Evaluation of an Automated CLIA System for the Determination of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9

AIM: To compare analytical characteristics between two different methods, a automated chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) versus a radioimmunometric assay (RIA), for the determination of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eighty-five blood samples from consecutively enrolled individuals (87 males and 98 females, aged 22-89 and 29-89 years, respectively) were evaluated. For both assays, a cut-off of 37 U/ml was used. RESULTS:Comparison between assays was analyzed using Passing-Bablok regression, which showed a high inter-assay correlation (r=0.926). The mean intra-assay coefficient of variation was 17.6% (range=6.1-50.7%) for the RIA (n=10 samples) and 5.2% (range=0.4-17.0%) for the CLIA assay (n=26 samples). CONCLUSION: This study showed that CLIA for CA19-9 has a good reliability on all samples analyzed and should be preferred to RIA with the aim of reducing costs, greater standardization and more harmonized results

Quels modèles de gestion pour les déchets urbains au Brésil ? : le cas de la ville de Fortaleza

International audienc

Thyroid Hormones, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation

Inflammation and oxidative stress (OS) are closely related processes, as well exemplified in obesity and cardiovascular diseases. OS is also related to hormonal derangement in a reciprocal way. Among the various hormonal influences that operate on the antioxidant balance, thyroid hormones play particularly important roles, since both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism have been shown to be associated with OS in animals and humans. In this context, the nonthyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) that typically manifests as reduced conversion of thyroxine (T 4 ) to triiodothyronine (T 3 ) in different acute and chronic systemic conditions is still a debated topic. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this syndrome are reviewed, together with the roles of deiodinases, the enzymes responsible for the conversion of T 4 to T 3 , in both physiological and pathological situations. The presence of OS indexes in NTIS supports the hypothesis that it represents a condition of hypothyroidism at the tissue level and not only an adaptive mechanism to diseases

Performance assessment of a fully automated electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay system for serum S100B protein

The altered expression levels of S100 proteins can lead to four different categories of diseases: diseases of the heart and of the central nervous system, inflammatory disorders and cancer. Various studies have shown the lack of harmonization of the results obtained with different methods, mainly due to different performances and measurements of S100B. The purpose of this work was to compare quantitatively the fully automated Elecsys® immunoassay with the reference immunoenzimatic method CanAg® EIA for serum S100B protein. In the study serum samples were analyzed of 161 patients: 85 females (aged 22-83 years) and 76 males (aged 16-90 years), affected by oncological and non-oncological pathologies. Passing–Bablok regression was used to analyze the comparison between the assays; it showed a strong interassay correlation: r = 0.9350 (95% CI =0.9122 – 0.9520), with an intercept of 0.02063 (95% CI=- 0.02850 – 0.01400) and a slope of 1.1125 (95% CI=1.0200 – 1.2417). Elecsys® S100 assay should be preferred to CanAg® S100 for better standardization, good reliability and precision but also with the aim to reduce costs and obtain results in a shorter time

Plasmatic and Intracellular Markers of Oxidative Stress in Normal Weight and Obese Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Introduction Insulin resistance (IR) is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Oxidative stress (OS) is, in turn, related to IR. Studies in PCOS evidenced an increase in OS markers, but they are mainly performed in obese patients, while the complex picture of normal weight PCOS is still poorly investigated. Matherials and Methods To investigate OS in PCOS and relationship with hormonal and metabolic picture, we performed a case-control study in 2 PCOS groups: normal weight (N-PCOS, n=21, age 18-25 ys, mean\uc2\ub1SEM BMI 20.7\uc2\ub10.2 kg/m2) and obese (OB-PCOS, n=15, 20-30 ys, BMI 32.8\uc2\ub11.1), compared with control groups matched for BMI: normal (N-C, n=10, 20-30 ys, BMI 21.6\uc2\ub10.9) and obese (OB-C, n=20, 21-31ys, BMI 36.8\uc2\ub11.0). Malondialdehyde (MDA) in blood plasma and peripheral mononuclear cells, obtained by density-gradient centrifugation, was assayed spectrophotometrically by TBARS assay. CoenzymeQ10(CoQ10) in plasma and cells was assayed by HPLC. Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) was also measured by spectrophotometric method. Results PCOS patients exhibited higher Testosterone levels than controls, but OB-PCOS had highest HOMA (Homeostasis Model Assessment) index, suggesting marked insulin resistance. Despite plasma MDA levels were not significantly different (N-PCOS 3380\uc2\ub1346.94 vs. N-C 7 120\uc2\ub1541.66; OB-PCOS 5 517.5\uc2\ub1853.9 vs. OB. 3 939.66\uc2\ub1311.2 pmol/ml), intracellular MDA levels were significantly higher in N-PCOS than controls (mean 3 259\uc2\ub1821.5 vs. 458\uc2\ub143.2 pmol/106/cells) and higher than OB-PCOS, although not significantly (1363.1\uc2\ub1412.8 pmol/106/cells). Intracellular CoenzymeQ10was higher in N-PCOS than in N-C, but the highest levels were found in OB-C. Conclusions Our data, while confirming the presence of OS in obese PCOS patients in agreement with literature, suggest that OS could be present also in normal weight PCOS, but it can be revealed in tissue rather than in plasma. The relationship with metabolic status remains to be established, but could be a physiopathological basis for antioxidant treatment in such patients