A quick test for sulfites on foods and nitrates in drinking water

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 M375Master of ScienceChemistr

Performance characteristics of Fungitell STAT™, a rapid (1→3)-β-D-glucan single patient sample <i>in vitro</i> diagnostic assay

Abstract Serum (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG), is an adjunct test in the diagnosis of invasive fungal disease (IFD). Fungitell STAT™, a facile, rapid, single patient option, executable for one or more patient specimens in approximately an hour, has been developed to address a need for rapid in-house testing. This method presents qualitative information concerning serum BDG levels, using an index value that allows the rapid categorization of patients as positive, negative, or indeterminate relative to serum BDG titer. The categorical and analytical performance of Fungitell STAT was evaluated. The categorical agreement between methods was established by testing patient samples which had been previously categorized with Fungitell. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were used to identify cut-offs using 93 de-identified patient specimens. Subsequently, using these cutoffs, an independent group of 488 patient specimens was analyzed. Positive percent agreement (PPA) with, and without, indeterminate results was 74% and 99%, respectively. Negative percent agreement (NPA) was 91% and 98% with, and without, indeterminate results, respectively. Additionally, commercially available normal off-the-clot sera were spiked with Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived (1→3)-β-D-glucan to produce analytical samples. Analytical reproducibility using spiked samples was excellent with 94% of the CV (coefficient of variation) values ≤10% among three independent laboratories. Good correlation with the predicate method was demonstrated with correlation coefficients of 0.90 or better with patient samples and 0.99 with spiked samples. The Fungitell STAT index assay provides a rapid and suitable method for serum BDG testing.</jats:p

Further Conventions for NMR Shielding and Chemical Shifts (IUPAC Recommendations 2008)

International audienceIUPAC has published a number of recommendations regarding the reporting of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, especially chemical shifts. The most recent publication [Pure Appl. Chem. 73, 1795 (2001)] recommended that tetramethylsilane (TMS) serve as a universal reference for reporting the shifts of all nuclides, but it deferred recommendations for several aspects of this subject. This document first examines the extent to which the 1H shielding in TMS itself is subject to change by variation in temperature, concentration, and solvent. On the basis of recently published results, it has been established that the shielding of TMS in solution [along with that of sodium-3-(trimethylsilyl)propanesulfonate, DSS, often used as a reference for aqueous solutions] varies only slightly with temperature but is subject to solvent perturbations of a few tenths of a part per million (ppm). Recommendations are given for reporting chemical shifts under most routine experimental conditions and for quantifying effects of temperature and solvent variation, including the use of magnetic susceptibility corrections and of magic-angle spinning (MAS). This document provides the first IUPAC recommendations for referencing and reporting chemical shifts in solids, based on high-resolution MAS studies. Procedures are given for relating 13C NMR chemical shifts in solids to the scales used for high-resolution studies in the liquid phase. The notation and terminology used for describing chemical shift and shielding tensors in solids are reviewed in some detail, and recommendations are given for best practice. © 2008 IUPAC. Reprinted with permission from Pure Appl. Chem. 2008; 80: 59. This article can be freely downloaded from http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/80/1/0059/ and can be copied, provided acknowledgement to IUPAC is given

Chimeric antigen receptor-redirected T cells return to the bench

While the clinical progress of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy has garnered attention to the field, our understanding of the biology of these chimeric molecules is still emerging. Our aim within this review is to bring to light the mechanistic understanding of these multi-modular receptors and how these individual components confer particular properties to CAR-Ts. In addition, we will discuss extrinsic factors that can be manipulated to influence CAR-T performance such as choice of cellular population, culturing conditions and additional modifications that enhance their activity particularly in solid tumors. Finally, we will also consider the emerging toxicity associated with CAR-Ts. By breaking apart the CAR and examining the role of each piece, we can build a better functioning cellular vehicle for optimized treatment of cancer patients