Quantification of urinary albumin in clinical samples using smartphone enabled LFA reader incorporating automated segmentation.

Smartphone-assisted urine analyzers estimate the urinary albumin by quantifying color changes at sensor pad of test strips. These strips yield color variations due to the total protein present in the sample, making it difficult to relate to color changes due to specific analyte. We have addressed it using a Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) device for automatic detection and quantification of urinary albumin.

Exploring Differentially Expressed Sperm miRNAs in Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Their Association with Early Embryonic Development.

The high incidence of idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss (iRPL) may stem from the limited research on male contributory factors. Many studies suggest that sperm DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress contribute to iRPL, but their roles are still debated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate various biological processes by modulating gene expression.

Ethical Checklists for Clinical Research Projects and Laboratory Medicine: two tools to evaluate compliance with bioethical principles in different settings.

Objectives: To develop two ethical checklists to evaluate (i) management of ethical concerns in research projects and (ii) awareness of ethical conduct of healthcare laboratory professionals.

Methods: Comprehensive discussion among the members of IFCC Task Force on Ethics based on pertinent literature.

Results: This Checklist for Clinical Research Projects should be useful to evaluate research proposals from an ethical perspective before submitting it to an IRB or its equivalent, thereby diminishing rejection rates and resulting in more time-effective projects.

Association between baseline insulin resistance and hospital mortality in moderate-to-severe coronavirus disease 2019 patients without diabetes mellitus: An observational study.

Background: Insulin resistance is often implicated as a risk factor of cell-mediated immune dysfunction in sepsis patients and results in poor clinical outcome. However, it is unclear whether early insulin resistance is contributory to T-cell dysfunction and poor clinical outcome in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

Methods: Adult patients with moderate-to-severe or critically ill COVID-19 infection were included in this study.

Quantitative Proteomics of COVID-19 Recovered Patients Identifies Long-Term Changes in Sperm Proteins Leading to Cellular Stress in Spermatozoa.

Following an initial recovery, COVID-19 survivors struggle with a spectrum of persistent medical complications, including fatigue, breathlessness, weight loss, hair loss, and attention deficits. Additionally, there is growing evidence of adverse effects of COVID-19 on the male reproductive system. This investigation seeks to understand the long-term ramifications on male fertility by examining hormonal profiles, semen parameters, and sperm proteome of recovered COVID-19 patients compared to controls.

Subphenotypes of SARS-CoV-2-Associated ARDS Overlap Each Other: A Retrospective Analysis.

 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus-associated pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were often associated with hyperinflammation and elevation of several serum inflammatory markers but usually less than what is observed in non-coronavirus disease (COVID) ARDS. Elevated inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, etc., are associated with severe infection.

Impact of Life Cycle Costing in Procurement of Robotic Track-Based Central Laboratory at Apex Medical Institute in India.

 Life cycle costing is an important management tool that takes into account the implications of planning, acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of an asset during its complete life cycle. A major hindrance to the procurement of expensive equipment in developing countries is the lack of a reliable framework combining and integrating all the equipment life cycle aspects into procurement process.  The study was conducted from the data collected from the bids that were received for procurement of two robotic track-based central laboratories which were installed at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

A Comparative Review of ICMR, WHO, and EMA Guidelines for Good Clinical Laboratory Practices.

With the advancement of clinical research and the increased burden on laboratory services, there is an unmet need for guidelines regarding proper laboratory functioning and reliable data generation. Several organizations from all over the world have published guidelines for these clinical and research laboratories. Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) are stepwise procedures aimed at strengthening the quality of test results produced by all clinical laboratories engaged in human sample analysis.

A Combination of Inflammatory and Hematological Markers is Strongly Associated with the Risk of Death in Both Mild and Severe Initial Disease in Unvaccinated Individuals with COVID-19 Infection.

Background: Inflammatory and hematological markers are used extensively for early prognostication and monitoring in COVID-19.We aimed to determine whether routinely prescribed laboratory markers can predict adverse outcome at presentation in COVID-19.

Methods: This retrospective observational study was performed on 401 samples collected between July to December 2020 from COVID-19 positive subjects, admitted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India.

Validation of a Clinical Tool to Predict Neurological Outcomes in Critically Ill Children-A Prospective Observational Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of the empiric tool by Gupta et al. in predicting neurological outcomes in children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to evaluate the association of biomarkers S100B and NSE with neurological outcomes.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in 163 critically ill children aged 2 mo to 17 y admitted to the PICU from June 2020 to July 2021.

Planning and Setting Up of a Communication Program for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Challenges and Potential Solutions in Resource Constrained Setting.

 The recent onset of COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated many patients to be hospitalized in the COVID-19 treating centers. Owing to the need for isolation of these patients and minimizing the risk of transmission to healthy people, COVID-19-positive patients are completely restricted from meeting their friends and families. This gives rise to anxiety amongst the patients' relatives as they are not able to monitor the progress of the patients and have to depend entirely on the healthcare staff for any updates regarding the patient.

Proteomic changes in human spermatozoa during in vitro capacitation and acrosome reaction in normozoospermia and asthenozoospermia.

Background: The cellular and molecular mechanisms of the events that help spermatozoa acquire their fertilizing capability during capacitation and acrosome reaction are not completely understood.

Objective: This study was performed with a postulation that the identification of sperm proteins and their changes during in vitro capacitation and acrosome reaction will unravel unknown molecular aspects of fertilization that impact male fertility.

Materials And Methods: Spermatozoa collected from sequential conditions, that is, separation of ejaculated spermatozoa by Percoll gradient centrifugation, in vitro capacitation, and acrosome reaction were processed for tandem mass spectrometric analysis, followed by protein identification, label-free quantitation, and statistical analysis.

Medical postgraduate (MD) program in Laboratory Medicine in India: The Past, Present and Future.

A medical postgraduate course in the field of Laboratory Medicine for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree holders has existed for more than two decades in India, initiated and offered by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, which was created under the special Act of Parliament of India 1956. This course has recently been included in the draft of National Medical Commission's Post Graduate Regulation 2021 list of medical courses, and the foundation guidelines have been laid for other medical colleges and teaching hospitals across the country to start this course. This article, written purely in academic interest, describes the past, present and future of this postgraduate training program in India with an aim to answer several doubts regarding this unique and holistic course with a view to providing a direction to those who are willing to become a laboratory physician through this post-graduation.

Assessment of Stability of Prothrombin Time, International Normalized Ratio, and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Under Different Storage Conditions in Human Plasma.

Background In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of storage time and temperature on commonly performed coagulation tests such as prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in human plasma. Methodology Whole blood samples from 100 patients were collected in a 3.2% sodium citrate vacutainer.

Interference in Ion-Selective Electrodes Due to Proteins and Lipids.

Background: Ion-selective electrodes (ISE) have become the mainstay of electrolyte measurements in the clinical laboratory. In most automated analyzers used in large diagnostic laboratories, indirect ISE (iISE) -based electrolyte estimation is done; whereas direct ISE (dISE) -based equipment are mostly used in blood gas analyzers and in the point-of-care (PoC) setting.

Content: Both the techniques, iISE as well as dISE, are scientifically robust; however, the results are often not interchangeable.

Alteration of Mitochondrial Function in Oxidative Stress in Parkinsonian Neurodegeneration: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Context: Appropriate mitochondrial function and oxidative balance are critical to neuronal survival. Accumulation of reactive oxygen species leads to oxidative stress that can cause free radical damage to biomolecules of the cell components and the molecules in the cellular milieu that eventually lead to a variety of chronic diseases including neurodegenerative disorders. Mitochondrial dysfunction initiates neuronal apoptosis thereby leading to neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD).

Review on COVID-19 Etiopathogenesis, Clinical Presentation and Treatment Available with Emphasis on ACE2.

In December 2019, Wuhan city in the Hubei province of China reported for the first time a cluster of patients infected with a novel coronavirus, since then there has been an outburst of this disease across the globe affecting millions of human inhabitants. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a member of beta coronavirus family which upon exposure caused a highly infectious disease called novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19, a probably bat originated disease was declared by World Health Organization (WHO) as a global pandemic in March 2020.

Ethics in Laboratory Medicine: Perspectives and Challenges in Resource Limited Settings.

Currently diagnosis and management of patients in Clinical Practice is very much dependent on laboratory diagnostics. Laboratory Medicine, like any other branch of Medicine, is therefore, mandated with ethical usage of materials and data obtained from patients. Several countries, professional societies and the have developed policies and guidance materials on ethical issues related to laboratory medicine.

Efficacy of Single Low-Dose Rasburicase in Management of Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Leukemia and Lymphoma Patients.

Background: Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a metabolic emergency in hematology patients. The recommended dose of rasburicase for the management of TLS is 0.2 mg/kg per day for 5 days, which is cost prohibitive for many patients.

Discrepancies in Electrolyte Measurements by Direct and Indirect Ion Selective Electrodes due to Interferences by Proteins and Lipids.

 We aim to report the simultaneous effect of different protein and lipid concentrations on sodium (Na ) and potassium (K ) measurement by direct and indirect ion selective electrodes (dISE and iISE) in patient samples.  Na and K were measured in 195 serum samples received in the laboratory using iISE by Roche Modular P800 autoanalyzer and using dISE by XI-921 ver. 6.

Acute encephalopathy in children in Muzaffarpur, India: a review of aetiopathogenesis.

The acute encephalopathy occurring in children in Muzaffarpur, India, also recognised in other litchi-cultivating areas of India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China, had previously been linked to litchi consumption. Recently, it has been identified as hypoglycaemic encephalopathy of an unusual aetiology with three key factors: undernutrition, prolonged fasting and litchi consumption. A second set of investigators has independently reconfirmed the diagnosis and the three-factor aetiology.

Blood Lead Levels in Occupationally Exposed Workers Involved in Battery Factories of Delhi-NCR Region: Effect on Vitamin D and Calcium Metabolism.

Workers involved in battery manufacturing or recycling factories are occupationally exposed to high concentrations of lead. In humans, lead can cause a wide range of biological effects depending upon the level and duration of exposure. The purpose of this study was to find out the blood lead levels (BLL) in occupationally exposed workers involved in battery industry in Delhi NCR region and to study whether lead affected the vitamin D (vit D) and calcium metabolism.