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Excellent Sensitivity (excellent + sensitivity)
Selected AbstractsUsefulness and Limitation of Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography to Predict Acute Response to Cardiac Resynchronization TherapyECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2010F.R.C.P.C., Mario Sénéchal M.D. Background: It has been hypothesized that a long-term response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) could correlate with myocardial viability in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Contractile reserve and viability in the region of the pacing lead have not been investigated in regard to acute response after CRT. Methods: Fifty-one consecutive patients with advanced heart failure, LV ejection fraction , 35%, QRS duration > 120 ms, and intraventricular asynchronism , 50 ms were prospectively included. The week before CRT implantation, the presence of viability was evaluated using dobutamine stress echocardiography. Acute responders were defined as a ,15% increase in LV stroke volume. Results: The average of viable segments was 5.8 ± 1.9 in responders and 3.9 ± 3 in nonresponders (P = 0.03). Viability in the region of the pacing lead had an excellent sensitivity (96%), but a low specificity (56%) to predict acute response to CRT. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was reduced in 21 patients (84%) with acute response. The presence of MR was a poor predictor of response (sensibility 93% and specificity 17%). However, combining the presence of MR and viability in the region of the pacing lead yields a sensibility (89%) and a specificity (70%) to predict acute response to CRT. Conclusion: Myocardial viability is an important factor influencing acute hemodynamic response to CRT. In acute responders, significant MR reduction is frequent. The combined presence of MR and viability in the region of the pacing lead predicts acute response to CRT with the best accuracy. (Echocardiography 2010;27:50-57) [source] Amperometric L -Lactate Biosensor Based on Gold NanoparticlesELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 7-8 2007Bikash, Kumar Jena Abstract A novel amperometric biosensor for the sensing of L -lactate is developed using L -lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and hydroxylamine enlarged gold nanoparticles (GNPs). LDH and GNPs have been integrated with the sol,gel 3-D silicate network derived from 3-(mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTS). The biosensing of L -lactate is based on the electrocatalytic determination of enzymatically generated NADH by GNPs of the integrated assembly. The GNPs on the network efficiently catalyze the oxidation of NADH at ,0.065,V, which is ca. 915,mV less positive than on the bulk Au electrode. The biosensor was characterized in terms of the effects of enzyme loading, solution pH, and cofactor concentration. The integrated biosensor was successfully utilized for the amperometric sensing of L -lactate and it shows excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 100,nM. The common interfering electroactive compounds in the biological system do not interfere the amperometric measurement of L -lactate. This biosensor linearly responds to L -lactate in the range of 0,0.8,mM and the sensitivity of the electrode was 0.446,nA/nM. Excellent reproducibility, long time storage and operational stability have been achieved. [source] Light-emitting diode-compatible probes for indirect detection of anions in CEELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 19 2007Peter Balding Abstract A range of compounds were evaluated as probes for the indirect detection of inorganic ions using CE and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the light source. Emphasis was placed on examining probes likely to absorb strongly in the UV,Vis region near 350,430,nm as compounds, which absorb at longer wavelengths tend to be bulkier and adsorb onto the capillary wall. These probes should act as a replacement for the very effective but carcinogenic probe chromate. Two probes were identified and evaluated: p -nitrophenol and 4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid. The former showed the most potential with low-mobility anions, while the later had a moderate electrophoretic mobility and was more suitable for a wider mobility range of analytes. However, neither could match the efficiencies and LOD of chromate for the separation of the fast inorganic ions such as chloride, nitrate and sulphate. Nevertheless, application of the 4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid system to the determination of oxalate in Bayer liquors showed excellent sensitivity and selectivity. [source] In-capillary solid-phase extraction,capillary electrophoresis for the determination of chlorophenols in waterELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 16 2006Luo-Hong Zhang Abstract A novel CE method combined with SPE in a single capillary was developed for analysis of chlorophenols in water. A frit of 0.5,mm was first made by a sol-gel method, followed by