Evaluation of a digital flocculation reader for the rapid plasma reagin test for the serological diagnosis of syphilis.

We described the ASiManager-AT digital flocculation reader to demonstrate concordance between visual and digital readings of the rapid plasma reagin test for detection of antibodies in the serum of patients with syphilis. A qualitative and quantitative rapid plasma reagin was performed on each serum samples giving a concordance of 98.6% and 99.7%, respectively, for reactives and 100% for nonreactives.

[Flocculant interaction with native antibiotic solutions. An examination of the mechanism of the process]. / Izuchenie vzaimodeistviia flokkuliantov s nativymi rastvorami antibiotikov. Rassmotrenie mekhanizma protsessa.

Some characteristics of the fermentation broth filtrates, i.e. concentration of the disperse particles and some of their parameters (projected length, area, distribution of the particles along the maximum chord) were determined and estimated after flocculation. It was shown that the floccules were mainly formed as fine colloid admixtures present not only in "turbid", but also in visually transparant solutions. It was found that the mechanism of flocculation was rather complicated and not always similar for different batches of the fermentation broth filtrate: it was, in particular, affected by the electrostatic interactions, the flocculant interaction with inorganic reagents, bridge-forming processes.