We compared the sensitivity and specificity of a modified Ziehl-Neelsen (modified-ZN) staining method for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) with that of the standard Ziehl-Neelsen (standard-ZN) staining method, using culture results with Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the "gold standard." The sensitivity (72%; 101 of 140) of the modified-ZN staining method, which uses 0.3% carbol fuchsin, was significantl...

We evaluated three methods (two indirect and one direct) for determining the magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) content of erythrocytes, to compare methodologic differences and to establish a method suitable for use in field studies. For the indirect methods, erythrocytes in whole blood were lysed by adding either de-ionized water (I) or nitric acid, 2 mol/L (II). For the direct method (III), erythro...

The aim of this study was to compare Fluorescent(auraminO rhodamine,AO)method ,Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN hot method)and kinyoun(cold method) staining techniques for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials And Methods: 186(on 3 consecutive days) sputum samples were collected from 62 suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients, processed by petroffs method, and subjected to direct microscopy...

Zinc colocalizes with glutamate in the synaptic vesicles of certain glutamatergic vesicles in the mammalian brain. Here, I introduce a method for detecting Zn in the extracellular space of brain slices and another method for detecting the passage of Zn out of the slice. In both cases, the fluorimetric Zn probe FluoZin-3 is used in conjunction with a slow Zn chelator, Ca-EDTA, to reduce backgrou...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Improper practices of making direct smears of sputum for detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and of disposing sputum cups are hazardous. The present study was undertaken with the objective to stain sputum samples in their containers by 'phenol (10%) ammonium sulphate (4%) basic fuchsin (2%) solution' and to decolourize and counterstain their smears for detection of AFB-...

We study the localized tachyon condensation in their mirror Landau-Ginzburg picture. We completely determine the decay mode of an unstable orbifold C/Zn, r = 1, 2, 3 under the condensation of a tachyon with definite R-charge and mass by extending the Vafa’s work hep-th/0111105. Here, we give a simple method that works uniformly for all C/Zn. For C/Zn, where method of toric geometry works, we gi...

This method for direct determination of Zn in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) involves flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry with a pulse nebulizer technique. Standard solutions of Zn in 150 mmol/L NaCl were used. We could account for 88% of added standard with the method in individual samples from 10 patients and in pooled CSF. The method is acceptably precise, CVs in pooled CSF ranging from 4 t...

A preconcentration method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of Co, Ni, Cd and Zn by atomic absorption spectrometry. The method is based on the retention of the metal cations by naphthalene–2,4,6-trimorpholino-1,3,5-triazin adsorbent in a column. The adsorbed metals were then eluted from the column with hydrochloric acid and the Co, Ni, Cd and Zn were determined by flame atomi...

Background: Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) method proves to be a good modality of microscopic detection of Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) in Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) smears of lymph nodes though has a low sensitivity. It has a potential to become an even more valuable tool if its sensitivity could be increased. Objective: To improve microscopic detection of AFB in FNA cytology of lymph nodes using modified bl...