Introduction: The accurate measurement of HbA is essential for the detection of β-thalassaemia carriers and as no single calibrant is used by the various manufacturers of analysers, differences are seen in results obtained. The World Health Organization International Reference Reagent for HbA (WHO IRR 89/666) was made available to diagnostic laboratories in the 1980s and remains the only international reference material available. A previous study (2015) demonstrated that the WHO IRR remained suitable for use as an HbA standard as tested by 52 participants in the UK NEQAS Haematology Abnormal Haemoglobins Programme. This study was undertaken to include simultaneous analysis of three whole blood specimens over a range of HbA values with the WHO IRR and to include participants from laboratories outside of the UK.
Method: Three whole blood specimens with HbA levels ranging from 2.4% to 5.7% and the WHO IRR were distributed to 56 laboratories located in 14 different countries. Participants were requested to test the specimens at defined intervals and return results accompanied by chromatograms or electropherograms produced.
Results: Differences found in results from different analyser groups reflect the bias found in the 2015 study in that bias is seen according to the methodology used and also varies in relation to the level of analyte being measured.
Conclusion: Results of measurements from whole blood specimens and the lyophilized WHO IRR standard did not show any deterioration of the IRR, and it remains suitable for use. Linearity and calibration of analysers remain a problem.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijlh.13403 | DOI Listing |
J Relig Health
January 2025
School of Social Work, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.
Religious informal helpers may play a crucial role in recognizing and providing referrals to mental health professional for at-risk individuals, including those with mental illness, especially since members of religious communities tend to conceal their difficulties and to view religious leaders as a sole source of assistance. This quantitative study aimed to explore Jewish bathhouse attendants ("balaniyot") who assist women in their monthly immersion, a unique situation in which mental health symptoms (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Intern Med
January 2025
Clinical Epidemiology and Research Center (CERC), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, and IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy, and Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Allergology and Immunology, Berlin, Germany (H.J.S.).
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFFracture-related infection (FRI) is a serious orthopaedic complication and its diagnosis, particularly in the upper extremity, is difficult and poorly defined in current literature. An international consensus definition of FRI was published in 2018, and our scoping review aims to investigate FRI diagnostic tools reported in the primary literature and their biostatistical utility. A review of articles generated from the PubMed/NCBI search term "fracture-related infection" was undertaken using PRISMA methodology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Pain Headache Rep
January 2025
Department of Pain Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Purpose Of Review: Quickly referenceable, streamlined, algorithmic approaches for advanced pain management are lacking for patients, trainees, non-pain specialists, and interventional specialists. This manuscript aims to address this gap by proposing a comprehensive, evidence-based algorithm for managing neuropathic, nociceptive, and cancer-associated pain. Such an algorithm is crucial for pain medicine education, offering a structured approach for patient care refractory to conservative management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAIDS Res Hum Retroviruses
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Disease Detection, Zhuhai International Travel Healthcare Center, Zhuhai, China.
Recombination contributes substantially to the genetic diversity of HIV-1. Here we reported a novel HIV-1 recombinant detected from a Chinese labor who had been to Uganda as an immigrant worker using nanopore sequencing. Near full-length genome (NFLG) phylogenetic analysis showed that the novel HIV-1 recombinant HIV-sd1801 stood in a distinct branch between the CRF130_A1B/CRF131_A1B and CRF50_A1D/CRF84_A1D reference sequences.
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