Annals of Laboratory Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Diagnostic Accuracy of Serological Tests for <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> Infections in Children with Pneumonia, Based on Symptom Onset.","authors":"Gahee Kim, Ki Wook Yun, Dayun Kang, Taek Jin Lee, Byung Wook Eun, Hyunju Lee, Yae-Jean Kim, Doo Ri Kim, Areum Shin, Hyun Mi Kang, Ye Ji Kim, Byung Ok Kwak, Younghee Lee, Ye Kyung Kim, Young June Choe, Woosuck Suh, Kyo Jin Jo, Kyung-Ran Kim, Eun Young Cho, Kyung Min Kim, Joon Kee Lee, Su Eun Park","doi":"10.3343/alm.2025.0125","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2025.0125","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong><i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children, with a rising incidence of macrolide resistance. Early diagnosis is crucial for reducing the disease burden; however, current diagnostic tools have limitations. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of serological assays and their performance based on symptom onset in children with CAP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From September 2023 to September 2024, we prospectively enrolled children with CAP, classified as <i>M. pneumoniae</i> pneumonia (MPP) or non-MPP, from 16 hospitals in Korea. Serological testing included chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) and ELISA for detecting IgM and IgG, along with particle agglutination (PA) for total antibody measurements. Serological responses were analyzed at different times after symptom onset (0-4, 5-9, and 10-21 days).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 472 children with CAP (362 MPP, 110 non-MPP), 138 (29.2%) underwent PA testing, and 334 (70.8%) underwent IgM testing. PA at a 1:640 cutoff showed 48.0% sensitivity and 100% specificity. CLIA and ELISA showed comparable sensitivities (69.1% vs. 69.2%) and specificities (76.9% vs. 66.7%) for IgM testing. Seropositivity increased significantly with time since symptom onset (<i>P</i> for trend<0.001), reaching 97.9% for IgM, 62.5% for IgG, and 94.7% for PA at 10-21 days.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The time post-symptom onset significantly influenced the diagnostic utility of serological tests for pediatric MPP, which showed limited value during the early stage of illness. These findings emphasize the importance of symptom onset-based interpretation of serological test results and their utility in complementing PCR when optimizing MPP diagnosis in children.</p>","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144940403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Complement Activation and Hemolysis in Non-human Primates Following Transfusion of Genetically Modified Pig Red Blood Cells.","authors":"Hee Jung Kang, Juhye Roh, Haneulnari Lee, Eun Mi Park, Hye Won Lee, Ju Young Lee, Jeong Ho Hwang, Joohyun Shim, Kimyung Choi","doi":"10.3343/alm.2024.0443","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2024.0443","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>: Pig red blood cells (RBCs) are rapidly eliminated when transfused into nonhuman primates (NHPs) because of immune reactions involving antibody binding and complement activation. We assessed the relationship between post-transfusion hemolysis and complement activation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>: RBCs for transfusion were prepared from wild-type (WT) and genetically modified pigs and NHPs. After the withdrawal of 25% of the blood volume, NHPs received transfusions of WT (N=4), triple knockout (TKO, N=8), and TKO pig RBCs expressing human <i>CD55</i> and <i>CD39</i> (TKO/hCD55.hCD39, N=4). Additional groups received repeated xenotransfusions (ReXTf, N=3), NHP RBC transfusions (N=3), or a saline infusion (N=4). Blood samples were collected at multiple time points to measure Hb and complement fragment (C3a, C4a, and factor Bb) levels and agglutination titers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>: Hb levels were restored by transfusions but not by saline infusion. The degree of complement activation varied with the type of transfused RBCs, with significant increases in C3a and factor Bb levels immediately after xenotransfusions but not allotransfusions. These increases were particularly notable in ReXTf and negatively correlated with Hb levels on post-transfusion day 1 (ρ=-0.547 and -0.556; <i>P</i> =0.0187 and 0.0165, respectively). In TKO/hCD55.hCD39 pig RBC transfusions, C3a and factor Bb peak levels were delayed until post-transfusion day 3, unlike in TKO pig RBC transfusions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>: Post-transfusion complement activation varies depending on prior sensitization and genetic modifications in pig RBCs. Monitoring complement activation can provide insight into the survival and compatibility of transfused RBCs in NHPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"509-519"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370810/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Large Language Model Advances in Transfusion Medicine: From Answering Questions to Supporting Clinical Decisions.","authors":"Sangzin Ahn","doi":"10.3343/alm.2025.0422","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2025.0422","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"469-471"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370807/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144844284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and Performance Validation of a Comprehensive Liquid Biopsy Genotyping