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Cholesterol crystallization is an essential step in gallstone formation. Although spectrophotometry and nephelometry have been used for quantitation of crystallization, potential effects of crystal size and shape have not been evaluated. We determined crystallization in model biles [total lipid concentration 7.3 g/dl, egg yolk Phosphatidylcholine (EYPC)/(EYPC +taurocholate) molar ratio = 0.05, 0.15, or 0.30; cholesterol saturation index (CSI) = 1.2, 1.7, or 2.0; 37 °C] plotting in the central three-phase (micelles, vesicles, and crystals containing) zone or in the left two-phase (micelles and crystals containing) zone of the equilibrium ternary phase diagram. Extent of crystallization estimated by spectrophotometry and nephelometry was related to chemical determination of crystal mass and to crystal size or shape (by microscopy). With all methods, crystallization was less extensive when vesicles were present (central three-phase zone) and at lower CSIs. In the left two-phase zone, particularly at EYPC/(EYPC +taurocholate), ratio of 0.15, there were strong increases in spectrophotometric and nephelometric readings during the first days of incubation, but decreases at later stages, despite progressive increases in crystal mass by chemical measurement. Initially, there were large numbers of very small crystals (

[Display omitted] Opalescence measurements are broadly applied to assess the quality and stability of biopharmaceutical products at all stages of development and manufacturing. They appear to be simple and straight forward but detect complex light scattering phenomena. Despite a routine calibration step, opalescence values obtained with the same biopharmaceutical sample but on different instruments and/or with different methods may vary significantly. Since the reasons for this high variability are generally not well understood, comparison of opalescence results from different biopharmaceutical laboratories is difficult. Here, we characterized a comprehensive set of biopharmaceutically relevant samples with five opalescence methods to illustrate fundamental differences in method performance and explore the reasons for poor comparability. In addition, we developed a high-throughput method for measuring opalescence in a conventional light scattering plate reader that yields opalescence values in the same range as compendial methods. The presented results underline the impact of sample properties, instrument type, and calibration standards on the determined opalescence value. Based on our findings we provide recommendations for the appropriate application of each method during biopharmaceutical drug product development. Overall, our study contributes to an improved understanding of opalescence measurements in the biopharmaceutical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly revised apparatus for argentometric precipitate titrations was fabricated and evaluated. A light emitting diode was adapted as a solid-state light source and a syringe pump was used for manipulating titrant both in stopped flow mode and continuous mode. The performance of the two modes was compared in terms of accuracy and precision. The continuous flow mode is much faster and shows generally higher accuracy under given experimental conditions. The patterns of precipitate titration curves were changed with different coagulant concentrations and addition flow rates of titrant. However, end point volumes were not affected by these experimental factors tested here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the CNS comprise a broad spectrum of diseases like neuromyelitis optica (NMO), NMO spectrum disorders (NMO-SD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite clear classification criteria, differentiation can be difficult. We hypothesized that the urine proteome may differentiate NMO from MS. Methods: The proteins in urine samples from anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) seropositive NMO/NMO-SD patients (n = 32), patients with MS (n = 46) and healthy subjects (HS, n = 31) were examined by quantitative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) after trypsin digestion and iTRAQ labelling. Immunoglobulins (Ig) in the urine were validated by nephelometry in an independent cohort (n = 9–10 pr. groups). Results: The analysis identified a total of 1112 different proteins of which 333 were shared by all 109 subjects. Cluster analysis revealed differences in the urine proteome of NMO/NMO-SD compared to HS and MS. Principal component analysis also suggested that the NMO/NMO-SD proteome profile was useful for classification. Multivariate regression analysis revealed a 3-protein profile for the NMO/NMO-SD versus HS discrimination, a 6-protein profile for NMO/NMO-SD versus MS discrimination and an 11-protein profile for MS versus HS discrimination. All protein panels yielded highly significant ROC curves (AUC in all cases >0.85, p≤0.0002). Nephelometry confirmed the presence of increased Ig-light chains in the urine of patients with NMO/NMO-SD. Conclusion: The urine proteome profile of patients with NMO/NMO-SD is different from MS and HS. This may reflect differences in the pathogenesis of NMO/NMO-SD versus MS