OPTI-HEP-D: a protocol for an intervention study comprising screening and linkage to care of people living with hepatitis D in Catalonia.

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects 296 million people globally, causing 780 000 annual deaths. It has been estimated that 12-43 million individuals are co-infected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). In Spain, the prevalence of HBsAg in adults is 0.

Relapsing Irritated Seborrheic Keratosis of External Auditory Canal and its Management.

Seborrheic keratosis lesions are tumors that rarely occur in the external auditory canal. There are several histological variants, and one of them is the irritated seborrheic keratosis. This kind has been scarcely reported in the literature.

Sociodemographic, lifestyle, and environmental determinants of vitamin D levels in pregnant women in Spain.

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL circulating levels) is a worldwide public health concern and pregnant women are especially vulnerable, affecting the health of the mother and the fetus. This study aims to evaluate the sociodemographic, lifestyle, and environmental determinants associated with circulating vitamin D levels in Spanish pregnant women.

Methods: We used data from the Spanish INMA ("Infancia y Medio Ambiente") prospective birth cohort study from the regions of Gipuzkoa, Sabadell, and Valencia.

AS-OCT of cyclitic membrane pre and post treatment with rtPA in the anterior chamber.

We present the case of a 40-year-old male, who presented to the ophthalmology emergency department with pain and visual loss in his left eye 10 days after an intravitreal injection of a split medication. At the exploration, we found an intense corneal edema in the left eye with endothelial dusting and ciliary hyperemia. LE fundus was impracticable due to anterior chamber opacity.

Evaluation of 18 quality indicators from the external quality assurance preanalytical programme of the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC).

Objectives: Most errors in laboratory medicine occur in the pre- and post-analytical phases of the total testing process (TTP). In 2014, the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC) started the current Preanalytical Phase EQA Programme, with the objective of providing a tool for the improvement of the preanalytical phase. The aim of this study was to review the evolution of quality indicators (QI) and the comparability of established performance specifications (PS) with other EQA programmes.

External quality assessment of serum indices: Spanish SEQC-ML program.

Objectives: Serum indices included in clinical chemistry instruments are widely used by laboratories to assess the quality of samples. Instruments that report quantitative results allow an evaluation of their diagnostic performance in a similar way to other biochemical tests. The Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC-ML) launched a monthly External Quality program of serum indices in 2018 using three lyophilized materials of simultaneous annual distribution.

Physical and mental health effects of repeated short walks in a blue space environment: A randomised crossover study.

Introduction: Blue spaces may benefit mental health and promote physical activity, although the evidence is still scarce. And benefits on physical health are less consistent. The objective of this randomized crossover study was to assess psychological and cardiovascular responses to blue spaces' exposure.

Influence of study model, baseline catalytic concentrations and analytical system on the stability of serum alanine aminotransferase.

Objectives: The stability of the analytes most commonly used in routine clinical practice has been the subject of intensive research, with varying and even conflicting results. Such is the case of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The purpose of this study was to determine the stability of serum ALT according to different variables.

Corrigendum to: Preanalytical issues related to routine and diagnostic glucose tests: Results from a survey in Spain.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.11613/BM.2020.

Impact of implementing a category 1 external quality assurance scheme for monitoring harmonization of clinical laboratories in Spain.

Background: The objective of the present study was to examine the evolution of the analytical performance specifications (APS) used in External Quality Assurance (EQA) schemes, as well as the efficacy of a category 1 EQA scheme in monitoring the harmonization of clinical laboratory results in Spain.

Methods: A review of the literature on the types of quality specifications used in schemes in other countries and their evolution was performed. In addition, a comparative analysis of the potential impact that different APS from eight countries had on clinical decision-making was made based on three measurands: sodium, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT).

Preanalytical issues related to routine and diagnostic glucose tests: Results from a survey in Spain.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. The objective of this study was to find out under what preanalytical conditions routine and diagnostic glucose tests are performed across Spanish laboratories; and also what criteria are used for DM diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: An online survey was performed by the Commission on Quality Assurance in the Extra-Analytical Phase of the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC-ML).

