Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Assessment of preoperative and postoperative prealbumin in thoracic surgery – a two months experience in a Romanian university hospital / Evaluarea preoperatorie şi postoperatorie a prealbuminei în chirurgia toracică - experiența de 2 luni a unui spital universitar din România","authors":"Denis I. Trufa, L. Arhire, C. Grigorescu, Laura Mihalache, O. Niță, M. Graur, Bogdan Mircea Mihai","doi":"10.1515/rrlm-2015-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/rrlm-2015-0011","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Malnutrition is a frequent and serious finding in surgical departments. Although its consequences include postoperative complications and higher costs, nutritional assessment is not part of the routine preoperative protocols. Nutritional assessment involves clinical and biological parameters and is vital in order to start treatment and improve outcome. Prealbumin is currently recognized as a faithful marker of malnutrition being introduced in practice guidelines. One of the most important aspects about prealbumin is the fact that its variations in time are more valuable than the absolute values. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the perioperative nutritional evolution of patients requiring thoracic surgery, with and without cancer, using prealbumin - preoperative and postoperative - as main marker. Thirty six patients from the Thoracic Surgery Department were assessed prior to surgery by body mass index, Subjective Global Assessment nutrition risk score and routine biochemical parameters. Prealbumin was assessed prior to surgery and 3 days after surgery. The age, length of postoperative stay and the presence was complications was noted. Patients with cancer (n=19) were significantly older than patients without cancer (p=0.007) and were more frequently, but not significantly, evaluated as malnourished through SGA (42.1% compared to 11.6%). Preoperative prealbumin and other parameters did not differ significantly between groups. However, there was a significant postoperative decrease in prealbumin only in patients with cancer. Therefore, prealbumin has been found to be valuable in assessing acute malnutrition in cancer patients, especially if variations are monitored in time, which could be useful in planning nutritional treatment Rezumat Malnutriția este o constatare frecventă și importantă în secțiile chirurgicale. Deşi consecințele sale includ complicații postoperatorii și costuri mai mari, evaluarea nutrițională nu face parte din protocoalele preoperatorii de rutină. Evaluarea nutriţională include parametri clinici și biologici și este vitală pentru a începe tratamentul și a îmbunătăți rezultatele. Prealbumina este în prezent recunoscută ca un marker fidel al malnutriției şi este inclusă în ghidurile de practică. Unul dintre cele mai importante aspecte legate de prealbumină este faptul că variațiile sale în timp sunt mai valoroase decât valorile absolute. Scopul acestui studiu a fost de a evalua și compara evoluția nutrițională perioperatorie a pacienţilor care necesită intervenţii de chirurgie toracică, cu şi fără cancer, folosind prealbumina - preoperator și postoperator - ca marker principal. Treizeci şi şase de pacienţi de la Clinica de Chirurgie Toracică au fost evaluaţi înainte de intervenţia chirurgicală, prin indicele de masă corporală, scorul de risc nutriţional Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) și parametri biochimici de rutină. Prealbumina a fost evaluată înainte de intervenţia chirurgicală şi la 3 zile după o","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132259982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Serum erythropoietin level in anemia of chronic kidney disease - experience of a Romanian medical centre / Nivelul eritropoietinei serice în anemia din boala renală cronică - experiența unui centru medical românesc","authors":"Nicoleta Dora Pop, Anca Bacârea, Ligia Coroș, Grigore Dogaru, I. Hosu, Vladimir Bacârea, Attila Nagy","doi":"10.1515/rrlm-2015-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/rrlm-2015-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this study, different aspects of anemia in chronic kidney disease have been observed, starting from the fact that the severity of anemia is associated with the degree of kidney dysfunction, the main cause being the erythropoietin deficiency, which is synthesized mostly by the kidneys. 