blood cells on functional haemostatic assays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bochsen, Louise; Johansson, Pär I.; Kristensen, Annemarie Thuri

    2011-01-01

    concentrates, fresh frozen plasma and stored RBC. Pure platelets were investigated by removing plasma components from platelet concentrates by diafiltration against the platelet storage solution Intersol. Plasma was readded by diafiltration against plasma in Intersol. Haemostatic function was evaluated by TEG...... plasma from platelet concentrates eliminated the TEG response and diminished the Multiplate aggregation response, but readding plasma to the pure platelet concentrates restored the response. Each of the elements in whole blood, plasma, platelets and RBC, affected the Multiplate and TEG results...

  18. High-sensitivity simultaneous liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel in human plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abhishek Gandhi

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available A sensitive and simultaneous liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for quantification of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel. The analytes were extracted with methyl-tert-butyl ether: n-hexane (50:50, v/v solvent mixture, followed by dansyl derivatization. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Kinetex C18 (50 mm×4.6 mm, 2.6 µm column with a mobile phase of 0.1% (v/v formic acid in water and acetonitrile in gradient composition. The mass transitions were monitored in electrospray positive ionization mode. The assay exhibited a linear range of 0.100–20.0 ng/mL for levonorgestrel and 4.00–500 pg/mL for ethinyl estradiol in human plasma. A run time of 9.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a throughput of more than 100 samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies. Keywords: Ethinyl estradiol, Levonorgestrel, LC–MS/MS, Human plasma, Derivatization

  19. Radioimmunoassay of inactive creatine kinase B protein in human plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burnam, M H; Shell, W E [California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). School of Medicine

    1981-08-27

    The authors describe a rapid, sensitive radioimmunoassay for enzymatically inactive creatine kinase B protein (CK-Bi) in plasma. /sup 125/I-CK-Bi of high specific activity and good stability was prepared by oxidant-based iodination. A 12-minute first antibody incubation was used. Bound and free antigen were separated by a second antibody system. Large excesses of purified CK-MM from human skeletal muscle did not react in the assay. Cross reactivity to CK-MB purified from the plasma of patients with acute myocardial infarction was negligible. The 95th percentile of plasma CK-Bi in 150 adults was 145 ..mu..g equivalents/ml. Within-assay and between-assay precision ranged from 5% to 9% and 6% to 10%, respectively. Evidence is presented indicating that the assay measures inactive creatine kinase B protein, a protein not measured by current assay systems dependent on biological activity.

  20. Radioimmunoassay of inactive creatine kinase B protein in human plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burnam, M.H.; Shell, W.E.

    1981-01-01

    The authors describe a rapid, sensitive radioimmunoassay for enzymatically inactive creatine kinase B protein (CK-Bi) in plasma. 125 I-CK-Bi of high specific activity and good stability was prepared by oxidant-based iodination. A 12-minute first antibody incubation was used. Bound and free antigen were separated by a second antibody system. Large excesses of purified CK-MM from human skeletal muscle did not react in the assay. Cross reactivity to CK-MB purified from the plasma of patients with acute myocardial infarction was negligible. The 95th percentile of plasma CK-Bi in 150 adults was 145 μg equivalents/ml. Within-assay and between-assay precision ranged from 5% to 9% and 6% to 10%, respectively. Evidence is presented indicating that the assay measures inactive creatine kinase B protein, a protein not measured by current assay systems dependent on biological activity. (Auth.)

  1. Measurement of plasma histamine: description of an improved method and normal values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dyer, J.; Warren, K.; Merlin, S.; Metcalfe, D.D.; Kaliner, M.

    1982-01-01

    The single isotopic-enzymatic assay of histamine was modified to increase its sensitivity and to facilitate measurement of plasma histamine levels. The modification involved extracting 3 H-1-methylhistamine (generated by the enzyme N-methyltransferase acting on histamine in the presence of S-[methyl- 3 H]-adenosyl-L-methionine) into chloroform and isolating the 3 H-1-methylhistamine by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The TLC was developed in acetone:ammonium hydroxide (95:10), and the methylhistamine spot (Rf . 0.50) was identified with an o-phthalaldehyde spray, scraped from the plate, and assayed in a scintillation counter. The assay in plasma demonstrated a linear relationship from 200 to 5000 pg histamine/ml. Plasma always had higher readings than buffer, and dialysis of plasma returned these values to the same level as buffer, suggesting that the baseline elevations might be attributable to histamine. However, all histamine standard curves were run in dialyzed plasma to negate any additional influences plasma might exert on the assay. The arithmetic mean (+/- SEM) in normal plasma histamine was 318.4 +/- 25 pg/ml (n . 51), and the geometric mean was 280 +/- 35 pg/ml. Plasma histamine was significantly elevated by infusion of histamine at 0.05 to 1.0 micrograms/kg/min or by cold immersion of the hand of a cold-urticaria patient. Therefore this modified isotopic-enzymatic assay of histamine is extremely sensitive, capable of measuring fluctuations in plasma histamine levels within the normal range, and potentially useful in analysis of the role histamine plays in human physiology

  2. The predominant cholecystokinin in human plasma and intestine is cholecystokinin-33

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rehfeld, J F; Sun, G; Christensen, T

    2001-01-01

    Cholecystokinin (CCK) occurs in multiple molecular forms; the major ones are CCK-58, -33, -22, and -8. Their relative abundance in human plasma and intestine, however, is debated. To settle the issue, extracts of intestinal biopsies and plasma from 10 human subjects have been examined by chromato......Cholecystokinin (CCK) occurs in multiple molecular forms; the major ones are CCK-58, -33, -22, and -8. Their relative abundance in human plasma and intestine, however, is debated. To settle the issue, extracts of intestinal biopsies and plasma from 10 human subjects have been examined...... by chromatography, enzyme cleavages, and measurements using a library of sequence-specific RIAs. Plasma samples were drawn in the fasting state and at intervals after a meal. The abundance of the larger forms varied with the 8 C-terminal assays in the library, as 2 assays overestimated and 3 underestimated...... the amounts present. One assay, however, measured carboxyamidated and O:-sulfated CCKs with equimolar potency before and after tryptic cleavage. This assay showed that the predominant plasma form is CCK-33, both in the fasting state ( approximately 51%) and postprandially ( approximately 57%), whereas CCK-22...

  3. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay for the simultaneous determination of the irreversible BTK inhibitor ibrutinib and its dihydrodiol-metabolite in plasma and its application in mouse pharmacokinetic studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rood, Johannes J M; van Hoppe, Stephanie; Schinkel, Alfred H.; Schellens, Jan H M; Beijnen, Jos H.; Sparidans, Rolf W.

    2016-01-01

    A validated simple, fast and sensitive bio-analytical assay for ibrutinib and its dihydrodiol metabolite in human and mouse plasma was set up. Sample preparation was performed by protein precipitation, and addition of the respective deuterated internal standards, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis.

  4. Comparison of high-pressure liquid chromatography and microbiological assay for determination of ciprofloxacin tablets in human plasma employed in bioequivalence and pharmacokinetics study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Muhammad Khalid; Khan, Muhammad Farid; Mustafa, Ghulam; Sualah, Mohammed

    2012-01-01

    Ciprofloxacin was given orally to 28 healthy male volunteers for single oral dose of 500mg; Plasma samples were collected at different time's interval between 0 and 12h and analyzed both by high pressure liquid chromatography and by a microbiological assay. The detection limits (LOD) were 0.02μg/ml and 0.1μg/ml, for both methods respectively. For each method, coefficients of variation (R(2)) were 0.9995 and 0.9918 in plasma and limit of quantitation (LOQ).02 and 0.5μg/ml. The Comparison of means maximum concentration 2.68 μg/ml at 1.5 hr for test and 2.43 μg/ml are attain in HPLC method of Reference at 2hrs respectively. The plasma concentrations measured by microbiological assay of reference tablet are 3.95μg/ml (mean ± SE) at 1 hour and 3.80μg/ml (mean ± SE) at 1 hour. The concentrations in plasma measured by microbiological method were markedly higher than the high-pressure liquid chromatography values which indicates the presence of antimicrobially active metabolites. The mean ± SE values of pharmacokinetic parameters calculated by HPLC method, for total area under the curve (AUC 0-oo) were 13.11, and 11.91 h.mg/l for both test and reference tablets respectively. The mean ± SE values of clearance measured in l/h were 44.91 and 48.42 respectively. The elimination rate constant Kel [l/h] showed 0.17 l/h for test and 0.15 l/h reference tablets and likewise, absorption half-life expressed in hours shown 0.67 h for test and 1.04 h for reference respectively. The Mean Residence Time for test is 5.48 h and 5.49 h for reference. The mean ± SE values of pharmacokinetic parameters (Microbiological assay) for total area under the curve (AUC 0-oo) were 22.11 and 19.33 h.mg/l for both test and reference tablets respectively. The mean ± SE values of clearance measured in l/h were 29.02 and 31.63 respectively. The elimination rate constant Kel [l/h] showed 0.21 l/h for test and 0.20 l/h reference tablets and likewise, absorption half-life expressed in hours shown

  5. Simultaneous assay of multiple antibiotics in human plasma by LC-MS/MS: importance of optimizing formic acid concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Feng; Hu, Zhe-Yi; Laizure, S Casey; Hudson, Joanna Q

    2017-03-01

    Optimal dosing of antibiotics in critically ill patients is complicated by the development of resistant organisms requiring treatment with multiple antibiotics and alterations in systemic exposure due to diseases and extracorporeal drug removal. Developing guidelines for optimal antibiotic dosing is an important therapeutic goal requiring robust analytical methods to simultaneously measure multiple antibiotics. An LC-MS/MS assay using protein precipitation for cleanup followed by a 6-min gradient separation was developed to simultaneously determine five antibiotics in human plasma. The precision and accuracy were within the 15% acceptance range. The formic acid concentration was an important determinant of signal intensity, peak shape and matrix effects. The method was designed to be simple and successfully applied to a clinical pharmacokinetic study.

  6. Development and validation of an assay for the simultaneous determination of zidovudine, abacavir, emtricitabine, lamivudine, tenofovir and ribavirin in human plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kromdijk, W; Pereira, S A; Rosing, H; Mulder, J W; Beijnen, J H; Huitema, A D R

    2013-03-01

    This paper describes the development and validation of an assay for the simultaneous quantification of the antiviral and antiretroviral drugs zidovudine, abacavir, emtricitabine, lamivudine, tenofovir and ribavirin in human plasma using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Sample pretreatment consisted of protein precipitation with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in methanol, evaporation and reconstitution. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Synergy Polar reversed phase C18 column (150 mm × 2.0 mm ID, particle size 4 μm) using a stepwise gradient with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in methanol at a flow rate of 300 μL/min. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in the positive ionization mode was used for drug detection and quantification. Isotopically labeled zidovudine, lamivudine, tenofovir and ribavirin were used as internal standards. The method was validated over a clinical range of 20-2500 ng/mL for zidovudine, lamivudine and tenofovir, 4-500 ng/mL for abacavir and emtricitabine and 160-20,000 ng/mL for ribavirin. The inter and intra-assay accuracies and precisions were between -8.47% and 14.2% for zidovudine, emtricitabine and ribavirin. For abacavir, lamivudine and tenofovir, the inter and intra-assay accuracies and precisions at the lower limit of quantification were between -11.0% and 18.3%, whereas at all other levels these accuracies and precisions were between -11.7% and 12.0%. The described method is suitable for the determination of zidovudine, abacavir, emtricitabine, lamivudine, tenofovir and ribavirin in human plasma in clinical practice to monitor plasma concentrations in selected cases to optimize therapy. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Determination of activated plasma fibronectin using radioactive labelled collagen I

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fenger, M

    1984-01-01

    The plasma concentration of biological active fibronectin was assayed by a protein binding assay using 125I-collagen I as ligand and heparin as activator. The standard curve is linear for a fibronectin range of 1.1-11 pmol (0.5-5.0 micrograms) and the coefficient of variation was less than 10......%. The active or activable fibronectin was compared to the immunoreactive fibronectin in plasma from patients with various bacterial diseases. Similar concentrations were detected by the two assays suggesting that all the circulating fibronectin was functionally active. The assay was also applied to determine...

  8. Protein Detection Using the Multiplexed Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) from Plasma and Vaginal Fluid Applied to the Indicating FTA Elute Micro CardTM

    OpenAIRE

    Berggrund, Malin; Ekman, Daniel; Gustavsson, Inger; Sundfeldt, Karin; Olovsson, Matts; Enroth, Stefan; Gyllensten, Ulf

    2016-01-01

    The indicating FTA elute micro cardTM has been developed to collect and stabilize the nucleic acid in biological samples and is widely used in human and veterinary medicine and other disciplines. This card is not recommended for protein analyses, since surface treatment may denature proteins. We studied the ability to analyse proteins in human plasma and vaginal fluid as applied to the indicating FTA elute micro cardTM using the sensitive proximity extension assay (PEA). Among 92 proteins in ...

  9. Use of Molecular Assays in Diagnosis and Monitoring of Cytomegalovirus Disease following Renal Transplantation

    OpenAIRE

    Aitken, Celia; Barrett-Muir, Winsome; Millar, Colin; Templeton, Kate; Thomas, Janice; Sheridan, Fran; Jeffries, Donald; Yaqoob, Magdi; Breuer, Judith

    1999-01-01

    We compared two commercial molecular assays (the Murex Hybrid Capture CMV DNA assay [HCA], version 2, and the Roche Amplicor plasma PCR assay) with a standard shell vial assay in detecting and predicting cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in a group of renal transplant patients and assessed the role of viral load measurements (using the HCA) in their management. The sensitivity of the HCA and Amplicor assay in terms of disease detection was 100%, compared to 71% for the shell vial assay. Both the ...

  10. Comparison of the Abbott m2000 HIV-1 Real-Time and Roche AMPLICOR Monitor v1.5 HIV-1 assays on plasma specimens from Rakai, Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ssebugenyi, I; Kizza, A; Mpoza, B; Aluma, G; Boaz, I; Newell, K; Laeyendecker, O; Shott, J P; Serwadda, D; Reynolds, S J

    2011-07-01

    The need for viral load (VL) monitoring of HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings (RLS) has become apparent with studies showing the limitations of immunological monitoring. We compared the Abbott m2000 Real-Time (Abbott) HIV-1 assay with the Roche AMPLICOR Monitor v1.5 (Roche) HIV-1 assay over a range of VL concentrations. Three hundred and eleven plasma samples were tested, including 164 samples from patients on ART ≥ six months and 147 from ART-naïve patients. The Roche assay detected ≥400 copies/mL in 158 (50.8%) samples. Of these, Abbott produced 145 (91.8%) detectable results ≥400 copies/mL; 13 (8.2%) samples produced discrepant results. Concordance between the assays for detecting HIV-1 RNA ≥400 copies/mL was 95.8% (298/311). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Abbott to detect HIV-1 RNA ≥400 copies/mL were 91.8%, 100%, 100% and 92.2%, respectively. For the 151 samples with HIV-1 RNA ≥400 copies/mL for both assays, a good linear correlation was found (r = 0.81, P Abbott assay performed well in our setting, offering an alternative methodology for HIV-1 VL for laboratories with realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) capacity.

  11. Radioimmunoassay of extracted glucagon compared with three non-extraction assays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schenck, H. von; Nilsson, O.R.

    1981-01-01

    Radioimmunoassay of glucagon was performed with three different antisera, i.e. E7, 30K and 4305, all directed against the carboxyl-terminal region of glucagon and thus avoiding co-determination of glucagon-like polypeptides from the gut. Plasma samples from five healthy people subjected to various A-cell stimulation and suppression tests were used and immunoreactive glucagon assessed with the three antisera. Aliquots from all plasma samples were also extracted with acetone and glucagon re-assessed with antiserum E7. Even though all four baseline glucagon concentrations obtained were different, the glucagon profiles were comparable after superimposing the baselines. The differences in baseline concentrations of immunoreactive glucagon seem due to the interference of 'big plasma glucagon', a still unidentified factor in the E7 and 30K assays that can be precipitated by acetone. Since acetone extraction yielded the lowest baselines without altering the glucagon profiles, it is suggsted that the baseline glucagon concentrations of acetone-extracted plasma reflect the physiological level of the biologically active hormone. Using antiserum E7, our own antiserum, the normal range of glucagon values in acetone-extracted plasma samples from 22 healthy, fasting people of both sexes was 42+-16 ng/l (mean +- 2 S.D.). These values agree well with those obtained by other assay techniques. (Auth.)

  12. Study on the effects of physical plasma on in-vitro cultivates cells; Untersuchungen zum Einfluss von physikalischem Plasma auf in vitro kultivierte Zellen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strassenburg, Susanne

    2014-03-15

    This study focused on the interactions of non thermal atmospheric pressure plasma on in vitro cultured keratinocytes (HaCaT keratinocytes) and melanoma cells (MV3). Three different plasma sources were used: a plasma jet (kINPen 09), a surface DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) and a volume DBD. For analyzing basic effects of plasma on cells, influence of physical plasma on viability, on DNA and on induction of ROS were investigated. Following assays were used: -- Viability: - neutral red uptake assay, cell counting (number of viable cells, cell integrity) - BrdU assay (proliferation) - Annexin V and propidium iodide staining, flow cytometry (induction of apoptosis), -- DNA: - alkaline comet assay (detection of DNA damage) - staining of DNA with propidium iodide, flow cytometry (cell cycle analysis), -- ROS: - H2DCFDA assay, flow cytometry (detection of ROS-positive cells). In addition to the effects which where induced by the plasma sources, the influence of the plasma treatment regime (direct, indirect and direct with medium exchange), the working gas (argon, air) and the surrounding liquids (cell culture medium: RPMI, IMDM; buffer solutions: HBSS, PBS) on the extent of the plasma cell effects were investigated. All plasma sources induced treatment time-dependent effects in HaCaT keratinocytes and melanoma cells (MV3): - loss of viable cells and reduced proliferation - induction of apoptosis after the longest treatment times - DNA damage 1 h after plasma treatment, 24 h after plasma treatment DNA damage was present only after the longest treatment times, evidence for DNA damage repair - due to accumulation of cells in G2/M phase, cell count in G1 phase (24 h) is lower - increase of ROS-positive cells 1 h and 24 h after plasma treatment. It was shown that cells which were cultured in RPMI showed stronger effects (stronger loss of viability and more DNA damage) than cells which were cultured in IMDM. Also plasma-treated buffer solutions (HBSS, PBS) induced DNA

  13. External quality assurance of fibrinogen assays using normal plasma: results of the 2008 College of American Pathologists proficiency testing program in coagulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunningham, Mark T; Olson, John D; Chandler, Wayne L; Van Cott, Elizabeth M; Eby, Charles S; Teruya, Jun; Hollensead, Sandra C; Adcock, Dorothy M; Allison, Paul M; Kottke-Marchant, Kandice K; Smith, Marc D

    2012-07-01

    Proper diagnosis and therapy of fibrinogen deficiency requires high-quality fibrinogen assays. To assess the interlaboratory bias, precision, and grading of fibrinogen assays used by laboratories participating in the United States College of American Pathologists proficiency testing program in coagulation. Two identical vials of normal plasma were sent to more than 3500 laboratories. Participants measured fibrinogen levels using local methods. Fifty different fibrinogen methods were evaluated. All-method bias was 8.3% (range of method-specific biases, 0.0%-27.0%) and all-method coefficient of variation was 7.7% (range of method-specific coefficients of variation, 0.7%-25.8%). After controlling for reagent/instrument type, mean fibrinogen levels were 11.6% higher for prothrombin time-based reagents compared to Clauss (P graded as pass or fail using a target range of ±20% from the method mean (total pass rate, 98.8%). Total fail rate was 3.0-fold lower for mechanical instruments compared to photo-optical (0.5% versus 1.5%, P  =  .001). Nonetheless many photo-optical methods had very high precision and very low fail rates. Fibrinogen assays showed highly variable methodology and performance characteristics. Bias, precision, and grading were affected by the type of reagent or instrument used.

  14. Standardization of the method for measurement of plasma estrone by radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vilanova, M.S.V.; Moreira, A.C.; Sala, M.M. de; Sa, M.F.S. de

    1994-01-01

    The present paper has as objective standardize a radioimmunoassay method for measurement of plasma estrone. Ethyl ether was used for plasma extraction. The sensitivity (Minimal detectable dose) was 3,7 pg/tube; the reproducibility (inter assay error) was 8,6%; the precision (intra assay error) was 4,1%. As a biological control the plasma estrone was ml) and in 24 patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (median = 77,9 pg/ml). (author). 6 refs, 2 figs, 2 tabs

  15. Qualification of a select one-stage activated partial thromboplastin time-based clotting assay and two chromogenic assays for the post-administration monitoring of nonacog beta pegol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiefenbacher, S; Bohra, R; Amiral, J; Bowyer, A; Kitchen, S; Lochu, A; Rosén, S; Ezban, M

    2017-10-01

    Essentials Nonacog beta pegol (N9-GP) is an extended half-life, recombinant human factor IX (FIX). One-stage clotting (OSC) and chromogenic FIX activity assays were assessed for N9-GP recovery. OSC STA ® -Cephascreen ® , ROX FIX and BIOPHEN FIX chromogenic assays were qualified for N9-GP. Other extended half-life factor products should be assessed in a similar way prior to approval. Background Nonacog beta pegol (N9-GP) is an extended half-life, glycoPEGylated recombinant human factor IX that is under development for the prophylaxis and treatment of bleeding episodes in hemophilia B patients. Considerable reagent-dependent variability has been observed when one-stage clotting assays are used to measure the recovery of recombinant FIX products, including N9-GP. Objective To qualify select one-stage clotting and chromogenic FIX activity assays for measuring N9-GP recovery. Methods The accuracy and precision of the one-stage clotting assay (with the STA-Cephascreen activated partial thromboplastin [APTT] reagent) and the ROX Factor IX and BIOPHEN Factor IX chromogenic assays for measuring N9-GP recovery were assessed in N9-GP-spiked hemophilia B plasma samples in a systematic manner at three independent sites, with manufacturer-recommended protocols and/or site-specific assay setups, including different instruments. Results For each of the three FIX activity assays qualified on five different reagent-instrument systems, acceptable intra-assay and interassay accuracy and precision, dilution integrity, reagent robustness and freeze-thaw and short-term sample stabilities were demonstrated. The STA-Cephascreen assay showed a limited reportable range at one of the three qualification sites, and the BIOPHEN Factor IX assay showed suspect low-end sensitivity at one of the three qualification sites. An individual laboratory would account for these limitations by adjusting the assay's reportable range; thus, these findings are not considered to impact the respective

  16. Le dosage de l'histamine plasmatique lors de réactions anaphylactoïdes chez le sujet anesthésié: Influence des méthodes de prélèvement et de la préparation du plasma sur l'histaminémie mesurée [Plasma histamine assay in anaphylactoid reactions of the anesthetized subject. Effects of collection methods and plasma preparation on measured histamine

    OpenAIRE

    Lorenz, Wilfried; Neugebauer, E.; Schmal, A.

    1982-01-01

    Plasma histamine assay in man is indicated for the diagnosis of histamine release, as well as the elucidation of the mechanisms of adverse drug reactions, and the identification of clinical situations in anaesthesia and surgery where a pathological plasma histamine level may occur. Normal and pathological plasma histamine levels vary considerably in the literature. Data from various studies, especially one involving 300 patients in Heidelberg (G.F.R.), allow us to define the normal range for ...

  17. Detection of microbial translocation in HIV and SIV infection using the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay is masked by serum and plasma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashwin Balagopal

    Full Text Available Microbial translocation (MT is thought to be a major contributor to the pathogenesis of HIV-related immune activation, and circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS from gram-negative bacteria is the principle measurement of this process. However, related research has been impeded by inconsistent LPS test results.Specimens were obtained from HIV-infected adults enrolled in the PEARLS study (ACTG A5175 and HIV-HCV co-infected participants enrolled in a study of liver disease staging using MRI elastography. Pig-tailed macaque specimens were obtained from SIV-infected and -uninfected animals. Samples were tested for LPS using the LAL assay with diazo-coupling modifications to improve sensitive detection.When exogenous LPS was added to macaque plasma, >25% inhibition of LPS detection was found in 10/10 (100% samples at 20% plasma concentration compared to control; in contrast 5/10 (50% samples at 2% plasma concentration (p = 0.07 and 0/10 (0% at 0.1% plasma concentration (p = 0.004 showed >25% inhibition of LPS detection. Similarly, when LPS was added to human serum, >25% inhibition of LPS detection was found in 5/12 (42% of samples at 2% serum concentration compared to control, while 0/12 (0% of samples in 0.1% serum showed >25% inhibition of LPS detection (p = 0.07. Likewise, LPS detection in human sera without exogenous LPS was improved by dilution: LPS was detected in 2/12 (17% human samples in 2% serum, ranging from 3,436-4,736 pg/mL, compared to 9/12 (75% samples in 0.1% serum, ranging from 123 pg/mL -60,131 pg/mL (p = 0.016. In a separate validation cohort of HIV-HCV co-infected participants sampled at two different times on the same day, LPS measured in 0.2% plasma and with diazo-coupling was closely correlated between the first and second samples (R = 0.66, p<0.05.Undiluted serum and plasma mask LPS detection. The extent of MT may be substantially underestimated.

  18. Comparative thermometric coagulation studies of plasmas from normal outbred Swiss Webster mice and persons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsang, V C; Wyatt, C R; Damian, R T

    1979-06-01

    The functional capabilities of a thermometric clot-timer have been demonstrated in a comparative study of human and mouse plasma coagulation. The influence of some variables on coagulation times of mouse and human plasmas were examined in activated partial thromboplastin time, one-stage prothrombin time, and Russell's viper venom time assays. Mouse plasma coagulation times were generally shorter and more reproducible than those of human plasma. Optimal assay conditions are also described.

  19. An Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization MS/MS Assay Using Online Extraction for the Analysis of 11 Cannabinoids and Metabolites in Human Plasma and Urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klawitter, Jelena; Sempio, Cristina; Mörlein, Sophie; De Bloois, Erik; Klepacki, Jacek; Henthorn, Thomas; Leehey, Maureen A; Hoffenberg, Edward J; Knupp, Kelly; Wang, George S; Hopfer, Christian; Kinney, Greg; Bowler, Russell; Foreman, Nicholas; Galinkin, Jeffrey; Christians, Uwe; Klawitter, Jost

    2017-10-01

    Although, especially in the United States, there has been a recent surge of legalized cannabis for either recreational or medicinal purposes, surprisingly little is known about clinical dose-response relationships, pharmacodynamic and toxicodynamic effects of cannabinoids such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Even less is known about other active cannabinoids. To address this knowledge gap, an online extraction, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of 11 cannabinoids and metabolites including THC, 11-hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-nor-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, 11-nor-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid glucuronide (THC-C-gluc), cannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabigerol, cannabidivarin, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV-COOH) was developed and validated in human urine and plasma. In contrast to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, electrospray ionization was associated with extensive ion suppression in plasma and urine samples. Thus, the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization assay was validated showing a lower limit of quantification ranging from 0.39 to 3.91 ng/mL depending on study compound and matrix. The upper limit of quantification was 400 ng/mL except for THC-C-gluc with an upper limit of quantification of 2000 ng/mL. The linearity was r > 0.99 for all analyzed calibration curves. Acceptance criteria for intrabatch and interbatch accuracy (85%-115%) and imprecision (<15%) were met for all compounds. In plasma, the only exceptions were THCV (75.3%-121.2% interbatch accuracy) and cannabidivarin (interbatch imprecision, 15.7%-17.2%). In urine, THCV did not meet predefined acceptance criteria for intrabatch accuracy. This assay allows for monitoring not only THC and its major metabolites but also major cannabinoids that are of interest for marijuana research and clinical practice.

  20. An ARGS-aggrecan assay for analysis in blood and synovial fluid

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsson, S; Lohmander, Stefan; Struglics, A

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To validate a modified ligand-binding assay for the detection of aggrecanase generated aggrecan fragments with the ARGS neoepitope in synovial fluid (SF) and blood, and to verify the identity of aggrecan fragments found in blood. DESIGN: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA....... Aggrecan was purified from serum and plasma pools and analysed by Western blot. RESULTS: The limits of quantification for the ARGS-aggrecan assay was between 0.2 and 0.025 pmol ARGS/ml, and the sensitivity of the assay was improved two-fold compared to when using a standard purified from human donors...... similar, and correlated (r(S) = 0.773, P assay is highly sensitive and suited for analysis...

  1. Carcinoembryonic antigen: assay following heat compared with perchloric acid extraction in patients with colon cancer, non-neoplastic gastrointestinal diseases, or chronic renal failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Witherspoon, L.R.; Shuler, S.E.; Alyea, K.; Husserl, F.E.; Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans, LO)

    1983-01-01

    Heat inactivation has been proposed as an alternative to perchloric acid (PCA) precipitation for the extraction of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) from human plasma. A commercial RIA kit using heat inactivation was examined and results compared with those obtained with PCA precipitation. Adequate sensitivity (1.5 μg CEA/I plasma), satisfactory analytical recovery of CEA added to plasma, and dilutional linearity of samples found to have elevated CEA concentrations, were demonstrated for the heat-inactivation assay. Between-assay precision was better with the heat inactivation than with the PCA assay. Although the absolute concentration of CEA estimated after heat inactivation was consistently lower than that estimated after PCA extraction of plasma specimens, there was excellent correlation between results obtained with the two methods in colon cancer patients free of disease, colon cancer patients with residual or recurrent disease, patients with benign gastrointestinal disease, and in patients with chronic renal failure. The heat-inactivation assay is an excellent alternative to the PCA assay

  2. Novel Parvovirus and Related Variant in Human Plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fryer, Jacqueline F.; Kapoor, Amit; Minor, Philip D.; Delwart, Eric

    2006-01-01

    We report a novel parvovirus (PARV4) and related variants in pooled human plasma used in the manufacture of plasma-derived medical products. Viral DNA was detected by using highly selective polymerase chain reaction assays; 5% of pools tested positive, and amounts of DNA ranged from 106 copies/mL plasma. PMID:16494735

  3. Diagnostic assays for active infection with human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caserta, Mary T; Hall, Caroline Breese; Schnabel, Kenneth; Lofthus, Geraldine; Marino, Andrea; Shelley, Lynne; Yoo, Christina; Carnahan, Jennifer; Anderson, Linda; Wang, Hongyue

    2010-05-01

    Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) causes ubiquitous infection in early childhood with lifelong latency or persistence. Reactivation of HHV-6 has been associated with multiple diseases including encephalitis. Chromosomal integration of HHV-6 also occurs. Previous studies have suggested that the detection of HHV-6 DNA in plasma is an accurate marker of active viral replication. We sought to determine whether PCR assays on plasma could correctly differentiate between primary HHV-6 infection, chromosomal integration of HHV-6 and latent HHV-6 infection. We performed qualitative PCR, real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR), and reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assays on samples of peripheral and cord blood mononuclear cells, as well as plasma, from groups of subjects with well defined HHV-6 infection, including subjects with chromosomally integrated HHV-6. The detection of HHV-6 DNA in plasma was 92% sensitive compared to viral isolation for the identification of primary infection with HHV-6. All plasma samples from infants with chromosomally integrated HHV-6 had HHV-6 DNA detectable in plasma while only 5.6% were positive by RT-PCR. The specificity of plasma PCR for active replication of HHV-6 was 84% compared to viral culture while the specificity of RT-PCR was 98%. Our results demonstrate that qualitative or quantitative PCR of plasma is insufficient to distinguish between active viral replication and chromosomal integration with HHV-6. We found a higher specificity of RT-PCR performed on PBMC samples compared to PCR or RQ-PCR performed on plasma when evaluating samples for active HHV-6 replication. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Analytical interference by contrast agents in biochemical assays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Otnes, Sigrid; Fogh-Andersen, Niels; Rømsing, Janne

    2017-01-01

    Objective. To provide a clinically relevant overview of the analytical interference by contrast agents (CA) in laboratory blood test measurements. Materials and Methods. The effects of five CAs, gadobutrol, gadoterate meglumine, gadoxetate disodium, iodixanol, and iomeprol, were studied on the 29...... most frequently performed biochemical assays. One-day-old plasma, serum, and whole blood were spiked with doses of each agent such that the gadolinium agents and the iodine agents reached concentrations of 0.5mMand 12mg iodine/mL, respectively. Subsequently, 12 assays were reexamined using 1/2 and 1...

  5. Radioimmunoassay of prostaglandin F in plasma of pregnant women

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albert, P.

    1980-01-01

    The aim of this dissertation was to determine quantitatively prostaglandin-F in the plasma of pregnant women in order to obtain further knowledge on changes in PG-F during pregnancy, in particular during the last three months. The plasma of women with clinically normal pregnancies was taken. Prior to radioimmunoassay the plasma was extracted (separation of PG from other plasma components) and chromatography carried out (group separation of PG). The efficiency of this process, as measured by the recovery rate of 3 H-PGF, lies between 60.99% and 93.01% for extraction and between 80.58% and 92.16% for chromatography. The plasma was extracted and analysed chromatographically for the assay. The radioimmunoassay was carried out according to the procedure recommended by the manufacturer. A calibration curve was produced without difficulty. The results of the examination of plasma samples were unsatisfactory because of the low sensitivity of the assay; PG-F values of the same order were obtained for all weeks of pregnancy. (orig./MG) [de

  6. Plasma input function determination for PET using a commercial laboratory robot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexoff, David L.; Shea, Colleen; Fowler, Joanna S.; King, Payton; Gatley, S. John; Schlyer, David J.; Wolf, Alfred P.

