Volume 55, Issue 8

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of critical illnesses and has a significant impact on outcomes, including mortality and morbidities. Unfortunately, apart from prophylactic measures, no effective treatment for this syndrome is known. Therefore, early recognition of AKI not only can provide better opportunities for preventive interventions, but also opens many gates for research and development of effective therapeutic options. Over the last few years, several new AKI biomarkers have been discovered and validated to improve early detection, differential diagnosis, and differentiation of patients into risk groups for progressive renal failure, need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), or death. These novel AKI biomarkers complement serum creatinine (SCr) and urine output, which are the standard diagnostic tools for AKI detection. In this article, we review the available literature on characteristics of promising AKI biomarkers that are currently the focus of preclinical and clinical investigations. These biomarkers include neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), liver-type fatty acid-binding protein, interleukin 18 (lL-18), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2), calprotectin, urine angiotensinogen (AGT), and urine microRNA. We then describe the clinical performance of these biomarkers for diagnosis and prognostication. We also appraise each AKI biomarker’s advantages and limitations as a tool for early AKI recognition and prediction of clinical outcomes after AKI. Finally, we review the current and future states of implementation of biomarkers in the clinical practice.

Many studies have shown the prognostic significance of glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) for overall coronary artery disease (CAD). But less is known about the role that HbA 1c played in the prognosis of patients diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Results from previous studies were controversial. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether admission HbA 1c level was a predictor of short- and long-term mortality rates among patients diagnosed with STEMI. Relevant literatures were retrieved from the electronic databases up to March 2016. Reference lists were hand searched to identify eligible studies. Articles were included if they provided sufficient information for the calculation of pooled relative risk (RR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Finally, we got 19 prospective studies involving a total of 35,994 STEMI patients to evaluate the associations between HbA 1c level and their in-hospital, 30-day and long-term mortality. Among STEMI patients, HbA 1c level was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.95–1.53, p=0.13). However, elevated HbA 1c level was positively associated with risk of 30-day and long-term mortality (for 30-day mortality, RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03–1.52, p=0.02; for long-term mortality, RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.20–1.76, p<0.01). In conclusion, our findings suggested elevated HbA 1c level among STEMI patients was an indicator of 1.25-fold 30-day mortality risk and 1.45-fold long-term mortality risk, respectively. STEMI patients with high HbA 1c level should have their chronic glucose dysregulation under intensive control.

Laboratory medicine results influence a high percentage of all clinical decisions. Globalization requires that laboratory medicine results should be transferable between methods in the interests of patient safety. International collaboration is necessary to deliver this requirement. That collaboration should be based on traceability in laboratory medicine and the adoption of higher order international commutable reference materials and measurement procedures. Application of the metrological traceability chain facilitates a universal approach. The measurement of serum cholesterol and blood HbA 1c serve as examples of the process of method standardization where an impact on clinical outcomes is demonstrable. The measurement of plasma parathyroid hormone and blood HbA2 serve as examples where the current between-method variability is compromising patient management and method standardization and/or harmonization is required. Challenges to the widespread adoption of traceability in laboratory medicine include the availability of reference materials and methods, geographical differences, the use of variable units, complex analytes and limited global coordination. The global collaboration requires the involvement of several different stakeholder groups ranging from international experts to laboratory medicine specialists in routine clinical laboratories. A coordinated action plan is presented with actions attributable to each of these stakeholder groups.

Preanalytically altered test results are a challenge every laboratory has to face. The release of such results may be to the harm of the patient by triggering wrong clinical decision making in monitoring or treatment. On the other hand, their deletion also might be to the harm of the patient by delaying the time to decision making as the exact value sometimes is not even necessary but rather an answer to the question “Is it raised or lowered”. Based on this dilemma and forced to produce laboratory values without any clinical information on the respective patient, laboratories have developed their own preferred way on how to deal with preanalytically altered test results. Some release the value with a comment, some reject the value with or without a comment and others again provide only general information about the hemolytic sample. To date there is no guideline or standardization to this postanalytical topic. Therefore, with this opinion paper, we want to start the scientific discussion on this important issue by providing one possible method to overcome the lack of clinical information which the laboratory would need to correctly decide whether or not to release an altered test result. We suggest providing the clinician with all the information on the hemolytic sample and its impact on the respective parameter needed to make his/her own decision on the usage of the respective test result. We believe that reporting a preanalytically altered laboratory value including a respective comment is preferable to not reporting it.

