摘要:
The presence of fecal occult blood in a stool sample is detected by mixing a liquid stool sample with an acidic liquid, such as a phosphate/citrate buffer, to precipitate hematin from the solution. The precipitated hematin is separated and the presence of absence of hemoglobin is determined by exposing the solution to a peroxidase diagnostic assay. A positive response indicates the presence of blood originating in the lower gastrointestinal tract, a leading indicator of lower GI cancer.
摘要:
An apparatus for analyzing a sample of biologic fluid quiescently residing within a chamber (20) is provided. The apparatus includes a field illuminator (40), a positioner (86), a mechanism for determining the volume of a sample field, and an image dissector (42). The field illuminator (40) is operable to illuminate a sample field of known, or ascertainable, area. The positioner (86) is operable to selectively change the position of one of the chamber (20) or the field illuminator (40) relative to the other, thereby permitting selective illumination of all regions of the sample. The mechanism for determining the volume of a sample field can determine the volume of a sample field illuminated by a light source. The image dissector (42) is operable to convert an image of light passing through or emanating from the sample field into an electronic data format.
摘要:
The specification discloses a method for enhancing the reliability of screening tests used for detecting the presence or absence of chemical markers associated with gastrointestinal cancer. The method comprises the steps of providing a laxative purge for administration to a patient, collecting a watery fecal sample and then applying the watery fecal sample to a test medium having an indicator to indicate the presence of chemical markers associated with gastrointestinal cancer, if there. Two alternative methods are suggested for obtaining a watery fecal sample. In a first embodiment, the purge is administered to the patient following a recent bowel movement and the first watery post-purge bowel movement is collected. In a second embodiment, the purge is administered to the patient, the first post-purge bowel movement is discarded and the second watery post-purge bowel movement is collected.
摘要:
A patient's blood sample is incubated with an antigen and tested for lymphocyte response, ie. an activation of lymphocytes and/or a conversion of lymphocytes to lymphoblasts, which indicates prior exposure of the patient to the antigen. A positive response indicates the presence of prior exposure to prior diseases or clinical conditions such as parasitic diseases, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, gonorrhea, fungal infections, rickettsial infections, Lyme disease or allergens. Whole blood from the patient is incubated with the antigen of the disease or condition for which the patient is being tested. After a suitable time, a fluorescent dye or colorant which has an affinity for a discriminant characteristic of the activated lymphocytes or lymphoblasts, such as: intracellular calcium; surface activation antigens such as transferrin receptor; HLA-Dr; Leu-23; and the like. The incubated blood is then drawn into a transparent tube containing a float which concentrates the buffy coat constituent layers upon centrifugation of the blood sample. The concentrated lymphocyte layer is then examined for fluorescence or coloration which is indicative of the presence of the activated lymphocytes or lymphoblasts, and their concentration. The fluorescence or coloration can be qualified and/or quantified by a reader instrument.
摘要:
Target nucleated cells, and target cells containing remnant ribosomal material, which are present in a quiescent anticoagulated whole blood sample are optically detected, enumerated, and analyzed in a sample chamber (14) that has a varying through plane thickness due to convergent opposing sample chamber walls. At least one of the convergent walls (8) of the chamber is transparent so that the blood sample can be observed. The chamber's varying thickness produces a first lesser thickness region (A) in the chamber wherein individual red cells (32) and quiescent monolayers (31) of red cells in the sample will reside after the sample is introduced into and fills the chamber. Larger formed constituents such as white blood cells (34) and nucleated red blood cells present in the sample will reside in greater thickness regions (B) of the chamber, and non-nucleated red cells which reside in such greater thickness regions will agglomerate to form rouleaux (33). By admixing fluorescent dyes with the blood sample, target cells in the sample can be enumerated and differentiated by means of a scanning instrument (54) which is able to measure different wave length color signals emitted from the target cells in the sample, and differentiate the target cells one from another by reason of the nature of the emitted color signals.
摘要:
A sample of anticoagulated mammalian whole blood is admixed with a combination of reagents that will reduce the natural repulsive forces that mammalian erythrocytes have for each other. The treated blood sample is then centrifuged in a tube containing a buffy coat expanding insert thereby physically expanding the axial extent of the blood sample s buffy coat components in the tube. By reducing the tendency of the erythrocytes to repel each other, a clearer demarcation between the erythrocytes and the buffy coat can be achieved. The effect of agglutinating reagents which may have been added to the blood sample will also be enhanced. The aforesaid procedure and reagents make it possible for the first time to accurately analyze a centrifuged sample of anticoagulated bovine whole blood and obtain hematocrit and differential white cell counts therefrom. Additionally, human blood samples which otherwise exhibit a streaming tendency can also be accurately analyzed by the addition of a combination of the appropriate erythrocyte repulsion-reducing reagents along with agglutinating reagents.
摘要:
A target analyte which may be found in a substance, such as a biological or environmental substance, is assayed by inoculating a media with a sample of the substance. The target analyte is a unique nucleotide sequence of the RNA or DNA of a suspect organism, or any nucleotide target, or a combination of nucleotide sequences thereof, which organism may be found in the substance. The media contains selected target analyte amplifiers which will result in the amplification of any target analytes which are present in the substance. The media may also contain one or more labeled analyte-specific materials (LASMs) which can migrate through the media. The nature of the media is such that it will support target analyte-copying but will not allow the target analyte to migrate extensively within the media. After the substance to be assayed is added to the media and any target analytes are amplified, the LASMs will migrate by diffusion to resultant target analyte units or colonies in the media, thereby creating intensely labeled localized areas in the media which can be visually or mechanically detected. Each of the intensely labeled areas in the media will be surrounded by low intensity label halos. The number of high intensity labeled sites in the media will be proportional to the concentration of target analytes in the substance.
摘要:
Useful information about a subject's level of systemic inflammation is obtained by quantitatively measuring the amount of fibrinogen and the hematocrit and or hemoglobin in the subject's whole blood. The fibrinogen measurement, when combined with an hematocrit or hemoglobin measurement, provides a systemic Inflammation Index value for the donor. The method is not affected by blood variables which are not related to the presence of inflammation, which blood variables are known to invalidate an erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which is the most frequently used blood test for detecting systemic inflammation in humans.