    1995-01-01

    A commercial laboratory robot system (Zymate PyTechnology II Laboratory Automation System) was interfaced to standard and custom laboratory equipment and programmed to perform rapid radiochemical assays necessary for plasma input function determination in quantitative PET studies in humans and baboons. A Zymark XP robot arm was used to carry out two assays: (1) the determination of total plasma radioactivity concentrations in a series of small-volume whole blood samples and (2) the determination of unchanged (parent) radiotracer in plasma using only solid phase extraction methods. Steady state robotic throughput for determination of total plasma radioactivity in whole blood samples (0.350 mL) is 14.3 samples/h, which includes automated centrifugation, pipetting, weighing and radioactivity counting. Robotic throughput for the assay of parent radiotracer in plasma is 4-6 samples/h depending on the radiotracer. Percents of total radioactivities present as parent radiotracers at 60 min. postinjection of 25 ± 5.0 (N 25), 26 ± 6.8 (N = 68), 13 ± 4.4 (N = 30), 32 ± 7.2 (N = 18), 16 ± 4.9 (N = 20), were obtained for carbon-11 labeled benztropine, raclopride, methylphenidate, SR 46349B (trans, 4-[(3Z)3-(2-dimethylamino-ethyl) oxyimino-3 (2-fluorophenyl)propen-1-yl]phenol), and cocaine respectively in baboon plasma and 84 ± 6.4 (N = 9), 18 ± 11 (N = 10), 74 ± 5.7 (N = 118) and 16 ± 3.7 (N = 18) for carbon-11 labeled benztropine, deprenyl, raclopride, and methylphenidate respectively in human plasma. The automated system has been used for more than 4 years for all plasma analyses for 7 different C-11 labeled compounds used routinely in our laboratory. The robotic radiotracer assay runs unattended and includes automated cleanup procedures that eliminates all human contact with plasma-contaminated containers

  7. [Assays of HbA1c and Amadori products in human biology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillery, P

    2014-09-01

    Different Amadori products, formed during the early steps of the non-enzymatic glycation of proteins, may be assayed in current practice in human biology. The most important marker is HbA1c, resulting from the binding of glucose to the N-terminal extremity of HbA beta chains. HbA1c may be evaluated by various techniques (ion exchange or affinity high performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, immunoassay, enzymatic technique) and is considered the best marker of diabetic patient survey. Due to its irreversible and cumulative formation, it provides a retrospective information on the glycemic balance over the four to eight weeks preceding blood collection. It benefits from an international standardization, based on a reference method using liquid chromatography coupled to capillary electrophoresis or mass spectrometry, maintained by an international network of reference laboratories. When HbA1c assay cannot be used (anemia, hemolysis, hemoglobinopathy) or when a shorter period of glycemic equilibrium must be evaluated (child and adolescent, pregnancy, therapeutic changes), other Amadori products may be assayed, like plasma fructosamine (all plasma glycated proteins) or glycated albumin. Nevertheless, these assays are less used in practice, because their semiological value has been less evidenced. Besides, fructosamine assay lacks specificity, and glycated albumin assay has been described recently. An expanding use of HbA1c assay is expected, especially for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and the evaluation of other risks, especially cardiovascular ones. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  8. An in-house assay for BK polyomavirus quantification using the Abbott m2000 RealTime system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muldrew, Kenneth L; Lovett, Jennie L

    2013-11-01

    BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) quantification is useful for monitoring renal transplant patient response to therapy. The Abbott m2000 RealTime System employed by some clinical laboratories to perform US Food and Drug Administration-approved assays can also be used to develop in-house assays such as the one presented here. This study aimed to validate an in-house quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting the BKPyV major capsid VP1 gene for assessment of viral load using the Abbott m2000 RealTime System. BKPyV load was measured in 95 urine and plasma samples previously tested for BKPyV by one of three laboratories (46 BKPyV-positive samples consisting of 35 plasma and 11 urine samples; 49 samples negative for BKPyV consisting of 47 plasma and two urine samples). Two additional plasma specimens from the College of American Pathologists proficiency testing survey were also analysed. Precision studies were performed by diluting a high-viral-titre patient sample into BKPyV-negative pooled plasma to create high-positive (6.16 log10 copies ml(-1)) and low-positive (3.16 log10 copies ml(-1)) samples. For precision studies of inter-assay variability, a high-positive (7.0 log10 copies ml(-1)) and a low-positive (3.0 log10 copies ml(-1)) sample were measured in 20 separate runs. The assay's limit of quantification and limit of detection were 2.70 and 2.25 log10 copies ml(-1), respectively. The assay was linear from 2.70 to 9.26 log10 copies ml(-1). Of the 48 known positives, 43 were detected as positive, with three reported by the reference laboratory as values lower than the limit of detection. Two known positives at 3.27 and 3.80 log10 copies ml(-1) tested negative by the m2000 BKPyV assay. Of the 49 known negative samples, 48 were negative by the m2000 BKPyV load assay, with one sample confirmed positive by a reference laboratory. Qualitative analysis prior to discrepancy testing demonstrated a sensitivity of 89.58 % and a specificity of 97.96 %. Precision studies

  9. Siamese crocodile plasma synergizes with ceftazidime against ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sent for review: 27 April 2017 ... Methods: Protein fractions were from crocodile plasma and tested them on CREnC strains. ... viability curves, membrane permeability assays, enzyme assays, and transmission electron microscopy. ... This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or ...

  10. A simple method to quantitate IP-10 in dried blood and plasma spots.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martine G Aabye

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Antigen specific release of IP-10 is an established marker for infection with M.tuberculosis. Compared to IFN-γ, IP-10 is released in 100-fold higher concentrations enabling the development of novel assays for detection. Dried blood spots are a convenient sample for high throughput newborn screening. AIM: To develop a robust and sensitive ELISA-based assay for IP-10 detection in plasma, dried blood spots (DBS and dried plasma spots (DPS; to validate the ELISA in clinically relevant samples; and to assess the performance of the assay for detection of Cytomegalovirus (CMV and M.tuberculosis specific immune responses. METHOD: We raised mice and rat monoclonal antibodies against human IP-10 and developed an ELISA. The assay was validated and applied to the detection of CMV and M.tuberculosis specific responses in 18 patients with immune reactivity towards M.tuberculosis and 32 healthy controls of which 22 had immune reactivity towards CMV and none towards M.tuberculosis. We compared the performance of this new assay to IFN-γ. RESULTS: The ELISA was reliable for IP-10 detection in both plasma and filter paper samples. The linear range of the ELISA was 2.5-600 pg/ml. IFN-γ was not readily detectable in DPS samples. IP-10 was stabile in filter paper samples for at least 4 weeks at 37 °C. The correlation between IP-10 detected in plasma, DPS and DBS samples was excellent (r(2>0.97. CONCLUSIONS: This newly developed assay is reliable for IP-10 quantification in plasma, DBS and DPS samples from antigen stimulated and non-stimulated whole blood. The filter paper assays enable easy sample acquisition and transport at ambient temperature e.g. via the postal system. The system can potentially simplify diagnostic assays for M.tuberculosis and CMV infection.

  11. Specificity of B-type natriuretic peptide assays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saenger, Amy K.; Rodriguez-Fraga, Olaia; Ler, Ranka

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) are used clinically to diagnose and monitor heart failure and are present in the circulation as multiple proBNP-derived fragments. We investigated the specificity of BNP immunoassays with glycosylated and nonglycosylated BNP, N-terminal proBNP (NT......-proBNP), and proBNP peptides to probe the cross-reactivity of each assay. METHODS: Nine B-type natriuretic peptides were studied, including synthetic and recombinant BNP (Shionogi, Scios, Mayo), human and synthetic glycosylated and nonglycosylated NT-proBNP (HyTest, Roche Diagnostics), and human glycosylated......-Rad, Goetze] were evaluated. Specificity was assessed by calculating the recovery between baseline and peptide-spiked human plasma pools at target concentrations of 100 ng/L BNP, 300 ng/L proBNP, or 450 ng/L NT-proBNP. All assays were performed in duplicate. RESULTS: BNP and NT-proBNP assays demonstrated...

  12. Radioimmunoassay of human plasma protein C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Bocheng; Li Jinquan; Jing Jian; Zhang Manda

    1995-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay method for the measurement of human plasma protein C (PC) is established. PC was isolated and purified from human plasma. The antisera against PC was obtained by immunizing rabbits. Iodination of PC was carried out with chroramine-T. The sensitivity was 3.94% μg/L, and the assay covered 6.25∼1024 μg/L for PC. The intra-assay and inter-assay CV were 4.4% and 9.68% respectively, with a recovery rate of 104.28%. There was no cross reaction with factor II. The normal value was 3.84 +- 0.34 mg/L in 36 normal persons. Value of 1.03 +-0.41 mg/L was found in 16 patients with fulminating hepatitis complicated with coagulation disturbance. It is an effective approach for the diagnosis of hereditary or acquired PC deficiency and also for the study of thrombotic diseases

  13. Multipurpose HTS Coagulation Analysis: Assay Development and Assessment of Coagulopathic Snake Venoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristina B. M. Still

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Coagulation assays currently employed are often low throughput, require specialized equipment and/or require large blood/plasma samples. This study describes the development, optimization and early application of a generic low-volume and high-throughput screening (HTS assay for coagulation activity. The assay is a time-course spectrophotometric measurement which kinetically measures the clotting profile of bovine or human plasma incubated with Ca2+ and a test compound. The HTS assay can be a valuable new tool for coagulation diagnostics in hospitals, for research in coagulation disorders, for drug discovery and for venom research. A major effect following envenomation by many venomous snakes is perturbation of blood coagulation caused by haemotoxic compounds present in the venom. These compounds, such as anticoagulants, are potential leads in drug discovery for cardiovascular diseases. The assay was implemented in an integrated analytical approach consisting of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC for separation of crude venom components in combination with parallel post-column coagulation screening and mass spectrometry (MS. The approach was applied for the rapid assessment and identification of profiles of haemotoxic compounds in snake venoms. Procoagulant and anticoagulant activities were correlated with accurate masses from the parallel MS measurements, facilitating the detection of peptides showing strong anticoagulant activity.

  14. Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of BK virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bista, Bipin Raj; Ishwad, Chandra; Wadowsky, Robert M; Manna, Pradip; Randhawa, Parmjeet Singh; Gupta, Gaurav; Adhikari, Meena; Tyagi, Rakhi; Gasper, Gina; Vats, Abhay

    2007-05-01

    Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel method for rapid amplification of DNA. Its advantages include rapidity and minimal equipment requirement. The LAMP assay was developed for BK virus (BKV), which is a leading cause of morbidity in renal transplant recipients. The characteristics of the assay, including its specificity and sensitivity, were evaluated. BKV LAMP was performed using various incubation times with a variety of specimens, including unprocessed urine and plasma samples. A ladder pattern on gel electrophoresis, typical of successful LAMP reactions, was observed specifically only for BKV and not for other viruses. The sensitivity of the assay with 1 h of incubation was 100 copies/tube of a cloned BKV fragment. Additionally, a positive reaction was visually ascertained by a simple color reaction using SYBR green dye. BKV LAMP was also successful for urine and plasma specimens without the need for DNA extraction. Due to its simplicity and specificity, the LAMP assay can potentially be developed for "point of care" screening of BKV.

  15. Radioimmunoassay and characterization of atrial natriuretic peptide in human plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yandle, T.G.; Espiner, E.A.; Nicholls, M.G.; Duff, H.

    1986-01-01

    A RIA for alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha hANP) in plasma was developed and used to study the immunoreactive components secreted by the heart and circulating in peripheral venous plasma. The assay used [125I]diiodotyrosyl-alpha hANP, purified by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), and a C-terminal-specific antiserum purchased from Peninsula Laboratories. Serial dilution curves of coronary sinus plasma samples were parallel with the standard curve, but significant nonparallelism was found in peripheral plasma samples of low immunoreactivity. When plasma was extracted using C-18 Sep-Pak cartridges, serial dilution curves from both coronary sinus and peripheral plasma samples were parallel to the standard curve. Although values for plasma samples assayed before and after extraction agreed closely (r = 0.99; n = 76), immunoreactive ANP in unextracted plasma was consistently greater (70-79 pmol/liter) than in extracts of plasma, suggesting non-specific interference by a component in plasma when assayed without extraction. Mean plasma immunoreactive ANP in 19 normal subjects consuming a normal salt intake was 14 +/- 1 (+/- SE) pmol/liter. In 5 normal men, increasing dietary sodium intake from 10 to 200 mmol sodium/day was associated with a 2-fold increment in ANP levels, and similar changes accompanied acute sodium loading using iv saline. Elevated values were found in patients with congestive heart failure (mean, 58 pmol/liter; range, 0-200; n = 9), chronic renal failure (mean, 118 pmol/liter; range, 30-290; n = 8), and primary aldosteronism (range, 32-90 pmol/liter; n = 3). HPLC and gel chromatographic analysis of the immunoreactive material found in coronary sinus plasma extracts showed that a large amount of the material eluted in the position of alpha hANP

  16. Determination of plasma oxytocin by radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Satsuki; Fukuchi, Soitsu; Miura, Tadashi

    1978-01-01

    A simple radioimmunoassay was applied to the measurement of oxytocin in human plasma. A high specificity of immunoassay was demonstrated by the fact that large excess of angiotensin I and II, and ACTH did not displace labelled oxytocin from the antibody. Lysine-8-vasopressin and arginine-8-vasopressin showed very little cross-reaction in the assay, possessing only 0.002% of the immunological potency of oxytocin. The specific activity of 125 I-oxytocin was 166 μCi/μg. Adsorption and extraction capacities of Florisil were 96.6 +- 2.1% and 85.7 +- 2.5%, respectively. Intra- and inter-assay variability were 7.2 +- 4.9% and 4.3 +- 2.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of the assay was below 1 pg/tube. Normal levels of plasma oxytocin were 0 - 2.2 pg/ml (n=13) in males and 0 - 10.4 pg/ml (n=10) in females. Plasma oxytocin levels in the 39th and 40th weeks of pregnancy were 27.9 +- 4.14 pg/ml (n=4) and 29.8 +- 17.1 pg/ml (n=13), respectively. The levels increased to 33.1 +- 12.1 pg/ml (n=7) and 37.1 +- 17.5 pg/ml (n=7) in the first and third stages of labor, and decreased to 13.6 +- 5.25 pg/ml (n=6) on the 2nd to 8th day after labor. The radioimmunoassay for oxytocin in plasma is considered to be sufficiently applicable for clinical use. (auth.)

  17. A protein chip membrane-capture assay for botulinum neurotoxin activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marconi, Severine; Ferracci, Geraldine; Berthomieu, Maelys; Kozaki, Shunji; Miquelis, Raymond; Boucraut, Jose; Seagar, Michael

    2008-01-01

    Botulinum neurotoxins A and B (BoNT/A and B) are neuromuscular blocking agents which inhibit neurotransmission by cleaving the intra-cellular presynaptic SNARE proteins SNAP-25 and VAMP2, localized respectively in plasma membrane and synaptic vesicles. These neurotoxins are both dangerous pathogens and powerful therapeutic agents with numerous clinical and cosmetic applications. Consequently there is a need for in vitro assays of their biological activity to screen for potential inhibitors and to replace the widely used in vivo mouse assay. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used to measure membrane vesicle capture by antibodies against SNAP-25 and VAMP2. Substrate cleavage by BoNTs modified capture providing a method to assay toxin activity. Firstly using synaptic vesicles as a substrate, a comparison of the EC 50 s for BoNT/B obtained by SPR, ELISA or flow cytometry indicated similar sensitivity although SPR assays were more rapid. Sonication of brain or neuronal cultures generated plasma membrane fragments with accessible intra-cellular epitopes adapted to measurement of BoNT/A activity. SPR responses were proportional to antigen concentration permitting detection of as little as 4 pM SNAP-25 in crude lysates. BoNT/A activity was assayed using monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognize a SNAP-25 epitope generated by the proteolytic action of the toxin. Incubation of intact primary cultured neurons with BoNT/A yielded an EC 50 of 0.5 pM. The SPR biosensor method was sensitive enough to monitor BoNT/A and B activity in cells cultured in a 96-well format providing an alternative to experimental animals for toxicological assays

  18. Comparative field study: impact of laboratory assay variability on the assessment of recombinant factor IX Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc) activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, Jurg M; Buyue, Yang; Bardan, Sara; Peters, Robert T; Jiang, Haiyan; Kamphaus, George D; Gray, Elaine; Pierce, Glenn F

    2014-11-01

    Due to variability in the one-stage clotting assay, the performance of new factor IX (FIX) products should be assessed in this assay. The objective of this field study was to evaluate the accuracy of measuring recombinant FIX Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc) activity in clinical haemostasis laboratories using the one-stage clotting assay. Human haemophilic donor plasma was spiked with rFIXFc or BeneFIX® at 0.80, 0.20, or 0.05 IU/ml based on label potency. Laboratories tested blinded samples using their routine one-stage assay and in-house FIX plasma standard. The mean spike recoveries for BeneFIX (n=30 laboratories) were 121 %, 144 %, and 168 % of expected at nominal 0.80, 0.20, and 0.05 IU/ml concentrations, respectively. Corresponding rFIXFc spike recoveries were 88 %, 107 %, and 132 % of expected, respectively. All BeneFIX concentrations were consistently overestimated by most laboratories. rFIXFc activity was reagent-dependent; ellagic acid and silica gave higher values than kaolin, which underestimated rFIXFc. BeneFIX demonstrated significantly reduced chromogenic assay activity relative to one-stage assay results and nominal activity, while rFIXFc activity was close to nominal activity at three concentrations with better dilution linearity than the typical one-stage assay. In conclusion, laboratory- and reagent-specific assay variabilities were revealed, with progressively higher variability at lower FIX concentrations. Non-parallelism against the FIX plasma standard was observed in all one-stage assays with rFIXFc and BeneFIX, leading to significant overestimation of FIX activity at lower levels and generally high inter-laboratory variability. Compared to the accuracy currently achieved in clinical laboratories when measuring other rFIX products, most laboratories measured rFIXFc activity with acceptable accuracy and reliability using routine one-stage assay methods and commercially available plasma standards.

  19. Insulin-like growth factors: assay methods and their implications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guyda, H.J.; Posner, B.I.; Schiffrin, A.; Rappaport, R.; Postel-Vinay, M.C.; Corvol, M.T.

    1981-01-01

    The insulin-like growth factors (IGF's) are small molecular weight peptides (6-10 x 10 3 daltons) that circulate in blood plasma almost entirely bound to macromolecular carrier proteins. The growth-promoting and insulin-like activities of IGF's can be explained by the observed ability of these peptides to interact with the IGF receptor on the one hand and with the insulin receptor on the other. These observations have led to the establishment of radioreceptor assays (RRA's), competitive protein binding assays (CPBA's), and more recently radioimmunoassays (RIA's) for the IGF's that have different specificities. Because of their ease of performance and sensitivity, the radioligand assays have largely supplanted the biological assays originally utilized to identify and characterize these anabolic peptides. In this report the authors' studies are summarised which utilize a slightly acidic IGF which has been purified on the basis of its insulin-like activity in an insulin RRA and which was termed ILAs. They refer to purified insulin-like peptides that have the properties of a somatomedin by the generic term insulin-like growth factor (IGF). Somatomedin (SM) activity will be utilized to connote that activity in plasma or serum determined by bioassay. The competitive dose-response curves for IGF peptides in the insulin RRA as well as those in the ILAs RRA are presented. A combination of bioassays, RRA and RIA were employed to assess somatomedin activity and IGF peptide levels in a number of clinical circumstances. The correlations are discussed. (Auth.)

  20. Use of delayed gamma rays for active non-destructive assay of {sup 235}U irradiated by pulsed neutron source (plasma focus)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andola, Sanjay; Niranjan, Ram [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Kaushik, T.C., E-mail: tckk@barc.gov.in [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Rout, R.K. [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Kumar, Ashwani; Paranjape, D.B.; Kumar, Pradeep; Tomar, B.S.; Ramakumar, K.L. [Radioanalytical Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Gupta, S.C. [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

    2014-07-01

    A pulsed neutron source based on plasma focus device has been used for active interrogation and assay of {sup 235}U by monitoring its delayed high energy γ-rays. The method involves irradiation of fissile material by thermal neutrons obtained after moderation of a burst of neutrons emitted upon fusion of deuterium in plasma focus (PF) device. The delayed gamma rays emitted from the fissile material as a consequence of induced fission were detected by a large volume sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) detector. The detector is coupled to a data acquisition system of 2k input size with 2k ADC conversion gain. Counting was carried out in pulse height analysis mode for time integrated counts up to 100 s while the temporal profile of delayed gamma has been obtained by counting in multichannel scaling mode with dwell time of 50 ms. To avoid the effect of passive (natural) and active (from surrounding materials) backgrounds, counts have been acquired for gamma energy between 3 and 10 MeV. The lower limit of detection of {sup 235}U in the oxide samples with this set-up is estimated to be 14 mg.

  1. A cell-free assay to determine the stoichiometry of plasma membrane proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trigo, Cesar; Vivar, Juan P; Gonzalez, Carlos B; Brauchi, Sebastian

    2013-04-01

    Plasma membrane receptors, transporters, and ion channel molecules are often found as oligomeric structures that participate in signaling cascades essential for cell survival. Different states of protein oligomerization may play a role in functional control and allosteric regulation. Stochastic GFP-photobleaching (SGP) has emerged as an affordable and simple method to determine the stoichiometry of proteins at the plasma membrane. This non-invasive optical approach can be useful for total internal reflection of fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), where signal-to-noise ratio is very high at the plasma membrane. Here, we report an alternative methodology implemented on a standard laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). The simplicity of our method will allow for its implementation in any epifluorescence microscope of choice.

  2. Plasma as alternatively sample to quantify tetanus antitoxin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariel Menéndez-Barrios

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Tetanus antitoxin is quantified in Cuba at blood banks, from the serum of immunized donors, to produce aspecific human gamma globulin. A heterogeneous indirect immunoenzymatic assay is used, using the serum as analytical sample. The possible use of plasma obtained from plasmapheresis as alternative sample was evaluated in this research, to minimize the volume of total blood extracted to the donors. One hundred plasma donors who came to donate between October and November 2013 were selected by simple random sampling. Serum sample was obtained for extraction of 5 mL of blood, deposited in dry glass tube. While the other sample took 1.5 mL of plasma in a plastic tube with cover, at the end of the donation directly of the unit of plasma collected. Comparison of the difference between the means of both groups was done using SPSS for Windows. It was found that the values obtained in serum were bigger than those obtained in plasma. Difference between the means of both groups was statistically significant (p 0.00. It is not advisable to use the obtained plasma of the plasmapheresis as analytic sample in this assay.

  3. Correlations Between Seminal Plasma Hormones and Sperm ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Context: There is a complex relationship between seminal plasma hormone levels and infertility in men. Previous studies had shown no specific pattern in the serum or seminal plasma hormone profiles of men with infertility and it is debatable whether there is a need to perform routine seminal hormone assays in the ...

  4. Plasma. beta. -endorphin and stress hormone levels during adaptation and stress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lishmanov, Yu.B.; Trifonova, Zh.V.; Tsibin, A.N.; Maslova, L.V.; Dement' eva, L.A.

    1987-09-01

    This paper describes a comparative study of ..beta..-endorphin and stress hormone levels in the blood plasma of rats during stress and adaptation. Immunoreactive ..beta..-endorphin in the blood plasma was assayed by means of a kit after preliminary isolation of the ..beta..-endorphin fraction by affinity chromatography on sepharose; ACTH was assayed with a kit and cortisol, insulin, thyroxine and tri-iodothyronine by means of kits from Izotop. Determination of plasma levels of ..beta..-endorphin and other opioids could evidently be an important method of assessing the state of resistance of the organism to stress.

  5. Measurement of WR-2721, WR-1065, and WR-33278 in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fahey, R.C.; Newton, G.L.

    1985-01-01

    Alkaline phosphatase was used in developing two new assays for WR-2721; one involved simple spectrophotometric titration with Ellman's reagent and the other was based upon HPLC analysis of a monobromobimane derivative. Both methods have acceptable results when applied to whole plasma. Assays for WR-1065 and disulfide forms of the drug were also developed but were found to give unreliable results with whole plasma owing to apparent rapid reaction of these drug forms with plasma constituents. The methods were applied to the analysis of blood samples in rat 0-70 min after i.v. injection of WR-2721

  6. Estimation of systemic catecholamine levels, in the Edible frog, using a radioenzymatic assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgeois, Philippe; Dupont, Willy; Vaillant, Rene

    1978-01-01

    We have developed a radio-enzymatic assay for systemic catecholamines in the Frog. Such are its specificity and sensibility that adrenaline and noradrenaline may be measured in 50 μl of plasma samples, the withdrawal of which strongly influenced the results. The smaller values were obtained in plasma withdrawn from canulated animals. In this case, adrenaline was the major catecholamine in the plasma: 190 +- 55 ng/100 ml versus 35 +- 18 ng/100 ml for noradreline [fr

  7. Study on the effects of physical plasma on in-vitro cultivates cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strassenburg, Susanne

    2014-03-01

    This study focused on the interactions of non thermal atmospheric pressure plasma on in vitro cultured keratinocytes (HaCaT keratinocytes) and melanoma cells (MV3). Three different plasma sources were used: a plasma jet (kINPen 09), a surface DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) and a volume DBD. For analyzing basic effects of plasma on cells, influence of physical plasma on viability, on DNA and on induction of ROS were investigated. Following assays were used: -- Viability: - neutral red uptake assay, cell counting (number of viable cells, cell integrity) - BrdU assay (proliferation) - Annexin V and propidium iodide staining, flow cytometry (induction of apoptosis), -- DNA: - alkaline comet assay (detection of DNA damage) - staining of DNA with propidium iodide, flow cytometry (cell cycle analysis), -- ROS: - H2DCFDA assay, flow cytometry (detection of ROS-positive cells). In addition to the effects which where induced by the plasma sources, the influence of the plasma treatment regime (direct, indirect and direct with medium exchange), the working gas (argon, air) and the surrounding liquids (cell culture medium: RPMI, IMDM; buffer solutions: HBSS, PBS) on the extent of the plasma cell effects were investigated. All plasma sources induced treatment time-dependent effects in HaCaT keratinocytes and melanoma cells (MV3): - loss of viable cells and reduced proliferation - induction of apoptosis after the longest treatment times - DNA damage 1 h after plasma treatment, 24 h after plasma treatment DNA damage was present only after the longest treatment times, evidence for DNA damage repair - due to accumulation of cells in G2/M phase, cell count in G1 phase (24 h) is lower - increase of ROS-positive cells 1 h and 24 h after plasma treatment. It was shown that cells which were cultured in RPMI showed stronger effects (stronger loss of viability and more DNA damage) than cells which were cultured in IMDM. Also plasma-treated buffer solutions (HBSS, PBS) induced DNA

  8. Plasma proteins and proteinuria in gestational malaria

    OpenAIRE

    Fisayo, Asaolu Modupe

    2007-01-01

    The plasma concentrations of total protein, albumin, immunoglobulins IgG, IgA and IgM and urinary protein were assayed in 250 pregnant Nigerian women with malaria and compared with 250 healthy pregnant women which served as controls. The mean values of plasma total proteins, albumin, IgG and IgA were significantly lowered (P

  9. Development of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Rapid Detection of BK Virus▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bista, Bipin Raj; Ishwad, Chandra; Wadowsky, Robert M.; Manna, Pradip; Randhawa, Parmjeet Singh; Gupta, Gaurav; Adhikari, Meena; Tyagi, Rakhi; Gasper, Gina; Vats, Abhay

    2007-01-01

    Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel method for rapid amplification of DNA. Its advantages include rapidity and minimal equipment requirement. The LAMP assay was developed for BK virus (BKV), which is a leading cause of morbidity in renal transplant recipients. The characteristics of the assay, including its specificity and sensitivity, were evaluated. BKV LAMP was performed using various incubation times with a variety of specimens, including unprocessed urine and plasma samples. A ladder pattern on gel electrophoresis, typical of successful LAMP reactions, was observed specifically only for BKV and not for other viruses. The sensitivity of the assay with 1 h of incubation was 100 copies/tube of a cloned BKV fragment. Additionally, a positive reaction was visually ascertained by a simple color reaction using SYBR green dye. BKV LAMP was also successful for urine and plasma specimens without the need for DNA extraction. Due to its simplicity and specificity, the LAMP assay can potentially be developed for “point of care” screening of BKV. PMID:17314224

  10. Comparison of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tropism profiles in clinical samples by the Trofile and MT-2 assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coakley, Eoin; Reeves, Jacqueline D; Huang, Wei; Mangas-Ruiz, Marga; Maurer, Irma; Harskamp, Agnes M; Gupta, Soumi; Lie, Yolanda; Petropoulos, Christos J; Schuitemaker, Hanneke; van 't Wout, Angélique B

    2009-11-01

    The recent availability of CCR5 antagonists as anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV) therapeutics has highlighted the need to accurately identify CXCR4-using variants in patient samples when use of this new drug class is considered. The Trofile assay (Monogram Biosciences) has become the method that is the most widely used to define tropism in the clinic prior to the use of a CCR5 antagonist. By comparison, the MT-2 assay has been used since early in the HIV epidemic to define tropism in clinical specimens. Given that there are few data from direct comparisons of these two assays, we evaluated the performance of the plasma-based Trofile assay and the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-based MT-2 assay for the detection of CXCR4 use in defining the tropism of HIV isolates derived from clinical samples. The various samples used for this comparison were derived from participants of the Amsterdam Cohort Studies on HIV infection and AIDS who underwent consecutive MT-2 assay testing of their PBMCs at approximately 3-month intervals. This unique sample set was specifically selected because consecutive MT-2 assays had demonstrated a shift from negative to positive in PBMCs, reflecting the first emergence of CXCR4-using virus in PBMCs above the level of detection of the assay in these individuals. Trofile testing was performed with clonal HIV type 1 (HIV-1) variants (n = 21), MT-2 cell culture-derived cells (n = 20) and supernatants (n = 42), and plasma samples (n = 76). Among the clonal HIV-1 variants and MT-2 cell culture-derived samples, the results of the Trofile and MT-2 assays demonstrated a high degree of concordance (95% to 98%). Among consecutive plasma samples, detection of CXCR4-using virus was at or before the time of first detection by the MT-2 assay in 5/10 patients by the original Trofile assay and in 9/10 patients by the enhanced-sensitivity Trofile assay. Differences in the time to the first detection of CXCR4 use between the MT-2 assay (PBMCs

  11. A sensitive competitive binding assay for exogenous and endogenous heparins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawes, J.; Pepper, D.S.

    1982-01-01

    A new type of assay for heparins has been devised, in which the test material competes with 125 I-labelled heparin for binding to protamine-Sepharose. The assay is very sensitive and will measure heparin concentrations down to 10 ng ml-1. It responds to both the degree of sulphation and the molecular weight of acidic polysaccharides, but is independent of their biological activities. It can be used to quantitate heparins in biological fluids after pretreatment of the samples with protease. In this way endogenous heparins were measured in normal human serum, plasma and urine. The assay is extremely versatile and has great potential for the investigation of endogenous and exogenous heparins

  12. Iron-Deficiency Anemia

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... person’s body to make too much of a hormone called hepcidin. Hepcidin blocks the intestine from taking ... is inflammation, your liver makes more of a hormone called hepcidin. Hepcidin prevents iron from leaving cells ...

  13. Determination of luteinizing hormone in bovine blood by radioligand receptor assay and comparison with radioimmunological evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schams, D.; Menzer, C.

    1978-01-01

    A sensitive and specific radioligand receptor assay (RRA) using rat testis homogenate as the receptor source is described for measurement of luteinizing hormone (LH) in bovine blood. Interfering and nonspecific substances in blood were removed by means of ion-exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex C-50. Criteria of validation such as recovery of added LH to plasma or serum, reproducibility, and specificity gave good results. Inhibition curves obtained with bovine plasma and serum were parallel to those obtained with the bovine standard preparation. The range of the dose-response curve was between 0.5-20 ng of bovine LH. The pattern of LH concentrations in purified serum samples under different physiological conditions such as during the oestrous cycle and after administration of GnRH showed a very close correlattion whether measured by means of radioimmunoassay (RIA) or receptor assay. Values of RRA-LH were consistently higher than those of RIA-LH. Thus the lower the RIA-LH levels, the more pronounced were the discrepancies between results of both assay systems. The mean ratio of RRA-LH/RIA-LH for basal levels (less than 1 ng RIA-LH/ml plasma) was 17.8 as compared to a mean ratio for higher peak values (more than 20 ng RIA-LH/ml plasma) of only 1.2. (author)

  14. High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for genistein in biological fluids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supko, J G; Phillips, L R

    1995-04-07

    A specific, sensitive and technically convenient HPLC method for assaying genistein in biological fluids has been developed. The compound and 4-hydroxybenzophenone, added as an internal standard, were efficiently isolated from both plasma and urine by extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether. Following evaporation of the organic solvent, the extract was reconstituted with methanol-0.05 M ammonium acetate buffer, pH 4.7 (30:70, v/v), and loaded onto a 4 microns Nova-Pak C8 column (15 cm x 3.9 mm I.D.). Chromatography was performed at ambient temperature using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.05 M ammonium formate buffer, pH 4.0 (27:73, v/v), at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min, with UV detection at 260 nm. Mean values of the tR for the drug and internal standard, determined from chromatograms of the 1 microgram/ml plasma standard during a 6 month period, were 8.27 +/- 0.55 and 11.92 +/- 0.71 min, respectively (S.D., n = 29). With a sample volume of 50 microliters, the lowest concentration of genistein included in the plasma standard curve, 0.020 microgram/ml, was quantified with a 10.7% R.S.D. over a 5 month period. Plasma standards having concentrations of 0.050 to 1.02 micrograms/ml exhibited R.S.D. values ranging from 2.3 to 6.1%. The drug was quantified in urine with similar reproducibility. The sensitivity of the assay was adequate for characterizing the plasma pharmacokinetics of genistein in the mouse and dog. However, a 10-fold improvement in sensitivity was afforded by increasing the sample size to 250 microliters, without otherwise modifying the method. Thus, this procedure may prove suitable for determining plasma and urine levels of genistein in humans consuming dietary isoflavonoids in a much more convenient manner than permitted by existing methodology.

  15. A simple clot based assay for detection of procoagulant cell-derived microparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Rucha; Ghosh, Kanjaksha; Shetty, Shrimati

    2016-05-01

    Cell-derived microparticles (MPs) are important biomarkers in many facets of medicine. However, the MP detection methods used till date are costly and time consuming. The main aim of this study was to standardize an in-house clot based screening method for MP detection which would not only be specific and sensitive, but also inexpensive. Four different methods of MP assessment were performed and the results correlated. Using the flow cytometry technique as the gold standard, 25 samples with normal phosphatidylserine (PS) expressing MP levels and 25 samples with elevated levels were selected, which was cross checked by the commercial STA Procoag PPL clotting time (CT) assay. A simple recalcification time and an in-house clot assay were the remaining two tests. The in-house test measures the CT after the addition of calcium chloride to MP rich plasma, following incubation with Russell viper venom and phospholipid free plasma. The CT obtained by the in-house assay significantly correlated with the results obtained by flow cytometry (R2=0.87, p<0.01). Though preliminary, the in-house assay seems to be efficient, inexpensive and promising. It could definitely be utilized routinely for procoagulant MP assessment in various clinical settings.

  16. Production and assay of forskolin antibodies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ho, L.T.; Ho, R.J.

    1986-01-01

    Forskolin (Fo), a cardiovascular active diterpene of plant origin, has been widely used as a research tool in regulation of the catalytic activity of adenylate cyclase (AC). A linear relationship of Fo binding to plasma membrane with activation of AC has been reported. The present abstract describes the production and assay of Fo antibodies (AB). 7-0-Hemisuccinyl-7-deacetyl Fo, coupled to either human serum albumin or goat IgG, was injected into goats to elicit AB to Fo haptan. AB to Fo in antiserum or an isolated IgG fraction was tested by two assay methods, a radioimmunoassay using 3 H-Fo as a tracer and a colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using horse radish peroxidase-rabbit anti goat IgG as indicator. The titers for Fo antiserum were 4000-10,000. In the defined assay condition, approximately 20-25% of the added 3 H-Fo was found to bind to AB. The bound radioactivity was displaced by Fo-HSA or Fo-goat IgG or free unlabelled Fo ranging from 0.5-50 pmol/tube, or 5-500 nM. The IC 50 was approximately 8-10 pmol/tube or 80-100 nM. The binding of HRP-rabbit anti goat IgG in the ELISA was inhibited by proper Fo conjugate. The development of methods for production and assay for Fo AB may be useful in the study of mechanism of activation of AC by Fo and Fo-like compound

  17. Plasma procalcitonin concentrations are increased in dogs with sepsis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goggs, Robert; Milloway, Matthew; Troia, Roberta; Giunti, Massimo

    2018-01-01

    Sepsis, the life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, is difficult to identify and to prognosticate for. In people with sepsis, procalcitonin (PCT) measurement aids diagnosis, enables therapeutic monitoring and improves prognostic accuracy. This study used a commercial canine PCT assay to measure plasma PCT concentrations in dogs with gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) syndrome and in dogs with sepsis. It was hypothesised that dogs with GDV syndrome and with sepsis have greater plasma PCT concentrations than healthy dogs and that dogs with sepsis have greater PCT concentrations than dogs with GDV syndrome. Before analysing canine plasma samples, the ability of the assay to identify canine PCT, in addition to assay imprecision and the lower limit of detection were established. The assay had low imprecision with coefficients of variation ≤4.5 per cent. The lower limit of detection was 3.4 pg/ml. Plasma PCT concentrations were measured in 20 dogs with sepsis, in 32 dogs with GDV syndrome and in 52 healthy dogs. Median (IQR) PCT concentration in dogs with sepsis 78.7 pg/ml (39.1–164.7) was significantly greater than in healthy dogs 49.8 pg/ml (36.2–63.7) (P=0.019), but there were no significant differences between PCT concentrations in dogs with GDV syndrome and controls (P=0.072) or between dogs with sepsis and GDV syndrome (P=1.000). Dogs with sepsis have significantly increased plasma PCT concentrations compared with healthy dogs, although considerable overlap between these populations was identified. Future investigations should confirm this finding in other populations and evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of PCT in dogs with sepsis. PMID:29682292

  18. Antibacterial activity of plasma from crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis against pathogenic bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kommanee Jintana

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis is a critically endangered species of freshwater crocodiles. Crocodilians live with opportunistic bacterial infection but normally suffer no adverse effects. They are not totally immune to microbial infection, but their resistance thereto is remarkably effective. In this study, crude and purified plasma extracted from the Siamese crocodile were examined for antibacterial activity against clinically isolated, human pathogenic bacterial strains and the related reference strains. Methods Crude plasma was prepared from whole blood of the Siamese crocodile by differential sedimentation. The crude plasma was examined for antibacterial activity by the liquid growth inhibition assay. The scanning electron microscopy was performed to confirm the effect of crude crocodile plasma on the cells of Salmonella typhi ATCC 11778. Effect of crude crocodile plasma on cell viability was tested by MTT assay. In addition, the plasma was purified by anion exchange column chromatography with DEAE-Toyopearl 650 M and the purified plasma was tested for antibacterial activity. Results Crude plasma was prepared from whole blood of the Siamese crocodile and exhibited substantial antibacterial activities of more than 40% growth inhibition against the six reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, and the four clinical isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholerae. Especially, more than 80% growth inhibition was found in the reference strains of Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholerae, and Staphylococcus epidermidis and in the clinical isolates of Salmonella typhi and Vibrio cholerae. The effect of the crude plasma on bacterial cells of Salmonella typhi, a certain antibacterial material probably penetrates progressively into the cytoplasmic space

  19. Detection and quantification of serum or plasma HCV RNA: mini review of commercially available assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Guillou-Guillemette, Helene; Lunel-Fabiani, Francoise

    2009-01-01

    The treatment schedule (combination of compounds, doses, and duration) and the virological follow-up for management of antiviral treatment in patients chronically infected by HCV is now well standardized, but to ensure good monitoring of the treated patients, physicians need rapid, reproducible, and sensitive molecular virological tools with a wide range of detection and quantification of HCV RNA in blood samples. Several assays for detection and/or quantification of HCV RNA are currently commercially available. Here, all these assays are detailed, and a brief description of each step of the assay is provided. They are divided into two categories by method: those based on signal amplification and those based on target amplification. These two categories are then divided into qualitative, quantitative, and quantitative detection assays. The real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assays are the most promising strategy in the HCV virological area.