and suggests that urine may be a potential source of biomarkers differentiating NMO/NMO-SD from MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we examined the concentration of serum immunoglobulin free light chains (FLCs) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and investigated its association with various disease parameters in order to evaluate the role of FLCs as a potential biomarker in SLE. Furthermore, FLCs’ association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies was examined. Methods: Using a nephelometric assay, κFLC and λFLC concentrations were quantified in sera from 45 SLE patients and 40 healthy controls. SLE patients with renal insufficiency were excluded in order to preclude high concentrations of serum FLCs due to decreased clearance. Results: Serum FLC concentrations were significantly elevated in SLE patients compared to healthy controls (p<0.0001) also after adjusting for Ig levels (p<0.0001). The concentration of serum FLCs correlated with a global disease activity (SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI)) score of the SLE patients (r = 0.399, p = 0.007). Furthermore, concentrations of FLCs correlated with titers of dsDNA antibodies (r = 0.383, p = 0.009), and FLC levels and SLEDAI scores correlated in the anti-dsDNA-positive SLE patients, but not in anti-dsDNA-negative SLE patients. Total immunoglobulin (IgG and IgA) concentrations correlated with FLC concentrations and elevated FLC levels were additionally shown to associate with the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein and also with complement consumption determined by low C4 in SLE patients. Collectively, results indicated that elevated serum FLCs reflects increased B cell activity in relation to inflammation. SLE patients had an increased seropositivity of EBV-directed antibodies that did not associate with elevated FLC concentrations. An explanation for this could be that serum FLC concentrations reflect the current EBV activity (reactivation) whereas EBV-directed antibodies reflect the extent of previous infection/reactivations. Conclusion: SLE patients have elevated concentrations of serum FLCs that correlate with global disease activity scores and especially serologic markers for active disease. These findings are suggestive of circulating FLCs having potential as a new supplementary serologic biomarker in SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five natural coagulants extracts in saline were evaluated: stems Hylocereus cf. trigonus (Cactus), exudate gum Albizia saman (Campano), bark Guazuma ulmifolia (Guácimo) and bark and seed of Moringa oleífera (Moringa) in raw water samples taken from the Sinú river with initial turbidity levels between 56 and 300 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). With Jar tests, the turbidity removal effi ciencies as a function of percent activity coagulant dosages applied between 5 mg/L to 200 mg/L was determined. Although the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) is an important parameter of the water quality, it was not included in this study because it has been found that the Sinú river turbidity is from sedimentary origin and its stream has a low organic load. The optimal extract dosage was found to be between 10 mg/L and 40 mg/L obtaining removal effi ciencies from 40% (turbidity lower than 100 NTU) to 90% (initial turbidity higher than 150 NTU) for extracts of stems H. cf. trigonus, exudate gum A. saman, bark G. ulmifolia and bark M. oleífera. The M. oleífera seed extract had the greatest turbidity removal effi ciency even when using an initial turbidity higher than 150 NTU, achieving a coagulant activity up to 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of petroleum produced water (PPW) using jar test and novel Afzelia africana coagulant (AAC) has been investigated. AAC was a by-product of sequential ethanol—multiple salts oil extraction from the precursor seed. Process kinetics, statistical analyses and removal efficiency at varying PPW pH and AAC dosage were evaluated. Optimum treatment conditions were obtained at dosage of 100 mg/L, pH of 4, period of 59.5 s and rate constant of 2E − 05 m 3 /kg/s. Comparatively, at optimum, AAC and alum recorded 81.28% and 79.10% removal efficiencies, respectively. It could be concluded that AAC was relatively more effective for the treatment of PPW at the conditions of the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Z deficiency in α1-antitrypsin (A1ATD) is an under-recognized condition. Alpha1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is the main protein in the α1-globulin fraction of serum protein electrophoresis (SPE); however, evaluation of the α1-globulin protein fraction has received very little attention. Serum Z-type A1AT manifests in polymeric forms, but their interference with quantitative immunoassays has not been reported. Here, 214 894 samples were evaluated by SPE at the G. Fracastoro Hospital of Verona, Italy. Patients with an A1AT level ≤ 0.92 g/L were recalled to complete A1ATD diagnosis. In parallel, to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize A1AT, sera samples from 10 PiZZ and 10 PiMM subjects obtained at the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw, Poland, were