No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: There is significant inter-laboratory variation in the ABO antibody (Ab) titer levels of blood samples because a standardized method has not yet been developed. The aim of this study was to identify the best conditions for the preparation of the red blood cell (RBC) suspensions so as to aid the development of a standard ABO Ab titration method. METHODS: Serum samples from apparently healthy adults and RBCs from three different sources (residual EDTA blood from healthy adults, donor blood in citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine-1 [CPDA-1], and a commercially available RBC reagent) were used for Ab titrations. We measured the titers for each blood group under various conditions, including the time period of storage (days), the ratio of serum to RBC volume, and the RBC sources. The techniques for room temperature incubation and the indirect antiglobulin test were used for the tube and the gel card test. RESULTS: A storage period of 6 to 7 days significantly affected the Ab titers. Samples with 3% RBCs in a 1:1 serum to RBC volume ratio had significantly lower Ab titers than those with 2% RBCs in a 1:1 ratio or those with 3% RBCs in a 2:1 ratio. There were no significant differences in the Ab titers of RBCs from different sources. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce inter-laboratory variations in ABO Ab titrations, using RBC suspension within five days of storage and applying ratio of serum to RBC volume to 2:1 with 3% RBC in the tube test will be helpful when using home-made RBC suspension.
ABO Blood-Group System ; Adult ; Coombs Test ; Edetic Acid ; Erythrocytes* ; Humans ; Suspensions* ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Because the platelet parameters have recently been used as indicators for various clinical conditions, there is a need to accurately estimate the platelet parameters by using an automated hematology analyzer. The aim of this study was to investigate an effect of a platelet transfusion on such platelet parameters as the mean platelet volume (MPV), the platelet volume distribution width (PDW), the mean platelet component (MPC) and the platelet component distribution width (PCDW) in transfused patients. METHODS: The study subjects were 25 patients who were admitted to the Department of Hematology & Oncology and they had been transfused with platelets. CD62P labeling was performed in the remaining portions of single donor platelets products (SDP) and the pooled platelet concentrates (PC) just before the SDP and PC were released. The platelet parameters were determined using the ADVIA 120 and the whole blood samples from the patients before the platelet transfusions and within 10~16 hours after the transfusion. RESULTS: There were no significant difference of all the platelet parameters between the SDP (n=21) and the pooled PC (n=8). The MPC and PCDW of the SDP and the PC were significantly lower than those of the samples from the patients before transfusion. However, the PCDW of the samples from the patients after transfusion was significantly lower than that before transfusion. CONCLUSION: Because platelet transfusions lower the value of the PCDW in patients, the laboratory staff and clinicians should be aware of this when interpreting the PCDW.
Blood Platelets ; Hematology ; Humans ; Platelet Transfusion ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Blood CD4+ T-lymphocyte (T4) count is a major clinical marker for the diagnosis and management of AIDS, and flow cytometry is considered the gold standard for T4 enumeration. Our aim was to compare the 2-color and 4-color flow cytometric methods for T-cell subset analysis in HIV-infected patients. METHODS: T-cell subsets such as T3, T4, T8, and CD3+CD4-CD8- double negative T cells (DN T) were analyzed from the whole blood of 40 HIV-infected patients by using both 2-color and 4-color methods on a Cytomics FC500 analyzer. Statistical analyses using simple linear regression, paired t-tests, and Bland-Altman plots were performed. RESULTS: The measured T3 (%), T4 (%), T4 (/microL), T8 (%), T8 (/microL), and DN T (%) differed significantly between the 2 methods (P<0.05), whereas the T4/T8 ratio did not. T3 (%), T4 (%), T4 (/microL), T8 (%), T8 (/microL), and T4/T8 measured by the 2 methods showed good correlation, with correlation coefficients above 0.96, whereas DN T (%) did not. The mean differences in T4 (%) and T8 (%) were 0.39% (limit of agreement (LoA), -1.64~2.43) and 1.26% (LoA, -3.37~5.89), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were statistically significant differences in the T cell subsets measured between the 2 methods, the differences were minor, and the 2 methods showed good correlation. As confirmed in this study, DN T (%) estimated by the 2-color method is lower than the actual value. We suggest that although the 2 methods can be used interchangeably, the 4-color method is recommended for the analysis of some specific subpopulations such as DN T (%).
Biomarkers ; Flow Cytometry ; HIV ; Humans ; Linear Models ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; T-Lymphocytes

