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Quality Control (quality + control)
Kinds of Quality Control Terms modified by Quality Control Selected AbstractsMULTIVARIATE QUALITY CONTROL WITH APPLICATIONS TO SENSORY DATAJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 6 2000DANIEL M. ENNIS ABSTRACT Sensory perceptions of consumer products are generally multivariate. Quality assurance of these products depends on methods that account for multidimensionality. In this paper it is shown how to set multivariate specifications and to use them to establish control charts and acceptance sampling plans for sensory measures of food and beverage products. OC curves describing the operating characteristics of the control charts and the sampling plans are given. [source] Service Quality Control in Multimedia Wireless NetworksEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 4 2000Prof. Franco Davoli No abstract is available for this article. [source] Automatic Quality Control of CerealsIMAGING & MICROSCOPY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2008Image Acquisition, Intelligent Image Analysis The increasing demands on the quality and consumption safety of grain imply, for food economy, increased expenditures for product and process supervision. Within the framework of the control of goods received and quality of the processing industries, various laboratory methods are applied at present to check the properties of the products and the observance of the standards. The control of the goods received decides whether the supplied goods will be accepted and allocated the status "healthy and customary" or whether the goods before storage in the silo have to be subjected to a special treatment in order to reduce impurities, moisture, etc. The evaluation of the quality features is especially important in order to store together grain of special quality grades or to process with regard to the desired quality grade of the final product. [source] Application of Surface Photo Charge Effect for Milk Quality ControlJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 7 2009O. Ivanov ABSTRACT:, The potential difference induced by the interaction of samples with electromagnetic radiation in the visible region is used for food characterization. In this article we show that the above effect can be applied for the understanding of specific reactions and processes taking place in milk such as change of the acidity and changes caused by an added reagent. We also propose a technique for instantaneous detection of inhibitors of starter bacteria in milk. We suggest possible methods for quality control of milk and other foods. Instantaneous results, practically no expenses for consumables, and possibilities for field measurements will be some of the advantages of this approach. [source] Recollections of Irving H. Sher 1924,1996: Polymath/information scientist extraordinaireJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 14 2001Eugene Garfield Over a 35-year period, Irving H. Sher played a critical role in the development and implementation of the Science Citation Index® and other ISI® products. Trained as a biochemist, statistician, and linguist, Sher brought a unique combination of talents to ISI as Director of Quality Control and Director of Research and Development. His talents as a teacher and mentor evoked loyalty. He was a particularly inventive but self-taught programmer. In addition to the SCI,® Social Sciences Citation Index,® and Arts and Humanities Citation Index,® Sher was involved with the development of the first commercial SDI system, the Automatic Subject Citation Alert, now called Research Alert,® and Request-A-Print Cards. Together we developed the journal impact factor and the Journal Citation Reports.® Sher was also the inventor of the SYSTABAR System of coding references and Sherhand. He was involved in key reports on citation-based historiography, forecasting Nobel prizes, and served as a referee for JASIS over a 20-year period. [source] Synthesis and Quality Control of Thiol Tagged Compound Libraries for Chemical MicroarraysMOLECULAR INFORMATICS, Issue 11 2006Sabine Maier Abstract A method for the synthesis and quality control of compound collections containing reactive thiol functions was developed. Such libraries form the basis for the construction of chemical microarrays to be used in fragment-based screening. Amino-modified polymer membranes fixed into the wells of microtiter plates were used as the solid phase for the nanomole-scale synthesis of a thiol-tagged small molecule library using a spatial one-compound/one-well strategy. A thiolselective Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS) protocol of each compound before attachment to the microarray surface was established, allowing an exact determination of compound purity and concentration. The established synthesis and quality control method is an important prerequisite for an accurate read-out of the array compound,target interaction data, and simplifies the usage of small molecule microarrays for low affinity screening. [source] Statistical Efficiency: The Practical PerspectiveQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2003Ron S. Kenett Abstract The idea of adding a practical perspective to the mathematical definition of statistical efficiency is based on a suggestion by Churchill Eisenhart who, years ago gave, in an informal ,Beer and Statistics' seminar, a new definition of statistical efficiency. Later Bruce Hoadley from Bell Laboratories picked up where Eisenhart left off and added his version nicknamed ,Vador'. Blan Godfrey, former CEO of the Juran Institute, more or less used Hoadley's idea during his Youden Address at the Fall Technical Conference of the American Society for Quality Control. We expand on this idea adding an additional component, the value of the data actually collected, which we believe is critical to the overall idea. The concept of Practical Statistical Efficiency (PSE) derived from these developments is introduced and demonstrated using five case studies. We suggest that PSE be considered before, during and after undertaking any quality improvement projects. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quality assurance program for spent radioactive sealed sources in EgyptQUALITY ASSURANCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Yasser T. Mohamed Abstract Effective implementation of the Hot Laboratories Center Quality Assurance Program (QAP) is dependent on the efforts at all levels of all participants. Management is responsible for defining quality, developing appropriate plans to attain quality, and supporting the workers in the pursuit of quality. QA organizations of the program participants are responsible for verifying the achievement of quality in the implementation of the Hot Laboratories Center QA program. A written QAP shall be developed, implemented, and maintained. The QAP describes the organizational structure, functional responsibilities, levels of authority, and interfaces for those managing, performing, and assessing the work. The QAP shall describe the management processes, including planning, scheduling, and resource considerations. The organization, responsibilities/authorities of all participants, internal and external interfaces, and lines of communication should be established during the conceptual phase. Quality Assurance (QA) as an essential management tool is being strongly applied in the area of predisposal of Spent Radioactive Sealed Sources (SRSS). Quality Control is now considered as part of the planning and systematic actions of QA. To ensure compliance with the requirements, and to assure the envisaged behavior of the SRSS package and disposal system, a QAP for all stages of SRSS management, including SRSS conditioning, transportation, storage, and disposal are required. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Complaint handling in pharmaceutical companiesQUALITY ASSURANCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007Glaucia Karime Braga Abstract Complaints show customer dissatisfaction about the quality of a pharmaceutical product. Despite a regulatory obligation in several countries, a good complaint handling system gives the company an opportunity to improve the quality of their products, being a good tool for the maintenance of Good Manufacturing Practices and a way to establish a committed relationship with their customers. A systematic procedure must be developed and implemented in order to register and investigate each complaint received and not only the Quality Assurance area must be involved. This process must involve other critical areas such as Marketing, Production, Quality Control, Finance, Regulatory and Legal Affairs. Thus the aim of this article is to discuss the main steps of a good complaint handling procedure that can be readily implemented in pharmaceutical companies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Customer-Driven Product Development Through Quality Function Deployment in the U.S. and JapanTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2000John J. Cristiano Quality Function Deployment is a tool for bringing the voice of the customer into the product development process from conceptual design through to manufacturing. It begins with a matrix that links customer desires to product engineering requirements, along with competitive benchmarking information, and further matrices can be used to ultimately link this to design of the manufacturing system. Unlike other methods originally developed in the U.S. and transferred to Japan, the QFD methodology was born out of Total Quality Control (TQC) activities in Japan during the 1960s and has been transferred to companies in the U.S. This article reports on the results of a 1995 survey of more than 400 companies in the U.S. and Japan using QFD. The research questions investigated in this study were developed both inductively from QFD case studies in the U.S. and Japan and deductively from the literature. The reported results are in part counterintuitive. The U.S. companies reported a higher degree of usage, management support, cross-functional involvement, use of QFD driven data sources, and perceived benefits from using QFD. For the most part, the main uses of QFD in the U.S. were restricted to the first matrix ("House of Quality") that links customer requirements to product engineering requirements and rarely was this carried forward to later matrices. U.S. companies were more apt to use newly collected customer data sources (e.g., focus groups) and methods for analyzing customer requirements. Japanese companies reported using existing product data (e.g., warranty) and a broader set of matrices to a greater extent. The use of analytical techniques in conjunction with QFD (e.g., simulation, design of experiments, regression, mathematical target setting, and analytic hierarchy process) was not wide spread in either country. U.S. companies were more likely to report benefits of QFD in improving cross-functional integration and better decision-making processes compared to Japanese companies. Possible reasons for these cross-national differences as well as their implications are discussed. [source] Buchbesprechung: Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specifications.BETON- UND