Laboratory medicine, as a specialty that had prioritized quality control, has always been at the forefront of error reduction. In the last decades, a dramatic decrease of analytical errors has been experienced, while a relatively high frequency of errors has been documented in the pre-analytical phase. Most pre-analytical errors, which account for up to 70% of all mistakes made...
Complement activation is a key component in the inflammation cascade. In the present study, intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IIR) was introduced to macaques, and the pathways of complement activation in the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) following IIR were investigated, which may provide evidence on the mechanisms underlying the endogenous protection in systemic...
Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by many cells in the body; however, its production by vascular endothelium is particularly important in the regulation of blood flow. Vascular actions of NO include the following: direct vasodilation, indirect vasodilation by inhibiting the vasoconstrictor influences, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects. Due to its...
A close relationship exists between iron metabolism, diabetes and oxidative stress. Both diabetes and redox active iron are individually known to enhance oxidative stress. However, the role of iron deficiency and oxidative stress in diabetes is not clear; hence, the levels of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes with and without iron deficiency have been compared. Two groups of 30...
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule in a variety of physiological processes. NO, a gas, is produced from L-arginine by different isoforms of the nitric oxide synthase and serves as mediator in important physiological functions, such as promoting vasodilation of blood vessels and mediating communication between nervous system cells. Contradictory to its...
Diabetes mellitus is a complex disease that leads to alterations in the glycosylation of proteins. Insulin-like growth factor and insulin receptors are involved in the regulation of fetal and placental growth and development. In this work the N-glycans of these receptors, originating from placentas obtained from pregnancies complicated by pregestational insulin dependent diabetes...
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of serum prolactin concentration at the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration on the clinical outcome of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). A total of 184 patients receiving the IVF-ET/ICSI-ET from October 2005 to March 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Subjects were divided into four groups according...
Estradiol and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are very important in controlling the secretory activity of hormone producing cells in the female rat pituitary glands. The aim of the present study was to examine the morphometric parameters of immunohistochemically la be led ACTH cells in juvenile (16th day) female rat pituitaries after treatment with five doses of estradiol...
Hyperphosphatemia is a potent stimulator of vascular and valvular calcifications in hemodialysis patients. To determine the prevalence of hyperphosphatemia and assess its effect on the outcome of hemodialysis patients, a total of 115 chronic hemodialysis patients were studied. Laboratory parameters were determined at baseline, and after 12 and 24 months of follow-up. Valvular...
Healthcare is a complex profession involving the state-of-art technology and sometimes leading to unintentional harm. Many factors contribute to the occurrence of medical errors. Patient safety is one of the most serious global health issues and defined as the absence of preventable harmato a patient during any process of medical care. The frequency of medical errors is higher...
Impaired serum phosphate levels may contribute to respiratory muscle weakness that further negatively impacts Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. Recently, Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 (FGF-23) has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of body phosphate. The current study includes 2 groups: 70 COPD patients and 34 control subjects. Blood samples...
This study aimed to investigate the expressions of secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1) and β-catenin in cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and to explore the relationship between both proteins and the prognosis of cervical cancer. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the protein expressions of sFRP1 and β-catenin in cervical cancer (n=78...
Given that thyroid function influences serum cystatin C and creatinine levels, the question arises as to whether it is possible to accurately estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with thyroid dysfunction. The objective of the study was to determine serum cystatin C and creatinine levels and estimate GFR in patients with thyroid dysfunction. The study included 32...
Osteoporosis, a systemic disease of the bones, is a serious health and socio-economic problem because of its consequences, i.e. broken bones. It is believed that 10% of the world's population suffers from osteoporosis and it affects mostly postmenopausal women (postmenopausal osteoporosis). Tibolone is a synthetic steroid that has estrogenic, androgenic, and progestagenic...
The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the peripheral specific IgE level, distribution of TCR Vg and Vd subfamily T cells and mRNA expressions of TCR Vg I-III following specific immunotherapy (SIT) with house-dust-mite extract in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. Ten AR patients undergoing SIT with house-dust-mite extract for 1 year were recruited. Quantitative...
This study aimed to investigate the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on Annexin A1 expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of children with congenital heart disease (CHD). A total of 30 children receiving CPB for interventricular septal defect were included. Peripheral blood was collected before and after CPB. PBMCs were collected by density gradient...
Decreased nitric oxide (NO) production and/or impaired NO bioavailability may occur in patients with the chronic kidney disease (CKD), and could contribute to elevation of blood pressure, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and progression of renal injury in these patients. Free guanidinomethylated arginine residues occur endogenously as a result of proteolysis of post-translational...
Proteomics was employed to identify the differentially expressed proteins between esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adjacent normal esophageal tissues. ESCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 10 patients with ESCC and the proteins were extracted and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The differentially expressed proteins were...
Contemporary guidelines for the first-line diagnosis of celiac disease recommend determination of IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies or IgA antiendomysial antibodies, as well as total serum IgA antibodies. The aim of our study was to assess the validity and clinical significance of serological testing for IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in the diagnosis of...
Prolactin (PRL) circulates in the blood in the form of monomeric prolactin, dimeric prolactin and macroprolactin. Macroprolactin is a common cause of hyperprolactinemia. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of macroprolactinemia in hyperprolactinemic women and to undertake the biochemical characterization of macroprolactin. A retrospective cross-sectional...
Determination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] represents a unique challenge, considering its lipophilic nature. Considering the widespread prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, which leads to increasing number of requests for 25(OH)D determination, immunoassay measurements adjusted to automated analyzers are being developed. Because of the variability among assays, it is often...
The term 'personalized medicine' (PM) was coined in the late 1990s, but was not introduced to general US public until about a decade later, through Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act. According to this act, PM is defined as any clinical practice model that utilizes genomic and family history information to customize diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and improve health...
Vitamin D is an important determinant for the regulation of calcium and phosphorus levels and mineralization of the bone. The most reliable indicator of vitamin D status is the measurement of plasma or serum 25OH-D concentration. Several studies reported discrepancies between the results of assays. These high variabilities in 25OH-D measurements are due to used assay technologies...
This study aimed to explore the relationship between the infiltration of CD20+ B cells and the survival time of a renal allograft and to investigate the role of infiltrated B cells in the rejection of the renal allograft. A total of 40 patients with renal allograft loss due to refractory rejection and 20 patients with transient renal allograft dysfunction were recruited. Renal...
Vitamin D is not technically a vitamin, since it is not an essential dietary factor. It is rather a prohormone produced photochemically in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol. Vitamin D and its metabolites may be categorized as either cholecalciferols or ergocalciferols. Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is the parent compound of the naturally occurring family and is produced in the...