BACKGROUND Homogeneous PCR methods for genotyping usually require fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide probes. Amplicon melting with the DNA dye LCGreen I was recently introduced as a closed-tube method of genotyping that does not require probes or real-time PCR. However, some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could not be completely genotyped without addition of a known genotype, and hig...

More than 20 years after the first in vitro amplification of DNA by PCR, this technique is firmly established for diagnostic purposes in many clinical laboratories. PCR technology is an exciting field that has continually advanced. Evolutionary steps have been, for example, the transition from conventional cycling to rapid-cycling (1 ), from post-PCR to real-time product analysis (2 ), and from...

To overcome blind spots of an ordinary weather radar which scans horizontally at a high altitude, a weather radar which operates vertically, so called an atmospheric profiler, is needed. In this paper, a K-band radar for observing rainfall vertically is introduced, and measurement results of rainfall are shown and discussed. For better performance of the atmospheric profiler, the radar which ha...

1. Algeciras-Schimnich A, Bruns DE, Boyd JC, Bryant SC, LaFortune KA, Grebe SKG. Failure of current laboratory protocols to detect lot-to-lot reagent differences: findings and possible solutions. Clin Chem 2013;59:1187–94. 2. Bais R. What information should manufacturers provide on their procedures? Clin Chem 2006; 52:1624–5. 3. Bais R, Armbruster D, Jansen RTP, Klee G, Panteghini M, Passarelli...

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) represents an important genetic marker for manipulation to improve the health and productivity of cattle. It is closely associated with numerous disease susceptibilities and immune responses. Bovine MHC, also called bovine leukocyte antigen (BoLA), is considered as a suitable marker for genetic diversity studies. In cattle, most of the polymorphisms are lo...

BACKGROUND High-resolution melting of PCR amplicons with the DNA dye LCGreen I was recently introduced as a homogeneous, closed-tube method of genotyping that does not require probes or real-time PCR. We adapted this system to genotype single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) after rapid-cycle PCR (12 min) of small amplicons (</=50 bp). METHODS Engineered plasmids were used to study all possibl...

OBJECTIVES The fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3) plays a critical role in cartilage growth-plate differentiation and bony development. It has been shown that 97% of patients with achondroplasia have a G to A transition mutation at position 1138 (c.1138 G>A) of codon 380 of the FGFR3 gene. DESIGN AND METHODS Exon 8 of the FGFR3 gene was analyzed in 40 patients with achondroplasi...