Mutation Status in Myelodysplastic Neoplasm and Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Impact of Reclassification Based on the 5th WHO and International Consensus Classification Criteria: A Korean Multicenter Study.

Background: mutations are associated with poor prognosis in myelodysplastic neoplasm (MDS) and AML. The updated 5th WHO classification and International Consensus Classification (ICC) categorize -mutated MDS and AML as unique entities. We conducted a multicenter study in Korea to investigate the characteristics of -mutated MDS and AML, focusing on diagnostic aspects based on updated classifications.

Coagulation Testing in Real-World Setting: Insights From a Comprehensive Survey.

The objective of this survey was to gain a real-world perspective on coagulation testing by evaluating the availability of various coagulation laboratory tests, assessing specific analytic and postanalytic steps in clinical laboratories in Korea.Participants were surveyed using a 65-question questionnaire specifically focused on their coagulation testing practices related to prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), plasma-mixing studies, lupus anticoagulant (LA) tests, platelet function tests, coagulation factor assays, and the composition of hemostasis and thrombosis test panels. The survey was performed between July and September 2022.

Performance evaluation of the Sysmex CN-6000-automated coagulation analyzers for routine coagulation tests.

The Sysmex CN-6000 is a novel automated multiparameter coagulometer that performs clotting, chromogenic and immunological assays, and platelet aggregation tests in a single system. Here we evaluated its performance of routine coagulation assays. The precision, linearity, carryover and establishment of reference ranges of the CN-6000, as well as correlations between it and the currently used Diagnostica Stago STA-R Max were determined according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.

Sample collection for pre-transfusion crossmatching: Benefits of using an electronic identification system.

Background: Transfusion of ABO blood group-mismatched blood or administration to the wrong recipient may result in fatal adverse events. To prevent these types of errors, various strategies have been employed. Recently, we developed a novel sample collection workflow for the pre-transfusion crossmatching test and patient recognition.

Effects of Different Centrifugation Protocols on the Detection of EGFR Mutations in Plasma Cell-Free DNA.

Objectives: Various preanalytical factors, including the collection tube, storage conditions, and centrifugation, affect the detection results of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA). We compared the effect of different centrifugation protocols on the detection of EGFR mutations in cfDNA.

Methods: We analyzed 117 plasma specimens from 110 patients with non-small cell lung cancer using the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 (Roche Diagnostics).

Comparison of single nucleotide polymorphisms and short tandem repeats as markers for differentiating between donors and recipients in solid organ transplantation.

Background: To analyze transplant rejection and to distinguish between donor and recipient, it is necessary to select a marker from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), short tandem repeat (STR), and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing. SNPs are bi-allelic and the polymerase chain reaction method used for SNP testing has the advantage of lower cost than sequencing methods. In this study, we aimed to distinguish donors from recipients using a combination of existing commercialized STRs and the SNPs identified.

Comparison of Serologic Response of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Using 8 Immunoassays.

Background: In Korea, there were issues regarding the use of immunoassays for anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies to detect infection. So, we compared antibody results of eight kinds of commercial immunoassays using clinical remnant specimens.

Methods: We compared the results of several immunoassay kits tested on 40 serum samples from 15 confirmed patients and 86 remnant serum samples from clinical laboratory.

Chimerism Assay Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Adjacent and in Linkage-Disequilibrium Enables Sensitive Disease Relapse Monitoring after Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation.

Background: Short tandem repeat (STR)-based chimerism analysis has been widely used for chimerism monitoring after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), but technical artifacts can be problematic. We designed a chimerism assay using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) adjacent and in linkage-disequilibrium (CASAL), which doubly checked for SNP pairs, and thus could reduce background errors and increase analytical sensitivity.

Methods: CASAL targeted 84 SNP pairs within 10 bp distance and in perfect linkage-disequilibrium.

Potential misdiagnosis of von Willebrand disease caused by insufficient mixing after thawing frozen plasma.

Introduction: von Willebrand disease (vWD) is a common inherited bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in von Willebrand factor (vWF), but many laboratories and clinicians continue to struggle with diagnosing or excluding vWD. Its diagnosis requires laboratory testing, which may be compromised by preanalytical events, including poor specimen quality. This study assessed 17 different preanalytical conditions as potential causes of vWD misdiagnosis.

Evaluation of the Barricor Tube in 28 Routine Chemical Tests and Its Impact on Turnaround Time in an Outpatient Clinic.

Background: We recently introduced the Barricor (BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) plasma separation tube, which uses a mechanical separator instead of a gel. We evaluated the effects of using the Barricor tube in a stat () laboratory on the results and turnaround time (TAT) of routine chemical tests. We verified the impact of Barricor tube on reducing TAT and providing results similar to those obtained using serum separator tubes (SSTs).

