Abstract C-reactive protein (CRP) is able to bind phosphocholine in the presence of calcium ions. According to a previous functional property of CRP, we tried to develop an affordable and cheap high sensitive nephelometric CRP assay using soy oil. Serum samples were measured by Nephelometer BNII (Siemens), by mixing the serum with diluted soy oil emulsion (Intralipid ® 20%) and Tris-calcium buffer (PH 7.5). The measurement took place after 12 min incubation time at 37°C by measuring the agglutination between CRP and phosphocholine. Results from our automated functional assay were compared with results obtained using an immunoturbidimetric CRP assay. Results showed a good correlation coefficient for method comparison between functional nephelometric CRP assay and immunoturbidimetric CRP assay, r = 0.895, significance level p <0.0001. The limit of detection for the functional nephelometric CRP assay was 0.1 mg/L. However, the within run % CV values for the functional assay were 6.1 % (20 mg/L), 4.7 % (50 mg/L) and 4.5 % (100 mg/L). The between-run % CV values were 17.6 % (20 mg/L), 18.8 % (50 mg/L), and 11.3 % (100 mg/L). The new functional nephelometric CRP assay enables high sensitive CRP measurement in serum in the range of 0.1 mg/L to 300 mg/L. The functional assay could be used for veterinary analysis due to the ability to measure CRP according to the functional properties, not the morphological properties which depend on specific antibodies.

Introduction: Post-mortem whole blood samples differ greatly in quality, lipemia is one cause of concern in toxicological analyses. Around 4 % of all samples sent to RMV are given a notation of lipemic content. The aim of the thesis was to study the effects of lipemia on the quantification of 14 benzodiazepines and 5 similar sedative and antianxiety drugs as well as evaluate the pre-analytical process aiming to reduce the effects of lipemia.  Methods: Blood samples were simulated with bovine blood, analyte spiking, and lipid spiking with either the nutrition emulsion Intralipid or with a mixture of post-mortem lipids from authentic samples. The outset was the by RMV currently used LLE method followed by UPLC- MS/MS and the extraction method was altered and evaluated. Matrix effects were also studied.  Results: Lipemia were found to be a great interference when quantifying benzodiazepines. For most analytes, internal standard could compensate for the loss of analyte but there was a problem with analytes not having their own IS. The 7-amino-compounds were greatly affected by lipemia and propiomazine and dihydropropiomazine showed extreme losses. Equilibration of IS did not result in similar loss as analyte. Dilution of sample reduced losses caused by lipemic content. SPE resulted in extracts free from lipids and high yields but there were analyte losses similar to LLE. No matrix effects from the lipids were found. Samples spiked with Intralipid gave poorer analyte yields than those spiked with post-mortem lipids.  Conclusion: Dilution is the most successful method to reduce pre-analytical matrix effects as long as the concentration is not so low that it risks getting lower than the analytical limits when doing so. Not homogenising samples before sampling is giving incorrect results. SPE could, if optimised for the analyte retention and elution, remove lipids from samples and obtain accurate analyte concentrations. Pooling lipids from post-mortem samples is a possible method for simulating lipemic whole blood. Intralipid and the PM-mix gave the same indications, but to different extents. Further studies where the ability to mimic authentic lipids are needed for both Intralipid and PM-mix.

<p>To estimate the propagation of light in tissue-like optical phantoms (fat emulsions), this thesis utilized the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in combination with Monte Carlo simulations. A method for determining the two-parametric Gegenbauer-kernal phase function was utilized in order to accurately describe the diffuse reflectance from poly-dispersive scattering optical phantoms with small source-detector separations. The method includes the spectral collimated transmission, spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectra (SRDR) and the inverse technique of matching spectra from Monte Carlo simulations to those measured. An absolute calibration method using polystyrene micro-spheres was utilized to estimate the relation between simulated and measured SRDR intensities. The phase function parameters were comparable with previous studies and were able to model measured spectra with good accuracy. Significant differences between the phase functions for homogenized milk and the nutritive fat emulsions were found.</p><p> </p>

To estimate the propagation of light in tissue-like optical phantoms (fat emulsions), this thesis utilized the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in combination with Monte Carlo simulations. A method for determining the two-parametric Gegenbauer-kernal phase function was utilized in order to accurately describe the diffuse reflectance from poly-dispersive scattering optical phantoms with small source-detector separations. The method includes the spectral collimated transmission, spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectra (SRDR) and the inverse technique of matching spectra from Monte Carlo simulations to those measured. An absolute calibration method using polystyrene micro-spheres was utilized to estimate the relation between simulated and measured SRDR intensities. The phase function parameters were comparable with previous studies and were able to model measured spectra with good accuracy. Significant differences between the phase functions for homogenized milk and the nutritive fat emulsions were found.