58 persons were included in this study, 19 patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease, 18 patients with chronic kidney disease who received kidney transplantation and 21 apparently healthy persons. We evaluated the serum level of erythropoietin, serum creatinine, proteinuria, the glomerular filtration rate, the erythrocyte parameters and the correlations between them. The prevalence of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease was of 51.35%. The hemoglobin concentration in patients with kidney transplantation (12.4 ± 2.7 g/dL) and in non-dialysis-dependent patients (11.7 ± 1.4 g/dL) is significantly different compared to the apparently healthy persons (14.6 ± 0.8 g/dL) (p<0.05). In the case of the non-dialysis-dependent patients who were not treated with erythropoiesis- stimulating agents we found positive associations between the glomerular filtration rate and the number of erythocytes (r = 0.71), hemoglobin (r = 0.65) and hematocrit (r = 0.73), as well as negative associations between creatinine and the number of erythrocytes (r = -0.72), hemoglobin (r = -0.86) and hematocrit (r = -0.88). In patients with kidney transplantation and anemia we observed positive correlations between erythropoietin and the number of erythrocytes (r = 0.69), between the glomerular filtration rate and the number of erythrocytes (r = 0.78) and erythropoietin (r = 0.97), as well as negative correlations between proteinuria and the number of erythrocytes (r= -0.89), hemoglobin (r= -0.72), hematocrit (r = -0.72), and erythropoietin (r = -0.67), and between creatinine and the number of erythrocytes (r = -0.75) and erythropoietin (r = -0.86). Rezumat În acest studiu au fost surprinse aspecte ale anemiei din afecţiunile renale cronice, pornind de la faptul că severitatea anemiei se asociază cu gradul disfuncţiei renale, principala cauză fiind deficienţa eritropoietinei, care este sintetizată în cea mai mare parte de rinichi. Au fost implicate în studiu 58 de persoane, 19 pacienţi cu boală31 renală cronică nedependentă de dializă, 18 pacienţi cu boală renală cronică care au beneficiat de transplant renal şi 21 de persoane aparent sănătoase. Au fost evaluate nivelul eritropoietinei serice, proteinuria, creatinina serică, rata de filtrare glomerulară, parametrii eritrocitari şi au fost studiate corelaţiile existente între acestea. Prevalenţa anemiei la pacienţii cu boală renală cronică a fost de 51.35%. Concentraţia hemoglobinei pacienţilor cu transplant renal (12.4 ± 2.7 g/dL) şi a celor nedependenţi de dializă (11.7 ± 1.4 g/dL) diferă semnificativ de cea a persoanelor aparent sănătoase (14.6 ± 0.8 g/dL) (p < 0.05). La pacienţii nedependenţi de dializă, netrataţ","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130431485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of Exonic Copy Number Variations in Dystrophin Gene Using Mlpa / Identificarea Variaţiilor Numărului de Copii în Gena Distrofinei Folosind Metoda Mlpa","authors":"Cristina Rusu, A. Sireteanu, Lăcrămioara Butnariu, Monica Pânzaru, Elena Braha, Doina Mihăilă, Roxana Popescu","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0038","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD) are X-linked progressive muscle disorders determined by mutations of the dystrophin (DMD) gene. Multiplex Ligation - Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) is a simple, inexpensive and reliable test for molecular diagnosis of DMD gene mutations. It identifies exonic copy number variations in the DMD gene, but the test should be completed with sequencing analysis in case of single exon deletions/duplications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of MLPA as a DMD mutation screening tool in affected males and carrier females, as well as to appreciate the frequency of different types of mutations and to check the validity of the “reading frame rule”. We have used MLPA for the detection of deletions/ duplications in DMD gene in 53 individuals (30 affected males and 23 asymptomatic female relatives) referred for evaluation and genetic counseling due to the clinical suspicion of DMD/BMD. In the affected males (21 DMD and 9 BMD) MLPA had a detection rate of 63.5% (53.5% deletions and 10% duplications). The most frequently deleted exon was exon 45 and the most frequent duplication involved exons 3-5, confirming the presence of the two hotspot mutation regions reported in the literature. Mutations detected in our study have a slightly different location compared to literature data. Reading frame rule