Serum bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP; EC 3.1.3.1) was measured with a wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) precipitation assay and with a new IRMA in a group of healthy elderly women. Both assays were correlated with serum total ALP activity and with osteocalcin. The two bone ALP assays have comparable within- and between-run imprecisions (WGA assay within-run CVs 2.6-5.4% and between-run, 4.0-5.1%; IRM...

We have developed a sensitive, specific solid-phase immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-RP) with use of affinity-purified polyclonal immunoglobulins. Antibodies recognizing PTH-RP(37-74) are immobilized to a polystyrene bead to "capture" analytes from the sample; antibodies to epitopes within the 1-36 amino acid region of PTH-RP are labeled with 125I. This...

I would love a microbicide gel. But right now, even cheap water-based lubes are simply NOT available in many settings. So what would be the case with a specially formulated gel? Of course, something to consider is that in some of our countries, something that “promotes homosexuality” like a rectal microbicide for anal sex, God forbid, might be banned before it is even actually produced! But, th...

L.I. GALTCHOUK and S.M. PERGAMENSHCHIKOV IRMA, Strasbourg University, 7 rue Rene Descartes, 67084, Strasbourg, France. E-mail: [email protected] Laboratoire de Mathématiques Raphael Salem, Université de Rouen, Avenue de l’Université, BP. 12, F76801, Saint Etienne du Rouvray, Cedex France and Laboratory of Quantitative Finance, National Research University – Higher School of Econo...

Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men is present as two different molecular forms separable by gel-filtration chromatography (GFC). We have evaluated a two-site IRMA that measures only the noncomplexed (free) form of PSA (F-PSA). Verification that the F-PSA assay measures solely F-PSA was obtained by assaying GFC-fractionated serum samples with both the F-PSA IRMA and a commercial PSA as...

Serum Bone Gla Protein (BGP) levels were measured by both immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) to investigate the effect of intermittent 1,25(OH)2D3 administration to dialysis patients who could not tolerate an increase in an active vitamin D3 dose and/or calcium to control secondary hyperparathyroidism due to hypercalcemia. The administration of active vitamin D3 gradually...

The value as a thyroid function test of a new, rapid, and highly sensitive immunoradiometric assay for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was assessed in 188 consecutive new patients with suspected hyperthyroidism. The diagnosis was made on clinical grounds and on the basis of serum total triiodothyronine and thyroxine concentrations and the response of TSH to thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH...

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone, secreted by the syncytiotrophoblast cells of the fertilized ovum, that enters the maternal circulation at the time of endometrial implantation. It is composed of two nonidentical subunits; alpha and beta, with molecular weights of 14 kD and 23 kD, respectively. Its alpha subunit is identical in primary structure to its glycoprotein h...

We evaluated four commercial kits for measuring serum ferritin, based on three techniques: immunoradiometric assay, radioimmunoassay, and enzyme immunoassay. The kits evaluated were those manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, Clinical Assays, Corning Medical, and Ramco. Two of the immunoradiometric kits showed satisfactory results with respect to sensitivity and precision; they should be useful ...