Table 1 Systematic evaluation on performances of urine preparation methods

Spot number mean ± SD (inter-CV)

197 ± 15 (7.6 %)

196 ± 15 (7.6 %)

192 ± 17 (8.8 %)

199 ± 17 (8.4 %)

%Yield mean ± SD (inter-CV)

41.9 ± 2.6 (6.4 %)

42.9 ± 0.6 (1.5 %)

62.1 ± 8.4 (13.6 %)

55.6 ± 7.0 (12.6 %)

Need of specialized/high-cost instrument

No

No

Yes (lyophilizer)

Yes (superspeed centifuge)

Working time (min)

15

35

>1440

65

Step of procedure

3

3

3

5

Unit cost (US$/5-ml urine)

0.3

6.3

0.3

1.8