Metagenomic sequencing has produced significant amounts of data in recent years. For example, as of summer 2013, MG-RAST has been used to annotate over 110,000 data sets totaling over 43 Terabases. With metagenomic sequencing finding even wider adoption in the scientific community, the existing web-based analysis tools and infrastructure in MG-RAST provide limited capability for data retrieval ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the running anaerobic sprint test (RAST) as a predictor of anaerobic capacity, compare it to the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) and to compare the RAST's parameters with the parameters of 30-s all-out tethered running on a treadmill. 39 (17.0±1.4 years) soccer players participated in this study. The participants underwent an incrementa...

To assess the expected clinical and financial benefits of rapid reporting of microbiology results, we compared patients whose cultured samples were processed in the normal manner to patients whose samples were processed more rapidly due to a minor change in work flow. For the samples tested in the rapid-reporting time period, the vast majority of bacterial identification and antimicrobial susce...

BACKGROUND Diagnosis of food allergy is difficult in children. Food allergies are diagnosed using several methods that include medical histories, clinical examinations, skin prick and serum-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests, radio-allergosorbent test (RAST), food challenge, and supervised elimination diets. In this study we evaluated allergies to cow's milk, egg, peanut, and fish in childre...

BACKGROUND: Skin testing (ST) is the most common screening method for allergy evaluation. Measurement of serum specific IgE is also commonly used, but less so by allergists than by other practitioners. The sensitivity and specificity of these testing methods may vary by type of causative allergen and type of allergic manifestation. We compared ST reactivity with serum specific IgE antibodies to...

It is well known that lifestyle factors and stress can influence the immune system, but it is less clear whether they have any effect on radioallergosorbent test (RAST) scores. The RAST scores were measured over time in 2 allergy patients, being assessed monthly for a period exceeding 10 years in one of them. The potential influence of lifestyle factors and stress on RAST scores was investigate...

A radioallergosorbent test (RAST) was developed to detect IgE antibodies against adult Onchocerca volvulus antigens coupled to CnBr-activated Sepharose. Twenty-four out of 25 (96%) onchocerciasis sera were reactive. The lower limit of sensitivity was estimated to be at approx. 3 ng/ml IgE antibodies. Tests of sera from patients with non-filarial helminth infections showed much less cross-reacti...

PURPOSE To determine criterion validity of the pediatric running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) as a nonsophisticated field test for evaluating anaerobic performance in healthy children and adolescents. METHODS Data from 65 healthy children (28 boys and 37 girls between 6 and 18 years of age, mean ± SD age: 10.0 ± 2.8 years) who completed both the pediatric RAST and the 30-s Wingate anaer...

The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for specific IgE antibodies to Brugia malayi was compared with the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) for use in immunoepidemiological studies of lymphatic filariasis. Sera used were from individuals (aged 5-82 years) living in an area endemic for lymphatic filariasis in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The percentage of positive IgE ELISA reactions (52.6%) ...