Biochemical derangement in twin pregnancy : complete hydatidiform mole and viable foetus

Case of co-existence of twin pregnancy of complete hydatidiform molar with viable intrauterine pregnancy is extremely rare with low incidence of 1 case for 20,000 – 100,000. It is associated with high risk of spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, intrauterine death, bleeding, pre-eclampsia, and persistence trophoblastic disease (PTD). It may associate with biochemical derangement that may induce symptomatic manifestation to the mother. There are few cases reported in Asia population with significant clinical dilemma and management to the maternal and foetus. Here, we report a case of a young woman with previous bad obstetric history who presented with antepartum per-vaginal bleeding and was noted to have a twin pregnancy with complete hydatidiform molar and viable foetus. It was complicated with markedly elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and hyperthyroidism. Postpartumly, her hCG level was persistently high and her condition progressed into gestational trophoblastic neoplasm

CD64 and Group II Secretory Phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) as Biomarkers for Distinguishing Adult Sepsis and Bacterial Infections in the Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION:Early diagnosis of sepsis and bacterial infection is imperative as treatment relies on early antibiotic administration. There is a need to develop new biomarkers to detect patients with sepsis and bacterial infection as early as possible, thereby enabling prompt antibiotic treatment and improving the survival rate. METHODS:Fifty-one adult patients with suspected bacterial sepsis on admission to the Emergency Department (ED) of a teaching hospital were included into the study. All relevant cultures and serology tests were performed. Serum levels for Group II Secretory Phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) and CD64 were subsequently analyzed. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:Sepsis was confirmed in 42 patients from a total of 51 recruited subjects. Twenty-one patients had culture-confirmed bacterial infections. Both biomarkers were shown to be good in distinguishing sepsis from non-sepsis groups. CD64 and sPLA2-IIA also demonstrated a strong correlation with early sepsis diagnosis in adults. The area under the curve (AUC) of both Receiver Operating Characteristic curves showed that sPLA2-IIA was better than CD64 (AUC = 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.83-0.97 and AUC = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.82-0.99, respectively). The optimum cutoff value was 2.13μg/l for sPLA2-IIA (sensitivity = 91%, specificity = 78%) and 45 antigen bound cell (abc) for CD64 (sensitivity = 81%, specificity = 89%). In diagnosing bacterial infections, sPLA2-IIA showed superiority over CD64 (AUC = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.85-0.96, and AUC = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93-1.00, respectively). The optimum cutoff value for bacterial infection was 5.63μg/l for sPLA2-IIA (sensitivity = 94%, specificity = 94%) and 46abc for CD64 (sensitivity = 94%, specificity = 83%). CONCLUSIONS:sPLA2-IIA showed superior performance in sepsis and bacterial infection diagnosis compared to CD64. sPLA2-IIA appears to be an excellent biomarker for sepsis screening and for diagnosing bacterial infections, whereas CD64 could be used for screening bacterial infections. Both biomarkers either alone or in combination with other markers may assist in decision making for early antimicrobial administration. We recommend incorporating sPLA2-IIA and CD64 into the diagnostic algorithm of sepsis in ED

Survey on serum protein electrophoresis and recommendations for standardised reporting

Introduction: Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) is a well-established laboratory technique. However, reporting of results varies considerably between laboratories. The variation in reporting can cause confusion to the clinician with a potential of adversely impacting patient care. The purpose of the survey was to find out the variation in reporting and to prepare recommendations to the Malaysian laboratories based on the survey to reduce both the variation in reporting between laboratories and the risk of misinterpretation of reports. Materials and Methods: To determine the extent of variation in reporting of protein electrophoresis results questionnaires were distributed to the pathologists of various laboratories in Malaysia regarding the method, quantification of paraprotein concentrations and immunoglobulin assays, and information regarding current laboratory electrophoresis practices. Results: Variation was found in the following reporting practices: (a) screening protocol; (b) reporting of serum albumin; (c) numerical reporting of protein fractions and paraprotein; (d) co-migration of a paraprotein with a normal serum protein; (e) reporting of multiple paraprotein bands (f) appearance of small abnormal band and oligoclonal bands and (g) communication about of interferences. Conclusion: The pathologists of the country made recommendations on the reporting of protein electrophoresis. Harmonised reporting will reduce inconsistency, variation in reporting, improve the quality of the report and most importantly improve patient care

Box-plot for CD64 levels in bacterial and non-bacterial infection diagnosis.

<p>abc = antigen bound cell. Boxes show the 25^th-75^th centiles, while whiskers indicate the 10^th and 90^th centiles. Horizontal lines within the boxes indicate the median. Outliers are shown as circles and stars.</p

Box-plot for sPLA2-IIA levels in bacterial and non-bacterial infection diagnosis.

<p>Boxes show the 25^th-75^th centiles, while whiskers indicate the 10^th and 90^th centiles. Horizontal lines within the boxes indicate the median. Outliers are shown as circles.</p

Box-plot for sPLA2-IIA levels in sepsis and non-sepsis diagnosis.

<p>Boxes show the 25^th-75^th centiles, while whiskers indicate the 10th and 90th centiles. Horizontal lines within the boxes indicate the median. Outliers are shown as circles.</p

ROC curves for CD64 and sPLA2-IIA in bacterial infection diagnosis.

<p>abc = antigen bound cell.</p

Bacterial aetiology as detected via Cultivation.

<p>Bacterial aetiology as detected via Cultivation.</p

ROC curves for CD64 and sPLA2-IIA in sepsis diagnosis.

<p>abc = antigen bound cell.</p

Demographic data of recruited patients.

<p>Demographic data of recruited patients.</p