Gray platelet syndrome (GPS) is one of primary hemostatic disorders with characteristics of moderate bleeding tendency, thrombocytopenia, gray platelet on Wright-Giemsa stained smear and absence of platelet -granule. It is known to be mostly inherited by autosomal dominance but not all. We report a case of gray platelet syndrome diagnosed in a woman with bleeding tendency such as easy bruise and evaluate clinical usefulness of mean platelet component (MPC), mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet component distribution width (PCDW) using ADVIA 120 (Bayer Diagnostics, NY, USA).
Blood Platelets ; Contusions ; Female ; Gray Platelet Syndrome* ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostatic Disorders ; Humans ; Mean Platelet Volume ; Thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: Test results in a laboratory are simply relayed to the laboratory information system through the interface. Middleware facilitates and manages the interaction between applications across heterogeneous computing platforms. We applied middleware to automated hematology analyzers in a clinical laboratory. METHODS: We used HemLink (Beckman Coulter Korea, Korea) as middleware between the laboratory information system and hematology analyzers. It provides quality control programs including the Westgard multirule chart and moving averages. RESULTS: Unlike the previous system, middleware does not require manual input of the quality control results. Amendment of quality control, if necessary, could be done without the help of hospital information teams. Identification of abnormal results with patient information could be achieved with moving averages. Morphology flags and system flags are checked at remote computers. CONCLUSIONS: Management of quality control results of hematology analyzers was easy via middleware. Thus, middleware could be useful to connect proficiency testing programs with HemLink and to compare results from laboratories using the same middleware.
Clinical Laboratory Information Systems ; Hematology ; Humans ; Korea ; Quality Control

Odontogenic keratocysts are benign intraosseous tumors of odontogenic origin that occur most commonly in the jaw. In particular, they have a predilection for the angle and ascending ramus of the mandible. In contrast, odontogenic keratocysts arising in the maxillary sinus are relatively rare. Two such cases are reported herein. In addition, the English literature that concerns odontogenic keratocysts of the maxillary sinus is reviewed.
Jaw ; Mandible ; Maxillary Sinus ; Odontogenic Cysts ; Tooth

A 19-year-old, woman who had been diagnosed as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) a year ago, was admitted because of fever, dizziness, and sustained postoperative bleeding after a hemorroidectomy. On admission, a CBC revealed pancytopenia (Hb 6.2 g/dL, WBC 1,200/microL, platelets 11,000/microL) with a shift to themicroLeft, and the FDP and D-dimer were positive. She was treated for sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administrated twice for severe neutropenia. An increase in WBC and immature myeloid cells, mainly hypergranular promyelocytes on the peripheral blood followed and was considered to be the effect of G-CSF. To evaluate the cause of pulmonary infiltrates, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed on the 5th day of admission. The BAL fluid revealed many promyelocytes and myelocytes with occasional structures recognized as Auer rods. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was confirmed on the bone marrow study and chromosome analysis. Unfortunately, the patient died of septic shock on the 9th day of admission. We report here a very rare case of APL diagnosed in a SLE patient, the diagnosis of which was somewhat delayed due to the use of G-CSF and superimposed sepsis.
Bone Marrow ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Diagnosis ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Dizziness ; Female ; Fever ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Granulocyte Precursor Cells ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Myeloid Cells ; Neutropenia ; Pancytopenia ; Sepsis ; Shock, Septic ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive*

BACKGROUND: It was reported that a continuous education program and external proficiency testing (PT) for blood grouping test (BGT) might be necessary because some blood centers of medical institutions could not correctly examine ABO subtype and D variant, according to the results of the first year project in 2011. Therefore, the results of PT for BGT in blood centers in 2012 and 2013 were compared to those in 2011 in order to assess the impact of projects during a period of three years and to help in planning the future PT for BGT. METHODS: Whole blood survey samples composed of three panels for ABO grouping and three panels for D typing were sent to 74 and 71 institutes in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Evaluation criteria for BGT were as follows: 'Good' for the answers matched with intended results, 'Acceptable' for the correct answers other than that of 'Good', and 'Unacceptable' for the answers other than those of 'Good+acceptable' as correct answers. RESULTS: The answer rates of 'Unacceptable' for ABO subtype were 1.4% in 2012 and 4.2% in 2013. However, the answer rate of 'Good' increased from 44.6% in 2012 to 83.1% in 2013. The answer rate of 'Unacceptable' for D variants showed a marked decrease, from 16.2% in 2012 to 1.4% in 2013. CONCLUSION: Projects for PT for BGT during a period of three years have improved laboratory quality in blood centers. However, the acquisition and change of the materials for PT would be necessary in order to continuously and practically provide help to blood centers.
Academies and Institutes ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching* ; Education