1,721,143 research outputs found
Validazione per l’impiego clinico delle determinazioni di emoglobina ed ematocrito sull’emogasanalizzatore GEM Premier 4000
No full textValidation of hemoglobin and hematocrit measurements on GEM Premier 4000 blood gas analyzer
No full textValutazione dell’imprecisione dell’esame emocromocitometrico eseguito con analizzatore Sysmex XN-9000
No full textUrinary ethylenethiourea as biomarkers of exposure to ethylenebisdithiocarbamates in floriculture workers in Ecuador
Full text linkFloriculture represents one of the major sources of income in Ecuador that is one of the greatest worldwide producers of ornamental flowers. Floriculture can be carried out both in open fields and in greenhouses with an extensive use of pesticides, among which, ethylenbisdithiocarbamate fungicides (EBDTCs). Aim of this study was to assess EBDTCs exposure in Ecuadorian floricultural workers by the determination of the urinary excretion of the major metabolite of these compounds, ethylenethiourea (ETU). Thirty-six floriculture workers and 34 unexposed healthy subjects (controls) from an Andean region entered the study. Workers were exposed to EBDTCs while applying plant protection products, and during re-entry activities or crop maintenance in one open field and two greenhouse farms. They provided morning pre-exposure (n=31) and afternoon post-exposure (n=24) urine spot samples. Controls provided one urine spot sample collected in the morning. In agricultural workers median ETU in pre- and after-exposure samples was 3.2 (<0.5-34.5) and 6.2 (1.5-26.5) μg/g creatinine. Although ETU increased after the workshift the difference was not significant. ETU was higher in workers then in controls (0.7, <0.5-7.1 μg/g creatinine, p < 0.01). When subjects were divided according to job titles, applicators showed the highest ETU (17.0, 1.5-34.5 μg/g creatinine) whereas growing, post-harvesting and maintenance workers showed similar levels (4.3, <0.5-26.5; 2.8, <0.5-11.1; 4.8, 3.2-6.5 μg/g creatinine, respectively). Higher ETU was observed in greenhouse compared to open field workers (p < 0.01). This study suggests that Ecuadorian floricultures are exposed to EBDTCs at levels approaching those observed in Italian vineyard workers. The lack of difference between ETU in pre- vs. post-exposure samples is attributable to previous day exposure, in fact the kinetic of excretion is such that in prior to next shift urine significant amount of ETU is still present
Impact of managing altered results in hemolyzed samples (HS) in an infant-maternity hospital using an unconventional approach
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Impact of total automation consolidating first-line laboratory tests on diagnostic blood loss
Full text linkBackground: Blood loss for laboratory testing may contribute to hospital-acquired anemia. When implementing the core laboratory (core-lab) section, we consolidated first-line tests decreasing the number of tubes previously dispatched to different sites. Here, hypothesized benefits of the amount of blood volume drawn were explored.
Methods: We retrieved, using a laboratory information system (LIS), the number of tubes received by laboratories interested in the change from all clinical wards in a year-based period, i.e. 2013 for pre-core-lab and 2015 for core-lab system, respectively. Data were expressed as the overall number of tubes sent to laboratories, the corresponding blood volume, and the number of laboratory
tests performed, normalized for the number of inpatients.
Results: After consolidation, the average number of blood tubes per inpatient significantly decreased (12.6 vs. 10.7, p < 0.001). However, intensive care units (ICUs) did not reduce the number of tubes per patient, according to the needs of daily monitoring of their clinical status. The average blood volume sent to laboratories did not vary significantly because serum tubes for core-lab required higher volumes for testing up to 55 analytes in the same transaction. Finally, the number of requested tests per
patient during the new osystem slightly decreased (−2.6%).
Conclusions: Total laboratory automation does not automatically mean reducing iatrogenic blood loss. The new system affected the procedure of blood drawing in clinical wards by significantly reducing the number of handled tubes, producing a benefit in terms of costs, labor and time consumption. Except in ICUs, this also slightly promoted some blood saving. ICUs which engage in phlebotomizing patients daily, did not take advantage from the test consolidation
Application of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of urinary ethylenethiourea in humans
No full textEthylenethiourea (ETU) is a major metabolite of ethylenebisdithiocarbamate pesticides: a sensitive and specific assay for its determination in human urine is proposed below. ETU is extracted on a diatomaceous earth column using dichloromethane and derivatized with the mixture of N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide and tert-butyldimethyilsilyl chloride. The derivative is analyzed using GC/MS in the EI/SIM mode. The whole procedure is carried out in the presence of ethylenethiourea-d(4) as internal standard. The analytical features of the method are: high specificity, >90% recovery, range of linearity 0-200 microg/L, within- and between-run precision as coefficient of variation, <17 and <20%, respectively, limit of quantification 2 microg/L. In specimens stored in the dark at -20 degrees C ETU is stable for at least 6 months. The procedure was successfully applied to the biological monitoring of vineyard workers exposed to EBDTC and of a matched group of subjects from the general population
Evaluation of long-term imprecision of automated complete blood cell count performed on Sysmex XN-9000 platform
No full textLow level exposure to chemicals and immune system
No full textIndustrialized countries are facing an increase of diseases attributable to an alteration of the immune system function, and concern is growing that this trend could be at least partially attributable to new and modified patterns of exposure to chemicals. Among chemicals matter of concern, pesticides can be included. The Authors have reviewed the existing evidence of pesticide immunotoxicity in humans, showing that existing data are inadequate to raise conclusions on the immunotoxic risk related to these compounds. The limits of existing studies are: poor knowledge on exposure levels, heterogeneity of the approach, and difficulty in giving a prognostic significance to the slight changes often observed. To overcome these limits, the Authors have proposed a tier approach, based on three steps: the first, addressed at pointing out a possible immunomodulation; the second, at refining the results and the third one, when needed, to finalize the study and to point out concordance with previous results. Studies should preferably be carried out through comparison of pre- and post-exposure findings in the same groups of subjects to be examined immediately after the end of the exposure. A simplification of the first step approach can be used by the occupational health physician and the occupational toxicologist. Conclusions on the prognostic significance of the slight changes often observed will be reached only by validating the hypothesis generated by field studies with an epidemiological approach. In this field, the most useful option is represented by longitudinal perspective studies. (copyright) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
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