External quality assessment in primary health care by using fresh whole blood.

Desktop analyzers and single-test meters used in primary healthcare are mainly calibrated to measure whole blood. To minimize matrix effects of control materials in external quality assessment schemes, we stabilized fresh human EDTA-treated blood with sodium iodoacetate (1.8 mmol/L). The whole-blood based control material was useful for control of hemoglobin and glucose, the two most common analyses in primary care, even after storage at room temperature for at least 10 days and at 5 degrees C for 3 weeks. The material was also useful for control of cholesterol and creatinine analyses for samples stored as long as 3 days at ambient temperature.

Maximal oxygen deficit of sprint and middle distance runners.

Anaerobic energy capacity was evaluated by maximal oxygen deficit (MOD) as well as by blood gas and muscle biopsy variables during short exhausting running in six recreational (RR) and eight competitive sprint and middle distance runners (SMDR). On 3 days runs to exhaustion were executed. Two runs were performed at a treadmill gradient of 15% at speeds which resulted in exhaustion after approximately 1 (R15%,1 min) and 2-3 min (R15%,2-3 min), respectively. On the 3rd day, the subjects ran with the treadmill at a gradient of 1% at a speed which caused exhaustion after 2-3 min (R1%,2-3 min). The runner performance was assessed from 400 m [RR, median 64.8 (range 62.2-69.6) s; SMDR, median 49.4 (range 48.5-52.0) s] and 800 m [RR, median 158.8 (range 153.3-170.2) s; SMDR, median 115.2 (range 113.3-123.3) s] track times. Muscle biopsies from gastrocnemius muscle were obtained before and immediately after R15%,2-3 min, from which muscle lactate and creatine phosphate (CP) concentrations, fibre type distribution, capillaries per fibre, total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and the LDH isoenzyme pattern were determined. The MOD increased with the treadmill gradient and duration. During both treadmill and track runs, SMDR performance was superior to that of RR, but no significant differences were observed with respect to MOD, muscle fibre type distribution, total LDH activity, its iso-enzyme pattern, changes in muscle lactate or CP concentrations. However, after treadmill runs, peak venous lactate concentration and partial pressures of carbon dioxide were higher, and pH lower in SMDR. Also the number of capillaries per muscle fibre and the maximal oxygen uptake were larger in SMDR. These findings would suggest that the superior performance of SMDR depended more on their aerobic than on their anaerobic capacity.

[Quality assurance of results of clinical chemical analyses in Danish hospital laboratories]. / Kvalitetssikring af klinisk kemiske analyseresultater på danske hospitalslaboratorier.

During the past 35 years, voluntary professional assessment of quality of the results of analyses in Danish hospital laboratories has been undertaken under the auspices of the Danish Society of Clinical Chemistry. The analytical quality of the laboratories is described by their "imprecision" and "accuracy" as expressed by "coefficient of variation" and "bias", respectively. The participation in these programmes was 90%. During the period between 1968 and 1987, inter-laboratory variation decreased markedly where all analyses were concerned. To ensure the necessary and adequate quality, establishment of specifications of quality based on clinical/biological goals of quality has proved necessary. The commonest reasons for large imprecision and bias from the target values are less specific methods of analysis, errors in calibration and sporadic "outliers". As the result of a stable organisation for ensuring quality, Denmark is well equipped for the introduction of the great demands in documentation of quality which may be anticipated from the Common Market during the immediate future.

Improved and more specific bromcresol green methods for the manual and automatic determination of serum albumin.

The bromcresol green (BCG) method for determination of serum albumin has been modified and the specificity improved. A manual and a continuous flow method is described. Both methods are suitable for routine use and the results agree well with those obtained by an immunonephelometric method.

LDH-isoenzymes in children. A comparison of values from capillary and venous blood.

A comparison has been made of serum values of LDH-isoenzymes obtained by simultaneous sampling of capillary and venous blood in 40 normal children. No satisfactory correlation between the paired values could be found. Evaluation of the pattern of serum LDH-isoenzymes in children therefore requires a reference, i.e. normal values of isoenzymes obtained by the same technique of blood sampling.