Understanding green discoloration in serum and citrate plasma samples: a case report.

This case report investigates the occurrence of green discoloration in serum and citrate plasma samples collected from a male adult patient following a multivisceral organ transplant. In collected samples, it was necessary to investigate the influence of sample discoloration on the results of laboratory tests and to determine the appropriate approach to sample management. Hematology, coagulation and blood gas analysis showed no flags, but the biochemical lipemia index was susceptible to positive interference, necessitating dilution of the native sample.

CLSI-based verification and establishment of reference intervals for common biochemical assays in Croatian newborns.

Introduction: This study aimed to examine whether the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals (CALIPER) reference intervals for 19 commonly used biochemical assays (potassium, sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, inorganic phosphorous, glucose, urea, creatinine, direct and total bilirubin, C-reactive protein (CRP), total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD)) could be applied to the newborn population of one Croatian clinical hospital.

Materials And Methods: Reference interval verification was performed according to the CLSI EP28-A3c guidelines. Samples of healthy newborns were selected using the direct sampling method and analyzed on the Beckman Coulter AU680 biochemical analyzer.

Diagnostic validation of two SARS-CoV-2 immunochromatographic tests in Slovenian and Croatian hospitals.

Aim: To diagnostically validate two point-of-care (POC) rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 by comparing their results with those of laboratory-based real-time polymerase chain reaction tests (RT-PCR).

Methods: The study enrolled 455 patients from two Slovenian and two Croatian hospitals. The NADAL COVID-19 Ag Test (Nal von Minden, Moers, Germany) and ALLTEST COVID-19 Antigen Test (Hangzhou ALLTEST Biotech Co.

Laboratory professionals' attitudes towards ISO 15189:2012 accreditation: an anonymous survey of three Croatian accredited medical laboratories.

Introduction: Effective implementation and continual compliance with ISO 15189:2012 require ongoing commitment and active involvement of laboratory staff. Our aim was to assess attitudes regarding accreditation implementation by conducting a survey in three Croatian accredited medical laboratories.

Materials And Methods: An anonymous survey consisting of 34 questions was distributed either electronically or in a paper form a week prior to scheduled annual audits.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology yield as a basis for morphological, molecular, and cytogenetic diagnosis in alk-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma with atypical clinical presentation.

ALK positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a T-cell lymphoma usually occurring in children and young adults. It frequently involves lymph nodes and extranodal sites and is associated with favorable prognosis. A 20-year old man was admitted for painful mass in the left axilla with overlying skin redness.

Follicular and mantle cell lymphoma characteristics present simultaneously in the same lymph node.

Follicular lymphoma is composed of clonal germinal center B cells. It shows a follicular pattern lacking mantle zones, with a network of interfollicular dendritic cells. Transformation to more aggressive lymphomas is documented, but the only connections to mantle cell lymphoma are described cases of composite lymphoma consisting of these 2 entities.

[Significance of participation in programs of external quality assessment in molecular diagnostic--our experience].

Harmonization of molecular diagnostic tests in laboratories in the Republic of Croatia has only just started. According to laboratory accreditation standard ISO 15189 participation in external quality assessment (EQA) schemes or programs is a prerequisite and support tool for clinical laboratory accreditation process. As there are no national quality assurance schemes yet, an European external quality assessment (EQA) scheme or program should be found.

[Fine needle aspirate of lymph node as the analytical sample for immunophenotyping].

In modern clinical laboratory routine, cell analysis by flow cytometry means help in setting up the diagnosis by determination of B-lymphocyte clonality and thus separation of benign and malignant lymphoproliferative diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the value of cytologic diagnosis and adequacy of the material obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA) of lymph nodes for flow cytometry analysis in cases of benign lesions and primary malignant lesions of lymph nodes. In addition, the aim was to determine B-lymphocyte clonality in different groups of benign and malignant lymph node lesions.

[Flow cytometry and acute renal rejection confirmed by histopathologic analysis].

Transplantation of solid organs, tissues or hematopoietic cells is now standard in the treatment of patients with terminal stage disease in order to cure and improve the recipients' quality of life. The study included 54 patients having undergone single or multiple organ transplantation. All patients received a combination of immunosuppressant therapy consisting of corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitor (cyclosporine; tacrolimus), anti-CD25 (daclizumab) and mycophenolate-mofetil.

[Association of CD34 cell surface antigen expression with cytomorphological characteristics of acute promyelocytic leukemia blasts and clinical characteristics of patients: one center experience].

The aims of the study were to investigate the association between cytomorphology and immunophenotypic expression of CD34 cell surface antigen of blasts and their relationship with clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Sixteen consecutive patients (male 69% and female 31%) diagnosed with APL at Department of Hematology, Merkur University Hospital between August 1998 and December 2010 were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 43.

[The unclassifiable myeloproliferative neoplasm--morphological, cytogenetic and clinical features].

Myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN,U) has clinical, laboratory and morphological features of an MPN but fails to meet the criteria for any of the specific MPN entities. Because overlapping features, morphological findings in bone marrow, BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, V617F JAK2 mutation and cytogenetic abnormalities were analyzed in ten patients diagnosed with MPN,U. Bone marrow biopsy showed hypercellularity with trilineage myeloproliferation, dispersed megakaryocytes with mild pleomorphism and mature nuclei, and absence of reticulin fibrosis.

Flow cytometry immunophenotyping (FCI) of fine needle aspirates (FNAs) of lymph nodes.

Flow cytometry immunophenotyping (FCI) has an important role in the clinic work-up of fine needle aspirates (FNAs) of lymph nodes. Its standardization has been defined by proposed analytical protocols and procedures used to assure proper analytical results also in those non-routine samples. In Institute of Clinical Chemistry, "Merkur" University Hospital, FCI is accredited method according to laboratory accreditation standard ISO 15189.

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.

External quality assessment in clinical cell analysis by flow cytometry. Why is it so important?

Participation in external quality assessment is an integral part of laboratory work and mandatory when the results have a clinical application, which is one of the requirements of standard 15189 for accreditation of medical laboratories. Institute of Clinical Chemistry, the first laboratory accredited for clinical cell analysis by flow cytometry in Croatia, participated in UKNEQAS for Leukocyte Immunophenotyping in 3 schemes: "Immune Monitoring", "CD34 Stem Cell Enumeration" and "Leukaemia Immunophenotyping". For sample processing on EPICS XL flow cytometer, lyse/no wash preparation technique with ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) or ImmunoPrep lysing reagent was employed.

FOXP1 and BCL2 show similar immunoenzymatic pattern in bone marrow trephines of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

Indolent B lymphoproliferative disorder, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) represents one of the most common hematologic diseases in the Western world. Although there are many disease development markers known so far, for example, B-cell lymphoma/leukemia (BCL) 2, new ones are needed for better understanding course of the disease. FOXP1 is known to be strongly expressed after B-cell activation.

Immunohistochemical analysis of ZAP-70 expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

This paper shows a protocol for the detection of ZAP-70 expression in B-CLL (B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia) tumor cells by common immunohistochemical methods. The study was conducted on bone marrow trephine biopsies from 62 B-CLL patients at the time of diagnosis. Immunohistochemical reactions based on peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase reactions were used, as well as double immunofluorescent labeling for ZAP-70 detection as an indirect marker of mutated and unmutated CLL.

[Single cell--definitive diagnosis! Where the profession ends and the art begins?].

Cell is a morphologically and functionally the tiniest living organism, present from the very beginning of life on the Earth. Specialized cell types make up specific tissues and organs of the human body. Cell itself and cell elements are liable to morphological, functional, phenotypic and genotypic alterations in various physiological and pathological states.