The PSB method may underestimate bacterial colonisation due to the small volume of sample collected.
For the preterm infants, the miRNAs were extracted from whole blood because of the small volume of blood collected (less than 500 μL).
Because of the small volume of blood collected we could not perform all the analysis for each patient and, therefore, the phagocytosis assays were performed only for a small group of them.
Moreover, in the Finland study, around 22%% of the participants also reported that they felt insecure during the sample taking and commonly reported concerns related to the plunger of the device not releasing properly, fluid leaking out during sample taking and the small volume of the sample collected using device indicating that a certain level of doubt will remain [ 9].
The protocol was modified in the following way for the heelprick samples due to the small volume of whole blood collected: 80% ethanol was added to precipitate the RNA (rather than the recommended 70%) and an extra wash with 350 μL RW1 buffer was performed prior to DNA digest.
To do this : Simply scoop a small volume of feces up with the collecting spoon and pop it in the pot, then screw the lid back on.
We then collected a small volume of blood by piercing the ulnar vein with a 27-gauge needle.
A novel, volumetric adsorptive microsampling (VAMS™) device, which reproducibly collects a small volume of 10 μL whole blood in a hematocrit-independent manner, is evaluated in a human biomonitoring setting, and has been utilized for analysis of several perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA).
Recently, most of the centers use a commercially available condenser that allows to collect a small volume of EBC within a few minutes and is equipped with a spirometer to register the exhaled air volume [ 75, 186, 187].
Once per month, the larvae were collected from the sand (the small volume of sand in the tank allowed collection of juveniles without the need of an anaesthetic), counted, measured and reintroduced into the aquarium.
