An Extensive Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QC/QA) Program Significantly Improves Inter-Laboratory Concordance Rates of Flow-Cytometric Minimal Residual Disease Assessment in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: An I-BFM-FLOW-Network Report

Monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) by flow cytometry (FCM) is a powerful prognostic tool for predicting outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). To apply FCM-MRD in large, collaborative trials, dedicated laboratory staff must be educated to concordantly high levels of expertise and their performance quality should be continuously monitored. We sought to install a unique and comprehensive training and quality control (QC) program involving a large number of reference laboratories within the international Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (I-BFM) consortium, in order to complement the standardization of the methodology with an educational component and persistent quality control measures. Our QC and quality assurance (QA) program is based on four major cornerstones: (i) a twinning maturation program, (ii) obligatory participation in external QA programs (spiked sample send around, United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (UK NEQAS)), (iii) regular participation in list-mode-data (LMD) file ring trials (FCM data file send arounds), and (iv) surveys of independent data derived from trial results. We demonstrate that the training of laboratories using experienced twinning partners, along with continuous educational feedback significantly improves the performance of laboratories in detecting and quantifying MRD in pediatric ALL patients. Overall, our extensive education and quality control program improved inter-laboratory concordance rates of FCM-MRD assessments and ultimately led to a very high conformity of risk estimates in independent patient cohorts

Impact of Metabolomics Technologies on the Assessment of Peritoneal Membrane Profiles in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A Systematic Review

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an effective and frequent dialysis modality in adults, particularly preferred in infants and young children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Long-term exposure of the peritoneal membrane to dialysis solutions results in severe morphologic and functional alterations. Peritoneal dialysis effluent biomarkers are based on omics technologies, which could predict the onset or confirm the diagnosis of peritoneal membrane dysfunction, would allow the development of accurate early prognostic tools and, potentially, the identification of future therapeutic targets. The purpose of our study was to critically review the literature on the impact and the effectiveness of metabolomics technologies in peritoneal health. The main search was performed in electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception to December 2020, using various combinations of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The main search highlighted nine studies, of which seven were evaluated in detail. Metabolomics technologies may provide significant input in the recognition of peritoneal membrane dysfunction in PD patients and provide evidence of early intervention strategies that could protect peritoneum health and function

Humoral Immunity against Measles in Mother–Infant Pairs during the First Year of Life in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study

Measles outbreaks have surfaced in Europe during the last decades. Infants <12 months of age were the most severely affected pediatric population. The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of maternally derived measles antibodies in infants aged 1 to 12 months in relation to maternal humoral immune status and other parameters. In a prospective, cross-sectional cohort study, 124 mother/infant pairs and 63 additional infants were recruited from October 2015 through December 2019. Infants were hospitalized in a university pediatric department of a general hospital. Demographic and epidemiological data were recorded and blood samples were collected from mothers and their infants. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for measuring measles antibodies. Fifty nine percent of mothers had vaccine-induced and 15% infection-acquired measles immunity. Eighty-eight percent and 94% of infants were unprotected by 5 and 10 months of age, respectively. Maternal antibody levels and infant age were significant independent predictors of infants’ antibody levels whereas the method of maternal immunity acquisition, age, and origin [Greek/non-Greek] were not. Our findings suggest that about 90% of infants are susceptible to measles beyond the age of 4 months. To our knowledge, these are the first data from Greece reported under the current community composition and epidemiological conditions

Humoral Immunity against Measles in Mother–Infant Pairs during the First Year of Life in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study

Measles outbreaks have surfaced in Europe during the last decades. Infants <12 months of age were the most severely affected pediatric population. The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of maternally derived measles antibodies in infants aged 1 to 12 months in relation to maternal humoral immune status and other parameters. In a prospective, cross-sectional cohort study, 124 mother/infant pairs and 63 additional infants were recruited from October 2015 through December 2019. Infants were hospitalized in a university pediatric department of a general hospital. Demographic and epidemiological data were recorded and blood samples were collected from mothers and their infants. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for measuring measles antibodies. Fifty nine percent of mothers had vaccine-induced and 15% infection-acquired measles immunity. Eighty-eight percent and 94% of infants were unprotected by 5 and 10 months of age, respectively. Maternal antibody levels and infant age were significant independent predictors of infants’ antibody levels whereas the method of maternal immunity acquisition, age, and origin [Greek/non-Greek] were not. Our findings suggest that about 90% of infants are susceptible to measles beyond the age of 4 months. To our knowledge, these are the first data from Greece reported under the current community composition and epidemiological conditions

Proceedings Of The 23Rd Paediatric Rheumatology European Society Congress: Part Two

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