  20. Fluorogenic MMP activity assay for plasma including MMPs complexed to α2-macroglobulin

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beekman, B.; Drijfhout, J.W.; Ronday, H.K.; TeKoppele, J.M.

    1999-01-01

    Elevated MMP activities are implicated in tissue degradation in, e.g., arthritis and cancer. The present study was designed to measure MMP enzyme activity in plasma. Free active MMP is unlikely to be present in plasma: upon entering the circulation, active MMP is expected to be captured by the

  1. Validation of cold plasma treatment for protein inactivation: a surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernard, C; Leduc, A; Barbeau, J; Saoudi, B; Yahia, L'H; Crescenzo, G De

    2006-01-01

    Gas plasma is being proposed as an interesting and promising tool to achieve sterilization. The efficacy of gas plasma to destroy bacterial spores (the most resistant living microorganisms) has been demonstrated and documented over the last ten years. In addition to causing damage to deoxyribonucleic acid by UV radiation emitted by excited species originating from the plasma, gas plasma has been shown to promote erosion of the microorganism in addition to possible oxidation reactions within the microorganism. In this work, we used lysozyme as a protein model to assess the effect of gas plasma on protein inactivation. Lysozyme samples have been subjected to the flowing afterglow of a gas discharge achieved in a nitrogen-oxygen mixture. The efficiency of this plasma treatment on lysozyme has been tested by two different assays. These are an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensor assay. The two methods showed that exposure to gas plasma can abrogate lysozyme interactions with lysozyme-specific antibodies, more likely by destroying the epitopes responsible for the interaction. More specifically, two SPR-based assays were developed since our ELISA approach did not allow us to discriminate between background and low, but still intact, quantities of lysozyme epitope after plasma treatment. Our SPR results clearly demonstrated that significant protein destruction or desorption was achieved when amounts of lysozyme less than 12.5 ng had been deposited in polystyrene 96-well ELISA plates. At higher lysozyme amounts, traces of available lysozyme epitopes were detected by SPR through indirect measurements. Finally, we demonstrated that a direct SPR approach in which biosensor-immobilized lysozyme activity is directly measured prior and after plasma treatment is more sensitive, and thus, more appropriate to define plasma treatment efficacy with more certainty

  2. Validation of cold plasma treatment for protein inactivation: a surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, C.; Leduc, A.; Barbeau, J.; Saoudi, B.; Yahia, L'H.; DeCrescenzo, G.

    2006-08-01

    Gas plasma is being proposed as an interesting and promising tool to achieve sterilization. The efficacy of gas plasma to destroy bacterial spores (the most resistant living microorganisms) has been demonstrated and documented over the last ten years. In addition to causing damage to deoxyribonucleic acid by UV radiation emitted by excited species originating from the plasma, gas plasma has been shown to promote erosion of the microorganism in addition to possible oxidation reactions within the microorganism. In this work, we used lysozyme as a protein model to assess the effect of gas plasma on protein inactivation. Lysozyme samples have been subjected to the flowing afterglow of a gas discharge achieved in a nitrogen-oxygen mixture. The efficiency of this plasma treatment on lysozyme has been tested by two different assays. These are an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensor assay. The two methods showed that exposure to gas plasma can abrogate lysozyme interactions with lysozyme-specific antibodies, more likely by destroying the epitopes responsible for the interaction. More specifically, two SPR-based assays were developed since our ELISA approach did not allow us to discriminate between background and low, but still intact, quantities of lysozyme epitope after plasma treatment. Our SPR results clearly demonstrated that significant protein destruction or desorption was achieved when amounts of lysozyme less than 12.5 ng had been deposited in polystyrene 96-well ELISA plates. At higher lysozyme amounts, traces of available lysozyme epitopes were detected by SPR through indirect measurements. Finally, we demonstrated that a direct SPR approach in which biosensor-immobilized lysozyme activity is directly measured prior and after plasma treatment is more sensitive, and thus, more appropriate to define plasma treatment efficacy with more certainty.

  3. Analytical evaluation of Lumipulse® BRAHMS PCT CLEIA assay and clinical performances in an unselected population as compared with central lab PCT assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dupuy, Anne Marie; Né, Maxence; Bargnoux, Anne Sophie; Badiou, Stéphanie; Cristol, Jean Paul

    2017-03-01

    We report the analytical performances of the Lumipulse®G BRAHMS PCT assay (Fujirebio, Courteboeuf, France) and the concordance with BRAHMS PCT Kryptor CompactPlus© results from central laboratory. Lumipulse®G BRAHMS PCT immunoassay on Lumipulse®G600II instrument is a chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA). Analytical performances included imprecision study, linearity, limit of detection and comparison study on 138 plasma specimen on Lumipulse®G600II vs plasma on Kryptor CompactPlus©. The intra and inter assay imprecision of Lumipulse®G BRAHMS PCT was between 2 and 5%. The LoD in our condition was 0.0029ng/mL in accordance with the LoD provided by the manufacturer (0.0048ng/mL). The linear equation of linearity was y=1,001×-0,052 with r 2 =0.99, with a mean recovery (SD) percentage of 1.8% (8%). Correlation studies showed a good correlation (r=0.99) between plasma on Kryptor and Lumipulse, with a bias of 0.02 in the range from 0.12 to 1ng/mL. The new adaptation developed from Fujirebio on quantification of PCT with CLEIA technology from monoclonal antibodies from ThermoFisher appears to be acceptable for clinical use. Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. False-positive pregnancy test after transfusion of solvent/detergent-treated plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jilma-Stohlawetz, Petra; Wreford-Bush, Tim; Mills, Francesca; Davidson, Fiona; Kursten, Friedrich W; Jilma, Bernd; Birchall, Janet

    2017-12-01

    The transmission of pathogens, antibodies, and proteins is a possible consequence of blood product transfusion. A female patient had an unexpected positive serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin result, indicative of pregnancy, after she had received a transfusion with 1 unit of platelet concentrate, 4 units of red blood cells, and 4 units of pooled solvent/detergent-treated plasma (Octaplas). To investigate the possibility of passive transfusion of β-human chorionic gonadotropin from the plasma transfusion, one additional unit from the same batch was thawed and analyzed. To validate the β-human chorionic gonadotropin assay for use in solvent/detergent-treated plasma and to investigate any interference in the assay, dilution experiments were performed using the implicated plasma batch diluted with male and non-pregnant female sera. Also, plasma from a known pregnant woman was diluted with Octaplas (tested negative for β-human chorionic gonadotropin) and with a male serum to validate the assay for use in solvent/detergent-treated plasma. The implicated solvent/detergent-treated plasma had a mean β-human chorionic gonadotropin level of 91.5 mIU/mL. Results from the dilution experiments revealed an excellent correlation (r > 0.99) between β-human chorionic gonadotropin measurement in solvent/detergent-treated plasma and male serum and no over or under recovery of the expected results. Further measurements of β-human chorionic gonadotropin levels in the female recipient revealed an estimated half-life of 6 hours. This case demonstrates the importance of considering the possibility of passive transmission of analytes to a patient from the transfusion of blood products. Furthermore, the measurement of β-human chorionic gonadotropin is valid in solvent/detergent-treated plasma using a Roche Cobas analyzer. © 2017 AABB.

  5. Radioimmunoassay for serotin - methodology, basal and stimulated hormone concentration in plasma of rats, dogs, rabbits and humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wittmann, J.K.

    1983-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay for measurement of secretin in the plasma of experimental animals and man has been developed by means of the so-called stripping procedure (pre-treatment of plasma with Quso). The detection limit is about 7 pg/ml at a final dilution of 1:630 000 and an equilibrium constant of 2.1x10 -11 L/M. By means of this system plasma secretin in the species examined can be measured reliably. The coefficients of variation are (percent): The within assay precision (intra-assay) 12, the between assay precision (inter-assay) 23. The median of basal venous plasma secretin are (pg/ml) dog 16, rabbit 0, rat (aorta) 0, rat (porta) 31, man 0. From these studies it is concluded that a) as a consequence of unspecific interference of plasma particles with the secretin RIA-system only a previous removal of these interfering factors leads to reliable test results; should this pre-requisite be neglected falsely too high results are to be expected; b) plasma secretin rises if there is either hydrochloric acid present in the duodenum or if gastric together with food particles reaches the duodenum; c) at least in the dog there may be different molecular species of secretin circulating in the peripherical plasma, however the biological role of these is unknown at present. (orig./TRV) [de

  6. Analytical evaluation of the automated galectin-3 assay on the Abbott ARCHITECT immunoassay instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaze, David C; Prante, Christian; Dreier, Jens; Knabbe, Cornelius; Collet, Corinne; Launay, Jean-Marie; Franekova, Janka; Jabor, Antonin; Lennartz, Lieselotte; Shih, Jessie; del Rey, Jose Manuel; Zaninotto, Martina; Plebani, Mario; Collinson, Paul O

    2014-06-01

    Galectin-3 is secreted from macrophages and binds and activates fibroblasts forming collagen. Tissue fibrosis is central to the progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). We performed a European multicentered evaluation of the analytical performance of the two-step routine and Short Turn-Around-Time (STAT) galectin-3 immunoassay on the ARCHITECT i1000SR, i2000SR, and i4000SR (Abbott Laboratories). We evaluated the assay precision and dilution linearity for both routine and STAT assays and compared serum and plasma, and fresh vs. frozen samples. The reference interval and biological variability were also assessed. Measurable samples were compared between ARCHITECT instruments and between the routine and STAT assays and also to a galectin-3 ELISA (BG Medicine). The total assay coefficient of variation (CV%) was 2.3%-6.2% and 1.7%-7.4% for the routine and STAT assays, respectively. Both assays demonstrated linearity up to 120 ng/mL. Galectin-3 concentrations were higher in plasma samples than in serum samples and correlated well between fresh and frozen samples (R=0.997), between the routine and STAT assays, between the ARCHITECT i1000 and i2000 instruments and with the galectin-3 ELISA. The reference interval on 627 apparently healthy individuals (53% male) yielded upper 95th and 97.5th percentiles of 25.2 and 28.4 ng/mL, respectively. Values were significantly lower in subjects younger than 50 years. The galectin-3 routine and STAT assays on the Abbott ARCHITECT instruments demonstrated good analytical performance. Further clinical studies are required to demonstrate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of this novel marker in patients with CHF.

  7. A Sensitive and Robust Ultra HPLC Assay with Tandem Mass Spectrometric Detection for the Quantitation of the PARP Inhibitor Olaparib (AZD2281 in Human Plasma for Pharmacokinetic Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey Roth

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Olaparib (AZD2281 is an orally active PARP-1 inhibitor, primarily effective against cancers with BRCA1/2 mutations. It is currently in Phase III development and has previously been investigated in numerous clinical trials, both as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy. Despite this widespread testing, there is only one published method that provides assay details and stability studies for olaparib alone. A more sensitive uHPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of olaparib in human plasma was developed, increasing the range of quantification at both ends (0.5–50,000 ng/mL compared to previously published methods (10–5,000 ng/mL. The wider range encompasses CMAX levels produced by typical olaparib doses and permits better pharmacokinetic modeling of olaparib elimination. This assay also utilizes a shorter analytical runtime, allowing for more rapid quantification and reduced use of reagents. A liquid-liquid extraction was followed by chromatographic separation on a Waters UPLC® BEH C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 µm and mass spectrometric detection. The mass transitions m/z 435.4→281.1 and m/z 443.2→281.1 were used for olaparib and the internal standard [2H8]-olaparib, respectively. The assay proved to be accurate (<9% deviation and precise (CV < 11%. Stability studies showed that olaparib is stable at room temperature for 24 h. in whole blood, at 4 °C for 24 h post-extraction, at −80 °C in plasma for at least 19 months, and through three freeze-thaw cycles. This method proved to be robust for measuring olaparib levels in clinical samples from a Phase I trial.

  8. Measuring factor IX activity of nonacog beta pegol with commercially available one-stage clotting and chromogenic assay kits: a two-center study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowyer, A E; Hillarp, A; Ezban, M; Persson, P; Kitchen, S

    2016-07-01

    Essentials Validated assays are required to precisely measure factor IX (FIX) activity in FIX products. N9-GP and two other FIX products were assessed in various coagulation assay systems at two sites. Large variations in FIX activity measurements were observed for N9-GP using some assays. One-stage and chromogenic assays accurately measuring FIX activity for N9-GP were identified. Background Measurement of factor IX activity (FIX:C) with activated partial thromboplastin time-based one-stage clotting assays is associated with a large degree of interlaboratory variation in samples containing glycoPEGylated recombinant FIX (rFIX), i.e. nonacog beta pegol (N9-GP). Validation and qualification of specific assays and conditions are necessary for the accurate assessment of FIX:C in samples containing N9-GP. Objectives To assess the accuracy of various one-stage clotting and chromogenic assays for measuring FIX:C in samples containing N9-GP as compared with samples containing rFIX or plasma-derived FIX (pdFIX) across two laboratory sites. Methods FIX:C, in severe hemophilia B plasma spiked with a range of concentrations (from very low, i.e. 0.03 IU mL(-1) , to high, i.e. 0.90 IU mL(-1) ) of N9-GP, rFIX (BeneFIX), and pdFIX (Mononine), was determined at two laboratory sites with 10 commercially available one-stage clotting assays and two chromogenic FIX:C assays. Assays were performed with a plasma calibrator and different analyzers. Results A high degree of variation in FIX:C measurement was observed for one-stage clotting assays for N9-GP as compared with rFIX or pdFIX. Acceptable N9-GP recovery was observed in the low-concentration to high-concentration samples tested with one-stage clotting assays using SynthAFax or DG Synth, or with chromogenic FIX:C assays. Similar patterns of FIX:C measurement were observed at both laboratory sites, with minor differences probably being attributable to the use of different analyzers. Conclusions These results suggest that, of the

  9. Assay of 25-OH vitamin D3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nayer, P. de; Thalasso, M.; Beckers, C.

    1977-01-01

    A simplified version of the competitive protein binding assay for 25-OH vit D3 derived from the method of Belsey et al. is presented. The procedure does not include a chromatography step, and is performed on an alcoolic extract of 0.1 ml plasma or serum. Normal rat serum (1:20,000) was used as binding protein. No β-lipoproteins were added to the assay buffer. A 10% displacement of the tracer was observed at 0.04 ng/tube, and 50% at 0.15 ng/tube, allowing for the measurement of 25-OH vit D3 concentrations between 2 ng/ml and 200 ng/ml. Mean values in a normal group was 23.1 +- 6.5 ng/ml (range 16-37 ng/ml, n = 11). (orig.) [de

  10. Development and validation of LC-MS/MS assay for the determination of Butoconazole in human plasma: Evaluation of systemic absorption following topical application in healthy volunteers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eman G. Nouman

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Butoconazole is an imidazole antifungal that is more effective than miconazole and clotrimazole for treatment of vaginal candidiasis. A highly sensitive tandem mass spectrometric assay was developed and validated to evaluate systemic absorption of Butoconazole following intravaginal administration. Chromatographic separation was achieved using Waters Xterra C18 column (3 µm, 3.0 × 50.0 mm. Liquid-liquid extraction using tert-butyl methyl ether was used for preparation of plasma samples. The mobile phase was solvent A: 0.1% formic acid in water and solvent B: acetonitrile: methanol (30:70, v/v, using gradient elution mode at 0.5 mL/min. Detection at positive electrospray ionization in the MRM mode was then employed. Analysis was carried out within 5.5 min over a linear concentration range of 0.10–30.00 ng/mL. Validation was carried out according to US FDA guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. Matrix effect, recovery efficiency and process efficiency have been investigated for the analyte and internal standard in neat solvent, post-extraction matrix and plasma. The mean percentage recoveries were higher than 80%, the accuracy was 93.51–106.85% and the RSD was below 10% throughout the studied concentration range. Results indicated sufficient stability of the target analyte in plasma at the employed experimental conditions. Results of incurred sample re-analysis and incurred sample stability revealed less than 5% variability. The applicability of the assay for monitoring of the systemic absorption of Butoconazole following intra vaginal application to healthy volunteers was demonstrated. Results confirmed that Butoconazole was detected shortly after intra vaginal administration with Cmax and tmax of 30 ng/mL and 6 h, respectively. Keywords: Butoconazole, LC-MS/MS, Matrix effect, Process efficiency, Recovery efficiency

  11. Trace Elements (Zn & Cu) And Plasma Proteins Status In Mauritian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A commercially available kit was used for the direct determination of zinc while copper assay was performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Total plasma proteins, albumin and globulin levels were also measured by colorimetric method using commercially available kits. Plasma zinc and copper levels in pregnant ...

  12. Determination of boldine in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speisky, H; Cassels, B K; Nieto, S; Valenzuela, A; Nuñez-Vergara, L J

    1993-02-26

    A sensitive method for the determination of boldine in blood plasma is described. The procedure involves a direct pH-buffered chloroform extraction of boldine from blood plasma, followed by its assay under isocratic conditions by HPLC with UV detection. The extraction recovery is excellent, and sensitivity and precision of the method are very high, when applied to plasma samples containing pharmacologically relevant concentrations of boldine.

  13. Assay of fluconazole by high-performance liquid chromatography with a mixed-phase column.

    OpenAIRE

    Wallace, J E; Harris, S C; Gallegos, J; Foulds, G; Chen, T J; Rinaldi, M G

    1992-01-01

    A mixed-phase liquid chromatographic column was used to assay fluconazole in plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid. The assay was linear from 0.2 to 20 micrograms/ml, with an average coefficient of variation of less than 5%. The partitioning of the drug between serum and cerebrospinal fluid was determined for 34 patients. The method was demonstrated to be suitable for both pharmacokinetic studies and monitoring of patients receiving treatment with this antifungal agent.

  14. International network for comparison of HIV neutralization assays: the NeutNet report II.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leo Heyndrickx

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Neutralizing antibodies provide markers for vaccine-induced protective immunity in many viral infections. By analogy, HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies induced by immunization may well predict vaccine effectiveness. Assessment of neutralizing antibodies is therefore of primary importance, but is hampered by the fact that we do not know which assay(s can provide measures of protective immunity. An international collaboration (NeutNet involving 18 different laboratories previously compared different assays using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs and soluble CD4 (Phase I study. METHODS: In the present study (Phase II, polyclonal reagents were evaluated by 13 laboratories. Each laboratory evaluated nine plasmas against an 8 virus panel representing different genetic subtypes and phenotypes. TriMab, a mixture of three mAbs, was used as a positive control allowing comparison of the results with Phase I in a total of nine different assays. The assays used either uncloned virus produced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs (Virus Infectivity Assays, VIA, or Env (gp160-pseudotyped viruses (pseudoviruses, PSV produced in HEK293T cells from molecular clones or from uncloned virus. Target cells included PBMC and genetically engineered cell lines in either single- or multiple-cycle infection format. Infection was quantified by using a range of assay read-outs including extra- or intra-cellular p24 antigen detection, luciferase, beta-galactosidase or green fluorescent protein (GFP reporter gene expression. FINDINGS: Using TriMab, results of Phase I and Phase II were generally in agreement for six of the eight viruses tested and confirmed that the PSV assay is more sensitive than PBMC (p = 0.014. Comparisons with the polyclonal reagents showed that sensitivities were dependent on both virus and plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Here we further demonstrate clear differences in assay sensitivities that were dependent on both the neutralizing reagent and the virus

  15. International network for comparison of HIV neutralization assays: the NeutNet report II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyndrickx, Leo; Heath, Alan; Sheik-Khalil, Enas; Alcami, Jose; Bongertz, Vera; Jansson, Marianne; Malnati, Mauro; Montefiori, David; Moog, Christiane; Morris, Lynn; Osmanov, Saladin; Polonis, Victoria; Ramaswamy, Meghna; Sattentau, Quentin; Tolazzi, Monica; Schuitemaker, Hanneke; Willems, Betty; Wrin, Terri; Fenyö, Eva Maria; Scarlatti, Gabriella

    2012-01-01

    Neutralizing antibodies provide markers for vaccine-induced protective immunity in many viral infections. By analogy, HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies induced by immunization may well predict vaccine effectiveness. Assessment of neutralizing antibodies is therefore of primary importance, but is hampered by the fact that we do not know which assay(s) can provide measures of protective immunity. An international collaboration (NeutNet) involving 18 different laboratories previously compared different assays using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and soluble CD4 (Phase I study). In the present study (Phase II), polyclonal reagents were evaluated by 13 laboratories. Each laboratory evaluated nine plasmas against an 8 virus panel representing different genetic subtypes and phenotypes. TriMab, a mixture of three mAbs, was used as a positive control allowing comparison of the results with Phase I in a total of nine different assays. The assays used either uncloned virus produced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (Virus Infectivity Assays, VIA), or Env (gp160)-pseudotyped viruses (pseudoviruses, PSV) produced in HEK293T cells from molecular clones or from uncloned virus. Target cells included PBMC and genetically engineered cell lines in either single- or multiple-cycle infection format. Infection was quantified by using a range of assay read-outs including extra- or intra-cellular p24 antigen detection, luciferase, beta-galactosidase or green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene expression. Using TriMab, results of Phase I and Phase II were generally in agreement for six of the eight viruses tested and confirmed that the PSV assay is more sensitive than PBMC (p = 0.014). Comparisons with the polyclonal reagents showed that sensitivities were dependent on both virus and plasma. Here we further demonstrate clear differences in assay sensitivities that were dependent on both the neutralizing reagent and the virus. Consistent with the Phase I study, we recommend

  16. Determination of plasma aldosterone in children by thin layer chromatography and radioimmunoassay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parth, K; Zimprich, H; Brunel, R [The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Paediatric Endocrinology; The Karolinen Kinderspital, Vienna)

    1976-01-01

    An accurate and relatively simple radioimmunoassay for the determination of aldosterone concentration in peripheral plasma has been developed. 0.5-2.0 ml plasma with added ..cap alpha..1.2-/sup 3/H..omega..aldosterone is extracted with dichloromethane. Purification of the extract is achieved by thin layer chromatography in the system benzene-acetone 1:1. Recovery of ..cap alpha..1,2-/sup 3/H..omega..aldosterone is 58+-6 (sd) %. Bound and free fractions are separated by dextran-coated charcol. The intra-assay reproducibility is 8.8 % and the inter-assay reproducibility varies from 11.4-16.1%. The sensitivity of the assay for a 5 ml plasma sample can be put at 0.2 ng/100 ml. Normal values determined in 52 healthy children of different age groups are presented. Furthermore the aldosterone stimulating effect of low sodium diet (17 children), severe and prolonged vomiting (19 children) and synthetic ACTH (10 children) has been studied by our modified method.

  17. A radioimmunoassay for equilin in post-menopausal plasma: plasma levels of equilin determined after oral administration of conjugated equine oestrogens (Premarin)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morgan, M.R.A.; Whittaker, P.G.; Fuller, B.P.; Dean, P.D.G.

    1980-01-01

    Preparations containing equilin are widely used in hormone therapy at the menopause. No suitable routine assay exists for this steroid. Antisera have been raised to equilin-3-hemisuccinyl-bovine serum albumin, and have been found to be highly specific for equilin. A direct sensitive assay for this steroid in post-menopausal plasma has been established. The implications of the cross-reaction data for the synthesis of oestrogen immunogens are discussed. Equilin has been assayed in samples obtained from oophorectomised women receiving conjugated equine oestrogens (Premarin). (author)

  18. The detection of ovulation with a two-hour radioimmunoassay for human plasma luteinizing hormone using the Centria Analyzer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarz, S.

    1980-01-01

    We describe a rapid (2-h) radioimmunoassay for human plasma luteinizing hormone which utilizes the reagents from a commercially available kit. Standardization of the assay was achieved using plasma standards instead of a buffer system and the Centria radioimmunoassay centrifugal analyzer which allowed simultaneous initiation and termination of reactions in all assay tubes. The specificity, precision, and accuracy of the assay were equal to or better than the conventional 24-h assay. Since this assay is designed to detect the mid-cycle surge of luteinizing hormone, its decreased sensitivity was small price to pay for the speed with which a result could be obtained. (orig.) [de

  19. Porous Silicon Antibody Microarrays for Quantitative Analysis: Measurement of Free and Total PSA in Clinical Plasma Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tojo, Axel; Malm, Johan; Marko-Varga, György; Lilja, Hans; Laurell, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    The antibody microarrays have become widespread, but their use for quantitative analyses in clinical samples has not yet been established. We investigated an immunoassay based on nanoporous silicon antibody microarrays for quantification of total prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) in 80 clinical plasma samples, and provide quantitative data from a duplex microarray assay that simultaneously quantifies free and total PSA in plasma. To further develop the assay the porous silicon chips was placed into a standard 96-well microtiter plate for higher throughput analysis. The samples analyzed by this quantitative microarray were 80 plasma samples obtained from men undergoing clinical PSA testing (dynamic range: 0.14-44ng/ml, LOD: 0.14ng/ml). The second dataset, measuring free PSA (dynamic range: 0.40-74.9ng/ml, LOD: 0.47ng/ml) and total PSA (dynamic range: 0.87-295ng/ml, LOD: 0.76ng/ml), was also obtained from the clinical routine. The reference for the quantification was a commercially available assay, the ProStatus PSA Free/Total DELFIA. In an analysis of 80 plasma samples the microarray platform performs well across the range of total PSA levels. This assay might have the potential to substitute for the large-scale microtiter plate format in diagnostic applications. The duplex assay paves the way for a future quantitative multiplex assay, which analyses several prostate cancer biomarkers simultaneously. PMID:22921878

  20. A European multicientre study on the comparison of HBV viral loads between VERIS HBV assay and Roche COBAS® TAQMAN® HBV test, Abbott RealTime HBV assay, Siemens VERSANT HBV assay, and Qiagen artus HBV RG kit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun, Patrick; Delgado, Rafael; Drago, Monica; Fanti, Diana; Fleury, Hervé; Izopet, Jacques; Lombardi, Alessandra; Marcos, MaAngeles; Sauné, Karine; O'Shea, Siobhan; Pérez-Rivilla, Alfredo; Ramble, John; Trimoulet, Pascale; Vila, Jordi; Whittaker, Duncan; Artus, Alain; Rhodes, Daniel

    2017-10-01

    Hepatitis B viral load testing is essential to treatment and monitoring decisions in patients with chronic Hepatitis B. Beckman Coulter has developed the VERIS HBV Assay (Veris) for use on the fully automated DxN VERIS Molecular Diagnostics System. 1 OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical performance of the Veris HBV Assay at multiple EU laboratories STUDY DESIGN: Method comparison was performed with a total of 344 plasma specimens from HBV infected patients tested with Veris and COBAS ® TaqMan ® HBV Test (Cobas), 207 specimens tested with Veris and RealTime HBV Assay (RealTime), 86 specimens tested with Veris and VERSANT ® HBV Assay (Versant), and 74 specimens tested with Veris and artus ® HBV RG PCR kit (artus). Bland-Altman analysis showed average bias of -0.46 log 10 IU/mL between Veris and Cobas, -0.46 log 10 IU/mL between Veris and RealTime, -0.36 log 10 IU/mL between Veris and Versant, and -0.12 log 10 IU/mL between Veris and artus. Bias was consistent across the assay range. Patient monitoring results using Veris demonstrated similar viral load trends over time to Cobas, RealTime, and artus. The VERIS HBV Assay demonstrated comparable clinical performance, with varying degrees of negative bias, compared to other currently marketed assays for HBV DNA monitoring. This negative bias should be taken into consideration if switching monitoring methods to Veris. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Comparison of radioimmunoassay and gas chromatographic mass spectrometric assay for d-amphetamine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Powers, K.H.; Ebert, M.H.

    1979-01-01

    Quantification of low levels of psychotropic drugs (10 -7 to 10 -9 g ml -1 ) in small volumes of plasma requires sensitive and accurate methods. Validation of these methods is best achieved by comparing results obtained using several techniques. In this study, amphetamine levels in plasma were measured using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and radioimmunoassay. Correlation of the results obtained by the two methods was found to be positive and high (R = 0.9822). The average coefficient of variation between assays for gas chromatography mass spectrometry was 5.8% and for radioimmunoassay was 12.3%, while the average coefficient of variation within assays for gas chromatography mass spectrometry was 4.9% and for radioimmunoassay 6.9%. Although gas chromatography mass spectrometry was 1.9 times more sensitive than radioimmunoassay, for most purposes, the convenience of the radioimmunoassay method outweighs the technical superiority of gas chromatography mass spectrometry. (author)

  2. Plasma osteopontin levels in patients with head and neck cancer and cervix cancer are critically dependent on the choice of ELISA system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vordermark, Dirk; Said, Harun M; Katzer, Astrid; Kuhnt, Thomas; Hänsgen, Gabriele; Dunst, Jürgen; Flentje, Michael; Bache, Matthias

    2006-01-01

    The tumor-associated glycoprotein osteopontin (OPN) is discussed as a plasma surrogate marker of tumor hypoxia and as an indicator of the presence of pleural mesothelioma in asbestos-exposed individuals. The clinical introduction of plasma OPN measurements requires the availability of a reliable enzyme-linked immunosorbence assay (ELISA). We compared previously described and currently available ELISA systems on 88 archival plasma samples obtained from patients with head and neck or cervix cancer between 20 days before and 171 after the start of radiotherapy. Median (range) plasma OPN levels were 667 (148.8–2095) ng/ml and 9.8 (3.5–189.5) ng/ml for a previously described and a newly marketed assay, respectively. Although results for different assays were significantly correlated (r = 0.38, p < 0.05, Spearman rank test), between-assay factors ranged from 2.0 to 217.9 (median 74.6) in individual patients. OPN levels in cervix cancer patients were comparable to those of head and neck cancer patients. Commercially available OPN ELISA systems produce different absolute plasma OPN levels, compromising a comparison of individual patient data with published results. However, different assays appear to have a similar capacity to rank patients according to plasma OPN level. A review of literature data suggests that plasma OPN levels measured even with identical ELISA systems can only be compared with caution

  3. Purification of plant plasma membranes by two-phase partitioning and measurement of H+ pumping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund, Anette; Fuglsang, Anja Thoe

    2012-01-01

    Purification of plasma membranes by two-phase partitioning is based on the separation of microsomal membranes, dependent on their surface hydrophobicity. Here we explain the purification of plasma membranes from a relatively small amount of material (7-30 g). The fluorescent probe ACMA (9-amino-6-chloro-2-metoxyacridine) accumulates inside the vesicles upon protonation. Quenching of ACMA in the solution corresponds to the H(+) transport across the plasma membrane. Before running the assay, the plasma membranes are incubated with the detergent Brij-58 in order to create inside-out vesicles.Purification of plasma membranes by two-phase partitioning is based on the separation of microsomal membranes, dependent on their surface hydrophobicity. Here we explain the purification of plasma membranes from a relatively small amount of material (7-30 g). The fluorescent probe ACMA (9-amino-6-chloro-2-metoxyacridine) accumulates inside the vesicles upon protonation. Quenching of ACMA in the solution corresponds to the H(+) transport across the plasma membrane. Before running the assay, the plasma membranes are incubated with the detergent Brij-58 in order to create inside-out vesicles.

  4. New validated method for piracetam HPLC determination in human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curticapean, Augustin; Imre, Silvia

    2007-01-10

    The new method for HPLC determination of piracetam in human plasma was developed and validated by a new approach. The simple determination by UV detection was performed on supernatant, obtained from plasma, after proteins precipitation with perchloric acid. The chromatographic separation of piracetam under a gradient elution was achieved at room temperature with a RP-18 LiChroSpher 100 column and aqueous mobile phase containing acetonitrile and methanol. The quantitative determination of piracetam was performed at 200 nm with a lower limit of quantification LLQ=2 microg/ml. For this limit, the calculated values of the coefficient of variation and difference between mean and the nominal concentration are CV%=9.7 and bias%=0.9 for the intra-day assay, and CV%=19.1 and bias%=-7.45 for the between-days assay. For precision, the range was CV%=1.8/11.6 in the intra-day and between-days assay, and for accuracy, the range was bias%=2.3/14.9 in the intra-day and between-days assay. In addition, the stability of piracetam in different conditions was verified. Piracetam proved to be stable in plasma during 4 weeks at -20 degrees C and for 36 h at 20 degrees C in the supernatant after protein precipitation. The new proposed method was used for a bioequivalence study of two medicines containing 800 mg piracetam.

  5. Screening assays to find out late latent syphilis cases – which is the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    non-treponemal) such as Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR), and specific (treponemal) such as Treponema pallidum hemagglutination test (TPHA) and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgG, IgM (ELISA IgG, IgM) tests. The aim of this ...

  6. Diurnal variations in iron concentrations and expression of genes involved in iron absorption and metabolism in pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yiming; Wan, Dan; Zhou, Xihong; Long, Ciming; Wu, Xin; Li, Lan; He, Liuqin; Huang, Pan; Chen, Shuai; Tan, Bie; Yin, Yulong

    2017-09-02

    Diurnal variations in serum iron levels have been well documented in clinical studies, and serum iron is an important diagnostic index for iron-deficiency anemia. However, the underlying mechanism of dynamic iron regulation in response to the circadian rhythm is still unclear. In this study, we investigated daily variations in iron status in the plasma and liver of pigs. The transcripts encoding key factors involved in iron uptake and homeostasis were evaluated. The results showed that iron levels in the plasma and liver exhibited diurnal rhythms. Diurnal variations were also observed in transcript levels of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), membrane-associated ferric reductase 1 (DCYTB), and transferrin receptor (TfR) in the duodenum and jejunum, as well as hepcidin (HAMP) and TfR in the liver. Moreover, the results showed a network in which diurnal variations in systemic iron levels were tightly regulated by hepcidin and Tf/TfR via DCYTB and DMT1. These findings provide new insights into circadian iron homeostasis regulation. The diurnal variations in serum iron levels may also have pathophysiological implications for clinical diagnostics related to iron deficiency anemia in pigs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Determination of activated plasma fibronectin using radioactive labelled collagen I

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fenger, M

    1984-01-01

    The plasma concentration of biological active fibronectin was assayed by a protein binding assay using 125I-collagen I as ligand and heparin as activator. The standard curve is linear for a fibronectin range of 1.1-11 pmol (0.5-5.0 micrograms) and the coefficient of variation was less than 10...

