Evaluación de Presición y exactitud de los resultados de laboratorios de química clínica / Annual Reports 1992 / Evaluation of percision and accuracy of the results of laboratories of clinical chemistry

In 1990, the Health Sciences Research Institute (IICS) of the National Univercity of Asunción and the Paraguayan Association of Biochemists carried out a survey on the reliability of biochemists and or as customers of supply houses were offered participation. Control sera prepared in the IICVS were used in the survey to determine precision and accuracy of the results. The survey of precision yielded a response rate of 37 percent (60 of 163 laboratories responded), whereas the response rate on accuracy was 24 percent (39 of 163 loboratories). Responders were similar to the total sample in their geographic location, but dissimilar with respect to public or private status, response rate was clearly higher among public laboratories. In the study of precision, the participating laboratories had variation coefficients ranging from 38 percent to 84 percent, values far beyond the internationally accepted standard. Moreover, 41 percent of the loboratories showed important deficiencies in the accuracy of their results. The studies demostrate important deficiencies of both accuracy and precsion in the participating clinical laboratories. Although responders may not be representative of the total population (There is no information about non responders in this anonymous study), the results clearly show that educational programs to implement Quality Control Systems in Laboratories are urgently needed

Desarrollode una técnica de immunoblotting para Toxoplasma gondii / Annual Reports 1992 / Development of an immunoblotting tenchnique for Toxoplasma Gondii

Proteins from Toxoplasma gondii were separated by SDS-PAGE and then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane. Antigenic components were then detected by human sera with previously known Toxoplasma antibody levels. Peroxidase-conjugated anti-human immunoglobulins were used for the separated identification of IgG and IgM reactive proteins. IgGand IgM Toxoplasma antibodies showed very different patterns of reaction with antigenic components. IgG Toxoplasma antibodies reacted with numerous antigens of molecular weight ranging from 13000-98000 hDa while IgM Toxoplasma antibodies detected only a few polypeptides with molecular weight ranging from 19000-88000 kDa