was valid in 84% of our cases. Rezumat Distrofiile musculare Duchenne şi Becker (DMD/BMD) sunt boli musculare progresive legate de X determinate de mutaţii în gena distrofinei (DMD). Multiplex Ligation - Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) este o metodă simplă, necostisitoare şi precisă pentru diagnosticul molecular al mutaţiilor genei DMD. Ea identifică variaţiile numărului de copii în gena distrofinei, dar trebuie completată cu secvenţierea genei în cazul identificării deleţiilor/duplicaţiilor unui singur exon. Scopul acestui studiu a fost de a evalua eficienţa MLPA ca test de screening al mutaţiilor în gena DMD la indivizii afectaţi şi femeile purtătoare, dar şi de a aprecia frecvenţa diferitelor tipuri de mutaţii şi de a verifica valabilitatea “regulii cadrului de lectură. Am folosit MLPA pentru detectarea deleţiilor/ duplicaţiilor în gena DMD la 53 indivizi (30 băieţi afectaţi şi 23 rude asimptomatice de sex feminin) trimişi pentru evaluare şi sfat genetic datorită suspiciunii clinice de DMD/BMD. La băieţii afectaţi (21 DMD şi 9 BMD) MLPA a avut o rată de detecţie de 63,5% (53,5% deleţii şi 10% duplicaţii). Cel mai frecvent deletat exon a fost exonul 45 şi cea mai frecventă duplicaţie a implicat exonii 3-5, confirmând prezenţa celor două regiuni critice mutaţionale raportate în literatură. Mutaţiile detectate în studiul nostru au avut o localizare uşor diferită comparativ cu datele din literatură. Regula cadrului de lectură a fost valabilă în 84% din cazuri.","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121921619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"α-HPV positivity analysis in a group of patients with melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers / Analiza pozitivităţii α-HPV la un grup de pacienţi cu tumori cutanate melanocitare şi non-melanocitare","authors":"M. Rotaru, G. Iancu, M. Mihalache, G. Anton, S. Morariu","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0044","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Background. Medical research has shown a continuous increase in the incidence of skin cancers, especially among young individuals. One of the ethiopathogenic factors that cause skin carcinogenesis could be the infection with some genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV). Methods. In our study, we have analyzed alpha (α) - HPV positivity and HPV genotypes identified in melanocytic (MSC) and nonmelanocytic skin cancers (NMSC). The results were then compared with results obtained from the control group. The study included 40 cases of MSC and NMSC found in the data base of our hospital, and 40 healthy patients. In all of the cases, we identified the HPV DNA by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the viral genotypes by using α -HPV primers by Linear Array Roche kit. Results. The average α-HPV positivity in tumors was 32.50%, higher than in other studies published to date. The squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) lot had the highest α-HPV positivity (40%), followed by basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (35%) and malignant melanoma (MM) (20%). The comparative analysis between skin cancer-HPV positive (32.50%) and the control group-HPV positive (15%) revealed a positivity of HPV in the tumors group (32.50%) that was higher by a ratio of 2.16. By viral genotyping, we identified high-risk HPV only in BCC and MM (in all α-HPV samples), but not in SCC samples. Conclusions. In our study, α-HPV in NMSC and MSC was positive in 32.50% of the cases; in 46.15% of these, it was possible to identify HPV genotypes. The high-risk HPV genotypes observed in these patients were HPV 16, 35, 58 and 59. Rezumat Introducere. În ultimele decenii, pe plan naţional şi mondial se observă o creştere continuă a incidenței tumorilor cutanate, cu apariția acestora la vârste tot mai tinere. Unul dintre factorii etiopatogenici carcinogeni implicaţi în procesul de carcinogeneză cutanată ar putea fi infecţia cu anumite genotipuri de papilomavirusuri umane (HPV). Scopul cercetării. În studiul nostru am analizat pozitivitatea α -HPV şi genotipurile HPV în tumorile melanocitare și non-melanocitare. Rezultatele obţinute au fost comparate cu pozitivitatea α-HPV la lotul martor. Material şi metodă. În studiu nostru au fost incluse 40 de cazuri de tumori cutanate melanocitare (TCM) şi nonmelanocitare (TCNM) aflate în evidența oncologică a spitalului nostru şi 40 de pacienţi sănătoşi. În toate cazurile am realizat identificarea