No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Osmolar Concentration* ; Specific Gravity*

BACKGROUND: The FDA has approved the storage of frozen red blood cells (RBCs) at -80degrees C for 10 years. After deglycerolization, the RBCs can be stored at 4degrees C for no more than 24 hours, because open systems are currently being used. We evaluated Haemonetics ACP 215, an automated, functionally closed system, for both the glycerolization and deglycerolization processes. METHODS: Thirty packed RBCs that had been glycerolized and stored at -80degrees C for 2 weeks were thawed, deglycerolized and resuspended in AS-3. The RBCs were then stored at 4degrees C for 2 weeks. For the evaluation of the procedure, RBC recovery rate, osmolarity, specific gravity, LDH, K+, Hb-2, 3 DPG, Hb-ATP, and plasma hemoglobin were tested at day 0 and day 14. RESULTS: The recovery rate of RBCs was 83.7+/-2.6% (78.9-88.8%). The Hb ATP and 2, 3-DPG of RBCs were 5.16+/-1.0 mol/g Hb and 10.4+/-2.4 mol/g Hb, respectively, at day 0. The supernatant K+, specific gravity, osmolarity, LDH were 1.3+/-0.6 mmol/L, 1.008+/-0.001, 295.0+/-3.1 mOsm/kgH2O, 175.0+/-39.0 unit/L, respectively. All measurements were acceptable to allow the RBCs deglycerolized on ACP 215 to be stored at 4degrees C for 14 days. The blood cultures were negative at day 0 and day 14. CONCLUSIONS: Haemonetics ACP 215 provides a closed, automated system for RBC glycerolization and deglycerolization. This study showed that the RBCs that were glycerolized and deglycerolized in the automated instrument and stored in AS-3 at 4degrees C for 14 days are of an acceptable quality.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Cryopreservation* ; Erythrocytes* ; Glycerol ; Osmolar Concentration ; Plasma ; Specific Gravity

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the performance of the CLINITEK Novus urine chemistry analyzer (Siemens, UK). METHODS: The precision, correlation, and carryover study were performed using two kinds of commercial quality control materials and 40-55 freshly collected patient specimens. We calculated exact and within-1-block agreement, along with kappa agreement, to compare the semi-quantitative results between urine chemistry analyzers. The urine specific gravity taken by a refractometer was compared with the analyzer results. Moreover, we analyzed additional urine specimens for protein to evaluate the agreement of results between those of the CLINITEK Novus and the AU680 analyzers (Beckman Coulter, Japan). RESULTS: The precision study showed acceptable results; within-1-block agreement was 100% in all tested items. The urine chemistry results from the CLNITEK Novus analyzer demonstrated ≥85.1% within-1-block agreements with those of the Uriscan Super, and the kappa test results were ≥0.81. The comparison of specific gravity with manual refractometer showed a good correlation (r=0.991), and the protein comparison with the AU680 analyzer also showed a good correlation (with exact and within-1-block agreements being 75.9% and 100.0%, respectively). The carryover rates were 0% in all tested items, except specific gravity and heavy blood tests. CONCLUSIONS: The CLINITEK Novus analyzer showed good performance in terms of precision, comparison, and carryover in this study. Therefore, the CLINITEK Novus automated urine analysis is expected to be useful for routine urinalysis in a clinical laboratory.
Chemistry* ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Quality Control ; Specific Gravity ; Urinalysis

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Osmolar Concentration* ; Specific Gravity*

Biological monitoring for exposures permits estimation of organ doses or body burdens from exposures through all relevant portals of entry. Biological monitoring data may be used to estimate environmental concentrations when the latter cannot be measured directly. Biological indices are usually surrogates for the concentration of a chemical or its metabolites or its effect at the true receptors. Mercury concentration in urine has-been most-coinmoialy-recommended as a biological exposure index of mercury. For data based on urine analysis, variation in urine volume is the most significant. The urinary concentration related to excretion of the solute provides some correction for fluctuation of urine output. Sampling time must be carefully observed because distribution and elimination of a chemical are kinetic events. This study has evaluated mercury concentration in spot urine compared to the results of 24 hour collected urine by the adjustment methods (specif ic gravity, creatinine) and sampling time. The subjects were 43 workers who had been exposed to the metallic mercury. The results were as follows: 1. The correlation coefficients between mercury concentration in 24 hour urine and that in spot urine were 0.639-0.715 and were not different by adjustment methods. 2. In the high exposure group who were over lOOug/1 of urinary mercury, the correlation coefficients between mercury concentration in 24 hour urine and that in spot urine were 0. 687-0.824 and were not different by adjustment methods. 3. Mercury concentration in spot urine were very variable by sampling time or exposure time. The correlation coefficients between mercury concentration in 24 hour urine and that in spot urine were most highest as 0.85-0.91 at first voiding urine in the morning, and were 0. 77-0.86 at urine collected within four hours before end of shift. In the biological monitoring to exposure of mercury, sampling of spot urine were most proper at first voiding urine in the morning, and then at urine collected within four hours before end of shift. But the adjustment methods of specific gravity and creatinine were no difference of the results.
Body Burden ; Creatinine ; Environmental Monitoring* ; Gravitation ; Specific Gravity

