Evaluation of Roche fructosamine test: use for diabetic patient monitoring.

A fructosamine assay using commercially available reagents on an IL Multistat III centrifugal analyser was evaluated. Within- and between-batch precision were less than 4% (CV). Results were similar using serum or oxalated plasma, but were 5% lower than those using sodium heparinate. We compared serum fructosamine and Hb A1c results in insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetics: serum fructosamine correlated with Hb A1c (r = 0.80) and gave at least as good a separation of patients from normal controls as did Hb A1c.

[Evaluation of enzyme modules of the Beckman Astra 8]. / Evaluation des modules enzymes de l'Astra 8 Beckman.

We evaluated the analytical performances of the Beckman Astra 8 enzyme analyser which allows the determination of the 6 enzymes (creatine kinase, Aspartate aminotransferase, Alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl-transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, Alcaline Phosphatases), in a same serum sample with only two modules. We compared the results obtained in the healthy and pathological subject's sera with those given by a centrifugal analyser IL Multistat III (Delhomme) using reagents and temperature recommended by SFBC (Société Française de Biologie Clinique). Instrument utilization is greatly helped by various alarms and diagnostic programmes. Results for emergency and routine determinations accord with those announced by the manufacturer and those required for a modern enzymatic analyzer.

Liquid-phase reactions started by rehydrating lyophilized reagents in a centrifugal analyzer.

In the disposable rotor of the SAM microcentrifugal analyzer, various lyophilized reagents are predistributed in 24 33-microL cuvets, for determination of multiple analytes in one specimen (e.g., for patient profiles). We evaluated a prototype of this system, which can be used at 25, 30, or 37 degrees C; absorbance readings at 340, 405, and 500 nm varied linearly up to 2.0 A. Starting the reactions by rehydrating the reagents with diluted serum is adequate because absorbance readings do not begin until 180 s after initiating the rehydration. Analytical performances of kinetic determinations at 30 degrees C showed good accuracy and correlation with other methods for creatine kinase, amylase, aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase. Kinetic determinations for urea, and equilibrium determinations with blank corrections for glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides gave excellent results for glucose and correct results for the other analytes. This compact analyzer combines the analytical performances of a centrifugal analyzer with the practicability of instruments having predistributed reagents.

Response of ion-selective sodium and potassium electrodes in the Beckman Astra 4 and Astra 8 analyzers.

We tested the response of ion-selective sodium and potassium electrodes that are a part of the new multi-channel chemical analyzers, Astra 8 and Astra 4 (Beckman). For this we used plain and albumin-containing aqueous solutions of known Na+ and K+ concentrations, varied inversely so we could assess how the concentration of each electrolyte would affect the response of the other electrode. The stability of the electrodes with time was good and the electrodes are indeed selective for Na+ and K+.

Parallel evaluation of Astra 8 and Astra 4 multichannel analyzers in two hospital laboratories.

We evaluated the new Beckman multichannel analyzers Astra 8 and Astra 4. Both instruments performed the following tests: Na, K, Cl, CO2, urea, glucose, and creatinine in plasma and Na, K, Cl, and creatinine determinations in urine. We tested precision, accuracy, and linearity at the usual concentrations in plasma and urine. We compared the Astra 8 and Astra 4 with continuous-flow (SMA 6) and discrete analyzers such as IL 243, Beckman KLiNa Flame, Beckman System 1, Corning 920 M Chloride Meter, and the Corning Blood-Gas Analyzer 175. Special tests were performed on plasma-to-plasma and urine-to-plasma carryover. Both analyzers are easy to operate and suitable for both emergency and routine use.