acidului dezoxiribonucleic (ADN) al HPV prin PCR și genotiparea virală utilizând primeri α-HPV, cu kitul Linear Array Roche. Rezultate. Pozitivitatea medie a α-HPV la nivel tumoral a fost de 32.50%, fiind superioară studiilor publicate până în prezent. Din lotul tumoral, carcinoamele spinocelulare (CSC) au avut pozitivitatea α-HPV cea mai mare (40%), fiind urmate de carcinoame bazocelulare (CBC) (35%) şi melanoame maligne (MM) (20%). Analiza comparativă a tumorilor cutanate HPV pozitive cu lotul martor HPV pozitiv a relevat o pozitivitate mai mare a tumorilor HPV pozitiv","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"121 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117309613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing the anti-inflammatory effects of Simvastatin and Rosuvastatin by measuring IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels using a murinic caecal ligation and puncture induced sepsis model / Compararea efectelor anti-inflamatoare ale Simvastatinei și Rosuvastatinei măsurând nivelele serice ale IL-1β, IL-6 si","authors":"Mihai Mărginean M, S. Trancă, Alina Ardelean-Maghiar (Mărginean), D. Dîrzu, A. Huțanu, Oana Platon (Antal), D. Dobreanu","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0037","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Background: Sepsis is a systemic host response to an infection which may evolve into severe sepsis and septic shock. It raises many health care related concerns around the world, carrying almost 30% mortality rates and a high financial burden. The disease is characterized by the triggering of some inflammatory pathways that are ultimately proven deleterious to the host organism. Although antibiotics, fluid administration, vasopressor therapy and infectious source control remain the recommended management strategies, emerging scientific data proposes statins as a new line of treatment. These drugs were first introduced in clinical practice for their cholesterol-lowering effect but the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol biosynthetic pathway exhibits some less studied effects generally referred to as pleiotropic: anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. Objective: To asses and compare the anti-inflammatory effect of two statins - Simvastatin and Rosuvastatin - measuring blood levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα using a previously described murinic model of sepsis. Methods: We compiled four groups (C, n=7; SEP, SV, RV, n=8). Statins were administered in two doses 18 and 3 hours before surgical intervention. Sepsis was induced using the caecal ligation and puncture technique. Blood samples were obtained by venepuncture from each subject in day 1, 4, 7 and 14 (the last samples were obtained by cardiac puncture). Complete blood count, Procalcitonin, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were assessed. Results: White blood cell counts differed across the groups showing a higher count for the septic but untreated group. Procalcitonin reacted in all septic groups but both statin treated groups had lower levels when compared to untreated group. IL-1β levels were higher in the Rosuvastatin treated group. IL-6 levels were more heterogeneously dispersed but higher levels were noticed in the untreated septic group. The Simvastatin treated group had higher levels compared to the Rosuvastatin treated one. TNFα levels were higher in the septic untreated group and in the Rosuvastatin treated one. For the Simvastatin treated subjects, the level of TNFα was similar with the control group. Conclusion: We concluded that both drugs showed anti-inflammatory effects on the murinic CLP-induced sepsis model. Between the two, Simvastatin had greater impact by lowering blood levels of established pro-inflammatory markers. Rezumat Introducere: Sepsisul este o boala caracterizată printr-un răspuns sistemic inflamator cauzat o infecție care poate evolua către sepsis sever și șoc septic. Această patologie ridică mari probleme la nivel global din cauza mortalității ridicate (care în anumite situații atinge 30%) precum și din cauza încarcăturii financiare mari. Sepsisul se caracterizează prin declasnșarea unor căi imune pro-inflamatorii cu rol de apărare a organismului dar care ulterior se dovedesc a fi extrem de dezajantajoase. Deși a","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126454586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flow Cytometry Analysis of Pparα Receptors in Metabolic Syndrome / Studiul Receptorilor Pparα prin Metoda Citometriei în Flux în Sindromul Metabolic","authors":"E. Popa, F. Zugun-Eloae, M. Zlei, D. Jitaru, Oana Maria Pintilie, A. Coman, M. Traian, D. Ungureanu, E. Carasevici","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0036","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Introduction. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of distinct metabolic alterations with an increased cardiovascular risk. Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor - Alpha (PPARα), member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors, is critically involved in the management of lipid metabolism during homeostasis or inflammatory stresses in various cell types and represents one of the therapeutic targets in MS. We analysed the PPARα expression in leukocytes of pacients with MS, in order to address PPARα involvement in these group of diseases. Material and method. Our study included 57 adult patients recruited under informed voluntary consent, investigated in order to establish whether they present MS, according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) European guidelines and grouped in 2 lots: the MS Lot (26 patients) and control group, non-MS Lot (31 subjects). Common clinical and laboratory parameters targeted in MS evaluation were determined for all the studied cases. The expression levels of 2 molecules, PPARα and CD36 were evaluated in various circulating leukocyte populations of these patients by an optimized flow cytometry method. Statistic analysis clarifying the significance of value differences for various parameters measured was performed under SPSS and simple statistical tests (Pearson, t-Student, Chi -test). Results and discussion. The fluorescence staining for PPARα were significantly dimmer when comparing the cellular expression in eosinophils (p<0.05) of MS versus the Control group of subjects. Conclusions: Our study is the first to show that circulating eosinophils display significantly reduced PPARα protein expression in MS patients. The differences in key molecule expression in circulating leukocytes (like PPAR species, CD36, and other) might be evocatory for the endothelial dysfunction and obesity and might be of use in the therapeutic decision. Rezumat Introducere. Sindromul metabolic (SM) reprezintă o asociere de alterări metabolice independente cu risc cardiovascular crescut. Receptorii activați de inductorii proliferării peroxizomilor-alpha (PPARα), membri ai superfamiliei receptorilor nucleari cu rol de factori de transcripţie , sunt implicați în reglarea metabolismului lipidic și inflamație în diferite tipuri de celule și reprezintă una din țintele terapeutice în SM. Am analizat expresia PPARα în leucocitele pacienților cu SM, îndreptându-ne spre implicarea PPARα în această patologie. Material și metoda. Studiul s-a desfășurat pe un număr de 57 pacienți adulți recrutați după semnarea consimțământului informat, investigați pentru evidențierea SM conform criteriilor Federației Internaționale de Diabet (IDF) și care au fost grupați în două loturi: lotul SM (26 pacienți) și lotul de control, fără SM (31 subiecți). Au fost determinați parametrii clinici și de laborator utilizați curent în evaluarea SM. În populațiile de leucocite circulante ale pacienților au fost evaluate nivelurile de expresie a","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132012851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Suggestions and Recommendations on Statistical Analysis and Research Methodology","authors":"S. Voidăzan, C. Moldovan, M. Dobreanu","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0046","url":null,"abstract":"An inappropriate use of statistical methods may be associated with incorrect results, capable of leading to erroneous clinical practices, which can sometimes be a disadvantage for patients. False positive results will hinder the implemen-tation of future studies that are used to restore the truth, ending up being difficult to be justified. On the other hand, false negative results may stimulate unnecessary research studies and a waste of resources. The problem is to determine what is good and what is bad, what is lofty and what is mediocre, what is probable and what is improbable. This is where statistics intervenes; if rigorously applied, it yields a precise value to the probability of occurrence of the studied effect.The Romanian Review of Laboratory Med-icine uses a working mechanism to monitor the statistical accuracy of scientific articles submit-ted to the editorial office [1]. Choosing the method of statistical analysis depends on the purpose and objectives of the study, the types of pursued variables and com-parisons that are likely to be made. A well con-ducted statistical analysis should provide the op -portunity to be firstly verified by reviewers, in order to decide whether the best statistical soft-ware respectively the best statistical tests were decided upon so as not to mislead the reader.There are situations identified in many pa-pers evaluated from a statistical point of view, when the statistical software and the statistical tests applied in statistical processing are not mentioned, or there is no reference concerning the threshold of statistical significance compared to which the results of inferential statistics are interpreted. Usually, in statistics the statistical significance threshold of 0.05 is chosen, which means that a risk of 5/100 chances was decided in order to reject the null hypothesis, even if it is true. The section from The Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine that describes the policies of the journal and the instructions for authors contains aspects that must be observed strictly by the statistical analyses of data in studies [2-4].For submitted papers to be published, it is compulsory to mention in the","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"3 6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128802910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood – an update of the method and clinical practice","authors":"M. Zvâncă, A. Petca, M. Boț","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0045","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124866461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atypical case of B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia presenting with extreme hyperleukocytosis / Hiperleucocitoză extremă într-un caz atipic de leucemie limfatică cronică cu celulă B","authors":"Anca Bacârea, Claudia Bănescu, Ioana Macarie, Judit Beáta Köpeczi, Bogdana Dorcioman","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0043","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Very few cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) presenting with extreme hyperleukocytosis are reported in the literature. We describe the case of a 66 years old woman, with newly diagnosed CLL presenting with extreme hyperleukocytosis of 774.2 x 109/liter, Rai stage III and Binet stage C. The patient has no comorbidities and the CIRS score (cumulative illness rating scale) is well below 6, with normal creatinine clearance. Some other interesting aspects related with this case are the atypical immunophenotype, the expression of Cyclin D1, and the B hepatitis viral infection, which made her diagnosis and treatment challenging. The patient was tested for NOTCH1 mutation and it was positive. There is important evidence that NOTCH1 mutations are associated with rapidly progressive disease and resistance to treatment. The distinction of CLL from mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is not always easy because some MCLs may mimic CLL clinically, histologically, and/or phenotypically. The hepatitis B prophylaxis for viral reactivation was not available an in the end the patient was treated only with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, without rituximab. CD200 should be introduced in the routine panel for flow cytometry to distinguish CLL from mantle cell lymphoma and NOTCH1 mutation is associated with poor prognosis and should be evaluated at diagnosis. CLL with extreme hyperleukocytosis presentation is very rare and sometimes an atypical CLL may represent a diagnostic pitfall. Rezumat În literatura de specialitate sunt prezentate foarte puține cazuri de leucemie limfocitară cronică (LLC), care debutează cu hiperleucocitoză extremă. Descriem cazul unei femei în vârstă de 66 ani, care se prezintă cu hiperleucocitoză extremă de 774.2 x 109 / litru, stadiul Rai III și stadiul Binet C. Pacienta nu are comorbidități și scorul CIRS (scala cumulativă de evaluare a bolii) este cu mult sub 6, cu clearance-ul creatininei normal. Alte aspecte interesante legate de acest caz sunt imunofenotipul atipic, expresia ciclinei D1, infecția cu virusul hepatitei B, care au făcut ca diagnosticul și tratamentul acestei paciente să fie o provocare. Pacienta a fost testată pentru prezența mutației NOTCH1 care a fost pozitivă. Există