If you have been reading about accuracy and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Last reviewed on 2025-08-14. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Validation establishes that a method is suitable for its intended purpose. Typical parameters include accuracy, precision, specificity, linearity, range, limit of detection, limit of quantification, robustness, and stability of standards and samples. Acceptance criteria are defined in advance, and results are documented in a validation report. Regulatory guidance for pharmaceuticals, foods, and environmental testing differs, so the applicable framework must be identified. Ongoing verification uses control samples and trend charts after validation. Method transfer to another laboratory may require partial revalidation.
Routine quality control includes blanks, duplicates, spiked samples, and certified reference materials. Calibration curves are prepared with standards at several concentrations, and the detector response is checked for linearity. Carryover, column aging, mobile phase evaporation, and temperature drift can shift retention times or peak areas. Maintenance such as replacing seals, filters, and columns helps prevent failures. Records of injections, integration, and deviations support traceability. Audits may request raw data and instrument logs for each batch.
HPLC testing separates dissolved compounds by passing a liquid sample through a column packed with stationary phase. A pump delivers mobile phase at controlled flow, and the sample components interact differently with stationary and mobile phases. Compounds that spend more time in mobile phase elute earlier; those retained by stationary phase elute later. Detectors record elution as peaks, and peak area or height relates to amount. This mechanism underpins quantitative analysis of mixtures.
Most routine HPLC testing uses reversed-phase columns, where the stationary phase is nonpolar and the mobile phase is a polar mixture such as water with an organic solvent. Analytes partition between the two phases according to polarity, size, and charge. Gradients that change solvent composition over time can separate compounds with broad retention ranges. Isocratic conditions keep solvent composition constant and suit simpler mixtures. The choice of column chemistry, pH, and temperature affects selectivity and peak shape.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Closeness to true value | Often assessed by recovery of spiked samples |
| Precision | Agreement among repeated measurements | Often reported as relative standard deviation |
| Specificity | Ability to measure analyte without interference | Must separate analyte from impurities and matrix |
| Linearity | Proportional detector response | Evaluated across a defined concentration range |
| Robustness | Resistance to small method changes | Tests flow rate, pH, temperature, and mobile phase composition |
Method validation establishes that an HPLC procedure is suitable for its intended use. Key parameters include accuracy, precision, specificity, linearity, range, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, and robustness. Accuracy measures agreement with a true or accepted value, while precision describes repeatability and intermediate precision. Specificity confirms that the method measures the analyte without interference from impurities, degradants, or excipients. Validation is documented in a protocol and report, and acceptance criteria are set before experiments begin. Regulatory guidance varies by region, but the general principles are widely harmonized.
System suitability testing is performed before and during analytical runs to confirm that the instrument and method are working as expected. Common checks include retention time, peak area, resolution between critical pairs, tailing factor, and theoretical plate count. Results are compared with predefined limits, and a failed check requires investigation before sample results are reported. Quality control samples at low, middle, and high concentrations are injected at intervals to monitor accuracy and precision. Blank injections detect carryover and contamination, while control charts track performance over time.
Data handling and documentation are central to HPLC quality control. Electronic systems should have audit trails that record changes to methods, sequences, and results. Integration parameters, such as peak baseline and threshold, can affect reported areas and must be defined in advance. Out-of-specification results trigger a structured investigation that may include reanalysis, instrument checks, and review of sample preparation. Regulatory inspections often examine raw data, audit trails, and training records to verify that reported results are traceable and reliable.
Method validation establishes that an HPLC procedure is suitable for its intended purpose. Typical parameters include accuracy, precision, specificity, linearity, range, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, robustness, and solution stability. Accuracy reflects closeness to a reference value, while precision reflects agreement among repeated measurements. Specificity shows whether the method can measure the analyte without interference from matrix components. Validation is documented through protocols and reports, and the required extent depends on the method's use and regulatory context.
Routine quality control uses system suitability, blank injections, check standards, and control samples to detect drift or contamination. System suitability criteria may specify minimum resolution, maximum tailing factor, and a permitted range for repeated injections. Blank injections reveal carryover or solvent contamination, while check standards confirm calibration accuracy over a batch. Control samples with known analyte levels can show whether results remain within statistical limits. When a control result falls outside limits, the analyst investigates the cause and may invalidate affected results before repeating the batch.
High-performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, separates dissolved compounds by passing a liquid mobile phase through a packed column. Components distribute differently between the stationary phase and the moving liquid, so they travel at different speeds and exit at different times. A detector records these eluting bands as peaks, and peak area or height relates to amount. The technique supports testing in pharmaceuticals, foods, environmental samples, and industrial chemicals. Quantification usually depends on calibration with known standards.
Several separation modes exist, including reversed-phase, normal-phase, ion-exchange, size-exclusion, and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography. Reversed-phase uses a nonpolar stationary phase with a polar mobile phase and is widely applied to small organic molecules. Gradient elution changes mobile phase composition during the run, while isocratic elution keeps it constant. Column chemistry, particle size, temperature, flow rate, and mobile phase pH all influence retention and resolution. Method development selects conditions that separate analytes from matrix components and from each other.
