Combined Approach: FFQ, DII, Anthropometric, Biochemical and DNA Damage Parameters in Obese with BMI ≥ 35 kg m.

Although obesity with its comorbidities is linked with higher cancer risk, the data on genome stability in the obese/severely obese are scarce. This is the first study with three DNA damage assessment assays (Fpg-modified and alkaline comet assays and micronucleus assay) performed on a severely obese population (n = 53) where the results were compared with daily intake of food groups, nutrient intake, dietary inflammatory index (DII), and anthropometric and biochemical parameters usually measured in obese individuals. Results demonstrated the association between DNA damage levels and a decrease in cell proliferation with anthropometric measurements and the severity of obese status, together with elevated levels of urates, inorganic phosphates, chlorides, and hs troponin I levels.

Changes in anthropometric, biochemical, oxidative, and DNA damage parameters after 3-weeks-567-kcal-hospital-controlled-VLCD in severely obese patients with BMI ≥ 35 kg m.

Background & Aims: Severe obesity and its comorbidities relate to increased genomic instability/cancer risk. Obesity in Croatia is rapidly increasing, and long diets are sometimes the reason for obese to quit health improvement programs. A shorter diet with more strict calorie reduction could also lead to weight reduction and health improvements, but data are scarce.

Effects of a 3-Week Hospital-Controlled Very-Low-Calorie Diet in Severely Obese Patients.

Although a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) is considered safe and has demonstrated benefits among other types of diets, data are scarce concerning its effects on improving health and weight loss in severely obese patients. As part of the personalized weight loss program developed at the Duga Resa Special Hospital for Extended Treatment, Croatia, we evaluated anthropometric, biochemical, and permanent DNA damage parameters (assessed with the cytochalasin B-blocked micronucleus assay-CBMN) in severely obese patients (BMI ≥ 35 kg m) after 3-weeks on a 567 kcal, hospital-controlled VLCD. This is the first study on the permanent genomic (in)stability in such VLCD patients.

Alkaline comet assay results on fresh and one-year frozen whole blood in small volume without cryo-protection in a group of people with different health status.

Using alkaline comet assay, DNA damage tail length (TL) and tail intensity (TI) parameters were compared between fresh whole blood and 1-year frozen small volume whole blood in EDTA at -80 °C without cryo-preservation. The studied group consisted of 25 volunteers with different health conditions who served as their own controls for frozen blood results. Without the purification step after thawing, the results and the usefulness of this protocol for future/retrospective (including re-analysations of putative outliers) studies were analysed.

Importance of urinary NGAL, serum creatinine standardization and estimated glomerular filtration rate in resistant hypertension.

In patients with resistant hypertension (RH) we investigated the importance of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL- a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) method became using (Abbott Diagnostics) for the measurement of NGAL in urine samples) and incidence of chronic kidney disease using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD) and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations in estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) based on standardised serum creatinine method traceable to isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) method. It would have been difficult to predict that levels of these biomarker would perform better organ damage than traditional measurements of kidney function such as standardised serum creatinine, MDRD, or CKD-EPI equations in special population such as RH. Serum creatinine concentrations were measured in 50 patients (24M:26F from RH Registar in Clinical Hospital Merkur) by the kinetic Jaffe method.

Validation of a laboratory and hospital information system in a medical laboratory accredited according to ISO 15189.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to present a protocol for laboratory information system (LIS) and hospital information system (HIS) validation at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine of the Merkur University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia.

Materials And Methods: Validity of data traceability was checked by entering all test requests for virtual patient into HIS/LIS and printing corresponding barcoded labels that provided laboratory analyzers with the information on requested tests. The original printouts of the test results from laboratory analyzer(s) were compared with the data obtained from LIS and entered into the provided template.

[The purpose of clinical laboratory accreditation in transplantation medicine].

Although transplantation of solid organs has become a more standardized method of treatment, liver transplantation represents an exceptional multidisciplinary clinical procedure requiring understanding of specific pathophysiological changes that occur in the end stage of liver disease. Liver transplantation has been performed at Merkur University Hospital since 1998, with 360 transplantations performed to date. The most common indications are alcohol liver disease, cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B and C virus, hepatocellular carcinoma and cryptogenetic liver cirrhosis.

Accreditation of medical laboratories in Croatia--experiences of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital "Merkur", Zagreb.

Since 2003 when the international norm for implementation of quality management in medical laboratories (EN ISO 15189, Medical laboratories--Particular requirements for quality and competence) was established and accepted, accreditation has become practical, generally accepted method of quality management and confirmation of technical competence of medical laboratories in the whole world. This norm has been translated into Croatian and accepted by the Croatian Institute for Norms as Croatian norm. Accreditation is carried out on voluntary basis by the Croatian Accreditation Agency that has up to now accredited two clinical medical biochemical laboratories in the Republic of Croatia.