Analytical and clinical validation of the new Abbot Architect 25(OH)D assay: fit for purpose?

BACKGROUND: We provide a clinical and analytical evaluation of the reformulated version of the Abbott Architect 25-hydroxyvitamin D assay. We compared this assay with three commercial automated immunoassays and against a VDSP-traceable liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in six different populations. We also supplemented 40 healthy volunteers with either 600,000 IU of vitamin D2 or 100,000 of vitamin D3 to evaluate the performance of the immunoassays vs. the LC-MS/MS. METHODS: Precision and limit of quantification were assessed, 25(OH)D2 and C3-epimer recovery were calculated. Two hundred and forty samples obtained in healthy Caucasians and Africans, osteoporotic, hemodialyzed and intensive care patients and 3rd trimester pregnant women were analyzed by all methods. Correlation was studied using Passing-Bablok and Bland-Altman analysis. Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was calculated to evaluate agreement between immunoassays and LC-MS/MS. We verified if patients were homogeneously classified with the immunoassays when they took vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 after 1, 7 and 28 days. RESULTS: We observed excellent analytical features and showed a very good correlation to the LC-MS/MS results in the overall population. Compared to the other immunoassays, concordance of the new Abbott assay with the LC-MS/MS was at least similar, and often better in diseased populations. Althought the cross-reactivity with 25(OH)D2 was not of 100%, there was no significant difference in the classifications of the patients, either supplemented with D2 or D3 or after 7 or 28 days. CONCLUSIONS: This modified version of the Abbott Architect assay is clearly improved compared to the previous one and presents a better agreement with the LC-MS/MS.

Vitamin D status after a high dose of cholecalciferol in healthy and burn subjects.

BACKGROUND: Burn patients are at risk of vitamin D (VD) deficiency and may benefit from its pleiotropic effects as soon as acute phase. Aim of this observational study was to assess effects of a cholecalciferol (VD3) bolus on VD status in adult burn patients (Group B, GB) after admission, compared to healthy subjects (Group H, GH). METHODS: Both groups received an oral dose of 100,000 IU VD3. Blood samples were collected before (D0) and 7 days (D7) after bolus to measure 250H-D, 1,25(OH)2-D, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Albumin (ALB) and VD binding protein (DBP) were measured and used to calculate free 25OH-D level. Data were expressed as median (min-max) or proportions. RESULTS: A total of 49 subjects were included: 29 in GH and 20 in GB. At D0, prevalence of VD deficiency was higher in GB: 25OH-D was 21.5 (10.1-46.3) ng/ml in GH vs 11 (1.8-31.4) ng/ml in GB. DBP and ALB were lower in GB. At D7, DBP was stable in both groups while ALB decreased in GB. 25OH-D increased by 66.6 (13.5-260.3)% in GH. In GB, changes in 25OH-D extended from -36.7% to 333.3% with a median increase of 33.1%. Similar changes were observed in each group for free 25OH-D. High FGF23 levels were observed in GB. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the differences in VD status and in response to a high dose VD3 in burn patients when compared to healthy patients. Pitfalls in VD status assessment are numerous during acute burn care: 25OH-D measurement needs cautious interpretation and interest of free 25OH-D is still questionable. They should not prevent burn patients to receive VD supplements during acute care. Higher doses than general recommendations should probably be considered.

Standardization of DiaSorin and Roche automated third generation PTH assays with an International Standard: impact on clinical populations.

BACKGROUND: Standardization of parathyroid hormone (PTH) assays is a major issue, especially in hemodialyzed (HD) patients. Two automated third generation PTH assays (Roche Elecsys and DiaSorin Liaison) are now available. These assays are specific for the (1-84) PTH and do not cross-react with the (7-84) fragment, contrary to second generation (intact) assays. We aimed to calibrate the two methods against the WHO International PTH Standard (IS) 95/646 to see if the two assays could provide comparable results in a population of healthy subjects, HD patients and patients suffering from primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP). METHODS: We selected 79 healthy subjects and two populations of patients presenting PTH disorders: 56 HD and 27 PHP patients. We reconstituted the IS in a pool of human serum containing undetectable levels of 1-84 PTH and prepared 13 serum standards ranging from 0 to 2000 pg/mL. The standards were run on the two instruments to calibrate the assays on the IS. The different populations were run before and after restandardization. RESULTS: As these kits were differently calibrated, the results obtained after restandarization were significantly different. Restandardization process improved concordance between assays and, taking the analytical variability of the two kits into account, the results could be considered to be similar. CONCLUSIONS: Restandardization of automated third generation PTH assays with the WHO 1-84 PTH Standard significantly reduces inter-method variability. Reference ranges and raw values are totally transposable from one method to the other in healthy subjects, but also in diseased patients, e.g., with HD or those suffering from PHP.

Evaluation of automated immunoassays for 25(OH)-vitamin D determination in different critical populations before and after standardization of the assays.

