Effects of specimen haemolysis on complete blood count results by Abbott Alinity hq System

The current study aimed to assess the interference of in vitro haemolysis on complete blood count (CBC) using Abbott Alinity hq system, and to determine which haemolysis levels affect the reliability of sample results. Blood samples obtained from 25 volunteers in K3-EDTA tubes were divided into four aliquots. The first aliquot was not subjected to any intervention. The second, third and fourth aliquots were passed through a fine needle 2, 4 and 6 times, respectively. Complete blood count was performed by multi-angle polarized scatter separation technology and haemolysis index (HI) was assessed from the plasma samples separated by centrifugation. Five groups were formed according to the HI values. The percentage biases between the results of non-haemolysed and haemolysed groups were compared with the desirable bias limits from The European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine database and reference change values (RCVs). In groups 1 to 4, the effects of haemolysis on CBC parameters were acceptable comparing to the analytical bias except for lymphocytes (7.26%-7.42%), MCH (2.59%), and MCHC (0.47%-2.81%). Results of group 5 (gross haemolysis) showed decreases in HCT(- 4.56%), RBC (- 4.07%) count and increase in lymphocyte (11.60%) count higher than the analytical performance specifications. Moreover, variations in MCH (4.65%) and MCHC (5.24%) were exceeding the RCVs. Gross haemolysis (haemoglobin concentration > 10 g/L) is likely to produce unreliable CBC results on non-pathological samples. Further studies including pathological specimens are needed

The effect of placental angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors on pregnancy outcome in patients with early onset preeclampsia

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the possible effects of anti-angiogenic factors including soluble endoglin (sEng), placental growth factor (Pgf), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) in both normotensive pregnant patients and preeclampsia (PE) patients. Material and Methods: The study was carried out at the Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Biochemistry of Yozgat Bozok University Training and Research Hospital. Eighteen women with PE who were pregnant for at least 20 weeks comprised the study group. The control group consisted of 33 pregnant women with no complications and with similar demographic features. In the study, laboratory parameters, demographic characteristics, sEng, sFlt-1, and Pgf levels, delivery type, APGAR scores of the infants, and birthweight were determined and a comparison was made between the groups. Results: It was found that the sEng level was significantly lower in the PE group compared to the control group (p<0.05). In addition, the Pgf, birthweight, and 1st and 5th-minute APGAR scores were significantly lower in the PE group compared to the control group (p[removed

The relationship between oxidative stress and preeclampsia. The serum Ischemia-modified albumin levels and thiol/disulfide homeostasis

Objective: Preeclampsia (PE) is a dangerous complication of pregnancy and still a major cause of maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. Its etiology remains largely unknown, but researchers have suggested oxidative stress-mediated inflammation for the same. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and PE as well as the usability of oxidative stress indicators such as serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels and thiol/disulfide balance in the prediction of PE. Materials and Methods: The study included 47 pregnant women with PE and 57 healthy pregnant women. We measured their serum IMA, native thiol, total thiol, and disulfide levels. Additionally, we determined the optimal cutoff values via the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: There were no differences between the two groups with respect to the maternal age, body mass index, gravida, and parity. The native and total thiol levels were found to be low when the disulfide and IMA levels were high in the patients with PE (p<0.05). When the IMA level was corrected by the albumin level (IMAR), the significant difference between the two groups disappeared. We also found that the native and total thiol concentrations were correlated with the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The optimal cut-off values calculated for the prediction of PE were as follows: 178.45 µmol/L (with sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 83%) for native thiol, 232.55 µmol/L (with a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 85%) for total thiol, and 29.05 µmol/L (with sensitivity of 65% and specificity of 72%) for disulfide. Conclusion: The balance of thiol/disulfide may play a role in the pathogenesis of PE and could be used as a biological marker for PE. © 2020 by Turkish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology Turkish Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published by Galenos Publishing House

Evaluation of the i-STAT Blood Gas Analysis System in Cardiovascular Surgery

The aim of this study was toinvestigate the compatibility of the parameters measured with the i-STAT blood gas analyser and the conventional blood gas analyser Rapid Point 500 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, USA) in patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery. This clinical study included fifty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. Fifty whole blood samples were portioned and measured on the i-STAT and RP500 laboratory analyzers. The compatibility between pH, pCO2, pO2, Hb, Na+, K+, iCa2+ and glucose values was investigated.There was a good correlation of the i-STAT analyser with the RP500 analyser, with the exception Hb and Na+. Also all parameters except for Hb and ionized calcium were found to be within acceptable range in terms of clinical decision limits. It is very important that the point-of-care devices give accurate results as well as quick results. For this reason, we absolutely think that the point of care devices should be subjected to external and internal quality control programs, users should be trained regularly and feedback studies should be done

Risky behaviors in adolescents

Knowledge about adolescent risk behavior has expanded in the past several decades. Risk behaviors, such as substance use, violent behavior and sexual risk behavior are behaviors that can directly or indirectly compromise well-being and health of young people. Studies showed that there are many risk factors leading to engage in risk behaviors. Studies also showed that risk behaviors can result in many negative outcomes or adverse consequences. However, there is great heterogeneity in the linkage between involvement in risk behaviors and the likelihood of adverse outcomes, and there is also great heterogeneity in the linkage between exposure to risk factors and the likelihood of involvement in risk behaviors as well. These facts lead the researchers to focus on the identification and assessment of protective factors and the concept of resilliency. Researches over the past decade also lead to changing of intervention programme strategies from risk reduction to healthy youth development. These strategies aim to provide all youth with the support, relationship, experiences, resources, and opportunities needed to become successful and competent adults. They are promising approaches for preventing or reducing a wide range of adolescent health-risk behaviors. In this article, we briefly review what we know about risk behaviors, their risk and protective factors and healthy youth development, and provide definitions of each of these concepts. (Turk Arch Ped 2009: 44: 1-6

Menstrual cycle disorders in adolescence

In adolescence, for the initiation of normal menstrual cycle hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis should be intact in addition to good general health, different disorders can cause primary-secondary amenorrhea or menstrual irregularities. The first two years after menarche is generally anovulatory thus in normal adolescents in the first years of menstrual life irregularities in menstrual cycle and menstrual blood flow can be observed. Physiology of normal menstrual cycle, menstrual disorders, their diagnosis and treatment are discussed in this review. (Turk Arch Ped 2010; 45: 6-12