  8. Quantitative assay for the measurement of immune responses directed against the human placenta

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, M; Sutcliffe, R G [Glasgow Univ. (UK)

    1982-02-12

    A quantitative in vitro immune assay based on the classical chromium release assay has been developed to detect immune responses directed against alien antigens expressed by the developing foetus and present on the maternal-facing surface of the human placenta. A plasma membrane fraction from the surface of the placenta was prepared and the vesicles thus formed were radiolabelled with /sup 51/Cr. The /sup 51/Cr-labelled vesicles, by various criteria, were found to be suitable for use as targets in a release assay. Further, by means of experimentally immunised animals, the target membranes were shown to be capable of detecting both cellular and humoral anti-placental activity.

  9. Radioimmunoassay for luteinizing hormone releasing hormone in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saito, Shiro; Musa, Kimitaka; Oshima, Ichiyo; Yamamoto, Suzuyo; Funato, Toyohiko

    1975-01-01

    A sensitive and specific double antibody radioimmunoassay has been developed capable of measuring LH-RH in extracted human plasma. Thyrotropin releasing hormone, lysine vasopressin and most of LH-RH analogues did not appear to affect the assay. Hypothalamic extract and some of the LH-RH analogues produced displacement curves which were parallel to the curve obtained with the synthetic LH-RH. Sensitivity of the radioimmunoassay was about 3 pg per assay tube. The coefficient of variation of intraassays was 6.4%, while that of interassays was 9.6%. Exogenous LH-RH could be quantitatively extracted by acidic ethanol when varying amounts of synthetic LH-RH were added to the plasma. Immunoreactivity of LH-RH was preserved in plasma for 2 hrs in the cold but was gradually reduced thereafter. The plasma levels of LH-RH were 20 pg/ml or less in normal adults and not detectable in children. Aged males over 60 yr and postmenopausal women showed a tendency to have higher levels of plasma LH-RH. The plasma LH-RH level was significantly higher in midcycle than in the follicular or luteal stages. The disappearance rate of LH-RH from the circulation after intravenous injection could be represented as half-times of 4-6 min. Between 0.2-0.4% of the injected dose was excreted into urine within 1 hr. These results indicate that the determination of LH-RH might be a useful tool for elucidating hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad interactions. (auth.)

  10. Validation of a LC/MS method for the determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rower, Joseph E.; Bushman, Lane R.; Hammond, Kyle P.; Kadam, Rajendra S.; Aquilante, Christina L.

    2011-01-01

    Gemfibrozil, a fibric acid hypolipidemic agent, is increasingly being used in clinical drug-drug interaction studies as an inhibitor of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. The validation of a fast, accurate, and precise LC/MS method is described for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in an EDTA-anticoagulated human plasma matrix. Briefly, gemfibrozil was extracted from human plasma by an acetonitrile protein precipitation method. The assay was reproducible with intra-assay precision between 1.6% and 10.7%, and inter-assay precision ranging from 4.4% to 7.8%. The assay also showed good accuracy, with intra-assay concentrations within 85.6% and 108.7% of the expected value, and inter-assay concentrations within 89.4 to 104.0% of the expected value. The linear concentration range was between 0.5 and 50 μg/mL with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 μg/mL when 125 μL of plasma were extracted. This LC/MS method yielded a quick, simple, and reliable protocol for determining gemfibrozil concentrations in plasma and is applicable to clinical pharmacokinetic studies. PMID:21077249

  11. Validation of an LC/MS method for the determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rower, Joseph E; Bushman, Lane R; Hammond, Kyle P; Kadam, Rajendra S; Aquilante, Christina L

    2010-12-01

    Gemfibrozil, a fibric acid hypolipidemic agent, is increasingly being used in clinical drug-drug interaction studies as an inhibitor of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. The validation of a fast, accurate and precise LC/MS method is described for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in an EDTA-anticoagulated human plasma matrix. Briefly, gemfibrozil was extracted from human plasma by an acetonitrile protein precipitation method. The assay was reproducible with intra-assay precision between 1.6 and 10.7%, and inter-assay precision ranging from 4.4 to 7.8%. The assay also showed good accuracy, with intra-assay concentrations within 85.6-108.7% of the expected value, and inter-assay concentrations within 89.4-104.0% of the expected value. The linear concentration range was between 0.5 and 50 µg/mL with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 µg/mL when 125 µL of plasma were extracted. This LC/MS method yielded a quick, simple and reliable protocol for determining gemfibrozil concentrations in plasma and is applicable to clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Lowering the quantification limit of the QubitTM RNA HS assay using RNA spike-in.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Ben-Dov, Iddo Z; Mauro, Maurizio; Williams, Zev

    2015-05-06

    RNA quantification is often a prerequisite for most RNA analyses such as RNA sequencing. However, the relatively low sensitivity and large sample consumption of traditional RNA quantification methods such as UV spectrophotometry and even the much more sensitive fluorescence-based RNA quantification assays, such as the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay, are often inadequate for measuring minute levels of RNA isolated from limited cell and tissue samples and biofluids. Thus, there is a pressing need for a more sensitive method to reliably and robustly detect trace levels of RNA without interference from DNA. To improve the quantification limit of the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay, we spiked-in a known quantity of RNA to achieve the minimum reading required by the assay. Samples containing trace amounts of RNA were then added to the spike-in and measured as a reading increase over RNA spike-in baseline. We determined the accuracy and precision of reading increases between 1 and 20 pg/μL as well as RNA-specificity in this range, and compared to those of RiboGreen(®), another sensitive fluorescence-based RNA quantification assay. We then applied Qubit™ Assay with RNA spike-in to quantify plasma RNA samples. RNA spike-in improved the quantification limit of the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay 5-fold, from 25 pg/μL down to 5 pg/μL while maintaining high specificity to RNA. This enabled quantification of RNA with original concentration as low as 55.6 pg/μL compared to 250 pg/μL for the standard assay and decreased sample consumption from 5 to 1 ng. Plasma RNA samples that were not measurable by the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay were measurable by our modified method. The Qubit™ RNA HS Assay with RNA spike-in is able to quantify RNA with high specificity at 5-fold lower concentration and uses 5-fold less sample quantity than the standard Qubit™ Assay.

  13. Glypican-3 level assessed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is inferior to alpha-fetoprotein level for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Yejoo; Jang, Eun Sun; Choi, Yun Suk; Kim, Jin-Wook; Jeong, Sook-Hyang

    2016-09-01

    Glypican-3 (GPC3) protein is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue. It has been suggested as a diagnostic biomarker, but its inconsistent performance means that it requires further assessment. We therefore investigated the diagnostic value of the plasma GPC3 level compared to the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level as a diagnostic biomarker of HCC. We enrolled 157 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed HCC and 156 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) as the control group. GPC3 plasma levels were measured using two commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs, named as Assay 1 and 2), and AFP levels were measured using an enzyme-linked chemiluminescent immunoassay. The diagnostic accuracy was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Plasma GPC3 levels in HCC patients were very low (0-3.09 ng/mL) in Assay 1, while only 3 of the 157 patients (1.9%) showed detectable GPC3 levels in Assay 2. The median GPC3 level was not significantly elevated in the HCC group (0.80 ng/mL) compared with the LC group (0.60 ng/mL). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for GPC3 was 0.559 in Assay 1. In contrast, the median AFP level was significantly higher in HCC (27.72 ng/mL) than in LC (4.74 ng/mL), with an AUC of 0.729. The plasma level of GPC3 is a poor diagnostic marker for HCC, being far inferior to AFP. The development of a consistent detection system for the blood level of GPC3 is warranted.

  14. Evaluation of the specificity of antigen assays for plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 : Comparison of two new commercial kits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huisman, L.G.M.; Meijer, P.; Griensven, J. van; Kluft, C.

    1992-01-01

    t-PA depleted citrated plasma was used to prepare standards of different molecular forms of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). These standards were used to evaluate the specificity of two new PAI-1 antigen assays: the TintElize PAI-1 antigen assay (cat. no. 210221) and the Innotest PAI-1.

  15. Androgen radioimmunoassay in the ram: results of direct plasma testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone measurement and physiological evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garnier, D.-H.; Cotta, Y.; Terqui, M.

    1978-01-01

    Different radioimmunoassays of testosterone (T) dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and 5 α-dihydrotestosterone (5 α-DHT) were investigated for ram plasma. Specificity of the antisera, lack of noticeable binding in plasma, very low levels of other androgens allow direct plasma RIA for DHA and T by the double antibody technique. The levels obtained by this simplified method are in agreement with those found after extraction alone, after extraction and celite chromatography and after quantification with a completely different technique such as gas chromatography. The within assay variabilities for T and DHA were 4.7 p. 100 and 4.6 p. 100 respectively but vary with the level of steroid in plasma. The inter assay variabilities of T were 9.5 p. 100 and 3.2 p. 100 for 1.5 and 11.6 ng/ml of plasma respectively. The antiserum for 5 α-DHT have a specificity such that, even after celite chromatography some androgens (5 β-DHT) may interfere. However determinations of 5 α/5 β-DHT amounts are possible. The physiological validations of direct plasma T and DHA RIA were studied in various conditions. The DHA plasma variations are similar to those of T in Ram from birth to puberty, but the levels are lower. DHA plasma levels show a seasonal variation as does testosterone. Variations within 24 hrs of these two androgens were in synchrony. The direct plasma T and DHA assays are useful and inexpensive tools to characterize ram testicular function

  16. Hepcidin as a possible marker in determination of malignancy degree and sensitivity of breast cancer cells to cytostatic drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalovenko, T M; Todor, I M; Lukianova, N Y; Chekhun, V F

    2016-06-01

    To investigate the role of hepcidin (Hepc) in the formation of cells malignant phenotype in vitro and its expression in the dyna-mics of growth of Walker-256 carcinosarcoma with different sensitivity to doxorubicin (Dox). The cell lines used in the analysis included T47D, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, MCF/CP, and MCF/Dox. Hepc expression was studied by immunocytochemical method. "Free" iron content was determined by EPR spectroscopy. Determination of Hepc expression in homogenates of tumor tissue and in blood serum of rats with Dox-sensitive and -resistant Walker-256 carcinosarcoma was performed. It was found that Hepc levels in breast cancer (BC) cells with high degree of malignancy (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468) and drug-resistant phenotype (MCF/CP, MCF/Dox) were by 1.5-2 times higher (p < 0.05) in comparison with sensitive and less malignant BC cells. The development of drug-resistant phenotype in Walker-256 carcinosarcoma cells was accompanied by increasing of Hepc and "free" iron content (by 2.4 and 1.2 times, respectively). The data of in vitro and in vivo research evidenced on involvement of Hepc in formation of BC cells malignant phenotype and their resistance to Dox.

  17. RetroMine, or how to provide in-depth retrospective studies from Medline in a glance: the hepcidin use-case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cadeville Bertrand Ameline de

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The rapid expansion of biomedical literature has provoked an increased development of advanced text mining tools to rapidly extract relevant events from the continuously increasing amount of knowledge published periodically in PubMed. However, bioinvestigators are still reluctant to use these tools for two reasons: i a large volume of events is often extracted upon a query, and this volume is hard to manage, and ii background events dominate search results and overshadow more pertinent published information, especially for domain experts. In this paper, we propose an approach that incorporates the temporal dimension of published events to the process of information extraction to improve data selection and prioritize more pertinent periodically published knowledge for scientists. Indeed, instead of providing the total knowledge associated with a PubMed query, which is usually a mix of trivial background information and nonbackground information, we propose a method that incorporates time and selects non background and highly relevant biological entities and events published over time for bioinvestigators. Before excluding background events from the total knowledge extracted, a quantification of their amount is also provided. This work is illustrated by a case study regarding Hepcidin gene publications over a decade, a duration that is sufficiently long enough to generate alternative views on the overall data extracted.

  18. Atmospheric plasma surface modifications of electrospun PCL/chitosan/PCL hybrid scaffolds by nozzle type plasma jets for usage of cell cultivation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Surucu, Seda [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Atilim University, Incek, Golbasi, 06836, Ankara (Turkey); Masur, Kai [Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (Germany); Turkoglu Sasmazel, Hilal, E-mail: hilal.sasmazel@atilim.edu.tr [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Atilim University, Incek, Golbasi, 06836, Ankara (Turkey); Von Woedtke, Thomas; Weltmann, Klaus Dieter [Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (Germany)

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • Electrospun PCL/chitosan/PCL scaffolds introduced to the literature by us were modified with atmospheric pressure plasma jets. • Plasma was fed into the system with different gas flow rates, time and distances. • Topographical and functional changes were examined by various characterization methods. • Optimum plasma treatment parameters for enhanced topography and functionality were determined. • Electrospun hybrid plasma surface modified samples showed the increased biocompatibility performance of L929 fibroblast cells. - Abstract: This paper reports Ar gas, Ar + O{sub 2}, Ar + O{sub 2} + N{sub 2} gas mixtures and dry air plasma modifications by atmospheric pressure argon driven kINPen and air driven Diener (PlasmaBeam) plasma jets to alter surface properties of three dimensional (3D), electrospun PCL/Chitosan/PCL layer by layer hybrid scaffolds to improve human fibroblast (MRC5) cell attachment and growth. The characterizations of the samples were done by contact angle (CA) measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results showed that the plasma modification carried out under dry air and Ar + O{sub 2} + N{sub 2} gas mixtures were altered effectively the nanotopography and the functionality of the material surfaces. It was found that the samples treated with Ar + O{sub 2} + N{sub 2} gas mixtures for 1 min and dry air for 9 min have better hydrophilicity 78.9° ± 1.0 and 75.6° ± 0.1, respectively compared to the untreated samples (126.5°). Biocompatibility performance of the scaffolds was determined with alamarBlue (aB) assay and MTT assay methods, Giemsa staining, fluorescence microscope, confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The results showed that plasma treated samples increased the hydrophilicity and oxygen functionality and topography of the surfaces significantly, thus affecting the cell viability and proliferation on

  19. Atmospheric plasma surface modifications of electrospun PCL/chitosan/PCL hybrid scaffolds by nozzle type plasma jets for usage of cell cultivation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Surucu, Seda; Masur, Kai; Turkoglu Sasmazel, Hilal; Von Woedtke, Thomas; Weltmann, Klaus Dieter

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Electrospun PCL/chitosan/PCL scaffolds introduced to the literature by us were modified with atmospheric pressure plasma jets. • Plasma was fed into the system with different gas flow rates, time and distances. • Topographical and functional changes were examined by various characterization methods. • Optimum plasma treatment parameters for enhanced topography and functionality were determined. • Electrospun hybrid plasma surface modified samples showed the increased biocompatibility performance of L929 fibroblast cells. - Abstract: This paper reports Ar gas, Ar + O_2, Ar + O_2 + N_2 gas mixtures and dry air plasma modifications by atmospheric pressure argon driven kINPen and air driven Diener (PlasmaBeam) plasma jets to alter surface properties of three dimensional (3D), electrospun PCL/Chitosan/PCL layer by layer hybrid scaffolds to improve human fibroblast (MRC5) cell attachment and growth. The characterizations of the samples were done by contact angle (CA) measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results showed that the plasma modification carried out under dry air and Ar + O_2 + N_2 gas mixtures were altered effectively the nanotopography and the functionality of the material surfaces. It was found that the samples treated with Ar + O_2 + N_2 gas mixtures for 1 min and dry air for 9 min have better hydrophilicity 78.9° ± 1.0 and 75.6° ± 0.1, respectively compared to the untreated samples (126.5°). Biocompatibility performance of the scaffolds was determined with alamarBlue (aB) assay and MTT assay methods, Giemsa staining, fluorescence microscope, confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The results showed that plasma treated samples increased the hydrophilicity and oxygen functionality and topography of the surfaces significantly, thus affecting the cell viability and proliferation on/within scaffolds.

  20. Radioimmunoassay of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in plasma. [/sup 125/I tracer techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fahrenkrug, J.; Schaffalitzky de Muckadell, O.B.

    1977-06-01

    A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) has been developed, which can detect 3.3 pmol x L/sup -1/ of the peptide in plasma. Antisera to highly purified porcine VIP coupled to albumin were raised in eight rabbits. The final dilution, the avidity, and the specificity of each antiserum were determined. /sup 125/I-VIP served as label, and highly purified porcine VIP was used as standard. Separation of antibody-bound and free VIP was achieved by plasma-coated charcoal. Nonspecific interference with the assay system was excluded by extraction of plasm samples with ethanol. The reliability of the assay was investigated by recovery experiments, by serial dilution of plasma samples with high concentration of endogenous VIP, and by immunosorption. The within-and between assay reproducibility at a concentration of 18.3 pmol x L/sup -1/ was 1.6 and 2.3 pmol x L/sup -1/ (1 S.D.), respectively. Median fasting concentration of VIP in plasma from 74 normal subjects was 7.3 pmol x L/sup -1/ (range: 0 to 20.0 pmol x L/sup -1/).

  1. Atmospheric plasma surface modifications of electrospun PCL/chitosan/PCL hybrid scaffolds by nozzle type plasma jets for usage of cell cultivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surucu, Seda; Masur, Kai; Turkoglu Sasmazel, Hilal; Von Woedtke, Thomas; Weltmann, Klaus Dieter

    2016-11-01

    This paper reports Ar gas, Ar + O2, Ar + O2 + N2 gas mixtures and dry air plasma modifications by atmospheric pressure argon driven kINPen and air driven Diener (PlasmaBeam) plasma jets to alter surface properties of three dimensional (3D), electrospun PCL/Chitosan/PCL layer by layer hybrid scaffolds to improve human fibroblast (MRC5) cell attachment and growth. The characterizations of the samples were done by contact angle (CA) measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results showed that the plasma modification carried out under dry air and Ar + O2 + N2 gas mixtures were altered effectively the nanotopography and the functionality of the material surfaces. It was found that the samples treated with Ar + O2 + N2 gas mixtures for 1 min and dry air for 9 min have better hydrophilicity 78.9° ± 1.0 and 75.6° ± 0.1, respectively compared to the untreated samples (126.5°). Biocompatibility performance of the scaffolds was determined with alamarBlue (aB) assay and MTT assay methods, Giemsa staining, fluorescence microscope, confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The results showed that plasma treated samples increased the hydrophilicity and oxygen functionality and topography of the surfaces significantly, thus affecting the cell viability and proliferation on/within scaffolds.

  2. Effect of breed on plasma endothelin-1 concentration, plasma renin activity, and serum cortisol concentration in healthy dogs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Höglund, K.; Lequarré, A.-S.; Ljungvall, I.

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: There are breed differences in several blood variables in healthy dogs. OBJECTIVE: Investigate breed variation in plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentration, plasma renin activity, and serum cortisol concentration. ANIMALS: Five-hundred and thirty-one healthy dogs of 9 breeds examined...... at 5 centers (2-4 breeds/center). METHODS: Prospective observational study. Circulating concentrations of ET-1 and cortisol, and renin activity, were measured using commercially available assays. Absence of organ-related or systemic disease was ensured by thorough clinical investigations, including...

  3. Activity assays and immunoassays for plasma Renin and prorenin: information provided and precautions necessary for accurate measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Campbell, Duncan J; Nussberger, Juerg; Stowasser, Michael

    2009-01-01

    into focus the differences in information provided by activity assays and immunoassays for renin and prorenin measurement and has drawn attention to the need for precautions to ensure their accurate measurement. CONTENT: Renin activity assays and immunoassays provide related but different information...... provided by these assays and of the precautions necessary to ensure their accuracy....

  4. Measurement of operative plasma endotoxin levels in jaundiced and non-jaundiced patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pain, J A; Bailey, M E

    1987-01-01

    A study of portal plasma endotoxin levels was performed using a chromogenic limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. The assay proved sensitive and reproducible. In only 1 of 25 healthy subjects was the systemic plasma endotoxin level above 100 pg/ml (equivalent Escherichia coli 0111B4). In 30 non-jaundiced patients undergoing surgery the mean (+SEM) portal plasma endotoxin level (60 + 9 pg/ml) was significantly higher (p less than 0.05) than the mean level in the systemic blood (46 + 6 pg/ml), supporting the concept of endotoxin absorption from the intestine into the portal blood. In 20 patients with obstructive jaundice undergoing surgery 42% of portal, 45% of inferior mesenteric and 35% of systemic venous plasma endotoxin levels were above 100 pg/ml. There were significantly higher levels in the portal (p less than 0.05) and inferior mesenteric (p less than 0.05) compared with the systemic blood. Neither the presence of malignancy nor the duration of surgery appeared to influence endotoxin absorption. The significance of raised plasma endotoxin levels in obstructive jaundice is discussed.

  5. Flow induced dispersion analysis rapidly quantifies proteins in human plasma samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Nicklas N; Andersen, Nina Z; Østergaard, Jesper

    2015-01-01

    Rapid and sensitive quantification of protein based biomarkers and drugs is a substantial challenge in diagnostics and biopharmaceutical drug development. Current technologies, such as ELISA, are characterized by being slow (hours), requiring relatively large amounts of sample and being subject...... to cumbersome and expensive assay development. In this work a new approach for quantification based on changes in diffusivity is presented. The apparent diffusivity of an indicator molecule interacting with the protein of interest is determined by Taylor Dispersion Analysis (TDA) in a hydrodynamic flow system...... in a blood plasma matrix), fully automated, and being subject to a simple assay development. FIDA is demonstrated for quantification of the protein Human Serum Albumin (HSA) in human plasma as well as for quantification of an antibody against HSA. The sensitivity of the FIDA assay depends on the indicator...

  6. Validation and Application of a Dried Blood Spot Assay for Biofilm-Active Antibiotics Commonly Used for Treatment of Prosthetic Implant Infections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knippenberg, Ben; Page-Sharp, Madhu; Clark, Ben; Dyer, John; Batty, Kevin T.; Davis, Timothy M. E.

    2016-01-01

    Dried blood spot (DBS) antibiotic assays can facilitate pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) studies in situations where venous blood sampling is logistically difficult. We sought to develop, validate, and apply a DBS assay for rifampin (RIF), fusidic acid (FUS), and ciprofloxacin (CIP). These antibiotics are considered active against organisms in biofilms and are therefore commonly used for the treatment of infections associated with prosthetic implants. A liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy DBS assay was developed and validated, including red cell partitioning and thermal stability for each drug and the rifampin metabolite desacetyl rifampin (Des-RIF). Plasma and DBS concentrations in 10 healthy adults were compared, and the concentration-time profiles were incorporated into population PK models. The limits of quantification for RIF, Des-RIF, CIP, and FUS in DBS were 15 μg/liter, 14 μg/liter, 25 μg/liter, and 153 μg/liter, respectively. Adjusting for hematocrit, red cell partitioning, and relative recovery, DBS-predicted plasma concentrations were comparable to measured plasma concentrations for each antibiotic (r > 0.95; P < 0.0001), and Bland-Altman plots showed no significant bias. The final population PK estimates of clearance, volume of distribution, and time above threshold MICs for measured and DBS-predicted plasma concentrations were comparable. These drugs were stable in DBSs for at least 10 days at room temperature and 1 month at 4°C. The present DBS antibiotic assays are robust and can be used as surrogates for plasma concentrations to provide valid PK and PK/PD data in a variety of clinical situations, including therapeutic drug monitoring or studies of implant infections. PMID:27270283

  7. Radioimmunoassay of cholecystokinin in human tissue and plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jansen, J.B.M.J.; Lamers, C.B.H.W.

    1983-01-01

    A highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for cholecystokinin (CCK) without any cross-reactivity with gastrin is described. The antibody was raised in a rabbit by immunisation with 30% CCK and bound to all COOH-terminal CCK-peptides containing at least 14 amino acid residues. The affinity constant of the antibody was 59.4 x 10 10 l/mol. CCK 33 conjugated to [ 125 I]hydroxyphenylpropionic acid-succinimide ester was used as label. The binding between label and antibody was inhibited by 50% (ID 50 ) at a concentration of 2.8 pmol/l cholecystokinin 33. The detection limit of the assay was between 0.5 and 1.0 pmol/l plasma. Concentrations of CCK in aqueous acid extracts of human upper small intestine were 36.5 +- 9.8 pmol/g and of human cerebral cortex 28.2 +- 2.5 pmol/g tissue. Plasma samples were extracted in 96% ethanol prior to assay. No advantage was obtained by adding aprotinin to the tubes. When frozen at -20 0 C plasma CCK was stable for at least 6 months. Basal plasma CCK concentrations in 30 normal subjects were very low, 0.9 +- 0.1 pmol/l, range 0.5 to 3.1 pmol/l. Intraduodenal administration of fat induced significant increases in plasma CCK from 1.1 +- 0.1 to 8.2 +- 1.3 pmol/l (p = 0.01). Infusion of exogenous CCK, resulting in plasma CCK levels slightly lower than those measured during administration of fat, induced pancreatic enzyme secretion and gallbladder contraction. The reliability of this radioimmunoassay for measurements of CCK in human plasma was extensively evaluated. (Auth.)

  8. The radioimmunoassay of biologically active compounds in parotid fluid and plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, R.F.; Read, G.F.; Riad-Fahmy, D.

    1978-01-01

    Parotid fluid collection is a simple stress-free procedure. The potential value of parotid fluid estimations of clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, d-norgestrel, a synthetic contraceptive steroid and cortisol have been evaluated for assessment of clinical status and patient compliance. These compounds circulate bound largely to plasma proteins. Their concentration in parotid fluid, which reflects the non-protein bound fraction, is low but assay sensitivity (10, 1 and 30 pg/tube respectively) is adequate. Excellent agreement (r>0.9) was observed when parotid fluid samples were assayed with and without chromatographic purification. Clomipramine levels following oral dosage (150 mg) rose steadily to a maximum in plasma but showed wide fluctuations in parotid fluid. Clomipramine therapy can only be assessed by plasma assays, but patient compliance may be checked by parotid fluid concentrations. Following an oral dose of d-norgestrel (0.3 mg), parotid fluid levels rose steadily to a maximum but plasma response was biphasic making correlation impossible. The sensitivity and high throughput of the d-norgestrel methodology suggests its use in evaluating patient compliance in large-scale fertility control programmes. Changes in circulating cortisol concentrations were rapidly and accurately reflected in parotid fluid in normal volunteers. Parotid fluid cortisol showed a marked diurnal rhythm, suppression to low levels after dexamethasone, and elevation following Synacthen. Low levels after Synacthen stimulation in a patient with secondary adrenal atrophy and constant high levels in Cushingoid patients indicate that parotid fluid cortisol levels could be used for accurate adrenocortical evaluation. The value in rapid screening procedures is stressed since the assay can be performed directly on only 10 μl of parotid fluid. (author)

  9. HIV-1 viral load measurement in venous blood and fingerprick blood using Abbott RealTime HIV-1 DBS assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Ning; Pahalawatta, Vihanga; Frank, Andrea; Bagley, Zowie; Viana, Raquel; Lampinen, John; Leckie, Gregor; Huang, Shihai; Abravaya, Klara; Wallis, Carole L

    2017-07-01

    HIV RNA suppression is a key indicator for monitoring success of antiretroviral therapy. From a logistical perspective, viral load (VL) testing using Dried Blood Spots (DBS) is a promising alternative to plasma based VL testing in resource-limited settings. To evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay using a fully automated one-spot DBS sample protocol. Limit of detection (LOD), linearity, lower limit of quantitation (LLQ), upper limit of quantitation (ULQ), and precision were determined using serial dilutions of HIV-1 Virology Quality Assurance stock (VQA Rush University), or HIV-1-containing armored RNA, made in venous blood. To evaluate correlation, bias, and agreement, 497 HIV-1 positive adult clinical samples were collected from Ivory Coast, Uganda and South Africa. For each HIV-1 participant, DBS-fingerprick, DBS-venous and plasma sample results were compared. Correlation and bias values were obtained. The sensitivity and specificity were analyzed at a threshold of 1000 HIV-1 copies/mL generated using the standard plasma protocol. The Abbott HIV-1 DBS protocol had an LOD of 839 copies/mL, a linear range from 500 to 1×10 7 copies/mL, an LLQ of 839 copies/mL, a ULQ of 1×10 7 copies/mL, and an inter-assay SD of ≤0.30 log copies/mL for all tested levels within this range. With clinical samples, the correlation coefficient (r value) was 0.896 between DBS-fingerprick and plasma and 0.901 between DBS-venous and plasma, and the bias was -0.07 log copies/mL between DBS-fingerprick and plasma and -0.02 log copies/mL between DBS-venous and plasma. The sensitivity of DBS-fingerprick and DBS-venous was 93%, while the specificity of both DBS methods was 95%. The results demonstrated that the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay with DBS sample protocol is highly sensitive, specific and precise across a wide dynamic range and correlates well with plasma values. The Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay with DBS sample protocol provides an

  10. Evaluation of the rapid plasma reagin "teardrop" card test for screening of syphilis in field conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Dyck, E; Van de Velden, L; Ndoye, I; Piot, P; Meheus, A

    1993-01-01

    The availability of simple diagnostic methods may contribute to more efficient control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in developing countries. For the detection of syphilis, a simple rapid plasma reagin (RPR) "teardrop" assay for finger-prick blood samples was developed in 1962. The reliability of this test is compared with RPR, Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA), and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-Abs) assays performed on venous blood samples. To evaluate the potential usefulness of the finger-stick RPR teardrop assay for diagnosis of syphilis in settings with poor medical resources. Pregnant women evaluated at two health centers in Pikine, Senegal were tested for STDs. The RPR teardrop assay was performed on plasma from blood samples obtained by finger prick, and standard RPR, TPHA, and FTA-Abs procedures were performed on serum obtained by vein puncture. The sensitivity and specificity of the finger-prick RPR teardrop assay were 69.7% and 96.5%, respectively, and its reactivity was correlated with RPR serum antibody titer. The finger-prick RPR teardrop assay is not a reliable alternative to the classic serum RPR test.

  11. Multi-site assessment of the precision and reproducibility of multiple reaction monitoring–based measurements of proteins in plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Addona, Terri A; Abbatiello, Susan E; Schilling, Birgit; Skates, Steven J; Mani, D R; Bunk, David M; Spiegelman, Clifford H; Zimmerman, Lisa J; Ham, Amy-Joan L; Keshishian, Hasmik; Hall, Steven C; Allen, Simon; Blackman, Ronald K; Borchers, Christoph H; Buck, Charles; Cardasis, Helene L; Cusack, Michael P; Dodder, Nathan G; Gibson, Bradford W; Held, Jason M; Hiltke, Tara; Jackson, Angela; Johansen, Eric B; Kinsinger, Christopher R; Li, Jing; Mesri, Mehdi; Neubert, Thomas A; Niles, Richard K; Pulsipher, Trenton C; Ransohoff, David; Rodriguez, Henry; Rudnick, Paul A; Smith, Derek; Tabb, David L; Tegeler, Tony J; Variyath, Asokan M; Vega-Montoto, Lorenzo J; Wahlander, Åsa; Waldemarson, Sofia; Wang, Mu; Whiteaker, Jeffrey R; Zhao, Lei; Anderson, N Leigh; Fisher, Susan J; Liebler, Daniel C; Paulovich, Amanda G; Regnier, Fred E; Tempst, Paul; Carr, Steven A

    2010-01-01

    Verification of candidate biomarkers relies upon specific, quantitative assays optimized for selective detection of target proteins, and is increasingly viewed as a critical step in the discovery pipeline that bridges unbiased biomarker discovery to preclinical validation. Although individual laboratories have demonstrated that multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) coupled with isotope dilution mass spectrometry can quantify candidate protein biomarkers in plasma, reproducibility and transferability of these assays between laboratories have not been demonstrated. We describe a multilaboratory study to assess reproducibility, recovery, linear dynamic range and limits of detection and quantification of multiplexed, MRM-based assays, conducted by NCI-CPTAC. Using common materials and standardized protocols, we demonstrate that these assays can be highly reproducible within and across laboratories and instrument platforms, and are sensitive to low µg/ml protein concentrations in unfractionated plasma. We provide data and benchmarks against which individual laboratories can compare their performance and evaluate new technologies for biomarker verification in plasma. PMID:19561596

  12. Correlation of immune activation with HIV-1 RNA levels assayed by real-time RT-PCR in HIV-1 Subtype C infected patients in Northern India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Atima; Sankaran, Sumathi; Vajpayee, Madhu; Sreenivas, V; Seth, Pradeep; Dandekar, Satya

    2014-01-01

    Background Assays with specificity and cost effectiveness are needed for the measurement of HIV-1 burden to monitor disease progression or response to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. Objectives The objective of this study was to develop and validate an affordable; one step Real-Time RT-PCR assay with high specificity and sensitivity to measure plasma HIV-1 loads in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. Results We developed an RT-PCR assay to detect and quantitate plasma HIV-1 levels in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. An inverse correlation between plasma viral loads (PVL) and CD4+ T-cell numbers was detected at all CDC stages. Significant correlations were found between CD8+ T-cell activation and PVL, as well as with the clinical and immunological status of the patients. Conclusions The RT-PCR assay provides a sensitive method to measure PVL in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. Viral loads correlated with immune activation and can be used to monitor HIV care in India. PMID:17962068

  13. Urine assay for tenofovir to monitor adherence in real time to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine as pre-exposure prophylaxis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koenig, H C; Mounzer, K; Daughtridge, G W; Sloan, C E; Lalley-Chareczko, L; Moorthy, G S; Conyngham, S C; Zuppa, A F; Montaner, L J; Tebas, P

    2017-07-01

    Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) is approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV infection. Adherence is critical for the success of PrEP, but current adherence measurements are inadequate for real-time adherence monitoring. We developed and validated a urine assay to measure tenofovir (TFV) to objectively monitor adherence to PrEP. We developed a urine assay using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with high sensitivity/specificity for TFV that allowed us to determine TFV concentrations in log 10 categories between 0 and 10 000 ng/mL. We validated the assay in three cohorts: (1) HIV-positive subjects with undetectable viral loads on a TDF/FTC-based regimen, (2) healthy HIV-negative subjects who received a single dose of TDF/FTC, and (3) HIV-negative subjects receiving daily TDF/FTC as PrEP for 24 weeks. The urine assay detected TFV with greater sensitivity than plasma-based measures and with a window of measurements within 7 days of the last TDF/FTC dose. Based on the urine log-linear clearance after the last dose and its concordance with all detectable plasma levels, a urine TFV concentration > 1000 ng/mL was identified as highly predictive of the presence of TFV in plasma at > 10 ng/mL. The urine assay was able to distinguish high and low adherence patterns within the last 48 h (> 1000 ng/mL versus 10-1000 ng/mL), as well as nonadherence (< 10 ng/mL) extended over at least 1 week prior to measurement. We provide proof of concept that a semiquantitative urine assay measuring levels of TFV could be further developed into a point-of-care test and be a useful tool to monitor adherence to PrEP. © 2017 British HIV Association.

  14. Current understanding of iron homeostasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Gregory J; Frazer, David M

    2017-12-01

    Iron is an essential trace element, but it is also toxic in excess, and thus mammals have developed elegant mechanisms for keeping both cellular and whole-body iron concentrations within the optimal physiologic range. In the diet, iron is either sequestered within heme or in various nonheme forms. Although the absorption of heme iron is poorly understood, nonheme iron is transported across the apical membrane of the intestinal enterocyte by divalent metal-ion transporter 1 (DMT1) and is exported into the circulation via ferroportin 1 (FPN1). Newly absorbed iron binds to plasma transferrin and is distributed around the body to sites of utilization with the erythroid marrow having particularly high iron requirements. Iron-loaded transferrin binds to transferrin receptor 1 on the surface of most body cells, and after endocytosis of the complex, iron enters the cytoplasm via DMT1 in the endosomal membrane. This iron can be used for metabolic functions, stored within cytosolic ferritin, or exported from the cell via FPN1. Cellular iron concentrations are modulated by the iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) IRP1 and IRP2. At the whole-body level, dietary iron absorption and iron export from the tissues into the plasma are regulated by the liver-derived peptide hepcidin. When tissue iron demands are high, hepcidin concentrations are low and vice versa. Too little or too much iron can have important clinical consequences. Most iron deficiency reflects an inadequate supply of iron in the diet, whereas iron excess is usually associated with hereditary disorders. These disorders include various forms of hemochromatosis, which are characterized by inadequate hepcidin production and, thus, increased dietary iron intake, and iron-loading anemias whereby both increased iron absorption and transfusion therapy contribute to the iron overload. Despite major recent advances, much remains to be learned about iron physiology and pathophysiology. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

  15. Measurement of plasma canine C peptide by radioimmunoassay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Besch, W; Woltanski, K P; Fischer, U; Kohnert, K D; Ziegler, M

    1985-12-01

    A sensitive radioimmunoassay for canine C peptide (CCP) was established using synthetic CCP, a specific antiserum, and rabbit anti-guinea pig serum. Radioiodination was performed according to a modified chloramine T method. Tracer preparations have been used for 6 weeks after iodination. The standard curve ranges from 0.028 to 3.0 nmol/l. The intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) was 3-5% and the inter-assay CV was 6-9% in the optimal range between 0.3 and 0.8 nmol/l. The average recovery of CCP added to plasma samples was 100.6% (n = 9). Canine insulin, porcine proinsulin, bovine proinsulin, and human C peptide exhibited no cross-reactivity. The mean fasting plasma CCP concentration was 0.089 +- 0.021 nmol/l in normal dogs and -0.005 +- 0.007 nmol/l (mean +- SEM) in diabetic dogs, respectively.

