New Products

Mercodia Apo(a) ELISA, manufactured by Mercodia AB of Uppsala, Sweden, is a solid-phase, two-site enzyme immunoassay kit for the measurement of human apolipoprotein(a) in serum. Apolipoprotein(a) is a glycoprotein linked to apolipoprotein B in the lipoprotein(a) particle. Apolipoprotein(a) is formed by three different domains. The kringle 4 domain is present in multiple copies that vary by genetic code, resulting in multiple sizes of the lipoprotein(a) particle. The company's new monoclonal antibody method is capable of detecting all isoforms of the lipoprotein(a) particle and reportedly shows no cross-reactivity to either plasminogen or apolipoprotein B. Lipemic, turbid, and previously frozen samples can be measured by the kit. Each kit contains reagents for 96 wells, sufficient for 41 samples, two controls, and one standard curve in duplicate. American Laboratory Products Co. (ALPCO) Windham, NH Available From Packard Instrument Co. The Cyclone storage phosphor system, designed for filmless autoradiography of radiolabeled gels, blots, and tissue sections, now features a variety of reusable screens. The MP MultiPurpose screens are coated for moisture resistance and durability for typical gels and blots. The thicker Super Sensitive ST screens are intended for low-activity 32P and 125I applications. The Super Resolution SR screens are formulated for high-resolution 35S, 33P, and 14C applications. The Tritium Sensitive TR screens are similar to the SR screen but are uncoated in order to detect the low energy and high resolution of 3H in tissue sections. The screens are available in three sizes to accommodate different sample types. Small screens can fit two minigels; medium screens fit most typical full-sized blots and gels; and long screens cover the length of a sequencing gel. Packard Instrument Co. Meriden, CT The Poly (A) Pure and Micro Poly (A) Pure Kits are both designed for the purification of mRNA directly from tissue or cells without prior total RNA isolation. The kits use oligo dT cellulose, which is claimed to have the highest binding capacity for mRNA. Yields of poly (A+) RNA from one gram of tissue are in the range of 60 mg. The Poly (A) Pure kit contains enough reagents for seven isolations from samples of 0.2 gram to 1.0 gram of tissue or 0.2 mg to 2.0 mg of total RNA. The Micro Poly (A) Pure kit includes enough reagents for 20 isolations from samples of 10 mg to 200 mg of tissue or 2 mg to 400 mg of total RNA. Ambion Inc. Austin, TX The Directigen Meningitis Test for the direct qualitative detection from cerebrospinal fluid, urine, serum, or blood culture supernatant has been enhanced. The product now provides confirmation and serogrouping from suspected colonies of H. influenzae type b, S. pneumoniae, Group B Streptococcus, and N. meningitidis Groups A/Y, B, or C/W 135. After isolating suspected colonies that meet morphological and Gram stain characteristics of organisms appropriate for testing, the researcher prepares a solution using several isolated colonies and then processes it in a similar fashion to the procedure for handling other patient samples. Visible agglutination occurs when a sample containing antigens to the previously mentioned suspected colonies is reacted with their respective antibody-coated latex beads. Reagents are available in a complete combination kit or an individual test kit. Sufficient reagent is available for 90 determinations. The kits can be utilized with single-use disposable test cards or with reusable glass slides. Becton Dickinson Microbiology Systems Sparks, MD The PMC Model 526 is a six-position hot plate/stirrer designed for both heating and stirring a solution at different temperatures and stirring speeds. It offers independent and individual heat and stir controls for each position. The range for temperatures is 100°C to 500°C and 100 rpm to 1,200 rpm for stirring speeds. Users may select one or up to six positions to run simultaneously. The instrument uses six 10 cm x 10 cm top plates in a straight-line configuration and is available in a choice of aluminum or ceramic tops. Barnstead/Thermolyne Dubuque, IA The FMBIO Analysis software package for PowerMacintosh computers is designed for Hitachi's FMBIO fluorescence imaging system, which reads fluorescently labeled electrophoretic gels and blots. In addition to performing data collection, the software reads and calls DNA sequence data, quantitates bands, recognizes and identifies similar scan profiles, and allows for fully annotated documentation for every scan. New software features for one-dimensional gel analysis include two-decimal precision in fragment sizing, overlay lane traces (up to 16 lanes simultaneously), and overlay two-color image lane traces. Marker settings can now be greater than 25 values, and the number of bands per lane has been increased from 64 to 256. For two-dimensional gel analysis, new features include grid analysis and copy, paste, and duplicate quantitation boxes. Hitachi Software Engineering America Ltd. San Bruno, CA The Single Solution DAB and AEC chromogens are useful for manual or automated immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections and cellular preparations. DAB produces a strong brown color, while AEC yields a vivid red. The chromogens are designed to save time and potential mistakes in preparation of reagents from scratch, prevent the need to handle carcinogenic material, and minimize hazardous waste. Each bottle contains 60 ml of reagent with a staining capacity of 300 to 600 slides. The chromogens are stable at 4¡C. Additional Single Solution chromogens are available for immunoblotting and ELISA. Zymed Laboratories Inc. South San Francisco, CA The Leica G27 is a new addition to the