A widely used immunoglobulin M (IgM) detection assay for the diagnosis of neonatal congenital syphilis is the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test used with fractionated serum (FTA-ABS 19S IgM test). Reading the results of the FTA-ABS test is more cumbersome than reading those of the FTA-ABS double staining (FTA-ABS-DS) test, a confirmatory test for specific IgG. To verify that the F...

X-ray spectroscopy studies of potassium intercalated metal-free phthalocyanine multilayers adsorbed on Al(110) have been undertaken. Photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show the presence of several charge states of the molecules upon K intercalation, due to a charge transfer from the alkali. In addition, the comparison of valence band photoemission spectra with the density functional theory...

Both the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTS-ABS) test and Venereal Disease Laboratory (VDRL) test for syphilis were performed routinely on 113 men with histories of genital ulcerations. The difference in negative VDRL and borderline FTS-ABS results between patients with and without herpes simplex virus in their genital ulcers and no evidence of previous or untreated syphilis was no...

Using a solid-phase radioimmunoassay technique, mean serum IgE concentrations were found to be raised in patients with early syphilis. Antitreponemal specificity of the IgE response was investigated by the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test using a fluorescein-isothiocyanate-labelled antiserum against the Fc-fragment of human IgE. Validity of this test procedure was assessed by blo...

BACKGROUND NPC1L1 is the molecular target of the cholesterol lowering drug Ezetimibe and mediates the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Inhibition or deletion of NPC1L1 reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption, resulting in reduction of plasma cholesterol levels. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here we present the 2.8 Å crystal structure of the N-terminal domain (NTD) of NPC1L1 in the absence of chol...

Theanine, first discovered in tea, is a chiral nonproteinic amino acid that has been reported to have cardiovascular, neurological, and oncological effects. It is being considered as a therapeutic/medicinal agent and additive in consumer products. The present study evaluated the pharmacokinetics of D-theanine, L-theanine, and D,L-theanine in plasma and urine using LC-ESI/MS in rats after oral (...

Abstract: In this paper, combining the Maxwell equations with the electron balanceequation, we obtain the inverse braking radiation absorption coefficient in a laser fusioncorona plasma. For a fixed plasma temperature, variations of the absorption coefficientversus the penetration depth into the plasma are illustrated numerically for differentvalues of laser wavelength. ...

We evaluated analytic performances of an automated treponemal test and compared this test with the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS). Precision performance of the Architect Syphilis TP assay (TP; Abbott Japan, Tokyo, Japan) was assessed, and 150 serum samples were assayed with the TP before and after heat inactivation ...