  16. Enzymatic assays for the diagnosis of bradykinin-dependent angioedema.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Defendi

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The kinins (primarily bradykinin, BK represent the mediators responsible for local increase of vascular permeability in hereditary angioedema (HAE, HAE I-II associated with alterations of the SERPING1 gene and HAE with normal C1-Inhibitor function (HAE-nC1INH. Besides C1-Inhibitor function and concentration, no biological assay of kinin metabolism is actually available to help physicians for the diagnosis of angioedema (AE. We describe enzymatic tests on the plasma for diagnosis of BK-dependent AE. METHODS: The plasma amidase assays are performed using the Pro-Phe-Arg-p-nitroanilide peptide substrate to evaluate the spontaneous amidase activity and the proenzyme activation. We analyzed data of 872 patients presenting with BK-dependent AE or BK-unrelated diseases, compared to 303 controls. Anti-high MW kininogen (HK immunoblot was achieved to confirm HK cleavage in exemplary samples. Reproducibility, repeatability, limit of blank, limit of detection, precision, linearity and receiver operating characteristics (ROC were used to calculate the diagnostic performance of the assays. RESULTS: Spontaneous amidase activity was significantly increased in all BK-dependent AE, associated with the acute phase of disease in HAE-nC1INH, but preserved in BK-unrelated disorders. The increase of the amidase activity was associated to HK proteolysis, indicating its relevance to identify kininogenase activity. The oestrogens, known for precipitating AE episodes, were found as triggers of enzymatic activity. Calculations from ROC curves gave the optimum diagnostic cut-off for women (9.3 nmol⋅min(-1⋅mL(-1, area under curve [AUC] 92.1%, sensitivity 80.0%, and specificity 90.1% and for men (6.6 nmol·min(-1⋅mL(-1, AUC 91.0%, sensitivity 87.0% and specificity 81.2%. CONCLUSION: The amidase assay represents a diagnostic tool to help physicians in the decision to distinguish between BK-related and -unrelated AE.

  17. SPE–UPLC–MS/MS assay for determination of letrozole in human plasma and its application to bioequivalence study in healthy postmenopausal Indian women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pravin G. Vanol

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available A rapid and sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS method is described for determination of letrozole in human plasma. Following solid phase extraction (SPE of letrozole and letrozole-d4 on Orochem DVB-LP cartridges, chromatography was performed on Acquity UPLC BEH C18 (50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 µm column using methanol-0.1% formic acid in water (85:15, v/v as the mobile phase. Detection was carried out on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray source, operated under positive ionization mode. Quantitation of letrozole and letrozole-d4 was done using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM following the transitions at m/z 286.2→217.0 and m/z 290.2→221.0, respectively. The calibration plots were linear through the concentration range of 0.10–100 ng/mL (r2≥0.9990 using 100 µL human plasma. The extraction recovery of letrozole ranged from 94.3% to 96.2% and the intra-batch and inter-batch precision was ≤5.2%. The method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of letrozole after oral administration of 2.5 mg tablet formulation to 16 healthy postmenopausal Indian women. The assay reproducibility was also established through incurred sample reanalysis (ISR of 74 subject samples.

  18. Standardization of the method for measurement of plasma estrone by radioimmunoassay; Padronizacao do metodo de dosagem de estrona plasmatica por radioimunoensaio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vilanova, M.S.V.; Moreira, A.C.; Sala, M.M. de; Sa, M.F.S. de [Sao Paulo Univ., Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina

    1994-10-01

    The present paper has as objective standardize a radioimmunoassay method for measurement of plasma estrone. Ethyl ether was used for plasma extraction. The sensitivity (Minimal detectable dose) was 3,7 pg/tube; the reproducibility (inter assay error) was 8,6%; the precision (intra assay error) was 4,1%. As a biological control the plasma estrone was ml and in 24 patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (median = 77,9 pg/ml). (author). 6 refs, 2 figs, 2 tabs.

  19. The trade-off between accuracy and accessibility of syphilis screening assays.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pieter W Smit

    Full Text Available The availability of rapid and sensitive methods to diagnose syphilis facilitates screening of pregnant women, which is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available. We have evaluated two screening methods in Tanzania: an enzyme immunoassay (EIA, and a point-of-care test (POCT. We evaluated the performance of each test against the Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA as the reference method, and the accessibility of testing in a rural district of Tanzania. The POCT was performed in the clinic on whole blood, while the other assays were performed on plasma in the laboratory. Samples were also tested by the rapid plasma Reagin (RPR test. With TPPA as reference assay, the sensitivity and specificity of EIA were 95.3% and 97.8%, and of the POCT were 59.6% and 99.4% respectively. The sensitivity of the POCT and EIA for active syphilis cases (TPPA positive and RPR titer ≥ 1/8 were 82% and 100% respectively. Only 15% of antenatal clinic attenders in this district visited a health facility with a laboratory capable of performing the EIA. Although it is less sensitive than EIA, its greater accessibility, and the fact that treatment can be given on the same day, means that the use of POCT would result in a higher proportion of women with syphilis receiving treatment than with the EIA in this district of Tanzania.

  20. Special problems in the radioimmunoassay of plasma aldosterone without prior extraction and purification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pratt, J.J.; Boonman, R.; Woldring, M.G.; Donker, A.J.M.

    1978-01-01

    A new method for the radioimmunoassay of plasma aldosterone is described. The assay is performed directly on plasma without extracting or purifying the aldosterone. The method fulfilled the usual requirements for the demonstration of accuracy. Extensive data on the properties of the antisera are given. (Auth.)

  1. Assay of Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase in Plant Tissues under Abiotic Stresses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janicka, Małgorzata; Wdowikowska, Anna; Kłobus, Grażyna

    2018-01-01

    Plasma membrane (PM) H + -ATPase, which generates the proton gradient across the outer membrane of plant cells, plays a fundamental role in the regulation of many physiological processes fundamental for growth and development of plants. It is involved in the uptake of nutrients from external solutions, their loading into phloem and long-distance transport, stomata aperture and gas exchange, pH homeostasis in cytosol, cell wall loosening, and cell expansion. The crucial role of the enzyme in resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stress factors has also been well documented. Such great diversity of physiological functions linked to the activity of one enzyme requires a suitable and complex regulation of H + -ATPase. This regulation comprises the transcriptional as well as post-transcriptional levels. Herein, we describe the techniques that can be useful for the analysis of the plasma membrane proton pump modifications at genetic and protein levels under environmental factors.

  2. Feasibility of Using Convalescent Plasma Immunotherapy for MERS-CoV Infection, Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajeer, Ali H.; Luke, Thomas; Raviprakash, Kanakatte; Balkhy, Hanan; Johani, Sameera; Al-Dawood, Abdulaziz; Al-Qahtani, Saad; Al-Omari, Awad; Al-Hameed, Fahad; Hayden, Frederick G.; Fowler, Robert; Bouchama, Abderrezak; Shindo, Nahoko; Al-Khairy, Khalid; Carson, Gail; Taha, Yusri; Sadat, Musharaf; Alahmadi, Mashail

    2016-01-01

    We explored the feasibility of collecting convalescent plasma for passive immunotherapy of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection by using ELISA to screen serum samples from 443 potential plasma donors: 196 patients with suspected or laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infection, 230 healthcare workers, and 17 household contacts exposed to MERS-CoV. ELISA-reactive samples were further tested by indirect fluorescent antibody and microneutralization assays. Of the 443 tested samples, 12 (2.7%) had a reactive ELISA result, and 9 of the 12 had reactive indirect fluorescent antibody and microneutralization assay titers. Undertaking clinical trials of convalescent plasma for passive immunotherapy of MERS-CoV infection may be feasible, but such trials would be challenging because of the small pool of potential donors with sufficiently high antibody titers. Alternative strategies to identify convalescent plasma donors with adequate antibody titers should be explored, including the sampling of serum from patients with more severe disease and sampling at earlier points during illness. PMID:27532807

  3. The measurement of acetanilide in plasma by spectrophotometric and selected ion monitoring methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baty, J D; Playfer, J; Evans, D A; Lamb, J

    1977-08-01

    Plasma samples from volunteers who had received an oral dose of acetanilide have been analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and ultraviolet absorption techniques. The gas chromatography mass spectrometry method involved extraction of the plasma and analysis of the acetanilide using selected ion monitoring with a deuterated internal standard. In the ultraviolet method the plasma was hydrolysed with acid to convert the acetanilide to aniline, and this compound was diazotized and coupled with N-1-naphthylethylene-diamine. The absorbance of the resulting complex was read at 550 nm. Acetanilide levels in plasma determined by the selected ion monitoring method were significantly lower than those measured by spectrophotometry. Pharmacokinetic data calculated from the results obtained using these two assays are very different and illustrate the need for an accurate and specific method of analysis. The major metabolites of acetanilide are shown not to interfere with these assays and the results suggest the possible presence of a new metabolite of acetanilide.

  4. Egg beater as centrifuge: isolating human blood plasma from whole blood in resource-poor settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Amy P; Gupta, Malancha; Shevkoplyas, Sergey S; Whitesides, George M

    2008-12-01

    This paper demonstrates that a hand-powered egg beater can be modified to serve as a centrifuge for separating plasma from human whole blood. Immunoassays used to diagnose infectious diseases often require plasma from whole blood, and obtaining plasma typically requires electrically-powered centrifuges, which are not widely available in resource-limited settings. Human whole blood was loaded into polyethylene (PE) tubing, and the tubing was attached to the paddle of an egg beater. Spinning the paddle pelleted the blood cells to the distal end of the PE tubing; the plasma remained as the supernatant. A cholesterol assay (run on patterned paper) demonstrated the suitability of this plasma for use in diagnostic assays. The physics of the system was also analyzed as a guide for the selection of other rotating systems for use in centrifugation. Egg beaters, polyethylene tubing, and paper are readily available devices and supplies that can facilitate the use of point-of-care diagnostics at sites far from centralized laboratory facilities.

  5. Control of multidrug-resistant planktonic Acinetobacter baumannii: biocidal efficacy study by atmospheric-pressure air plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhe, RUAN; Yajun, GUO; Jing, GAO; Chunjun, YANG; Yan, LAN; Jie, SHEN; Zimu, XU; Cheng, CHENG; Xinghao, LIU; Shumei, ZHANG; Wenhui, DU; Paul, K. CHU

    2018-04-01

    In this research, an atmospheric-pressure air plasma is used to inactivate the multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in liquid. The efficacy of the air plasma on bacterial deactivation and the cytobiological variations after the plasma treatment are investigated. According to colony forming units, nearly all the bacteria (6-log) are inactivated after 10 min of air plasma treatment. However, 7% of the bacteria enter a viable but non-culturable state detected by the resazurin based assay during the same period of plasma exposure. Meanwhile, 86% of the bacteria lose their membrane integrity in the light of SYTO 9/PI staining assay. The morphological changes in the cells are examined by scanning electron microscopy and bacteria with morphological changes are rare after plasma exposure in the liquid. The concentrations of the long-living RS, such as H2O2, {{{{NO}}}3}-, and O3, in liquid induced by plasma treatment are measured, and they increase with plasma treatment time. The changes of the intracellular ROS may be related to cell death, which may be attributed to oxidative stress and other damage effects induced by RS plasma generated in liquid. The rapid and effective bacteria inactivation may stem from the RS in the liquid generated by plasma and air plasmas may become a valuable therapy in the treatment of infected wounds.

  6. Bioassay of procoagulant albumin in human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosset, A; Liu, L; Parker, C J; Rodgers, G M

    1994-09-01

    Procoagulant albumin (P-Al) is present in normal human plasma and increases monocyte and endothelial cell expression of tissue factor activity. To develop a bioassay for P-Al, we partially purified plasma from healthy volunteers and several patient groups using BaCl2 and (NH4)2SO4 precipitation. The samples were assayed for tissue factor (TF) inducing activity, expressed as a percentage increase compared to a serum-free media control. Over six months, the assay was reproducible in stored samples and in serial samples from normal volunteers. The plasma P-Al activities of 35 volunteers averaged 141 +/- 8.2% (SEM). There was no diurnal variation. There was no difference in the P-Al activity after a 12 hour fast and 2 hours after a large meal in 4 healthy volunteers. There was no increase in activity (r = 0.16) with the subject's age. The average activity from 16 poorly-controlled diabetics was 131 +/- 11% (SEM). No alteration in activity was seen with samples from patients with uremia, liver dysfunction, hemophilia, thrombotic events, or adenocarcinoma. These results indicate that P-Al activity can be bioassayed in individual patient samples; however, pathologic states associated with abnormal P-Al-induced tissue factor activity presently remain unidentified.

  7. Quantification of vitellogenin in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) plasma by radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Idler, D.R.; Hwang, S.J.; Crim, L.W.

    1979-01-01

    An antibody prepared against salmon egg yolk proteins has been used to quantify Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) plasma vitellogenin using radioimmunoassay. A low molecular weight fraction isolated from salmon egg yolk was used for radioiodination and as standard solution because plasma vitellogenin could not be iodinated successfully. Parallelism of the egg yolk standard to displacement given by a fraction isolated from vitellogenic salmon plasma and dilutions of plasma samples allowed the assay to be used to evaluate the state of gonadal development of migrating females several months in advance of spawning and for sexing relatively immature salmon. (author)

  8. Evaluation of a competitive binding assay for cortisol using horse transcortin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stahl, F.; Hubl, W.; Schnorr, D.; Doerner, G.

    1978-01-01

    A non-chromatographic competitive binding assay (CBA) using horse transcortin has been employed in the routine measurement of cortisol in plasma, urine and amniotic fluids. Comparing the values with those of a radioimmunoassay (RIA) or a fluorimetric method (FM) an excellent correlation between the three methods both in plasma and urine has been calculated in normal subjects and in patients with various endocrine disorders. In amniotic fluids, however, there were discrepancies between CBA and RIA. Whereas CBA showed no differences, RIA gave significantly higher values in a amniotic fluids of female than of male fetuses. Elevated free plasma cortisol levels observed in patients with prostatic cancer after diethyl stilboestrol diphosphate therapy did not correlate with unconjugated urinary cortisol concentration as measured with CBA and FM. In newborns, a relatively high plasma level found 12 hours after birth was followed by a nadir on the 2nd and 3rd day of life and by an increase until levels of adults on the 5th day of life were reached. (author)

  9. Comparative study on collagen-binding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and ristocetin cofactor activity assays for detection of functional activity of von Willebrand factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turecek, Peter L; Siekmann, Jürgen; Schwarz, Hans Peter

    2002-04-01

    For more than two decades, the ristocetin cofactor (RCo) assay, which measures the von Willebrand factor (vWF)-mediated agglutination of platelets in the presence of the antibiotic ristocetin, has been the most common method for measuring the functional activity of vWF. There is, however, general agreement among clinical analysts that this method has major practical disadvantages in performance and reproducibility. Today, collagen-binding assays (CBA) based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique that measure the interaction of vWF and collagen are an alternative analytic procedure based on a more physiological function than that of the RCo procedure. We used both assay systems in a comparative study to assess the functional activity of vWF in plasma as well as in therapeutic preparations. We measured RCo activities of plasma from healthy donors and patients with different types of von Willebrand disease (vWD) and of vWF as a drug substance in factor (F) VIII/vWF concentrates using both the aggregometric and the macroscopic methods. In addition, we measured collagen-binding activity (vWF:CB) using a recently developed commercially available CBA system. To investigate the relation between the structure and the functional activity of vWF, we isolated vWF species with different numbers of multimers from FVIII/vWF concentrates by affinity chromatography on immobilized heparin. The vWF:RCo and vWF:CB of the different fractions were measured, and the multimeric structure of vWF was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) agarose gel electrophoresis. (vWF:CB and vWF:RCo are part of the nomenclature proposed by the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Scientific and Standardization Committee [ISTH SSC] subcommittee on von Willebrand factor, in Maastricht, Germany, June 16, 2000.) Measurement of functional vWF activity by CBA can be carried out with substantially higher interassay reproducibility than can measurement of RCo. Both assay

  10. Isolation of Biologically Active Exosomes from Plasma of Patients with Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Chang-Sook; Funk, Sonja; Whiteside, Theresa L

    2017-01-01

    A method for exosome isolation from human plasma was developed for rapid, high-throughput processing of plasma specimens obtained from patients with cancer. This method removes the bulk of plasma proteins associated with exosomes and can be used for comparative examinations of exosomes and their content in serial specimens of patients' plasma, allowing for monitoring changes in exosome numbers, profiles, and functions in the course of cancer progression or during therapy. The plasma-derived exosomes can be recovered in quantities sufficient for the characterization of their morphology by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), size and concentration by qNano, protein/lipid ratios, nucleic acid extraction, molecular profiling by Western blots or immune arrays, and functional assays.

  11. Expression of Iron-Related Proteins Differentiate Non-Cancerous and Cancerous Breast Tumors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Pizzamiglio

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available We have previously reported hepcidin and ferritin increases in the plasma of breast cancer patients, but not in patients with benign breast disease. We hypothesized that these differences in systemic iron homeostasis may reflect alterations in different iron-related proteins also play a key biochemical and regulatory role in breast cancer. Thus, here we explored the expression of a bundle of molecules involved in both iron homeostasis and tumorigenesis in tissue samples. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA or reverse-phase protein array (RPPA, were used to measure the expression of 20 proteins linked to iron processes in 24 non-cancerous, and 56 cancerous, breast tumors. We found that cancerous tissues had higher level of hepcidin than benign lesions (p = 0.012. The univariate analysis of RPPA data highlighted the following seven proteins differentially expressed between non-cancerous and cancerous breast tissue: signal transducer and transcriptional activator 5 (STAT5, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3, bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6, cluster of differentiation 74 (CD74, transferrin receptor (TFRC, inhibin alpha (INHA, and STAT5_pY694. These findings were confirmed for STAT5, STAT3, BMP6, CD74 and INHA when adjusting for age. The multivariate statistical analysis indicated an iron-related 10-protein panel effective in separating non-cancerous from cancerous lesions including STAT5, STAT5_pY694, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MYD88, CD74, iron exporter ferroportin (FPN, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1, STAT3_pS727, TFRC, ferritin heavy chain (FTH, and ferritin light chain (FTL. Our results showed an association between some iron-related proteins and the type of tumor tissue, which may provide insight in strategies for using iron chelators to treat breast cancer.

  12. Chemical Changes in Nonthermal Plasma-Treated N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) Solution and Their Contribution to Bacterial Inactivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ercan, Utku K; Smith, Josh; Ji, Hai-Feng; Brooks, Ari D; Joshi, Suresh G

    2016-02-02

    In continuation of our previous reports on the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of atmospheric non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treated N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) solution against planktonic and biofilm forms of different multidrug resistant microorganisms, we present here the chemical changes that mediate inactivation of Escherichia coli. In this study, the mechanism and products of the chemical reactions in plasma-treated NAC solution are shown. UV-visible spectrometry, FT-IR, NMR, and colorimetric assays were utilized for chemical characterization of plasma treated NAC solution. The characterization results were correlated with the antimicrobial assays using determined chemical species in solution in order to confirm the major species that are responsible for antimicrobial inactivation. Our results have revealed that plasma treatment of NAC solution creates predominantly reactive nitrogen species versus reactive oxygen species, and the generated peroxynitrite is responsible for significant bacterial inactivation.

  13. Calcium fluxes across the plasma membrane of Commelina communis L. assayed in a cell-free system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siebers, B.; Graef, P.; Weiler, E.W.

    1990-01-01

    The inside-out fraction of plasma membrane-rich vesicles prepared from leaves of Commelina communis L. by aqueous two-phase partitioning was loaded with 45 Ca 2+ through the action of the plasma membrane Ca 2+ -ATPase. Results suggest the presence of a Ca 2+ channel in the plasma membrane of C. communis. The channel is obtained in a Ca 2+ -inactivated state after preparation and Ca 2+ -loading of the vesicles. The inactivation is removed by TFP [trifluoperazine] or W-7 [N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide], presumably due to the Ca 2+ -mobilizing effect of these compounds. The activated Ca 2+ channel is La 3+ sensitive and, in the cell, would allow for passage of Ca 2+ into the cell. The possibility that TFP or W-7 act independent of CM, or through CM tightly associated with the plasma membrane, is discussed

  14. A multiplex calibrated real-time PCR assay for quantitation of DNA of EBV-1 and 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gatto, Francesca; Cassina, Giulia; Broccolo, Francesco; Morreale, Giuseppe; Lanino, Edoardo; Di Marco, Eddi; Vardas, Efthiya; Bernasconi, Daniela; Buttò, Stefano; Principi, Nicola; Esposito, Susanna; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Lusso, Paolo; Malnati, Mauro S

    2011-12-01

    Accurate and highly sensitive tests for the diagnosis of active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection are essential for the clinical management of individuals infected with EBV. A calibrated quantitative real-time PCR assay for the measurement of EBV DNA of both EBV-1 and 2 subtypes was developed, combining the detection of the EBV DNA and a synthetic DNA calibrator in a multiplex PCR format. The assay displays a wide dynamic range and a high degree of accuracy even in the presence of 1μg of human genomic DNA. This assay measures with the same efficiency EBV DNA from strains prevalent in different geographic areas. The clinical sensitivity and specificity of the system were evaluated by testing 181 peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs) and plasma specimens obtained from 21 patients subjected to bone marrow transplantation, 70 HIV-seropositive subjects and 23 healthy controls. Patients affected by EBV-associated post-transplant lymphoprolipherative disorders had the highest frequency of EBV detection and the highest viral load. Persons infected with HIV had higher levels of EBV DNA load in PBMCs and a higher frequency of EBV plasma viremia compared to healthy controls. In conclusion, this new assay provides a reliable high-throughput method for the quantitation of EBV DNA in clinical samples. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Plasma diamine oxidase levels in pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion.

    OpenAIRE

    Legge, M; Duff, G B

    1981-01-01

    Plasma diamine oxidase levels were assayed in 66 patients who presented with pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion. Levels within the normal range were associated with continuing pregnancies, whereas levels below the normal range were associated with subsequent abortion. Among those patients in whom gestation was greater than eight weeks, 66.6% of diamine oxidase levels correctly predicted the pregnancy outcome. Assay of the diamine oxidase levels at eight weeks of gestation or less ga...

  16. Sensitivity and specificity of dried blood spots for HIV-1 viral load quantification: A laboratory assessment of 3 commercial assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pannus, Pieter; Claus, Maarten; Gonzalez, Maria Mercedes Perez; Ford, Nathan; Fransen, Katrien

    2016-11-01

    The use of dried blood spots (DBS) instead of plasma as a specimen type for HIV-1 viral load (VL) testing facilitates the decentralization of specimen collection and can increase access to VL testing in resource-limited settings. The performance of DBS for VL testing is lower, however, when compared to the gold standard sample type plasma. In this diagnostic accuracy study, we evaluated 3 VL assays with DBS.Participants were recruited between August 2012 and April 2015. Both plasma and DBS specimens were prepared and tested for HIV-1 VL with the Roche CAP/CTM HIV-1 test v2.0, the Abbott RealTime HIV-1, and the bioMérieux NucliSENS EasyQ HIV-1 v2.0. Sensitivity and specificity to detect treatment failure at a threshold of 1000 cps/mL with DBS were determined.A total of 272 HIV-positive patients and 51 HIV-negative people were recruited in the study. The mean difference or bias between plasma and DBS VL was 25% of the specimens differed by >0.5 log cps/mL.All 3 assays had comparable sensitivities around 80% and specificities around 90%. Upward misclassification rates were around 10%, but downward misclassification rates ranged from 20.3% to 23.6%. Differences in between assays were not statistically significant (P > 0.1).The 3 VL assays evaluated had suboptimal performance with DBS but still performed better than immunological or clinical monitoring. Even after the introduction of the much-anticipated point-of-care VL devices, it is expected that DBS will remain important as a complementary option for supporting access to VL monitoring, particularly in rural, resource-limited settings. Manufacturers should accelerate efforts to develop more reliable, sensitive and specific methods to test VL on DBS specimens.

  17. Evaluation of the double antibody - solid phase radioimmunoassay technique in plasma LH and FSH and urinary LH measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karonen, S.-L.; Laehteenmaeki, P.; Hohenthal, U.; Adlercreutz, H.

    1978-01-01

    Double antibody phase (DASP) radioimmunoassay methods for plasma LH and FSH and urinary LH were developed and carefully evaluated as to their reliability and practicability. The peptide hormones were iodinated enzymatically with immobilized lactoperoxidase which resulted in pure and stable products of unchanged immunoreactivity. The sensitivities of these assay methods are 0.02, 0.17 and 0.20 mlU/tube for plasma LH (MRC 68/40) and FSH (MRC 68/39) and urinary LH (IRP-HMG, urinary), respectively. Interassay coefficients of variation obtained over a 6-18 month period were 14.2, 14.7 and 12.8%, respectively. The latter values for plasma LH and FSH assays were obtained from one level pool samples, and the value for urinary LH is the mean of those obtained from two pools of different levels. Plasma reference values for LH and FSH obtained using these methods are about 1.8-2.9 times higher than those cited for other types of radioimmunoassay. However, the values obtained for LH in urine are similar to those reported in the literature. It is suggested that the DASP technique is less influenced by interference from plasma proteins and because of this gives plasma values closer to the true ones. It is concluded that the methods are well suited for use as routine clinical assays in laboratories with a high work load. (Auth.)

  18. Fluorophore-based sensor for oxygen radicals in processing plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choudhury, Faraz A.; Shohet, J. Leon; Sabat, Grzegorz; Sussman, Michael R.; Nishi, Yoshio

    2015-01-01

    A high concentration of radicals is present in many processing plasmas, which affects the processing conditions and the properties of materials exposed to the plasma. Determining the types and concentrations of free radicals present in the plasma is critical in order to determine their effects on the materials being processed. Current methods for detecting free radicals in a plasma require multiple expensive and bulky instruments, complex setups, and often, modifications to the plasma reactor. This work presents a simple technique that detects reactive-oxygen radicals incident on a surface from a plasma. The measurements are made using a fluorophore dye that is commonly used in biological and cellular systems for assay labeling in liquids. Using fluorometric analysis, it was found that the fluorophore reacts with oxygen radicals incident from the plasma, which is indicated by degradation of its fluorescence. As plasma power was increased, the quenching of the fluorescence significantly increased. Both immobilized and nonimmobilized fluorophore dyes were used and the results indicate that both states function effectively under vacuum conditions. The reaction mechanism is very similar to that of the liquid dye

  19. Fluorophore-based sensor for oxygen radicals in processing plasmas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choudhury, Faraz A.; Shohet, J. Leon, E-mail: shohet@engr.wisc.edu [Plasma Processing and Technology Laboratory and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Sabat, Grzegorz; Sussman, Michael R. [Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Nishi, Yoshio [Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

    2015-11-15

    A high concentration of radicals is present in many processing plasmas, which affects the processing conditions and the properties of materials exposed to the plasma. Determining the types and concentrations of free radicals present in the plasma is critical in order to determine their effects on the materials being processed. Current methods for detecting free radicals in a plasma require multiple expensive and bulky instruments, complex setups, and often, modifications to the plasma reactor. This work presents a simple technique that detects reactive-oxygen radicals incident on a surface from a plasma. The measurements are made using a fluorophore dye that is commonly used in biological and cellular systems for assay labeling in liquids. Using fluorometric analysis, it was found that the fluorophore reacts with oxygen radicals incident from the plasma, which is indicated by degradation of its fluorescence. As plasma power was increased, the quenching of the fluorescence significantly increased. Both immobilized and nonimmobilized fluorophore dyes were used and the results indicate that both states function effectively under vacuum conditions. The reaction mechanism is very similar to that of the liquid dye.

  20. Validation of the Filovirus Plaque Assay for Use in Preclinical Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy C. Shurtleff

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available A plaque assay for quantitating filoviruses in virus stocks, prepared viral challenge inocula and samples from research animals has recently been fully characterized and standardized for use across multiple institutions performing Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4 studies. After standardization studies were completed, Good Laboratory Practices (GLP-compliant plaque assay method validation studies to demonstrate suitability for reliable and reproducible measurement of the Marburg Virus Angola (MARV variant and Ebola Virus Kikwit (EBOV variant commenced at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID. The validation parameters tested included accuracy, precision, linearity, robustness, stability of the virus stocks and system suitability. The MARV and EBOV assays were confirmed to be accurate to ±0.5 log10 PFU/mL. Repeatability precision, intermediate precision and reproducibility precision were sufficient to return viral titers with a coefficient of variation (%CV of ≤30%, deemed acceptable variation for a cell-based bioassay. Intraclass correlation statistical techniques for the evaluation of the assay’s precision when the same plaques were quantitated by two analysts returned values passing the acceptance criteria, indicating high agreement between analysts. The assay was shown to be accurate and specific when run on Nonhuman Primates (NHP serum and plasma samples diluted in plaque assay medium, with negligible matrix effects. Virus stocks demonstrated stability for freeze-thaw cycles typical of normal usage during assay retests. The results demonstrated that the EBOV and MARV plaque assays are accurate, precise and robust for filovirus titration in samples associated with the performance of GLP animal model studies.

  1. Assessing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Tropism: Comparison of Assays Using Replication-Competent Virus versus Plasma-Derived Pseudotyped Virions ▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosoya, Noriaki; Su, Zhaohui; Wilkin, Timothy; Gulick, Roy M.; Flexner, Charles; Hughes, Michael D.; Skolnik, Paul R.; Giguel, Françoise; Greaves, Wayne L.; Coakley, Eoin; Kuritzkes, Daniel R.

    2009-01-01

    Detection of CXCR4-using human immunodeficiency virus by the Trofile assay was compared to that by assays using virus isolates or replication-competent recombinants. Concordance with the Trofile assay was good, but assays using replicating viruses did not increase substantially the ability to detect the presence of CXCR4-using virus. PMID:19494074

  2. Direct replacement of antibodies with molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles in ELISA--development of a novel assay for vancomycin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chianella, Iva; Guerreiro, Antonio; Moczko, Ewa; Caygill, J Sarah; Piletska, Elena V; De Vargas Sansalvador, Isabel M Perez; Whitcombe, Michael J; Piletsky, Sergey A

    2013-09-03

    A simple and straightforward technique for coating microplate wells with molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) to develop assays similar to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is presented here for the first time. NanoMIPs were synthesized by a solid-phase approach with an immobilized vancomycin (template) and characterized using Biacore 3000, dynamic light scattering, and electron microscopy. Immobilization, blocking, and washing conditions were optimized in microplate format. The detection of vancomycin was achieved in competitive binding experiments with a horseradish peroxidase-vancomycin conjugate. The assay was capable of measuring vancomycin in buffer and in blood plasma within the range of 0.001-70 nM with a detection limit of 0.0025 nM (2.5 pM). The sensitivity of the assay was 3 orders of magnitude better than a previously described ELISA based on antibodies. In these experiments, nanoMIPs have shown high affinity and minimal interference from blood plasma components. Immobilized nanoMIPs were stored for 1 month at room temperature without any detrimental effects to their binding properties. The high affinity of nanoMIPs and the lack of a requirement for cold chain logistics make them an attractive alternative to traditional antibodies used in ELISA.

  3. Iron homeostasis during pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Allison L; Nemeth, Elizabeta

    2017-12-01

    During pregnancy, iron needs to increase substantially to support fetoplacental development and maternal adaptation to pregnancy. To meet these iron requirements, both dietary iron absorption and the mobilization of iron from stores increase, a mechanism that is in large part dependent on the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin. In healthy human pregnancies, maternal hepcidin concentrations are suppressed in the second and third trimesters, thereby facilitating an increased supply of iron into the circulation. The mechanism of maternal hepcidin suppression in pregnancy is unknown, but hepcidin regulation by the known stimuli (i.e., iron, erythropoietic activity, and inflammation) appears to be preserved during pregnancy. Inappropriately increased maternal hepcidin during pregnancy can compromise the iron availability for placental transfer and impair the efficacy of iron supplementation. The role of fetal hepcidin in the regulation of placental iron transfer still remains to be characterized. This review summarizes the current understanding and addresses the gaps in knowledge about gestational changes in hematologic and iron variables and regulatory aspects of maternal, fetal, and placental iron homeostasis. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

  4. Sequential, solid-phase assay for biotin in physiologic fluids that correlates with expected biotin status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mock, D.M.; DuBois, D.B.

    1986-01-01

    Interest in accurate measurement of biotin concentrations in plasma and urine has been stimulated by recent advances in the understanding of biotin-responsive inborn errors of metabolism and by several reports describing acquired biotin deficiency during parenteral alimentation. This paper presents a biotin assay utilizing radiolabeled avidin in a sequential, solid-phase method; the assay has increased sensitivity compared to previous methods (greater than or equal to 10 fmol/tube), correlates with expected trends in biotin concentrations in blood and urine in a rat model of biotin deficiency, and can utilize commercially available radiolabeled avidin

  5. Radioenzymatic simultaneous determination of epinephrine and norepinephrine in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, T.

    1978-01-01

    The high-pressure liquid chromatography (= HPLC) was used in simultaneous determinations of a few pg epinephrine and norepinephrine. This separation procedure improves the efficiency when compared with the conventional thin-layer chromatographic methods (TLC) and allows routine assays in plasma. (orig.) [de

  6. Analytical and clinical evaluation of the Abbott RealTime hepatitis B sequencing assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huh, Hee Jae; Kim, Ji-Youn; Lee, Myoung-Keun; Lee, Nam Yong; Kim, Jong-Won; Ki, Chang-Seok

    2016-12-01

    Long-term nucleoside analogue (NA) treatment leads to selection for drug-resistant mutations in patients undergoing hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapy. The Abbott RealTime HBV Sequencing assay (Abbott assay; Abbott Molecular Inc., Des Plaines, IL, USA) targets the reverse transcriptase region of the polymerase gene and as such has the ability to detect NA resistance-associated mutations in HBV. We evaluated the analytical performance of the Abbott assay and compared its diagnostic performance to that of a laboratory-developed nested-PCR and sequencing method. The analytical sensitivity of the Abbott assay was determined using a serially-diluted WHO International Standard. To validate the clinical performances of the Abbott assay and the laboratory-developed assay, 89 clinical plasma samples with various levels of HBV DNA were tested using both assays. The limit of detection of the Abbott assay, was 210IU/ml and it successfully detected mutations when the mutant types were present at levels ≥20%. Among 89 clinical specimens, 43 and 42 were amplification positive in the Abbott and laboratory-developed assays, respectively, with 87.6% overall agreement (78/89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 78.6-93.4). The Abbott assay failed to detect the minor mutant populations in two specimens, and therefore overall concordance was 85.3% (76/89), and the kappa value was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.67-0.90). The Abbott assay showed comparable diagnostic performance to laboratory-developed nested PCR followed by direct sequencing, and may be useful as a routine method for detecting HBV NA resistance-associated mutations in clinical laboratory settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Analytical validation of a new point-of-care assay for serum amyloid A in horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, D; Pusterla, N; Jacobsen, S; Christopher, M M

    2018-01-17

    Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute phase protein in horses. A new point-of-care (POC) test for SAA (Stablelab) is available, but studies evaluating its analytical accuracy are lacking. To evaluate the analytical performance of the SAA POC test by 1) determining linearity and precision, 2) comparing results in whole blood with those in serum or plasma, and 3) comparing POC results with those obtained using a previously validated turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA). Assay validation. Analytical validation of the POC test was done in accordance with American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology guidelines using residual equine serum/plasma and whole blood samples from the Clinical Pathology Laboratory at the University of California-Davis. A TIA was used as the reference method. We also evaluated the effect of haematocrit (HCT). The POC test was linear for SAA concentrations of up to at least 1000 μg/mL (r = 0.991). Intra-assay CVs were 13, 18 and 15% at high (782 μg/mL), intermediate (116 μg/mL) and low (64 μg/mL) concentrations. Inter-assay (inter-batch) CVs were 45, 14 and 15% at high (1372 μg/mL), intermediate (140 μg/mL) and low (56 μg/mL) concentrations. SAA results in whole blood were significantly lower than those in serum/plasma (P = 0.0002), but were positively correlated (r = 0.908) and not affected by HCT (P = 0.261); proportional negative bias was observed in samples with SAA>500 μg/mL. The difference between methods exceeded the 95% confidence interval of the combined imprecision of both methods (15%). Analytical validation could not be performed in whole blood, the sample most likely to be used stall side. The POC test has acceptable accuracy and precision in equine serum/plasma with SAA concentrations of up to at least 1000 μg/mL. Low inter-batch precision at high concentrations may affect serial measurements, and the use of the same test batch and sample type (serum/plasma or whole blood) is recommended. Comparison of results between the

  8. Plasma diamine oxidase levels in pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legge, M; Duff, G B

    1981-02-01

    Plasma diamine oxidase levels were assayed in 66 patients who presented with pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion. Levels within the normal range were associated with continuing pregnancies, whereas levels below the normal range were associated with subsequent abortion. Among those patients in whom gestation was greater than eight weeks, 66.6% of diamine oxidase levels correctly predicted the pregnancy outcome. Assay of the diamine oxidase levels at eight weeks of gestation or less gave little useful information.

  9. Ciclosporine A asxay: RIA or HPLC, plasma or total blood

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lapalus, P.; Garraffo, R.; Krebs, B.; Lapalus, F.

    1985-01-01

    The two methods now in force for ciclosporine A assay are radioimmunoassay (RIA) and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) in various biological media (plasma, serum, total blood). The advantages and disadvantages of the two methods are presented [fr

  10. Development and Application of a Sensitive, Second Antibody Format Enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) for Estimation of Plasma FSH in Mithun (Bos frontalis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondal, Mohan; Baruah, Kishore Kumar; Prakash, B S

    2016-01-01

    Mithun (Bos frontalis) is a semi-wild rare ruminant species. A simple sensitive enzymeimmunoassay suitable for assaying FSH in the blood plasma of mithun is not available which thereby limits our ability to understand this species reproductive processes. Therefore, the aim of this article was to develop a simple and sensitive enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) for estimation of FSH in mithun plasma and apply the assay to understand the estrous cycle and superovulatory process in this species. To accomplish this goal, biotinylated FSH was bridged between streptavidin-peroxidase and immobilized antiserum in a competitive assay. Forty microlitre mithun plasma was used directly in the EIA. The FSH standards were prepared in hormone free plasma and ranged from 5-1280 pg/well/40 μL. The sensitivity of EIA was 5 pg/well FSH, which corresponds to 0.125 ng/mL plasma and the 50% relative binding sensitivity was 90 pg/well/40 μL. Although the shape of the standard curve was not influenced by different plasma volumes viz. 40 and 80 μL, a slight drop in the OD450 was observed with the increasing volume of plasma. Parallelism tests conducted between the endogenous mithun FSH and bovine FSH standards showed good homology between them. Plasma FSH estimated using the developed EIA and commercially available FSH EIA kit in the same samples were correlated (r = 0.98) and showed linearity. Both the Intra- and inter-assay CV were below 6%. Recovery of known concentrations of added FSH showed linearity (r = 0.99). The developed EIA was further validated biologically by estimating FSH in cyclic cows for the entire estrous cycle, in mithun heifers administered with GnRH analogues and in mithun cows during superovulatory treatment with FSH. In conclusion, the EIA developed for FSH determination in mithun blood plasma is simple and highly sensitive for estimation of mithun FSH in all physiological conditions.

  11. Sandwich-type enzyme immunoassay for big endothelin-I in plasma: concentrations in healthy human subjects unaffected by sex or posture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aubin, P; Le Brun, G; Moldovan, F; Villette, J M; Créminon, C; Dumas, J; Homyrda, L; Soliman, H; Azizi, M; Fiet, J

    1997-01-01

    A sandwich-type enzyme immunoassay has been developed for measuring human big endothelin-1 (big ET-1) in human plasma and supernatant fluids from human cell cultures. Big ET-1 is the precursor of endothelin 1 (ET-1), the most potent vasoconstrictor known. A rabbit antibody raised against the big ET-1 COOH-terminus fragment was used as an immobilized antibody (anti-P16). The Fab' fragment of a monoclonal antibody (1B3) raised against the ET-1 loop fragment was used as the enzyme-labeled antibody, after being coupled to acetylcholinesterase. The lowest detectable value in the assay was 1.2 pg/mL (0.12 pg/well). The assay was highly specific for big ET-1, demonstrating no cross-reactivity with ET-1, big endothelin-2 (big ET-2), and big endothelin-3 (big ET-3). We used this assay to evaluate the effect of two different postural positions (supine and standing) on plasma big ET-1 concentrations in 11 male and 11 female healthy subjects. Data analysis revealed that neither sex nor body position influenced plasma big ET-1 concentrations. This assay should thus permit the detection of possible variations in plasma concentrations of big ET-1 in certain pathologies and, in association with ET-1 assay, make possible in vitro study of endothelin-converting enzyme activity in cell models. Such studies could clarify the physiological and clinical roles of this family of peptides.

  12. Fasting up-regulates ferroportin 1 expression via a Ghrelin/GHSR/MAPK signaling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Qian-Qian; Zhou, Yu-Fu; Chen, Mesona Yung-Jin; Liu, Li; Ma, Juan; Zhang, Meng-Wan; Zhang, Fa-Li; Ke, Ya; Qian, Zhong-Ming

    2018-01-01

    The significant positive correlation between ghrelin and iron and hepcidin levels in the plasma of children with iron deficiency anemia prompted us to hypothesize that ghrelin may affect iron metabolism. Here, we investigated the effects of fasting or ghrelin on the expression of hepcidin, ferroportin 1 (Fpn1), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), ferritin light chain (Ft-L) proteins, and ghrelin, and also hormone secretagogue receptor 1 alpha (GHSR1α) and ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) mRNAs in the spleen and/or macrophage. We demonstrated that fasting induces a significant increase in the expression of ghrelin, GHSR1α, GOAT, and hepcidin mRNAs, as well as Ft-L and Fpn1 but not TfR1 proteins in the spleens of mice in vivo. Similar to the effects of fasting on the spleen, ghrelin induced a significant increase in the expression of Ft-L and Fpn1 but not TfR1 proteins in macrophages in vitro. In addition, ghrelin was found to induce a significant enhancement in phosphorylation of ERK as well as translocation of pERK from the cytosol to nuclei. Furthermore, the increased pERK and Fpn1 induced by ghrelin was demonstrated to be preventable by pre-treatment with either GHSR1α antagonist or pERK inhibitor. Our findings support the hypothesis that fasting upregulates Fpn1 expression, probably via a ghrelin/GHSR/MAPK signaling pathway. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Peri-operative troponin monitoring using a prototype high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) assay: comparisons with hs-cTnT and contemporary cTnI assays.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Lee, Graham R

    2013-09-18

    Non-cardiac surgery is associated with major vascular complications and higher incidences of elevated plasma troponin (cTn) concentration. Goal-directed therapy (GDT) is a stroke volume (SV)-guided approach to intravenous (IV) fluid therapy that improves tissue perfusion, oxygenation and reduces post-operative complications. In patients undergoing major gastro-intestinal surgery, we compared high sensitive and contemporary troponin assays and correlated results with patient outcome.

  14. Development and Validation of an ELISA at Acidic pH for the Quantitative Determination of IL-13 in Human Plasma and Serum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Doucet

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel sandwich ELISA for the quantitative and sensitive determination of IL-13 in human serum and plasma was established. The assay employs an incubation step at acidic pH, which was shown to decrease nonspecific binding and interference from IL-13 binding proteins. The assay was validated and was shown to be accurate and precise over the entire quantification range (0.59 to 68.4 pg/mL in human EDTA plasma. The validated assay was successfully applied to samples from healthy volunteers and patients with atopic seasonal rhinitis. The assay is suitable for use in clinical trials to monitor efficacy or pharmacodynamic effects of drug candidates.

  15. Specificity and sensitivity of commercially available assays for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bak, Monika Judyta; Albrechtsen, Nicolai Jacob Wewer; Pedersen, Jens

    2014-01-01

    assessed with 3 commercial kits. RESULTS: The USCN LIFE assay detected none of the GLP-1 isoforms. The active GLP-1 ELISAs from Millipore and DRG seemed identical and were specific for intact GLP-1 in buffer and plasma. The Meso Scale Discovery Total GLP-1 kit detected all six GLP-1 isoforms, although...

  16. Plasma osteopontin in acute liver failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Srungaram, Praveen; Rule, Jody A; Yuan, He Jun

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Osteopontin (OPN) is a novel phosphoglycoprotein expressed in Kupffer cells that plays a pivotal role in activating natural killer cells, neutrophils and macrophages. Measuring plasma OPN levels in patients with acute liver failure (ALF) might provide insights into OPN function...... in the setting of massive hepatocyte injury. METHODS: OPN levels were measured using a Quantikine® ELISA assay on plasma from 105 consecutive ALF patients enrolled by the US Acute Liver Failure Study Group, as well as controls including 40 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 35 healthy subjects both before, and 1...... and 3 days after undergoing spine fusion (SF) surgery as a model for acute inflammation. RESULTS: Median plasma OPN levels across all etiologies of ALF patients were elevated 10- to 30-fold: overall median 1055ng/mL; range: 33-19,127), when compared to healthy controls (median in pre-SF patients: 41ng...

  17. Zonulin, inflammation and iron status in patients with early stages of chronic kidney disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukaszyk, Ewelina; Lukaszyk, Mateusz; Koc-Zorawska, Ewa; Bodzenta-Lukaszyk, Anna; Malyszko, Jolanta

    2018-01-01

    Zonulin is the only known regulator of intestinal permeability. It is also considered as a potential inflammatory marker in several conditions such as diabetes and inflammatory bowel syndrome. The aim of the study was to investigate zonulin levels in patients with early stages of CKD and its possible correlation with inflammation, anemia and iron status parameters. Eighty-eight patients with early stages of CKD and 23 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Zonulin, hepcidin-25, soluble transferrin receptor, interleukin-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were measured using commercially available assays. Zonulin was significantly lower among patients with CKD in comparison with healthy volunteers. There were no statistically significant differences in zonulin concentration between patients with and without inflammation. Zonulin was significantly correlated with hepcidin only in patients with inflammation. Zonulin was neither related to iron nor related to ferritin. Zonulin cannot be considered as an inflammatory marker in CKD. It does not play a role in the disturbances of iron metabolism in CKD. Its physiological role remains to be elucidated.

  18. Quantification of isotope-labelled and unlabelled folates in plasma, ileostomy and food samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Büttner, Barbara E; Öhrvik, Veronica E; Witthöft, Cornelia M; Rychlik, Michael

    2011-01-01

    New stable isotope dilution assays were developed for the simultaneous quantitation of [(13)C(5)]-labelled and unlabelled 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid, 5-formyltetrahydrofolic acid, folic acid along with unlabelled tetrahydrofolic acid and 10-formylfolic acid in clinical samples deriving from human bioavailability studies, i.e. plasma, ileostomy samples, and food. The methods were based on clean-up by strong anion exchange followed by LC-MS/MS detection. Deuterated analogues of the folates were applied as the internal standards in the stable isotope dilution assays. Assay sensitivity was sufficient to detect all relevant folates in the respective samples as their limits of detection were below 0.62 nmol/L in plasma and below 0.73 μg/100 g in food or ileostomy samples. Quantification of the [(13)C(5)]-label in clinical samples offers the possibility to differentiate between folate from endogenous body pools and the administered dose when executing bioavailability trials.

  19. Concentration of plasma haptoglobin and symptomatic cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FAN Yi-mu

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The relation of plasma haptoglobin concentration to symptomatic cerebral vasospasm (SCVS after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH was investigated. The plasma concentration of haptoglobin was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. SCVS was determined by aggravated headache, deteriorated conscious state a few days after ictus or by new neurologic impairment and new ischemic injuries on repeated CT scans. The mean concentration of plasma haptoglobin in 19 patients with SCVS was (0.29 ± 0.14 g/L, whereas it was (0.78 ± 0.48 g/L in 24 patients without SCVS. These findings may suggest that plasma haptoglobin concentration seems to be associated with the development of SCVS after SAH.

  20. Quantitative determination of 21-hydroxy-deflazacort in human plasma using gradient semi-microbore liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, D L; Burmaster, S D; Eichmeier, L S

    1994-01-01

    A sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic procedure to quantitate the deflazacort metabolite 21-hydroxy-deflazacort (DF-21OH) in human plasma was developed and validated. DF-21OH and fludrocortisone acetate (internal standard, IS) were isolated from human plasma (2 mL) by solid-phase extraction onto C-18 cartridges. Potential interferences were selectively removed and analytes were eluted with ethyl acetate. Following evaporation, the residue was reconstituted for HPLC analysis. Separation was achieved by gradient elution using a 5 microns YMC Basic column (2.0 x 100 mm) with mobile phases consisting of 20% methanol and 50% acetonitrile in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 3) at a temperature of 50 degrees C. Flow rate was maintained at 0.3 mL/min., and analytes were quantified spectrophotometrically at 246 nm. The assay was validated over the range 1.0 to 500 ng/mL DF-21OH. Calibration curves were prepared using a weighted (1/concentration) nonlinear quadratic regression algorithm. Peak-height ratios were proportional to the amount of DF-21OH added to plasma. Assay precision (%RSD) ranged from 4.2 to 11%, with a corresponding assay accuracy (% relative error) of +/- 2.8%. Absolute recovery of DF-21OH from plasma was 78-86% over the concentration range. The minimum quantitation limit was 1.0 ng/mL.

  1. High performance liquid chromatographic determination of glucosamine in rat plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghazadeh-Habashi, Ali; Sattari, Saeed; Pasutto, Franco; Jamali, Fakhreddin

    2002-01-01

    A high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of glucosamine (GlcN) in rat plasma. Internal standard, galactosamine, was added to 100 micro L of plasma containing GlcN followed by precipitation of plasma proteins with acetonitrile. Evaporation of the decanted supernatant solution was accelerated by the addition of methanol. GlcN was derivatized by addition of a solution containing 1-naphthyl isothiocyanate. Sample cleanup included passage through an anion exchange cartridge. Analysis was accomplished by injection of 0.1 mL of the sample solution into an isocratic HPLC system consisting of a C18 column, a mobile phase of acetonitrile: water: acetic acid: triethylamine (4.5: 95.5:0.1:0.05), a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min, and a UV detector set at 254 nm. Galactosamine and GlcN appeared 26 and 29 min post-injection, respectively. The assay was linear over the range of 1.25-400 micro g/mL (CV<10%) with a detection limit of 0.63 microg/mL and a limit of quantification of 1.25 microg/mL. The method was applied to the determination of GlcN in rat plasma after oral administration of 350 mg/kg of GlcN hydrochloride. The present assay is specific, sensitive, precise, and accurate and is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies.

  2. Detection of serological biomarkers by proximity extension assay for detection of colorectal neoplasias in symptomatic individuals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buch Thorsen, Stine; Lundberg, Martin; Villablanca, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    of biomarkers from the bench to clinical practice we initiated a biomarker study focusing on a novel technique, the proximity extension assay, with multiplexing capability and the possible additive effect obtained from biomarker panels. We performed a screening of 74 different biomarkers in plasma derived from...

  3. Association of plasma fatty acid composition with plasma irisin levels in normal weight and overweight/obese children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viitasalo, A; Ågren, J; Venäläinen, T; Pihlajamäki, J; Jääskeläinen, J; Korkmaz, A; Atalay, M; Lakka, T A

    2016-08-01

    Irisin has been suggested to protect against overweight. There are no previous data on the association of plasma fatty acid (FA) composition with plasma irisin. We studied the association of FA composition with plasma irisin in normal weight and overweight/obese children. This cross-sectional study included pre-pubertal children (388 normal weight children and 55 overweight/obese children); 6-9 years of age, taking part in the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children Study. After an overnight fast, we measured plasma FA composition by gas chromatography and plasma irisin levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Higher proportion of total monounsaturated fatty acids in plasma cholesteryl esters (CEs) (β = 0.139, P = 0.003) and phospholipids (PLs) (β = 0.147, P = 0.002) and lower proportion of total polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma CE (β = -0.130, P = 0.006) and PL (β = -0.165, P overweight/obese children compared to normal weight children. Higher proportion of γ-linolenic acid (β = 0.324, P = 0.017) and lower proportion of linoleic acid (β = -0.397, P = 0.005) in plasma CE were related to higher plasma irisin level among overweight/obese children, indicating the direct association of estimated D6D activity in plasma CE (β = 0.343, P = 0.011) with plasma irisin. Furthermore, higher proportion of oleic acid in plasma CE (β = 0.345, P = 0.012) and PL (β = 0.292, P = 0.033) and higher proportion of adrenic acid (β = 0.366, P = 0.008) and docosapentaenoic acid (β = 0.351, P = 0.010) in plasma PL were associated with higher plasma irisin level among overweight/obese children. Metabolically unfavourable plasma FA profile was associated with higher plasma irisin level especially in overweight/obese children, suggesting that excess body fat might modulate these relationships. © 2015 World Obesity.

  4. Chromogenic assay for BAY 81-8973 potency assignment has no impact on clinical outcome or monitoring in patient samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitchen, S; Katterle, Y; Beckmann, H; Maas Enriquez, M

    2016-06-01

    Essentials Discrepancies can exist in factor VIII activity measured by the one-stage or chromogenic assays. LEOPOLD trial data were used to assess clinical impact of BAY 81-8973 potency assignment assay. Efficacy was not affected by the assay used for potency assignment and dosing of BAY 81-8973. Either assay may be used to measure factor VIII activity after BAY 81-8973 infusion. Background Product-specific discrepancies have been reported for factor VIII (FVIII) activity determined with one-stage or chromogenic assays. Objective To assess the clinical impact of potency assignment of BAY 81-8973, a full-length, unmodified, recombinant human FVIII, by use of the chromogenic assay or chromogenic assay adjusted to mimic results obtained with the one-stage assay Patients/methods Patients aged 12-65 years with severe hemophilia A received BAY 81-8973 in LEOPOLD I (20-50 IU kg(-1) two or three times weekly [investigator decision]) and LEOPOLD II (randomized to 20-30 IU kg(-1) twice weekly, 30-40 IU kg(-1) three times weekly, or on-demand treatment). Both trials included two 6-month crossover periods in which potency labeling was determined with the chromogenic substrate assay as per the European Pharmacopoeia (CS/EP) or the chromogenic substrate assay adjusted to mimic results obtained with the one-stage assay (CS/ADJ). The annualized bleeding rate (ABR) and FVIII incremental recovery were assessed by the use of pooled data. Results The analysis was perfomed on 121 patients. Median (quartile [Q] 1; Q3) ABRs during the CS/EP and CS/ADJ periods were 1.98 (0; 5.92) and 1.98 (0; 7.34), respectively. The mean incremental recovery was > 2 IU dL(-1) per IU kg(-1) in both periods with the use of either assay for postinfusion FVIII measurements. The median (Q1; Q3) chromogenic/one-stage assay recovery ratio was 1.054 (0.892; 1.150) for the CS/EP period when a plasma standard was used for calibration. Conclusions No impact on the ABR was observed with chromogenic-based as compared

  5. A direct radio-immunoassay for plasma aldosterone: significance of endogenous cortisol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Man, A.J.M. de; Hofman, J.A.; Hendriks, Th.; Rosmalen, F.M.A.; Ross, H.A.; Benraad, Th.J.

    1980-01-01

    A direct radio-immunoassay for plasma aldosterone was developed, using a highly specific antiserum raised in sheep. An excellent correlation was observed between its results and the levels measured after extraction and chromatography. The necessity of including a blocking agent to inhibit the binding of aldosterone to plasma proteins was investigated. It was found that in low-cortisol ( 10 μg/100 ml) the final assay result was independent of the presence of ANS. The effect of cortisol was interpreted in terms of its influence on aldosterone binding to plasma proteins in the absence of a blocking agent. (Auth.)

  6. A sensitive radioimmunoassay of atrial natriuretic peptide in human plasma, using a tracer with an immobilized glycouril agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosmalen, F.M.A.; Tan, A.C.I.T.L.; Benraad, T.J.

    1987-01-01

    A highly specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) for alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP[1-28]) in plasma was developed. The assay used a [ 125 I]monoiodotyrosyl-hANP[1-28] tracer, prepared with an immobilized glycouril agent (Protag) and purified by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), and a highly specific antiserum raised against hANP[1-28], coupled to keyhole limpet haemocyanin, in sheep. Plasma was extracted using C-18 Seppak cartridges. A good parallelism was found after dilution prior to extraction of plasma of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) or of plasma of healthy subjects. Recovery of hANP[1-28] added to plasma was 96%. The limit of detection was 0.8 pg/tube, intra- and inter-assay variation were 9 and 12%, respectively. Mean plasma ANP values in 25 normal persons with a normal salt intake was 26.0 ± 15.5 (± SD) pg/ml. Plasma levels of 18 subjects (7 normals, 11 CHF) were measured using four different antisera after the extraction step. High correlations were found between the values obtained with these four antisera. (Auth.)

  7. Sensitive method for precise measurement of endogenous angiotensins I, II and III in human plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawamura, M.; Yoshida, K.; Akabane, S.

    1987-01-01

    We measured endogenous angiotensins (ANGs) I, IIandIII using a system of extraction by Sep-Pak column followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with radioimmunoassay (RIA). An excellent separation of ANGs was obtained by HPLC. The recovery of ANGs I, IIandIII was 80-84%, when these authentic peptides were added to 6 ml of plasma. The coefficient of variation of the ANGs was 0.04-0.09 for intra-assay and 0.08-0.13 for inter-assay, thereby indicating a good reproducibility. Plasma ANGs I, IIandIII measured by this method in 5 normal volunteers were 51,4.5 and 1.2 pg/ml. In the presence of captopril, ANGs IIandIII decreased by 84% and 77%, respectively, while ANG I increased 5.1 times. This method is therefore useful to assess the precise levels of plasma ANGs

  8. Bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients improves the atherogenic qualitative properties of the plasma lipoproteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Julve, Josep; Pardina, Eva; Pérez-Cuéllar, Montserrat; Ferrer, Roser; Rossell, Joana; Baena-Fustegueras, Juan Antonio; Fort, José Manuel; Lecube, Albert; Blanco-Vaca, Francisco; Sánchez-Quesada, José Luis; Peinado-Onsurbe, Julia

    2014-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of weight loss induced in morbidly obese subjects by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass bariatric surgery on the atherogenic features of their plasma lipoproteins. Twenty-one morbidly obese subjects undergoing bariatric surgery were followed up for up to 1 year after surgery. Plasma and lipoproteins were assayed for chemical composition and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity. Lipoprotein size was assessed by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis, and oxidised LDL by ELISA. Liver samples were assayed for mRNA abundance of oxidative markers. Lipid profile analysis revealed a reduction in the plasma concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides, which were mainly associated with a significant reduction in the plasma concentration of circulating apoB-containing lipoproteins rather than with changes in their relative chemical composition. All patients displayed a pattern A phenotype of LDL subfractions and a relative increase in the antiatherogenic plasma HDL-2 subfraction (>2-fold; P lipoprotein-bound Lp-PLA2. Our data indicate that the weight loss induced by bariatric surgery ameliorates the atherogenicity of plasma lipoproteins by reducing the apoB-containing Lp-PLA2 activity and oxidised LDL, as well as increasing the HDL-2 subfraction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Plasma cholinesterase activity of rats, western grey kangaroos, alpacas, sheep, cattle, and horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayberry, Chris; Mawson, Peter; Maloney, Shane K

    2015-01-01

    Plasma cholinesterase activity levels of various species may be of interest to toxicologists or pathologists working with chemicals that interfere with the activity of plasma cholinesterase. We used a pH titration method to measure the plasma cholinesterase activity of six mammalian species. Plasma cholinesterase activity varied up to 50-fold between species: sheep (88 ± 45 nM acetylcholine degraded per ml of test plasma per minute), cattle (94 ± 35), western grey kangaroos (126 ± 92), alpaca (364 ± 70), rats (390 ± 118) and horses (4539 ± 721). We present a simple, effective technique for the assay of plasma cholinesterase activity levels from a range of species. Although labour-intensive, it requires only basic laboratory equipment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Time-gated luminescence assay using nonmetal probes for determination of protein kinase activity-based disease markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasari, Marje; Padrik, Peeter; Vaasa, Angela; Saar, Kristi; Leppik, Krista; Soplepmann, Jaan; Uri, Asko

    2012-03-15

    A novel nonmetal optical probe ARC-1063 whose long-lifetime luminescence is induced by association with the target protein kinase is used for the measurement of the concentration of catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKAc) in complicated biological solutions. High affinity (K(D) = 10 pM toward PKAc) and unique optical properties of the probe enable its application for the measurement of picomolar concentrations of PKAc in the presence of high concentrations of other proteins. The described assay is applicable in the high-throughput format with the instrument setups designed for lanthanide-based time-gated (time-resolved) luminescence methods. The assay is used for demonstration that extracellular PKAc (ECPKA) is present in plasma samples of all healthy persons and cancer patients but great care must be taken for procedures of treatment of blood samples to avoid disruption, damage, or activation of platelets in the course of plasma (or serum) preparation and conservation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. An acoustic prion assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gordon Hayward

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available An acoustic prion assay has been demonstrated for sheep brain samples. Only five false positives and no false negatives were observed in a test of 45 positive and 45 negative samples. The acoustic prion sensor was constructed using a thickness shear mode quartz resonator coated with a covalently bound recombinant prion protein. The characteristic indicator of a scrapie infected sheep brain sample was an observed shoulder in the frequency decrease in response to a sample.The response of the sensor aligns with a conformational shift in the surface protein and with the propagation mechanism of the disease. This alignment is evident in the response timing and shape, dependence on concentration, cross species behaviour and impact of blood plasma. This alignment is far from sufficient to prove the mechanism of the sensor but it does offer the possibility of a rapid and inexpensive additional tool to explore prion disease. Keywords: Prions, Thickness shear mode quartz sensor

  12. New Insights on Iron Study in Myelodysplasia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noha M. El Husseiny

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Hepcidin plays a pivotal role in iron homeostasis. It is predominantly produced by hepatocytes and inhibits iron release from macrophages and iron uptake by intestinal epithelial cells. Competitive ELISA is the current method of choice for the quantification of serum hepcidin because of its lower detection limit, low costs, and high throughput. This study aims to discuss the role of hepcidin in the pathogenesis of iron overload in recently diagnosed myelodysplasia (MDS cases. METHODS: The study included 21 recently diagnosed MDS patients and 13 healthy controls. Ferritin, hepcidin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTFR were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: There were 7 cases of hypocellular MDS, 8 cases of refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia, and 6 cases of refractory anemia with excess blasts. No difference was observed among the 3 MDS subtypes in terms of hepcidin, sTFR, and ferritin levels (p>0.05. Mean hepcidin levels in the MDS and control groups were 55.8±21.5 ng/mL and 19.9±2.6 ng/ mL, respectively. Mean sTFR was 45.7±8.8 nmol/L in MDS patients and 31.1±5.6 nmol/L in the controls. Mean ferritin levels were significantly higher in MDS patients than in controls (539.14±83.5 ng/mL vs. 104.6±42.9 ng/mL, p0.05. CONCLUSION: Hepcidin may not be the main cause of iron overload in MDS. Further studies are required to test failure of production or peripheral unresponsiveness to hepcidin in MDS cases.

  13. Radioimmunoassay of plasma corticotrophin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hummer, L.

    1977-01-01

    An assay has been established, based on antibodies against the N-terminal part of the ACTH molecule with a high affinity, a detection limit of 2 pg ACTH when assaying 200 ul unextracted plasma, and implying a total incubation time of three days. The antibody has been obtained by immunizing guinea-pigs with synthetic human 1-24 ACTH coupled to bovine serum albumin. The selected antibody has an equilibrium constant of 4 x 10 11 litres/mole in a final dilution of 1/320.000. The antiserum reacts with synthetic human 1-39 ACTH as well as with synthetic human 1-24 ACTH, and the hormonally inactive synthetic human 11-24 ACTH fragment as well as alpha- and beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormones do not cross-react in the assay. The interassay coefficient of variation of replicate estimates was 11-13%. The reproducibility of the standard curve have been evaluated by calculating the amount of ACTH corresponding to 5% of the (B/T)o value, 1.2+-0.4 pg ACTH/tube+-SD and 50% of (B/T)o value, 15.7+-2.6 pg ACTH/tube+-SD. Validation of the assay has been obtained by assaying samples from patients with verified adrenal disorders, and the accuracy is supported by ACTH determinations in test, where metyrapon had been administered intravenously. A stimulation of ACTH production by insulin-induced hypoglycaemia has been found as well. Special attention is always paid as to the conditions for the blood sampling. A reference interval of 10-76 ng/l has been found (115 normal subjects). (orig.) [de

  14. Real-time polymerase chain reaction detection of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood donations using a commercial and an in-house assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koppelman, M H G M; van Swieten, P; Cuijpers, H T M

    2011-06-01

    European regulations require testing of manufacturing plasma for parvovirus B19 (B19) DNA to limit the load of this virus to a maximum acceptable level of 10 IU/µL. To meet this requirement, most manufacturers introduced a test algorithm to identify and eliminate high-load donations before making large manufacturing pools of plasma units. Sanquin screens all donations using a commercial assay from Roche and an in-house assay. Between 2006 and 2009, 6.2 million donations were screened using two different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting B19 DNA. Donations with B19 DNA loads of greater than 1 × 10(6) IU/mL showing significant differences in viral load between the two assays were further analyzed by sequencing analysis. A total of 396 donations with B19 DNA loads of greater than 1 × 10(6) IU/mL were identified. Fifteen samples (3.8%) had discordant test results; 10 samples (2.5%) were underquantified by the Roche assay, two samples (0.5%) were underquantified by the in-house assay, and three samples (0.8%) were not detected by the Roche assay. Sequencing analysis revealed mismatches in primer and probe-binding regions. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 12 samples were B19 Genotype 1. The three samples not detected by the Roche assay were B19 Genotype 2. This study shows that 3.8% of the viremic B19 DNA-positive donations are not quantified correctly by the Roche or in-house B19 DNA assays. B19 Genotype 1 isolates showing incorrect test results are more common than B19 Genotype 2 or 3 isolates. Newly designed B19 PCR assays for blood screening should preferably have multiplexed formats targeting multiple regions of the B19 genome. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

  15. Solid phase radioimmunoassay for plasma testosterone using a plastic microtiter tray

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosogi, Hidemi

    1975-01-01

    In order to simplify radioimmunoassay for plasma testosterone and to measure many samples at the same time, a method of solid phase radioimmunoassay utilizing a plastic disposable microtiter tray (DMT) by which chromatography can be omitted was investigated. Other steroids except for 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) had a low degree of cross reactivity with the antiserum. Five α-DHT which could be measured together with testosterone in this assay was not a problem clinically because of its strong androgenic activity. The best standard curve was obtained when the antiserum was diluted to 1:1000. The sensitivity of this assay was 10 pg-tube. The maximal adsorption of antibody to plastic DMT was observed when the pH of the antiserum was within the range of 6.5-9.5 and the precoating time was 24 hr at room temperature. The best pH of the incubation buffer was 0.8, and the antigen-antibody reaction became a plateau when the incubation exceeded 6 hrs. The water blank in this assay was 4.6 +- 2.1 pg/tube. The recovery of testosterone (50, 100, 200 pg) when added to 0.1 ml female plasma was 99 +- 6.8%. Coefficients of variation within assay and between assays were below 11.2% and 20.0%, respectively. Correlation between this method and the dextran-coated charcoal method was fairly good (r=0.938). Plasma testosterone levels in 10 normal males and 12 normal females were 616 +- 202 (mean +- SD) ng/dl and 66 +- 29 (mean +- SD) ng/dl, respectively. The levels were low in patients with hypopituitarism, hypogonadism and acromegaly. They were normal in patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal hyperplasia and adenoma, but they were high in a patient with adrenal carcinoma. In a patient with testicular feminization, the level was 632 ng/dl. This increased after the administration of HCG, and decreased to 127.5 ng/dl after castration. (auth.)

  16. Development and validation of an improved radioimmunoassay for serotonin in platelet-rich plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gow, I.F.; Williams, B.C.; Edwards, C.R.W.

    1987-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay (RIA) using a 125 I-tracer is described for measurement of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in human platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Antisera were raised against 5-HT-succinamate conjugated to bovine albumin and, to improve assay sensitivity, the analyte was made chemically similar to the immunogen by conversion to N-acetylserotonin prior to assay, using the specific amino reagent N-acetoxysuccinimide. The assay shows good correlation with a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) reference method, indicating that no significant cross-reactions were detected. With this improved assay, it is possible to analyse up to 100 samples/day, compared with 10-20 samples/day by HPLC. (Auth.)

  17. Comparison of miRNA quantitation by Nanostring in serum and plasma samples.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Foye

    Full Text Available Circulating microRNAs that are associated with specific diseases have garnered much attention for use in diagnostic assays. However, detection of disease-associated miRNA can be affected by several factors such as release of contaminating cellular miRNA during sample collection, variations due to amplification of transcript for detection, or controls used for normalization for accurate quantitation. We analyzed circulating miRNA in serum and plasma samples obtained concurrently from 28 patients, using a Nanostring quantitative assay platform. Total RNA concentration ranged from 32-125 μg/ml from serum and 30-220 μg/ml from plasma. Of 798 miRNAs, 371 miRNAs were not detected in either serum or plasma samples. 427 were detected in either serum or plasma but not both, whereas 151 miRNA were detected in both serum and plasma samples. The diversity of miRNA detected was greater in plasma than in serum samples. In serum samples, the number of detected miRNA ranged from 3 to 82 with a median of 17, whereas in plasma samples, the number of miRNA detected ranged from 25 to 221 with a median of 91. Several miRNA such as miR451a, miR 16-5p, miR-223-3p, and mir25-3p were highly abundant and differentially expressed between serum and plasma. The detection of endogenous and exogenous control miRNAs varied in serum and plasma, with higher levels observed in plasma. Gene expression stability identified candidate invariant microRNA that were highly stable across all samples, and could be used for normalization. In conclusion, there are significant differences in both the number of miRNA detected and the amount of miRNA detected between serum and plasma. Normalization using miRNA with constant expression is essential to minimize the impact of technical variations. Given the challenges involved, ideal candidates for blood based biomarkers would be those that are indifferent to type of body fluid, are detectable and can be reliably quantitated.

