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Evaluation of the analytical performances of a new fully automated commercial immunonephelometric assay for lipoprotein(a).
Usefulness of lipids, lipoprotein(a) and fibrinogen measurements in identifying subjects at risk of occlusive complications following vascular and endovascular surgery
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Paradoxical behaviour of lyophilised commercial control materials for CK and CK-MB assays after reconstitution at either 4°C or 24°C
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Evaluation of five new liquid stable applications on the Roche Cobas Integra
In the present study the analytical performances of five new liquid applications on the Roche Cobas Integra were evaluated: urea and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in serum and glucose, creatinine and inorganic phosphorus in urine. The analytical evaluation consisted of imprecision, linearity and method comparison performed against either the actual Cobas Integra granulate applications or the corresponding methods on a Hitachi 704, according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards protocols. Over 3700 results were obtained within 3 months. Average values of within-run and between-day coefficients of variation (CVs) were 1.15% and 1.48%, respectively, holding to a mean total CV of 2.17%. The linearity was excellent for all the five applications evaluated as the relative non-linearity was always within 1.53%, thus completely fulfilling the 2.5% upper limit. A strict correlation was observed by comparing results of 120 samples with either the corresponding granulate applications on Cobas Integra or the Hitachi reagents. Linear regression analysis of the results yielded correlation coefficients always above 0.987 and the slopes of the Passing & Bablok regression lines did not deviate by more than 7% from unity. No drift was observed over 4 hours of operations. In conclusion, the performance of these new Cobas Integra liquid applications, as demonstrated by the present study, proved them to be highly suitable for routine use in clinical laboratories. © 1997, Walter de Gruyter. All rights reserved
Significant reduction of the bias among commercial immunoassays for lipoprotein(a) after use of a uniform calibrator
Despite the increasing interest in the measurements of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) in serum or plasma, at present there is no effective standardization for Lp(a) assays; the main problems to solve are represented either by the lack of a suitable primary standard or by the absence of a reliable and widely available reference method. A first step is hence the uniformity of calibration of different immunoassays. We calibrated three commercial immunoassays for Lp(a) (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), latex-enhanced immunonephelometric assay (LINA), and immunonephelometric assay (INA)) with either proprietary standards or purified Lp(a) material obtained with a rapid and simple procedure. Final results of purified Lp(a) calibration were reported in terms of protein Lp(a) mass whereas we were able to quantify the exact protein concentration of our purified lipoprotein. The uniformity of the calibration of the different assays led to a significant improvement of regression slopes (from 1.88 to 0.90 ELISA vs. LINA, from 1.45 to 0.95 ELISA vs. INA and from 1.27 to 0.96 INA vs. LINA) and correlation coefficients (from 0.990 to 0.994 ELISA vs. LINA, from 0.987 to 0.990 ELISA vs. INA and from 0.985 to 0.987 INA vs. LINA). Furthermore, the significant differences among Lp(a) values obtained after calibration with proprietary standards were minimized, becoming non-significant in two out of three cases. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a better agreement of Lp(a) values obtained with different commercial assays could be simply reached by uniformity of calibration and by employing standards with values accurately measured
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