Annals of clinical biochemistry
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Ann. Clin. Biochem. · May 2015
Reporting standards for Bland-Altman agreement analysis in laboratory research: a cross-sectional survey of current practice.
To carry out a cross-sectional survey of the medical literature on laboratory research papers published later than 2012 and available in the common search engines (PubMed, Google Scholar) on the quality of statistical reporting of method comparison studies using Bland-Altman (B-A) analysis. ⋯ There is incomplete reporting of B-A in published clinical studies. Despite its simplicity, B-A appears not to be completely understood by researchers, reviewers and editors of journals. There appear to be differences in the reporting of B-A between laboratory medicine journals and other clinical journals. A uniform reporting of B-A method will enhance the generalizability of results.
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Ann. Clin. Biochem. · May 2015
Review Meta AnalysisHeart-type fatty acid binding protein in early diagnosis of myocardial infarction in the era of high-sensitivity troponin: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (HT FABP) is an emerging biomarker of ischaemic myocardial necrosis. While previous studies have demonstrated its additive value when compared to contemporary troponin assays in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), its utility in the era of high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn) assays remains undetermined. ⋯ HT FABP does not appear to improve the diagnostic accuracy of hsTn, and consequently its routine use currently cannot not be recommended.
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Ann. Clin. Biochem. · May 2015
Review Case ReportsHepatocellular carcinoma in variegate porphyria: a case report and literature review.
Variegate porphyria is an autosomal dominant acute hepatic porphyria characterized by photosensitivity and acute neurovisceral attacks. Hepatocellular carcinoma has been described as a potential complication of variegate porphyria in case reports. We report a case of a 48-year-old woman who was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma following a brief history of right upper quadrant pain which was preceded by a few months of blistering lesions in sun-exposed areas. ⋯ Retrospective and prospective cohort studies have suggested a plausible association between hepatocellular carcinoma and acute hepatic porphyrias. Hepatic porphyrias should be considered in the differential diagnoses of hepatocellular carcinoma of uncertain aetiology. Patients with known hepatic porphyrias may benefit from periodic monitoring for this complication.
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Acute kidney injury is common, dangerous and costly, affecting around one in five patients emergency admissions to hospital. Although survival decreases as disease worsens, it is now apparent that even modest degrees of dysfunction are not only associated with higher mortality but are an independent risk factor for death. ⋯ Mechanisms of tubular recovery will be discussed but also the pathophysiology of abnormal repair with its direct consequences for long-term renal function. Finally, the concept of 'organ cross-talk' will be introduced as a potential explanation for the higher mortality observed with acute kidney injury that might be deemed modest in conventional biochemical terms.
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Ann. Clin. Biochem. · Mar 2015
Comparative StudyComparison of BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube and plasma for haemolysis markers in the emergency department.
In recent years, a rapid-clotting serum tube, BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube (RST™), was introduced to improve turn-around times for serum samples. Previous studies reported reduced concentrations of some markers of haemolysis in RST specimens compared to other serum or plasma samples. We aimed to compare RST to plasma tubes for haemolysis markers in an emergency department (ED) setting, where increased rates of haemolysis are commonly seen. ⋯ Compared to plasma, RST specimens show small increases in several haemolysis markers, consistent with known differences between serum and plasma, but the proportion of elevated haemolysis markers is similar to plasma. In a setting with a high haemolysis rate such as ED, RST specimens provide a non-inferior sample type for markers of haemolysis.