Performances and Reliability of Bruker Microflex LT and VITEK MS MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Systems for the Identification of Clinical Microorganisms.

In clinical microbiology laboratories, routine microbial identification is mostly performed using culture based methodologies requiring 24 to 72 hours from culturing to identification. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technology has been established as a cost effective, reliable, and faster alternative identification platform. In this study, we evaluated the reliability of the two available MALDI-TOF MS systems for their routine clinical level identification accuracy and efficiency in a clinical microbiology laboratory setting. A total of 1,341 routine phenotypically identified clinical bacterial and fungal isolates were selected and simultaneously analyzed using VITEK MS (bioMérieux, France) and Microflex LT (Bruker Diagnostics, Germany) MALDI-TOF MS systems. For any isolate that could not be identified with either of the systems and for any discordant result, 16S rDNA gene or ITS1/ITS2 sequencing was used. VITEK MS and Microflex LT correctly identified 1,303 (97.17%) and 1,298 (96.79%) isolates to the species level, respectively. In 114 (8.50%) isolates initial phenotypic identification was inaccurate. Both systems showed a similar identification efficiency and workflow robustness, and they were twice as more accurate compared to routine phenotypic identification in our sample pool. MALDITOF systems with their accuracy and robustness offer a good identification platform for routine clinical microbiology laboratories.

Preeclampsia disrupts the normal physiology of leptin.

This study was designed to examine the leptin levels of preeclamptic women and their offspring, to compare them with those of normal pregnant women and to search for a correlation between maternal and fetal plasma leptin levels and their anthropometric characteristics. Twenty-one preeclamptic women and their babies were enrolled into the study. Control group consisted of 21 normal pregnant women and their babies, whose birth weights, gestational ages, and genders match with those of babies born to preeclamptic women. Median maternal leptin concentrations of the preeclamptic group (15.3 ng/mL) were significantly higher ( p = 0.03) than the control group (10.4 ng/mL). However, fetal plasma leptin concentrations were not different ( p = 0.06) between the two groups. Fetal plasma leptin levels were correlated with birth weight, length, body mass index, gestational age, and fetal hematocrit levels in the control group. However, no correlation between leptin levels and these parameters was found in the preeclamptic group. Therefore, preeclampsia may be thought to disrupt normal leptin physiology.