  18. Determination of cystathionine beta-synthase activity in human plasma by LC-MS/MS: potential use in diagnosis of CBS deficiency.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Krijt, Jakub

    2011-02-01

    Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) deficiency is usually confirmed by assaying the enzyme activity in cultured skin fibroblasts. We investigated whether CBS is present in human plasma and whether determination of its activity in plasma could be used for diagnostic purposes. We developed an assay to measure CBS activity in 20 μL of plasma using a stable isotope substrate - 2,3,3-(2)H serine. The activity was determined by measurement of the product of enzyme reaction, 3,3-(2)H-cystathionine, using LC-MS\\/MS. The median enzyme activity in control plasma samples was 404 nmol\\/h\\/L (range 66-1,066; n = 57). In pyridoxine nonresponsive CBS deficient patients, the median plasma activity was 0 nmol\\/ho\\/L (range 0-9; n = 26), while in pyridoxine responsive patients the median activity was 16 nmol\\/hour\\/L (range 0-358; n = 28); this overlapped with the enzyme activity from control subject. The presence of CBS in human plasma was confirmed by an in silico search of the proteome database, and was further evidenced by the activation of CBS by S-adenosyl-L-methionine and pyridoxal 5\\'-phosphate, and by configuration of the detected reaction product, 3,3-(2)H-cystathionine, which was in agreement with the previously observed CBS reaction mechanism. We hypothesize that the CBS enzyme in plasma originates from liver cells, as the plasma CBS activities in patients with elevated liver aminotransferase activities were more than 30-fold increased. In this study, we have demonstrated that CBS is present in human plasma and that its catalytic activity is detectable by LC-MS\\/MS. CBS assay in human plasma brings new possibilities in the diagnosis of pyridoxine nonresponsive CBS deficiency.

  19. Performance of hepatitis B assays on the Bayer ADVIA Centaur Immunoassay System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Helden, Josef; Denoyel, Gérard; Karwowska, Sylwia; Reamer, Randy; Schmalz, John; Wright, Ted; Preisel-Simmons, Barbara

    2004-01-01

    Bayer HealthCare LLC, Diagnostics Division, has developed several new assays on the ADVIA Centaur immunoassay system for the detection of markers of hepatitis B virus infection in human serum and plasma. This panel includes assays for: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), a confirmatory test method for HBsAg, antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), IgM and IgG antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc Total) and IgM antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc IgM). These assays employ magnetic particle separation technology with direct chemiluminescence for optimal assay performance. All of the assays are fully automated, require sample volumes ranging from 15 microl to 100 microl (with the exception of the ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Confirmatory Assay, which requires 2 x 100 microl), and have throughputs of up to 240 tests per hour. The five ADVIA Centaur HBV assays were tested in extensive performance evaluations conducted at two sites in Europe. The performance evaluations, which included samples from HBV-infected individuals, blood donors, hospitalized/clinical patients, and HBV vaccinees (for Anti-HBs evaluation), generated performance data in support of obtaining the Communautés Européennes (CE) mark for European market distribution. The HBV performance evaluations resulted in an overall diagnostic specificity > 99%, i.e. 99.94% for the ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Assay, 100% for the ADVIA Centaur Anti-HBs Assay, 100% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc IgM Assay and 99.94% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc Total Assay. All of the ADVIA Centaur assays showed a very good diagnostic sensitivity on these populations with 100% for the ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Assay, 99.0% for the ADVIA Centaur Anti-HBs Assay, 98.53% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc IgM Assay and 100% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc Total Assay. The ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Confirmatory Test confirmed 100% of the positive HBsAg samples. Testing of interfering substances and potential cross-reacting samples for all ADVIA

  20. Basic mechanisms of iron metabolism regulation and their clinical significance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. M. Meshсheryakova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is а composition of literature and experimental data of iron metabolism. There were studied the level of DMT-1, ferroportin, hepcidin at different stages of anemia and hemochromatosis. It is clear that the level of DMT-1 regulates by the hepcidin. Increaseing of the hepcidin concentration and decreasing DMT-1 level in patients with hemochromatosis explained good results of treatment.

  1. Basic mechanisms of iron metabolism regulation and their clinical significance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. M. Meshсheryakova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is а composition of literature and experimental data of iron metabolism. There were studied the level of DMT-1, ferroportin, hepcidin at different stages of anemia and hemochromatosis. It is clear that the level of DMT-1 regulates by the hepcidin. Increaseing of the hepcidin concentration and decreasing DMT-1 level in patients with hemochromatosis explained good results of treatment.

  2. Sensitive detection of colorectal cancer in peripheral blood by septin 9 DNA methylation assay.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Grützmann

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC is the second leading cause of cancer deaths despite the fact that detection of this cancer in early stages results in over 90% survival rate. Currently less than 45% of at-risk individuals in the US are screened regularly, exposing a need for better screening tests. We performed two case-control studies to validate a blood-based test that identifies methylated DNA in plasma from all stages of CRC. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a PCR assay for analysis of Septin 9 (SEPT9 hypermethylation in DNA extracted from plasma, clinical performance was optimized on 354 samples (252 CRC, 102 controls and validated in a blinded, independent study of 309 samples (126 CRC, 183 controls. 168 polyps and 411 additional disease controls were also evaluated. Based on the training study SEPT9-based classification detected 120/252 CRCs (48% and 7/102 controls (7%. In the test study 73/126 CRCs (58% and 18/183 control samples (10% were positive for SEPT9 validating the training set results. Inclusion of an additional measurement replicate increased the sensitivity of the assay in the testing set to 72% (90/125 CRCs detected while maintaining 90% specificity (19/183 for controls. Positive rates for plasmas from the other cancers (11/96 and non-cancerous conditions (41/315 were low. The rate of polyp detection (>1 cm was approximately 20%. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Analysis of SEPT9 DNA methylation in plasma represents a straightforward, minimally invasive method to detect all stages of CRC with potential to satisfy unmet needs for increased compliance in the screening population. Further clinical testing is warranted.

  3. Repeat testing of low-level HIV-1 RNA: assay performance and implementation in clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Kirsten; Garner, Will; Wei, Lilian; Eron, Joseph J; Zhong, Lijie; Miller, Michael D; Martin, Hal; Plummer, Andrew; Tran-Muchowski, Cecilia; Lindstrom, Kim; Porter, James; Piontkowsky, David; Light, Angela; Reiske, Heinz; Quirk, Erin

    2018-05-15

    Assess the performance of HIV-1 RNA repeat testing of stored samples in cases of low-level viremia during clinical trials. Prospective and retrospective analysis of randomized clinical trial samples and reference standards. To evaluate assay variability of the Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HIV-1 Test, v2.0, three separate sources of samples were utilized: the World Health Organization (WHO) HIV reference standard (assayed using 50 independent measurements at six viral loads <200 copies/ml), retrospective analysis of four to six aliquots of plasma samples from four clinical trial participants, and prospective repeat testing of 120 samples from participants in randomized trials with low-level viremia. The TaqMan assay on the WHO HIV-1 RNA standards at viral loads <200 copies/ml performed within the expected variability according to assay specifications. However, standards with low viral loads of 36 and 18 copies/ml reported values of ≥ 50 copies/ml in 66 and 18% of tests, respectively. In participants treated with antiretrovirals who had unexpected viremia of 50-200 copies/ml after achieving <50 copies/ml, retesting of multiple aliquots of stored plasma found <50 copies/ml in nearly all cases upon retesting (14/15; 93%). Repeat testing was prospectively implemented in four clinical trials for all samples with virologic rebound of 50-200 copies/ml (n = 120 samples from 92 participants) from which 42% (50/120) had a retest result of less than 50 copies/ml and 58% (70/120) retested ≥ 50 copies/ml. The TaqMan HIV-1 RNA assay shows variability around 50 copies/ml that affects clinical trial results and may impact clinical practice. In participants with a history of viral load suppression, unexpected low-level viremia may be because of assay variability rather than low drug adherence or true virologic failure. Retesting a stored aliquot of the same sample may differentiate between assay variability and virologic failure as the source of viremia

  4. A radioimmunoassay for equilin in equine pregnancy plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, B.K.; Rance, Th.A.; Dean, P.D.G.

    1976-01-01

    It is well known that the pregnant mare produces large quantities of the ring B unsaturated steroid equilin in addition to classical oestrogens. However, the precise biogenesis of this unusual steroid remains a mystery. To facilitate a study of the interrelationship of the steroids present during equine pregnancy, a radioimmunoassay for the measurement of equilin in peripheral plasma was developed. As equilin is thought to be a product of the foeto-placental unit, such an assay may also be of use as an index of foetal well-being. Oestrone and equilin are present in similar concentrations in equine pregnancy plasma so it was important that an antiserum was produced which could differentiate between these two steroids. An antigen was synthesised in which equilin is linked to a protein carrier through the 17-position in order that the C 7 -C 8 double bond might be fully exposed for immune recognition. This stratagem proved successful as the antiserum obtained gave a cross-reaction of only 7.3% for oestrone. The use of a radioimmunoassay incorporating this antiserum is demonstrated by measuring equilin concentrations in plasma samples taken from a mare at weekly intervals from day 60 of pregnancy through to parturition. The corresponding oestrone concentrations are also recorded and demonstrate the validity of the equilin assay in this situation

  5. β-Microseminoprotein endows post coital seminal plasma with potent candidacidal activity by a calcium- and pH-dependent mechanism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Edström Hägerwall, Anneli; Rydengård, Victoria; Fernlund, Per

    2012-01-01

    is very rare. This prompted us to investigate whether the post coital vaginal milieu contained factors active against C. albicans. By CFU assays, we found prominent candidacidal activity of post coital seminal plasma at both neutral and the acid vaginal pH. In contrast, normal seminal plasma did...... not display candidacidal activity prior to acidification. By antifungal gel overlay assay, one clearing zone corresponding to a protein band was found in both post coital and normal seminal plasma, which was subsequently identified as β-microseminoprotein. At neutral pH, the fungicidal activity of β......-microseminoprotein and seminal plasma was inhibited by calcium. By NMR spectroscopy, amino acid residue E(71) was shown to be critical for the calcium coordination. The acidic vaginal milieu unleashed the fungicidal activity by decreasing the inhibitory effect of calcium. The candidacidal activity of β...

  6. Disinfection of Streptococcus mutans biofilm by a non-thermal atmospheric plasma brush

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Qing; Dong, Xiaoqing; Chen, Meng; Xu, Yuanxi; Sun, Hongmin; Hong, Liang; Wang, Yong; Yu, Qingsong

    2016-07-01

    This study investigated the argon plasma treatment effect on disinfecting dental biofilm by using an atmospheric pressure plasma brush. Streptococcus mutans biofilms were developed for 3 days on the surfaces of hydroxyapatite (HA) discs, which were used to simulate human tooth enamel. After plasma treatment, cell viability in the S. mutans biofilms was characterized by using 3-(4,5-dimethylazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Compared with the untreated control group, about 90% bacterial reduction in the biofilms was observed after 1 min plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination indicated severe cell damages occurred on the top surface of the plasma treated biofilms. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that plasma treatment was effective as deep as 20 µm into the biofilms. When combined with antibiotic treatment using 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate solution, the plasma treatment became more effective and over 96% bacterial reduction was observed with 1 min plasma treatment.

  7. Development of an enzyme-radioimmunoassay for the measurement of dopamine in human plasma and urine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faraj, B.A.; Walker, W.R.; Camp, V.M.; Ali, F.M.; Cobbs, W.B. Jr.

    1978-01-01

    An enzyme-radioimmunoassay for the measurement of dopamine is described. It is based on the incubation of plasma or urine in the presence of catechol-0-methyltransferase and S-adenosylmethionine. The 0-methylated dopamine metabolite formed (3-0-methyldopamine) was characterized by radioimmunoassay. As little as 0.5 ng of dopamine can be detected. The assay was found to be specific, since no cross-reactivity was noted for several compounds related to dopamine. The enzyme-radioimmunoassay of dopamine was used to determine the concentrations of dopamine in urine and plasma of normal volunteers. In this group, urinary dopamine averaged 182.1 +- 2.2 μg/24 hr, and the plasma concentration 0.211 +- 0.052 ng/ml. However, in children wPth neuroblastoma, there was a several-fold increase over controls in the average urinary and plasma levels of dopamine (8,500 μ/24 hr and 2.3 ng/ml). The assay was also used to monitor blood levels of dopamine following the administration of L-dopa and dopamine to patients with cardiomyopathy

  8. Proliferation-promoting effect of platelet-rich plasma on human adipose-derived stem cells and human dermal fibroblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakudo, Natsuko; Minakata, Tatsuya; Mitsui, Toshihito; Kushida, Satoshi; Notodihardjo, Frederik Zefanya; Kusumoto, Kenji

    2008-11-01

    This study evaluated changes in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AB and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 release from platelets by platelet-rich plasma activation, and the proliferation potential of activated platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma on human adipose-derived stem cells and human dermal fibroblasts. Platelet-rich plasma was prepared using a double-spin method, with the number of platelets counted in each preparation stage. Platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasma were activated with autologous thrombin and calcium chloride, and levels of platelet-released PDGF-AB and TGF-beta1 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cells were cultured for 1, 4, or 7 days in serum-free Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium supplemented with 5% whole blood plasma, nonactivated platelet-rich plasma, nonactivated platelet-poor plasma, activated platelet-rich plasma, or activated platelet-poor plasma. In parallel, these cells were cultured for 1, 4, or 7 days in serum-free Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium supplemented with 1%, 5%, 10%, or 20% activated platelet-rich plasma. The cultured human adipose-derived stem cells and human dermal fibroblasts were assayed for proliferation. Platelet-rich plasma contained approximately 7.9 times as many platelets as whole blood, and its activation was associated with the release of large amounts of PDGF-AB and TGF-beta1. Adding activated platelet-rich or platelet-poor plasma significantly promoted the proliferation of human adipose-derived stem cells and human dermal fibroblasts. Adding 5% activated platelet-rich plasma to the medium maximally promoted cell proliferation, but activated platelet-rich plasma at 20% did not promote it. Platelet-rich plasma can enhance the proliferation of human adipose-derived stem cells and human dermal fibroblasts. These results support clinical platelet-rich plasma application for cell-based, soft-tissue engineering and wound healing.

  9. Characterization and Validation of the LT-SYS Copper Assay on a Roche Cobas 8000 c502 Analyzer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, F Bernhard; Mischereit, Marlies; Eller, Christoph; Ludwig-Kraus, Beatrice

    2017-02-01

    Validation of the LT-SYS quantitative in vitro copper assay on a Roche Cobas 8000 c502 analyzer and comparison with a BIOMED assay on a Roche Cobas Mira analyzer. Imprecision and bias were quantified at different concentration levels (serum and plasma) over a 20-day period. Linearity was assessed covering a range from 4.08 µmol/L to 33.8 µmol/L. Limit of blank (LoB) and limit of detection (LoD) were established based on a total of 120 blank and low-level samples. The method comparison was based on 58 plasma samples. Within-run imprecision ranged from 0.7% to 1.2% and within-laboratory imprecision from 1.4% to 3.3%. Relative bias for the 2 serum pools with known target values was less than 2.5%. The assay did not deviate from linearity over the tested measuring range. LoB and LoD were 0.12 µmol/L and 0.23 µmol/L, respectively. The method comparison revealed an average deviation of 11.5% (2.016 µmol/L), and the linear regression fit was y = 1.464 + 0.795x. The LT-SYS copper assay characterized in this study showed a fully acceptable performance with good degrees of imprecision and bias, no deviation from linearity in the relevant measuring rangem, and very low LoB and LoD. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Processing-independent proANP measurement for low concentrations in plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mark, Peter D; Hunter, Ingrid; Terzic, Dijana

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Decreased concentrations of pro-atrial-derived natriuretic peptides (proABP) in plasma have been associated with obesity and suggested as a predictor of type 2 diabetes. However, assays for measuring proANP are generally aimed to quantitate higher concentrations of proANP associated...

  11. Vasopressin levels in plasma and urine of man, dogs and rats, as measured by radioimmunoassay, ch. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dogterom, J.; Buijs, R.M.; Wimersma Greidanus, Tj.B. van.

    1977-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay (RIA) of arginine-8-vasopressin (AVP) is reported. The production of antisera and labelled hormone is described. The antibodies are characterized with respect to their binding capacity, specificity and resulting sensitivity in the standard curves. An extraction procedure of AVP from body fluids appeared to be necessary and was performed with activated Vycor glass powder. Other adsorbents were tested as well. The results of the assay indicate that 0.5 pg AVP/ml plasma can be detected. The calculations of the data are fully automized using a Fortran IV programme for a digital computer. With this assay, basal AVP levels were measured in the plasma and urine of man, dogs and rats. In these species, plasma levels were in the range of 0.0-3.0 pg/ml. In addition, plasma AVP levels in rats and dogs were measured after different periods of water deprivation. In rats, AVP increase reached its maximum after 48 hrs of water deprivation: 27.1 +- 3.4 pg/ml

  12. A rapid method for selecting suitable animal species for studying pathogen interactions with plasma protein ligands in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naudin, Clément; Schumski, Ariane; Salo-Ahen, Outi M H; Herwald, Heiko; Smeds, Emanuel

    2017-05-01

    Species tropism constitutes a serious problem for developing relevant animal models of infection. Human pathogens can express virulence factors that show specific selectivity to human proteins, while their affinity for orthologs from other species can vary significantly. Suitable animal species must be used to analyse whether virulence factors are potential targets for drug development. We developed an assay that rapidly predicts applicable animal species for studying virulence factors binding plasma proteins. We used two well-characterized Staphylococcus aureus proteins, SSL7 and Efb, to develop an ELISA-based inhibition assay using plasma from different animal species. The interaction between SSL7 and human C5 and the binding of Efb to human fibrinogen and human C3 was studied. Affinity experiments and Western blot analyses were used to validate the assay. Human, monkey and cat plasma interfered with binding of SSL7 to human C5. Binding of Efb to human fibrinogen was blocked in human, monkey, gerbil and pig plasma, while human, monkey, gerbil, rabbit, cat and guinea pig plasma inhibited the binding of Efb to human C3. These results emphasize the importance of choosing correct animal models, and thus, our approach is a rapid and cost-effective method that can be used to prevent unnecessary animal experiments. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  13. Assaying Cellular Viability Using the Neutral Red Uptake Assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ates, Gamze; Vanhaecke, Tamara; Rogiers, Vera; Rodrigues, Robim M

    2017-01-01

    The neutral red uptake assay is a cell viability assay that allows in vitro quantification of xenobiotic-induced cytotoxicity. The assay relies on the ability of living cells to incorporate and bind neutral red, a weak cationic dye, in lysosomes. As such, cytotoxicity is expressed as a concentration-dependent reduction of the uptake of neutral red after exposure to the xenobiotic under investigation. The neutral red uptake assay is mainly used for hazard assessment in in vitro toxicology applications. This method has also been introduced in regulatory recommendations as part of 3T3-NRU-phototoxicity-assay, which was regulatory accepted in all EU member states in 2000 and in the OECD member states in 2004 as a test guideline (TG 432). The present protocol describes the neutral red uptake assay using the human hepatoma cell line HepG2, which is often employed as an alternative in vitro model for human hepatocytes. As an example, the cytotoxicity of acetaminophen and acetyl salicylic acid is assessed.

  14. Plasma Renin Activity in Children with Protein Energy Malnutrition ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Plasma renin activity was measured by bio-assay in 100 children with kwashiorkor and in 20 healthy children, and also by radio-immunoassay in another 26 children with kwashiorkor and in another 20 healthy children. Both methods showed that (compared with healthy children) renin activity was significantly increased in ...

  15. Hemojuvelin: a supposed role in iron metabolism one year after its discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celec, Peter

    2005-07-01

    The discovery of hemojuvelin and its association with juvenile hemochromatosis are important not only for the diagnostics of this rare severe disease but also for the understanding of the complex mechanism of iron metabolism regulation. Currently, the physiological role of hemojuvelin is obscure. Recent experimental and clinical studies indicate that hemojuvelin will probably be a regulator of hepcidin, similar to HFE and transferrin receptor 2. However, in contrast to transferrin receptor 2, which is relevant in the hepcidin response to changes in transferrin saturation, HFE and especially hemojuvelin seem to be involved in the inflammation-induced hepcidin expression. Hepcidin, generally accepted as a hormone targeting enterocytes and macrophages, decreases iron absorption from the intestinal lumen and iron release from phagocytes. This mechanism explains the central role of hepcidin and, indirectly, its regulator, hemojuvelin, in the pathogenesis of hemochromatosis but also in anemia of chronic disease. Further basic and clinical research is needed to uncover the details of hemojuvelin pathophysiology required for potential pharmacological interventions.

  16. Plasma concentrations of midazolam during continuous subcutaneous administration in palliative care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleasel, M D; Peterson, G M; Dunne, P F

    1994-01-01

    We have investigated the steady-state plasma concentrations of midazolam during continuous subcutaneous administration in palliative care. Using a sensitive gas chromatography with electron capture detector assay, plasma concentrations of midazolam were measured in 11 patients (median age 68 years; range 47-82 years; six females) receiving the drug by continuous subcutaneous infusion (median rate 20 mg/day; range 10-60 mg/day). While not significant, the infusion rate tended to decrease with increasing age of the patient (Spearman's p = -0.51; p = 0.11). The steady-state plasma concentration range was 10-147 ng/ml, with a median of 30 ng/ml. Infusion rates and plasma concentrations of midazolam were correlated (Spearman's p = 0.71; p < 0.05). No other significant relationships were found between plasma concentrations and the variables of age, sex and liver function.

  17. Laboratory heterogeneity of the lupus anticoagulant: a multicentre study using different clotting assays on a panel of 78 samples. Hemostasis Committee of the "Société Française de Biologie Clinique".

    Science.gov (United States)

    1992-05-15

    The laboratory heterogeneity of the lupus anticoagulant (LA) was investigated in a multicentre study using a panel of 78 plasma samples diagnosed as containing a LA. Consecutive samples were collected by 12 participants using various screening tests, and sent to 7 laboratories which performed one or more clotting assays among the following: activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), dilute Russell viper venom time, kaolin clotting time (KCT), dilute tissue thromboplastin time (dTTI) and a platelet neutralization test. For APTT and dTTI, 10 versions of these tests including standard and mixing procedures were carried out. They varied by reagents, phospholipid concentration or methodology. Cut-off times were determined for each test by comparing the results of the panel to those of a control population. When the data of all clotting assays were pooled, 70 of the 78 selected plasmas were considered to contain LA, 15 of them having a low-titer inhibitor. Sensitivity, defined as the proportion of positive results among LA-containing plasmas, varied from 62 to 100% and was positively related to responsiveness (defined as the mean ratio of clotting time to cut-off time). Laboratory heterogeneity of LA-containing plasma was illustrated by a star symbol plot analysis. Different populations of samples, with LA preferentially recognized by one assay (or group of assays) irrespective of the overall sensitivity of this assay, were identified. Multiple component analysis demonstrated the heterogeneity of low-titer inhibitors, which complicates their recognition in routine laboratory investigation.

  18. Dengue and chikungunya viruses in plasma are effectively inactivated after treatment with methylene blue and visible light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fryk, Jesse J; Marks, Denese C; Hobson-Peters, Jody; Prow, Natalie A; Watterson, Daniel; Hall, Roy A; Young, Paul R; Reichenberg, Stefan; Sumian, Chryslain; Faddy, Helen M

    2016-09-01

    Arboviruses, such as dengue viruses (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), pose a risk to the safe transfusion of blood components, including plasma. Pathogen inactivation is an approach to manage this transfusion transmission risk, with a number of techniques being used worldwide for the treatment of plasma. In this study, the efficacy of the THERAFLEX MB-Plasma system to inactivate all DENV serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4) or CHIKV in plasma, using methylene blue and light illumination at 630 nm, was investigated. Pooled plasma units were spiked with DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 DENV-4, or CHIKV and treated with the THERAFLEX MB-Plasma system at four light illumination doses: 20, 40, 60, and 120 (standard dose) J/cm(2) . Pre- and posttreatment samples were collected and viral infectivity was determined. The reduction in viral infectivity was calculated for each dose. Treatment of plasma with the THERAFLEX MB-Plasma system resulted in at least a 4.46-log reduction in all DENV serotypes and CHIKV infectious virus. The residual infectivity for each was at the detection limit of the assay used at 60 J/cm(2) , with dose dependency also observed. Our study demonstrated the THERAFLEX MB-Plasma system can reduce the infectivity of all DENV serotypes and CHIKV spiked into plasma to the detection limit of the assay used at half of the standard illumination dose. This suggests this system has the capacity to be an effective option for managing the risk of DENV or CHIKV transfusion transmission in plasma. © 2016 AABB.

  19. Decreased maternal plasma apelin concentrations in preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bortoff, Katherine D; Qiu, Chunfang; Runyon, Scott; Williams, Michelle A; Maitra, Rangan

    2012-01-01

    Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder that complicates 3-7% of pregnancies. The development of preeclampsia has not been completely elucidated and current therapies are not broadly efficacious. The apelinergic system appears to be involved in hypertensive disorders and experimental studies indicate a role of this system in preeclampsia. Thus, an epidemiological evaluation of apelin protein concentration in plasma was conducted in case-control study of pregnant women. Data and maternal plasma samples were collected from pregnant women with confirmed preeclampsia (n = 76) or normotensive controls (n = 79). Concentrations of apelin peptides were blindly measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were subjected to statistical analyses. Plasma apelin concentrations, measured at delivery, were lower in preeclampsia cases compared with controls (mean ± standard deviation: 0.66 ± 0.29 vs. 0.78 ± 0.31 ng/mL, p = 0.02). After controlling for confounding by maternal age, smoking status, and pre-pregnancy body mass index, odds of preeclampsia were 48% lower for women with high versus low plasma apelin (≥0.73 vs. preclampsia and other hypertensive maternal disorders.

  20. The measurement of insulin-like growth factor 1 in sheep plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruce, L A; Atkinson, T; Hutchinson, J S; Shakespear, R A; MacRae, J C

    1991-02-01

    A method is described for the radioimmunoassay (RIA) of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in neutralised formic acid-ethanol extracts of sheep plasma. The ability of the acid-ethanol pretreatment to remove the IGF-1 binding proteins (BPs), which interfere in the assay has been examined. Comparative plasma IGF-1 concentrations determined by the method correlated closely (P less than 0.001) with corresponding values where BPs were removed by acid gel filtration. The method has been applied to studies in which sheep were given exogenous growth hormone and indicated that plasma IGF-1 levels respond rapidly to the onset and termination of treatment.

  1. Simple Quantification of Pentosidine in Human Urine and Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji Sang Lee

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Pentosidine is an advanced glycation end-product (AGE and fluorescent cross-link compound. A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC method was developed for the detection and quantification of pentosidine in human urine and plasma. The mobile phase used a gradient system to improve separation of pentosidine from endogenous peaks, and chromatograms were monitored by fluorescent detector set at excitation and emission wavelengths of 328 and 378 nm, respectively. The retention time for pentosidine was 24.3 min and the lower limits of quantification (LLOQ in human urine and plasma were 1 nM. The intraday assay precisions (coefficients of variation were generally low and found to be in the range of 5.19–7.49% and 4.96–8.78% for human urine and plasma, respectively. The corresponding values of the interday assay precisions were 9.45% and 4.27%. Accuracies (relative errors ranged from 87.9% to 115%. Pentosidine was stable in a range of pH solutions, human urine, and plasma. In summary, this HPLC method can be applied in future preclinical and clinical evaluation of pentosidine in the diabetic patients.

  2. Random assay in radioimmunoassay: Feasibility and application compared with batch assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jung Min; Lee, Hwan Hee; Park, Sohyun; Kim, Tae Sung; Kim, Seok Ki [Dept. of Nuclear MedicineNational Cancer Center, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    The batch assay has been conventionally used for radioimmunoassay (RIA) because of its technical robustness and practical convenience. However, it has limitations in terms of the relative lag of report time due to the necessity of multiple assays in a small number of samples compared with the random assay technique. In this study, we aimed to verify whether the random assay technique can be applied in RIA and is feasible in daily practice. The coefficients of variation (CVs) of eight standard curves within a single kit were calculated in a CA-125 immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for the reference of the practically ideal CV of the CA-125 kit. Ten standard curves of 10 kits from 2 prospectively collected lots (pLot) and 85 standard curves of 85 kits from 3 retrospectively collected lots (Lot) were obtained. Additionally, the raw measurement data of both 170 control references and 1123 patients' sera were collected retrospectively between December 2015 and January 2016. A standard curve of the first kit of each lot was used as a master standard curve for a random assay. The CVs of inter-kits were analyzed in each lot, respectively. All raw measurements were normalized by decay and radioactivity. The CA-125 values from control samples and patients' sera were compared using the original batch assay and random assay. In standard curve analysis, the CVs of inter-kits in pLots and Lots were comparable to those within a single kit. The CVs from the random assay with normalization were similar to those from the batch assay in the control samples (CVs % of low/high concentration; Lot1 2.71/1.91, Lot2 2.35/1.83, Lot3 2.83/2.08 vs. Lot1 2.05/1.21, Lot2 1.66/1.48, Lot3 2.41/2.14). The ICCs between the batch assay and random assay using patients' sera were satisfactory (Lot1 1.00, Lot2 0.999, Lot3 1.00). The random assay technique could be successfully applied to the conventional CA-125 IRMA kits. The random assay showed strong agreement with the batch assay. The

  3. Biobarcode assay for the oral anticoagulant acenocoumarol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broto, Marta; Salvador, J Pablo; Galve, Roger; Marco, M Pilar

    2018-02-01

    A novel approach for therapeutic drug monitoring of oral anticoagulants (OA) in clinical samples is reported, based on a NP-based biobarcode assay. The proposed strategy uses specific antibodies for acenocumarol (ACL) covalently bound to magnetic particles (pAb236-MP) and a bioconjugate competitor (hACL-BSA) linked to encoded polystyrene probes (hACL-BSA-ePSP) on a classical competitive immunochemical format. By using this scheme ACL can be detected in low nM range (LOD, 0.96 ± 0.26, N = 3, in buffer) even in complex samples such as serum or plasma (LOD 4 ± 1). The assay shows a high reproducibility (%CV 1.1 day-to-day) and is robust, as it is demonstrated by the fact that ACL can be quantified in complex biological samples with a very good accuracy (slope = 0.97 and R 2 = 0.91, of the linear regression obtained when analyzing spiked vs measured values). Moreover, we have demonstrated that the biobarcode approach has the potential to overcome one of the main challenges of the multiplexed diagnostic, which is the possibility to measure in a single run biomarker targets present at different concentration ranges. Thus, it has been proven that the signal and the detectability can be modulated by just modifying the oligonucleotide load of the encoded probes. This fact opens the door for combining in the same assay encoded probes with the necessary oligonucleotide load to achieve the detectability required for each biomarker target. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Radioimmunoassay of arginine-vasopressin in human plasma: Development and clinical application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hummerich, W.; Konrads, A.; Roesch, R.; Sofroniew, M.

    1983-01-01

    A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for the measurement of arg-vasopressin (AVP) in human plasma is described. Recovery of added AVP from plasma was about 65-70%. An acetone extraction step was necessary to prevent unspecific blank effects. Sensitivity of the assay in 0.5 pg AVP/ml plasma. In normally hydrated subjects AVP-concentration ranged from 0.7 pg/ml to 5.8 pg/ml and showed a good correlation with plasma osmolality. In patients with complete diabetes insipidus (D.i.) AVP-values were below the sensitivity limit of the method and they were subnormal when D.i. was incomplete. There was no increase of AVP-concentration during fluid restriction in patients with complete or incomplete D.i. In subjects with psychogenic polydipsia AVP-values were normal and dehydration produced adequate rises of plasma AVP. In patients with SIADH (Schwartz-Bartter-syndrome) AVP-values were greatly enhanced (> 10 pg/ml) when correlated to plasma osmolality ( 2 O). (orig.)

  5. Radioimmunoassay of arginine-vasopressin in human plasma: Development and clinical application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hummerich, W.; Konrads, A.; Roesch, R.; Sofroniew, M.

    1983-02-15

    A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for the measurement of arg-vasopressin (AVP) in human plasma is described. Recovery of added AVP from plasma was about 65-70%. An acetone extraction step was necessary to prevent unspecific blank effects. Sensitivity of the assay in 0.5 pg AVP/ml plasma. In normally hydrated subjects AVP-concentration ranged from 0.7 pg/ml to 5.8 pg/ml and showed a good correlation with plasma osmolality. In patients with complete diabetes insipidus (D.i.) AVP-values were below the sensitivity limit of the method and they were subnormal when D.i. was incomplete. There was no increase of AVP-concentration during fluid restriction in patients with complete or incomplete D.i. In subjects with psychogenic polydipsia AVP-values were normal and dehydration produced adequate rises of plasma AVP. In patients with SIADH (Schwartz-Bartter-syndrome) AVP-values were greatly enhanced (> 10 pg/ml) when correlated to plasma osmolality (< 170 mosmol/kg H/sub 2/O).

  6. New Insights into Butyrylcholinesterase Activity Assay: Serum Dilution Factor as a Crucial Parameter.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Jońca

    Full Text Available Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE activity assay and inhibitor phenotyping can help to identify patients at risk of prolonged paralysis following the administration of neuromuscular blocking agents. The assay plays an important role in clinical chemistry as a good diagnostic marker for intoxication with pesticides and nerve agents. Furthermore, the assay is also commonly used for in vitro characterization of cholinesterases, their toxins and drugs. There is still lack of standardized procedure for measurement of BChE activity and many laboratories use different substrates at various concentrations. The purpose of this study was to validate the BChE activity assay to determine the best dilution of human serum and the most optimal concentration of substrates and inhibitors. Serum BChE activity was measured using modified Ellman's method applicable for a microplate reader. We present our experience and new insights into the protocol for high-throughput routine assays of human plasma cholinesterase activities adapted to a microplate reader. During our routine assays used for the determination of BChE activity, we have observed that serum dilution factor influences the results obtained. We show that a 400-fold dilution of serum and 5mM S-butyrylthiocholine iodide can be successfully used for the accurate measurement of BChE activity in human serum. We also discuss usage of various concentrations of dibucaine and fluoride in BChE phenotyping. This study indicates that some factors of such a multicomponent clinical material like serum can influence kinetic parameters of the BChE. The observed inhibitory effect is dependent on serum dilution factor used in the assay.

  7. Development of an alpha-fetoprotein and Golgi protein 73 multiplex detection assay using xMAP technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yun; Ma, Jie; Wang, Yipeng; Zhang, Yonghong; Hou, Yongjin; Zhang, Chunming; Sun, Huanqin; Sun, Jianping; Wang, Zikang; Li, Ning

    2018-04-06

    Development of a new method to simultaneously detect Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and Golgi protein 73 (GP73) from peripheral blood. Anti human AFP and GP73 monoclonal antibodies was used to develop a sandwich immunity reaction using xMAP technology for the simultaneous detection of plasma AFP and GP73. The assay evaluated the sensitivity, cross reactivity, range of detection, precision, recovery and linearity dilution effect. The assay utilized plasma samples and compared its performance with commercially available Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. The assay was successful in detecting AFP and GP73 simultaneously. Validation experiments demonstrated the limit of detection was AFP 0.006 μg/l and GP73 0.482 μg/l. The functional sensitivity was AFP 0.010 μg/l and GP73 0.640 μg/l. The range of detection was AFP 0.01-50 μg/l and GP73 0.64-100 μg/l. No cross reactivity was observed. The intra- and inter-assay variation for AFP was 0.19-3.46% and 3.1-5.8% and for GP73 was 1.5-3.2% and 1.1-7.6% respectively. The recovery for AFP was 96-106% and GP73 was 89-110%. 80 clinical plasma samples from healthy controls, and patients with liver cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) were evaluated. For healthy controls (n = 25), the AFP was 2.40 (1.55, 3.30) μg/l and GP73 was 42.60 (39.10, 57.40) μg/l. For patients with liver cirrhosis (n = 19), the AFP was 2.60 (1.70, 4.20) μg/l and GP73 was 136.10 (92.10, 261.70) μg/l, and for HCC patients (n = 36), the AFP was 13.65 (3.35, 158.88) μg/l and GP73 was 186.25 (96.73, 262.03) μg/l. The new assay demonstrated a good correlation with commercially available ELISA kits (correlation coefficients (r) were 0.997 (AFP, p < 0.001) and 0.959 (GP73, p < 0.001). The method demonstrated a sensitive, effective and accurate method for the simultaneous detection of AFP and GP73, and could be used clinically for routine detection and monitoring of patients with chronic hepatitis B

  8. The development and validation of an UHPLC-MS/MS method for the rapid quantification of the antiretroviral agent dapivirine in human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seserko, Lauren A; Emory, Joshua F; Hendrix, Craig W; Marzinke, Mark A

    2013-11-01

    Dapivirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor designed to prevent HIV-1 viral replication and subsequent propagation. A sensitive method is required to quantify plasma concentrations to assess drug efficacy. Dapivirine-spiked plasma was combined with acetonitrile containing deuterated IS and was processed for analysis. The method has an analytical measuring range from 20 to 10,000 pg/ml. For the LLOQ, low, mid and high QCs, intra- and inter-assay precision (%CV) ranged from 5.58 to 13.89% and 5.23 to 13.36%, respectively, and intra- and inter-day accuracy (% deviation) ranged from -5.61 to 0.75% and -4.30 to 6.24%, respectively. A robust and sensitive LC-MS/MS assay for the high-throughput quantification of the antiretroviral drug dapivirine in human plasma was developed and validated following bioanalytical validation guidelines. The assay meets criteria for the analysis of samples from large research trials.

