Laboratory utilization

Arylmetals are highly valuable carbon nucleophiles that are readily and inexpensively prepared from aryl halides or arenes and widely used on both laboratory and industrial scales to react directly with a wide range of electrophiles. Although C-C bond formation has been a staple of organic synthesis, the direct transfer of primary amino (-NH2) and hydroxyl (-OH) groups to arylmetals in a scalable and environmentally friendly fashion remains a formidable synthetic challenge because of the absence of suitable heteroatom-transfer reagents...

When evaluating the effect of husbandry and biomethodologies on the well-being of laboratory mice, it is critical to utilize measurements that allow the distinguishing of acute stress from chronic stress. One of the most common measurements of stress in laboratory animals is the corticosterone assessment. However, while this measurement provides a highly accurate reflection of the animal's response to acute stressors, its interpretation is more prone to error when evaluating the effect of chronic stress. This study evaluated the use of the neutrophil:lymphocyte (NE:LY) ratio as an assessment of chronic stress in male and female C57Bl/6N mice as compared to serum corticosterone...

Available imaging systems for use in preclinical toxicology studies increasingly show utility as important tools in the toxicologic pathologist's armamentarium, permit longitudinal evaluation of functional and morphological changes in tissues, and provide important information such as organ and lesion volume not obtained by conventional toxicology study parameters. Representative examples of practical imaging applications in toxicology research and preclinical studies are presented for ultrasound, positron emission tomography/single-photon emission computed tomography, optical, magnetic resonance imaging, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-imaging mass spectrometry imaging...

OBJECTIVE: This study utilized a novel multisystem approach to investigate the effect of observed parental behavior on the relationship between biological mechanisms associated with disease processes (i.e., autonomic physiology and immune response) among their adolescent children. METHOD: Thirty-three adolescents (23 males), aged 11-13, and their parents participated in a laboratory session in which adolescents provided baseline measures of autonomic (sympathetic) activity, and adolescents and 1 parent participated in a laboratory based dyadic conflict resolution interaction task...

The phenomenon of RNA activation (RNAa) was initially discovered by Li and colleagues about a decade ago. Subsequently, gene activation by exogenously expressed small activating RNA has been demonstrated in different cellular contexts by a number of laboratories. Conceivably, endogenously expressed microRNAs may also utilize RNA activation as a cellular mechanism for gene regulation, which may be dysregulated in disease states such as cancer. RNA activation can be applied to gain-of-function studies and holds great promise for disease intervention...

INTRODUCTION:  Immediate ureteroscopic treatment for patients presenting to the emergency room with symptomatic ureterolithiasis is more commonly being utilized. Recent reports demonstrate good efficacy for emergency URS, however preoperative predictors of treatment success have not been described. Here, we report our multi-center experience with emergency URS and identify predictors of successful treatment. We also describe the Emergency Ureteral Stone Treatment (EUST) Score, which integrates these predictors and stratifies patients into those that are likely and unlikely to have successful treatment...

The use of DBSs for home monitoring has been limited due to unsatisfactory blood sampling and analytical difficulties. The aim of this longitudinal feasibility trial was to assess the utility of DBS to monitor TAC and Cr at home in transplant recipients. A total of 30 participants (2-21 years, mean±SD, 13.6±5.4 year) were enrolled over 12 months. Eighteen were males. Monthly DBS samples were obtained at home and mailed to the central laboratory for analysis of TAC and Cr. Nineteen patients completed the study, and 216 cards were received in the laboratory from a total of 279 cards expected, with 416/519 (80%) blood spots being suitable for analysis...

AIMS: To explore whether a quantitative approach to identifying hospitalized patients with diabetes at risk of hypoglycaemia would be feasible through incorporation of routine biochemical, haematological and prescription data. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all diabetic admissions (n=9584) from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 was performed. Hypoglycaemia was defined as a blood glucose level of <4 mmol/l. The prediction model was constructed using multivariable logistic regression, populated by clinically important variables and routine laboratory data...

An analysis of the interaction between dolutegravir and metformin was conducted in the HIV ambulatory clinic setting. This was a multicenter, retrospective case series evaluating adult, HIV-infected patients concurrently prescribed dolutegravir and metformin. Historical electronic medical records were utilized to collect case-specific data. Laboratory parameters including serum creatinine (SCr), hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c), plasma HIV RNA, CD4 cell count, and lactate were reviewed. Adverse drug reactions were assessed using patient-reported gastrointestinal intolerance and hypoglycemic symptoms...

Heparin is one of the oldest biological medicines with an established role in prevention and treatment of arterial and venous thromboembolism. Published therapeutic ranges for unfractionated heparin (UFH) mostly precede the large increase in the number of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) reagent/instrument combinations that now show wide variability. Areas covered: This paper explores the use of UFH, the development of heparin therapeutic ranges (HTRs), and the strengths and limitations of the methods used to monitor heparin's anticoagulant effect...