packing a SPE sorbent in the inlet end of the capillary. Two phenol derivatives, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, were used as the model compounds. By loading sample solutions into the capillary, the two chlorophenols were extracted into the sorbent. They were desorbed by injecting only about 4,nL of methanol. Finally, the analytes were separated by conventional CE. The technique provided a concentration enhancement factor of over 4000-fold for both chlorophenols. The detection limits (S/N,=,3) of 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol were determined to be 0.1,ng/mL and 0.07,ng/mL, respectively. For replicate analyses of 5,ng/mL of 2,4-dichlorophenol, within-day and between-day RSDs of migration time, peak height and peak area were in the range of 1.8,2.0%, 4.0,4.4% and 4.1,4.6%, respectively. The method shows wide linear range, acceptable reproducibility and excellent sensitivity, and it was applied to the analyses of spiked river water samples. The capillary packed with the SPE sorbents can be used for more than 400 runs without performance deterioration. [source] Mixed venous oxygen saturation is a prognostic marker after surgery for aortic stenosisACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2010J. HOLM Background: Adequate monitoring of the hemodynamic state is essential after cardiac surgery and is vital for medical decision making, particularly concerning hemodynamic management. Unfortunately, commonly used methods to assess the hemodynamic state are not well documented with regard to outcome. Mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) was therefore investigated after cardiac surgery. Methods: Detailed data regarding mortality were available on all patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic stenosis during a 5-year period in the southeast region of Sweden (n=396). SvO2 was routinely measured on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and registered in a database. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis of SvO2 in relation to post-operative mortality related to cardiac failure and all-cause mortality within 30 days was performed. Results: The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.97 (95% CI 0.96,1.00) for mortality related to cardiac failure (P=0.001) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.53,0.99) for all-cause mortality (P=0.011). The best cutoff for mortality related to cardiac failure was SvO2 53.7%, with a sensitivity of 1.00 and a specificity of 0.94. The negative predictive value was 100%. The best cutoff for all-cause mortality was SvO2 58.1%, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and a specificity of 0.84. The negative predictive value was 99.4%. Post-operative morbidity was also markedly increased in patients with a low SvO2. Conclusion: SvO2, on admission to the ICU after surgery for aortic stenosis, demonstrated excellent sensitivity and specificity for post-operative mortality related to cardiac failure and a fairly good AUC for all-cause mortality, with an excellent negative predictive value. [source] Pressure and gas composition effects on the operation of the pulsed flame photometric detectorISRAEL JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2001Gad Frishman The effect of pressure and hydrogen/oxygen ratio of a burning gas mixture on pulsed flame emission time-dependence was investigated in the range of 0.1,5 atm using a specially designed pulsed flame photometric detector (PFPD). We studied the pressure and gas composition effect on the pulsed flame delayed light emission of sulfur, phosphorus, and nitrogen-containing organic compounds. The optimal pressure conditions for nitrogen detection, intensity, and emission time delay was found to be 0.4 bar, at which the detection sensitivity could be improved by a factor of 2. For phosphorus, the optimal pressure obtained was 1.3 bar with 40% sensitivity improvement (compared with 1 bar). In the case of sulfur detection, two emission maxima were obtained, at 1.1 and 0.6 bar, at H/O ratio of 5. Increasing the H/O ratio resulted in the appearance of only one peak at 1 bar, and enhancement of the sensitivity by a factor of 2.4 at H/O ratio of 10.3. From the analytical point of view, we found that emission intensity is practically unchanged by the pressure and the H/O ratio for all three elements investigated in the range of 0.8,1.1 bar and H/O of 5,6. Thus, in addition to excellent sensitivity and improved selectivity, the PFPD can be applied under a variety of atmospheric pressure conditions in field environmental applications. [source] Whole-body MR angiography using a novel 32-receiving-channel MR system with surface coil technology: First clinical experienceJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 5 2005Michael Fenchel MD Abstract Purpose To demonstrate the feasibility of detecting atherosclerotic vascular disease using an innovative magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) protocol in combination with a dedicated whole-body MR scanner with new surface coil technology. Materials and