Evaluation of conductivity-based osmolality measurement in urine using the Sysmex UF5000.

Background: Automated flow cytometry-based urine analyzer is increasingly being used to identify and enumerate cells and particles in urine specimens. It measures electrical conductivity which could be transformed to osmolality. Using this machine, all urine specimens could be screened for osmolality without requiring a separate dedicated device.

Platelet Inventory Management Program: Development and Practical Experience.

Background: Patients with ongoing or expected bleeding require platelet (PLT) transfusions; however, owing to the testing required after a blood donation, manufacturing PLT products may take 1.5-2.0 days after a request is made.

Minimal residual disease in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: technical aspects and implications for clinical interpretation.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring has proven to be one of the fundamental independent prognostic factors for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Sequential monitoring of MRD using sensitive and specific methods, such as real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or flow cytometry (FCM), has improved the assessment of treatment response and is currently used for therapeutic stratification and early detection. Although both FCM and qPCR yield highly consistent results with sensitivities of 10, each method has several limitations.

Transfusion Requirements and Blood Bank Support in Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Objective: Transplantations may require massive transfusion of blood products. Therefore, blood banks need to predict, prepare, and supply the required amount of blood products.

Methods: We measured the volume of transfused blood components as red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate in 54 and 89 patients who received heart and lung transplantation, respectively, in our hospital between January 2012 and December 2019.

Mutation analysis in Korean patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Genomic studies have illuminated the alterations in pathways underlying T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) pathogenesis, but detailed mutation data by next-generation sequencing have not been reported in Korean patients. We aimed to investigate mutation frequency, spectrum, and pattern in the Korean patients with T-ALL. We designed a multigene panel targeting 101 genes and validated it using 10 reference materials.

Temporary Cessation of Immunosuppression for Infection May Contribute to the Development of Graft-vs-Host Disease After ABO-Incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Case Report.

Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after liver transplantation is a rare complication with a high mortality rate. A complex interplay between donor and recipient immunity plays a role in the development of GVHD. Infection following liver transplantation is one of the most common complications in a recipient of an organ transplant who is immunosuppressed.

T-Cell Receptor Rearrangements Determined Using Fragment Analysis in Patients With T-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Background: Chromosomal abnormalities and common genetic rearrangements related to T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) are not clear. We investigated T-cell receptor () rearrangement in Korean T-ALL patients by fragment analysis, examining frequency, association between clinicopathologic characteristics and clonality, and feasibility for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD).

Methods: In 51 Korean patients diagnosed as having T-ALL, rearrangement was analyzed using the IdentiClone gene clonality assay (InVivoScribe Technologies, San Diego, CA, USA) from archived bone marrow specimens.

Characteristics of Bilirubin According to the Results of the Direct Antiglobulin Test and Its Impact in Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn.

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia, which is a sign of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), can irreversibly damage the central nervous system.

Objectives: To determine the etiology of HDN in affected patients and characterize the changing pattern of bilirubin using direct antiglobulin testing (DAT).

Methods: We collected clinical data from newborns who underwent perinatal DAT and from their mothers, between August 2008 and July 2017.

Increased Anticolitic Effects in C57BL/6 Mice Based on Functional Ingredients of Ramyeon Noodles and Soup.

We investigated the preventive effects of Ramyeon made from brown rice-sorghum noodles and doenjang-bamboo salt soup (BS+DB) on colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in C57BL/6 mice. Noodles were prepared with 10% brown rice and 10% sorghum powders added to wheat flour and potato powder, and soup was made using starter fermented (SF) doenjang powder (32%) and bamboo salt (13.5%).

leukemia induction by t(9;11) chromosomal translocation in human hematopoietic stem cells using genome editing.

Genome editing provides a potential approach to model de novo leukemogenesis in primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) through induction of chromosomal translocations by targeted DNA double-strand breaks. However, very low efficiency of translocations and lack of markers for translocated cells serve as barriers to their characterization and model development. Here, we used transcription activator-like effector nucleases to generate t(9;11) chromosomal translocations encoding and reciprocal fusion products in CD34 human cord blood cells.

Thromboelastographic Evaluation of Coagulation in Patients With Liver Disease.

Background: The aims of this study were to investigate the parameters of thromboelastography (TEG) for evaluating coagulopathy and to reveal an association with disease severity and/or transfusion requirement in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) in a clinical laboratory setting.

Methods: We enrolled two groups of adult patients with cirrhotic (N=123) and non-cirrhotic liver disease (N=52), as well as 84 healthy controls. Reaction time (R), kinetic time (K), α-angle (α), maximal amplitude (MA), and coagulation index (CI) were measured with kaolin-activated citrated blood with the TEG 5000 system (Haemonetics Corporation, USA).