Iliana Vanessa MedellínMedical Student

III Semester

Gold Nanoparticles Used to Diagnose Flu in Minutes

Tests That Use DNA from Mother’s Blood to Determine Sex of Fetus Often Effective

Determination of fetal sex provides an alternative to invasive techniques for

some heritable disorders. 

It detects influenza in minutes, offering advantages to combat the

flu 

The availability of a reliable noninvasive alternative to determine fetal sex would reduce unintended fetal

losses and would presumably be welcomed

by pregnant women carrying fetuses at risk for

disorders

The test's ability to detect Y chromosome sequences within maternal samples,

as well as the clinical validity of the test, as

indicated by its ability to correctly identify fetal sex. The researchers selected

57 for inclusion in the analysis.

using maternal

blood

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTQ-PCR) Largest effects

Test performance was high if performed using RTQ-PCR on a blood sample taken at a time during pregnancy when sufficient cell-free fetal DNA was present (7 weeks' gestation or later), with the best

performance after 20 weeks' gestation.

The improved performance with later gestation is likely

attributable to the increased concentration of cell-free fetal DNA within maternal

blood as the fetus and placenta develop. This would explain the poor performance

of the test prior to 7 weeks' gestation and the near-

perfect performance in the third trimester.

This development seems very valuable because it can

provide a hope for parents who hope to ill children. Through tests using DNA

from the mother's blood may provide important findings of pathologies in fetuses, which is essential in the treatment

of diseases. 

We've known for a long time that you can use antibodies to capture viruses and that

nanoparticles have different traits based on their size,

done is combine to create a diagnostic test that is rapid

and highly sensitive.

Linked immune system proteins known as antibodies with gold nanoparticles.

The gold nanoparticle-antibody complex aggregates with any virus present in a sample, and a commercially available device measures the intensity with which the solution scatters light.

Are extremely efficient at scattering light.

The test is something that can be done literally at the point-of-care, you take your sample, put it in the instrument, hit a button and get your results.

Gold is often thought of as a costly metal, but the new diagnostic test uses such a small amount -less than what would fit on the head of the pin - that the cost is one-hundredth of a cent per test.

The researchers noted that the current standard for definitively diagnosing flu is a test known as PCR, for polymerase chain reaction. PCR can only be done in highly specialized labs and requires that specially trained personnel incubate the sample for three days, extract the DNA and then amplify it many times. The entire process, from sample collection to result, takes about a week and is too costly for routine testing.

That measures the change in frequency of a laser as it scatters off viral DNA or RNA, This test offers tremendous advantages for influenza.

This research allows more timely diagnoses that can help stop the spread of influenza to

accurately identify infections and allows

doctors to begin treatment early, which is

fundamental to the health-disease process

Technology can be useful in clinical settings for early

detection of fetuses at risk for sex-linked disorders requiring follow-up testing.

 

Thanks to these advances has gained valuable information

from certain treatments, which could be effective in children diseases that

are very important today.

Detect influenza in minutes at a cost of only a fraction of

a penny per exam

Available for all social levels, no discrimination

The fast diagnoses can help halt the spread of

flu by accurately identifying infections

and allowing physicians to begin treatment

early, thereby reducing the virulence.

MARTINES S., Lina María. Biología Molecular. 6.ed. Medellín : UPB, 2011. 105p.

Science News. Tests That Use DNA from Mother’s Blood to Determine Sex of Fetus Often Effective [online]. Available http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110809162000.htm> [27 AUG. 2011]

Science Gold Nanoparticles Used to Diagnose Flu in Minutes [online]. Available http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110803162224.htm > [27 AUG. 2011]

THANKS!