Disagreement between bedside and laboratory activated partial thromboplastin time and international normalized ratio for various novel anticoagulants

During studies on warfarin, heparin and various anticoagulants with novel mechanisms of action, the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and the (apparent) international normalized ratio (INR) from a bedside monitor (Coagucheck Plus®) were compared with laboratory assay results. Data were compared using the Bland and Altman method of...

Cesar-therapie tijdelijk effectiever dan standaardbehandeling door de huisarts bij patiënten met chronische aspecifieke lage rugklachten: Gerandomiseerd, gecontroleerd en geblindeerd onderzoek met 1 jaar follow-up [Cesar therapy is temporarily more effective than a standard treatment from the general practitioner in patients with chronic aspecific lower back pain; randomized, controlled and blinded study with a I year follow-up]

Objective. To determine the effectiveness of a special form of exercise therapy ('Cesar therapy') on self reported recovery and improvement of posture amongst patients with chronic aspecific lower back pain. Design. Prospective randomized controlled and blinded investigation. Method. After informed consent had been obtained, patients with...

Computer-assisted analysis and epidemiological value of genotyping methods for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli

For epidemiological tracing of the thermotolerant Campylobacter species C. jejuni and C. coli, reliable and highly discriminatory typing techniques are necessary. In this study the genotyping techniques of flagellin typing (flaA typing), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), automated ribotyping, and amplified fragment length polymorphism ...

Arterial stiffness as underlying mechanism of disagreement between an oscillometric blood pressure monitor and a sphygmomanometer

Oscillometric blood pressure devices tend to overestimate systolic blood pressure and underestimate diastolic blood pressure compared with sphygmomanometers. Recent studies indicate that discrepancies in performance between these devices may differ between healthy and diabetic subjects. Arterial stiffness in diabetics could be the underlying...

Improvements in the determination of vitamins in foods: Method intercomparison studies and preparation of certified reference materials (CRMs)

Accurate methods for the determination of vitamins in food are required for nutritional labelling, and for the production of food composition data for nutritional research on relationships between diet and health. The Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme of the European Commission is supporting a collaborative project involving 48...

Third EU MAT intercomparison on methods for the determination of vitamins B-1, B-2 and B-6 in food

An intercomparison study on the determination of vitamin B-1, B-2 and B-6 was performed as part of the EU MAT project involving 16 laboratories. Each laboratory was requested to analyse three different food samples (lyophilized pig's liver, mixed vegetables and wholemeal flour, respectively) using their 'in-house' method as well as an 'optimal...

Potential of 99mTc-LDLs labeled by two different methods for scintigraphic detection of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits

In this study we evaluated two different 99mTc-labeling techniques to produce 99mTc-low density lipoprotein (99mTc-LDL) suitable for the scintigraphic delineation of experimental atherosclerotic lesions. The two methods are 1) a procedure that uses stannous chloride and sodium borohydride (borohydride method) and 2) a procedure that uses sodium...