RECENT PRODUCT NEWS

bioMérieux has launched a range of certified media for use with the VITEK MS MALDI-TOF microbial identification platform, ensuring the company can provide high-quality solutions to meet the entire workflow needs of today’s clinical microbiology laboratory.

Six new assays have been added to Binding Site's SPAPLUS Specialist Protein Analyser menu: IgG in CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), IgA CSF, IgM CSF and albumin CSF plus C1 inactivator (C1 inhibitor) in serum and plasma and transferrin in serum.

The new Genova Plus life science UV/visible spectrophotometer from Jenway features icon-driven software with soft-key navigation and the ability to save results and methods to a USB memory stick.

The new version of Remisol Advance v1.5 data management system from Beckman Coulter improves laboratory workflow and the result-management process, with improved sample tracking and results archiving, and is helpful in the laboratory accreditation process.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) specialist Alere has added the Afinion HbA1c to its range of rapid tests for use in primary care, allowing practitioners to provide on-the-spot results to help diabetic patients to monitor and manage their condition.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced the MaxQ High Performance (HP) orbital digital shakers. Consisting of open-air and incubated bench-top models, and incubated or refrigerated floor models, the MaxQ HP shaker range is ideal for sensitive cultures.

Nikon Instruments has developed a new standalone imaging unit, the DS-L3, to complement its Digital Sight range of cameras. Offering synchronicity with a range of microscopes, the touch panel DS-L3 is a multifunctional space-saving unit with the ability to control a camera, as well as a microscope, and display images.

Stuart's SI500 combined shaker/incubator and the SI505 model for microtitre plates, available from Bibby Scientific, now come with IQ/OQ documentation, meeting the requirements of customers in regulated industries.

Beckman Coulter's UniCel DxH Slidemaker Stainer (DxH SMS) is the latest platform in the company's Coulter Cellular Analysis portfolio. The DxH SMS prepares slides automatically based on slide orders received from laboratory information systems, using customisable criteria for blood film preparation and adjustable staining protocols with hands-free operation.

The ZEEnit 650 P transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) from Analytik Jena UK features third-generation Zeeman magnetic field technology and D2 background correction techniques for outstanding analytical capability.

Stemmer Imaging can now provide system developers with specialised monochrome and colour cameras that can provide ultra-high resolution yet use standard lens technology. Measuring just 55 x 55 x 84.5 mm, the CVC Ultra 125MP CL monochrome and CVC Ultra 45MP CL colour cameras offer a resolution of up to 125 and 45 million pixels, respectively, using pixel shift technology. This ultra-high resolution is perfect for many scientific applications.

Labtech International is adding G-Storm's new GS482 model into its family of thermal cyclers. The new instrument, which features an enlarged screen to improve the user interface and experience, brings the product into line with G-Storm's other GS models (GS1, GS2 and GS4).

Cambio is the exclusive UK distributor of Minerva Biolabs products for detecting, eliminating and preventing cell culture contamination and identifying Legionella in water samples. A range of clinical diagnostic kits focusing on the detection of pathogenic bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Chlamydia, Bordetella, and some responsible for causing pneumonia, is also available.

Effective culture of Clostridium difficile, such as that provided by bioMérieux's ready-to-use chromID C. difficile medium, may offer advantages over the current glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) toxin tests, as well as have the potential to save time and reduce screening costs.

BioCision has launched a new and comprehensive line of products to standardise immunohistochemistry, slide staining and sorting, tissue dissection, cell harvesting, and tissue embedding. "These products will change the way tissue samples are prepared and have a huge impact on biomarker detection, especially in the era of personalised medicine," said BioCision's CEO Rolf Ehrhardt.

The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Hospital Trust has become the UK's 50th placement of a Beckman Coulter UniCel DxH 800 Coulter Cellular Analysis System. This is the first stage in the hospital's £2 million-pound investment programme to improve and expand the automation of its laboratory services. Over the last decade, the laboratory has faced an average rise in workloads of 4-5% per annum. However, they have risen sharply in the last two years to 9% per year, with demand from GPs running at 50% of total test requests. The laboratory now handles well over 400,000 full blood counts a year.

Better knowledge of the origin of pre-eclampsia has led to the development of a simple blood test that detects a hormone, placental growth factor (PLGF), produced by the placenta that falls to very low levels in women with the early-onset and severe forms of the disease.

Clean and efficient collection, transport and filtration of parasites can now be made easier using the new Mini-System faecal parasite concentrator from Quest Biomedical. Mini-System’s filter design, incorporating separate coarse and fine filters, provides effective filtration of the homogenised sample, resulting in a cleaner sediment and reduced sample loss. The need to use ethyl acetate or ether is avoided, as fat from the sample is effectively removed by the action of Triton and the double-filter system.

The extensive range of Jenway pH electrodes, available from Bibby Scientific, includes general purpose, application-specific and advanced performance electrodes, complementing Jenway’s versatile portfolio of portable and bench pH meters. From life science to environmental, industrial and food-related applications, there are electrodes designed with the exact characteristics required for convenient and accurate pH measurement.

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This infection is contracted by eating contaminated food. The infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth and meningitis. An outbreak in 2011 involving contaminated cantaloupes lead to 30 deaths.