ABSTRACT
Thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies are highly prevalent in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Accurate and precise separation of hemoglobin types, together with reliable quantitation, are essential for differential diagnosis of these diseases. Presented in this study is a multicenter validation of a fully automated capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for hemoglobin separation and quantitation involving four reference laboratories in Thailand. Analytical performance characteristics, including precision and accuracy were compared with existing validated HPLC and LPLC methods using 412 blood samples from unrelated subjects. Coefficient of variance of Hb A2 quantitation was 1.80-2.86, 1.26-5.13 and 1.08-6.66% for within run, between run and interlaboratory comparison, respectively. Results of Hb A2 and Hb F quantitated by the CE method correlates well with those of the two comparative methods (r = 0.98-0.99). The CE method correctly determined the genotypes (thalassemias and hemoglobin variants) of all blood samples tested. The major advantage of the CE system is its ability to separate and quantitate Hb A2, Hb E, Hb F, Hb H and Hb Bart's, which are important parameters required for diagnosis of thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies.
Subject(s)
Electrophoresis, Capillary/methods , Hemoglobinopathies/genetics , Hemoglobins/analysis , Electrophoresis, Capillary/instrumentation , Electrophoresis, Capillary/standards , Genotype , Hemoglobinopathies/blood , Hemoglobinopathies/diagnosis , Hemoglobins/genetics , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Thailand , Thalassemia/blood , Thalassemia/diagnosis , Thalassemia/geneticsABSTRACT
In July 2009, a pandemic influenza (H1N1) (pdm H1N1) virus epidemic emerged rapidly in Phitsanulok, Thailand. Adult cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were prospectively examined for pdm H1N1 virus infections by real-time PCR in a tertiary hospital in Phitsanulok from July to November 2009. Twenty-four cases of pdm H1N1 virus-associated CAP were confirmed, and their clinical features including bacterial infection, severity of disease, course of admission, treatment, and outcome were investigated. The median age of these cases was 39.5 years. Most cases appeared to be primary viral pneumonia, but only one case was positive for a urinary pneumococcal antigen. The median time from the onset of illness to admission was 4 days. All 24 patients received oseltamivir after admission. Twelve (50.0%) were defined as having severe CAP and 9 (37.5%) were diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). During the study period, pdm H1N1 virus infections frequently caused severe CAP among young adults because of the delayed initiation of antiviral therapy. Of the 9 ARDS patients, 3 died of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Implementation of infection control targeting this pathogen is required in tertiary hospitals in Thailand.
Subject(s)
Community-Acquired Infections/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype/isolation & purification , Influenza, Human/complications , Influenza, Human/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Bacterial/epidemiology , Acinetobacter baumannii/isolation & purification , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Bacteriological Techniques/methods , Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology , Female , Hospitals , Humans , Influenza, Human/virology , Male , Middle Aged , Pneumonia, Bacterial/microbiology , Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated/microbiology , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Prospective Studies , Thailand/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
To determine the prognostic factors associated with severity and death of leptospirosis, the authors conducted a hospital based cross sectional study by collecting data of adult patients that were admitted to Phrae Hospital for leptospirosis from 1998 to 2001. The serology was confirmed with a microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The variables obtained from the history, examination, behavioral risks, investigations, and initial treatment especially the data of the first day of admission were examined for association with severity. Of 362 patients, 214 were classed as nonsevere patients, 81 were severe with complications (serum creatinine > or = 3 mg/dl and/or patients with respiratory failure) and 67 died. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that five factors were independently associated with severity: hemoptysis, platelet count (Plt) < 100,000/mm3, total bilirubin > 2.5 mg/dl, white blood cell count > 13,000/mm3 and hematocrit (Hct) < 30 per cent. Five factors associated with mortality are: respiratory failure (or respiratory rate; RR > 24/min), hemoptysis, oliguria, metabolic acidosis (or bicarbonate < 20 mmol/l) and thrombocytopenia (or Plt < 100,000/mm3). Identification of these factors might provide useful selection criteria for patients who need early admission or transfer to the intensive care unit.
