Proposta di una “checklist” per il prelievo di sangue venoso

The collection of venous blood is central in clinical laboratory activity. Although there is widespread perception that this practice is simple and free of complications and side effects, it is undeniable that the vast majority of laboratory errors arises from ignorance, incompetence or negligence during venipuncture. It has hence become advisable to prepare a document in simplified form of checklist, consisting of a concise but comprehensive list of activities to be completed or verified in order to prevent errors during venous blood collection. In the intention of authors, this synthetic checklist is a modular tool, adaptable to different local contexts, it can be easily and gradually implemented, it is supported by scientific evidence and consensus of experts and created with the support of different healthcare professionals and it is adherent to the best practices and requires minimal resources for implementation. It is reasonable to assume that this checklist may be able to withstand system and individual changes, strengthening the standards for safety of both operators and patients, limiting potential failure patterns. We hope that the checklist may be implemented in all healthcare facilities where routine venous blood collection is performed, after adaptation to suit characteristics of local organization

The role of platelet rich plasma in musculoskeletal science

The idea of using platelet rich plasma (PRP) in medicine has been around since the 1970s. It is only more recently that its use has been employed in the area of musculoskeletal science. Platelet rich plasma in this area has received much media attention being used by many celebrity sports athletes for musculoskeletal injuries. Therefore it is important for the musculoskeletal practitioner to be aware of the concepts surrounding its use and application. In this article we cover what platelet rich plasma is, how it is prepared and administered, its potential clinical application, and what the current literature discusses in the various areas of musculoskeletal science

Analytical Investigations of Toxic p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) Levels in Clinical Urine Samples with Special Focus on MALDI-MS/MS

Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is a common chromophoric ingredient in oxidative hair-dyes. In some African countries like Sudan, Egypt and Morocco but also in India this chemical is used alone or in combination with colouring extracts like Henna for dyeing of the hair or the skin. Excessive dermal exposure to PPD mainly leads to the N-mono- and N,N′-diacetylated products (MAPPD, DAPPD) by N-acetyltransferase 1 and 2 (NAT1 and 2) catalyzed reactions. Metabolites and PPD are mainly excreted via renal clearance. Despite a low risk of intoxication when used in due form, there are numerous cases of acute intoxication in those countries every year. At the ENT Hospital - Khartoum (Sudan) alone more than 300 cases are reported every year (∼10% fatal), mostly caused by either an accidental or intended (suicidal) high systemic exposure to pure PPD. Intoxication leads to a severe clinical syndrome including laryngeal edema, rhabdomyolysis and subsequent renal failure, neurotoxicity and acute toxic hepatitis. To date, there is no defined clinical treatment or antidote available and treatment is largely supportive. Herein, we show the development of a quick on-site identification assay to facilitate differential diagnosis in the clinic and, more importantly, the implementation of an advanced analytical platform for future in-depth investigations of PPD intoxication and metabolism is described. The current work shows a sensitive (∼25 µM) wet chemistry assay, a validated MALDI-MS/MS and HPLC-UV assay for the determination of PPD and its metabolites in human urine. We show the feasibility of the methods for measuring PPD over a range of 50–1000 µM. The validation criteria included linearity, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), accuracy and precision, recovery and stability. Finally, PPD concentrations were determined in clinical urine samples of cases of acute intoxication and the applied technique was expanded to identify MAPPD and DAPPD in the identical samples

Cocaine in acute myocardial infarction.

Cocaine, a crystalline tropane alkaloid which is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant, acts a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly targets the central nervous system. The effects of the drug appear almost immediately after a single dose (intravenous, intranasal, or inhaled), and disappear within a few minutes or hours. Although the free commercialization of the drug is illicit and severely penalized in virtually all countries, its use remains widespread in many social, cultural, and personal settings. There is a variety of well-recognized side effects of cocaine abuse, which involve virtually every organ system. There is also emerging evidence, however, that cocaine abuse might trigger a variety of cardiac disorders, ranging from arrhythmias to acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure and even sudden cardiac death, especially in relatively young male patients (e.g., those in the mid-1930s), in those who concomitantly use tobacco and alcohol, in those having experienced a trauma or a car accident and lack traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis. Since the use of cocaine may influence the treatment strategies of patients being evaluated for possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as well as the prognosis of an AMI, it might be advisable to introduce cocaine screening in patients admitted with chest pain at the emergence department, especially in high-risk patients (i.e., young males with concurrent use of tobacco or alcohol, suffering from a recent accident and with no traditional atherosclerotic risk factors), or in those who are unresponsive and unreliable. This strategy might be helpful to adopt the best therapeutic approach for reducing the risks associated with cardiovascular disease in these patients, and also to deter relapse

Less is more, but do not throw out the baby with the bathwater either!

The appropriate and discretionary use of laboratory resources is a paradigm for emergency physicians and other healthcare professionals working in short stay units. This epitome has become more and more true in the past decade, for a number of reasons. First, an unprecedented economical crisis is dramatically inflating public healthcare funding around the globe, and this trend clearly collides with the increasing demand for healthcare services. Simultaneously, major advances in human biology and technology have identified a large number of innovative biomarkers, and these have considerably amplified the diagnostic armamentarium for diagnosing and monitoring human disorders. Last but not least, the uncertainty that still surrounds the use of a number of biomarkers in the emergency room (e.g., cardiospecific troponins among others) has accentuated some ancient diagnostic dilemmas that found their natural expression in the concept of \u201cpersonalized medicine\u201d

The usefulness of troponin testing in the diagnostics of non-thrombotic pulmonary embolism.

No abstrac

Laboratory diagnosis of acute pancreatitis: in search of the Holy Grail.

Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory condition of the pancreas, which might extend to local and distant extrapancreatic tissues. The global incidence varies between 17.5 and 73.4 cases per 100,000 and the pathogenesis recognizes alcohol exposure and biliary tract disease as the leading causes, ahead of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, drugs and abdominal trauma. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is substantially based on a combination of clinical signs and symptoms, imaging techniques and laboratory investigations. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography is the reference standard for the diagnosis, as well as for establishing disease severity. The assessment of pancreatic enzymes, early released from necrotic tissue, is the cornerstone of laboratory diagnosis in this clinical setting. Although there is no single test that shows optimal diagnostic accuracy, most current guidelines and recommendations indicate that lipase should be preferred over total and pancreatic amylase. Although a definitive diagnostic threshold cannot be identified, cut-offs comprised between 65\u20092 and 65\u20094 times the upper limit of the reference interval are preferable. The combination of amylase and lipase has been discouraged as although it marginally improves the diagnostic efficiency of either marker alone, it increases the cost of investigation. Some interesting biomarkers have been also suggested (e.g., serum and urinary trypsinogen-1, -2 and -3, phospholipase A2, pancreatic elastase, procalcitonin, trypsinogen activated protein, activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B, trypsin-2-alpha1 antitrypsin complex and circulating DNA), but none of them has found widespread application for a variety of reasons, including the inferior diagnostic accuracy when compared with the traditional enzymes, the use of cumbersome techniques, or their recent discovery. The promising results of recent proteomics studies showed that this innovative technique might allow the identification of changes characterizing pancreatic tissue injury, thus highlighting new potential biomarkers of acute pancreatitis

Tranexamic acid treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding: a randomized controlled trial.

Tranexamic acid treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding: a randomized controlled trial