Reference intervals for common laboratory tests in Melanesian children.

Pediatric reference intervals for biochemical tests are often derived from studies in Western countries and may not be applicable to the developing world. No such intervals exist for Melanesian populations. The aim of this study was to provide specific reference intervals for children from Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Serum phosphate is an important determinant of corrected serum calcium in end-stage kidney disease.

Background: Approximately 12% of bound blood calcium is linked to various anions including phosphate. In patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), serum phosphate is highly variable. We propose that establishing a formula to calculate albumin- and phosphate-corrected total calcium would be more appropriate to estimate free calcium in ESKD patients.

Nurse-based evaluation of point-of-care assays for glycated haemoglobin.

Background: Various devices are now available to measure glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) outside of the laboratory. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of these point-of-care instruments in the hands of non-laboratory trained personnel.

Methods: Two nursing staff tested samples from patients attending a diabetes research clinic using the following point-of-care devices for HbA1c-Metrica A1C Now, Bayer DCA 2000, Cholestech GDX and Axis-Shield Nycocard HbA1c.