Abstract: This invention concerns an antibody which binds with high affinity to human single-chain intact, i.e. not internally cleaved, mature and/or zymogen forms of prostate specific antigen (SCINT PSA). The antibody does not bind to a nicked PSA (PSA-N), wherein said PSA-N has been formed by internal peptide bond cleavage(s) of SCINT PSA resulting in two-chain or multi-chain PSA. This invention further concerns an immunoassay and a method for differentiating patients with cancer of the prostate (PCa) from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and/or healthy male subjects without PCa, patients with aggressive PCa from patients with indolent PCa and/or patients with clinically localized and/or organ confined PCa from patients with extraprostatic extension of PCa and/or PCa with metastatic spread to lymph nodes or bone marrow using said antibody.

Abstract: A method for rapid thermal control of a reaction volume from a preceding temperature to a target temperature includes first bringing at least the reaction vessel's second wall, which has high thermal conductivity, into direct contact with a first thermal block at a temperature higher than the target temperature if the target temperature is higher than the preceding temperature, or at a temperature lower than the target temperature if the target temperature is lower than the preceding temperature, until the reaction volume temperature is at least close to the target temperature; and then bringing the second wall into direct contact with a second thermal block at the target temperature. Also disclosed is a system (20) for detecting and/or quantitating a biological and/or chemical analyte in a sample and a software product for the system.

Abstract: A homogeneous bioassay including a first group labelled with an energy donor and a second group labelled with an energy acceptor, where the donor is a luminescent lanthanide label capable of up-converting a lower-energy excitation to a higher-energy emission, where the acceptor is either a luminescent or a non-luminescent label, and where the increase or decrease, respectively, in energy transfer from the donor to the acceptor resulting from shortening or lengthening of the distance between the labels is measured. The assay is performed in a biological fluid which absorbs radiation in the wavelength range 300 to 600 nm, the measurement is carried out at a wavelength >570 nm, and the donor label, which is excitable at wavelength longer than its emission wavelength, is excited in the wavelength window in which the biological fluid does not essentially absorb the excitation radiation.

Abstract: This invention concerns a method for the assessment of bone fragility and fracture risk, or osteoporosis, in a person. In said method, the concentration of gamma-carboxylated osteocalcin (COC) and optionally also the concentration of intact or total osteocalcin (IOC or TOC, respectively) in a body fluid sample of said person is measured. The concentration of gamma-carboxylated osteocalcin (COC) so obtained is compared to the mean concentration of gamma-carboxylated osteocalcin (mean COC) in similar body fluid samples of the population of the same age and sex. Alternatively, the determined ratio COC/IOC or COC/TOC for said person, is compared to the mean ratio COC/IOC or COC/TOC, (mean ratio COC/IOC or mean ratio COC/TOC) determined from measurements in similar body fluid samples of the population of the same age and sex. A measured COC that is lower than the mean COC is used as indication of osteoporosis, bone fragility or increased risk of bone fracture in said person.