Although widely understood and recognised as a key marker in wound healing, currently elevated protease activity (EPA) in chronic wounds goes undetected as there are no visual cues for it. A recently published study showed that chronic wounds with EPA have a 90% probability that they will not heal without appropriate intervention. The estimated 30 million chronic wounds treated each year account for approximately 3% of total health expenditure. Until now, with almost 30% of non-healing wounds having EPA, the absence of a test could result in ineffective treatment choices, leading to significant cost to healthcare providers. Wound care clinicians’ calls for better diagnostic tools to aid wound assessment have now been answered with the CE marking of WOUNDCHECK Protease Status, the world’s first rapid, point-of-care diagnostic test developed specifically for chronic wounds. It has the potential to revolutionise wound care by enabling early, targeted intervention and cost-effective use of advanced therapies to modulate protease activity. Designed to form part of routine wound assessment, the test is easy-to-use and provides results in just 15 minutes at the point of care. This enables the test to immediately influence treatment decisions and help clinicians target advanced wound care therapies more effectively by identifying when EPA exists in chronic wounds. As the implementation of point-of-care testing is new to many wound care clinicians, there is a new online training tool for the training of prospective users.
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Energy efficient sample storage
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaThese innovative new ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers have been designed to provide laboratories with an energy efficient approach to cold storage. The Thermo Scientific Revco UxF Series incorporates users’ choice of high-performance or energy saving modes, which are easily selected via the intuitive touch-screen interface. This new range of freezers provides outstanding sample protection while using significantly less energy than previous generation models. The series helps laboratories to obtain an energy-efficient approach to maintaining sample viability during long- and short-term cold storage. In addition to providing efficient operation, the series offers temperature uniformity throughout the internal chamber. As a result, users can maximise the use of all available space with the knowledge that all samples will be held at the pre-set optimal temperature.
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Listeria monoclonal antibodies
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaListeriosis is a serious infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This infection is contracted by eating contaminated food. The infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth and meningitis. An outbreak in 2011 involving contaminated cantaloupes lead to 30 deaths. A new set of recently released monoclonal antibodies to Listeria also contains several that are specific to the p60 protein that is secreted by the organism during growth in culture or in contaminated food. Thus these antibodies offer potential tools for the rapid detection of this food pathogen.
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Bordetella pertussis test kit
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaPertussis toxin is a protein exclusively produced by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which causes the respiratory infectious disease pertussis (whooping cough) in humans. The typical symptoms are frequent and severe cough attacks with a whooping sound and vomiting. The infection can be fatal for infants that have not yet been vaccinated against pertussis. Vaccination does not provide lifelong protection. Adult pertussis can be difficult to diagnose due to milder symptoms and often due to the lack of the characteristic whooping sound and vomiting. Adults with pertussis are therefore the main source of infection for unvaccinated infants. Diagnosis and treatment of adult pertussis can eventually reduce infant pertussis cases. Bordetella pertussis is only present in the airways for the first few weeks after the infection but the symptoms last for a longer period due to presence of the toxin and several other virulence factors. Diagnostic methods detecting the bacterium itself (culture and PCR) are therefore only useful early in the infection. Serology is, however, very efficient for diagnosis of patients with prolonged cough. Pertussis toxin is the recommended antigen for pertussis ELISA as there is no risk of cross-reactions with other bacterial antigens. The Bordetella pertussis IgG-PT ELISA kit is a traditional ELISA setup, which has been developed using purified pertussis toxin. Four standard samples are provided to establish the standard curve. The dilution method is the same for the standards and samples. Heat-treated sera can be analysed with this method without the risk of false-positive results. The sensitivity and specificity value is 81 % and 96 % respectively based on data from Denmark using a cut-off at 75 IU/mL. The test can be carried out either in one day or with overnight incubation for the first step. The plate can be split to facilitate more than one run of the kit. The kit contains enough reagents including controls to perform 24 – 44 test. Shelf life is minimum one year from date of shipment.
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Aspergillus detection test
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaAn evaluation to detect invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in a mixed population of 158 patients with underlying haematological or critical illness using the new commercial PCR test, the MycAssay, has been completed. The single-centre prospective evaluation tested the reliability and performance of the assay compared with clinical diagnosis and conventional diagnostic tests, such as culture and one of the current commercial gold-standards which is based around the detection of galactomannan (GM) in serum. The data generated from bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] samples showed that the assay is a sensitive and specific molecular test for the diagnosis of IA which, in these early studies, appears to perform better than other assays in the study and is far superior to culture. Invasive aspergillosis is usually a hidden, clinical silent disease. Early detection of IA is critical for improved patient outcomes. Current tests are insensitive or suffer from false-positive and false-negative results. These new data are very promising in the context of haematological or critical illness and hopefully can be introduced into routine fungal disease guidelines at the earliest opportunity.
