Performance characteristics and clinical utility of an enzymatic method for the measurement of glycated albumin in plasma.

Objective: The measurement of plasma glycated albumin is particularly useful in the short-middle term monitoring of glycometabolic control in diabetics. The aim of this work is to evaluate a new enzymatic method for the measurement of glycated albumin in plasma, with particular attention to some selected cases and comparison with other relevant tests (fasting plasma glucose, after glucose load, fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin).

Design And Methods: We have performed a multicenter study by which sample collection was performed in three different centers (Milano, Padova and Cagliari) and serum samples, frozen at -80 degrees C, were then delivered under dry ice to the centralized laboratory in Milano.

Virus-inactivated plasma - Plasmasafe: a one-year experience.

Background: Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) is a widely used blood transfusion product. The transfusion safety of this product is ensured by legally obligatory tests, but can be further improved by using some technical procedures, such as methylene blue (MB) and solvent-detergent (SD) viral inactivation methods. Mainly organisational criteria led us to introduce the SD viral inactivation technique as a service activity.