Panel for Pan-cancer Analysis.","authors":"Seoyoung Lim, Kwang Seob Lee, Dongju Won, Sung Hyun Seo, Seung-Tae Lee, Jong Rak Choi, Jieun Seo, Saeam Shin","doi":"10.3343/alm.2025.0171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2025.0171","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Precision oncology is advancing, increasing the demand for comprehensive, non-invasive genomic profiling tools. Liquid biopsy using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) enables real-time molecular profiling, treatment monitoring, and early detection of resistance variants. We developed the PAN100 panel (Dxome), a hybridization capture panel targeting 101 genes, as a pan-cancer genotyping assay to detect clinically actionable variants across various cancer types. This study presents the first comprehensive validation of the PAN100 panel including both analytical and clinical performance across eight cancer types using reference materials and matched tissue samples.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>For analytical validation, we assessed accuracy, limit of detection (LoD), and precision using Seraseq ctDNA v2 Reference Materials (SeraCare, Milford, MA, USA). Clinical validation was performed using plasma samples from 27 patients with eight types of cancer and 17 matched tumor samples. Positive percent agreement (PPA) between ctDNA and tissue next-generation sequencing (NGS) results was assessed using TruSight Oncology 500 and TruSight Tumor 170 assays. The limit of blank (LoB) was evaluated in 34 healthy individuals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The PAN100 panel demonstrated high precision and linearity (LoD, 0.3%; 95.0% confidence interval, 0.29-0.35) variant allele frequency. The PPA between ctDNA and tissue NGS was 73.1% for single-nucleotide variants, 80.0% for insertions/deletions, and 74.2% overall. The LoB was 0.00001%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The PAN100 panel is a robust tool for detecting clinically significant variants with high concordance with tissue NGS. Its sensitivity for low-frequency variants enables real-time treatment adaptation, supporting precision oncology. Its comprehensive design is particularly valuable for challenging diagnoses and clonal evolution monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144940392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Novel Fibrinogen Assay Using Recombinant Batroxobin and Carboxymethyl Chitosan: Carboxymethyl Chitosan Stimulates the Enzymatic Activity of Recombinant Batroxobin.","authors":"Jung-Ah Kim, Eunhye Ko, Yongje Woo, Young-Doug Sohn, Jong-Tak Kim, Jaewoo Song, Rojin Park","doi":"10.3343/alm.2024.0688","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2024.0688","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>: The Clauss assay is widely used to quantify blood fibrinogen levels in clinical laboratories. However, by relying on thrombin as the main reagent, the Clauss assay is susceptible to interference from thrombin inhibitors, such as heparin or direct thrombin inhibitors. Here, we developed an innovative fibrinogen assay utilizing both recombinant batroxobin (rBat) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>: Various biopolymers were tested to identify a suitable candidate that could enhance rBat-induced fibrin clot formation. Chromogenic substrate hydrolysis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed that CMCS potentiated rBat activity. Consequently, we formulated a novel fibrinogen assay reagent, ANYFIB.C, comprising rBat and CMCS. We compared ANYFIB.C fibrinogen with an established reagent (HemosIL fibrinogen-C) with 96 clinical samples using an ACL-TOP 700 coagulation analyzer. We also evaluated the interfering effects of thrombin inhibitors on fibrinogen measurements.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>: CMCS significantly enhanced the enzymatic activity of rBat and dose-dependently reduced plasma clotting times. ANYFIB.C fibrinogen levels were comparable with those of HemosIL fibrinogen-C, with the 95% confidence intervals of the Passing-Bablok regression intercept and slope being -7.4797 to 6.0185 and 0.9581 to 1.0116, respectively. No significant interference was observed with heparin concentrations up to 10 U/mL or dabigatran concentrations up to 600 μg/L in the ANYFIB.C fibrinogen assays. In contrast, the HemosIL fibrinogen-C reagent demonstrated inhibitory interference at dabigatran concentrations as low as 150 μg/L.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>: Our results suggest that ANYFIB.C (a mixture of CMCS and rBat) can be used to measure blood fibrinogen levels effectively and protect from thrombin inhibitor interference.</p>","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"484-492"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370800/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144274120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Core-genome Single-nucleotide Polymorphism Analysis of <i>Streptococcus pyogenes</i> M1 Clone from Korea During the Pre-COVID-19 Era.","authors":"Takashi Takahashi, Takahiro Maeda, Hyoshim Shin, Sunjoo Kim","doi":"10.3343/alm.2025.0169","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2025.0169","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"549-551"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144871160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revolutionizing Laboratory Practices: Pioneering Trends in Total Laboratory Automation.","authors":"Youngwon Nam, Hyung-Doo