Methods A total of 10 volunteers and eight patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) were examined at 1.5 T. Conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of the symptomatic region was available as a reference standard in all eight patients. Depending on subjects' size, four to five three-dimensional data sets were acquired using an adapted injection protocol. Images were assessed independently by two readers for vascular pathology. Additionally, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) were measured. Results Whole-body MRA yielded excellent sensitivity and specificity of more than 95% for both readers with high interobserver agreement (k = 0.93). Surface coil signal reception rendered a high SNR (mean 151.28 ± 54.04) and CNR (mean 120.75 ± 46.47). Despite lower SNR and CNR of the cranial and cervical vessels, a two-step injection protocol exhibited less venous superposition and therefore proved to be superior compared to single-bolus injection. Conclusion Our approach provides accurate noninvasive high-resolution imaging of systemic atherosclerotic disease, covering the arterial vasculature from intracranial arteries to distal runoff vessels. The recently introduced MR scanner and coil technology is feasible to significantly increase the performance of whole-body MRA. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:596,603. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Immunological Detection of in Vitro Formed Phosphatidylethanol,An Alcohol Biomarker,With Monoclonal AntibodiesALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2008Antti E. Nissinen Background:, Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a promising new marker for detecting long-term alcohol abuse with excellent sensitivity and specificity. Current methods are based on the high performance liquid chromatography,mass spectrometric method and therefore require high levels of expertise and expensive instrumentation. This study was designed to generate PEth-specific monoclonal antibodies for PEth immunoassay development. Methods:, C57/BL6 mice were immunized with PEth in 3 different carriers, mouse serum albumin, mouse high-density lipoproteins, and human low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Mouse splenocytes were fused with a mouse myeloma cell line using the hybridoma technique. Mouse IgM-producing cell lines were selected by limiting dilutions. Binding characteristics of the anti-PEth antibodies were studied using luminometric immunoassays and sequence analysis of the variable region mRNA sequences of the antibodies. Produced antibodies were purified by chromatographic methods. PEth was detected with these antibodies in fluorescence immunoassay and flow cytometric analysis. Results:, We generated monoclonal cell lines (2B1 and 2E9) that produce IgM antibodies binding specifically to PEth but not to structurally or chemically similar phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidic acid, and cardiolipin. We show here that these anti-PEth antibodies can be used to detect PEth in a fluorescent PEth assay and FACS analysis of human red blood cell samples spiked with PEth. Conclusions:, The present study shows that PEth-specific monoclonal antibodies can be generated using traditional hybridoma technique. Immunogenicity of PEth was enhanced using human LDL as an immunization carrier. The generated monoclonal anti-PEth antibodies, 2B1 and 2E9 bind to PEth in fluid phase and in biological membranes. [source] Application of hyphenated mass spectrometry techniques for the analysis of urinary free glucocorticoidsRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 18 2009Angela Cuzzola Alteration of levels of glucocorticoids in plasma and urine can be related to several diseases. In particular, the determination of endogenous glucocorticoids in urine has been reported to provide information on cortisol and cortisone status, on the activities of steroid hormone enzymes and on glucocorticoid metabolism. In this study, the application of hyphenated mass spectrometry techniques (GC/MS without derivatization and LC/MS) for the simultaneous analysis of free urinary cortisol (F), cortisone (E), tetrahydrocortisol (THF), allo-tetrahydrocortisol (A-THF) and tetrahydrocortisone (THE) was evaluated. A sample preparation protocol by solid-phase extraction, mass spectrometry parameters and chromatographic conditions for both techniques were carefully optimized in terms of extracting phase and solvents, matrix effects, recovery, sensitivity and compound resolution. Baseline separation was achieved for the five underivatized analytes both in GC and LC. The LC/MS/MS technique was more suitable for the analysis of urine samples, being less influenced by matrix effects and showing excellent sensitivity and selectivity. A preliminary application of the reported method for the diagnosis of metabolic diseases was also described. The determination of each analyte in its free form, described for the first time in the paper, offers new perspectives in the application of glucocorticoid analysis for diagnostic