subjected to non-denaturing 7.5% PAGE and 7.5% SDS-PAGE followed by Western blot. Moreover, purified A1AT was heated at 60°C and analyzed by a non-denaturing PAGE and 4–15% gradient SDS-PAGE followed by Western blot as well as by isolelectrofocusing and nephelometry. A total of 966 samples manifested percentages ≤ 2.8 or a double band in the alpha1-zone. According to the nephelometry data, 23 samples were classified as severe (A1AT ≤ 0.49 g/L) and 462 as intermediate (A1AT >0.49≤ 1.0 g/L) A1ATD. Twenty subjects agreed to complete the diagnosis and an additional 21 subjects agreed to family screening. We detected 9 cases with severe and 26 with intermediate A1ATD. Parallel experiments revealed that polymerization of M-type A1AT, when measured by nephelometry or isolelectrofocusing, yields inaccurate results, leading to the erroneous impression that it was Z type and not M-type A1AT. We illustrate the need for confirmation of Z A1AT values by “state of the art” method. Clinicians should consider a more in-depth investigation of A1ATD in patients when they exhibit serum polymers and low α1-globulin protein levels by SPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Products of hemeoxygenase (HO)-1 have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions. The HO- 1 promoter has a variable number of GT(n) repeats: A low number ( n < 23) is associated with high transcriptional activity in response to oxidative stress. We hypothesized that the frequency of GT(n) repeats in pediatric heart failure (HF) reflects plasma biomarkers of different disease processes: the soluble receptor for advance glycation end products (sRAGE, marking cellular activation), oxLDL (oxidative stress), NGAL (impaired renal function), HIF-1α (hypoxia) and hsCRP (inflammation). Sixty HF children [aged 4-14 years, 30 with HF due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM), 30 due to chronic renal failure (CRF)] were compared to 20 healthy controls (HC). Leukocyte HO- 1 GT(n) repeats were determined by PCR, plasma markers by ELISA or nephelometry. The number of GT(n) repeats in the HF patients was higher than the number of repeats in the controls, with no difference between the patient groups ( p < 0.001). sRAGE, oxLDL, HIF-1α, NGAL and hsCRP were higher in both HF groups compared to HC (all p < 0.01). IDCM had higher sRAGEs and HIF-1α compared to CRF patients ( p < 0.01). NGAL was higher in CRF compared to IDCM ( p < 0.01). None of the plasma/serum markers correlated with the number of GT(n) repeats in any group. The number of HO- 1 promoter GT(n) polymorphism is increased in both IDCM and CRF children with HF, but is unrelated to plasma markers of different pathological processes. This casts doubts on the clinical value of the number of GT(n) repeats in pediatric HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a new approach concerning two stages of the creaming phenomena in emulsions, not distinguished in the literature, is presented. The continuity theory and the equation of motion taken from the traffic engineering were used to describe the changes in the medium that is discontinuous at microscopic level. In the modeling work, the experimental data obtained by the nephelometric measurements were used. It gave a real insight into the actual processes taking place during the phenomena of creaming in comparison to the classical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: Although the assessment of red wine quality relies primarily on a sensory description of tannins, it may be usefully completed by some knowledge of the physicochemical properties of these tannins. The present study has a double aim: (1) to gain insight into the sensory properties of subpopulations of proanthocyanidic tannins of different molecular sizes (obtained through several ultrafiltration steps), as well as into the kinetics of the haze formed by these fractions when reacted with polyvinylpyrrolidone (as measured by nephelometry) and (2) to determine whether a correlation exists between the sensory and the nephelometric data. Materials and Methods: To this end, two wines from different grape varieties were sequentially ultrafiltered to provide three tannic fractions which differed by the range of their polymerization degrees. Then, these fractions were added (individually or in combination) into their native wine matrix (previously deprived of all its polyphenols via charcoal treatment) according to a specific experimental design. These reconstituted wines were characterized by nephelometry and by a static (quantitative descriptive analysis) and a dynamic (temporal dominance of sensations) sensory method. Results and Discussion: Wines containing the largest size tannins (highest range of polymerization degrees) were perceived as more astringent and cause drying in the mouth and after spitting. Concerning the temporality of perception, wines containing the fraction with the largest tannins provide long in-mouth drying, and the astringency and in-mouth drying perceptions were the most persistent features. Conclusion: Finally, a highly positive correlation between nephelometric and quantitative descriptive analysis data was shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Express-test