The management of laboratory data in unsuitable (hemolyzed) samples remains an almost unresolved dilemma. Whether or not laboratory test results obtained by measuring unsuitable specimens should be made available to the clinicians has been the matter of fierce debates over the past decades. Recently, an intriguing alternative to suppressing test results and recollecting the specimen has been put forward, entailing the definition and implementation of specific algorithms that would finally allow reporting a preanalytically altered laboratory value within a specific comment about its uncertainty of measurement. This approach carries some advantages, namely the timely communication of potentially life-threatening laboratory values, but also some drawbacks. These especially include the challenging definition of validated performance specifications for hemolyzed samples, the need to producing reliable data with the lowest possible uncertainty, the short turnaround time for repeating most laboratory tests, the risk that the comments may be overlooked in short-stay and frequently overcrowded units (e.g. the emergency department), as well as the many clinical advantages of a direct communication with the physician in charge of the patient. Despite the debate remains open, we continue supporting the suggestion that suppressing data in unsuitable (hemolyzed) samples and promptly notifying the clinicians about the need to recollect the samples remains the most (clinically and analytically) safe practice.

Background: Clinical decision making after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is partially based on hematopoietic chimerism analysis. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of polymorphic short tandem repeats (STR-PCR) is currently considered the gold standard for chimerism surveillance after transplantation. Nevertheless, this method has shown several limitations. Emerging technologies such as digital PCR (dPCR) has been applied to detect hematopoietic chimerism. Despite previous reports, the clinical usefulness of dPCR is unclear because the studies were performed in limited patient populations with short follow-ups. Methods: In order to compare hematopoietic chimerism detection time and rate, we analyzed 591 samples from 155 patients undergoing gender-mismatched HSCT using STR-PCR and dPCR. We also established the correlation between both methods in artificial DNA mixtures prepared in known proportions and in clinical samples. Results: Depending on the artificial DNA mixture analyzed the correlation coefficient between both methods was 0.9946 and 0.9732. The limit of detection for dPCR was 0.01%. Of 157 samples with donor and recipient DNA, mixed chimerism (MC) was detected solely by dPCR in 66 samples. Within the group of patients relapsing after HSCT (n=32) MC was detected earlier in 15 of these patients with dPCR in comparison with STR-PCR. The mean time from MC detection to relapse was 155 days (range: 13–385 days) and 65 days (range: 0–203 days) for dPCR and STR-PCR, respectively. Conclusions: dPCR is a sensitive and accurate method for the quantification of hematopoietic chimerism allowing earlier MC detection compared to STR-PCR.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype is a predictive marker for treatment response. We sequentially evaluated the performances of two nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and one serology assay for HCV genotype: Abbott RealTi me genotype II (RealTi me II), GeneMatrix restriction fragment mass polymorphism (RFMP), and Sysmex HISCL HCV Gr (HISCL Gr). Methods: We examined 281 clinical samples with three assays. The accuracy was assessed using the HCV Genotype Performance Panel PHW204 (SeraCare Life Sciences) for two NAATs. Discrepant cases were re-genotyped by the Versant HCV v.2.0 (line probe 2.0) assay. Results: With the RealTi me II assay, clinic samples were analyzed as follows: genotypes 1b (43.1%), 2 (40.2%), 1 subtypes other than 1a and 1b (12.5%), 3 (1.8%), 4 (1.4%), 1a (0.7%), 6 (0.4%), and mixed (1.1%). The RealTi me II and RFMP assays showed a type concordance rate of 97.5% (274/281) (κ=0.80) and no significant discordance (p=0.25). Both assays accurately genotyped all samples in the Performance Panel by the subtype level. The HISCL Gr assay showed concordance rates of about 91% (κ<0.40) and statistically significant discordances with two NAATs (p<0.05). In confirmation tests, the results of RFMP assay were the most consistent with those of Versant 2.0 assay. Conclusions: The three HCV assays provided genotyping and serotyping results with good concordance rates. The two NAATs (RealTi me II and RFMP) showed comparable performance and good agreement. However, the results of the HISCL Gr assay showed statistically significant differences with those of the NAATs.

