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[The use of biochemical blood indices for the laboratory diagnosis of internal diseases using the automated complex device-computer].

Application of biochemical parameters of blood, reflecting disturbances in lipid, protein, carbohydrate, pigment and water-saline metabolism for diagnostics for internal organs diseases is discussed. Methods of clinical biochemistry in combination with subsequent automatic processing of the data obtained on the basis of probability theory and mathematical statistics methods can be used for preliminary computer diagnosis and further examination of a patient, as well as for construction of specific complexes of symptoms for some diseases. Due to their mobility, the preliminary computer diagnostics data can be successfully applied to different pathologies and groups of population.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

Laboratory diagnosis of hereditary bleeding disorders: external quality assessment.

A World Federation of Hemophilia external quality assessment scheme has been established to promote high standards of laboratory performance in haemophilia centres world-wide. Results from 22 International Haemophilia Training Centres (IHTCs) provide target values for the prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), factor VIII:C, IX:C and von Willebrand factor assays, against which the performance of haemophilia centres (HCs) in developing countries can be assessed. A higher proportion of HCs failed to identify an abnormal PT or APTT in samples from donors with mild deficiencies of the extrinsic and intrinsic systems, respectively. For factor VIII:C and IX:C assays, agreement between HC results was consistently poorer than between IHTCs. However, improvement in between-centre agreement could be seen for two samples distributed on more than one occasion. A minority of HCs perform assays for von Willebrand factor, and a questionnaire revealed equipment and reagent costs as limiting the range of assays which could be carried out in several centres. However, agreement was in some cases better between those HCs that did perform VWF assays, than between IHTCs. The problems of screening test sensitivity, and between-centre agreement for factor assays need to be addressed, together with the limitations which prevent HCs from performing a full range of tests in the diagnosis and treatment of bleeding disorders.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗

Laboratory diagnosis of Toscana virus infection by enzyme immunoassay with recombinant viral nucleoprotein.

A recombinant enzyme immunoassay (rEIA) to detect serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG to Toscana virus (TOSV) was developed with the aim of establishing a simple and easily available assay for diagnosing acute and/or previous infections. The rEIA, based on the recombinant nucleoprotein of TOSV expressed in Escherichia coli, was evaluated with 97 serum samples collected in an area where TOSV is endemic and compared to an analogous assay based on cell-derived TOSV. Discordant results were resolved by immunoblotting (IB). Twenty-two of these samples, obtained from subjects hospitalized during the summer season with meningitis of suspected TOSV etiology, were further characterized by indirect immunofluorescence and IB, and detection of specific TOSV RNA sequences in the cerebrospinal fluid of these patients was attempted by nested PCR. The results indicated that rEIA was able to diagnose acute TOSV infection by detection of specific serum IgM in all of the subjects with TOSV meningitis confirmed by nested PCR or serology. The overall sensitivity and specificity of rEIA were both 100% for IgM detection and 100 and 96.6%, respectively, for IgG detection. Thus, rEIA appears to be a simple and reliable laboratory test for the diagnosis of acute TOSV infection and for the assessment of immune status.

Animals↗

Laboratory diagnosis of human herpesvirus 8 infection in humans.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is causally associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. Serological and molecular biology assays are used to investigate the biology of this virus in different populations and diseases. Serological assays are mainly used to study the prevalence of the viral infection and to predict the diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma and other HHV-8-associated cancers. The appearance of antibodies against lytic antigens precedes the appearance of antibodies against latent antigens, probably explaining the lower sensitivity of assays based on latent HHV-8 antigens. The lack of international reference serum panels is presently the major bottleneck for further progress in the field of HHV-8 serology. Molecular biological assays are an absolute requirement for both the diagnosis and the follow-up of HHV-8 infection. Qualitative methods have been particularly useful to elucidate the mode of transmission and the causal association between HHV-8 and HHV-8-associated diseases. Quantitative methods have become an essential tool to monitor the progression of the infection and the effects of antiviral therapies. This review analyzes the performance of the different serological and molecular biological assays available at present. The main conclusion is that more research is needed to define the most useful laboratory tests for the diagnosis of HHV-8 infection and to establish the clinical role of such tests.

Herpesviridae Infections↗

Prevalence, causes and laboratory diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in the goat.

Five goat herds were examined to determine the prevalence and causes of subclinical mastitis and to assess the value of some laboratory tests currently used on milk samples as aids in the diagnosis of caprine mastitis. In the 170 samples taken from the pairs of mammary glands of 85 goats, the prevalence of infection in the different herds ranged from 15 per cent to 79 per cent of halves. Just over one-third (36 per cent) of all halves were infected, the organisms isolated being coagulase-negative staphylococci (80 per cent), coagulase-positive staphylococci (16 per cent), alpha-haemolytic streptococci (2 per cent) and Pasteurella haemolytica (2 per cent). Neither anaerobic organisms nor mycoplasmas were found. Tests confirmed that the coagulase-positive staphylococci were pathogens but that the coagulase-negative staphylococci rarely caused detectable disease in the caprine udder. The large between-herd variation in the geometric mean cell counts of uninfected milk samples means that somatic cell counts, the Whiteside test and the California mastitis test, are unreliable as aids in the diagnosis of caprine mastitis.

Animals↗

Laboratory diagnosis of influenza--virology or serology?