Park","doi":"10.3343/alm.2024.0581","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2024.0581","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Total laboratory automation (TLA) is a transformative solution in clinical laboratories that addresses growing demands for operational efficiency, accuracy, and rapid turnaround times in patient care. TLA integrates advanced technologies across pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases, thereby streamlining workflows, reducing manual intervention, and enhancing QC. TLA adoption is driven by factors such as increasing test volumes, the need for cost reduction and regulatory compliance, and labor shortages. Key benefits of TLA include improved accuracy through error minimization, optimized resource utilization, enhanced staff well-being, and consistent delivery of high-quality results. Leading companies, including Abbott, Roche, Siemens, and Beckman Coulter, dominate the global TLA market with innovative solutions. Recent developments incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, and Internet-of-things technologies, which enable predictive analytics and automated data management. However, challenges remain, including high implementation costs, the need for workforce training, cybersecurity concerns, and system integration complexities. Future trends indicate that TLA will advance through enhanced AI integration, sustainable practices, and big data analytics, fostering continuous improvements in precision diagnostics and clinical outcomes. Moreover, TLA has the potential to revolutionize laboratory operations globally, driving efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability while ultimately improving patient care. Successful adoption of TLA will require strategic planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and alignment with emerging healthcare needs. In this review, we emphasize that overcoming these challenges through innovation and robust management is essential for ensuring that TLA continues to play a vital role in modern healthcare systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"472-483"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143794543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sensitivity and Specificity of an All-in-one Cartridge-based Dengue Real-time Reverse Transcription-PCR for Point-of-care Detection and Serotyping of Dengue Virus in Samples from Indonesian Patients.","authors":"Marsha S Santoso, Eggi Arguni, Bunga Rana, Mercy E Adiniko, Dionisius Denis, Endah Supriyati, Citra Indriani, Leily Trianty, Riris Andono Ahmad, Rintis Noviyanti, R Tedjo Sasmono","doi":"10.3343/alm.2024.0558","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2024.0558","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>: Dengue is a systemic, viral, mosquito-borne infection that continues to be a major public health issue in endemic regions in tropical and subtropical climates. Accurate tests for rapid diagnosis in point-of-care settings are important to reduce the fatality rates of severe dengue. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the Standard M10 DENV 1-4 system (SD Biosensor, Gyeonggi, Korea), which is a cartridge-based, automated system that integrates nucleic acid extraction, reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) amplification, and detection of dengue virus (DENV) serotypes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>: This was a retrospective diagnostic evaluation study. The index test, Standard M10 DENV 1-4, was evaluated using 320 dengue-positive and 279 dengue-negative archived samples. The reference tests were a combination of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) DENV 1-4 real-time RT-PCR, dengue NS1 antigen and IgM antibody detection, and DENV whole-genome sequencing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>: The overall sensitivity and specificity of Standard M10 DENV 1-4 were 94% and 100%, respectively. By serotype, the highest sensitivity was 100% for DENV-1, and the lowest was 82% for DENV-4. The overall between the CDC RT-PCR dengue serotyping method and the Standard M10 DENV 1-4 was 95%. Standard M10 DENV 1-4 RT-PCR had comparable sensitivity and specificity to CDC DENV RT-PCR.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>: Based on its commensurate performance to an established RT-PCR method combined with additional benefits of convenient storage and transport, easy use, and rapid processing, the Standard M10 DENV 1-4 system has potential for DENV detection and serotyping in point-of-care settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"503-508"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370802/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143646966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Erratum: Comparing Genomic Characteristics of <i>Streptococcus pyogenes</i> Associated with Invasiveness over a 20-year Period in Korea.","authors":"","doi":"10.3343/alm.2025.0314","DOIUrl":"10.3343/alm.2025.0314","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144940413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Misidentification of Human Coronavirus HKU1 as OC43 by the Seegene Allplex Respiratory Panel Real-time PCR Assay.","authors":"Jinyeong Kim,Eunhee Han,Jieun Kim,Young Jin Kim,Mi Hyun Bae","doi":"10.3343/alm.2024.0637","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2024.0637","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8421,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144825086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}