A modeling approach for mean fluorescence intensity value harmonization and cutoff prediction for luminex single antigen bead assays of two different vendors

Luminex single antigen bead (SAB) kits from One Lambda (OL) and Lifecodes (LC) are widely used for HLA antibody detection but have substantial differences in design and assay protocol resulting in different mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values. Here, we present a non-linear modeling approach to accurately convert MFI values between two vendors and to establish user-independent MFI cutoffs when analyzing big datasets. HLA antibody data from a total of 47 EDTA-treated sera tested using both OL and LC SAB kits were analyzed. MFI comparisons were made for the common 84 HLA class I and 63 class II beads. In the exploration set (n = 24), a non-linear hyperbola model on raw MFI corrected by locus-specific highest self MFI subtraction yielded the highest correlation (class I r2: 0.946, class II r2: 0.898). Performance of the model was verified in an independent validation set (n = 12) (class I r2: 0.952, class II r2: 0.911). Furthermore, in an independent cohort of post-transplant serum samples (n = 11) using the vendor-specific MFI cutoffs dictated by the current model, we found 94% accuracy in bead-specific reactivity assignments by the two vendors. We recommend using the non-linear hyperbola modeling approach with self HLA correction and locus-specific analyzes to harmonize MFI values between two vendors in particular research datasets. As there are considerable variations between the two assays, using MFI conversion for individual patient samples is not recommended.</p

Inactive lifestyle in adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy

Objective: To quantify the level of everyday physical activity in adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, and to study associations with personal and cerebral palsy-related characteristics. Participants and methods: Fifty-six adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (mean age 36.4 (standard deviation (SD) 5.8) years, 62% male) participated in the study. Approximately 75% had high gross motor functioning. Level of everyday physical activity was measured with an accelerometry-based Activity Monitor and was characterized by: (i) duration of dynamic activities (composite measure, percentage of 24 h); (ii) intensity of activity (motility, in gravitational acceleration (g)); and (iii) number of periods of continuous dynamic activity. Outcomes in adults with cerebral palsy were compared with those for able-bodied age-mates. Results: Duration of dynamic activities was 8.1 (SD 3.7) % (116 min per day), and intensity of activity was 0.020 (SD 0.007) g; both outcomes were significantly lower compared with able-bodied age-mates. Of adults with cerebral palsy, 39% had at least one period of continuous dynamic activities lasting longer than 10 min per day. Gross motor functioning was significantly associated with level of everyday physical activity (Rs -0.34 to -0.48; p≤0.01). Conclusion: Adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, especially those with low-level gross motor functioning, are at risk for an inactive lifestyle

Huidmondjesopening : onderzoek naar het meetbaar maken van de huidmondjesopening met als doel om de klimaatregeling mede daarop te baseren

Via de huidmondjes verlopen twee belangrijke processen: de verdamping en de CO2-opname. Tot nu toe bestaat er geen instrument om het functioneren van die huidmondjes zodanig in beeld te brengen dat de klimaatregeling er op afgestemd zou kunnen worden. In dit onderzoek wordt een theoretische basis gelegd voor het functioneren van het huidmondje

Huidmondjesopening : onderzoek naar het meetbaar maken van de huidmondjesopening met als doel om de klimaatregeling mede daarop te baseren

Via de huidmondjes verlopen twee belangrijke processen: de verdamping en de CO2-opname. Tot nu toe bestaat er geen instrument om het functioneren van die huidmondjes zodanig in beeld te brengen dat de klimaatregeling er op afgestemd zou kunnen worden. In dit onderzoek wordt een theoretische basis gelegd voor het functioneren van het huidmondje

Dutch survey ergot alkaloids and sclerotia in animal feeds

Ergot alkaloids are toxins produced by members of the fungal family of Clavicipitaceae represented among others by Claviceps purpurea, C. paspali, and C. fusiformis, occurring predominantly on rye, wheat and barley, but also on rice, maize and sorghum, oats and millet