STAHLBETONBAU, Issue 12 2008Von Ken W. Day. No abstract is available for this article. [source] Evaluation and use of a synthetic quality control material, included in the European external quality assessment scheme for cystic fibrosis,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 8 2008Sarah Berwouts Abstract Assuring high quality within the field of genetic testing is fundamental, as the results can have considerable impact on the patient and his or her family. The use of appropriate quality control (QC) samples is therefore essential. Diagnostic laboratories mainly use patient samples as QC material, which of course include a maximum of two mutations per sample. Bearing in mind that some assays (such as for cystic fibrosis [CF] testing) can test for more than 100 mutations, multiplex QC materials including more than two mutations could save valuable time and reagents. Based on this need, synthetic multiplex controls have been developed by Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc. (MMQCI) for CF. A synthetic control, containing six homozygous mutations and one polymorphism for CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), was evaluated by distributing it through the CF external quality assessment (EQA) scheme, along with the EQA samples in 2005. A total of 197 participants returned results of the yearly EQA scheme and 133 laboratories participated in the evaluation of the synthetic sample. Respectively, 76% and 73% of the participants were assigned as successful. This evaluation study revealed that the multiplex QC material performed well in the majority of assays and could be useful in method validation, as a tool to challenge interpretation skills, and as potential proficiency testing (PT) material. Hum Mutat 0, 1,8, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Adoption of Food Safety and Quality Controls: Do Firm Characteristics Matter?CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2007Evidence from the Canadian Food Processing Sector This study explores the association between the adoption of food safety and quality assurance practices in the Canadian food processing sector and firm characteristics. A conceptual model is developed recognizing that the relative importance of a firm's incentives to adopt enhanced food safety and quality assurance practices is influenced by the firm's characteristics and activities. Binomial logit models are estimated to explore the association between adoption of various combinations of food safety and quality assurance practices including hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP). The findings show that the adoption of food safety and quality practices varies widely between individual firms according to, among others, firm size, country of ownership and control, level of innovativeness, level of export orientation, forms of food safety inspection, and the subsector in which the firm operates. Incentives of being able to access foreign markets play an important role in influencing HACCP adoption. La présente étude analyse le lien entre l'adoption de pratiques visant la salubrité et l'assurance de la qualité des aliments au sein de l'industrie canadienne de la transformation et les caractéristiques des entreprises. Nous avons élaboré un modèle conceptuel reconnaissant que l'importance relative des incitatifs qui motivent une entreprise à adopter des pratiques améliorées en matière de salubrité et d'assurance de la qualité des aliments est influencée par les caractéristiques et les activités de l'entreprise. Nous avons estimé des modèles logit binomiaux pour examiner le lien entre l'adoption de diverses combinaisons de pratiques visant la salubrité et l'assurance de la qualité des aliments, y compris les systèmes HACCP (analyse des risques et maîtrise des points critiques). Les résultats ont montré que l'adoption de ces pratiques variait considérablement d'une entreprise à l'autre en fonction, entre autres, de la taille de l'entreprise, du pays de propriété et de contrôle, du degré d'innovation, du degré de vocation exportatrice, des programmes d'inspection de la salubrité des aliments et du sous-secteur dans lequel une entreprise évolue. La perspective de pénétrer les marchés étrangers joue un rôle important dans l'adoption de systèmes HACCP. [source] Quality control of CD4+ T-lymphocyte enumeration: Results from the last 9 years of the United Kingdom national external quality assessment scheme for immune monitoring (1993,2001)CYTOMETRY, Issue 2 2002Liam Whitby Abstract The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) global epidemic has necessitated the routine enumeration of T-lymphocyte subsets, which has created a need for external quality assurance (EQA). The United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) for Immune Monitoring provides EQA for 296 laboratories in 40 countries. In 1993, UK NEQAS developed and incorporated into its program stabilized whole blood that enables the accurate monitoring of laboratory performance. Overall, the mean interlaboratory coefficient of variation (CV) for percentage CD4+ T-lymphocyte subset enumeration has fallen from 15% to less than 5%, as a direct result of the increased use of CD45/ side scatter (SSC) gating. Laboratories using alternative gating strategies (i.e., CD45/CD14 or forward scatter [FSC]/SSC) were about 7.4 times more likely to fail an EQA exercise. Furthermore, the adoption of single-platform technology resulted in a reduction of the overall mean interlaboratory CV for absolute CD4+ T lymphocytes from 56% (prior to the widespread use of single-platform technology) to 9.7%. Individual laboratory deficiencies were also identified using a performance monitoring system and, through re-education by collaboration with the coordinating center, satisfactorily resolved. In conclusion, during the last 9 years, the UK NEQAS for Immune Monitoring program has highlighted the significant technological advances made by laboratories worldwide that undertake lymphocyte subset enumeration. Cytometry (Clin. Cytometry) 50:102,110, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Ethical problems in cytologyCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004. Znidar Great advances in medical science have raised a number of ethical issues, many of which affect cytopathology. Some of the main issues addressed in this paper relate to the organization of a cytology laboratory: internal and external quality control, adequate staffing levels and staff education, cytopathology reporting format and contents, confidentiality issues, relationship with the clinicians and involvement of cytopathologists in clinical management teams. Quality control has to be provided within cytology departments but external quality assurance is also essential, with national monitoring. New technologies should be used according to the best scientific methods, following cytological analysis. Scientific work in cytology has to respect the general principles of scientific ethics. The patient's interest has to be the main reason for such work. [source] Quality of equine veterinary care: Where can it go wrong?EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION, Issue 3 2008A conceptual framework for the quality of equine healthcare, based on court cases against equine practitioners in The Netherlands Summary Quality control and client satisfaction are topics of considerable current interest in both human and veterinary healthcare. Crucial to this discussion is a proper definition of ,quality of care'. This study applied, to (equine) veterinary care, a conceptual framework designed for assessing the quality of human healthcare and featuring structural deficiency, procedural inadequacy and disappointing outcome as key elements. This was done using court cases against equine practitioners as a yardstick for client dissatisfaction. Applying a system for evaluating the quality of healthcare may be a good way of monitoring and improving (equine) veterinary services, particularly once reliable indices for client satisfaction have been validated. [source] Quality control in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: operation notes, video or photo print?HPB, Issue 3 2001PW Plaisier Background In 1995 the concept of a ,critical view of safety' (CVS) in Calot's triangle was introduced to prevent bile duct injury in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The aim of this study was to determine the most reliable method for recording CVS. Methods Operation notes, video images and photo prints from 50 consecutive elective non-converted laparoscopic cholecystectomies were analysed. Results Operation notes alone did not suffice to record CVS. As an adjunct, video proved superior to photo print with regard to quality. Nevertheless, photo prints were practically and logistically much easier to produce than video. Moreover, when good quality images were achieved, photo print recorded CVS more conclusively than video. Discussion Operation notes, video and photo print are complementary, and the combination records CVS conclusively in nearly every case. [source] Quality control of computational fluid dynamics in indoor environmentsINDOOR AIR, Issue 1 2003D. N. Sørensen First page of article [source] Quality control of bone marrow cytology; organization and over 7 years experience in the south-west NetherlandsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2008A. A. M. ERMENS Summary To asses the quality of bone marrow cytology of hospital laboratories in the south-west Netherlands a proficiency testing program was implemented. Two sets of bone marrow and blood smears from two patients were sent to 20 hospital laboratories using a tight time schedule biannually. Required results consisted of differential counts of 500 bone marrow cells and 100 peripheral blood cells, together with the description of morphological abnormalities and final conclusions. Twice a year the collected review data were discussed in a plenary session which was also used for continuous education. Over the past 7 years 30 bone marrow samples were evaluated. The coefficient of variations of specific cells counts was large. The amount of correct conclusions ranged from 12% to 100% (median: 61%). Participant attendance of the meetings was 90,100%. The total cost of this scheme of proficiency testing approximately amounted ,7000 per year. The presented formulae for both proficiency testing and haematopathological/cytological education is feasible and fulfilled the need of the participants. [source] Quality control of protein standards for molecular mass determinations by small-angle X-ray scatteringJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2010Shuji Akiyama Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique with which to evaluate the size and shape of biological macromolecules in solution. Forward scattering intensity normalized relative to the particle concentration, I(0)/c, is useful as a good measure of molecular mass. A general method for deducing the molecular mass from SAXS data is to determine the ratio of I(0)/c of a target protein to that of a standard protein with known molecular mass. The accuracy of this interprotein calibration is affected considerably by the monodispersity of the prepared standard, as well as by