Search results for "Samples"
showing 10 items of 133 documents
Sensitive Screening of New Psychoactive Substances in Serum Using Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.
2021
Abstract Analysis of new psychoactive substances (NPS) still poses a challenge for many institutions due to the number of available substances and the constantly changing drug market. Both new and well-known substances keep appearing and disappearing on the market, making it hard to adapt analytical methods in a timely manner. In this study we developed a qualitative screening approach for serum samples by means of liquid chromatography--quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Samples were measured in data-dependent auto tandem mass spectrometry mode and identified by fragment spectra comparison, retention time and accurate mass. Approximately 500 NPS, including 195 synthetic cannabino…
Molecular approach for the characterization of ancient /degraded Cyperus sp.specimens
2013
The aim of this work has been to apply and improve the efficiency of molecular tools for the identification of Cyperus sp. from difTerent sources. Total DNA was extracted from fresh, degraded and ancient specimens. DNA molecules were the template for in vitro amplification of specific target regions referred to rcbL plastid gene (ribulose-l,5 -biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit). Dedicated DNA extraction and amplification protocols have been applied specifically for fresh/degraded and ancient samples. Particularly, specific set of primer, annealing temperatures and reaction mixtures have been performed. The PCR products, single DNA fragments, were resolved on agarose gel electr…
Functional C1-inhibitor diagnostics in hereditary angioedema: Assay evaluation and recommendations
2008
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of potentially life-threatening angioedema. The most widespread underlying genetic deficiency is a heterozygous deficiency of the serine protease inhibitor Cl esterase inhibitor (C1-Inh). In addition to low C4 levels, the most important laboratory parameter for correct diagnosis of HAE or angioedema due to acquired C1-Inh deficiency is reduced C1-Inh function (fC1-Inh). No direct recommendations about the assays for fC1-Inh or sample handling conditions are available, although this would prove especially useful when a laboratory first starts to offer assays on fC1-Inh for HAE diagnosis. In the p…
Prevalence of cytomegalovirus infection in Italy
1991
SUMMARYBetween 1987 and 1989, the prevalence of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) was determined, by the ELISA method, in serum samples from 1494 apparently healthy subjects, 3–18 years old. Subjects were selected by a systematic cluster sampling from five geographical areas in Italy. The overall prevalence of antibody was 64·2%, increasing from 54·4% in 4–6-year-olds to 73·3% in subjects 17–18 years old (P < 0·01). Prevalence of antibody was significantly higher in females (P < 0·05) and in subjects residing in the South of Italy (P < 0·01). A significant association was found with sociodemographic factors. Subjects belonging to a household with six or more persons had a 1·5-fold …
The EUropean Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI)
2020
Funder: FP7 Ideas: European Research Council; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100011199; Grant(s): HEALTH-F2-2010-241909
One‐quarter of chronic hepatitis D patients reach HDV‐RNA decline or undetectability during the natural course of the disease
2021
BACKGROUND Spontaneous HDV-RNA fluctuations, assessed by nonstandardised in-house assays, have been reported during the course of chronic hepatitis delta (CHD). AIMS To evaluate changes in serum HDV-RNA concentrations in untreated CHD patients and correlate these changes with other HBV markers. METHODS A total of 323 consecutive serum samples from 56 CHD patients (detectable HDV-RNA) followed for >3 years were retested for HDV-RNA levels by a sensitive technique using the first WHO international HDV-RNA standard. Quantitative HBsAg, HBV-DNA, and HBV-RNA were also determined. RESULTS Most participants were male, middle-aged, white European, and HBeAg-negative (82%). Almost half had liver cir…
Baseline sero-epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in children and teenagers in Italy. A survey before mass hepatitis B vaccination
1991
During the period May 1987 to November 1989, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers was determined by ELISA in serum samples of 7405 (55% male, 45% female) apparently healthy persons 3-19 years of age in Italy. Earlier studies of adults there had shown an intermediate degree of HBV endemicity (hepatitis B surface antigen carrier rate greater than 2%). Persons were selected by systematic cluster sampling in five different geographical areas of Italy. The overall prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 0.6%. The overall prevalence of at least one marker of HBV was 2.8%; it increased from 1.7% among children 3-5 years of age to 4.5% in teenagers 17-19 years of age (P l…
Trends in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Italy between 1991 and 2010
2012
The prevalence of asthma increased worldwide until the 1990s, but since then there has been no clear temporal pattern. The present study aimed to assess time trends in the prevalence of current asthma, asthma-like symptoms and allergic rhinitis in Italian adults from 1990 to 2010. The same screening questionnaire was administered by mail or phone to random samples of the general population (age 20-44 yrs) in Italy, in the frame of three multicentre studies: the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) (1991-1993; n=6,031); the Italian Study on Asthma in Young Adults (ISAYA) (1998-2000; n=18,873); and the Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD) study (2007-2…
The moderating role of meaning in life in the relationship between perceived stress and diurnal cortisol.
2018
Previous studies have suggested that meaning in life may buffer the negative effects of stress. This study is the first to investigate the moderating role of meaning in life in the relationship between the perception of stress and diurnal cortisol in two independent samples of healthy adults. In study 1 (n = 172, men = 82, women = 90, age range = 21-55 years, mean age = 37.58 years), the results of moderated regression analyses revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between overall perceived stress in the past month and both diurnal cortisol levels (area-under-the-curve with respect to the ground; AUCg) and the diurnal cortisol slope (DCS) only in individuals with low l…
Differences between Human Plasma and Serum Metabolite Profiles
2011
BackgroundHuman plasma and serum are widely used matrices in clinical and biological studies. However, different collecting procedures and the coagulation cascade influence concentrations of both proteins and metabolites in these matrices. The effects on metabolite concentration profiles have not been fully characterized.Methodology/principal findingsWe analyzed the concentrations of 163 metabolites in plasma and serum samples collected simultaneously from 377 fasting individuals. To ensure data quality, 41 metabolites with low measurement stability were excluded from further analysis. In addition, plasma and corresponding serum samples from 83 individuals were re-measured in the same plate…