OBJECTIVES Refractometric methods to measure total protein (TP) in serum and plasma specimens have been replaced by automated biuret methods in virtually all routine clinical testing. A subset of laboratories, however, still report using refractometry to measure TP in conjunction with serum protein electrophoresis. The objective of this study was therefore to conduct a modern performance evalua...

Early detection of a refractive error and its correction are extremely important for the prevention of amblyopia (poor vision). The golden standard in the detection of refractive errors is retinoscopy--a method where the pupils are dilated in order to exclude accomodation. This results in a more accurate measurement of a refractive error. Automatic computer refractometer is also in use. The stu...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology is introduced to fabricate a high sensitivity refractometer based on an adiabatic tapered optical fiber. Different thicknesses of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanofilm were coated around the tapered fiber precisely and uniformly under different deposition cycles. Attributed to the higher refractive index of the TiO₂ nanofilm compared to that of silica, an asy...

Plasma and serum protein concentrations were determined in chickens and turkeys by refractometry (with human and veterinary refractometers) and by the biuret method. Chicken and turkey serum protein values were significantly lower than respective plasma protein values according to both methods. Refractometer readings for both plasma and serum correlated closely with the results of the biuret te...

For 128 pleural fluids, the relationship between the protein content and the reading for the specific gravity obtained from a refractometer calibrated for urinary specific gravity was analyzed. The refractometer gave falsely high levels for the specific gravity of the pleural fluid. A reading for 1.019 (rather than 1.016) corresponded to a concentration of protein of 3.0 gm/100 ml, and each dev...

Interference refractometry is a well-established method of determining the concentration of anaesthetic agents in gas mixtures. A photo-electric detector system has been fitted to a small portable, direct-reading interference refractometer to display automatically the concentration of the agent being measured. The design of the instrument is described and two possible methods of information dis...

Background: Accumulation of pleural and peritoneal fluid is seen in some diseases. In order to diagnose the disease and start the treatment, one of the most important actions will be to differentiate between exudates and transudates. The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of measuring the specific gravity of the fluid through...