the precision in estimating its concentration. In the present study, chromatographic fractionation followed by hydrodynamic characterization is proposed as an effective procedure by which to prepare a series of monodispersed protein standards. The estimation of molecular mass within an average deviation of 8% is demonstrated using monodispersed bovine serum albumin as a standard. The present results demonstrate the importance of protein standard quality control in order to take full advantage of interprotein calibration. [source] Comparison of plateletpheresis on the Fresenius AS.TEC 204 and Haemonetics MCS 3pJOURNAL OF CLINICAL APHERESIS, Issue 1 2007Sudha Ranganathan Abstract This is an attempt at comparing two cell separators for plateletpheresis, namely the Fresenius AS.TEC 204 and Haemonetics MCS 3p, at a tertiary care center in India. Donors who weighed between 55,75 kg, who had a hematocrit of 41,43%, and platelet counts of 250 × 103,400 × 103/,l were selected for the study. The comparability of the donors who donated on the two cell separators were analysed by t -test independent samples and no significant differences were found (P > 0.05). The features compared were time taken for the procedure, volume processed on the separators, adverse reactions of the donors, quality control of the product, separation efficiency of the separators, platelet loss in the donors after the procedure, and the predictor versus the actual yield of platelets given by the cell separator. The volume processed to get a target yield of >3 × 1011 was equal to 2.8,3.2 l and equal in both the cell separators. Symptoms of citrate toxicity were seen in 4 and 2.5% of donors who donated on the MCS 3p and the AS.TEC 204, respectively, and 3 and 1% of donors, respectively, had vasovagal reactions. All the platelet products collected had a platelet count of >3 × 1011; 90% of the platelet products collected on the AS.TEC 204 attained the predicted yield that was set on the cell separator where as 75% of the platelet products collected on the MCS 3p attained the target yield. Quality control of the platelets collected on both the cell separators complied with the standards except that 3% of the platelets collected on the MCS 3p had a visible red cell contamination. The separation efficiency of the MCS 3p was higher, 50,52% as compared to the 40,45% on the AS.TEC 204. A provision of double venous access, less adverse reactions, negligible RBC contamination with a better predictor yield of platelets makes the AS.TEC 204 a safer and more reliable alternative than the widely used Haemonetics MCS 3p. J. Clin. Apheresis. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Formulation of sodium iodide (Na 123I) oral capsule,JOURNAL OF LABELLED COMPOUNDS AND RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, Issue 5-6 2007A. Sattari Abstract Sodium iodide-123 (Na123I) is well known as a radioisotope that is used for studies of the thyroid and its metastases. 123I was produced from the reaction of 28 Mev protons with 99.99% enriched 124Xe by cyclotron. A home made target was installed and used for this purpose. The main part of the target contained target vessel, target windows and cooling system. In addition, some other part such as a cold finger, decay vessel, vacuum pump and four fingers were also designed and installed on the system. After bombardment, the production of 123I from 123Cs, the target was left for 6 hours and then rinsed with distilled water. A clear and colourless solution containing 123I was pumped to the hot cell. For adjusting the pH, sodium citrate buffer was used. The solution was added directly to the capsules which were already filled with inert powder. Each capsule contained 210 µCi Na123I. Quality control has shown 98% radiochemical and 99.96% radionuclide purity, with the yield of 2 mCi/µA. Quality control results had good accordance with the United States Pharmacopoeia. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quality control in scholarly publishing: A new proposalJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2003Stefano Mizzaro The Internet has fostered a faster, more interactive and effective model of scholarly publishing. However, as the quantity of information available is constantly increasing, its quality is threatened, since the traditional quality control mechanism of peer review is often not used (e.g., in online repositories of preprints, and by people publishing whatever they want on their Web pages). This paper describes a new kind of electronic scholarly journal, in which the standard submission-review-publication process is replaced by a more sophisticated approach, based on judgments expressed by the readers: in this way, each reader is, potentially, a peer reviewer. New ingredients, not found in similar approaches, are that each reader's judgment is weighted on the basis of the reader's skills as a reviewer, and that readers are encouraged to express correct judgments by a feedback mechanism that estimates their own quality. The new electronic scholarly journal is described in both intuitive and formal ways. Its effectiveness is tested by several laboratory experiments that simulate what might happen if the system were deployed and used. [source] European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society Guideline on the use of skin biopsy in the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy.JOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 2 2010Report of a joint task force of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, the Peripheral Nerve Society Revision of the guidelines on the use of skin biopsy