Minimal Effects of Rearing Enrichments on Pullet Behaviour and Welfare.

In Australia, free-range pullets are typically reared indoors, which may hinder later adjustment to outdoor access. Rearing enrichments could optimise pullet development. Hy-Line Brown® chicks (n = 1700) were reared indoors across 16 weeks with 3 enrichment treatments: (1) a standard control; (2) novel objects (novelty) provided weekly or (3) perching structures (structural) provided. All pullets were weighed at 5, 8, 12, and 16 weeks old. Pullets (n = 87) were tested in a novel arena at 9 weeks and manual restraint (n = 90) at 16 weeks. At 15 weeks, lymphoid organs were extracted and weighed from 90 pullets. Pullets were transferred to the free-range facility at 16 weeks and housed in 9 identical pens within rearing treatments. Hens perching were counted via video recordings across the first week. The structural pullets had the highest relative adrenal weights (p = 0.03) but differences may not have been biologically relevant. Structural hens perched less than the novelty hens in the layer facility (p = 0.02). There were no other consistent rearing treatment differences. The rearing environments had minimal effects on pullet behaviour and welfare, but data from the adult hens did show some longer-term welfare impacts.

Reticulocyte hemoglobin content (MCHr) in the detection of iron deficiency.

BACKGROUND: Blood hemoglobin (Hb) concentration within the reference interval does not exclude iron deficiency (ID): individuals with normal stores lose iron during a long period before their Hb falls below of the level that is defined as anemia. The process entails a decrease of storage iron, shown by serum ferritin below reference range, followed by iron depletion, eventually leading to iron restricted erythropoiesis; consequence of an imbalance between erythropoietic iron requirements and too low supply is a reduction of Hb synthesis in reticulocytes. OBJECTIVE: We study the potential utility of mean reticulocyte hemoglobin content (MCHr), reported by CELL-DYN Sapphire (Abbott Diagnostics) analyzer, in the detection of ID in non-anemic adults. METHODS: 207 patients with Hb within the reference range were enrolled. ID was defined as Hb>120g/L (women), >130g/L (men) and serum ferritin <30µg/L. Student's t-test was applied to detect deviations between groups, statistical significance P<0.05. The performance of MCHr in detecting ID was evaluated applying Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Kappa test was applied to verify concordance between ferritin and MCHr. RESULTS: 68 patients (33%) suffered ID, median MCHr in this group was 26.9 pg, statistically different from the normal group, MCHr 30.9pg (P<0.0001). ROC ANALYSIS (GOLD STANDARD FERRITIN <30µG/L): Area under curve AUC 0.851 (95% CI 0.770-0.912) at cut off 30.0 pg, with sensitivity 84.1% and specificity 71.1%. Kappa 0.667 (95% CI 0.527-0.858). CONCLUSION: Due to their short lifespan reticulocytes and derived parameters reflect current erythropoiesis status, before Hb and erythrocyte indices drop. MCHr had the best AUC and diagnostic value compared to erythrocyte indices. MCHr is a reliable test for the investigation of ID and could improve the detection of iron deficient adults.

Pelger-Huët anomaly in a cat.

A 14-year-old, spayed female Domestic Shorthair cat was referred to the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (PUVTH) for iodine 131 treatment of hyperthyroidism. Upon arrival, a biochemistry profile and a CBC were performed. Approximately 50% of the neutrophils and all the eosinophils observed were hyposegmented with a mature, condensed chromatin pattern. Nuclei had a band to "dumbbell" shape, and rarely a round shape, suggesting a Pelger-Huët anomaly or a pseudo Pelger-Huët. Based on both a negative FeLV and FIV tests, the absence of any clinical signs to support an inflammatory process, and the persistence of this granulocytic morphology 6 months after its previous admission to the PUVTH, a diagnosis of Pelger-Huët anomaly was established in this cat.

Quantitation of T-lymphocyte Subsets Using the CELL-DYN Sapphire Automated Haematology Analyser / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: Quantitative analysis of T-lymphocyte subsets is used to assess immune competency. Traditionally, T-lymphocyte subset analysis has been performed using flow cytometry, which requires complex instrumentation and relatively skilled manual operation. We evaluated the performance of an automated haematology analyser, the CELL-DYN Sapphire (CD Sapphire; Abbott Laboratories, USA) for T-lymphocyte subset analysis. METHODS: The precision and linearity obtained using the CD Sapphire was evaluated. T-lymphocyte subsets in blood samples from 120 patients were quantified using CD Sapphire and flow cytometry (Cytomics FC 500; Beckman-Coulter, France). The time required for complete T cell subset analysis using both methods was also evaluated. RESULTS: Results of CD Sapphire-based quantitation of CD3+, CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD8+ cells showed intra-assay CV of less than 5% for precision and displayed linearity in the ranges of 84 to 5364, 41 to 2615, and 44 to 2800 cells/microL, respectively. There was good correlation among the CD3+, CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD8+ cell counts as well as in the CD4/CD8 ratio (r=0.987, 0.982, 0.982, and 0.980, respectively) using CD Sapphire and flow cytometry. The mean turnaround time for the CD Sapphire (10.0+/-0.5 minutes) was significantly less than that for flow cytometry (111.8+/-8.4 minutes, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: T cell subset analysis using the CD Sapphire gives excellent performance and consistent results that correlate well with those obtained by flow cytometry. We conclude that this time-efficient method can replace conventional flow cytometric methods used for measuring T cell subsets.

