We describe a simple method using percoll gradient for isolation of highly enriched human monocytes. High numbers of fully functional cells are obtained from whole blood or buffy coat cells. The use of simple laboratory equipment and a relatively cheap reagent makes the described method a convenient approach to obtaining human monocytes.

BACKGROUND The laboratory diagnosis of Chagas disease is challenging because the usefulness of different diagnostic tests will depend on the stage of the disease. Serology is the preferred method for patients in the chronic phase, whereas PCR can be successfully used to diagnose acute and congenital cases. Here we present data using a combination of three TaqMan PCR assays to detect T. cruzi DN...

SUMMARY: BACKGROUND: It is known that pooled platelet concentrates derived from buffy coat (PCs) have several disadvantages compared to platelet concentrates produced by platelet apheresis (APCs). Therefore, all blood products issued by the Bavarian Red Cross blood banks (BSD/BRK) (18,000 products/year) were produced by single donor apheresis. The main reason not to produce PCs was the elevated...

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that global methylation levels in blood cell DNA may be a biomarker for cancer risk. To date, most studies have used genomic DNA isolated from blood or urine as a surrogate marker of global DNA methylation levels in bladder tumor tissue. METHODS A subset of 50 bladder cancer cases was selected from the New England Bladder Cancer Case-Control Study. Genomic DNA was...

BACKGROUND The Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology system for platelets and plasma uses riboflavin and UV light to introduce irreparable lesions into nucleic acids thereby inhibiting pathogen and white blood cell replication and reducing the load of infectious pathogens. The aim of the present study was to evaluate low plasma buffy coat platelet concentrates obtained from the OrbiSac System a...

Platelet activating factor obtained from antigen-stimulated rabbit buffy coat leukocytes containing 10% IgE-sensitized basophils was shown by gas-liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of products after acetolysis and by base and acid hydrolysis to be acetyl-alkylglyceryl phosphorylcholine. The alkyl side chains were composed of octadecyl (greater than 90%) and hexadecyl (less t...

One of several human leukocyte interferon subtypes A (LeIF-A), obtained in purified form from a gene cloned in Escherichia coli, stimulated human peripheral blood natural killer cell activity, whereas another human leukocyte interferon subtype D (LeIF-D) had no effect with the use of K562 as target cells. With Daudi as target cells, both LeIF-A and LeIF-D stimulated natural killer cell activity...

BACKGROUND To date more than 20 antigenically distinct strains of Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT) reported within the tsutsugamushi triangle that cause an undifferentiated acute febrile illness in humans. Genotypic characterization of OT in different geographic regions or within the same country, is important in order to establish effective diagnostics, clinical management and to develop effective ...

BACKGROUND Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is caused by mutations in the gene encoding thymidine phosphorylase (TP). The clinical manifestations of MNGIE are recognizable and homogeneous, but in the early stages, the disease is often misdiagnosed. This study assesses the reliability of biochemical assays to diagnose MNGIE. METHODS We studied 180 patients with cli...

AIM To characterise the genomic DNA (gDNA) yield from urine and quality of derived methylation data generated from the widely used Illuminia Infinium MethylationEPIC (HM850K) platform and compare this with buffy coat samples. BACKGROUND DNA methylation is the most widely studied epigenetic mark and variations in DNA methylation profile have been implicated in diabetes which affects approximat...