Beckman Coulter Inc, Fullerton, Calif, a manufacturer of diagnostics instruments in the United States, has expanded the general chemistry test menu on its UniCel DxC and Synchron family of chemistry systems with the release of Amylase EPS-G7, used for the quantitative determination of α-Amylase enzyme in human serum, plasma, or urine.
 
The new test, manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Mass, and distributed by Beckman Coulter, aids in the diagnosis and monitoring of conditions related to acute pancreatitis.

The condition affects some 80,000 people annually in the United States. Acute pancreatitis is characterized by serum levels that are grossly elevated (four- to six-fold) above the upper reference limit. In acute pancreatitis, α-Amylase levels start to rise five to eight hours after the onset of symptoms, reaching a peak between 12 and 72 hours and returning to normal levels by the third or fourth day. Elevated α-Amylase in plasma may also indicate salivary trauma, mumps, or renal failure.

Reagents and calibrators for the assay are liquid and ready-to-use, which eliminates the need for mixing, hydrating, or pre-diluting reagents before testing.