Detection of Plasmodium vivax using Automated Hematology Analyzer in the Korean Army.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate whether our equation model developed from the Sysmex hematology analyzer can discriminate patients with Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) infection from those with acute febrile illness (AFI) and healthy controls. Besides, we compared our model with the previously studied models.

Performance evaluation of enzyme immunoassay for voriconazole therapeutic drug monitoring with automated clinical chemistry analyzers.

Objective: Voriconazole is a triazole antifungal developed for the treatment of fungal infectious disease, and the clinical utility of its therapeutic drug monitoring has been evaluated. Recently, a new assay for analyzing the serum voriconazole concentration with an automated clinical chemistry analyzer was developed. We evaluated the performance of the new assay based on standardized protocols.

Quantification of human plasma-busulfan concentration by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Background: Busulfan, an alkylating agent administered prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, has a narrow therapeutic range and wide variability in metabolism. We developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for rapid and accurate quantification of plasma busulfan.

Methods: Busulfan was separated and detected using an LC system containing a C18 column equipped with MS/MS.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization panel for monitoring of minimal residual disease in patients with double minute chromosomes.

A double minute chromosome (dmin) is a small fragment of extrachromosomal DNA bearing amplified genes observed in malignancies. We investigated the incidence and characteristics of dmins in hematologic malignancies, and the quantitative changes during the treatment follow-up. Once a dmin was observed in conventional G-banding, it was characterized using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with the panel of MYC, NMYC, and MLL probes.

Identification of two novel NPM1 mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Background: Genetic abnormalities in adult AML are caused most frequently by somatic mutations in exon 12 of the NPM1 gene, which is observed in approximately 35% of AML patients and up to 60% of patients with cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML).

Methods: We performed mutational analysis, including fragment analysis and direct sequencing of exon 12 of the NPM1 gene, on 83 AML patients to characterize the NPM1 mutations completely.

Results: In this study, NPM1 mutations were identified in 19 (22.

First Korean case of Robinsoniella peoriensis bacteremia in a patient with aspiration pneumonia.

Robinsoniella peoriensis has recently been identified as a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic rod originally recovered from swine manure storage pits. To date, 6 cases of R. peoriensis infection have been reported, including 2 cases of bacteremia, 1 of abdominal fluid collection, and 3 of wound infection.

The first study on nucleotide-level identification of Hb Koriyama in a patient with severe hemolytic anemia.

Hereditary hemolytic anemia comprises a group of disorders in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they are produced in the bone marrow; various hereditary factors can cause this condition, including production of defective Hb and erythrocyte membrane. Recently, we identified Hb Koriyama, a rare Hb variant that was undetectable in Hb electrophoresis and stability tests, in a patient with severe hemolytic anemia. This is the first study to show the nucleotide-level sequence variations in Hb Koriyama.