Performance and abnormal cell flagging comparisons of three automated blood cell counters: Cell-Dyn Sapphire, DxH-800, and XN-2000.

OBJECTIVES: To compare two hematological analyzers-the DxH-800 (DxH; Beckman-Coulter, Miami, FL) and XN-2000 (XN; Sysmex, Kobe, Japan)-with the Cell-Dyn Sapphire (SAPH; Abbott, Santa Clara, CA). METHODS: We analyzed 4,375 samples. Slide reviews were made in the presence of blast, abnormal lymphocyte, and immature granulocyte (IG) flags or nucleated RBC (NRBC) count. RESULTS: The analyzers exhibited excellent correlations for CBC and neutrophils but displayed a limit correlation for lymphocytes. The XN did not miss circulating blasts (0.5%-95% in microscopy). For NRBCs, the XN demonstrated a sensitivity of 90%; DxH, 74%; and SAPH, 29%. Only the XN demonstrated a correlation with microscopy, permitting a WBC six-part differential until 15% of NRBCs. The XN and DxH gave useful IG counts with a cutoff less than 5% and a WBC level more than 2,500/mm(3). For abnormal lymphocytes detection, only XN demonstrated sensitivity of more than 95%, but its specificity of 54% requires adaptation. CONCLUSION: The XN increases the sensitivity of abnormal cell detection compared with the other counters, permitting a seven-part differential between predefined levels, decreasing the slide review from 20% to 9%.

Performance evaluation of the Abbott CELL-DYN Emerald for use as a bench-top analyzer in a research setting.

INTRODUCTION: The CELL-DYN Emerald is a compact bench-top hematology analyzer that can be used for a three-part white cell differential analysis. To determine its utility for analysis of human and mouse samples, we evaluated this machine against the larger CELL-DYN Sapphire and Sysmex XT2000iV hematology analyzers. METHODS: 120 human (normal and abnormal) and 30 mouse (normal and abnormal) samples were analyzed on both the CELL-DYN Emerald and CELL-DYN Sapphire or Sysmex XT2000iV analyzers. For mouse samples, the CELL-DYN Emerald analyzer required manual recalibration based on the histogram populations. RESULTS: Analysis of the CELL-DYN Emerald showed excellent precision, within accepted ranges (white cell count CV% = 2.09%; hemoglobin CV% = 1.68%; platelets CV% = 4.13%). Linearity was excellent (R² ≥ 0.99), carryover was minimal (<1%), and overall interinstrument agreement was acceptable for both human and mouse samples. Comparison between the CELL-DYN Emerald and Sapphire analyzers for human samples or Sysmex XT2000iV analyzer for mouse samples showed excellent correlation for all parameters. CONCLUSION: The CELL-DYN Emerald was generally comparable to the larger reference analyzer for both human and mouse samples. It would be suitable for use in satellite research laboratories or as a backup system in larger laboratories.

Evaluation of CELL-DYN Sapphire Hematology Analyzer / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: CELL-DYN Sapphire (Abbott Diagnostics, Santa Clara, CA, USA) hematology analyzer is based on laser multi angle polarized scatter separation, focused flow impedance and fluorescent flow cytometry. In order to assess the usefulness of this newly introduced analyzer, we evaluated the precision and correlation of complete blood count including white blood cell differential count and reticulocyte count of CELL-DYN Sapphire instrument. METHODS: Patient samples ordered for complete blood count and white blood cell differential count and CELL-DYN 29 Plus control samples were used. We evaluated the precision of complete blood count and WBC differential count and analyzed correlation of these parameters for comparison with ADVIA 120 (Bayer corporation, Tarrytown, NY, USA) and manual count. We additionally evaluated reticulocyte parameters for precision and comparison with ADVIA 120. RESULTS: Short term precisions showed low coefficient of variation (CV) values for all CBC parameters including lower than 3% CV values for neutrophil and lymphocyte count. Long term precision showed lower than 4% CV values for all CBC and WBC differential count except for basophils. Comparison with ADVIA 120 showed good correlation for CBC except for MCHC. Good correlation was confirmed in all differential counts except for basophils. Comparison with manual WBC differential count showed good correlation except for monocyte and eosinophil. CONCLUSIONS: CELL-DYN Sapphire has high precision and good correlation with ADVIA 120 and manual count. CELL-DYN Sapphire is an exceptional instrument for CBC with WBC differentials and reticulocyte counting.