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Semi-auto chemistry analyser
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaThe KL-800 Semi-Auto Chemistry Analyser offers four channels designed to carry out four simultaneous tests, eight filters (340nm~700nm) and allows up to 200 tests to be programmed. It is energy efficient with a sleep mode to prolong the lifespan of the light source and equipped with power failure protection. The analyser is available with a standard RS232 interface and optional touch-screen, keyboard and mouse. It offers real time monitoring of reaction curve and process, an auto wash feature and an accurate temperature control system.
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Diagnostic test for chronic wounds
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaAlthough widely understood and recognised as a key marker in wound healing, currently elevated protease activity (EPA) in chronic wounds goes undetected as there are no visual cues for it. A recently published study showed that chronic wounds with EPA have a 90% probability that they will not heal without appropriate intervention. The estimated 30 million chronic wounds treated each year account for approximately 3% of total health expenditure. Until now, with almost 30% of non-healing wounds having EPA, the absence of a test could result in ineffective treatment choices, leading to significant cost to healthcare providers. Wound care clinicians’ calls for better diagnostic tools to aid wound assessment have now been answered with the CE marking of WOUNDCHECK Protease Status, the world’s first rapid, point-of-care diagnostic test developed specifically for chronic wounds. It has the potential to revolutionise wound care by enabling early, targeted intervention and cost-effective use of advanced therapies to modulate protease activity. Designed to form part of routine wound assessment, the test is easy-to-use and provides results in just 15 minutes at the point of care. This enables the test to immediately influence treatment decisions and help clinicians target advanced wound care therapies more effectively by identifying when EPA exists in chronic wounds. As the implementation of point-of-care testing is new to many wound care clinicians, there is a new online training tool for the training of prospective users.
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G6PD Deficiency Test
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaGlucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is a genetic disorder which can cause haemolytic anaemia when people with the disorder come into contact with drugs, food and other substances which cause oxidative stress. G6PD deficiency is the most common enzyme deficiency worldwide. Diagnosis of G6PD deficiency is important in the treatment of disease because many oxidant drugs such as anti-malaria drugs, sulphur drugs and ascorbic acid cause a haemolytic anaemia especially for the G6PD deficient patients. Therefore, it is highly recommended to test for G6PD deficiency in patients before the treatment of oxidant drugs, especially for malaria patients, to protect against severe haemolytic anaemia. The CareStart G6PD deficiency test contains a strips in test device. The kit comprises of a single layer strip contained G6PD assay mixture. The assay is based on formazan method using tetrazolium compound. A whole blood sample with normal G6PD activity produces a purple colour in the reading window as it migrates to the strip. A whole blood sample deficient in G6PD activity shows no colour in the reading window.
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New assays for specialist protein analyser
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaSix new assays have been added to the menu on Binding Site’s SPAplus Specialist Protein Analyser. These include IgG in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), IgA CSF, IgM CSF, Albumin CSF as well as Transferrin in serum, and C1 inactivator (C1 inhibitor) in serum and plasma. All six assays are fully automated, easy to use and provide quantitative results to aid the assessment of a patient’s immune system (CSF assays), iron deficiency anaemia (transferrin) and the investigation of hereditary angioedema (C1 inactivator).The SPAplus is ideal for carrying out these specialist protein assays and has been designed to bring together instrument, reagents and exceptional support as a package from a specialist protein focused supplier.The analyser is a compact, turbidimetric platform for specialist protein testing. Its fully automated system enables laboratories to maintain the quality of results and high throughput required for specialised protein assays. It can be placed alongside the laboratory’s main-line analysers or in other areas of the laboratory. Pre-programmed protocols developed and manufactured by the company provide highly sensitive and reproducible results that match or have greater sensitivity than nephelometry. The modular design with intuitive Windows based software makes the analyser very easy to use. It is engineered to a high standard demonstrating excellent reliability with minimal daily, weekly and monthly maintenance procedures.
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Automated cervical cancer sample preparation
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaA walk-away automated system for cervical cancer slide preparation, ThinPrep 5000 is capable of processing up to 20 gynaecological (or general cytology) slides per batch utilising ThinPrep technology for dispersion, collection and transfer of cells. During dispersion the sample vial is spun to separate debris and mucus and to randomise the cells. These are then collected on the exterior surface of the Pap test filter with the help of a vacuum and software that monitors the rate of flow. Finally the cells are transferred to a defined circular area on a microscope slide for examination. Thirty-five slides can be processed per hour.
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Fully automated MRSA assay
, /in Product News /by 3wmediaThe challenge to fight healthcare-associated infections in Europe is resulting in an increased number of active surveillance programmes for MRSA in a continually resource-constrained environment. Rapidly and accurately identifing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients, the BD MAX MRSA assay enables infection control measures to be implemented faster, which can positively impact patient management. The fully automated, bench-top molecular system is designed to perform a broad range of molecular testing as well as the MRSA assay. This offers laboratory professionals the flexibility and versatility to perform CE/in vitro diagnostic assays and user defined protocols on the same platform.
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