Prognostic relevance of cytometric quantitative assessment in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Objectives: Morphology and cytogenetics are currently used to define prognosis in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, these parameters have some limits. Flow cytometry has been recently included in the diagnostic panel for MDS, and its prognostic significance is under evaluation.

Italian blood donors with anti-HBc and occult hepatitis B virus infection.

Background And Objectives: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection might allow the release of viremic units into the blood supply network if blood is tested only for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The aim of our study was to evaluate the actual prevalence, viral load and genotype of occult HBV infections among first-time blood donors in north-western Italy and to suggest a way to minimize risks of transmission of this infection.

Design And Methods: We assayed 6313 consecutive blood donors for antibodies to HBV core antigen (anti-HBc) in addition to mandatory screening.

Significant correlation between the degree of WT1 expression and the International Prognostic Scoring System Score in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Purpose: To determine whether pattern of WT1 gene expression is a useful marker for establishing prognosis and tracking disease progression in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Patients And Methods: We performed a quantitative assessment of the WT1 transcript amount by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) in 173 samples (131 bone marrow samples and 42 peripheral-blood samples) from 131 patients with MDS (79 patients with refractory anemia [RA], 31 with RA with excess blasts [RAEB], 18 with secondary acute myeloid leukemia [s-AML] evolved from MDS, and three with deletion of 5q as the sole cytogenetic abnormality). Values obtained were correlated with the blast percentage and International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) score.

Grading of laboratories on CD4+ T-lymphocyte evaluations based on acceptable data boundaries defined by the measurement error.

Background: We addressed the definition of limits of error of %CD4+ and CD4+ counts (AbsCD4+) typical of laboratories of excellence, as well as the grading of laboratories based on the decision to take these limits as boundaries of unacceptable data.

Methods: We studied the 99.9% confidence intervals of the means of 24 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)+ and HIV- blood samples analyzed by 18 laboratories of the Liguria Region Quality Assessment Program (Liguria Region QALI).