Background: Blood collection through intravenous (IV) catheters is a common practice at emergency departments (EDs). This technique is associated with higher in vitro hemolysis rates and may even be amplified by the use of vacuum collection tubes. Our aim was to investigate the association of five different vacuum tubes with hemolysis rates in comparison to an aspiration system under real-life conditions and to propose an equation to estimate the amount of hemolysis, depending on the vacuum collection tube type. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated hemolysis data of plasma samples from our ED, where blood is drawn through IV catheters. Over the past 5 years, we compared 19,001 hemolysis index values amongst each other and against the respective vacuum pressure (P v ) of the collection tubes, which were used within the six observational periods. Results: The highest hemolysis rates were associated with full-draw evacuated tubes. Significantly reduced hemolysis was observed for two kinds of partial-draw tubes. The hemolysis rate of one partial-draw blood collection tube was comparable to those of the aspiration system. Regression analysis of P v and mean free hemoglobin (fHb) values yielded the formula fHb (g/L)=0.0082*P v 2 –0.1143*P v + 0.5314 with an R 2 of 0.99. Conclusions: If IV catheters are used for blood collection, hemolysis rates directly correlate with the vacuum within the tubes and can be estimated by the proposed formula. By the use of partial-draw vacuum blood collection tubes, hemolysis rates in IV catheter collections can be reduced to levels comparable with collections performed by aspiration systems.

Background: Current commercial tubes have difficulties in producing “true” serum from all blood samples even within the recommended clotting times. Hence, Becton Dickinson (BD) and now Greiner have produced tubes containing thrombin as the procoagulant to reduce the clotting time and increase the possibility of producing serum from anticoagulated blood samples. Methods: The Greiner BCA Fast Clot (GBBCAFC) tube was evaluated in a hospital environment using 40 participants, (30 healthy and 10 undergoing renal dialysis) for 32 analytes against the Greiner lithium heparin tube and the BD Rapid Serum Tubes (BD RST) tube measured on Beckman DxC 800 and DxI 800 analyzers. Clotting strength was also examined using thromboelastography (TEG). Results: The analytes results showed there was a very close agreement between the BD RST tube and GBBCAFC tube in comparison with lithium heparin plasma. The result comparison data showed equivalent performance with lower levels of hemolysis. The prolonged storage study also showed very similar agreement between the BD RST and the GBBCAFC tubes. Likewise, the TEG data showed there was very little difference in clotting ability between the tubes, and neither was capable of producing true serum from blood spiked with 2 U heparin/mL of blood. Conclusions: The study showed the GBBCAFC tube with the combination of the two procoagulants blood clotting activator and thrombin produced comparable performance with the lithium heparin plasma and the BD RST serum samples.

Background: General application of a moving average (MA) as continuous analytical quality control (QC) for routine chemistry assays has failed due to lack of a simple method that allows optimization of MAs. A new method was applied to optimize the MA for routine chemistry and was evaluated in daily practice as continuous analytical QC instrument. Methods: MA procedures were optimized using an MA bias detection simulation procedure. Optimization was graphically supported by bias detection curves. Next, all optimal MA procedures that contributed to the quality assurance were run for 100 consecutive days and MA alarms generated during working hours were investigated. Results: Optimized MA procedures were applied for 24 chemistry assays. During this evaluation, 303,871 MA values and 76 MA alarms were generated. Of all alarms, 54 (71%) were generated during office hours. Of these, 41 were further investigated and were caused by ion selective electrode (ISE) failure (1), calibration failure not detected by QC due to improper QC settings (1), possible bias (significant difference with the other analyzer) (10), non-human materials analyzed (2), extreme result(s) of a single patient (2), pre-analytical error (1), no cause identified (20), and no conclusion possible (4). Conclusions: MA was implemented in daily practice as a continuous QC instrument for 24 routine chemistry assays. In our setup when an MA alarm required follow-up, a manageable number of MA alarms was generated that resulted in valuable MA alarms. For the management of MA alarms, several applications/requirements in the MA management software will simplify the use of MA procedures.

