Evaluation of a new automated assay for high-sensitivity thyroglobulin measurement and comparison with two established high-sensitivity thyroglobulin assays

Abstract Background: Human glandular kallikrein (hK2) is a serine protease that has 79% amino acid identity with prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Both free hK2 and hK2 complexed to α1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) are present in the blood in low concentrations. We wished to measure hK2 in serum with limited contribution from hK2-ACT for the results. Methods: We developed an automated assay for hK2 with use of a select pair of monoclonal antibodies. The prototype assay was implemented on a Beckman Coulter ACCESS® analyzer. Results: The detection limit of the assay was 1.5 ng/L, the “functional sensitivity” (day-to-day CV <15%) was <4 ng/L, cross-reactivity with PSA and PSA-ACT was negligible, and cross-reactivity with hK2-ACT was 2%. After surgical removal of prostate glands, serum hK2 was <7 ng/L and was <15 ng/L in most healthy women. The median serum concentration of hK2 in healthy men without prostate cancer was 26 ng/L. The median concentration of hK2 was 72 ng/L for men having prostate cancer with lower Gleason scores compared with 116 ng/L for men with more advanced cancer. The concentration of hK2 correlated weakly with PSA, with the mean hK2 concentrations generally 30- to 80-fold lower than PSA concentrations. Conclusion: The availability of a robust, high sensitivity automated assay for hK2 should facilitate further investigations of the role of hK2 measurements in the management of patients with prostate disease.

Download Full-text

Radio Measurements of Coronal Magnetic Fields

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100024933 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 144 ◽

pp. 21-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

G. B. Gelfreikh

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Magnetic Fields ◽

Solar Corona ◽

Active Regions ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Coronal Magnetic Field ◽

Transverse Magnetic ◽

Radio Sources ◽

Radio Waves ◽

Solar Active Regions

AbstractA review of methods of measuring magnetic fields in the solar corona using spectral-polarization observations at microwaves with high spatial resolution is presented. The methods are based on the theory of thermal bremsstrahlung, thermal cyclotron emission, propagation of radio waves in quasi-transverse magnetic field and Faraday rotation of the plane of polarization. The most explicit program of measurements of magnetic fields in the atmosphere of solar active regions has been carried out using radio observations performed on the large reflector radio telescope of the Russian Academy of Sciences — RATAN-600. This proved possible due to good wavelength coverage, multichannel spectrographs observations and high sensitivity to polarization of the instrument. Besides direct measurements of the strength of the magnetic fields in some cases the peculiar parameters of radio sources, such as very steep spectra and high brightness temperatures provide some information on a very complicated local structure of the coronal magnetic field. Of special interest are the results found from combined RATAN-600 and large antennas of aperture synthesis (VLA and WSRT), the latter giving more detailed information on twodimensional structure of radio sources. The bulk of the data obtained allows us to investigate themagnetospheresof the solar active regions as the space in the solar corona where the structures and physical processes are controlled both by the photospheric/underphotospheric currents and surrounding “quiet” corona.

Download Full-text

Backscattered Electron Imaging of GaAs/AlGaAs Super Lattice Structures with an Ultra-High- Resolution SEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100103103 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 204-205

Author(s):

Kazumichi Ogura ◽

Michael M. Kersker

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Layer Structure ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Beam Current ◽

Electron Beam Current ◽

Lattice Structures ◽

Super Lattice ◽

Different Types ◽

Backscattered Electron ◽

Electron Imaging

Backscattered electron (BE) images of GaAs/AlGaAs super lattice structures were observed with an ultra high resolution (UHR) SEM JSM-890 with an ultra high sensitivity BE detector. Three different types of super lattice structures of GaAs/AlGaAs were examined. Each GaAs/AlGaAs wafer was cleaved by a razor after it was heated for approximately 1 minute and its crosssectional plane was observed.First, a multi-layer structure of GaAs (100nm)/AlGaAs (lOOnm) where A1 content was successively changed from 0.4 to 0.03 was observed. Figures 1 (a) and (b) are BE images taken at an accelerating voltage of 15kV with an electron beam current of 20pA. Figure 1 (c) is a sketch of this multi-layer structure corresponding to the BE images. The various layers are clearly observed. The differences in A1 content between A1 0.35 Ga 0.65 As, A1 0.4 Ga 0.6 As, and A1 0.31 Ga 0.69 As were clearly observed in the contrast of the BE image.

