Imprecision of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays at the female 99th-percentile.

Background: An analytical benchmark for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays is to achieve a coefficient of variation (CV) of ≤ 10.0 % at the 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) used for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Few prospective multicenter studies have evaluated assay imprecision and none have determined precision at the female URL which is lower than the male URL for all cardiac troponin assays.

A case of fatal overdose involving both hydromorphone and kratom.

Kratom is a plant originating in Southeast Asia that has been used for its dose-dependent stimulant and opioid effects. The main active compound in kratom is mitragynine, an alkaloid with affinity for the mu-opioid receptor. Toxicity and fatalities related to kratom use have increased substantially in recent years.

Establishing quality indicators for point of care glucose testing: recommendations from the Canadian Society for Clinical Chemists Point of Care Testing and Quality Indicators Special Interest Groups.

Objectives: Monitoring quality indicators (QIs) is an important part of laboratory quality assurance (QA). Here, the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) Point of Care Testing (POCT) and QI Special Interest Groups describe a process for establishing and monitoring QIs for POCT glucose testing.

Methods: Key, error prone steps in the POCT glucose testing process were collaboratively mapped out, followed by risk assessment for each step.

Retrospective analysis of intra-patient laboratory variation demonstrates that the BD Vacutainer® Barricor™ blood collection tube reduces troponin variation.

Objective: The BD Vacutainer® Barricor™ plasma blood collection tube uses a mechanical separator during centrifugation to separate plasma from the cellular elements of blood. Compared to use of plasma separator tubes (PST™) with gel, Barricor™ produces a cleaner sample with less residual cellular content. We sought to determine if Barricor™ reduces pre-analytical error compared to PST™.

Identification of cannabinoids in post-mortem blood samples from the province of New Brunswick before and after recreational cannabis legalization.

Introduction: Since recreational legalization of cannabis in Canada in 2018, self-reported use in New Brunswick (NB) has increased from 15.1% to 20.3%, the largest increase of any province.

Evaluation of BD Barricor™ and PST™ blood collection tubes compared to serum for testing 11 therapeutic drugs on a Roche Cobas® 8000 platform.

Introduction: The type of blood collection tube used when obtaining samples for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has important implications on the accuracy of results. Serum tubes without a gel separator are currently considered best practice. We sought to evaluate the performance of Barricor™, a novel plasma tube that utilizes an inert mechanical separator, as well as a gel-based tube (PST™) for testing acetaminophen, digoxin, gentamicin, methotrexate, phenobarbital, phenytoin, salicylate, vancomycin, valproic acid, carbamazepine, and theophylline on a Roche Cobas® 8000 platform.

Quality assurance practices for point of care testing programs: Recommendations by the Canadian society of clinical chemists point of care testing interest group.

Point of Care Testing (POCT) refers to clinical laboratory testing performed outside the central laboratory, nearer to the patient and sometimes at the patient bedside. The testing is usually performed by clinical staff, such as physicians or nurses, who are not laboratory trained. This document was developed by the POCT Interest group of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) as practical guidance for quality assurance practices related to POCT performed in hospital and outside hospital environments.

Evaluation of BD Vacutainer® Barricor™ blood collection tubes for routine chemistry testing on a Roche Cobas® 8000 Platform.

Introduction: Barricor™ Vacutainers® are a novel non-gel separator blood collection tube. These tubes enable faster pre-analytical processing which could reduce turnaround time and be beneficial in an acute care setting. We sought to evaluate the bias, stability, and integrity of plasma generated from these tubes compared to Plasma Separator Tubes™ (PST) for 50 routine chemistry analytes on a Roche Cobas® 8000 analyzer.

The Effects of Storage and Additives on Postmortem HbA1c Measurements.

HbA1c is used in forensic toxicology to identify undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) and those with poor glycemic control prior to death. HbA1c is typically measured in whole blood collected in tubes containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The effect of other additives, including sodium fluoride (NaF), is unclear.

Free testosterone: clinical utility and important analytical aspects of measurement.

Testosterone, the most abundant androgen in men, is a steroid hormone that is synthesized predominantly by the testes. In women, minor amounts are synthesized in the ovaries. Androgen precursors are also produced and secreted from the adrenal glands in both sexes, where they undergo peripheral conversion to testosterone.

Complex biological pattern of fertility hormones in children and adolescents: a study of healthy children from the CALIPER cohort and establishment of pediatric reference intervals.

Background: Pediatric endocrinopathies are commonly diagnosed and monitored by measuring hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Because growth and development can markedly influence normal circulating concentrations of fertility hormones, accurate reference intervals established on the basis of a healthy, nonhospitalized pediatric population and that reflect age-, gender-, and pubertal stage-specific changes are essential for test result interpretation.

Methods: Healthy children and adolescents (n = 1234) were recruited from a multiethnic population as part of the CALIPER study.

Bioanalytical methods for quantitation of levamisole, a widespread cocaine adulterant.

Abstract Levamisole is an anthelminthic that was first used as a de-worming agent in humans and animals. It has also been used to treat inflammatory conditions as well as certain types of cancer. Levamisole was discontinued for human use in the early 21st century due to toxic side effects including agranulocytosis and vasculitis.

Serum peptide YY in response to short-term overfeeding in young men.

Background: Peptide YY (PYY), a gut hormone that inhibits appetite, has been linked to the development of obesity.

Objective: This study investigated the nutritional regulation of PYY after 7 d of overfeeding (70% above normal energy requirements) in normal-weight, overweight, and obese men.

Design: Sixty-nine men (aged 19-29 y) participated in the study.

The prevalence of metabolically healthy obese subjects defined by BMI and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Nearly one-third of obese (OB) people are reported to be metabolically healthy based on BMI criteria. It is unknown whether this holds true when more accurate adiposity measurements are applied such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We compared differences in the prevalence of cardiometabolic abnormalities among adiposity groups classified using BMI vs.

Higher Dietary Protein Intake is Associated with Lower Body Fat in the Newfoundland Population.

Background: Increased protein proportions in the diet combined with energy restriction has been shown to enhance weight loss during dietary intervention. It is not known if the beneficial effect of dietary protein exists in the general population under normal living conditions without a negative energy balance.

Methods: A total of 1834 participants (n = 443 men, n = 1391 women) were recruited from the CODING study.

Association of RBP4 gene variants and serum HDL cholesterol levels in the Newfoundland population.

Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is a novel adipokine that likely contributes to systemic insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. The role of genetic variations in RBP4 on phenotypes of glucose and lipid metabolism is not clear in humans. The purpose of this study was to examine five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the RBP4 gene to determine their relationship with markers of insulin resistance and serum lipids in the CODING Study.