Successful chromatographic analysis of plasma samples requires the removal of both proteins and phospholipids, which can clog HPLC/UHPLC columns. Phospholipids can also cause ion suppression and, over time, will reduce sensitivity due to a build-up on the mass spec source. For the fast clean-up of plasma samples in pharmaceutical and clinical research laboratories, Phree phospholipid removal plates remove both proteins and phospholipids and deliver the prepared plasma to a collection plate in one step. The high-capacity sorbent can process up to 400 μL per well and removes 99.0 to 100% of lysophosphatidyl and phosphatidyl cholines, which are not removed when a simple protein precipitation is performed. The one-step clean-up eliminates time-consuming method development, and the plate format enables the simultaneous processing of 96 samples, contributing to significant time savings.
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Pertussis 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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Responding to the growing demand for accurate vitamin D testing, SeraCon Vitamin D Depleted Diluent is a high-quality human plasma-based matrix instrumental in the development of accurate Vitamin D assays. Derived entirely from human plasma, it an extremely valuable tool for in vitro diagnostics manufacturers, allowing them to greatly improve the accuracy, consistency and sensitivity of their vitamin D assays. Meeting the needs of the most sensitive test methods, the product is certified <1 ng/mL Vitamin D2/D3 based on testing by LC-MS/MS and immunoassay. The product is available in large lots of up to 200 litres and donor units are pooled to ensure lot-to-lot consistency, making it an ideal option for high-volume production environments.
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Designed to be both easy and convenient for laboratory staff to use, the Acusera liquid urine control includes fully assayed target values for 18 commonly performed urine chemistry tests including microalbumin and hCG enabling consolidation and ultimately cost savings. Th e stable liquid format of the control eliminates the need for reconstitution and thus reduces the amount of human handling and the subsequent risk of pipetting errors. The material is manufactured from 100% human urine providing not only a matrix similar to the patient sample but also reducing antibody interference and the possibility of control values shift ing aft er a change of reagent batch. A 10ml vial size and an open vial stability of 30 days at +2–8oC for all parameters ensures both waste and, most importantly, costs are kept to a minimum. As a true third party, control laboratories can expect an unbiased, independent assessment of analytical performance. Instrument-specific target values and ranges are also provided for many common brands of clinical chemistry analysers. The liquid urine control is compatible for use with Acusera 24.7, Randox’s new web-based inter-laboratory data management programme. With an extensive range of data management tools, users gain access to worldwide peer group data that is updated every 24 hours, providing the most up-to-date-information available.
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