INTRODUCTION: Standardization of immunoassays for 25(OH)-vitamin D determination is a major problem in clinical practice. A worldwide standardization program has started to address this and will reduce the bias observed between immunoassays. We aimed to calibrate 5 immunoassays on a LC-MS/MS traceable to the SRM 2972 and the ID-LC-MS/MS 25(OH)D Reference Method Procedure to see if the re-standardization would be efficient in a population of 3rd trimester pregnant women (PW), hemodialysis (HD) and osteoporosis (OP) patient. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 184 serum samples (25(OH)D: 8.4-87 ng/ml) were selected to calibrate the immunoassays (Abbott-Architect, Roche-Elecsys, DiaSorin-Liaison, Siemens-Centaur and IDS-iSYS). Chromsystems MassChrom method was used as the referenced. Serum obtained in 34 PW, 25 HD and 34 OP patients were used as comparatives. RESULTS: After adjusting to LC-MS/MS, immunoassays had regression slopes nearly identical to 1.0 with intercepts <0.5 ng/ml. However, in special populations, a systematic bias was still observed, except for iSYS. CONCLUSIONS: Re-standardization of 25(OH)D immunoassay will globally improve the differences. However, patients with a different serum matrix will still present significantly different results when they will be run with different methods. For those patients, the LC-MS/MS method seems to be the method of choice, even if some immunoassays are less influenced than others.

IDS iSYS automated intact procollagen-1-N-terminus pro-peptide assay: method evaluation and reference intervals in adults and children.

BACKGROUND: We carried out a technical evaluation of the Immunodiagnostic Systems (IDS) automated intact procollagen-I N-terminus propeptide (PINP) assay on the iSYS platform, and established reference intervals for PINP in both adults and children. METHODS: Assay imprecision, recovery and interference were studied. Serum and plasma values were compared, and PINP stability was assessed. Using 828 specimens, IDS iSYS intact PINP and Roche E170 total PINP values were compared. Specimens from 597 adults and 485 children and adolescents were used to establish reference intervals for intact PINP. RESULTS: The method demonstrated good recovery and acceptable imprecision. The assay was unaffected by icterus and lipaemia, but haemolysis decreased measured PINP. Serum and plasma values were comparable. There was a non-linear relation between IDS intact and Roche total PINP values. Pre- and post-menopausal women had comparable PINP values, but there was a difference between women of different age groups. Serum PINP in men showed a decline in young age up to 45 years, but remained steady thereafter. Separate reference intervals were established for four age groups in women and for two age groups in men. Data for children were partitioned into four-year age groups, and these showed PINP to be high with no major gender differences until 12 years of age. Thereafter, values in females decreased in 13-16 years age groups and further in 17-20 years age groups, whereas PINP increased in boys of 13-16 years of age with a subsequent decline at 17-20 years. CONCLUSIONS: The IDS iSYS PINP intact assay appears to be reliable. We have established gender- and age-related reference intervals for children and adults based on a relatively large healthy North European population.

Technical and clinical evaluation of the VITROS® Immunodiagnostic Products 25-OH Vitamin D Total Assay--comparison with marketed automated immunoassays and a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to evaluate the technical and clinical performance of the VITROS® Immunodiagnostic Products 25-OH Vitamin D Total Assay, and compare it with the performance of five marketed automated assays and a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry reference method (LC-MS/MS). METHODS: Three hundred patient serum samples were used to compare the correlation of the VITROS® 25-OH Vitamin D Total Assay with both the other immunoassays and the LC-MS/MS method, using Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman analyses. Concordance of the diagnosis of vitamin D status was calculated to test the agreement between the different assays. In addition, samples containing vitamin D2 were used to test the assay's ability to detect the D2 form of the vitamin. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: These results from the VITROS® 25-OH Vitamin D Total Assay generally correlated well with those from most of the marketed immunoassays. Cross-reactivity of the D2 form was calculated as being close to 100%. Additionally, we found substantial variability in performance amongst the various assays, which suggests the need for optimisation and recalibration of commercial methods.

Analytical evaluation of the new Abbott Architect 25-OH vitamin D assay.

OBJECTIVES: Validation of the Architect 25-OH vitamin D assay. DESIGN AND METHODS: Determination of repeatability, reproducibility, accuracy profile and 25(OH)-vitamin D2 recovery on native samples. Comparison with DiaSorin Liaison and RIA. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Coefficients of variation: <6% (13.6 ng/mL) and 2.2% (78.1 ng/mL). Functional sensitivity: 5 ng/mL. Accuracy profile shows that the method is validated between 13.6 and 78.1 ng/mL. Recovery of 25(OH)D2: 75,8%( 95% CI: 61.9-89.7%). Good correlation with DiaSorin RIA and Liaison <50 ng/mL; above this threshold a systematic positive bias was observed.

Interpretation of serum PTH concentrations with different kits in dialysis patients according to the KDIGO guidelines: importance of the reference (normal) values.