Download Full-text

An x-ray microprobe based upon a close-coupled focal-spot / glass capillary arrangement

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100133424 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1758-1759

Author(s):

D. A. Carpenter ◽

M. A. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Imaging Techniques ◽

Fluorescence Analysis ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Specimen Preparation ◽

X Rays ◽

Glass Capillary ◽

Close Coupling ◽

X Ray ◽

Point To Point ◽

Beam Damage

The development of intense sources of x rays has led to renewed interest in the use of microbeams of x rays in x-ray fluorescence analysis. Sparks pointed out that the use of x rays as a probe offered the advantages of high sensitivity, low detection limits, low beam damage, and large penetration depths with minimal specimen preparation or perturbation. In addition, the option of air operation provided special advantages for examination of hydrated systems or for nondestructive microanalysis of large specimens.The disadvantages of synchrotron sources prompted the development of laboratory-based instrumentation with various schemes to maximize the beam flux while maintaining small point-to-point resolution. Nichols and Ryon developed a microprobe using a rotating anode source and a modified microdiffractometer. Cross and Wherry showed that by close-coupling the x-ray source, specimen, and detector, good intensities could be obtained for beam sizes between 30 and 100μm. More importantly, both groups combined specimen scanning with modern imaging techniques for rapid element mapping.

Download Full-text

Ultrastructural identification of three types of sensory setae on copepod antennae

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100141159 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 956-957

Author(s):

T. M. Weatherby ◽

P.H. Lenz

Keyword(s):

Phase Locking ◽

Membrane Surface ◽

Reaction Times ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Structural Features ◽

Calanoid Copepods ◽

Marine Food Webs ◽

Dendritic Membrane ◽

Ultrastructural Characterization

Crustaceans, as well as other arthropods, are covered with sensory setae and hairs, including mechanoand chemosensory sensillae with a ciliary origin. Calanoid copepods are small planktonic crustaceans forming a major link in marine food webs. In conjunction with behavioral and physiological studies of the antennae of calanoids, we undertook the ultrastructural characterization of sensory setae on the antennae of Pleuromamma xiphias.Distal mechanoreceptive setae exhibit exceptional behavioral and physiological performance characteristics: high sensitivity (<10 nm displacements), fast reaction times (<1 msec latency) and phase locking to high frequencies (1-2 kHz). Unusual structural features of the mechanoreceptors are likely to be related to their physiological sensitivity. These features include a large number (up to 3000) of microtubules in each sensory cell dendrite, arising from or anchored to electron dense rods associated with the ciliary basal body microtubule doublets. The microtubules are arranged in a regular array, with bridges between and within rows. These bundles of microtubules extend far into each mechanoreceptive seta and terminate in a staggered fashion along the dendritic membrane, contacting a large membrane surface area and providing a large potential site of mechanotransduction.

Download Full-text

Slow-Scan CCD Observation of Backscattering Patterns in SEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100131176 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1308-1309

Author(s):

F. Ouyang ◽

D. A. Ray ◽

O. L. Krivanek

Keyword(s):

Electron Beam ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Dynamic Range ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Lens System ◽

Wide Dynamic Range ◽

Peltier Cooler ◽

Diffraction Patterns ◽

Scanning Electron

Electron backscattering Kikuchi diffraction patterns (BKDP) reveal useful information about the structure and orientation of crystals under study. With the well focused electron beam in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), one can use BKDP as a microanalysis tool. BKDPs have been recorded in SEMs using a phosphor screen coupled to an intensified TV camera through a lens system, and by photographic negatives. With the development of fiber-optically coupled slow scan CCD (SSC) cameras for electron beam imaging, one can take advantage of their high sensitivity and wide dynamic range for observing BKDP in SEM.We have used the Gatan 690 SSC camera to observe backscattering patterns in a JEOL JSM-840A SEM. The CCD sensor has an active area of 13.25 mm × 8.83 mm and 576 × 384 pixels. The camera head, which consists of a single crystal YAG scintillator fiber optically coupled to the CCD chip, is located inside the SEM specimen chamber. The whole camera head is cooled to about -30°C by a Peltier cooler, which permits long integration times (up to 100 seconds).

