Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
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Presepsin is elevated in patients developing infections and increases in a severity-dependent manner. We aimed to evaluate circulating values of this new biomarker in a population free of any acute infectious disorder. We recruited 144 consecutive patients presenting at the emergency department (ED) without acute infection or acute/unstable disorder, and 54 healthy participants. ⋯ In conclusion, presepsin concentrations increase with age and kidney dysfunction. Therefore interpretation of presepsin concentrations might be altered in the elderly or in patients with impaired renal function. Adapted thresholds are needed for specific populations.
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Although a quantitative urine culture is essential for the final diagnosis of urinary tract infection, it is time-consuming and an expensive procedure. Effective screening tests would be a promising alternative to provide immediate results for the clinician and eliminate unnecessary culturing for most of the negative samples. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of an automated sediment analyzer (UriSed) as screening tool for presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract infection. ⋯ The UriSed seems to be an efficient tool for screening UTI with high sensitivity and low rate of false-negative results.
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Comparative proteomics has recently identified afamin, the newest member of the albumin gene family, as a potential biomarker for ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was the analytical and clinical evaluation of a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the determination of afamin in human plasma. ⋯ The afamin assay meets quality specifications for laboratory medicine. The results of the clinical assay evaluation revealed novel insights with respect to afamin as a potential negative acute phase protein and should encourage further studies.
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A rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived free oxysterols and cholesterol in human plasma and atherosclerotic plaque. ⋯ This rapid LC-MS/MS method enables reliable quantification focused on especially ROS-derived oxysterols in human plasma and atherosclerotic plaque samples under high-throughput conditions.
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KRAS codons 12 and 13 mutations are commonly used to identify colorectal carcinoma (CRC) patients who are unlikely to benefit from anti-EGFR therapy. However, humans have four different homologous RAS proteins and no routine screening is performed for the other mutation sites. Non-screened mutations may still be present in a significant subset of patients without KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations. ⋯ Limiting RAS testing to only KRAS codons 12 and 13 in companion diagnostic testing of CRC results in nearly 1/5 of patients with RAS mutations not being excluded from costly EGFR antagonist treatment, despite likely futility. Inclusion of all RAS genes in companion diagnostic screening is warranted.