BACKGROUND: The recommended target range for serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) in dialysis patients has changed from 150 to 300 pg/mL in the KDOQI guidelines to two to nine times the upper normal limit in the KDIGO ones. Although inclusion/exclusion criteria for the reference population are highly important, they are usually not mentioned in the commercial kits. In this study, we used the same reference population of vitamin D-replete normal subjects to establish reference values for 10 commercial PTH kits. We evaluated whether this may improve the classification of dialysis patients according to the KDIGO compared to the use of reference values proposed by the manufacturers. METHODS: We measured serum PTH with 10 different kits in 149 haemodialysis patients, and 240 25-OH-vitamin D-replete (>75 nmol/L) individuals with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS: For the 10 kits, our upper normal limit was lower than those of the manufacturers. The difference was, however, variable from one kit to another. The two kits that yielded the lowest and the highest absolute concentrations classified differently 84/149 patients (56.4%) according to the KDOQI and 53/149 (36.2%) according to the KDIGO using the manufacturers' normal values. Using our normal values significantly decreased the discrepancies with 24/149 patients (16.1%) being still classified differently. Taking the measurement uncertainty into consideration, 8% of the patients only remained differently classified by these two kits. CONCLUSIONS: Using the same vitamin-D-replete population to establish the reference range for 10 commercial PTH kits significantly improved the classification of haemodialysis patients according to the KDIGO target range.

Analytical validation of the Liaison Calcitonin_II-Gen (DiaSorin).

BACKGROUND: We validated the DiaSorin Liaison Calcitonin_II-Gen, an improved method for calcitonin (CT) measurements, compared this method with the Cisbio_h-CT kit and established the reference range of CT in a normal adult population. METHODS: We determined the precision, functional sensitivity, traceability to the 2nd IS 89/620, linearity and measurement uncertainty, accuracy profile and ß-expectation limits. We evaluated the specificity, the susceptibility to human anti-animal antibodies (HAMA), hook-effect and carry over. To establish a reference range, we selected 267 adults without renal insufficiency presenting with normal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxin (T4) and calcium concentrations and without anti-thyroglobulin antibodies as our "reference" healthy population. We compared the method with Cisbio on 250 consecutive and 45 samples from a post-pentagastrin stimulation test. RESULTS: Precision (expressed as CV) was < 10% for the measurement range, functional sensitivity: 5.3 ng/L and the method was found linear until to a 1/10 dilution. Uncertainty ranged from 25% to 7.2%, and the risk that one result falls out of the ± 20% acceptance limits was < 5% between 2.9 and 1513 ng/L. The Bland and Altman plot showed no systematic bias between the two methods. The test is still prone to HAMA influence, does not present any hook-effect, although carry over was observed. Ninety-five percent of our adult reference population showed CT concentrations < 7.4 ng/L, with an important gender difference: 95% of the men showed CT values < 9.8 ng/L, whereas 95% of women were < 4.0 ng/L. CONCLUSIONS: The Liaison Calcitonin_II-Gen is an analytically robust method. The important difference in gender observed in our population might lead to re-evaluation of the generally used "10 ng/L" cut-off in a multicentre prospective study.

Analytical validation of serum bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP OSTASE) on Liaison.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to validate the DiaSorin Liaison BAP OSTASE, a new method for measurement of bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and to compare this method with the Beckman-Coulter Access Ostase. We also wanted to establish the reference range for BAP in adults and children. METHODS: We determined the precision, functional sensitivity, recovery, linearity and measurement uncertainty, accuracy profile and beta-expectation limits. We defined an adult reference interval using individuals with 25-OH vitamin D >80 nmol/L, parathormone <58 ng/L, and normal calcium, phosphorous and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Each adult subclass (men/non-menopausal women/menopause women) contained 120 individuals. We also determined the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles from a population of 450 children, stratified according to age and gender. RESULTS: The results of the validation showed: precision <6%, functional sensitivity <0.74 microg/L, mean recovery 98.8+/-4.2% and good linearity. Relative uncertainty ranged from 9.0% to 12.9%, and the risk of one result falling out of the +/-15% acceptance limits was <5% for concentrations between 7 and 94 microg/L. The Bland-Altman plot showed no systematic bias between the two methods. In adults, we did not find any statistical difference between the different subclasses. The upper limit of normality observed in the entire population (n=360) was 21.3 microg/L (90% CI: 18.3-24.2 microg/L). CONCLUSIONS: The Liaison BAP OSTASE is a robust method, and is completely validated between 7 and 93 microg/L: in this range, 95% of the values obtained will be within +/-15% of the true value.

False positive PTH results: an easy strategy to test and detect analytical interferences in routine practice.

BACKGROUND: As other immunoassays, PTH determination is not free from interferences. Indeed, natural antibodies like heterophile antibodies (HAMA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) can induce falsely elevated results, leading to misdiagnosis and expensive unnecessary explorations. However, in routine practice, these interferences are not always obvious to detect. METHODS: On 2084 PTH samples, we applied a validation strategy in four steps to screen for HAMA and rheumatoid factor interferences. RESULTS: 36% of our samples presented an elevated PTH. We found a clinically plausible reason for 91% of them. The remaining 63 suspicious samples were treated with HBT and 40% of them were found to be HAMA positive. RF determination was performed on the HAMA-negative samples and RF was positive in 21 of them. They were then treated with RF-Absorbent. Nine of these 21 samples presented RF interference. CONCLUSION: Applying this strategy in our routine validation, we managed to avoid spuriously elevated PTH results, which could have caused medical errors as well as unnecessary cost-effective extra-investigations.