A mushroom develops from a nodule, or pinhead, less than two millimeters in diameter, called a primordium, which is typically found on or near the surface of the substrate. It is formed within the mycelium, the mass of threadlike hyphae that make up the fungus. The primordium enlarges into a roundish structure of interwoven hyphae roughly resembling an egg, called a "button". The button has a cottony roll of mycelium, the universal veil, that surrounds the developing fruit body. As the egg expands, the universal veil ruptures and may remain as a cup, or volva, at the base of the stalk, or as warts or volval patches on the cap. Many mushrooms lack a universal veil; therefore, they do not have either a volva or volval patches. Often, a second layer of tissue, the partial veil, covers the blade-like gills that bear spores. As the cap expands the veil breaks, and remnants of the partial veil may remain as a ring, or annulus, around the middle of the stalk or as fragments hanging from the margin of the cap. The ring may be skirt-like as in some species of Amanita, collar-like as in many species of Lepiota, or merely the faint remnants of a cortina (a partial veil composed of filaments resembling a spiderweb), which is typical of the genus Cortinarius. Mushrooms lacking partial veils do not form an annulus. The stalk (also called the stipe, or stem) may be central and support the cap in the middle, or it may be off-center or lateral, as in species of Pleurotus and Panus. In other mushrooms, a stalk may be absent, as in the polypores that form shelf-like brackets.
== Society and culture == In the biographical drama film Father Stu, the protagonist, a boxer-turned-Catholic priest, has sIBM. Musician Peter Frampton was diagnosed with the disease in 2019. Sportscaster and former Major League Baseball pitcher Mike Krukow has been diagnosed with the disease.
Endoneurium. Each nerve axon, or fiber is surrounded by the endoneurium, which is also called the endoneurial tube, channel or sheath. This is a thin, delicate, protective layer of connective tissue. Perineurium. Each nerve fascicle containing one or more axons, is enclosed by the perineurium, a connective tissue having a lamellar arrangement in seven or eight concentric layers. This plays a very important role in the protection and support of the nerve fibers and also serves to prevent the passage of large molecules from the epineurium into a fascicle. Epineurium. The epineurium is the outermost layer of dense connective tissue enclosing the (peripheral) nerve.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or logical mechanism of action. Some TCM ingredients are known to be toxic and cause disease, including cancer. Medicine in traditional China encompassed a range of sometimes competing health and healing practices, folk beliefs, literati theory, Taoist and Confucian philosophy, herbal remedies, food, diet, exercise, medical specializations, and schools of thought. TCM as it exists today has been described as a largely 20th century invention. In the early twentieth century, Chinese cultural and political modernizers worked to eliminate traditional practices as backward and unscientific. Traditional practitioners then selected elements of philosophy and practice and organized them into what they called "Chinese medicine". In the 1950s, the Chinese government sought to revive traditional medicine (including legalizing previously banned practices) and sponsored the integration of Chinese and Western medicine. In the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, the government promoted TCM as inexpensive and popular. This was largely spearheaded by Mao Zedong, despite the fact that, according to The Private Life of Chairman Mao, he did not believe in its effectiveness. After the opening of relations between the United States and China after 1972, there was great interest in the West for what is now called traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
== Therapies == A decade after the discovery of the RNAi mechanism in 1998, the pharmaceutical sector heavily invested in the research and development of siRNA therapy. There are several advantages that this therapy has over small molecules and antibodies. It can be administered quarterly or every six months. Another advantage is that, unlike small molecules and monoclonal antibodies that need to recognize a specific protein conformation, siRNA functions by Watson-Crick basepairing with mRNA. Therefore, any target molecule that needs to be treated with high affinity and specificity can be selected if the right nucleotide sequence is available. One of the biggest challenges researchers needed to overcome was the identification and establishment of a delivery system through which the therapies would enter the body. Another was that the immune system often mistakes RNAi therapies for remnants of infectious agents, which can trigger an immune response. Animal models did not accurately represent the degree of immune response seen in humans, and despite the promise of the treatment, investors divested from RNAi. However, there were a few companies that continued with the development of RNAi therapy for humans. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Sirna Therapeutics and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals are few of the companies still working on bringing RNAi therapies to market. It was learned that almost all siRNA therapies administered in the bloodstream accumulated in the liver. That is why most of the early drug targets were diseases that affected the liver.
Diagnosis of bone sarcomas begins with a thorough history and physical examination which may reveal characteristic signs and symptoms (see Signs and Symptoms above). Laboratory studies are not particularly useful in diagnosis, although some bone sarcomas (such as osteosarcoma) may be associated with elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, while others (such as Ewing sarcoma) can be associated with elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Importantly, however, none of these laboratory findings are specific to bone sarcomas, meaning that elevations in these lab values are associated with many other conditions as well as sarcoma, and thus cannot be relied upon to conclusively diagnose sarcoma. Imaging studies are critically important in diagnosis, and most clinicians will order a plain radiograph (X-ray) initially. Other imaging studies commonly used in diagnosis include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies and radioisotope bone scans. A CT scan is typically not used in diagnosis of most types of bone sarcoma, although it is an important tool for staging (see below). Definitive diagnosis requires biopsy of the tumor and careful review of the biopsy specimen by an experienced pathologist.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
System suitability is a set of checks performed before and during a run to confirm that the instrument, column, and method work as expected. Common checks include resolution, tailing factor, theoretical plates, and relative standard deviation of replicate injections. Failure triggers troubleshooting or method adjustment.
Validation demonstrates that a method produces reliable results for a defined purpose. It documents performance limits and acceptance criteria. Regulated industries require validation before routine testing of products or samples.
Retention time shifts can arise from changes in mobile phase composition, pH, temperature, column age, or flow rate. Contamination or worn seals may also alter pressure and delivery. Systematic checks of these factors help identify the cause.
It separates components in a liquid sample and measures their amounts using a detector. Results can indicate concentration, purity, or identity based on retention time and detector response. The technique works for mixtures that can be dissolved and filtered.