Attendance at this year's European Calcified Tissue Society's (ECTS) Congress reveals that the methods used to obtain qPCR results continue to be significantly flawed and that and their reporting remain inadequate.

Real time PCR (quantitative PCR, qPCR) is now a well-established method for the detection, quantification, and typing of different microbial agents in the areas of clinical and veterinary diagnostics and food safety. Although the concept of PCR is relatively simple, there are specific issues in qPCR that developers and users of this technology must bear in mind. These include the use of correct...

Robust dosage PCR (RD-PCR), a duplex and quantitative PCR, detects large heterozygous deletions and duplications in genomic DNA samples. RD-PCR amplifies an endogenous internal control and a target locus. Two of six RD-PCR assays behaved anomalously due to lower yields specific to the targets. The variability was eliminated by heat treatment of the genomic DNA samples in 2x TE solution at 90 de...

M. Hong Nguyen,1 Mark C. Wissel,2 Ryan K. Shields,1 Martin A. Salomoni,2 Binghua Hao,1 Ellen G. Press,1 Ryan M. Shields,2 Shaoji Cheng,1 Dimitra Mitsani,1 Aniket Vadnerkar,1 Fernanda P. Silveira,1 Steven B. Kleiboeker,2 and Cornelius J. Clancy1,3 1Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 2Viracor-IBT Laboratories, Lee's Summit, Missouri; and 3Department of Medicine, VA Pi...

Background & Aims: Neisseria meningitidis is bacteria fastidious, and the main causes of meningitis and acute sepsis. Appropriate treatment depends on accurate and timely diagnosis. This study aimed to identify Neisseria meningitidis infection in samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with suspected meningitis. Methods: In this study, 198 samples of cerebrospinal fluid of patients wit...

Loach minnow (Rhinichthys cobitis) and spikedace (Meda fulgida) are legally protected with the status of Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and are endemic to the Gila River basin of Arizona and New Mexico. Efficient and sensitive methods for monitoring these species' distributions are critical for prioritizing conservation efforts. We developed quantitative PCR assays for detecti...

In recent years, Fluorescent Melting Curve Analysis (FMCA) has become an almost ubiquitous feature of commercial quantitative PCR (qPCR) thermal cyclers. Here a micro-fluidic device is presented capable of performing FMCA within a microchannel. The device consists of modular thermally conductive blocks which can sandwich a microfluidic substrate. Opposing ends of the blocks are held at differin...