dovezi că mutațiile NOTCH1 sunt asociate cu boala rapid progresivă și rezistență la tratament. Distincția dintre LLC și limfomul cu celule din manta (LCM) nu este întotdeauna ușoară, deoarece unele cazuri de LCM pot mima LLC din punct de vedere clinic, histologic și/sau fenotipic. Profilaxia hepatitei B pentru reactivarea virală nu a fost disponibilă, iar pacienta a fost tratată numai cu fludarabină și ciclofosfamidă, fără rituximab. Markerul CD200 ar trebui să fie introdus în panelul de rutină pentru citometria în flux pentru a distinge LLC de limfomul de manta iar mutația NOTCH1 este asociată cu un prognostic nefavorabil și ar trebui sa fie evaluată la diagnostic. LLC cu hiperleucocitoză extremă la debut este foarte rară, iar uneori, un LLC atipic","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131846405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The relationship between micronutrients and anthropometric measurements in malnourished children / Relaţia între micronutrienţi şi măsurătorile antropometrice la copiii malnutriţi","authors":"Lidia Man, Adrian Man, C. Mărginean, A. Pitea, Maria Despina Baghiu","doi":"10.2478/rrlm-2014-0042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0042","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Purpose: to evaluate the serum levels of micronutrients in children with nutritional disorders, and to find if there is a direct correlation between them and the anthropometric measurements. Materials and methods: the study was conducted on 125 children (0-18 years); the working group consisted in children with Z-score < -2 standard deviations for at least one anthropometric measurement, while the children without growth disorders were considered as controls. Thus, for each anthropometric measurement, we had different working/control groups that were used for the assessment of correlation with laboratory findings. We followed eight anthropometric parameters and their relation with five of the micronutrients (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu). Results: no statistical differences were found in micronutrients serum levels between genders or provenance. Most mean serum levels of micronutrients were lower in the children with Z-scores < -2 standard deviations (except Cu). Mg and Ca were positively correlated with most of the anthropometric measurements. For Fe, Zn and Cu, we found no correlation with any of the anthropometric measures. Differences in mean serum levels were found for Mg, with lower values in children with low weight-forage and triceps-skinfold-thickness, and for Cu, with higher levels in children with low triceps-skinfold-thickness. The red blood cell indices were positively associated with Fe and Zn levels. Conclusions: correlations between the serum level of micronutrients and anthropometric evaluation scores were found for Mg and Ca, but not for Fe and Zn, which were instead directly correlated with red blood cells indices. Mg, Fe and Zn tend to present small serum values in children with growth deficits. Considering the costs, the routine evaluation of Zn and Cu serum levels in growth disorder suspicion is not justified in our geographic area. Rezumat Scop: evaluarea nivelelor serice de micronutrienţi la copii cu tulburări de nutriţie, şi aprecierea corelaţiei dintre acestea şi măsurătorile antropometrice. Material şi metode: Studiul a fost realizat pe 125 copii (0-18 ani); lotul de lucru a constat în copii cu scoruri Z < -2 deviaţii standard pentru cel puţin o măsurare antropometrică, copii fără tulburări de creştere fiind consideraţi lot de control. Astfel, pentru fiecare măsurare antropometrică am avut diferite loturi de lucru/control, folosite pentru evaluarea corelaţiei cu rezultatele de laborator. Am urmărit opt parametri antropometrici şi relaţia lor cu cinci micronutrienţi (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn şi Cu). Rezultate: nu s-au găsit diferenţe semnificative între nivelurile serice de micronutrienţi nici în funcţie de sex, nici în funcţie de mediul de provenienţă. Cel mai frecvent, nivelurile serice medii de micronutrienţi au fost mici la copiii cu scoruri Z < -2 deviaţii standard (cu excepția Cu). Mg şi Ca s-au corelat pozitiv cu majoritatea măsurătorilor antropometrice. Pentru Fe, Zn şi Cu nu am găsit nici o corelaţie, cu niciuna dintre ","PeriodicalId":288498,"journal":{"name":"Romanian Review of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125162273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}