BACKGROUND The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil and its precipitous expansion throughout the Americas has highlighted the urgent need for a rapid and reliable on-site diagnostic assay suitable for viral detection. Such point-of-need (PON), low-cost diagnostics are essential for ZIKV control in vulnerable areas with limited resources. METHODS We developed and evaluated a ZIKV-sp...

In order to determine low levels of Cd in urine samples, we tried to remove Mo interference using ICP-MS with a dynamic reaction-cell technique, but failed due to the low sensitivity and the variance with the standards. We then performed solid-phase extraction (SPE) before the ICP-MS measurement. A commercially available chelating resin, NOBIAS PA-1, was used for SPE, and could effectively remo...

We report the results from 57 Australian diagnostic laboratories testing two external quality assessment panels using either the Roche Amplicor Chlamydia trachomatis test (R-PCR) or the Abbott LCx Chlamydia trachomatis assay (A-ligase chain reaction [LCR]). Panel samples were either normal urine spiked with Chlamydia trachomatis antigen or clinical urine specimens. There was no significant diff...

A quality control program of analyses of toxic metals in urine has been carried out in the Nordic countries since 1978. In connection with these programs, the advantages and disadvantages of lyophilized compared to natural urine specimens as control materials have been investigated in three successive similar studies. Three parallel lyophilized and natural specimens were distributed to 12 parti...

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres for Piperine were synthesized by precipitation polymerization with a noncovalent approach. In this research Piperine was used as a template, acrylic acid as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker, and 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator and acetonitrile as a solvent. The imprinted and nonimprinted po...

Introduction. Clotiapine is an atypical antipsychotic of the dibenzothiazepine class introduced in a few European countries since 1970, efficient in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. There is little published data on the therapeutic and toxic concentrations of this drug. Aims. The aim of the present study is the development and validation of a method that allows the detection and quan...

A method for the determination of trace amounts of the insecticide fipronil was developed using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and selected ion monitoring. Fipronil was extracted with a fused-silica fiber coated with 85 microm polyacrylate. The effects of pH, ionic strength, sample volume, extraction and desorption times as well as the extraction temperature we...

Purpose: To investigate the electro-reduction behaviour and determination of ciprofloxacin using a hanging mercury drop electrode. Methods: Cyclic voltammograms of ciprofloxacin recorded in Britton – Robinson buffers pH 2 – 5 exhibit a single irreversible cathodic peak. The dependence of the peak current and peak potential values on buffer (nature, pH and concentration) and accumulation conditi...

In this study, we developed a self-assembly pipette tip solid-phase extraction (PTSPE) method using a high molecular weight polymer material (PAX) as the adsorbent for the determination of domoic acid (DA) in human urine samples by liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis. The PTSPE cartridge, assembled by packing 9.1 mg of PAX as sorbent into a 200 μL pipette ...