Although classical influenza is a clinically typical illness ("unchanging disease due to a changing agent"), laboratory investigations are essential at the beginning of each influenza epidemic. They should confirm suspected influenza cases and exclude "flu-like illnesses" which may be caused by numerous other viral and bacterial agents. Different virological as well as serological methods are available. For early diagnosis of acute influenza virus infections, virus detection using rapid procedures for virus isolation or antigen staining and molecular biological techniques have been developed. The determination of specific antibodies (IgG, IgM) has traditionally been widely used diagnostically. Conventional serological diagnosis is possible by means of the complement fixation and hemagglutination inhibition tests and allows the detection of type- and subtype-specific antibodies, respectively. As part of an automated serology, immunofluorescence test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are the mostly widely available methods. In comparison, virus detection is clearly superior to antibody determination for diagnosis of influenza virus infections. However, antibody testing may be useful as a complementary tool to confirm the diagnosis retrospectively.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Adult hypothyroidism. 2. Causes, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment.

Hypothyroidism may be self-limiting or may progress to thyroid failure, depending on the cause. Thus, diagnosis of the underlying disorder is extremely important. Once the diagnosis is established, the origin and cause of hypothyroidism must be identified. A careful history and physical examination, routine laboratory tests, and demonstration of antithyroid antibodies will ordinarily lead to the correct diagnosis. Self-limited disorders require little or no therapy. Progressive disease is treated with a thyroid hormone preparation. Myxedema coma is an endocrine emergency that requires prompt treatment of both the metabolic complications and any intercurrent illness.

Adult↗

Lupus anticoagulants: pathogenesis and laboratory diagnosis.

The pathogenesis of the lupus anticoagulant (LA) has been the focus of much research over the past decade, and a plethora of laboratory tests have been developed to detect it. This essay reviews the nature of LA and its pathogenesis, and a number of approaches employed in its diagnosis. These range from well established tests such as the kaolin clotting time (KCT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and tissue thromboplastin inhibition test (TTI), to the 'newer' tests such as the dilute Russell's viper venom time (DRVVT) and more recent snake venom tests such as the textarin/ecarin ratio and Taipan snake venom time (TSVT). The criteria for diagnosis are discussed, including pre-analytical variables such as sample preparation, and the effects of therapeutic anticoagulants used to treat thrombotic manifestations of the syndrome or an underlying disease process.

Antibodies, Anticardiolipin↗

[Comparison of the suitability of phase-contrast and immunofluorescence technics in the laboratory diagnosis of porcine dysentery].

Immunofluorescence technique, compared with the method of phase contrast, does not appear to be better for laboratory diagnostics of swine dysentery because neither of these methods can be used for distinguishing between pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of treponemas. The number of treponemas contained in faeces should still be considered to be the main criterion in laboratory diagnostics. In clinically healthy pigs from stocks which never suffered from dysentery treponemas were found only in few cases and always in small numbers. The numbers of treponemas contained in the faeces of dysenteric pigs were several times higher. Antigenic relationship of one nonpathogenic and three pathogenic strains of Treponema hyodysenteriae was proved by the agglutination and fluoresence methods.

Animals↗

Laboratory diagnosis of immune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Immune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a distinct immunohematologic syndrome in which laboratory detection of the pathogenic HIT antibodies is diagnostically useful. Assays can be broadly classified as platelet activation assays (which detect HIT antibodies based on their characteristic platelet-activating properties) and antigen assays (which measure antibodies reactive against platelet factor 4 complexed with heparin or other polyanions). Available tests vary considerably in their sensitivity-specificity profiles for detecting the antibodies and in their predictive values. The high sensitivity of certain assays means that HIT can be readily ruled out (high negative predictive value). However, because heparin-treated patients often generate nonpathogenic antibodies, a positive test does not necessarily indicate clinical HIT. Laboratory methods for detecting HIT antibodies have undergone an evolution similar to that of red blood cell serology and which parallels the Goldilocks tale, that is, progression from too insensitive (too hard) to too sensitive (too soft) to "just right." However, optimal diagnostic information requires that laboratory test results be interpreted in the appropriate clinical context.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗

Laboratory diagnosis of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency: a guide for the primary care physician.

At one time, the diagnosis of a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folate was considered to be relatively straightforward. As knowledge has accumulated, the limitations of such tests as serum vitamin level measurements and the Schilling test have become apparent. With the development of newer tests, atypical and subclinical deficiency states have been recognized. In this review, available tests used in the diagnosis of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency are discussed, and a rational approach to the diagnosis of these deficiency states is presented.

Antibodies↗

A rule-based expert system for laboratory diagnosis of hemoglobin disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the utility of a rule-based expert system in diagnosing hemoglobin disorders. DESIGN: A rule-based expert system was developed for diagnosing hemoglobin disorders. This expert system runs on IBM-compatible personal computers and uses a backward-chaining search strategy to draw conclusions. Laboratory data (ie, results of hemoglobin electrophoresis, quantitative measurements of hemoglobin F and hemoglobin A2 levels, and result of a sickle cell screen) are processed by the system using defined rules to obtain a set of differential diagnoses. Additional data, such as hematologic parameters, ethnicity of the patient, and the presence or absence of certain clinical signs and symptoms, aid in making a final diagnosis. The rules in the current version of this expert system include diagnostic criteria for 71 hemoglobin disorders. SETTING: Regional academic medical center. PATIENTS: We tested the system by using 58 survey sample cases offered by the College of American Pathologists during the period of January 1989 through December 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The established diagnosis for a given case must be included in the list of differential diagnoses suggested by the expert system. RESULTS: The expert system included the actual diagnosis as one of the top four differential diagnoses in 90% of the cases, whereas all the laboratories participating in the survey included it in 84% (mean) of the cases. CONCLUSION: We propose that this user-friendly expert system is a potential tool for computer-assisted diagnosis of hemoglobin disorders.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