by the method of coherent fluctuation nephelometry for urine contamination was carried out on two prototype instruments with standard polystyrene photometric cuvettes. We analyzed 209 and 119 urine samples. Due to high sensitivity of the method, up to 50% negative samples were detected within 10 min by initial opacity and 90% negative samples were detected during 3.5 h by registration of the bacterial growth curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a typical manufacturing setup for biopharmaceutical drug products, the fill and dosing pump is placed after the final sterile filtration unit in order to ensure adequate dispensing accuracy and avoid backpressure peaks. Given the sensitivity of protein molecules, peristaltic pumps are often preferred over piston pumps. However, particles may be shed from the silicone tubing employed. In this study, particle shedding and a potential turbidity increase during peristaltic pumping of water and buffer were investigated using three types of commercially available silicone tubing. In the recirculates, mainly particles of around 200 nm next to a very small fraction of particles in the lower micrometer range were found. Using 3D laser scanning microscopy, surface roughness of the inner tubing surface was found to be a determining factor for particle shedding from silicone tubing. As the propensity toward particle shedding varied between tubing types and also cannot be concluded from manufacturer's specifications, individual testing with the presented methods is recommended during tubing qualification. Choosing low abrasive tubing can help to further minimize the very low particle counts to be expected in pharmaceutical drug products. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 104:1440-1450, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wound infection plays an important role in compromised wound healing. A high bioburden impairs healing and leads to formation of a chronic wound. Distinctly higher pH values were observed in chronic wounds compared to acute wounds. However, there is only limited knowledge of pH dependency on the antibacterial efficacy of common antimicrobial substances. Methods: This study investigated the pH influence on the antimicrobial efficacy of povidone (PVP)-iodine, silver nitrate, chlorhexidine, octenidine and polihexanide against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the agar diffusion test and microplate laser nephelometry. Results: The bactericidal activity of chlorhexidine and octenidine was mainly pH-independent in a pH range of 5.0-9.0. In contrast, polihexanide showed a significant efficacy increase at a higher pH. It was also found that the influence of the pH on antiseptics differs among species of bacteria. For instance, S. aureus exhibited an increasing sensitivity against silver nitrate with rising pH whereas the effect on P. aeruginosa was found to be distinctly decreased. The antimicrobial effect of PVP-iodine was strongly diminished with rising pH. Conclusions: The shift towards higher pH values in chronic wounds compared to acute wounds makes it imperative to know whether the antimicrobial efficacy of applied antimicrobial substances is altered by different pH levels. The results suggest that application of polihexanide might be advantageous for the management of wound infections, as both S. aureus and P. aeruginosa exhibited an increased susceptibility with rising pH. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Brucellosis is a common zoonotic infectious disease especially in Mediterranean countries. Inflammatory markers are elevated during the course of acute brucellosis. C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most commonly used biochemical marker in clinical practice. Soluble urokinase type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an interesting biomarker which has drawn attention recently. Purpose o f this study is to examine correlation between suPAR and CRP levels as markers o f infectious disease in patients diagnosed with acute brucellosis. Material and Method: This study included 125 acute brucellosis patients and 50 healthy controls. Pretreatment blood samples were taken from the patients. suPAR levels were measured using ELISA and CRP levels were measured with nephelometry. Results: There was a positive correlation between suPAR levels and CRP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p=0.045, 0.039, 0.040; respectively). When we compared patient and control groups, CRP and suPAR levels were significantly higher than controls (p=0.001, 0.001; respectively). Growth in blood culture was detected in 14 (11.2%) patients. Tlrere was not a significant difference between patients who have or did not have growth in blood cultures (p=0.117). In the ROC curve analysis performed for suPAR, area under the curve (AUC) was 93.6% (p=0.001). Sensitivity and specificity were calculated as 84.8% and 86.0%, respectively, when suPAR's cut-off value was taken as 3.85 ng/mL according to the ROC curve. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that suPAR, like CRP, is a promising biomarker in acute brucellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the substantial improvements in the measurements of aerosol physical and chemical properties and in the direct and indirect radiative effects of aerosols, there is still a need for studying the properties of aerosols under controlled laboratory conditions to develop a mechanistic and quantitative understanding of aerosol formation, chemistry, and dynamics. In this work, we present the factors that affect measurement accuracy and the resulting uncertainties of the extinction-minus-scattering method using a combination of cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) and integrating nephelometry at a wider range of optical wavelengths than previously attempted. Purely scattering polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres with diameters from 107–303 nm and absorbing polystyrene spheres (APSL) with 390 nm diameter were used to determine the consistency and agreement, within experimental uncertainties, of CRDS and nephelometer values with theoretical calculations derived from Mie theory for non-absorbing spheres. Overall uncertainties for extinction cross-section were largely 10%–11% and dominated by condensation particle counter (CPC) measurement error. Two methods for determiningσexterror are described, and they were found to produce equivalent results. Systematic uncertainties due to particle losses, RD cell geometry (RL), CPC counting efficiency, ring-down regression fitting, blank drift, optical tweezing, and recapturing of forward scattered light are also investigated. The random error observed in this work for absorbing spheres is comparable to previous reported measurements. For both absorbing and non-absorbing spheres, a statistical framework is developed for including the contributions to random error due to CPC measurement uncertainty,RL, statistical fluctuations in particle counts, fluctuations in the blank, and mass flow controller flow error. Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early and adequate antibiotic treatment is the cornerstone of improving clinical outcomes in patients with bloodstream infections (BSI). Delays in appropriate antimicrobial therapy have catastrophic consequences for patients with BSI. Microbiological characterization of multi-drug resistant pathogens (MDRP) allows clinicians to provide appropriate treatments. Current microbiologic techniques may take up to 96 h to identify causative pathogens and their resistant patterns. Therefore, there is an important need to develop rapid diagnostic strategies for MDRP. We tested a modified protocol to detect carbapenemase and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) from positive blood cultures., Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of consecutive patients with bacteremia. We developed a modified protocol using the HB&L ® system to detect MDRP. The operational characteristics were analyzed for each test (HB&L-ESBL/AmpC ® and HB&L-Carbapenemase ® kits). The kappa coefficient, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), likelihood ratios (LR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and reduction in identification time of this novel method were calculated., Results: Ninety-six patients with BSI were included in the study. A total of 161 positive blood cultures were analyzed. Escherichia coli (50%, 81/161) was the most frequently identified pathogen, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (15%, 24/161) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%, 13/161). Thirty-three percent of isolations had usual resistance patterns. However, 34/161 (21%) of identified pathogens were producers of carbapenemases and 21/161 (13%) of extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Concordance between our HB&L ® modified protocol and the traditional method was 99% (159/161). Finally, identification times were significantly shorter using our HB&L ® -modified protocol than traditional methods: median (IQR) 19 h (18, 22) vs. 61 h (60, 64), p < 0.001., Conclusions: Here, we provide novel evidence that using our HB&L ® -modified protocol is an effective strategy to reduce the time to detect MDRP producers of carbapenemases or extended-spectrum β-lactamases, with an excellent concordance rate when compared to the gold standard. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether this method may improve clinical outcomes.

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is based on dissemination of focal lesions in time and space. The free light chains (FLCs) determination might be a sensitive alternative to oligoclonal bands assay. The study aim was to redefine sensitivity, specificity of the kFLC Index cut-off. We analyzed serum and cerebrospinal fluid of 176 patients, with different neurological disorders. We obtained a cut off of 12,3 for kFLC Index with a sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 100% respectively. Our data confirm that the kFLC Index is a valid tool in the diagnosis of MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is routinely used in the diagnostic work-up of multiple sclerosis (MS), by detecting CSF-specific oligoclonal bands (OCB). More recently, several studies have reported CSF free light chains (FLC) as an alternative. We show that absolute CSF κFLC concentrations were highly sensitive — more than OCB testing — and