We have synthesized twelve 2-substituted benzimidazole, benzothiazole and indole derivatives using on both microwave irradiation and conventional heating methods. The microwave method was observed to be more beneficial as it provides an increase of yield from 3% to 113% and a 95 to 98 % reduction in time. All compounds were tested by a stains-all assay at pH 7 and by a Morgan-Elson assay at pH ...

We developed simple, reliable, and highly sensitive assay modifications of commercially available radioimmunoassay kits to measure estradiol in saliva and blood spot specimens. The saliva assay has average intra- and interassay coefficients of variation (CV) of 6.45 and 9.01%, with average analytical and serial dilution recoveries 100.65 and 89.25%. The blood spot assay has average intra- and i...

Two monoclonal antibodies to thyrotropin prepared in our laboratory were employed for the development of two-site immunometric assays in two modifications for the estimation of human thyrotropin in dried blood spots designed for the screening of neonatal hypothyroidism. The immunoradiometric assay using the second antibody labelled with 125I is simple and fast (one incubation step lasting 2 h)....

BACKGROUND Development of an alternative sampling method that uses small amounts of whole blood, such as dried blood spots (DBS), would be an advance in the quantitative assay field. Previously, we assessed the ability to quantitate therapeutic monoclonal antibodies present in DBS compared with a typical serum sample-based method, and concluded that measurements in DBS were reproducible and yie...

We describe an enzyme-immunoassay with photometric endpoint determination, suitable for the measurement of thyrotropin (TSH) in dried blood spotted on filter paper. Using reagents of a commercially available test kit provided for the measurement of thyrotropin in 200 microliter serum, we have adapted the method to the determination of thyrotropin in blood spots containing ca. 10 microliter bloo...

Introduction 1. Why smart communities are important and how they work Distributed governance and multiple accountabilities Milieu and discovery Collective intelligence Social learning 2. How can one make communities smarter Agenda for civic architects Agenda for civic engineers Agenda for civic entrepreneurs, D. Agenda for practice-enhancing governance Conclusion Notes for an address to the sym...

An important recent development in the field of HIV/AIDS care and treatment is the discovery that taking an antiretroviral medication 2–24 h before high risk sexual activity followed by daily doses for 2 days significantly lowers risk for HIV transmission (1 ). This strategy, called preexposure prophylaxis or PrEP, is naturally changing behavior amongst high-risk groups who are HIV negative. Th...

BACKGROUND Antigen specific release of IP-10 is an established marker for infection with M.tuberculosis. Compared to IFN-γ, IP-10 is released in 100-fold higher concentrations enabling the development of novel assays for detection. Dried blood spots are a convenient sample for high throughput newborn screening. AIM To develop a robust and sensitive ELISA-based assay for IP-10 detection in pla...

We have evaluated a time-resolved immunofluorometric assay (IFMA) for determining thyrotropin. This "sandwich"-type system involves two monoclonal antibodies directed against different epitopes. A linear relationship between signal and thyrotropin concentration was observed up to 6000 milli-int. units/L. This procedure takes one day, vs six days with our present RIA technique, and requires only...

Background The relationship between agriculture, Anopheles mosquitoes, and malaria in Africa is not fully understood, but it is important for malaria control as countries consider expanding agricultural projects to address population growth and food demand. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effect of agriculture on Anopheles biting behaviour and malaria risk in children in rural areas of the De...