A focused review on Lyme disease diagnostic testing: An update on serology algorithms, current ordering practices, and practical considerations for laboratory implementation of a new testing algorithm.

Lyme borreliosis or Lyme disease (LD) is the most prevalent tick-borne illness in the United States. Diagnosing LD can be challenging as symptoms can be nonspecific and the ability of laboratory tests to detect infection varies based on the duration of infection and the methodology used. To date, serology testing is the primary laboratory tool employed to aid in diagnosing LD.

Triiodothyroacetic Acid Cross-Reacts With Measurement of Triiodothyronine (T3) on Various Immunoassay Platforms.

Objectives: Thyroid hormone analog 3,5,3'-triiodothyroacetic acid (TRIAC) is effective in reducing the hypermetabolism in monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8)-deficient individuals. Because of the structural similarity between TRIAC and 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (T3), we sought to investigate the degree of cross-reactivity of TRIAC with various commercially available total and free T3 assays.

Methods: Varying concentrations (50-1,000 ng/dL) of TRIAC (Sigma Aldrich) were added to pooled serum and assayed for total T3 (TT3) and free T3 (FT3) on the following platforms: e602 (Roche Diagnostics), Architect (Abbott Diagnostics), Centaur (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics), IMMULITE (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics), DxI (Beckman Coulter), and Vitros (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics).

Development of a Nonradioactive Platelet Serotonin Uptake and Release Assay by Micro-Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Using Minimal Blood Volume.

Objectives: Analysis of platelet functional responses to stimuli is presently quite limited with respect to measurement of dense granule secretion. We sought to develop a nonradioactive assay of stimulated serotonin release using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Methods: Citrated whole blood (200 μL) was incubated with deuterated serotonin (d45-HT).

Angiogenic Factor Estimation as a Warning Sign of Preeclampsia-Related Peripartum Morbidity Among Hospitalized Patients.

Preeclampsia-related morbidity and mortality is rising predominantly because of delayed identification of patients at risk for preeclampsia with severe features and associated complications. This study explored the association between angiogenic markers (sFlt1 [soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1]) and PlGF [placental growth factor]) and preeclampsia-related peripartum complications. Normotensive women or those with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were enrolled.

Association of antepartum blood pressure levels and angiogenic profile among women with chronic hypertension.

Background: Angiogenic factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. This pilot study explored the association between antenatal blood pressure levels and angiogenic biomarkers (sFlt1 and PlGF) among women with chronic hypertension (cHTN).

Methods: Blood samples were collected from women with cHTN (with/without superimposed preeclampsia) within 96 h prior to delivery.

Analytical validation of soluble fms-like tyrosine and placental growth factor assays on B·R·A·H·M·S KRYPTOR Compact Plus automated immunoassay platform.

Background: Preeclampsia is one of the leading hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Angiogenic biomarkers such as anti-angiogenic factor soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and pro-angiogenic factor placental growth factor (PlGF) are involved in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.

Objective: The aim of this study is to validate the analytical performance of sFlt1 and PlGF on the B·R·A·H·M·S KRYPTOR Compact Plus (ThermoFisher Scientific).

Calcium-Modulating Cyclophilin Ligand Is Essential for the Survival of Activated T Cells and for Adaptive Immunity.

Calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) is an endoplasmic reticulum resident protein that is widely expressed. Although it has been demonstrated to participate in the tail-anchored protein insertion pathway, its physiological role in the mature immune system is unknown. In this work, we show that mature, peripheral T cells require CAML for survival specifically following TCR-induced activation.

Tc17 CD8 T cells: functional plasticity and subset diversity.

IL-17-secreting CD8 T cells (Tc17) have been described in several settings, but little is known regarding their functional characteristics. While Tc1 cells produced IFN-gamma and efficiently killed targets, Tc17 cells lacked lytic function in vitro. Interestingly, the small numbers of IFN-gamma-positive or IL-17/IFN-gamma-double-positive cells generated under Tc17 conditions also lacked lytic activity and expressed a similar pattern of cell surface proteins to IL-17-producing cells.