Multiplexed immunoassay for the rapid detection of anti-tumor-associated antigens antibodies

TAAs (tumor-associated antigens) microarrays were designed to detect auto-antibodies directly in patient sera. Twelve different probes were chosen according to their described occurrence in cancer pathologies (Cyclin B1, Cyclin D1, Complement factor H, c-myc, IMP1, p53, p62, survivin, Her2/neu, Koc, NY-ESO-1 and PSA). Microarrays of these 12 proteins were immobilized within the nitrocellulose/cellulose acetate membrane of a 96-well filtering microtiter plate bottom. The captured auto-antibodies were detected using a staining approach based on alkaline phosphatase labeling. Thus, the presence of specific auto-antibodies in samples was visualized through the positive staining of the corresponding TAA spots. The TAA HiFi microarrays were shown to be able to capture specific purified anti-TAA antibodies. In real samples, 9 proteins from the 12 TAAs panel were shown to generate specific signal and 5 antigens (p53, NY-ESO-1, IMP1, cyclin B1 and c-myc) were shown to have interaction with more than 10% of the positive sera from cancer patients. This protein subpanel was proven to be able to detect 72.2% of the cancer patients tested (within a 34 panel of 18 patients and 16 healthy donors).     

Low temperature heat capacity and magnetic properties of UF3

The low temperature heat capacity of UF(3) has been measured using an adiabatic low temperature calorimeter in the temperature range from 10 to 350 K. These data are complemented at the lowest temperature region with data obtained with a Quantum Design PPMS-14 device in the temperature range from 0.5 to 20 K. Good agreement between both techniques has been found, and from these experimental results the absolute entropy of UF(3) at 298.15 K has been determined as 126.8 ± 2.5 J K(-1) mol(-1). On the basis of the specific heat data and the magnetization measurements performed on a SQUID device, a transition at 1.59 K attributed to Curie temperature of a ferromagnetic transition has been found in this study. This observation makes UF(3) a unique compound with an unusually low ferromagnetic ordering temperature.