specific for clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing remitting and primary progressive MS. Measurement of κFLC alone was sufficient. Our results suggest that CSF κFLC levels measured by nephelometry, if validated in a larger series, are a preferred test to OCB analysis in the diagnostic work-up of patients suspected of having MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Low total serum protein levels may cause a positive bias on C-reactive protein (CRP) detected by the Vitros 250 Chemistry System (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Co., Raritan, NJ). Low total serum protein levels are observed in some infants. Our objective was to define a cutoff value for normal levels of CRP measured on the Vitros System that is comparable to the cutoff value of 1.0 mg/dL measured by rate nephelometry on a Beckman Array System (Beckman Instruments Inc., Fullerton, CA). Study Design CRP was prospectively measured on the same serum sample on Vitros and Beckman systems. Using a result of ≥1.0 as the “gold standard” definition of an abnormal CRP, measures of association were calculated. Results CRP wasmeasured in 981 blood samples that were collected from 361 infants. A cutoff CRP level using the Vitros system at 1.5 mg/dL had the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value comparable to 1.0 mg/dL measured by nephelometry. By regression analysis, each increase by 1 mg/dL by nephelometry caused an increase by 1.5 mg/dL on the Vitros system (R2 = 0.94; p < 0.001; slope = 0.66; 95% confidence intervals, 0.65, 0.67). Conclusion In infants, when measuring CRP levels by Vitros CRP slide system, a normal reference level of 1.5 mg/dL instead of 1 mg/dL should be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first measurement of the influence of the Stokes number on the distributions of particle concentration and velocity at the exit of a long pipe are reported, together with the subsequent influence on the downstream evolution of these distributions through a particle-laden jet in co-flow. The data were obtained by simultaneous particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar nephelometry (PN), using four cameras to provide high resolution through the first 30 jet diameters and also correction for optical attenuation. These data provide much more detailed information than is available from previous measurements. From them, a new understanding is obtained of how the Stokes number influences the flow at the jet exit plane and how this influence propagates throughout the jet. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports on a study which examines the difference of iron metabolism markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The study used nephelometry to analyse serum ferritin, transferrin, and soluble transferrin-receptor in patients and control groups. Findings reveal that a significant decreased of CSF transferrin was observed in CIS/MS than control groups.

Background For safe and efficacious treatment of hereditary angioedema, C1 esterase inhibitor ( C1- INH) concentrates should have high purity and high amounts of functional protein. As no pharmacopoeia requirements exist for C1- INH concentrate lot release, biochemical characteristics as declared by the manufacturers may not be compared directly. This study compared the characteristics and purity profiles of four commercially available C1- INH concentrates. Study Design and Methods The analysis included one transgenic ( Ruconest) and three plasma-derived ( Berinert, Cetor, Cinryze) C1- INH concentrates. C1- INH antigen concentration was determined by nephelometry, total protein (specific activity) with a Bradford assay, purity by size-exclusion chromatography and gel electrophoresis, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was performed. Results Functionality (inversely proportional to antigen-to-activity ratio) was lowest for Ruconest (1.67), followed by Cetor (1.42), Berinert (1.24), and Cinryze (1.22). Specific activity (U/mg) and purity (%) were highest in Ruconest (12.13; 98.6) and Berinert (11.57; 97.0), followed by Cinryze (10.41; 89.5) and Cetor (9.01; 88.6). Main protein bands were found for all plasma-derived products at approximately 105 kDa, and for Ruconest, at approximately 98 kDa. Additional bands in the plasma-derived products were α1-antichymotrypsin, ceruloplasmin, Factor C3 ( Cinryze/ Cetor), and immunoglobulin heavy constant mu ( Berinert). Conclusion Ruconest has a very high purity profile but is not identical to the human C1- INH protein. Of the plasma-derived products, Berinert has the highest purity profile. The impact of the nontherapeutic proteins identified has not yet been evaluated. For harmonization of the analysis for drug release, we recommend the establishment of regulatory requirements for purity determination and the implementation of threshold levels in C1- INH concentrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Antigen excess causing a falsely low concentration result may occur when measuring serum free immunoglobulin light chains (SFLC). Automated antigen excess detection methods are available only with some analyzers. We have now developed and verified such a method. Methods. Residuals of sera with