1,721,247 research outputs found
Biochimica Clinica e Medicina di Laboratorio
No full textIl volume descrive i principali aspetti organizzativi, analitici e clinici che caratterizzano il panorama della Biochimica Clinica e della Medicina di Laboratorio, con focus particolare sull’importanza della qualità e della sicurezza. L'elaborazione dei singoli capitoli è stata affidata da SIBioC a Soci di comprovata esperienza sull’argomento, al fine di poter descrive e discutere efficacemente lo stato dell’arte e i possibili sviluppi futuri della Medicina di Laboratorio e della scienza biomedica nel suo complesso e nella sua complessità
Worldwide culture in science and laboratory medicine: an attainable target
No full textWorldwide culture in science and laboratory medicine: an attainable targe
The immunological implication of the new Vitamin D metabolism
Full text linkVitamin D is a neuro-hormone regulating calcium-phosphate homeostasis, cell proliferation, and immunomodulation. exogenous and endogenous Vitamin D is inactive, and two hydroxylations are required to produce the active hormone. The first hydroxylation is unique to the liver, while the second step occurs in kidney, brain, lung, prostate, placenta, and immune cells. Kidney-derived calcitriol regulates calcium homeostasis. active hormone produced by brain and immune cells mediates immune system response; lung calcitriol is involved in fighting respiratory tract infections; finally, prostate and placenta Vitamin D regulates cells growth and proliferation within such tissues. immune modulation by Vitamin D includes enhancing innate immune response, attenuating and stimulating Th1 and Th2 cell proliferation, respectively, and promoting self-tolerance. Hypovitaminosis D is a common finding in several autoimmune diseases. it is unclear whether hypovitaminosis D could be a consequence or a cause of autoimmune diseases and whether Vitamin D supplementation has an impact on these patients. Moreover, there is no consensus on oral cholecalciferol dosage for supplementation. More interventional studies are required to better define how Vitamin D could represent both a causation agent in autoimmunity and a target for therapeutic strategies in autoimmune patients
Biomarkers of Sepsis
Full text linkSepsis is a highly complex disease caused by a deregulated host’s response to infection [...
Evaluating monocyte distribution width in pediatric emergency care
No full textBackground: Pediatric sepsis remains a major global health challenge, complicated by age-related variability in presentation and diagnostic uncertainty. Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW), a measure of monocyte anisocytosis automatically reported with complete blood count, has shown promise as an early biomarker for sepsis in adults. However, its clinical utility in pediatric patients remains unclear. In this study, we explored the usefulness of MDW in pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of pediatric patients (<18 years) who presented to the ED for any cause. Patients were categorized into four groups: controls (no infection), infection, sepsis, and shock. MDW values were compared across groups and stratified by age (≤6 years and > 6 years). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess MDW diagnostic performance. Results: A total of 393 patients were enrolled: 117 controls, 183 with infection, 88 with sepsis, and 5 with shock. Overall, MDW values increased with disease severity, peaking in patients with shock. However, significant overlap was observed between infection and sepsis groups, particularly in children ≤ 6 years, where MDW was elevated even in controls. In children > 6 years, MDW showed a clearer stepwise increase across disease categories. ROC analysis revealed an AUC of 0.73 for distinguishing infected from non-infected patients at a cutoff of 24. Conclusions: MDW is a readily accessible biomarker that may aid in identifying pediatric patients with infection in emergency settings
Establishing Decisional Cutoff Values of Neurofilament Light Chains in Cerebrospinal Fluid Measured by Fully Automated Chemiluminescent Enzyme Immunoassay
No full textIntroduction: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is one of the most important biomarkers in the field of clinical neurochemistry. Several analytical methods have been developed in the last decade. Recently, Fujirebio introduced a ready-to-use assay kit for measuring NfL levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on the fully automated LUMIPULSE G System. In this study, we established the decisional cutoffs for CSF NfL. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study including patients with cognitive decline. CSF NfL levels were measured by two analytical methods: the NF-light ELISA kit (UmanDiagnostics) and the Lumipulse G1200 fully automated system (Fujirebio). We calculated the cutoffs for the Lumipulse, starting from the consolidated cutoffs of the ELISA method for each age and using the equation obtained by the regression analysis. Results: The study population consisted of 100 patients with cognitive decline. The median levels of CSF NfL measured by Lumipulse and ELISA were 776.5 ± 772.6 pg/mL and 473.5 ± 443.5 pg/mL, respectively, significantly different (p < 0.001). The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was 0.962, indicating a robust positive correlation between the two measurement methods. The equation derived from the Passing–Bablok regression analysis was CSF CLEIA = −61.16 + 1.83 × CSF ELISA. Based on this equation, we defined the decisional cutoff values. Conclusions: Decisional cutoffs are fundamental tools for guiding clinicians to use biomarkers' results and interpretation appropriately. This is the first study establishing the decisional cutoff value of NfL measured by Lumipulse, a fully automated platform widely used in clinical laboratories
Soluble and nuclear oestrogen receptor status of advanced endometrial cancer in relation to subsequent clinical prognosis
No full textBoth soluble and nuclear oestrogen receptors have been measured in at least two separate sections from 72 endometrial. cancers and 12 normal endometria. Concentration of oestrogen receptor is shown to be, in our hands, more meaningful when expressed per unit DNA than per unit protein, whether for soluble or nuclear receptor. Endometrial cancer cells from the central part of the tumour are shown to be receptor negative more frequently than those from peripheral tumour. Thus, in large cancers, biopsies from different areas are required before a tumour can be correctly designated as receptor positive, heterogeneous or receptor negative. The intratumoral variation of receptor status may relate to poor prognosis, since patients with homogeneous receptor-positive disease survive significantly longer than those with tumours showing either heterogeneous distribution of receptor or homogeneous absence of receptor. Intratumoral variation in receptor status is found to be more common in the group of patients who are within 7 years of their menopause, than in older patient
Maternal phenylketonuria in two Sicilian families identified by maternal blood phenylalanine level screening and identification of a new phenylalanine hydroxylase gene mutation (P407L)
No full textnot availabl
Drainage fluid LDH and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as biomarkers for early detecting anastomotic leakage in patients undergoing colorectal surgery
No full textObjectives
In this study, we investigated the role of several circulating and drainage fluid biomarkers for detecting postoperative complications (PCs) and anastomotic leakage (AL) in patients undergoing colorectal surgery.
Methods
All consecutive patients undergoing colorectal surgery between June 2018 and April 2020 were prospectively considered. On postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, and 5, we measured lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in drainage fluid, C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum and drainage fluid, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
Results
We enrolled 187 patients. POD1 patients with AL had higher serum CRP levels, while on POD3 and on POD5 higher NLR and serum CRP. LDH and CRP in drainage fluid were also significantly higher at both time points. The area under the curves (AUCs) of serum and drainage fluid CRP were 0.752 (0.629–0.875) and 0.752 (0.565–0.939), respectively. The best cut-off for serum and drainage fluid CRP was 185.23 and 76 mg/dL, respectively. The AUC of NLR on POD3 was 0.762 (0.662–0.882) with a sensitivity and specificity of 84 and 63 %, respectively, at a cut-off of 6,6. Finally, drainage fluid LDH showed the best diagnostic performance for AL, with an AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.921 (0.849–0.993), 82 %, and 90 % at a cut-off of 2,186 U/L. Trends in serum parameters between patients with or without PCs or AL were also evaluated. Interestingly, we found that NLR decreased faster in patients without PCs than in patients with PCs and patients with AL.
Conclusions
Drainage fluid LDH and NLR could be promising biomarkers of PCs and AL
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