Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are a serological hallmark in the diagnosis of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD). The indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay on HEp-2 cells is a commonly used test for the detection of ANA and has been recently recommended as the screening test of choice by a task force of the American College of Rheumatology. However, up to 20% of apparently healthy i...

Objective. Using a novel assay termed prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) assay to determine prooxidant-antioxidant balance in umbilical cord blood of infants with meconium stained of amniotic fluid (MSAF). Passage of meconium in amniotic fluid is associated with increase of neonatal mortality and morbidity. This complication occurs in about 15% of infants and is more widespread in postterm ne...

BACKGROUND Human infections with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses have generally been confirmed by molecular amplification or culture-based methods. Serologic surveillance has potential advantages which have not been realized because rapid and specific serologic tests to detect H5N1 infection are not widely available. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here we describe an epitope-bl...

Liner design has become an increasingly more important tool for the AG/SAG mill performance optimization. The Sarcheshmeh copper complex concentration plant uses a SAG mill lined with 48 rows of Hi-Low type liners. Because of breakage of Low type liners and cold welding, the liner replacement task of Low with new Hi type liners has become very difficult and time-consuming. With the objective of...

Determining phenotype from genetic data is a fundamental challenge. Identification of emerging antigenic variants among circulating influenza viruses is critical to the vaccine virus selection process, with vaccine effectiveness maximized when constituents are antigenically similar to circulating viruses. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay data are commonly used to assess influenza antigeni...

The presence of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) is a hallmark of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD). The indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay on HEp-2 cells is a commonly used test for the detection of ANA and was recently recommended as the screening test of choice by a task force of the American College of Rheumatology. However, up to 20% of serum samples from healthy individuals ...

Aim Between July 2005 and May 2008, Indonesia reported 133 H5N1 confi rmed human cases with a case fatality proportion of 81%. Fifty-four percent of cases had a history of direct contact with poultry (chickens). Therefore, it is important to defi ne the detection of antibody of H5N1 among people who have intensive contact with poultry have been exposed to H5N1 viruses. Methods We collected sera...