Plasma elemental responses to red meat ingestion in healthy young males and the effect of cooking method.

Purpose: Elemental deficiencies are highly prevalent and have a significant impact on health. However, clinical monitoring of plasma elemental responses to foods remains largely unexplored. Data from in vitro studies show that red meat (beef) is a highly bioavailable source of several key elements, but cooking method may influence this bioavailability.

Relative quantification of albumin and fibrinogen modifications by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in the diagnosis and monitoring of acute pancreatitis.

The increasing availability of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in clinical laboratories provides the opportunity to replace or complement present underperforming immuno- and chemometric assays. Amylase and lipase show limited specificity and sensitivity for pancreatic inflammation and lack the capacity of monitoring the disease due to their short half-lives. Previous findings suggested that cleavage products of the pancreatic enzyme carboxypeptidase A could be a more suitable indicator for defining and classifying pancreatic inflammation.

Laboratory medicine best practice guideline: vitamins a, e and the carotenoids in blood.

Despite apparent method similarities between laboratories there appear to be confounding factors inhibiting uniform reporting and standardisation of vitamin assays. The Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) Vitamins Working Party, in conjunction with The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, has formulated a guideline to improve performance, reproducibility and accuracy of fat-soluble vitamin results. The aim of the guideline is to identify critical pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical components of the analysis of vitamins A, E and carotenoids in blood to promote best practice and harmonisation.

Vitamin B1 and B6 method harmonization: comparison of performance between laboratories enrolled in the RCPA Quality Assurance Program.

Objectives: The RCPA Quality Assurance Program (RCPA QAP) offers monthly proficiency testing for vitamins A, B1, B6, β-carotene, C and E to laboratories worldwide. A review of the results submitted for the whole blood vitamin B1/B6 sub-program revealed a wide dispersion. Here we describe the results of a methodology survey for vitamins B1 and B6.

A mass-spectroscopic method for measuring des-Leu albumin--a novel marker for chronic pancreatitis.

Objectives: Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive inflammatory disease leading to pancreatic insufficiency. The diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis is challenging, especially in early disease and the current tests have low sensitivity, may be invasive or have limited availability. We previously identified a truncated form of albumin lacking the C-terminal leucine, des-Leu albumin, which was present at high concentration in pancreatitis.