Transportation and handling of blood samples prior to ammonia measurement in the real life of a large university hospital.

Background: Hyperammonemia is neurotoxic and as such can be a medical emergency. Preanalytical factors greatly influence the blood ammonia concentration results.

Aims And Methods: Ammonia concentrations measured in the real life setting of a large hospital after pneumatic transport of blood samples and various time periods before centrifugation were compared to those based on the indications of the reagent manufacturer.

Wide-range CRP versus high-sensitivity CRP on Roche analyzers: focus on low-grade inflammation ranges and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels.

Wide-range C-reactive protein (wr-CRP) has been proposed as an economical alternative to high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) for the evaluation of low-grade inflammation-associated cardiovascular risk (LGI-CVR). Concomitant values of serum hs-CRP and plasma wr-CRP ≤5 mg/L, and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), all assayed on Roche Diagnostics analyzers over a 1.8-year period, were extracted from a hospital laboratory database.

Plasma cystatin C as a marker for estimated glomerular filtration rate assessment in HIV-1-infected patients treated with dolutegravir-based ART.

Objectives: Inhibition of the organic cation transporter-2 renal tubule transporter by dolutegravir leads to serum creatinine increase. Serum cystatin C is a non-organic cation transporter-2-dependent marker, possibly enabling glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation under dolutegravir. Our goal was to evaluate the changes in creatinine- and cystatin C-based estimated GFR values before and after dolutegravir initiation.

Impact of pH on Urine Chemistry Assayed on Roche Analyzers.

Background: The pH may impact the concentration of certain urinary parameters, making urine pre-treatment questionable.

Methods: 1) Determining the impact of pH in vitro on the urinary concentration of chemistry parameters assayed on Roche Modular analyzers. 2) Evaluating whether concentrations depended on pH in non-pretreated urines from patients.

High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T: a Preanalytical Evaluation.

Background: Little is known about the effects of preanalytical conditions on high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) concentrations.

Methods: Variations of hs-cTnT concentrations were evaluated under the following preanalytical conditions: 1) serum vs. lithium-heparin (Li-Hep) plasma, with or without separator gel; 2) centrifugation time (15-minutes vs.