A simple and sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of cerium (IV), based on the catalytic effect of Ce (IV) on the oxidation of Nile blue (NB) by potassium periodate is described. The reaction rate was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in absorbance of NB at 636 nm. The detection limit of the method was 0.15 g ml and the line...

The attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Ra is one of the most commonly used controls for M. tuberculosis identification in the clinical laboratory and is a source of false-positive results for M. tuberculosis as a consequence of cross-contamination. Therefore, the ability to discriminate between H37Ra and real clinical isolates has important public health implications. To date, diff...

A simple method for the electrochemical detection of TATA-binding protein is demonstrated at DNA-modified microelectrodes. The assay is general and based on the interruption of DNA-mediated charge transport to Nile Blue, a redox-active probe covalently attached to the DNA base pair stack. Nanomolar quantities of TATA binding protein can be detected on the microelectrodes even in the presence of...

A fundamental understanding of electrochemical processes at the nanoscale is crucial to solving problems in research areas as diverse as electrocatalysis, energy storage, biological electron transfer, and plasmon-driven chemistry. However, there is currently no technique capable of directly providing chemical information about molecules undergoing heterogeneous charge transfer at the nanoscale....

The accuracy rates of 3 diagnostic methods, namely pH determination, fern test and nile blue sulphate (NBS) staining, in the evaluation of women with prolonged premature rupture of fetal membranes (PRM), were investigated in a prospective study. Two hundred and sixty-two women, divided into control and test groups, were examined. A total of 1725 tests were performed. The results indicate that t...

We studied the interaction of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) with Nile Blue (NB) and Safranine T (ST) by a spectral correction technique. The aggregations of NB and ST on an SDBS surface obeyed Langmuir isothermal adsorption. The adsorption ratios of NB and ST to SDBS were both 0.5, and the adsorption constants of the aggregates were 1.80 x 10(5) and 9.49 x 10(4). The aggregations were a...

A novel hybrid spectroscopic technique is proposed, combining surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microscopy. A standard Raman microscope is modified to accommodate the excitation of surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) on flat metallic surfaces in the Kretschmann configuration, while retaining the capabilities of Raman microscopy. The excitation of SPPs i...