Verbal and Visual Memory Impairments Among Young Offspring and Healthy Adult Relatives of Patients With Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: Selective Generational Patterns Indicate Different Developmental Trajectories

Objective: Memory deficits have been shown in patients affected by schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BP)/mood disorder. We recently reported that young high-risk offspring of an affected parent were impaired in both verbal episodic memory (VEM) and visual episodic memory (VisEM). Understanding better the trajectory of memory impairments from childhood to adult clinical status in risk populations is crucial for early detection and prevention. In multigenerational families densely affected by SZ or BP, our aim was to compare the memory impairments observed in young nonaffected offspring with memory functioning in nonaffected adult relatives and patients. Methods: For 20 years, we followed up numerous kindreds in the Eastern Québec population. After having characterized the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders phenotypes, we assessed cognition (N = 381) in 3 subsamples in these kindreds and in controls: 60 young offspring of a parent affected by SZ or BP, and in the adult generations, 92 nonaffected adult relatives and 40 patients affected by SZ or BP. VEM was assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test and VisEM with the Rey figures. Results: The VEM deficits observed in the offspring were also found in adult relatives and patients. In contrast, the VisEM impairments observed in the young offspring were present only in patients, not in the adult relatives. Conclusion: Implications for prevention and genetic mechanisms can be drawn from the observation that VEM and VisEM would show distinct generational trajectories and that the trajectory associated with VisEM may offer a better potential than VEM to predict future risk of developing the disease

New red blood cell parameters to screen iron deficiency with and without anaemia

info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

Evaluation of several phenotypic methods for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The purpose of this investigation was to compare several phenotypic methods, including combined disk tests (CDT) containing metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors or cloxacillin, and the Carba NP test for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CPPA). A new CDT using imipenem (10 μg) ± cloxacillin 4,000 μg and the Carba NP test were evaluated to detect CPPA. In addition, four commercially available combined disks containing a carbapenem and ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) or dipicolinic acid (DPA) as the inhibitor were tested in order to detect MBL-positive P. aeruginosa. All these phenotypic methods were evaluated on 188 imipenem non-susceptible P. aeruginosa (CPPA, n = 75) isolates divided into 26 well-characterized collection strains and 162 non-duplicate clinical isolates referred to the national reference laboratory in 2013. For the total of 188 isolates tested, CDT containing EDTA or DPA displayed high sensitivities (99 %) and specificities (95 %) for detecting MBL-producing isolates. CDT with cloxacillin showed a sensitivity and specificity of 97 %/96 % compared to 88 %/99 % for the Carba NP test in order to detect CPPA. For the 162 clinical isolates, CDT containing EDTA or DPA displayed a high negative predictive value (NPV) (99 %) for detecting MBL-producing isolates. CDT with cloxacillin showed an NPV of 98 %, compared to 95 % for the Carba NP test in order to detect CPPA. In our setting, CDT associating imipenem ± EDTA or ± DPA performed best for the detection of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa. Imipenem/imipenem-cloxacillin test yielded good NPV to exclude the presence of MBL in imipenem non-susceptible isolates

Evaluation of several phenotypic methods for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The purpose of this investigation was to compare several phenotypic methods, including combined disk tests (CDT) containing metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors or cloxacillin, and the Carba NP test for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CPPA). A new CDT using imipenem (10 μg) ± cloxacillin 4,000 μg and the Carba NP test were evaluated to detect CPPA. In addition, four commercially available combined disks containing a carbapenem and ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) or dipicolinic acid (DPA) as the inhibitor were tested in order to detect MBL-positive P. aeruginosa. All these phenotypic methods were evaluated on 188 imipenem non-susceptible P. aeruginosa (CPPA, n = 75) isolates divided into 26 well-characterized collection strains and 162 non-duplicate clinical isolates referred to the national reference laboratory in 2013. For the total of 188 isolates tested, CDT containing EDTA or DPA displayed high sensitivities (99 %) and specificities (95 %) for detecting MBL-producing isolates. CDT with cloxacillin showed a sensitivity and specificity of 97 %/96 % compared to 88 %/99 % for the Carba NP test in order to detect CPPA. For the 162 clinical isolates, CDT containing EDTA or DPA displayed a high negative predictive value (NPV) (99 %) for detecting MBL-producing isolates. CDT with cloxacillin showed an NPV of 98 %, compared to 95 % for the Carba NP test in order to detect CPPA. In our setting, CDT associating imipenem ± EDTA or ± DPA performed best for the detection of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa. Imipenem/imipenem–cloxacillin test yielded good NPV to exclude the presence of MBL in imipenem non-susceptible isolates.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