known SFLC-κ and -λ concentrations were analyzed using Binding Site reagents and methods adapted to the Roche Cobas® c.501 analyzer. Results. We analyzed 117 sera for SFLC-κ and -λ and examined how the absorbance increased with time during the 7 minutes of reaction (absorbance reading points 12-70). From this an antigen excess alarm factor (ratio of absorbance increases between reading points 68-60 and 20-12, multiplied by 100) was defined. Upon our request, Roche added to our two SFLC assays a program which calculated this antigen excess alarm factor and triggered an alarm when the factor was below a defined value. We verified this antigen excess alarm function by analyzing serum from 325 persons of whom 143 were multiple myeloma patients. All samples with a known concentration above 30 mg/L triggered either an antigen excess alarm, an 'above test' alarm or both. Also, all samples above 200 mg/L (SFLC-λ) and 300 mg/L (SFLC-κ) triggered the antigen excess alarm and all but one triggered the above test alarm. Conclusions. The antigen excess alarm function presented here detected all known antigen excess samples at no increased time of analysis, a reduced workload and reduced reagent cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because few studies have examined depression facets or potential moderators of the depression–inflammation relationship, our aims were to determine whether particular depressive symptom clusters are more strongly associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and whether race/ethnicity moderates these relationships. We examined data from 10,149 adults representative of the U.S. population (4858 non-Hispanic White, 1978 non-Hispanic Black, 2260 Mexican American, 1053 Other Hispanic) who participated in the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2010. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and high-sensitivity serum CRP was quantified by latex-enhanced nephelometry. Total ( p < .001), somatic ( p < .001), and nonsomatic ( p = .001) depressive symptoms were each positively related to serum CRP in individual models. However, in the simultaneous model that included both symptom clusters, somatic symptoms ( p < .001), but not nonsomatic symptoms ( p = .98), remained associated with serum CRP. Evidence of moderation by race/ethnicity was also observed, as six of the nine depressive symptoms × race/ethnicity interactions were significant ( ps < .05). Among non-Hispanic Whites, the pattern of results was identical to the full sample; only somatic symptoms ( p < .001) remained related to serum CRP in the simultaneous model. No relationships between total, somatic, or nonsomatic symptoms and serum CRP were observed among the non-Hispanic Black, Mexican American, or Other Hispanic groups. Our findings indicate that the link between depressive symptoms and systemic inflammation may be due to the somatic symptoms of sleep disturbance, fatigue, appetite changes, and psychomotor retardation/agitation and may be strongest among non-Hispanic Whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Turbidity is commonly used as a proxy to estimate suspended sediment content in streams, and for hydroecological purposes. The scope of this paper is to give an outlook to wider applications of nephelometric turbidimetry as a method. Uncalibrated turbidity records in conjunction with water chemistry data prove useful in detecting watershed reaction to single hydrological events during the spring flood in Arctic Russia. The turbidimetric survey technique was applied to study the spatial variability of sediment yield features on small rivers of the south-eastern part of Sakhalin Island. Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) vs. turbidity relation follows the geological features of the terrain and reflects the land-use intensity within the watersheds. For our Igarka key site, a logarithmic regression model was developed as an instrument of SSC calculation with turbidity data for each of the four studied watersheds. A regional regression model was developed for this site, and supplementary water optics data (filtered sample turbidity) was employed to increase the reliability of SSC calculations. Our results show that factors influencing turbidity, namely water colour and sediment grain size, have to be considered in multivariate models, to minimize errors and acquire an understanding of what kind of physical response is actually measured by nephelometry-based instruments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The absorbing aerosols, primarily black carbon (BC), play a unique and important role in the Earth’s climate system primarily by warming the atmosphere. This warming effect contrasts with the cooling effect of aerosols such as sulphates that are mostly of the scattering type. With a view to studying the characteristics of both absorbing and scattering aerosols within the boundary layer, collocated measurements using an aethalometer and a nephelometer were carried out over Dibrugarh (27.3° N, 94.6°E, 111 m amsl), Northeast India. The diurnal variation of BC mass concentration (MBC) shows a primary peak during late evening (2000–2200 local time (LT)) while a weak secondary peak is observed in the morning (0600–0800 