in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, published in 2005, has become appropriate due to publication of more relevant papers. Most of the new studies focused on small fiber neuropathy (SFN), a subtype of neuropathy for which the diagnosis was first developed through skin biopsy examination. This revision focuses on the use of this technique to diagnose SFN. Task force members searched the Medline database from 2005, the year of the publication of the first EFNS guideline, to June 30th, 2009. All pertinent papers were rated according to the EFNS and PNS guidance. After a consensus meeting, the task force members created a manuscript that was subsequently revised by two experts (JML and JVS) in the field of peripheral neuropathy and clinical neurophysiology, who were not previously involved in the use of skin biopsy. Distal leg skin biopsy with quantification of the linear density of intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENF), using generally agreed upon counting rules, is a reliable and efficient technique to assess the diagnosis of SFN (level A recommendation). Normative reference values are available for bright-field immunohistochemistry (level A recommendation) but not yet for confocal immunofluorescence or the blister technique. The morphometric analysis of IENF density, either performed with bright-field or immunofluorescence microscopy, should always refer to normative values matched for age (level A recommendation). Newly established laboratories should undergo adequate training in a well established skin biopsy laboratory and provide their own stratified age and gender-matched normative values, intra- and interobserver reliability, and interlaboratory agreement. Quality control of the procedure at all levels is mandatory (Good Practice Point). Procedures to quantify subepidermal nerve fibers and autonomic innervated structures, including erector pili muscles, and skin vessels are under development but need to be confirmed by further studies. Sweat gland innervation can be examined using an unbiased stereologic technique recently proposed (level B recommendation). A reduced IENF density is associated with the risk of developing neuropathic pain (level B recommendation), but it does not correlate with its intensity. Serial skin biopsies might be useful for detecting early changes of IENF density, which predict the progression of neuropathy, and to assess degeneration and regeneration of IENF (level C recommendation). However, further studies are warranted to confirm the potential usefulness of skin biopsy with measurement of IENF density as an outcome measure in clinical practice and research. Skin biopsy has not so far been useful for identifying the etiology of SFN. Finally, we emphasize that 3-mm skin biopsy at the ankle is a safe procedure based on the experience of 10 laboratories reporting absence of serious side effects in approximately 35,000 biopsies and a mere 0.19% incidence of non-serious side effects in about 15 years of practice (Good Practice Point). [source] Quality control of Pulsatilla koreana based on the simultaneous determination of triterpenoidal saponins by HPLC-ELSD and principal component analysisPHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2010Ki Yong Lee Abstract Introduction , Pulsatilla koreana Nakai, with triterpenoidal saponins as its main pharmacological effective compounds, is known to have several biological activities, including hypoglycaemic, antitumour, cognition-enhancing, neuroprotective, cytotoxic and antiangiogenic activities. However, few analytical methods have been reported on the quality assessment of P. koreana roots. Obejective , To establish a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection for the simultaneous determination of five triterpenoidal saponins, including pulsatilloside E (1), pulsatilla saponin H (2), anemoside B4 (3), hederacolchiside E (4) and cussosaponin C (5) in P. koreana. Methodology , The chromatographic separation was performed on a Shiseido CapCell PAK C18 analytical column efficiently using gradient elution with acetonitrile and water. Results , All calibration curves showed excellent linear regressions (R2 > 0.9996) within the range of tested concentrations. The intra- and inter-day variations were below 4.78% in terms of RSD. The recoveries were 94.82,102.97% with RSD of 0.27,3.92% for spiked P. koreana samples. Conclusion , The validated method was successfully used for the analysis of five saponins in P. koreana from different locations. Moreover, the different samples were clustered in accordance with contents of triterpenoidal saponins based on aglycon type by a principal component analysis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quality control of PET radiopharmaceuticals by high-performance liquid chromatography with tris(2,2,-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) electrogenerated chemiluminescence detectionBIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2010Ryuji Nakao Abstract A highly sensitive reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was investigated to analyze a range of positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals using electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) detection. ECL is based on the reaction of PET molecules with tris(2,2,-bipyridyl)ruthenium(III) [Ru(bpy)33+], which is generated through the on-line electro-oxidation of Ru(bpy)32+. In 21 different radiopharmaceuticals studied, 18 compounds could be detected with detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) of 0.12,72 ng/mL per 20 ,L injection. Sufficient reproducibility and linearity were obtained for