Veriflow(®)Listeria species (Veriflow LS) isa molecular-based assay for the presumptive detection of Listeria spp. from environmental surfaces (stainless steel, sealed concrete, plastic, and ceramic tile) and ready-to-eat (RTE) food matrixes (hot dogs and deli meat). The assay utilizes a PCR detection method coupled with a rapid, visual, flow-based assay that develops in 3 min post-PCR amplification and requires only a 24 h enrichment for maximum sensitivity. The Veriflow LS system eliminates the need for sample purification, gel electrophoresis, or fluorophore-based detection of target amplification and does not require complex data analysis...

Veriflow(®)Salmonella species (Veriflow SS)is a molecular-based assay for the presumptive detection of Salmonella spp. from environmental surfaces (stainless steel, sealed concrete, plastic, and ceramic tile), dairy (2% milk), raw meat (20% fat ground beef), chicken carcasses, and ready-to-eat (RTE) food (hot dogs). The assay utilizes a PCR detection method coupled with a rapid, visual, flow-based assay that develops in 3 min post-PCR amplification and requires only an 18 h enrichment for maximum sensitivity...

The function and extracellular location of cell envelope proteins make them attractive candidates for developing vaccines against bacterial diseases, including challenging, drug-resistant pathogens such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae Proteomics-driven reverse vaccinology delivered multiple gonorrhea vaccine candidates; however, the biological functions of many of them remain to be elucidated. Herein, the functions of six gonorrhea vaccine candidates - NGO2121, NGO1985, NGO2054, NGO2111, NGO1205, and NGO1344 - in cell envelope homeostasis were probed using phenotype microarrays with 1,056 conditions and a ΔbamE mutant (Δngo1780) as a reference of perturbed outer membrane integrity...

OBJECTIVE: Patients with upper limb amputation and brachial plexus injuries have high rates of prosthesis rejection. Study purpose is to describe experiences of subjects with transhumeral amputation and brachial plexus injury, who were fit with, and trained to use, a DEKA Arm. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods study utilizing qualitative (e.g. interview, survey) and quantitative data (e.g. self-report and performance measures). Subject 1, a current prosthesis user, had a shoulder arthrodesis...

A literature review was conducted to assess study results and theoretical foundations regarding distance nursing lab courses. A variety of education and nursing-specific theories were utilized during curriculum development. No two studies applied the same theoretical foundations. Further research and integration of theoretical foundations, including the synthesis of multiple theories regarding the distance teaching of psychomotor skills, will strengthen distance nursing lab courses and allow for more effective and evidence-based learning of psychomotor skills...

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis of bacterial meningitis often requires cytometry, chemistry, and/or microbiologic culture capabilities. Unfortunately, laboratory resources in low resource settings (LRS) often lack the capacity to perform these studies. We sought to determine whether the presence of white blood cells in CSF detected by commercially available urine reagent strips could aid in the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. METHODS: We searched PubMed for studies published between 1980 - 2016 that investigated the use of urine reagent strips to identify cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis...

Type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis, an increasingly recognized etiology of pancreatitis in patients less than 20 years old, has characteristically been diagnosed with the histological finding of duct-centric pancreatitis in a patient who lacks elevated serum immunoglobulin G4. We present the case of a nonobese 15-year-old male, without any chronic medical conditions, who presented with the chief complaint of abdominal pain. The laboratory study results were remarkable for a lipase level of 5,419 U/L and a γ-glutamyl transferase level of 373 U/L...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) produced by gut microbiota metabolism of dietary choline and carnitine has been shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to provide incremental clinical prognostic utility beyond traditional risk factors for assessing a patient's CVD risk. The aim of this study was to develop an automated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy assay for quantification of TMAO concentration in serum and plasma using a high-throughput NMR clinical analyzer...

BACKGROUND: Use of new genomic techniques in clinical settings requires that such methods are rigorous and reproducible. Previous studies have shown that quantitation of donor-derived cell-free DNA (%ddcfDNA) by unbiased shotgun sequencing is a sensitive, non-invasive marker of acute rejection after heart transplantation. The primary goal of this study was to assess the reproducibility of %ddcfDNA measurements across technical replicates, manual vs automated platforms, and rejection phenotypes in distinct patient cohorts...

The zebrafish has become a model of choice in fundamental and applied life sciences and is widely used in various fields of biomedical research as a human disease model for cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, and regenerative medicine. The transparency of the zebrafish embryo allows real-time visualization of the development and morphogenesis of practically all of its tissues and organs. Zebrafish are amenable to genetic manipulation, for which innovative genetic and molecular techniques are constantly being introduced...