The partial molecular characterization of multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated retrovirus (MSRV), a novel retrovirus previously called LM7, is reported. MSRV has been isolated repeatedly from leptomeningeal, choroid plexus and from Epstein-Barr virus-immortalized B cells of MS patients. A strategy based on reverse transcriptase PCR with RNA-purified extracellular virions yielded an initial pol fr...

Advanced nucleic acid-based technologies are powerful research tools for novel virus discovery but need to be standardized for broader applications such as virus detection in biological products and clinical samples. We have used well-characterized retrovirus stocks to evaluate the limit of detection (LOD) for broad-range PCR with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS or PLEX-ID...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been instrumental in revolutionizing microbiological identification, especially in high-throughput laboratories. It has enabled the identification of organisms like non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB), which has been a challenging task using conventional methods alone...

Localized (31)P-STEAM experiments were performed at 3 T to estimate relaxation times of phosphorus-containing metabolites in the human calf muscle in vivo. T(1) and T(2) times of PCr, P(i), and NTPs were measured in the resting calf muscle of healthy subjects by varying TR and TE. The localization performance of the (31)P-STEAM sequence was evaluated on a test object, resulting in a relative se...

In multiple sclerosis (MS) beneficial effects have been assigned to the interferon (IFN)-I subclass IFN-ß, making its administration a first-line disease-modifying treatment in MS. IFN-I responses can be induced by cyclic-dinucleotide (CDN) triggered activation of Stimulator-of-interferon-genes (STING) and have essential immunomodulatory effects. A beneficial effect of STING activation on...

The human herpesviruses HHV-6A and HHV-6B have been associated with various neurologic disorders partly due to the detection of elevated viral DNA levels in patients compared to controls. However the reported frequency of these viruses varies widely, likely reflecting differences in PCR methodologies used for detection. Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) is a third generation PCR technology that enabl...

Technology offers educators active learning and new teaching strategies. Five lower cost and scalable technology applications are presented as alternative or complement to high-fidelity simulation. Professional nurse educators should adopt technology when teaching and interact with vendors to generate real-world applications that advance development. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(3):105-108.