Evaluation of CELL-DYN Sapphire Hematology Analyzer / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: CELL-DYN Sapphire (Abbott Diagnostics, Santa Clara, CA, USA) hematology analyzer is based on laser multi angle polarized scatter separation, focused flow impedance and fluorescent flow cytometry. In order to assess the usefulness of this newly introduced analyzer, we evaluated the precision and correlation of complete blood count including white blood cell differential count and reticulocyte count of CELL-DYN Sapphire instrument. METHODS: Patient samples ordered for complete blood count and white blood cell differential count and CELL-DYN 29 Plus control samples were used. We evaluated the precision of complete blood count and WBC differential count and analyzed correlation of these parameters for comparison with ADVIA 120 (Bayer corporation, Tarrytown, NY, USA) and manual count. We additionally evaluated reticulocyte parameters for precision and comparison with ADVIA 120. RESULTS: Short term precisions showed low coefficient of variation (CV) values for all CBC parameters including lower than 3% CV values for neutrophil and lymphocyte count. Long term precision showed lower than 4% CV values for all CBC and WBC differential count except for basophils. Comparison with ADVIA 120 showed good correlation for CBC except for MCHC. Good correlation was confirmed in all differential counts except for basophils. Comparison with manual WBC differential count showed good correlation except for monocyte and eosinophil. CONCLUSIONS: CELL-DYN Sapphire has high precision and good correlation with ADVIA 120 and manual count. CELL-DYN Sapphire is an exceptional instrument for CBC with WBC differentials and reticulocyte counting.

Evaluation of the Abbott Cell-Dyn Sapphire Hematology Analyzer / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: The performance of Cell-Dyn Sapphire (Abbott Diagnostic, USA) was compared to the Bayer Advia 2120 (Bayer Diagnostics, USA), Sysmex XE-2100 (Sysmex Corporation, Japan), and reference microscopy. METHODS: Three hundred samples for routine CBC and WBC differentials were randomly chosen for a comparison analysis. The Cell-Dyn Sapphire system was evaluated according to the linearity, imprecision, inter-instrument correlations, and white blood cell differential. RESULTS: The CBC parameters (WBC, RBC, hemoglobin and platelet) showed a significant linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99 (P<0.0001). Coefficients of variation (CV) for withinrun and differential count of WBC were less than 5% except for Total CV for monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils and within-run CV for low valued eosinophils. The correlation coefficients with manual count were lower in monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils than in neutrophils and lymphocytes. The correlation with other hematology anlayzers was significant exclusive of basophils. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the Cell-Dyn Sapphire has a good linearity, an acceptable reproducibility, a minimal carryover, and a comparable performance with the sysmex XE-2100 and Advia 2120.

CELL-DYN Sapphire Hematology Analyzer Performance Evaluation on Leukocyte Differential Counts / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: Recent advances of hematology analyzers have improved performance of leukocyte differential counts and have reduced work load of clinical hematology laboratories. We evaluated CELL-DYN Sapphire (Abbott Diagnostics, Santa Clara, CA, USA) performance on leukocyte differential counts according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) document H20-A. METHODS: We evaluated imprecision (short term imprecision from duplication of 147 patients' sample and long term imprecision from three level commercial controls) and accuracy (n=462) of leukocyte differential counts of CELL-DYN Sapphire and compared with those of Sysmex XE-2100 (TOA Medical Electronics Co., Kobe, Japan), ADVIA 120 (Bayer Diagnostics, Tarrytown, NY, USA) and Beckman Coulter LH 750 (Beckman Coulter, Miami, FL, USA). RESULTS: The imprecision of CELL-DYN Sapphire for neutrophils and lymphocytes differentials was low with coefficients of variation (CV) from 1.4 to 6.2%, but the imprecision for basophils was high with CV from 34.7 to 79.6%. The correlation with manual count was good in samples without flags (n=314), with the exception of basophils (r: neutrophils, 0.921; lymphocytes, 0.921; monocytes, 0.653; eosinophils, 0.869; basophils 0.272). The correlation with other hematology analyzers was high except basophils (r: neutrophils, 0.969-0.986; lymphocytes, 0.986-0.990; monocytes, 0.787-0.887; eosinophils, 0.881-0.962; basophils 0.086-0.327). CONCLUSION: The performance on leukocyte differential counts of CELL-DYN Sapphire is comparable to Sysmex XE-2100, ADVIA 120 and Beckman Coulter LH 750. In regards of enumeration of basophils, the comparison with manual counts and other hematology analyzers shows poor agreement.