purposes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysis of derivatized and underivatized theanine enantiomers by high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure ionization-mass spectrometryRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 3 2004Meera J. Desai Theanine, a naturally occurring non-proteinic amino acid found in tea leaves, has demonstrated wide-ranging physiological activity, from lowering blood pressure to enhancing the anti-tumor activity of chemotherapeutic drugs. The chiral nature of theanine suggests that enantiospecificity plays a significant role in its various pharmacological functions. Using the Chirobiotic T (teicoplanin) chiral stationary phase, native and derivatized theanine enantiomers were separated and detected via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (API-MS). With the use of flow rates compatible with each ionization source, native theanine standards achieved excellent sensitivity and detection limits (10,ng/mL) for both atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI). Optimum sensitivity and detection limits for derivatized theanine standards were achieved using ESI-MS. The enantiomeric composition of six commercially available L -theanine samples was evaluated using the high-flow APCI-MS method and confirmed with photodiode array detection. Five of the six products contained significant amounts of D -theanine. Only one product, SunTheanine®, appeared to contain only the L -theanine enantiomer. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Direct analysis of pharmaceutical compounds in human plasma with chromatographic resolution using an alkyl-bonded silica rod columnRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 12 2001Robert Plumb Monolithic columns have been successfully used with steep gradient and high flow rates for the direct analysis of a candidate pharmaceutical compound in human plasma. The monolithic columns showed excellent robustness with nearly 300 20-µL injections of plasma (diluted 1:1 with water) being made onto one column without significant deterioration in performance. The system gave excellent sensitivity with a limit of quantification of 5,ng/mL being achieved. Unlike previous methods of direct analysis the monolithic columns showed excellent resolution even after nearly 300 plasma injections. The column performance was measured before and after the analysis of the plasma samples. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Perception Versus Reality?: Virtual Crossmatch,How to Overcome Some of the Technical and Logistic LimitationsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2009A. R. Tambur The goal of this work was to evaluate concordance between (a) actual flow cytometric crossmatch (FCXM) that is performed by the OPO laboratory servicing our transplant center and (b) virtual XM (vXM) prediction based on antibody identification by solid-phase methods performed in our laboratory. A total of 1586 FCXM, performed between June 2007 and September 2008, between all potential deceased donors in our region and sera from patients awaiting kidney or kidney,pancreas transplant, listed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital were evaluated. A key finding of this analysis was the understanding that a thorough vXM cannot be performed in some donor/recipient pairs due to the lack of certain antibody profile data specific to the donor in question. Obtaining more in depth and stringent information regarding antibody specificities, we demonstrate an excellent sensitivity and specificity of the vXM assays, 86.1% and 96.8%, respectively, with a positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratios of 26.9 and 0.14, respectively. The vXM can serve as an outstanding tool to predict HLA compatibility between donor and recipient, with the caveat that the presence/absence of all antibodies against the potential donor and their strength have been thoroughly investigated. [source] Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Nitrite at Gold Nanoparticle- polypyrrole Nanowire Modified Glassy Carbon ElectrodeCHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 12 2009Jing Li Abstract A novel chemically modified electrode based on the dispersion of gold nanoparticles on polypyrrole nanowires has been developed to investigate the oxidation behavior of nitrite using cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The diffusion coefficient (D), electron transfer coefficient (,) and charge transfer rate constant (k) for the oxidation of nitrite were determined. The modified electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of nitrite. The catalytic peak current was found to be linear with nitrite concentrations in the range of 8.0×10,7,2.5×10,3 mol·L,1 with a detection limit of 1.0×10,7 mol·L,1 (s/n=3). The proposed method was successfully applied to the detection of nitrite in water samples with obtained satisfactory results. Additionally, the sensor also showed excellent sensitivity, anti-interference ability, reproducibility and stability properties. [source] | |||||||||||||