Background: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) stability is important. Many studies have shown divergent results between EDTA and serum, which are mainly linked to differences in protocols or cut-offs used to determine whether or not PTH remained stable. No studies have yet compared PTH stability as measured by second- and third-generation assays on the same samples in hemodialyzed patients and healthy subjects. Methods: Five pairs of samples (EDTA and gel tubes) were obtained in 10 hemodialyzed patients before a dialysis session and in 10 healthy subjects. One pair was centrifuged and run directly to define the “T0”. Two pairs were kept at +4°C and two pairs were kept at +25°C. They were centrifuged after 4 and 18 h. Supernatant was kept at –80°C for 1 week. All samples were measured in a single batch, on Roche Cobas and DiaSorin XL second- and third-generation PTH assays. We used three different approaches to evaluate PTH stability: Wilcoxon test, an Acceptable Change Limit (ACL) according to ISO Guide 5725-6 and a Total Change Limit (TCL) derived from the sum of biological and technical variability according to WHO. Results: PTH decreased in all samples. Stability of PTH was mainly dependent on the way it was evaluated. Percentages of decrease were systematically lower in EDTA vs. serum. Wilcoxon and ACL showed that PTH was no more stable after 4 h at +4°C in EDTA or serum gel tubes. None of the subjects presented a PTH decrease higher than the TCL with EDTA plasma. In serum gel tubes, PTH was unstable only when kept at 25°C for 18 h. Conclusions: PTH seems more stable in EDTA than in serum gel tubes but only when samples have to stay unprocessed for a long period (18 h) at room temperature (25°C), which can happen when samples are delivered from external care centers. For all the other conditions, using serum gel tubes is recommended since calcium measurement, which is necessary for a good PTH results interpretation, can be achieved on the same tube.

Background: Association between pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (proANP) and hyperuricemia has not yet been investigated in population. This study aimed to examine the association in Chinese Han women. Methods: We measured plasma proANP, serum uric acid, and other traditional biomarkers in 1360 women older than 30 years residing in the Gusu district of Suzhou City. Association between plasma proANP and hyperuricemia was analyzed in women aged ≥45 years and those aged <45 years, respectively. Results: In women aged ≥45 years, the odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of hyperuricemia with high proANP (over the median) was 0.57 (0.34–0.97) compared to those with low proANP (p=0.040). After adjustment for age and other potential covariates, a high plasma proANP was associated with a decreased risk of hyperuricemia in women aged ≥45 years (OR 0.40; 95% CI, 0.19–0.84), when the highest and lowest categories were compared. In contrast, there was no association between plasma proANP and hyperuricemia in women aged <45 years. We did not observe a significant interaction between age and proANP (p interaction =0.113). Sensitivity analyses further confirmed these age-specific findings. Conclusions: Plasma proANP was significantly and inversely associated with hyperuricemia in Chinese Han women aged ≥45 years. This study suggests that an increased plasma proANP should be a protective factor of hyperuricemia among middle-aged and old women.

Background: Liver enzymes are released from hepatocytes into circulation and their activity can be measured in the blood. We examined whether the plasma activity of the liver enzyme ornithine carbamoyltransferase, determined by a novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay, could be utilized for the detection of OTC deficiency (OTCD), an X-linked inborn error of the urea cycle. Methods: The plasma ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTC) activity was assayed in the reverse reaction using isotopically labeled citrulline-d4 as a substrate and by determination of the product, ornithine-d4, by LC-MS/MS analysis. Results: The plasma OTC activity in the controls was in the range of 111–658 pkat/L (n=49, median 272 pkat/L), and the activity increased linearly with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities in patients with hepatopathy. The OTC activity was subsequently determined in 32 individuals carrying mutations in the OTC gene, and OTC/ALT and OTC/AST ratios were calculated to account for the degree of hepatopathy, which is a common finding in OTCD. The OTC/ALT ratio enabled clear differentiation of OTCD hemizygotes (n=11, range 0–69×10 −6 ) from controls (504–3440×10 −6 ). This ratio also enabled the detection of 11 of 12 symptomatic heterozygotes (range 38–794×10 −6 ), while this marker did not allow for reliable differentiation of asymptomatic heterozygotes (n=9) from controls. Conclusions: LC-MS/MS assay of plasma OTC activity enabled the detection of all hemizygous and the majority of symptomatic heterozygous OTCD patients in the tested cohort. This study demonstrates that non-invasive assay of enzymes expressed predominantly in the liver could be used as an alternative approach for diagnosing inborn errors of metabolism.

