ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: VWF:RCo assay is the standard and widely used laboratory test for von Willebrand disease (VWD) diagnosis. It is hampered by high intra- and inter-assay imprecision and is time consuming. Automation may improve the assay performance and allow its routine application. OBJECTIVE: Automation of VWF:RCo on the ACL 7000 coagulometer (Instrumentation Laboratory, Milan, Italy) and its evaluation in VWD diagnosis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Method performance determination: precision, detection limit (DL), interferences, dose-response curve. Method comparison: analysis of 105 plasma samples from normal subjects (50), VWD type 1 (24), VWD type 2 (24) and VWD type 3 (7) with ACL VWF:RCo and comparison with the reference aggregometric (AGM) method. RESULTS: ACL VWF:RCo: CVs around 10% vs. 19% of AGM method; DL: 0.08 U mL(-1); potential interferences from bilirubin, triglycerides and hemoglobin, avoided by suitable plasma dilution; high correlation with AGM VWF:RCo (Deming regression Y =-0.0277 + 1.0519X) either in normal or VWD plasmas. In VWD types 1 and 2, the VWF:RCo/VWF:Ag ratios are >0.6 or <0.6, respectively, when calculated with both AGM and ACL VWF:RCo values. CONCLUSIONS: The automated VWF:RCo on the ACL 7000 coagulometer shows precision improvement and high correlation with the reference AGM method. The test allows the diagnosis of both quantitative (VWD types 1 and 3) and qualitative (VWD type 2) forms of the disease. These results and the assay feasibility make it a suitable and reliable test for the routine diagnosis of VWD.
Subject(s)
Blood Coagulation Tests/instrumentation , von Willebrand Diseases/diagnosis , von Willebrand Factor/analysis , Automation , Bilirubin , Blood Coagulation Tests/methods , Blood Coagulation Tests/standards , Hemoglobins , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , TriglyceridesABSTRACT
The preliminary results obtained in a study of the use of scintigraphy with Tc 99 PYP for the evaluation of meniscal lesions of the knee are presented. Three different captation curves are described. Those with an elevated peak and a restricted base are characteristic of meniscal lesions. The use of this method in a series of 50 patients in whom meniscal lesions were suspected demonstrated a high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity with regard to the presence of the lesion, but not to its type.
Subject(s)
Diphosphates , Menisci, Tibial/diagnostic imaging , Technetium , Adolescent , Adult , Cartilage Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Predictive Value of Tests , Radionuclide Imaging , Technetium Tc 99m PyrophosphateABSTRACT
A review of the literature in osteochondritis dissecans of the femoral condyles reveals that the aetiopathology is still unclear and that relatively few histopathological studies have been carried out. The authors describe a method of study based on microradiography and on preoperative fluorescent labelling of the osteogenetic area followed by examination of the bone remodelling under ultraviolet light microscopy. The results in 12 adult cases are reported in relation to a topographical scheme which divides the lesions into four separate zones.
Subject(s)
Femur/pathology , Knee Joint , Osteochondritis Dissecans/pathology , Osteochondritis/pathology , Adult , Demeclocycline , Female , Femur/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Male , Microradiography , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Microscopy, Ultraviolet , Middle Aged , Osteochondritis Dissecans/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
The authors describe the experimental method used to make histomorphometric determinations in a case of osteomalacia caused by anticonvulsant drugs treated with 25(OH)D3. This comprised double fluorescent markings repeated at set time intervals after taking biopsy samples from the patient. This combined method of study enabled the effect of the treatment to be monitored throughout its course.
