Validation of spot urine in estimating 24-h urinary sodium, potassium and sodium-to-potassium ratio during three different sodium diets in healthy adults.

Purpose: To evaluate the validity of spot urine assay methods in estimating the 24-h urinary sodium, potassium and sodium-to-potassium ratio during three different sodium diets.

Materials And Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers were asked to adhere to 3 dietary sodium targets (3.3-5.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Reuse of Routinely Obtained Laboratory Data in Research.

Electronic health records (EHRs) contain valuable data for reuse in science, quality evaluations, and clinical decision support. Because routinely obtained laboratory data are abundantly present, often numeric, generated by certified laboratories, and stored in a structured way, one may assume that they are immediately fit for (re)use in research. However, behind each test result lies an extensive context of choices and considerations, made by both humans and machines, that introduces hidden patterns in the data.

Pancreatic Stone Protein as a Biomarker for Sepsis at the Emergency Department of a Large Tertiary Hospital.

Early recognition of sepsis is essential for improving outcomes and preventing complications such as organ failure, depression, and neurocognitive impairment. The emergency department (ED) plays a key role in the early identification of sepsis, but clinicians lack diagnostic tools. Potentially, biomarkers could be helpful in assisting clinicians in the ED, but no marker has yet been successfully implemented in daily practice with good clinical performance.

Real-time monitoring of drug laboratory test interactions: a proof of concept.

Objectives: For the correct interpretation of test results, it is important to be aware of drug-laboratory test interactions (DLTIs). If DLTIs are not taken into account by clinicians, erroneous interpretation of test results may lead to a delayed or incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary diagnostic testing or therapy with possible harm for patients. A DLTI alert accompanying a laboratory test result could be a solution.

Automatic quantification of lymphocyte vacuolization in peripheral blood smears of patients with Batten's disease (CLN3 disease).

Quantifying lymphocyte vacuolization in peripheral blood smears (PBSs) serves as a measure for disease severity in CLN3 disease-a lysosomal storage disorder of childhood-onset. However, thus far quantification methods are based on labor-intensive manual assessment of PBSs. As machine learning techniques like convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been deployed quite successfully in detecting pathological features in PBSs, we explored whether these techniques could be utilized to automate quantification of lymphocyte vacuolization.

Comparison between coagulation factor VIII quantified with one-stage activity assay and with mass spectrometry in haemophilia A patients: Proof of principle.

Introduction: Haemophilia A is a hereditary bleeding disorder caused by a factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency. As biomarker, FVIII activity is used to classify disease severity and to monitor treatment. The one-stage clotting assay (OSA) is performed to measure FVIII activity, but OSA's limitations may result in misclassification of disease severity or suboptimal monitoring of treatment.

Colloid osmotic pressure of contemporary and novel transfusion products.

Background And Objectives: Colloid osmotic pressure (COP) is a principal determinant of intravascular fluid homeostasis and a pillar of fluid therapy and transfusion. Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) is a leading complication of transfusion, and COP could be responsible for recruiting additional fluid. Study objective was to measure COP of blood products as well as investigate the effects of product concentration and storage lesion on COP.

Quantification of coagulation factor VIII in human plasma with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry using a selective sample purification with camelid nanobodies.

Patients with hemophilia A are currently diagnosed and monitored by measuring the activity of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) in plasma mostly with the one-stage clotting assay (OSA). Although the OSA is routinely available in many clinical laboratories, it has in some circumstances relatively low sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, the FVIII activity as a biomarker does not always correlate with the bleeding phenotype.

Diagnostic error as a result of drug-laboratory test interactions.

Background Knowledge of possible drug-laboratory test interactions (DLTIs) is important for the interpretation of laboratory test results. Test results may be affected by physiological or analytical drug effects. Failure to recognize these interactions may lead to misinterpretation of test results, a delayed or erroneous diagnosis or unnecessary extra tests or therapy, which may harm patients.