the quantitative determination of PET molecules in pharmaceutical fluid. This method could be successfully applied to quality control tests of PET radiopharmaceuticals with ultra-high specific radioactivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quality control in urodynamics: a review of urodynamic traces from one centreBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2003J. Sullivan OBJECTIVE To investigate quality control in our unit and to enable other units to compare their results, as experience from central reviews of urodynamic traces for multicentre trials has suggested that poor quality control is common. PATIENTS AND METHODS All consecutive male urodynamic tests conducted over 1 year were reviewed. A list of criteria to assess the quality of the records was devised, based upon International Continence Society guidelines on ,good urodynamic practice', and on other sources. Eligible traces were analysed for aspects of quality control, e.g. baseline pressures and coughs to test pressure transmission. The data were analysed to establish how often quality criteria were met, and identify areas for improvement. RESULTS In 100 eligible traces, the baseline detrusor pressure was 0,10 cmH2O in 86, and , 5 to +10 cmH2O in 94%. Baseline intravesical and abdominal pressure were 30,50 cmH2O in 68% and 73% of cases, respectively. Coughs were present before filling in 94%, during filling in 95%, before voiding in 72% and after voiding in 87% of cases. The cough-test frequency was sufficient in 30% of traces. In 11 the intravesical pressure line fell out during voiding. CONCLUSION Most of the traces assessed met the quality criteria defined, but significant defects were not uncommon. Some of the problems identified suggest areas of urodynamic technique which should be studied in more detail. We intend to modify our quality control practices, and hope to show an improvement on re-audit. We hope that other urodynamic departments will be encouraged to review their practice, and we aim to improve our results. [source] Nonlinear Damping Identification in Precast Prestressed Reinforced Concrete BeamsCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 8 2009P. Franchetti Integrated static and dynamic experiments were carried out on three precast PRC beam specimens. The static loading induced different levels of damage to the beams. At each damage level, impulsive loading was applied to the beams and the free vibration response was measured. The dynamic response data were processed using different methods including the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) curve fitting and the Hilbert transform techniques. A strong correlation is observed between the level of concrete damage (cracks) and the amount of nonlinear energy dissipation that can be modeled by means of quadratic damping. The nonlinear damping can be extracted from the free vibration response for each vibration mode. The proposed method is suited for quality control when manufacturing precast PRC members, and can be further extended for in situ detection of damage in concrete structures under ambient vibration. [source] Evaluation of malignant and benign gastric biopsy specimens by mRNA expression profile and multivariate statistical methodsCYTOMETRY, Issue 5 2007Orsolya Galamb Abstract Background: mRNA expression array and multivariate statistical analysis of gastric biopsies can yield insight into the molecular biology basis of local alterations, supporting expression-based identification of morphological alterations. Methods: From 11 patients with erosive gastritis(EG), 5 with adenocarcinoma (GC), 11 with atrophic gastritis (AG) gastric biopsies were collected, total RNA isolated, T7 amplification and expression analysis of 1047 mRNAs was performed using commercial glass arrays (Clontech, USA). After microarray quality control, applicable data were available from 7 EG, 4 GC, and 5 AG. Multivariate statistical and cell functional analysis were performed. Real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used for validation. Results: GC was characterized by overregulated v-raf, v-erb-a, BCL2-associated- athanogene, immediate-early-response-3, Polo-like kinase, CDK-2, cyclin-C, Pin1 genes, and downregulated ADP-ribosyltransferase, sialophorin and DCC. AG cases had increased PDGF-receptor, TGF-,-receptor-3, and decreased death-associated-protein-3, ,-1-catenin, topoisomerase-1 levels. In EG upregulation of IGF-receptor-1, CD9, transferrin receptor, integrins, and underexpression of keratin-5, caspase-4 was found. Discriminant analysis could reclassify all samples correctly using four parameters. Conclusions: mRNA expression array analysis of gastric biopsies yields previously known and new data in the evaluation of local gastric alterations. © 2007 Clinical Cytometry Society [source] Report from a workshop on multianalyte microsphere assays,,§CYTOMETRY, Issue 5 2002Marie C. Earley Abstract Multiplexed assays using fluorescent microspheres is an exciting technique that has been gaining popularity among researchers, particularly those in the public health field. Part of its popularity is due to its flexibility, as both immunoassays and oligonucleotide hybridization assays can be developed on this platform. This report summarizes a workshop held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that discussed issues surrounding these assays and the Luminex 100 xMAP instrument. Topics included instrumentation, assay design, sample matrix and volume, quality control, and development of commercial applications. Cytometry (Clin. Cytometry) 50:239,242, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||