company's line of stereomicroscopes. It features 7:1 zoom range with high resolution; up to 80 mm field of view (2.8 mm-20 mm standard); a magnification range of 2.5x to 420x (10x-70x standard); a working distance up to 260 mm (76 mm standard); a 45° viewing angle; a 180° rotatable pod for multiviewing; a coaxial illuminator for shadowless illumination; as well as CCTV and 35-mm capabilities. A standard "C" mount camera and video coupler are also available to project images onto film or a monitor for documentation or viewing. Leica Inc. Deerfield, IL For Use In Studies Of Apoptosis Clone GrB-7 is a new anti-human granzyme B monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes the human serine protease granzyme B. The antibody reacts with the monomeric 33 kDa protein and does not cross-react with human granzyme A. Granzyme B is expressed in cytoplasmic granules of activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells. The antibody can be used to detect granzyme B expressing activated CTL and NK cells, since it does not react with other cell types. It is also suitable for staining granzyme B protein on western blots. Granzyme B is involved in the induction of apoptosis in target cells by CTLs. It binds to at least two proteins in target cells and is required for the fragmentation of target cell DNA, a sign of apoptosis. Kamiya Biomedical Co. Tukwila, WA The MicroC is designed for in vivo and in vitro electrochemical analyses. It measures oxidatable biological compounds such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and ascorbic acid. It detects redox currents ranging from 1 picoampere to 2 microamperes while holding the working electrode at a constant voltage. The instrument has a rise time of less than 1 millisecond, which reportedly makes it especially useful for studying quantal release of neurotransmitters. It also features built-in carbon fiber electrode activation, a low-pass filter, and the option of external poise voltage application. The output connector enables direct connection to chart recorders, oscilloscopes, or computer-based data-acquisition systems. World Precision Instruments Inc. Sarasota, FL The genomyxSC Scanner is designed for a variety of applications such as DNA sequencing, differential display, mutation detection, and genotyping. It acts as an adjunct to the genomyxLR DNA Sequencer, which serves as the electrophoresis component of this two-instrument system. A single scanner can accommodate several LR Sequencers, offering the opportunity for modular upgrades in throughput. The scanner will also scan gels and autorads generated by other electrophoresis systems. It is available in either a single- or dual-emission wavelength configuration. Models with fluorescein and/or Cy5 matched filters are standard. A 400- to 700-nm xenon lamp allows substitution of a variety of user-defined wavelengths in custom models. Following electrophoresis, the entire 35 x 61 cm gel is scanned in approximately 90 minutes (single wavelength), and data are stored and retrievable as either a true image or a chromatogram. Data export options include printed image or TIFF image export into data-analysis packages. GENOMYX Corp. Foster City, CA HYBrite is an open system for hands-free denaturation and hybridization of in situ DNA probe procedures performed by cytogenetics, pathology, and research laboratories. It can store up to 10 user-defined programs and includes a user guide that provides step-by-step operation instructions as well as recommended parameters for Vysis DNA probes. It also has a 12-slide capacity per run for high throughput and heats slides through two temperature ranges with control of both heating and cooling. The system's user-defined program supports a variety of specimen types, such as cultured lymphocytes, bone marrow, and paraffin-embedded tissue. The user can view programming steps with temperature and time information displayed on an LCD screen on the front panel. Vysis Inc. Downers Grove, IL The BioMax STS-45i sequencing unit offers a 96-well capacity that accommodates 24 templates on a single gel, resolving up to 6,000 bases (6 kb) of sequencing data per run. The large gel capacity-36 x 43 cm gel size-allows for optimal use of standard 14" x 17" gel dryers, autoradiography film, and exposure devices. The new unit incorporates improvements over the company's original IBI STS-45 model. These include a removable lower buffer tank that allows users to dispose of any buffer without moving the unit; baffles engineered into the lower buffer tank to allow the tank to be moved without spillage; a slant back design for easy assembly and to ensure that glass plates remain in place during assembly; and a white thermoplate background for easier viewing of dye migrations. Kodak Scientific Imaging Systems New Haven, CT The Gene Inspector is a comprehensive sequence-analysis software package for Macintosh computers. It offers more than 60 DNA and protein sequence analyses, including such sophisticated analyses as multiple sequence alignments. The package offers interactive analysis capabilities, allowing users to take notes and use one analysis result to start another analysis. Analysis "suites" with user-defined parameters can be created, saved, and accessed, providing a means to consistently analyze each new sequence. The package also includes an electronic research notebook component for archiving and annotating experimental results. A bookmark feature enables users to navigate through the notebook. Appendices can be used to store information such as buffer recipes and gel sample templates, and sequences can be hot-linked to analysis results. Textco Inc. West Lebanon, NH

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