LIBELULE: a randomized phase III study to evaluate the clinical relevance of early liquid biopsy in patients with suspicious metastatic lung cancer.

Purpose: Genomic profiling is a major component for first-line treatment decisions in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the timeliness of biomarker testing is essential to improve time to treatment initiation (TTI) or avoid inappropriate treatment.

Patients And Methods: The phase III LIBELULE trial (NCT03721120) included patients with radiological suspicion of advanced lung cancer. They were randomized (1:1), the control arm receiving diagnostic procedures according to each center's practice and the liquid biopsy arm with additional testing performed at the first visit using the InVisionFirst®-Lung assay.

Fasting plasma carotenoids concentrations in Crohn's and pancreatic cancer patients compared to control subjects.

Carotenoids are colored molecules that are widespread in the plant kingdom, but animals cannot synthesize them. Carotenes are long, apolar molecules which require fully functioning digestive processes to be absorbed properly. Hence they could be interesting markers of intestinal absorption and digestion.

Serum carotenoids, vitamins A and E, and 8 year lung function decline in a general population.

Background: Oxidative stress is thought to have a major role in the pathogenesis of airway obstruction. A study was undertaken to determine whether subjects with low levels of antioxidants (serum beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, vitamins A and E) would be at a higher risk of accelerated decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) as their lungs would be less protected against oxidative stress.

Methods: 1194 French subjects aged 20-44 years were examined in 1992 as part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS); 864 were followed up in 2000 and 535 (50% men, 40% lifelong non-smokers) had complete data for analysis.

[Measurement of urinary free cotinine. Comparison with the level of expired air carbon monoxide].

Background And Aim: Cotinine is a very reliable index for the estimation of active or passive smoking. Sampling from a single urine void is well accepted by smokers who are willing to stop. It is not possible to exclude modification of urine cotinine according to beverage intake.

[Urinary cotinine and nicotine metabolites measurement].

Unlabelled: According to the recent regulations (Circulaire DGS/DH du 3 avril 2000), tobacco dependence must be determined by the measurement of urine nicotine metabolites. Various assay methods are presently available. They were tested in order to evaluate their analytical performances and to determine how they can be used for the clinical management of smoking cessation.

[Recent knowledge about intestinal absorption and cleavage of carotenoids].

Our knowledge about intestinal absorption and cleavage of carotenoids has rapidly grown during the last years. New facts about carotenoid absorption have emerged while some controversies about cleavage are close to end. The knowledge of the absorption and conversion processes is indispensable to understand and interpret the perturbations that can occur in the metabolism of carotenoids and vitamin A.

[Disseminated strongyloidiasis associated with pulmonary fibrosis and gastrointestinal bleeding].

Strongyloidiasis is a parasitic disease that can be lethal in immunosuppressed patients especially if lung fibrosis is associated, which has been rarely reported. We report the case of a patient treated with corticosteroids for pulmonary fibrosis who developed disseminated strongyloidiasis revealed by massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Diagnosis was based on histological analysis of gastrointestinal biopsies and broncho-alveolar lavage.

[Recommendations for the installation in the laboratory of metrological functions and corresponding documentation (Document B)].

In order to ensure the quality of analytical results, clinical laboratories shall have a perfect control of process and equipments of measurement. Therefore is recommended individualisation of metrological function, generally entrusted the quality manager. This quality manager will draw up a metrological traceability, verifications and confirmations, control of non conformities, follow-up and evaluation of metrological function.

[Presentation for the use of a clinical laboratories of standards of metrology (Document A)].

Clinical laboratories shall have a perfect control of "in vitro diagnostic medical devices" to ensure the quality of their analytical results. This introductory presentation to a serie of documents of recommendations tackles the different standards of metrology concerning the requirements to reference materials, metrological traceability, metrological confirmation, management of measurement as well as uncertainty of measurement. The standards concerning clinical laboratories are then succinctly described.

Hypovitaminosis C in hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, cases of scurvy have mainly been described in populations at risk. The prevalence and risk factors for hypovitaminosis C among hospitalized patients in a department of internal medicine are largely unknown. METHODS: We determined serum ascorbic acid level (SAAL) and searched for clinical and biological signs of scurvy in 184 patients hospitalized during a 2-month period.

High ferritin and low glycosylated ferritin may also be a marker of excessive macrophage activation.

Objective: A high serum ferritin concentration with a low percentage of glycosylated ferritin (< 20%) have been reported to be a specific marker of active adult Still's disease (ASD). However, high ferritin levels are found during hemophagocytosis syndrome (HS). We investigated the ferritin level and the percentage of glycosylation in a HS series of various causes.

[Biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure].

Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses. Smoking is increasing among children and adolescents with subsequent consequences on the health. Furthermore, maternal tobacco smoking during pregnancy adversely affects prenatal growth.

[Quality control of capillary blood measurements in clinical services: follow up by the biologist].

In Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, the study of capillary glucose analyzers in the aim of uniformizing the selection of glucose meters, has shown the relevance of a standardized handling in order to obtain clinically interpretable results. It has been necessary to implement a quality follow up by the biologist. In the first stage, the biochemistry laboratory, with the clinical service supervisor and the supplier, has assured the training of the medical staff habilitated to use the meters and to carry out a quality control.

Diagnostic value of ferritin and glycosylated ferritin in adult onset Still's disease.

Objective: To determine the usefulness of serum ferritin and glycosylated ferritin (GF) levels in diagnosing adult onset Still's disease (AOSD).

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study of 205 patients who had ferritin and GF assays in one hospital laboratory. Records of all patients were reviewed, and a standardized questionnaire used to extract all data available at the time of the assay.

[Measurement of carotenoids by high pressure liquid chromatography: from difficulties to solutions].

The measurement of serum carotenoids by HPLC has been largely improved during the last 10 years. However these techniques still require much time and skills, and direct application of published methods is rarely satisfying. We report here the difficulties that we met to transfer some HPLC methods described in the literature to our laboratories.

Percentage of glycosylated serum ferritin remains low throughout the course of adult onset Still's disease.

Objective: To determine the evolution of levels of total serum ferritin and percentage of the glycosylated form in patients with adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) at the time of diagnosis and during follow up.

Methods: All patients with AOSD were tested at the time of diagnosis and during follow up. Total serum ferritin levels were analysed by immunoassay, and the percentage of glycosylated ferritin was determined by methods using Sepharose-Con A.

[Acute respiratory Chlamydia pneumoniae infections in adults. Value of direct gene amplification diagnosis].

Chlamydia pneumoniae has been established recently as an important human respiratory pathogen. The aim of this study was to define the incidence of Chlamydia pneumoniae in acute respiratory infections by evaluating its presence in posterior nasopharyngeal aspirates or broncho-alveolar lavage specimens by polymerase chain reaction-hybridization (PCR-EIA) as well as the titres of specific antibodies in serum by a rELISA test and a micro-immunofluorescence (MIF) test. 68 adults patients were investigated.