Pregnancy, malignancy or mother nature? Persistence of high hCG levels in a perimenopausal woman.

Despite the fact that a small percentage of peri en postmenopausal women have mild elevations in human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) concentrations (<14 IU/L) besides high levels of gonadotrophins, a considerable number of clinicians are not aware of this phenomenon. We report a case of a 53-year-old woman with an unusually high hCG concentration (>40 IU/L) given her menopausal state. Although a pregnancy or a malignancy was unlikely on the basis of stable hCG levels, elevated gonadotrophins and a negative transvaginal ultrasound, her physicians were uncertain and chose an expectant approach by repeated testing.

Impact of interactions between drugs and laboratory test results on diagnostic test interpretation - a systematic review.

Intake of drugs may influence the interpretation of laboratory test results. Knowledge and correct interpretation of possible drug-laboratory test interactions (DLTIs) is important for physicians, pharmacists and laboratory specialists. Laboratory results may be affected by analytical or physiological effects of medication.

Influence of point-of-care C-reactive protein testing on antibiotic prescription habits in primary care in the Netherlands.

Background: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics represents a serious global challenge that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. One of the most important causes of this threat is antibiotic overuse. The Dutch College of General Practitioners (DCGP) recommends the use of point-of-care (POC) testing for C-reactive protein (CRP) in two guidelines ('Acute Cough' and 'Diverticulitis') to achieve a more sensible prescription pattern of antibiotics.

[Unusual causes of hyperprolactinaemia].

Pituitary adenoma is the main cause of hyperprolactinaemia; however, physicians should be aware that the pituitary is not always to blame. There are many other physiological and pathological causes for hyperprolactinaemia, and the contribution of stress, medication and the presence of macroprolactin should not be overlooked. We describe three patients - a 19-year-old female, a 28-year-old female and a 20-year-old male - in whom hyperprolactinaemia was due to medication use, physical stimulation of the nipple and a combination of macroprolactianaemia with a microadenoma, respectively.

Effects of arsenite and UVA-1 radiation on calcineurin signaling.

Calcineurin is a Ca(2+)-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase and the target of the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin and tacrolimus, which are used in transplant recipients to prevent rejection. Unfortunately, the therapeutic use of this drugs is complicated by a high incidence of skin malignancy, which has set off a number of studies into the role of calcineurin signaling in skin, particularly with respect to cell cycle control and DNA repair. Both UVA1 radiation and arsenic species are known to promote skin cancer development via production of reactive oxygen species.

Molecular diagnostics of calcineurin-related pathologies.

Background: The Ca(2+)-dependent protein phosphatase enzyme calcineurin (Cn) (protein phosphatase 3) is best known for its role as director of the adaptive immune response. One of its principal substrates is the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), which translocates to the nucleus after dephosphorylation to mediate gene transcription. Drugs targeting Cn (the Cn inhibitors tacrolimus and cyclosporin A) have revolutionized posttransplantation therapy in allograft recipients by considerably reducing rejection rates.

UVA1 radiation inhibits calcineurin through oxidative damage mediated by photosensitization.

The protein phosphatase calcineurin has been gradually revealing itself as the central controller of our immune response, although it is involved in a wide array of signaling pathways related to cellular development and cell cycle progression. As such, calcineurin is an attractive, yet delicate, therapeutic target for the prevention of allograft rejection and treatment of several inflammatory skin conditions. However, calcineurin activity is not only sensitive to immunosuppressants such as cyclosporin A and tacrolimus, but also subject to modulation by reactive oxygen species.

Effects of ultraviolet A-1 radiation on calcineurin activity and cytokine production in (skin) cell cultures.

Calcineurin (Cn) is the target of immunosuppressive drugs used for maintenance therapy of transplant patients. UV radiation is also known to be immunosuppressive and, like the Cn inhibitors, UV has been shown to positively influence various inflammatory skin diseases. Recently, Cn activity has been demonstrated in skin and skin cell cultures.