LT). A seasonal shift in diurnal peakMBCwas also observed. Both diurnal and seasonal variations in the scattering coefficient (βsca) resemble that ofMBC. It may, therefore, be inferred that the majority of both absorbing and scattering types of aerosol prevalent over the study location have common production sources. The seasonal spectral variation in absorption coefficient (βabs) shows monotonic decrease from shorter to longer wavelength in all seasons. The wavelength dependence of absorption by aerosols, as obtained from the absorption Ångström exponent (αabs), indicates a stronger presence of absorbing aerosols originating from biomass burning than those originating from fossil fuel burning over Dibrugarh. The high values of single-scattering albedo (SSA) obtained over Dibrugarh reveal that the scattering type of aerosol is predominant in the ambient air. SSA, together withMBCm, is a useful parameter for estimation of radiative forcing and hence the climatic impact of aerosols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A facile nephelometry for measuring very low nanosphere concentrations. [•] A uniform mono-layer of cationic copolymer nanospheres was coated on cotton fibers. [•] The adsorption of cationic nanospheres on cotton fibers followed the Langmuir model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background The association between alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently controversial. The present study compares AAT serum concentrations and gene frequencies between a group of CRC patients and a control group of healthy unrelated people (HUP). Methods 267 CRC subjects (63% males, 72 ± 10 years old) were enlisted from a Hospital Clinic setting in Asturias, Spain. The HUP group comprised 327 subjects (67% males, mean age 70 ± 7.5 years old) from the same geographical region. Outcome measures were AAT serum concentrations measured by nephelometry, and AAT phenotyping characterization by isoelectric focusing. Results Significantly higher serum concentrations were found among CRC (208 ± 60) than in HUP individuals (144 ± 20.5) (p = 0.0001). No differences were found in the phenotypic distribution of the Pi*S and Pi*Z allelic frequencies (p = 0.639), although the frequency of Pi*Z was higher in CRC (21%) than in HUP subjects (15%). Conclusions The only statistically significant finding in this study was the markedly higher AAT serum concentrations found in CRC subjects compared with HUP controls, irrespective of whether their Pi* phenotype was normal (Pi*MM) or deficient (Pi*MS, Pi*MZ and Pi*SZ). Although there was a trend towards the more deficient Pi* phenotype the more advanced the tumor, the results were inconclusive due to the small sample size. Consequently, more powerful studies are needed to reach firmer conclusions on this matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the heavy/light chain and free light chain immunoassays in patients with heavy chain disease, and to assess the ability of the heavy/light chain assay to measure and confirm the abnormal, truncated heavy chain. Methods: Frozen serum samples from 15 γ-heavy chain disease patients were tested for IgGκ, IgGλ, total IgG, free light chains, and M-spike concentrations. Results: The (Gκ+Gλ)/IgGtotal ratio for these 15 patients ranged from 0.02 to 0.80. The 10 patients with IgG concentrations above 1 g/dL all had ratios below 0.3 indicating that a substantial portion of IgG was not quantitated by the Gκ and Gλ reagents. The average M-spike was 1.61 g/dL and the average calculated abnormal γ-chain concentration was 2.94 g/dL. Additionally, free light chain analysis revealed the presence of monoclonal free κ light chain in three of the 15 patients. Conclusions: This study demonstrates utility of a nephelometric assay to identify truncated immunoglobulin heavy chains in γ-HCD and that 20% of these patients also have monoclonal free light chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water bloom (named cyanobacterial bloom) is becoming a serious pollution problem all over the world. In this paper, a method of cyanobacteria treatment using underwater streamer-like discharge is reported. Repetitive underwater discharges are generated by all solid-state pulsed power system. Output voltage of the pulsed power system is 30 kV with 4 \mus pulse width. We can generate repetitive underwater streamer-like discharge by the pulsed power system. And we have the system mounted in the water-bloom treatment apparatus. The size of streamer-like discharge is about 30-mm diameter. We conducted the experiment at a dam in Kyushu district in Japan. We have measured chlorophyll concentration, turbidity, potential of hydrogen, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and temperature of water during treatment of cyanobacteria bloom. The treatment time is 60 min. All of them could be reduced. In particular, the chlorophyll concentration and the turbidity are remarkably decreased. Initial chlorophyll concentration is 600 \mug/L, and initial turbidity is 1000 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU). We obtained that treatment results of chlorophyll concentration and turbidity were 85 \mug/L and 80 NTU, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]