Safety of two different doses of simvastatin plus rifaximin in decompensated cirrhosis (LIVERHOPE-SAFETY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

Background: Statins have beneficial effects on intrahepatic circulation and decrease portal hypertension and rifaximin modulates the gut microbiome and might prevent bacterial translocation in patients with cirrhosis. Therefore, this drug combination might be of therapeutic benefit in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. However, there is concern regarding the safety of statins in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Laboratory sample stability. Is it possible to define a consensus stability function? An example of five blood magnitudes.

Background: The stability limit of an analyte in a biological sample can be defined as the time required until a measured property acquires a bias higher than a defined specification. Many studies assessing stability and presenting recommendations of stability limits are available, but differences among them are frequent. The aim of this study was to classify and to grade a set of bibliographic studies on the stability of five common blood measurands and subsequently generate a consensus stability function.

Reaching consensus on communication of critical laboratory results using a collective intelligence method.

Background: There is no consensus in the literature about what analytes or values should be informed as critical results and how they should be communicated. The main aim of this project is to establish consensual standards of critical results for the laboratories participating in the study. Among the project's secondary objectives, establishing consensual procedures for communication can be highlighted.

Pentraxin-3 modulates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response and attenuates liver injury.

Unlabelled: Acute-on-chronic liver injury is characterized by an important inflammatory response frequently associated with endotoxemia. In this context, acute-phase proteins such as Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) are released; however, little is known about their role in chronic liver disease. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of PTX3 in liver injury.

Spanish Preanalytical Quality Monitoring Program (SEQC), an overview of 12 years' experience.

Background: Preanalytical variables, such as sample collection, handling and transport, may affect patient results. Preanalytical phase quality monitoring should be established in order to minimize laboratory errors and improve patient safety.

Methods: A retrospective study (2001-2013) of the results obtained through the Spanish Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (SEQC) External quality assessment (preanalytical phase) was performed to summarize data regarding the main factors affecting preanalytical phase quality.

Integrative microRNA profiling in alcoholic hepatitis reveals a role for microRNA-182 in liver injury and inflammation.

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well-known regulators of disease pathogenesis and have great potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We aimed at profiling miRNAs in alcoholic hepatitis (AH) and identifying miRNAs potentially involved in liver injury.

Design: MiRNA profiling was performed in liver samples from patients with AH, alcohol liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, HCV disease and normal liver tissue.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is a biomarker of acute-on-chronic liver failure and prognosis in cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome that occurs in cirrhosis characterized by organ failure(s) and high mortality rate. There are no biomarkers of ACLF. The LCN2 gene and its product, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), are upregulated in experimental models of liver injury and cultured hepatocytes as a result of injury by toxins or proinflammatory cytokines, particularly Interleukin-6.

Transportome Profiling Identifies Profound Alterations in Crohn's Disease Partially Restored by Commensal Bacteria.

Background And Aims: Several transport alterations have been described in intestinal inflammatory diseases. This is relevant because the primary function of the intestine is nutrient and mineral absorption. However, analysis of the transportome as a whole and the effect of commensal bacteria on it have not been addressed so far.

Intestinal microbiota contributes to individual susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease.

Objective: There is substantial inter-individual diversity in the susceptibility of alcoholics to liver injury. Alterations of intestinal microbiota (IM) have been reported in alcoholic liver disease (ALD), but the extent to which they are merely a consequence or a cause is unknown. We aimed to demonstrate that a specific dysbiosis contributes to the development of alcoholic hepatitis (AH).

Harmonization in hemolysis detection and prevention. A working group of the Catalonian Health Institute (ICS) experience.

Background: Hemolysis is the main cause of non-quality samples in clinical laboratories, producing the highest percentage of rejections in the external assurance programs of preanalytical quality. The objective was to: 1) study the agreement between the detection methods and quantification of hemolysis; 2) establish comparable hemolysis interference limits for a series of tests and analytical methods; and 3) study the preanalytical variables which most influence hemolysis production.

Methods: Different hemoglobin concentration standards were prepared using the reference method.