Diagnosis of Malaria Using Automatic Hematology Analyzer / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: For the diagnosis of malaria, examination of blood smear slides by light microscopy is used as standard, and commercial kits detecting malarial antibodies and antigens are available, and molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are used additionally. But, these diagnostic methods can be performed when clinicians request them, so problems of misdiagnosing the patients who are not suspected malaria may be occurred. METHODS: In 42 Korean patients with malaria, the author analyzed the characteristic signals of malaria using granularity (90 degrees depolarized) versus lobularity (90 degrees polarized) graph of Cell-Dyn 4000 (CD4000) automatic hematologic analyzer. And, the author examined the presence of malaria in 421 random samples by CD4000 and Giemsa stain. RESULTS: The usefulness of CD4000 in diagnosing malaria are as follows, 93.0% sensitivity, 99.3% specificity, 93.0% positive-predictive value, and 99.3% negative-predictive value. CONCLUSION: CD4000 automatic hematology analyzer has high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing malaria. Because complete blood count (CBC) is the routine test for most patients, this method has advantage of time and cost effectiveness and can even detect malaria in unsuspected cases.

Hemoglobin measured by Hemocue and a reference method in venous and capillary blood: a validation study

Objective. To assess the comparability of hemoglobin concentration (Hb) in venous and capillary blood measured by Hemocue and an automated spectrophotometer (Celldyn) and to document the influence of type of blood (capillary or venous) and analysis method on anemia prevalence estimates. Material and Methods. Between February and May 2000, capillary and venous samples were collected from 72 adults and children at Hospital del Niño Morelense (Morelos State Children's Hospital) in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, and assessed for Hb using the Hemocue and Celldyn methods. Estimated Hb levels were compared using the concordance correlation coefficient and Student's t test for paired data. The sensitivity and specificity for anemia diagnosis were estimated and compared between type of blood and method of assessment. Results. Capillary blood had higher Hb (+0.5g/dl) than venous blood in adults and children, as did samples assessed by Celldyn compared to Hemocue (+0.3g/dl). Specificity to detect anemia was adequate (>0.90) but sensitivity was low for capillary blood assessed by Hemocue (<0.80). Conclusions. The difference in Hb between venous and capillary blood is likely related to biological variability. Hemoglobin concentration in capillary blood assessed by Hemocue provides an adequate estimation of population anemia prevalence but may result in excess false negative diagnoses among individuals. The results of this study stress the importance of sample collection technique, particularly for children. Method of analysis and sampling site need to be taken into consideration in field studies.

Objetivo. Evaluar la comparabilidad de la concentración de hemoglobina (Hb) en sangre venosa y capilar medida por Hemocue y por espectrofotómetro automatizado (Celldyn), así como documentar la influencia del tipo de sangre (capilar o venosa) y del método de análisis sobre la prevalencia de anemia. Material y métodos. De febrero a mayo de 2000, se recolectaron muestras de sangre capilar y venosa en 72 adultos y niños en el Hospital del Niño Morelense, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. Se determinaron los niveles de Hb con los métodos Hemocue y Celldyn. Las cifras de Hb estimadas se compararon con el coeficiente de concordancia y la prueba pareada de t de Student. También se comparó la sensibilidad y especificidad para el diagnóstico de anemia, utilizando sangre de los dos tipos y métodos de análisis. Resultados. La Hb fue mayor en sangre capilar comparada con sangre venosa (+0.5g/dl) en adultos y niños, y en las determinaciones por Celldyn comparadas con las de Hemocue (+0.3 g/dl). La especificidad para el diagnóstico de anemia fue adecuada (>0.90), mientras que la sensibilidad fue baja para las muestras capilares medidas por Hemocue (<0.80). Conclusiones. Es probable que la diferencia en la Hb entre sangre venosa y capilar refleje variabilidad biológica. La Hb en sangre capilar medida por Hemocue provee una estimación adecuada de la prevalencia de anemia en poblaciones, pero podría resultar en un exceso de diagnósticos falsos negativos. Los resultados de este estudio ponen énfasis en la importancia de la técnica de recolección de la muestra, particularmente en niños. Los métodos de análisis y tipos de muestra de sangre deben ser tomados en cuenta en estudios de campo.