RECENT PRODUCT NEWS

The antibody 34bE12, available from A Menarini Diagnostics, recognises cytokeratin 1, 5, 10 and 14. It reacts with squamous and adenosquamous cell carcinomas, while adenocarcinoma is negative. In normal tissue, 34bE12 stains stratified epithelia, myoepithelial cells and basal cells in the prostate gland and bronchus. Thus, it is useful as a differential marker for squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma as well as for benign and malignant tumours of the prostate gland.

The new TR-76Ui-H data logger from TandD is a three-channel recorder designed to measure and record CO2 concentration, temperature and humidity. The new model achieves a temperature measurement accuracy of ±0.3°C between 10° and 40°C. The accuracy is ±0.5°C at all other temperatures. The overall range is –30° to 80°C. Automatic atmospheric pressure adjustment for the measurement location ensures more stable and accurate CO2 measurements.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection caused by several species of Plasmodium. It is prevalent worldwide in subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. Symptoms include fever and headache but can proceed to coma and death. The majority of deaths are caused by Plasmodium falciparum.

Spellex Dictation is a powerful dictionary enhancement for Dragon Naturally Speaking and other popular Mac and PC speech recognition packages. It allows users to dictate and spell healthcare, legal, bioscientific and engineering words and phrases.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has received CE Mark approval to offer pleural fluid pH testing on its RAPIDPoint 500 blood gas system. This provides clinicians, laboratories and point-of-care coordinators with an important new diagnostic tool for use in critical care situations.

It is estimated that over 216,000 individuals in the UK are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Poor diagnosis rates, low treatment rates and a high annual incidence of new infection mean that chronic HCV remains a major public health challenge.

United Kingdom-based manufacturer Randox Toxicology has launched a new customisation service for the development of tailor-made multi-analyte toxicology control material, offering simplified assessment and improved laboratory efficiency.

Haematology specialist Horiba Medical has launched an advanced high-throughput haematology analyser, the Pentra DX Nexus. The new bench-top analyser offers reliability, efficiency and quality, combined with enhanced ease of use and a reduced environmental footprint.

Eppendorf has introduced the new Eppendorf µCuvette G1.0, designed for the accurate and reliable measurement of small volumes of highly concentrated biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. Users can work easily with samples as small as 1.5 µL without the need for a time-consuming dilution step.

EKF Diagnostics, a manufacturer of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools, has introduced two new low-cost POC analysers: the new Quo-Lab glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) analyser for the management of diabetes, and the STAT-Site M ?HB, a strip-based analyser for highly accurate near-patient testing of ketosis.

Edinburgh Instruments has launched the FLS980 fluorescence spectrometer for steady state, lifetime and phosphorescence measurements in photophysics, photochemistry, biophysics, biochemistry and semiconductor physics. Building on the success of the well-established FLS920 instrument, the FLS980 is a high-performance, fully automated modular spectrometer for use in fundamental research and routine laboratory applications.

bioMérieux has launched the new CE-marked VIDAS Anti-HCV test for the detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV), extending the company’s current product range to provide a complete test menu for hepatitis A, B and C. In conjunction with other clinical information, the VIDAS Anti-HCV test assists in the diagnosis of HCV in individuals with symptoms of, or who at risk from, HCV infection, and can be used in combination with VIDAS HAV and HBV assays to form a test panel for the differential diagnosis of viral hepatitis.

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is the cause of most stomach and duodenal ulcers but can be cured by a course of antibiotics. Easy detection is therefore clinically important. Traditional non-invasive tests for diagnosis of H. pylori infection have limitations. Detection of blood antibodies cannot differentiate between active and past exposure. The urea breath test (UBT), while able to identify current infection, is costly and requires specialist equipment since it involves the ingestion of radioactive carbon.

Alere has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the TechLab Shiga Toxin Quik Chek test for the US market. The text is the only rapid diagnostic available that can detect Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) directly from a stool specimen. The test offers significant advantages over other rapid cassette assays in that it removes the need for overnight bacterial culture preparation.

CoolLED has launched its pE-200 and pE-300 family of light-emitting diode (LED) light sources that have even greater intensity, are more compact, and offer greater value for money. Common two-wavelength (pE-200) and three-wavelength (pE-300) configurations are available.

There has been high demand for the Techne Prime thermal cycler range and Techne has now added to the online materials available and improved the warranty it offers, ensuring that users get the high levels of support and quality for which the brand is known. Further software enhancements are in development.

Shimadzu UK has launched a high-end liquid chromatography mass spectrometer, the LCMS-8080. An extension of its ultra-fast mass spectrometry (UFMS) range, the new model’s high-speed capabilities increase productivity by delivering accurate measurements the first time.

Dako has launched a full diagnostic panel of antibodies to detect mismatch repair proteins, which are used routinely for the diagnosis and study of colorectal cancer and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC or Lynch syndrome). Absence of staining with one or more antibodies in the panel may indicate lack of functioning mismatch repair proteins.

The Axygen brand of magnetic separation devices (MSDs) has revolutionised manual magnetic bead-based separation processes used in biological research, including nucleic acid purification and clean up, cell-based assays, and antibody and protein purification.

The first fully integrated molecular diagnostic device for real-time gel electrophoresis is being offered as a standalone instrument from Partec. With everything necessary to carry out real-time gel electrophoresis in a single instrument, the Partec CyFox is user-friendly, compact and cost-effective.