Publications (25) View all
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Article: Influence of a regular, standardized meal on clinical chemistry analytes.
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ABSTRACT: Preanalytical variability, including biological variability and patient preparation, is an important source of variability in laboratory testing. In this study, we assessed whether a regular light meal might bias the results of routine clinical chemistry testing. We studied 17 healthy volunteers who consumed light meals containing a standardized amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. We collected blood for routine clinical chemistry tests before the meal and 1, 2, and 4 hr thereafter. One hour after the meal, triglycerides (TG), albumin (ALB), uric acid (UA), phosphatase (ALP), Ca, Fe, and Na levels significantly increased, whereas blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and P levels decreased. TG, ALB, Ca, Na, P, and total protein (TP) levels varied significantly. Two hours after the meal, TG, ALB, Ca, Fe, and Na levels remained significantly high, whereas BUN, P, UA, and total bilirubin (BT) levels decreased. Clinically significant variations were recorded for TG, ALB, ALT, Ca, Fe, Na, P, BT, and direct bilirubin (BD) levels. Four hours after the meal, TG, ALB, Ca, Fe, Na, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), P, Mg, and K levels significantly increased, whereas UA and BT levels decreased. Clinically significant variations were observed for TG, ALB, ALT, Ca, Na, Mg, K, C-reactive protein (CRP), AST, UA, and BT levels. A significant variation in the clinical chemistry parameters after a regular meal shows that fasting time needs to be carefully considered when performing tests to prevent spurious results and reduce laboratory errors, especially in an emergency setting.Annals of laboratory medicine. 07/2012; 32(4):250-6. -
Article: The role of resistin in colorectal cancer.
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ABSTRACT: To date the role of resistin in colorectal cancer (CRC) is far from being elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum resistin levels and CRC in relation to known risk/protective factors including anthropometric, metabolic, inflammatory parameters as well as lifestyle individual characteristics. 40 CRC patients and 40 controls were enrolled. Body weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure were recorded. Fasting plasma glucose, lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP) and resistin levels were measured. Metabolic Syndrome (MS) was defined according to the harmonized definition. Resistin levels were significantly higher in CRC patients than in controls (p=0.028) and gradually increased with tumor stage progression (p=0.042). A high resistin level was statistically significant determinant of CRC after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index and lifestyle parameters (p=0.029). Resistin showed a strong association with CRP levels (p ≤ 0.0001). In stepwise regression analysis CRP remained the only independent predictor of both resistin levels (p=0.001) and CRC risk (p=0.021). These results clarify the nature of the association between resistin and CRC risk suggesting that the proinflammatory state of cancer, rather than the clinical diagnosis of CRC itself or its link with obesity and MS, may govern this association.Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry 04/2012; 413(7-8):760-4. · 2.54 Impact Factor -
Article: Influence of hemolysis on routine laboratory cardiac marker testing.
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ABSTRACT: Reliable information on the potential bias arising from processing in vitro hemolysis specimens referred for conventional cardiac biomarker testing is scarce and controversial as yet. The present investigation was designed to assess the influence of low levels of in vitro hemolysis on cardiac biomarker testing. Three aliquots, prepared by serial dilutions of homologous hemolysed samples collected from 14 different subjects and containing final concentrations of plasma hemoglobin of 0, 0.3, and 0.6 g/L were tested for the following parameters: cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and T (cTnT), myoglobin (Myo), creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NT-prohormone-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP). No statistically significant differences were observed in any of the parameters tested nor did the bias achieve clinical significance. The results of this study show that moderate hemolysis, as low as 0.6 g/L, has no influence on the reliability of cardiac biomarker testing.Clinical laboratory 01/2012; 58(3-4):333-6. · 0.90 Impact Factor -
Article: Allelic origin of protease-sensitive and protease-resistant prion protein isoforms in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease with the P102L mutation.
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ABSTRACT: Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease is a dominantly inherited prion disease associated with point mutations in the Prion Protein gene. The most frequent mutation associated with GSS involves a proline-to-leucine substitution at residue 102 of the prion protein, and is characterized by marked variability at clinical, pathological and molecular levels. Previous investigations of GSS P102L have shown that disease-associated pathological prion protein, or PrP(Sc), consists of two main conformers, which under exogenous proteolysis generates a core fragment of 21 kDa and an internal fragment of 8 kDa. Both conformers are detected in subjects with spongiform degeneration, whereas only the 8 kDa fragment is recovered in cases lacking spongiosis. Several studies have reported an exclusive derivation of protease-resistant PrP(Sc) isoforms from the mutated allele; however, more recently, the propagation of protease-resistant wild-type PrP(Sc) has been described. Here we analyze the molecular and pathological phenotype of six GSS P102L cases characterized by the presence of 21 and 8 kDa PrP fragments and two subjects with only the 8 kDa PrP fragment. Using sensitive protein separation techniques and Western blots with antibodies differentially recognizing wild-type and mutant PrP we observed a range of PrP(Sc) allelic conformers, either resistant or sensitive to protease treatment in all investigated subjects. Additionally, tissue deposition of protease-sensitive wild-type PrP(Sc) molecules was seen by conventional PrP immunohistochemistry and paraffin-embedded tissue blot. Our findings enlarge the spectrum of conformational allelic PrP(Sc) quasispecies propagating in GSS P102L thus providing a molecular support to the spectrum of disease phenotypes, and, in addition, impact the diagnostic role of PrP immunohistochemistry in prion diseases.PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(2):e32382. · 4.09 Impact Factor -
Article: Hemolysis, lipaemia and icterus in specimens for arterial blood gas analysis.
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ABSTRACT: To assess prevalence of interference from hemolysis, lipaemia, icterus in arterial blood gas analysis (ABG). Serum indices (SI) were assessed in the plasma of ABG samples over a 2-month period. Out of a total of 478 ABG specimens, we identified 17 hemolyzed samples (4%), 52 (11%) with lipaemia, and 63 (13%) with icterus. Test results on a considerable number of ABG specimens might be unreliable due to presence of interference.Clinical biochemistry 12/2011; 45(4-5):372-3. · 2.02 Impact Factor