New red blood cell automated parameters for iron deficiency screening in chronic inflammatory disease

info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

HCV false positive immunoassays in patients with LVAD: A potential trap!

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are a therapeutic choice for patients with advanced heart failure prior cardiac transplantation. Patients with a LVAD implant are frequently monitored for hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a positive result may be an exclusion criterion for transplantation. Objectives: To determine the rate of false positive results with immunoassays for HCV antibodies in a LVAD population. Study design: Between June 2011 and January 2015, HCV antibody testing using a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) (Liaison, Diasorin) was performed for 32 patients prior and post LVAD implantation. A HCV reactive result by CLIA was repeated and further tested by an enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) (VIDAS, bioMérieux). For patients with a positive HCV CLIA and ELFA test, immunoblot and HCV RNA detection were performed. Results: Prior to LVAD implantation, all patients showed a negative HCV serology. After LVAD implantation, 19 patients (59%) had positive results for HCV antibody using CLIA and ELFA technologies. The HCV immunoblot was negative for 17 patients and indeterminate for two patients. For 15 patients, HCV RNA detection was performed and was undetectable. Actually, no HCV infections were observed among those who were tested for HCV RNA. Conclusions: HCV serological tests routinely used in our laboratories are not reliable in patients with cardiac devices. A positive CLIA and/or ELFA reaction in patients with a LVAD should be confirmed by HCV immunoblot and by HCV RNA PCR detection in order to rule out a HCV infection.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Evaluation of the automated Vitek 2 system for detection of various mechanisms of macrolide and lincosamide resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

We evaluated the performance of the automated Vitek 2 system against disk diffusion for susceptibility testing of Staphylococcus aureus strains showing various resistance mechanisms to macrolides and lincosamides (ML). The Vitek 2 system showed 100% concordance with the D-zone test in detection of the most common resistance mechanisms to ML, including methylase and efflux systems.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Identification of chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with imatinib who are potentially eligible for treatment discontinuation by assessing real-life molecular responses on the international scale in a EUTOS-certified lab

A retrospective study was performed to describe molecular responses (MR) on the international scale (IS) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib in routine clinical practice in Belgium and to identify patients potentially eligible for treatment discontinuation. The analysis included 116 patients with CML in chronic phase at treatment centers sending blood samples for molecular follow-up to a single EUTOS-certified laboratory. IS MR from the last patient visit between October 2014 and April 2015 were retrospectively collected. Most patients (93.1%) had an IS MR corresponding to an optimal response per European LeukemiaNet 2013 guidelines; 53.4% (62/116) of patients were in deep molecular responses ≥MR4.5 at their last visit (mean treatment duration: 91.0 months) among whom 36.2% (42/116) had been receiving imatinib for >5.8 years and 26.7% (31/116) for >8 years (margins of error: 8.74% and 8.05%, respectively). These patients would likely have the highest chance of staying in treatment-free remission (TFR) upon discontinuation, based on published TFR trial data. Although our study only provides a snapshot in time of a patient's last MR reported, without precise information regarding MR duration, the study settings could nevertheless support the feasibility of attempting TFR outside clinical trials in the future.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Comparison of two chromogenic media and enrichment broth for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae on screening rectal swabs from hospitalized patients

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Comparison of two chromogenic media and enrichment broth for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae on screening rectal swabs from hospitalized patients

SCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe