No Significant Differences in Presepsin Levels According to the Causative Microorganism of Bloodstream Infection.

Background: CD14 recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and presepsin is a fragment of soluble CD14. Still, it remains uncertain whether Gram-negative bacteria induce higher presepsin levels than other microorganisms. To address this question, this study aimed to analyze presepsin levels based on microorganisms isolated in blood cultures.

Genetic Counseling and Long-Term Surveillance Using a Multidisciplinary Approach in von Hippel-Lindau Disease.

Background: von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by variants of the VHL tumor suppressor gene (). Early detection and treatment are essential to prevent morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the effectiveness of surveillance strategies and the utility of a VHL clinic with a multidisciplinary team for the first time in Korea.

Detection Methods and Status of CAT Interruption of in Korean Patients With Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by abnormal CAG repeat expansion in the ataxin 1 gene (). The presence of CAT interruption(s) is important for diagnosing SCA1 in patients with 39-44 repeat alleles, as only uninterrupted alleles are considered abnormal. Determining the CAT interruption status might also be important for patients with >44 repeats, as the length of the longest uninterrupted CAG repeat stretch has been correlated with age at SCA1 onset.

Complementary Use of Presepsin with the Sepsis-3 Criteria Improved Identification of High-Risk Patients with Suspected Sepsis.

Presepsin has been proposed as an early indicator for diagnosis and prognosis in sepsis. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of presepsin levels and additional value for identifying high-risk patients when taken together with the current sepsis criteria. This was a single-center, prospective, observational study of patients with suspected sepsis.

Is the New Interferon-Gamma Releasing Assay Beneficial for the Diagnosis of Latent and Active Infections in Tertiary Care Setting?

Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) are widely used in the laboratory diagnosis of (MTB) infections, particularly in the latent form. We compared the performance of a newly developed IGRA, the Standard E TB-Feron ELISA (TBF) with the currently used QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assay (QFT-Plus) for the detection of latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs) in tertiary care settings. We also investigated interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) released by T cell subsets via intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) and flow cytometry.

Comparative evaluation of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection during solid organ transplantation.

Background: The diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in solid organ transplantation (SOT) patients under lifelong immunosuppression has profound effects on preoperative and postoperative management. Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) is widely used to screen LTBI before or after transplantation.

Methods: We evaluated the effect of posttransplantation immunosuppression on IGRA and influencing factors by measuring interval change of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) between pretransplantation (pre-QFT-Plus) and posttransplantation (post-QFT-Plus) state in 20 patients who previously had reactive IGRA but not taken LTBI treatment.

Experience with therapeutic drug monitoring of three antifungal agents using an LC-MS/MS method in routine clinical practice.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of voriconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole is a useful tool for treatment of fungal infections. We validated a simple and reliable LC-MS/MS method using simple protein precipitation for simultaneous determination of voriconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole. The linearity, accuracy, precision, carryover, and matrix effects were validated.