Download Full-text

Exit-surface wave reconstruction using a focal series

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100129577 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 988-989

Author(s):

W.J. de Ruijter ◽

M.R. McCartney ◽

David J. Smith ◽

J.K. Weiss

Keyword(s):

Surface Wave ◽

Spherical Aberration ◽

Data Extraction ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Geometric Distortion ◽

Variation Method ◽

Objective Lens ◽

Immediate Reconstruction ◽

Exit Surface ◽

Electron Microscopes

Further advances in resolution enhancement of transmission electron microscopes can be expected from digital processing of image data recorded with slow-scan CCD cameras. Image recording with these new cameras is essential because of their high sensitivity, extreme linearity and negligible geometric distortion. Furthermore, digital image acquisition allows for on-line processing which yields virtually immediate reconstruction results. At present, the most promising techniques for exit-surface wave reconstruction are electron holography and the recently proposed focal variation method. The latter method is based on image processing applied to a series of images recorded at equally spaced defocus.Exit-surface wave reconstruction using the focal variation method as proposed by Van Dyck and Op de Beeck proceeds in two stages. First, the complex image wave is retrieved by data extraction from a parabola situated in three-dimensional Fourier space. Then the objective lens spherical aberration, astigmatism and defocus are corrected by simply dividing the image wave by the wave aberration function calculated with the appropriate objective lens aberration coefficients which yields the exit-surface wave.

Download Full-text

Observation of surface morphology by reflection electron holography

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100154652 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 536-537

Author(s):

N. Osakabe ◽

J. Endo ◽

T. Matsuda ◽

A. Tonomura

Keyword(s):

Phase Shift ◽

Surface Morphology ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

High Energy ◽

Path Difference ◽

Transmission Mode ◽

Electron Holography ◽

Dynamical Process ◽

High Vertical Resolution ◽

Amplification Technique

Progress in microscopy such as STM and TEM-TED has revealed surface structures in atomic dimension. REM has been used for the observation of surface dynamical process and surface morphology. Recently developed reflection electron holography, which employes REM optics to measure the phase shift of reflected electron, has been proved to be effective for the observation of surface morphology in high vertical resolution ≃ 0.01 Å.The key to the high sensitivity of the method is best shown by comparing the phase shift generation by surface topography with that in transmission mode. Difference in refractive index between vacuum and material Vo/2E≃10-4 owes the phase shift in transmission mode as shownn Fig. 1( a). While geometrical path difference is created in reflection mode( Fig. 1(b) ), which is measured interferometrically using high energy electron beam of wavelength ≃0.01 Å. Together with the phase amplification technique , the vertivcal resolution is expected to be ≤0.01 Å in an ideal case.

Download Full-text

Development of imaging plate for a TEM and its characteristics

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100152471 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 100-101

Author(s):

N. Mori ◽

T. Oikawa ◽

Y. Harada ◽

J. Miyahara ◽

T. Matsuo

Keyword(s):

Dynamic Range ◽

Protective Layer ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Imaging Plate ◽

Phosphor Layer ◽

Imaging Device ◽

X Ray Imaging ◽

New Type ◽

Basic Characteristics ◽

Reading System

The Imaging Plate (IP) is a new type imaging device, which was developed for diagnostic x ray imaging. We have reported that usage of the IP for a TEM has many merits; those are high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and good linearity. However in the previous report the reading system was prototype drum-type-scanner, and IP was also experimentally made, which phosphor layer was 50μm thick with no protective layer. So special care was needed to handle them, and they were used only to make sure the basic characteristics. In this article we report the result of newly developed reading, printing system and high resolution IP for practical use. We mainly discuss the characteristics of the IP here. (Precise performance concerned with the reader and other system are reported in the other article.)Fig.1 shows the schematic cross section of the IP. The IP consists of three parts; protective layer, phosphor layer and support.

Download Full-text

High-sensitivity detection of gold labels by high-angle dark-field STEM imaging

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100162028 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 892-893 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Max T. Otten

Keyword(s):

High Sensitivity ◽

Dark Field ◽

Bright Field ◽

Backscattered Electron Imaging ◽

Backscattered Electrons ◽

Average Atomic Number ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Backscattered Electron ◽

Electron Imaging ◽

High Sensitivity Detection

Labelling of antibodies with small gold probes is a highly sensitive technique for detecting specific molecules in biological tissue. Larger gold probes are usually well visible in TEM or STEM Bright-Field images of unstained specimens. In stained specimens, however, the contrast of the stain is frequently the same as that of the gold labels, making it virtually impossible to identify the labels, especially when smaller gold labels are used to increase the sensitivity of the immunolabelling technique. TEM or STEM Dark-Field images fare no better (Figs. 1a and 2a), again because of the absence of a clear contrast difference between gold labels and stain.Potentially much more useful is backscattered-electron imaging, since this will show differences in average atomic number which are sufficiently large between the metallic gold and the stains normally used. However, for the thin specimens and at high accelerating voltages of the STEM, the yield of backscattered electrons is very small, resulting in a very weak signal. Consequently, the backscattered-electron signal is often too noisy for detecting small labels, even for large spot sizes.

Download Full-text