Background: The direct bilirubin (D-Bil) assay on the AU Beckman Coulter instrumentation can be interfered by paraproteins, which may result in spurious D-Bil results. In a previous work, we took advantage of this fact to detect this interference, thus helping with the identification of patients with unsuspected monoclonal gammopathies. In this work, we investigate the possibility to detect interference based on the review of the photometric reactions, regardless of the D-Bil result. Methods: The D-Bil assay was carried out in a set of 2164 samples. It included a group of 164 samples with paraproteins (67 of which caused interference on the assay), as well as different groups of samples for which high absorbance background readings could also be expected (i.e. hemolyzed, lipemic, or icteric samples). Photometric reaction data were reviewed and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to establish a cut-off for absorbance that best discriminates interference. Results: The best cut-off was 0.0100 for the absorbance at the first photometric point of the complementary wavelength in the blank cuvette. Once the optimal cut-off for probable interference was selected, all samples analyzed in our laboratory that provided absorbance values above this cut-off were further investigated to try to discover paraproteins. During a period of 6 months, we detected 44 samples containing paraproteins, five of which belonged to patients with non-diagnosed monoclonal gammopathies. Conclusions: Review of the photometric reaction data permits the systematic detection of paraprotein interference on the D-Bil AU assay, even for samples for which reasonable results are obtained.

Background: Hepcidin is the central systemic regulator of iron metabolism, but its quantification in biological fluids is challenging. Rapid, accurate and user-friendly methods are needed. Our aim was to assess the ability of hepcidin as measured by three different c-ELISA assays to predict iron bioavailability in humans. Methods: The three assays used were commercially available DRG and Peninsula assays and the c-ELISA method performed at Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands (Hepcidinanalysis.com), validated by comparative measurements with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We analyzed plasma samples (n=37) selected to represent a broad range of hepcidin concentrations from a subgroup of healthy, iron-depleted women in a study assessing fractional absorption from iron supplements. Results: In single regressions, all three c-ELISA assays were predictors of fractional iron absorption: R 2 =0.363 (DRG), R 2 =0.281 (Peninsula) and R 2 =0.327 (Hepcidinanalysis.com). In multiple regressions, models including hepcidin measured with either DRG-, Peninsula or Hepcidinanalysis.com explained 55.7%, 44.5% and 52.5% of variance in fractional absorption, and hepcidin was a strong predictor of fractional absorption irrespective of the hepcidin assays used. However, we found significant differences in absolute values for hepcidin between different methods. Both the DRG assay’s (y=0.61x+0.87; R 2 =0.873) and the Peninsula assay’s measurements (y=1.88x+0.62; R 2 =0.770) were correlated with Hepcidinanalysis.com. Conclusions: The biological variability in plasma hepcidin, (inter-sample CV) was 5–10-fold higher for both the Peninsula and DRG assay than the analytical variably (inter-run within-sample CV) suggesting substantial discriminatory power to distinguish biological hepcidin variation. Between methods, prediction of iron bioavailability in generally healthy iron depleted subjects appears comparable.

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the commonest enzymopathy worldwide. The incidence depends essentially on the methods used for the assessment. In this respect, we attempted in this study to set cut-off values of G6PD activity to discriminate among normal, heterozygous, and deficient individuals using the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. Methods: Blood samples from 250 female and 302 male subjects were enrolled in this study. The G6PD activity was determined using a quantitative assay. The common G6PD mutations in Tunisia were determined using the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS-PCR) method. The ROC curve was used to choice the best cut-off. Results: Normal G6PD values were 7.69±2.37, 7.86±2.39, and 7.51±2.35 U/g Hb for the entire, male, and female groups, respectively. Cut-off values for the total, male, and female were determined using the WHO classification and ROC curves analysis. In the male population, both cut-offs established using ROC curve analysis (4.00 U/g Hb) and the 60% level (3.82 U/g Hb), respectively are sensitive and specific resulting in a good efficiency of discrimination between deficient and normal males. For the female group the ROC cut-off (5.84 U/g Hb) seems better than the 60% level cut-off (3.88 U/g Hb) to discriminate between normal and heterozygote or homozygote women with higher Youden Index. Conclusions: The establishment of the normal values for a population is important for a better evaluation of the assay result. The ROC curve analysis is an alternative method to determine the status of patients since it correlates DNA analysis and G6PD activity.

Background: Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a vasoconstrictive and pro-inflammatory peptide, is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association of plasma ET-1 levels and renal function among young and healthy adults. Methods: Individuals aged 25–41 years were enrolled in a population-based cohort study. Main exclusion criteria were established kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and a body mass index>35 kg/m 2 . Fasting venous plasma samples were used to measure creatinine, cystatin C and ET-1. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the creatinine based chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula. Multivariable regression models were constructed to assess interrelationships of plasma ET-1 with parameters of renal function. Results: Median age of the 2139 participants was 37 years, 47% males. Median creatinine and eGFR were 67 μmol/L and 112 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , respectively. Using quartile one as the reference group, the β-coefficients (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for eGFR were 0.06 (− 1.22 to 1.35),−0.66 (− 1.95 to 0.62) and−1.70 (− 3.01 to−0.39) for quartiles 2–4 (p-for-trend=0.0056), respectively and β-coefficients (95% CIs) for cystatin C were 0.002 (− 0.01 to 0.02), 0.02 (0.003–0.03) and 0.03 (0.01–0.04) for quartiles 2–4 (p-for-trend<0.0001), respectively. Using ET-1 as a continuous variable, the β-coefficient (95% CI) for eGFR per 1-unit increase was−1.82 (− 3.19 to−0.44, p=0.0095) and 0.02 (0.01–0.04, p=0.0003) for cystatin C. Similar results were found between creatinine and ET-1 levels. Conclusions: ET-1 levels are strongly associated with parameters of renal function among young and healthy adults, suggesting an important role of ET-1 and endothelial function in the regulation of kidney function.

Background: Reliable quantitative measurements of HE4 and CA125 levels are required to calculate the risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) value. We suggest a new reporting strategy for interpreting ROMA values based on analytical measurement range (AMR) and qualified-intervals of the HE4 and CA125 results. Methods: HE4 and CA125 assays from Abbott and Roche were used. The AMRs and the qualified-intervals were as follows: Architect HE4 assay, 20–1500 and 17.2–2637.8 pmol/L; Architect CA125 II assay, 1–1000 and 3.9–14,163.0 U/mL; Elecsys HE4 assay, 15–1500 and 28.8–3847 pmol/L; Elecsys CA125 II assay, 0.6–5000 and 6.5–5000 U/mL. These values were used to simulate the ROMA values. Results: Reporting algorithm for the ROMA value could be classified into three categories. (1) If quantitative HE4 and CA125 levels are reliable, the numerical ROMA value can be reported. (2) If HE4 value is <20 and <28.8 for Abbott and Roche in premenopausal woman, the ROMA value should be reported as “low risk” regardless of the CA125 result. In postmenopausal woman, however, it should be reported as “low risk” (CA125<203.0 and <165.8 for Abbott and Roche) or “undetermined” (vice-versa value). (3) If CA125 value is <3.9 and <6.5 for Abbott and Roche, it should be reported as “low risk” (premenopausal HE4<51.5 and <62.2, postmenopausal HE4<323.0 and <281.5 for Abbott and Roche) or “undetermined” (vice-versa value). Conclusions: New reporting strategy will provide more informative reporting of ROMA values in clinical practice.

Background: In acute myeloid leukemias, there is an increased chance to develop thrombotic disorders. We hypothesized that in addition to leukemic promyelocytes, monocytic leukemia cells may also have a higher procoagulant activity. Methods: Fibrin formation was assessed by a one-stage clotting assay using a magnetic coagulometer. The thrombin generation test (TGT) of magnetically isolated normal human monocytes, intact leukemic cells and their isolated microparticles was performed by a fluorimetric assay. Phosphatidylserine (PS) expression of leukemic cells and microparticle number determinations were carried out by flow cytometry. Results: All cell lines displayed a significant procoagulant potential compared to isolated normal human monocytes. In the TGT test, the mean of lagtime and the time to peak parameters were significantly shorter in leukemic cells (3.9–4.7 and 9.9–10.3 min) compared to monocytes (14.9 and 26.5 min). The mean of peak thrombin in various monocytic leukemia cell lines was 112.1–132.9 nM vs. 75.1 nM in monocytes; however, no significant difference was observed in the ETP parameter. Factor VII-deficient plasma abolished all procoagulant activity, whereas factor XII-deficient plasma did not affect the speed of fibrin formation and thrombin generation but modulated the amount of thrombin. Factor XI-deficient plasma affected the time to peak values in one leukemic cell line and also attenuated peak thrombin. Leukemia cell-derived microparticles from all three cell lines exerted a procoagulant effect by significantly shortening the lagtime in TGT; there was a nonsignificant difference in case of ETP parameter. Conclusions: All investigated monocytic leukemia cell lines exhibited significant thrombin generation. This phenomenon was achieved by the procoagulants on the surface of leukemic cells as well as by their microparticles.

Background: Measurement of C-peptide by immunoassay contributes to the diagnosis of a number of disorders related to β cell function. Stocks of the current international reference reagent (IRR) for C-peptide, used to calibrate these immunoassays, are exhausted, and this report summarises the international study to establish a replacement World Health Organization (WHO) international standard (IS) to maintain the availability of a globally available reference material and support efforts to standardise C-peptide assays. Methods: The study was conducted in three phases; phase I involved the assignment of a value to a primary calibrant in mass units by amino acid analysis and phase II applied this value to the calibration of a candidate standard, 13/146, by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) assay. In phase III, the candidate standard was compared to the first IRR by current immunoassays to assess its suitability to serve as an IS. Results: Calibration of the candidate standard by RP-HPLC gave a final estimated content of 8.64 μg/ampoule with expanded uncertainty of 8.21–9.07 μg/ampoule (95% confidence; k=2.45). The candidate standard also appears sufficiently stable to serve as an IS, based on HPLC analysis of accelerated thermal degradation samples of 13/146, and was also shown to have appropriate immunological activity. A difference in bias approach was used to assess the commutability of 13/146 with human serum and urine samples. With the exception of two laboratories, the candidate standard demonstrated commutability with respect to the serum and urine samples included in this study. Conclusions: The candidate standard, 13/146, is suitable to serve as the First International Standard for human C-peptide, and it has been formally adopted by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the WHO.

Background: Quantification of glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) is a challenge in patients with hemoglobin (Hb) variants. We evaluated the impact of various Hb variants on five routine HbA 1c assays by comparing with the IFCC reference measurement procedure (RMP). Methods: Whole blood samples showing warning flags or no results on routine HPLC HbA 1c assays were confirmed for Hb variants and were submitted to HbA 1c quantification using Sebia Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing, Roche Tina-quant HbA 1c Gen. 2, Bio-Rad Variant II Turbo 2.0, ADAMS HA-8180, Tosoh G8 standard mode, and IFCC RMP using LC-MS. Results: Among 114 samples, the most common variants were Hb G-Coushatta (n=47), Queens (n=41), Ube-4 (n=11), Chad (n=4), Yamagata (n=4), G-His-Tsou (n=2), G-Taipei (n=1), Fort de France (n=1), Hoshida (n=1), and two novel variants (Hb α-globin, HBA 52 Gly>Cys and Hb β-globin, HBB 146 His>Asn). In terms of control samples, all the result of HbA 1c were “acceptable”, within the criteria of ±7% compared to IFCC RMP target values. However, percentage of “unacceptable” results of samples with Hb variants were 16% for Capillarys 2, 7% for Tina-quant, 51% for Variant II Turbo 2.0, 95% for G8 standard mode, and 89% for HA-8180. The Capillarys 2 and HA-8180 assay did not provide the results in 5 and 40 samples with Hb variants, respectively. Conclusions: HbA 1c results from five routine assays in patients with relatively common Hb variants in Korea showed various degrees of bias compared to those of IFCC RMP. Therefore, laboratories should be aware of the limitation of their methods with respect to interference from Hb variants found commonly in their local population and suggest an alternative HbA 1c quantification method.