  9. Determination of platinum group elements and gold in reference materials by instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry with nickel sulphide fire-assay collection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morcelli, C.P.R.; Figueiredo, A.M.G.; Sarkis, J.E.S.; Kakazu, M.; Enzweiler, J.

    2002-01-01

    Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) after NiS fire assay were used to determine platinum group elements (PGE) and Au in the geological reference materials peridotite GPt-3 and pyroxene peridotite GPt-4 (IGGE, China). INAA has been one of the most useful analytical techniques for PGEs and Au determination, due to its high sensitivity and accuracy. After the fire assay, the NiS button is dissolved in concentrated hydrochloric acid, leaving a residue of insoluble PGE sulphides; the solution is filtered and the filter is directly irradiated with neutrons. In more recent years, ICP-MS with nickel fire assay collection and tellurium coprecipitation has been used as a mean of analysing PGE, with the main advantage of avoiding problems of losses of PGE during the HCl digestion of the NiS button. Buttons were prepared by mixing the sample (10-15 g) with fluxes, nickel and sulphur in a fire clay crucible and fused at temperatures around 1000 deg C. For NAA, the filters containing the PGEs and Au were irradiated at the IEA-R1 research nuclear reactor at IPEN. The measurements of the induced gamma-ray activity were carried out in an hyperpure Ge detector. In general, the results obtained by the two techniques were in good agreement with recommended values. INAA results exhibited higher values than the recommended values for Pd and Pt in GPt-3, while the opposite effect was observed for GPt-4 sample. Ru was not detected by INAA. On the other hand, Rh and Ir were determined more accurately by INAA (relative errors better than 10%). The ICP-MS analytical technique showed better detection limits, and all the PGE were determined. Results obtained for Pt and Pd presented accuracy better than 5% while losses were observed for Os and Ir. (author)

  10. Matrix effects of TRU [transuranic] assays using the SWEPP PAN assay system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, J.R.

    1990-08-01

    The Drum Assay System (DAS) at the Stored Waste Experimental Pilot Plant (SWEPP) is a second-generation active-passive neutron assay system. It has been used to assay over 5000 208-liter drums of transuranic waste from the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP). Data from these assays have been examined and compared with the assays performed at Rocky Flats, mainly utilize counting of 239 Pu gamma rays. For the most part the passive assays are in very good agreement with the Rocky Flats assays. The active assays are strongly correlated with the results of the other two methods, but require matrix-dependent correction factors beyond those provided by the system itself. A set of matrix-dependent correction factors has been developed from the study of the assay results. 3 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

  11. Radioimmunoassay of plasma cortisol and its clinical application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ninomiya, Tetsuhiro; Ishitobi, Kazuyuki; Harada, Yoshimichi

    1975-01-01

    A system for the radioimmunoassay of plasma cortisol was developed together with a nonchromatographic method for the assay. An anti-cortisol serum, produced by immunization of rabbits with cortisol-21-hemisuccinate-BSA, proved to have a high affinity and a high specificity for cortisol. The results determined by this system were satisfactory. The nonchromatographic method correlated well with the chromatographic one in normal subjects, who showed 66.2 +- 34.8 ng/ml (case number 22) plasma cortisol levels from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. Various provocation tests were applied to normal subjects and to patients with endocrine disease, and the results were discussed. (auth.)

  12. Detection of erbB2 copy number variations in plasma of patients with esophageal carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andolfo, Immacolata; Orditura, Michele; Ciardiello, Fortunato; De Vita, Fernando; Zollo, Massimo; Petrosino, Giuseppe; Vecchione, Loredana; De Antonellis, Pasqualino; Capasso, Mario; Montanaro, Donatella; Gemei, Marica; Troncone, Giancarlo; Iolascon, Achille

    2011-01-01

    Mortality is high in patients with esophageal carcinoma as tumors are rarely detected before the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. Here, we sought to isolate cell-free DNA released into the plasma of patients with esophageal carcinoma, to analyze copy number variations of marker genes in the search for early detection of tumor progression. Plasma of 41 patients with esophageal carcinoma was prospectively collected before tumor resection and chemotherapy. Our dataset resulted heterogeneous for clinical data, resembling the characteristics of the tumor. DNA from the plasma was extracted to analyze copy number variations of the erbB2 gene using real-time PCR assays. The real-time PCR assays for erbB2 gene showed significant (P = 0.001) copy number variations in the plasma of patients with esophageal carcinoma, as compared to healthy controls with high sensitivity (80%) and specificity (95%). These variations in erbB2 were negatively correlated to the progression free survival of these patients (P = 0.03), and revealed a further risk category stratification of patients with low VEGF expression levels. The copy number variation of erbB2 gene from plasma can be used as prognostic marker for early detection of patients at risk of worse clinical outcome in esophageal cancer

  13. Comparison of digoxin concentration in plastic serum tubes with clot activator and heparinized plasma tubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dukić, Lora; Simundić, Ana-Maria; Malogorski, Davorin

    2014-01-01

    Sample type recommended by the manufacturer for the digoxin Abbott assay is either serum collected in glass tubes or plasma (sodium heparin, lithium heparin, citrate, EDTA or oxalate as anticoagulant) collected in plastic tubes. In our hospital samples are collected in plastic tubes. Our hypothesis was that the serum sample collected in plastic serum tube can be used interchangeably with plasma sample for measurement of digoxin concentration. Our aim was verification of plastic serum tubes for determination of digoxin concentration. Concentration of digoxin was determined simultaneously in 26 venous blood plasma (plastic Vacuette, LH Lithium heparin) and serum (plastic Vacuette, Z Serum Clot activator; both Greiner Bio-One GmbH, Kremsmünster, Austria) samples, on Abbott AxSYM analyzer using the original Abbott Digoxin III assay (Abbott, Wiesbaden, Germany). Tube comparability was assessed using the Passing Bablok regression and Bland-Altman plot. Serum and plasma digoxin concentrations are comparable. Passing Bablok intercept (0.08 [95% CI = -0.10 to 0.20]) and slope (0.99 [95% CI = 0.92 to 1.11]) showed there is no constant or proportional error. Blood samples drawn in plastic serum tubes and plastic plasma tubes can be interchangeably used for determination of digoxin concentration.

  14. A high performance liquid chromatographic assay of Mefloquine in saliva after a single oral dose in healthy adult Africans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gbotosho Grace O

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mefloquine-artesunate is a formulation of artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT recommended by the World Health Organization and historically the first ACT used clinically. The use of ACT demands constant monitoring of therapeutic efficacies and drug levels, in order to ensure that optimum drug exposure is achieved and detect reduced susceptibility to these drugs. Quantification of anti-malarial drugs in biological fluids other than blood would provide a more readily applicable method of therapeutic drug monitoring in developing endemic countries. Efforts in this study were devoted to the development of a simple, field applicable, non-invasive method for assay of mefloquine in saliva. Methods A high performance liquid chromatographic method with UV detection at 220 nm for assaying mefloquine in saliva was developed and validated by comparing mefloquine concentrations in saliva and plasma samples from four healthy volunteers who received single oral dose of mefloquine. Verapamil was used as internal standard. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Hypersil ODS column. Results Extraction recoveries of mefloquine in plasma or saliva were 76-86% or 83-93% respectively. Limit of quantification of mefloquine was 20 ng/ml. Agreement between salivary and plasma mefloquine concentrations was satisfactory (r = 0.88, p Conclusion Disposition of mefloquine in saliva paralleled that in plasma, making salivary quantification of mefloquine potentially useful in therapeutic drug monitoring.

  15. Comparison of Batch Assay and Random Assay Using Automatic Dispenser in Radioimmunoassay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Seung Hwan; Jang, Su Jin; Kang, Ji Yeon; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul [Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ho Young; Shin, Sun Young; Min, Gyeong Sun; Lee, Hyun Joo [Seoul National University college of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-08-15

    Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was usually performed by the batch assay. To improve the efficiency of RIA without increase of the cost and time, random assay could be a choice. We investigated the possibility of the random assay using automatic dispenser by assessing the agreement between batch assay and random assay. The experiments were performed with four items; Triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (fT4), Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In each item, the sera of twenty patients, the standard, and the control samples were used. The measurements were done 4 times with 3 hour time intervals by random assay and batch assay. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the standard samples and patients' data in T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA were assessed. ICC (Intraclass correlation coefficient) and coefficient of correlation were measured to assessing the agreement between two methods. The CVs (%) of T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA measured by batch assay were 3.2+-1.7%, 3.9+-2.1%, 7.1+-6.2%, 11.2+-7.2%. The CVs by random assay were 2.1+-1.7%, 4.8+-3.1%, 3.6+-4.8%, and 7.4+-6.2%. The ICC between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9968 (T3), 0.9973 (fT4), 0.9996 (PSA), and 0.9901 (CEA). The coefficient of correlation between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9924(T3), 0.9974 (fT4), 0.9994 (PSA), and 0.9989 (CEA) (p<0.05). The results of random assay showed strong agreement with the batch assay in a day. These results suggest that random assay using automatic dispenser could be used in radioimmunoassay

  16. Comparison of Batch Assay and Random Assay Using Automatic Dispenser in Radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Seung Hwan; Jang, Su Jin; Kang, Ji Yeon; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Lee, Ho Young; Shin, Sun Young; Min, Gyeong Sun; Lee, Hyun Joo

    2009-01-01

    Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was usually performed by the batch assay. To improve the efficiency of RIA without increase of the cost and time, random assay could be a choice. We investigated the possibility of the random assay using automatic dispenser by assessing the agreement between batch assay and random assay. The experiments were performed with four items; Triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (fT4), Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In each item, the sera of twenty patients, the standard, and the control samples were used. The measurements were done 4 times with 3 hour time intervals by random assay and batch assay. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the standard samples and patients' data in T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA were assessed. ICC (Intraclass correlation coefficient) and coefficient of correlation were measured to assessing the agreement between two methods. The CVs (%) of T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA measured by batch assay were 3.2±1.7%, 3.9±2.1%, 7.1±6.2%, 11.2±7.2%. The CVs by random assay were 2.1±1.7%, 4.8±3.1%, 3.6±4.8%, and 7.4±6.2%. The ICC between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9968 (T3), 0.9973 (fT4), 0.9996 (PSA), and 0.9901 (CEA). The coefficient of correlation between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9924(T3), 0.9974 (fT4), 0.9994 (PSA), and 0.9989 (CEA) (p<0.05). The results of random assay showed strong agreement with the batch assay in a day. These results suggest that random assay using automatic dispenser could be used in radioimmunoassay

  17. A radioimmunoassay method for the novel gastrointestinal prokinetic agent, renzapride, in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Azawie, D.M.; Webb, A.J.; Kelly, H.C.; Davies, B.E.

    1990-01-01

    Renzapride, BRL 24924 {4-amino-5-chloro-2- methoxy-N[4-(1-azabicyclo- [3,3,1] nonyl) benzamide]} is a novel compound that enhances gut motility without causing CNS dopamine block or prolactin release. It is being processed as a potential stimulant of upper gut motility and gastric emptying. Until now the only available method used to determine the concentrations of renzapride during clinical studies was a reversed phase h.p.l.c. assay (Kelly and Davies, 1988). Although the h.p.l.c. assay was used to determine renzapride in urine, the technique lacked the sensitivity required to quantify the low concentrations of the drug in plasma. The authors describe the development of a sensitive, specific, and simple radioimmunoassay method that can be used to determine renzapride concentrations in human plasma following therapeutic doses. (author)

  18. Radioreceptor opioid assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, R.J.; Chang, K.-J.

    1981-01-01

    A radioreceptor assay is described for assaying opioid drugs in biological fluids. The method enables the assay of total opioid activity, being specific for opioids as a class but lacking specificity within the class. A radio-iodinated opioid and the liquid test sample are incubated with an opiate receptor material. The percentage inhibition of the binding of the radio-iodinated compound to the opiate receptor is calculated and the opioid activity of the test liquid determined from a standard curve. Examples of preparing radio-iodinated opioids and assaying opioid activity are given. A test kit for the assay is described. Compared to other methods, this assay is cheap, easy and rapid. (U.K.)

  19. Plasma phospholipid transfer protein activity is related to insulin resistance : impaired acute lowering by insulin in obese Type II diabetic patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riemens, SC; van Tol, A; Sluiter, WJ; Dullaart, RPF

    Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) have important functions in high density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. We determined the association of plasma CETP and PLTP activities (measured with exogenous' substrate assays) with insulin resistance, plasma

  20. Oxygen and nitrogen plasma etching of three-dimensional hydroxyapatite/chitosan scaffolds fabricated by additive manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myung, Sung-Woon; Kim, Byung-Hoon

    2016-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) chitosan and hydroxyapatite (HAp)/chitosan (CH) scaffolds were fabricated by additive manufacturing, then their surfaces were etched with oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2) plasma. O2 and N2 plasma etching was performed to increase surface properties such as hydrophilicity, roughness, and surface chemistry on the scaffolds. After etching, hydroxyapatite was exposed on the surface of 3D HAp/CH scaffolds. The surface morphology and chemical properties were characterized by contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and attenuated total reflection Fourier infrared spectroscopy. The cell viability of 3D chitosan scaffolds was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The differentiation of preosteoblast cells was evaluated by alkaline phosphatase assay. The cell viability was improved by O2 and N2 plasma etching of 3D chitosan scaffolds. The present fabrication process for 3D scaffolds might be applied to a potential tool for preparing biocompatible scaffolds.

  1. Nitrous Oxide Anesthesia and Plasma Homocysteine in Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagele, Peter; Tallchief, Danielle; Blood, Jane; Sharma, Anshuman; Kharasch, Evan D.

    2011-01-01

    Background Nitrous oxide inactivates vitamin B12, inhibits methionine synthase and consequently increases plasma total homocysteine (tHcy). Prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide can lead to neuropathy, spinal cord degeneration and even death in children. We tested the hypothesis that nitrous oxide anesthesia causes a significant increase in plasma tHcy in children. Methods Twenty-seven children (age 10-18 years) undergoing elective major spine surgery were enrolled and serial plasma samples from 0 – 96 hours after induction were obtained. The anesthetic regimen, including the use of nitrous oxide, was at the discretion of the anesthesiologist. Plasma tHcy was measured using standard enzymatic assays. Results The median baseline plasma tHcy concentration was 5.1 μmol/L (3.9 – 8.0 μmol/L, interquartile range) and increased in all patients exposed to nitrous oxide (n=26) by an average of +9.4 μmol/L (geometric mean; 95% CI 7.1 – 12.5 μmol/L) or +228% (mean; 95% CI 178% - 279%). Plasma tHcy peaked between 6-8 hours after induction of anesthesia. One patient who did not receive nitrous oxide had no increase in plasma tHcy. Several patients experienced a several-fold increase in plasma tHcy (max. +567%). The increase in plasma tHcy was strongly correlated with the duration and average concentration of nitrous oxide anesthesia (r= 0.80; pnitrous oxide anesthesia develop significantly increased plasma tHcy concentrations. The magnitude of this effect appears to be greater compared to adults; however, the clinical relevance is unknown. PMID:21680854

  2. Determination of telmisartan in human blood plasma: Part I: Immunoassay development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hempen, C.M.; Gläsle-Schwarz, Liane; Kunz, Ulrich; Karst, U.

    2006-01-01

    Telmisartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist and a known drug against high blood pressure. In this report, the development of a new and rapid analytical technique, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of telmisartan in human blood plasma is described. The

  3. Measurement of human tissue-type plasminogen activator by a two-site immunoradiometric assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rijken, D.C.; Juhan-Vague, I.; De Cock, F.; Collen, D.

    1983-01-01

    A two-site immunoradiometric assay for human extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator was developed by using rabbit antibodies raised against plasminogen activator purified from human melanoma cell culture fluid. Samples of 100 μl containing 1 to 100 ng/ml plasminogen activator were incubated in the wells of polyvinyl chloride microtiter plates coated with antibody. The amount of bound extrinsic plasminogen activator was quantitated by the subsequent binding of 125 I-labeled affinospecific antibody. The mean level of plasma samples taken at rest was 6.6 +/- 2.9 ng/ml (n = 54). This level increased approximately threefold by exhaustive physical exercise, venous occlusion, or infusion of DDAVP. Extrinsic plasminogen activator in plasma is composed of a fibrin-adsorbable and active component (1.9 +/- 1.1 ng/ml, n = 54, in resting conditions) and an inactive component that does not bind to a fibrin clot (probably extrinsic plasminogen activator-proteinase inhibitor complexes). The fibrin-adsorbable fraction increased approximately fivefold to eightfold after physical exercise, venous occlusion, or DDAVP injections. Potential applications of the immunoradiometric assay are illustrated by the measurement of extrinsic plasminogen activator in different tissue extracts, body fluids, and cell culture fluids and in oocyte translation products after injection with mRNA for plasminogen activator

  4. Plasma erythropoietin by high-detectability immunoradiometric assay in untreated and treated patients with polycythaemia vera and essential thrombocythaemia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carneskog, J.; Kutti, J.; Wadenvik, H. [Univ. of Goeteborg, Sahlgrenska Univ. Hospital, Dept. of Medicine, Haematology Section (Sweden); Lundberg, P.A.; Lindstedt, G. [Univ. of Goeteborg, Sahlgrenska Univ. Hospital, Dept. of Clinical Chemistry and Transfusion Medicine (Sweden)

    1998-12-31

    By using an immunoradiometric method with a stated detection limit of {<=}1 IU/l (stated normal reference limit in adults 3.7-16 IU/l) we determined EDTA-plasma erythropoietin (EPO) in 58 patients with polycythaemia vera (PV) and 49 patients with essential thrombocythaemia (ET). At the time of blood sampling, 20 of the PV patients were newly diagnosed and untreated, 23 were treated by phlebotomy only, and 30 also received myelosuppressive treatment (with 32P, hydroxyurea of alpha-interferon). Of the ET patients 24 were untreated and 28 received myelosuppressive therapy. For comparison plasma EPO was also determined in 10 patients with pseudopolycythaemia (PP). In this latter group the results for plasma EPO agreed well with the cited normal reference limits. The majority of untreated PV patients (12/20) had undetectable plasma EPO concentration, and the remainder all had values below the lower normal reference limit. Plasma EPO in PV was not significantly influenced by phlebotomy therapy. Twelve of the 24 untreated ET patients (50%) had plasma EPO values below the reference interval (undetectable in 2 patients). The mean EPO concentration was significantly lower in PV patients receiving phlebotomy therapy than in patients with untreated ET. In the total material of PV and ET treated with myelosuppressive agents the PV patients showed significantly lower values for EPO concentration than did patients with ET. The present results support the view that EPO measurements by high-detectability methods are diagnostically useful and should be included in the panel of new criteria for the diagnosis of PV. (au) 20 refs.

  5. Quantitative bioanalysis of antibody-conjugated payload in monkey plasma using a hybrid immuno-capture LC-MS/MS approach: Assay development, validation, and a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ang; Kozhich, Alexander; Passmore, David; Gu, Huidong; Wong, Richard; Zambito, Frank; Rangan, Vangipuram S; Myler, Heather; Aubry, Anne-Françoise; Arnold, Mark E; Wang, Jian

    2015-10-01

    Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are complex molecules composed of two pharmacologically distinct components, the cytotoxic payload and the antibody. The measurement of the payload molecules that are attached to the antibody in vivo is important for the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of ADCs, and can also provide distinct information compared to the antibody-related analytes. However, analyzing the antibody-conjugated payload is challenging and in some cases may not be feasible. The in vivo change in drug antibody ratio (DAR), due to deconjugation, biotransformation or other clearance phenomena, generates unique and additional challenges for ADC analysis in biological samples. Here, we report a novel hybrid approach with immuno-capture of the ADC, payload cleavage by specific enzyme, and LC-MS/MS of the cleaved payload to quantitatively measure the concentration of payload molecules still attached to the antibody via linker in plasma. The ADC reference material used for the calibration curve is not likely to be identical to the ADC measured in study samples due to the change in DAR distribution over the PK time course. The assay clearly demonstrated that there was no bias in the measurement of antibody-conjugated payload for ADC with varying DAR, which thus allowed accurate quantification even when the DAR distribution dynamically changes in vivo. This hybrid assay was fully validated based on a combination of requirements for both chromatographic and ligand binding methods, and was successfully applied to support a GLP safety study in monkeys. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Radioimmunoassay of 17-beta - estradiol in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kyian, T.S.; Wajchenberg, B.L.

    1980-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay technique for the measurement of plasma E 2 was standardized utilizing a highly specific antisera against E 2 [-6(-0-carboximetil)-oxime] BSA without the need of previous chromatographic purification. The anti-E 2 serum was highly specificic, showing high affinity with affinity constants:K 1 =1.62 x 10 12 M -1 and K 2 =2.94x10 11 M -1 , calculated by Scatchard plot. The standard-curve sensitivity was 2 picograms. The method was specific and accurate, showing an intra-assay precision with a mean C.V. of 2.9%, with the inter-assay evaluation showing a mean C.V. of 5.0%. This method was employed to evaluate E 2 secretion during the menstrual cycle in 6 normal female. (Author) [pt

  7. Radioimmunoassay for pregnancy-associated plasma protein A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinosich, M.J.; Teisner, B.; Folkerson, J.; Saunders, D.M.; Grudzinskas, J.G.

    1982-01-01

    A specific and highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for determination of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in human serum is described. The minimum detection limit for this protein was 2.9 μg/L. The within- and between-assay coefficients of variation were 4.0 and 4.5%, respectively. The circulating protein was detected within 32 days of conception in eight normal pregnancies and within 21 days in a twin pregnancy. Circulating concentrations in the mother at term were consistently higher (10-fold) than in matched amniotic fluid; none was detected in the umbilical circulation. This protein was also detected in the circulation of patients with hydatidiform mole. This assay will permit investigations into the clinical evaluation of measurements of the protein during early pregnancy and trophoblastic disease

  8. DNA damage in oral cancer cells induced by nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Xu; Ptasinska, Sylwia [Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Klas, Matej [Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Liu, Yueying [Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Sharon Stack, M. [Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States)

    2013-06-10

    The nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was applied to induce DNA damage of SCC-25 oral cancer cells. Optical emission spectra were taken to characterize the reactive species produced in APPJ. In order to explore the spatial distribution of plasma effects, cells were placed onto photo-etched grid slides and the antibody H2A.X was used to locate double strand breaks of DNA inside nuclei using an immunofluorescence assay. The number of cells with double strand breaks in DNA was observed to be varied due to the distance from the irradiation center and duration of plasma treatment.

  9. DNA damage in oral cancer cells induced by nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Xu; Ptasinska, Sylwia; Klas, Matej; Liu, Yueying; Sharon Stack, M.

    2013-01-01

    The nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was applied to induce DNA damage of SCC-25 oral cancer cells. Optical emission spectra were taken to characterize the reactive species produced in APPJ. In order to explore the spatial distribution of plasma effects, cells were placed onto photo-etched grid slides and the antibody H2A.X was used to locate double strand breaks of DNA inside nuclei using an immunofluorescence assay. The number of cells with double strand breaks in DNA was observed to be varied due to the distance from the irradiation center and duration of plasma treatment.

  10. High-performance liquid chromatographic quantification of rifampicin in human plasma: method for Therapecutic drug monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sameh, T.; Hanene, E.; Jebali, N.

    2013-01-01

    A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed that allows quantification of Rifampicin in human plasma. The method is based on the precipitation of proteins in human plasma with methanol. Optimal assay conditions were found with a C18 column and a simple mobile phase consisting of 0.05 M dipotassic hydrogen phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (53/47, V/V) with 0.086 % diethylamin, pH = 4.46. The flow-rate was 0.6 ml /mm and the drug was monitored at 340 nm. Results from the HPLC analyses showed that the assay method is linear in the concentration range of 1-40 micro g/ml, (r2 >0.99). The limit of quantification and limit of detection of Rifampicin were 0.632 micro g/ml and 0.208 micro g/ml, respectively. Intraday and interday coefficient of variation and bias were below 10% for all samples, suggesting good precision and accuracy of the method. Recoveries were greater than 90% in a plasma sample volume of 100 micro l. The method is being successfully applied to therapeutic drug monitoring of Rifapicin in plasma samples of tuberculosis and staphylococcal infections patients. (author)

  11. Lack of association between human plasma oxytocin and interpersonal trust in a Prisoner's Dilemma paradigm.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James C Christensen

    Full Text Available Expanding interest in oxytocin, particularly the role of endogenous oxytocin in human social behavior, has created a pressing need for replication of results and verification of assay methods. In this study, we sought to replicate and extend previous results correlating plasma oxytocin with trust and trustworthy behavior. As a necessary first step, the two most commonly used commercial assays were compared in human plasma via the addition of a known quantity of exogenous oxytocin, with and without sample extraction. Plasma sample extraction was found to be critical in obtaining repeatable concentrations of oxytocin. In the subsequent trust experiment, twelve samples in duplicate, from each of 82 participants, were collected over approximately six hours during the performance of a Prisoner's Dilemma task paradigm that stressed human interpersonal trust. We found no significant relationship between plasma oxytocin concentrations and trusting or trustworthy behavior. In light of these findings, previous published work that used oxytocin immunoassays without sample extraction should be reexamined and future research exploring links between endogenous human oxytocin and trust or social behavior should proceed with careful consideration of methods and appropriate biofluids for analysis.

  12. The development and validation of an UHPLC–MS/MS method for the rapid quantification of the antiretroviral agent dapivirine in human plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seserko, Lauren A; Emory, Joshua F; Hendrix, Craig W; Marzinke, Mark A

    2014-01-01

    Background Dapivirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor designed to prevent HIV-1 viral replication and subsequent propagation. A sensitive method is required to quantify plasma concentrations to assess drug efficacy. Results Dapivirine-spiked plasma was combined with acetonitrile containing deuterated IS and was processed for analysis. The method has an analytical measuring range from 20 to 10,000 pg/ml. For the LLOQ, low, mid and high QCs, intra- and inter-assay precision (%CV) ranged from 5.58 to 13.89% and 5.23 to 13.36%, respectively, and intra- and inter-day accuracy (% deviation) ranged from -5.61 to 0.75% and -4.30 to 6.24%, respectively. Conclusion A robust and sensitive LC–MS/MS assay for the high-throughput quantification of the antiretroviral drug dapivirine in human plasma was developed and validated following bioanalytical validation guidelines. The assay meets criteria for the analysis of samples from large research trials. PMID:24256358

  13. Direct replacement of antibodies with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles in ELISA – development of a novel assay for vancomycin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chianella, Iva; Guerreiro, Antonio; Moczko, Ewa; Caygill, J. Sarah; Piletska, Elena V.; Perez De Vargas Sansalvador, Isabel M.; Whitcombe, Michael J.; Piletsky, Sergey A.

    2016-01-01

    A simple and straightforward technique for coating microplate wells with molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) to develop ELISA type assays is presented here for the first time. NanoMIPs were synthesized by a solid phase approach with immobilized vancomycin (template) and characterized using Biacore 3000, dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy. Immobilization, blocking and washing conditions were optimized in microplate format. The detection of vancomycin was achieved in competitive binding experiments with a HRP-vancomycin conjugate. The assay was capable of measuring vancomycin in buffer and in blood plasma within the range 0.001-70 nM with a detection limit of 0.0025 nM (2.5 pM). The sensitivity of the assay was three orders of magnitude better than a previously described ELISA based on antibodies. In these experiments nanoMIPs have shown high affinity and minimal interference from blood plasma components. Immobilized nanoMIPs were stored for 1 month at room temperature without any detrimental effects to their binding properties. The high affinity of nanoMIPs and the lack of a requirement for cold chain logistics make them an attractive alternative to traditional antibodies used in ELISA. PMID:23947402

  14. An Improved Neutral a-Glucosidase Assay for Assessment of Epididymal Function—Validation and Comparison to the WHO Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frank Eertmans

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Neutral a-glucosidase (NAG activity in human seminal plasma is an important indicator for epididymis functionality. In the present study, the classic World Health Organization (WHO method has been adapted to enhance assay robustness. Changes include modified enzyme reaction buffer composition and usage of an alternative enzyme inhibitor for background correction (glucose instead of castanospermine. Both methods have been tested in parallel on 144 semen samples, obtained from 94 patients/donors and 50 vasectomized men (negative control, respectively. Passing-Bablok regression analysis demonstrated equal assay performance. In terms of assay validation, analytical specificity, detection limit, measuring range, precision, and cut-off values have been calculated. These data confirm that the adapted method is a reliable, improved tool for NAG analysis in human semen.

  15. Simultaneous detection of Zika, Chikungunya and Dengue viruses by a multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pabbaraju, Kanti; Wong, Sallene; Gill, Kara; Fonseca, Kevin; Tipples, Graham A; Tellier, Raymond

    2016-10-01

    In the recent past, arboviruses such as Chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV) have increased their area of endemicity and presented as an emerging global public health threat. To design an assay for the simultaneous detection of ZIKV, CHIKV and Dengue (DENV) 1-4 from patients with symptoms of arboviral infection. This would be advantageous because of the similar clinical presentation typically encountered with these viruses and their co-circulation in endemic areas. In this study we have developed and validated a triplex real time reverse transcription PCR assay using hydrolysis probes targeting the non-structural 5 (NS5) region of ZIKV, non-structural protein 4 (nsP4) from CHIKV and 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of DENV 1-4. The 95% LOD by the triplex assay was 15 copies/reaction for DENV-1 and less than 10 copies/reaction for all other viruses. The triplex assay was 100% specific and did not amplify any of the other viruses tested. The assay was reproducible and adaptable to testing different specimen types including serum, plasma, urine, placental tissue, brain tissue and amniotic fluid. This assay can be easily implemented for diagnostic testing of patient samples, even in a high throughput laboratory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Nanoparticles rapidly assess specific IgE in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashraf, Sarmadia; Qadri, Shahnaz; Al-Ramadi, Basel; Haik, Yousef

    2012-01-01

    Allergy is the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the world. This study demonstrates the feasibility of detecting allergy indicators in human plasma, noninvasively, at the point of care and with a comparable efficiency and reduced turnaround time compared with the gold standard. Peanut allergy was utilized as a model due to its widespread occurrence among the US population and fatality if not treated. The detection procedure utilized magnetic nanoparticles that were coated with an allergen layer (peanut protein extract). Peanut immunoglobulin E (IgE) was detected in concentrations close to the minimum detection range of CAP assay. The results were obtained in minutes compared with the CAP assay which requires more than 3 h. (paper)

  17. Optimization and validation of a neutralizing antibody assay for HIV-1 in A3R5 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Marcella; Daniell, Xiaoju; Todd, Christopher A; Bilska, Miroslawa; Martelli, Amanda; LaBranche, Celia; Perez, Lautaro G; Ochsenbauer, Christina; Kappes, John C; Rountree, Wes; Denny, Thomas N; Montefiori, David C

    2014-07-01

    A3R5 is a human CD4(+) lymphoblastoid cell line that was engineered to express CCR5 and is useful for the detection of weak neutralizing antibody responses against tier 2 strains of HIV-1. Here we describe the optimization and validation of the HIV-1 neutralizing antibody assay that utilizes A3R5 cells, performed in compliance with Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) guidelines. The assay utilizes Renilla luciferase-expressing replication competent infectious molecular clones (IMC) encoding heterologous env genes from different HIV-1 clades. Key assay validation parameters tested included specificity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection and quantitation, specificity, linearity and range, and robustness. Plasma samples demonstrated higher non-specific activity than serum samples in the A3R5 assay. This assay can tolerate a wide range of virus input but is more sensitive to cell concentration. The higher sensitivity of the A3R5 assay in neutralization responses to tier 2 strains of HIV-1 makes it complementary to, but not a substitute for the TZM-bl assay. The validated A3R5 assay is employed as an endpoint immunogenicity test for vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies against tier 2 strains of HIV-1, and to identify correlates of protection in HIV-1 vaccine trials conducted globally. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Tritium assay of Li/sub 2/O in the LBM/LOTUS experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quanci, J.; Azam, S.; Bertone, P.

    1986-01-01

    The Lithium Blanket Module (LBM) is an assembly of over 20,000 cylindrical lithium oxide pellets in an array representative of a limited-coverage breeding zone for a toroidal fusion device. A principal objective of the LBM program is to test the ability of advanced neutronics coding to model the tritium breeding characteristics of a fusion device blanket. The LBM has been irradiated at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) LOTUS facility with a 14 MeV point-neutron source. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and EPFL assayed the tritium bred in lithium oxide diagnostic samples placed at various positions in the LBM. PPPL employed a thermal extraction technique while EPFL used a dissolution method. The results for the assay are reported and compared to MCNP Monte Carlo neutronics calculations for the LBM/LOTUS system

  19. A simple radioimmunoassay for plasma cortisol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seth, J.; Brown, L.M.

    1978-01-01

    A simple radioimmunoassay (RIA) for plasma cortisol is described which combines the advantages of (i) direct analysis of untreated plasma samples, (ii) use of solid-coupled anti-cortisol antibodies and (iii) use of a gamma-labelled radioligand. The reagents are relatively easily prepared and stable, and the analysis can be completed in 4 h. Inter-assay precision (C.V.) is 8-11%. Critical examination of specificity using high pressure liquid chromatography showed that 23-35% of the immunoassayable material in plasma was not cortisol. RIA results on samples collected under basal conditions were an average 40 nmol/l lower than fluorimetric results, while in insulin hypoglycaemia and synacthen (ACTH) stimulation tests, this difference increased to over 100 nmol/l. The RIA is technically more simple than fluorimetric, competitive-protein-binding, and many RIA methods, and can be used with advantage in the routine investigation of adrenocortical function. However, using the present antiserum, the RIA is not applicable to investigations on patients receiving metyrapone, nor in suspected cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. (Auth.)

  20. The analytic impact of a reduced centrifugation step on chemistry and immunochemistry assays: an evaluation of the Modular Pre-Analytics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koenders, Mieke M J F; van Hurne, Marco E J F; Glasmacher-Van Zijl, Monique; van der Linde, Geesje; Westerhuis, Bert W J J M

    2012-09-01

    The COBAS 6000 system can be completed by a Modular Pre-Analytics (MPA), an integrated laboratory automation system that streamlines preanalysis. For an optimal throughput, the MPA centrifuges blood collection tubes for 5 min at 1885 × g - a centrifugation time that is not in concordance with the World Health Organization guidelines which suggest centrifugation for 10/15 min at 2000-3000 × g. In this study, the analytical outcome of 50 serum and 50 plasma samples centrifuged for 5 or 10 min at 1885 × g was investigated. The study included routine chemistry and immunochemistry assays on the COBAS 6000 and the Minicap capillary electrophoresis. Deming-fit and Bland-Altman plots of the 5-min and 10-min centrifugation steps indicated a significant correlation in serum samples. The lipaemia index in plasma samples centrifuged for 5 min displayed a statistically significant variation when compared with the 10-min centrifugation. Preanalytical centrifugation can be successfully down-scaled to a duration of 5 min for most routine chemistry and immunochemistry assays in serum and plasma samples. To prevent inaccurate results in plasma samples with an increased lipaemia index from being reported, the laboratory information system was programmed to withhold results above certain lipaemia indices. The presented data support the use of a 5-min centrifugation step to improve turnaround times, thereby meeting one of the desires of the requesting clinicians.