HIV Load Testing with Small Samples of Whole Blood

Homogeneous immunoassay of whole-blood samples.

Proof of principle has been shown for a rapid, quantitative, homogeneous immunoassay capable of analyzing whole-blood samples. The assay was performed with test cards and a small instrument designed for use at the point of care. The immunoassay has an immunological "front end" combined with a coagulation cascade chemistry "back end" and is made possible by combining two patented technologies: (...

Assay of fibrinogen in small blood samples.

T IS DIFFICULT to perform accurate fibrinogen assays on small samples of blood. A significant fraction of the plasma is lost when it is separated from the cells in 0.1or 0.2-mi. samples of blood and the plasma is diluted to a variable, usually undetermined, extent by the addition of anticoagulant. This can be minimized by using heparin dried in capillary tubes, but heparin interferes with subse...

Hepatitis C virus RNA quantitation in venous and capillary small-volume whole-blood samples.

Quantitation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in plasma and serum samples is a costly procedure in both time and reagents. Additionally, cell-associated viral RNA may not be detected. This study evaluated the accuracy of HCV RNA quantitation in small-volume whole-blood (WB) samples, which would be appropriate for point-of-care diagnostic devices. HCV RNA was extracted from 222 clinical plasma and...

Detection of Cytomegalovirus DNA in EDTA Whole Blood Samples:

Stabilization of mRNA expression in whole blood samples.

BACKGROUND Accurate quantification of mRNA in whole blood is made difficult by the simultaneous degradation of gene transcripts and unintended gene induction caused by sample handling or uncontrolled activation of coagulation. This study was designed to compare a new blood collection tube (PAXgene Blood RNA System) and a companion sample preparation reagent set with a traditional sample collect...