Evaluation of four quality indicators of the Pre-Analytical Phase External Quality Assessment Subprogram of the Fundación Bioquímica Argentina.

Pre-analytical phase external quality assessment programs contribute - through the interlaboratory comparison of quality indicators (QIs) - to the continuous improvement of the clinical laboratory total testing process. The purpose of the present work is to document the results derived from measuring four QIs within the framework of a pre-analytical phase external quality assessment subprogram in Argentina. The laboratories participating in this subprogram measured the following QIs: i) patients recalled for a new blood sample collection due to pre-analytical causes; ii) clotted samples from hemogram and coagulation tests; iii) clinical chemistry hemolyzed samples; and iv) requests with transcription errors entered into the laboratory information system.

Coffee intake one hour prior to phlebotomy produces no clinically significant changes in routine biochemical test results.

Introduction: Although current guidelines recommend not drinking coffee prior to phlebotomy, our hypothesis is that drinking coffee does not affect the clinical interpretation of biochemical and haematological test results.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-seven volunteers were studied in basal state (T0) and 1h after (T1) drinking coffee. Routine haematological (Sysmex-XN1000 analyser) and biochemistry parameters (Vitros 4600 analyser) were studied.

Improvements in cognitive function and quantitative sleep electroencephalogram in obstructive sleep apnea after six months of continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Study Objectives: Untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cognitive deficits and altered brain electrophysiology. We evaluated the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on quantitative sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) measures and cognitive function.

Methods: We studied 167 patients with OSA (age 50 ± 13, AHI 35.

Measuring viability selection from prospective cohort mortality studies: A case study in maritime pine.

By changing the genetic background available for selection at subsequent life stages, stage-specific selection can define adaptive potential across the life cycle. We propose and evaluate here a neutrality test and a Bayesian method to infer stage-specific viability selection coefficients using sequential random genotypic samples drawn from a longitudinal cohort mortality study, within a generation. The approach is suitable for investigating selective mortality in large natural or experimental cohorts of any organism in which individual tagging and tracking are unfeasible.

Novel Modal Approximation Scheme for Plasmonic Transmission Problems.

The concept of resonances and modes for the description of particle plasmons has recently received great interest, both in the context of efficient simulations as well as for an intuitive interpretation in physical terms. While resonance modes have been successfully employed for geometries whose optical response is governed by a few modes only, the resonance mode description exhibits considerable difficulties for larger nanoparticles with their richer mode spectra. We analyze the problem using a boundary element method approach together with a Mie solution for spherical particles, and identify the fixed link between the electric and magnetic components of the resonance modes as the main source for this shortcoming.