PURPOSE: The chemoembolization with Lipiodol and doxorubicin hydrochloride is used in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. What condition is the ideal emulsion of Lipiodol and doxorubicin for excellent anticancer effect? METHOD AND MATERIALS: Microscopic evaluation was performed on the emulsions, which were varied with different specific gravities of doxorubicin solutions, degrees in mixing of the emulsion, and amount of Lipiodol. RESULT: 1. Maximal amount of doxorubicin solution was contained in Lipiodol droplets and the release of doxorubicin from the droplets were delayed, when specific gravity of doxorubicin was equal to that of Lipiodol (SG, 1.28). 2. The optimal therapertic ratio of Lipiodol and doxorubicin was 3:2 at least, as in the emulsion less than 3:2, unmixed free forms of doxorubicin solution were increased. 3. The emulsion mixed by pumping 50--100 times had smaller Lipiodol droplets and contained larger amount of doxorubicin solution in the droplets than by pumping 20 times. CONCLUSION: We recommend the emulsion with specific gravity of doxorubicin equal to Lipiodol (SG. 1.28), the ratio of Lipiodol and doxorubicin closo to 3:2, and the mixture prepased with puming 50--100 times.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Doxorubicin ; Emulsions ; Ethiodized Oil ; Humans ; Specific Gravity

Three external quality assesment trials which composed of 16 control materials (12 chemical materials and four microscopic photographs of urinary sediment) for interlaboratory quality control assesment in urinalysis were performed with 451, 452, and 476 participants, in each, in the year of 2005. The response rate were 95.6% (451/472), 91.9% (452/492) and 95.6% (476/498), in the first , the second and the third trials, in each. The test items include pH, glucose, protein, ketone, bilirubin, blood, urobilinogen, nitrite, leukocyte estrase, specific gravity and four microscopic photographs of urinary sediment. The survey results are summarized as follows: 1. The chemical quality control test in urinalysis revealed generally good concordance. 2. The percentage of using urinalysis analyzer was slightly increased as 91.2% and the distribution of using reagent strip was similar to the previous year. 3. The percentage of response rate of microscopic photographs of urinary sediment was 76.5%(387/498) and the percentage of good performance of these tests ware 63.6% to 86.5%.
Bilirubin ; Equidae ; Glucose ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea* ; Leukocytes ; Quality Control ; Reagent Strips ; Specific Gravity ; Urinalysis* ; Urobilinogen

Because inner ear organs are interconnected through the endolymph and surrounding endolymphatic membrane, the patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) often complain of vertigo. In this study, we report a patient with SSNHL accompanied by persistent positional vertigo, and serial findings of head-roll tests are described. At acute stage, head-roll test showed persistent geotropic direction-changing positional nystagmus (DCPN), which led to a diagnosis of SSNHL and ipsilateral light cupula. Although vertigo symptom gradually improved, positional vertigo lasted for more than 3 weeks. At this chronic stage, persistent apogeotropic DCPN was observed in a head roll test, which led to a diagnosis of the heavy cupula. Although the mechanism for the conversion of nystagmus direction from geotropic to apogeotropic persistent DCPN is unclear, the change of specific gravity of the endolymph might be one of the plausible hypothetical explanations.
Diagnosis ; Ear, Inner ; Endolymph ; Head ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Humans ; Membranes ; Nystagmus, Physiologic ; Specific Gravity ; Vertigo*

Three external quality assesment trials which composed of 12 control materials(12 chemical materials) for interlaboratory quality control assesment in urinalysis were performed with 446, participants, in each, in the year of 2003. The response rate were 92.4% (414/448), 91.9% (419/456) and 91.3% (408/447), in the first, the second and the third trials, in each. The test items include pH, glucose, protein, ketone, bilirubin, blood, urobilinogen, nitrite, leukocyte estrase and specific gravity. The survey results are summarized as follows: 1. The chemical quality control test in urinalysis revealed generally good concordance. 2. The percentage of using urinalysis analyzer was slightly increased as 86.8% and the distribution of using reagent strip was similar to the previous year.
Bilirubin ; Equidae ; Glucose ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea* ; Leukocytes ; Quality Control ; Reagent Strips ; Specific Gravity ; Urinalysis* ; Urobilinogen

Three external quality assesment trials which composed of 16 control materials(12 chemical materials and four microscopic photographs of urinary sediment) for interlaboratory quality control assesment in urinalysis were performed with 446, participants, in each, in the year of 2004. The response rate were 93.4% (422/452), 91.7% (411/448) and 91.7% (410/447), in the first , the second and the third trials, in each. The test items include pH, glucose, protein, ketone, bilirubin, blood, urobilinogen, nitrite, leukocyte estrase, specific gravity and four microscopic photographs of urinary sediment. The survey results are summarized as follows: 1.The chemical quality control test in urinalysis revealed generally good concordance. 2.The percentage of using urinalysis analyzer was slightly increased as 87.9% and the distribution of using reagent strip was similar to the previous year. 3.The percentage of response rate of microscopic photographs of urinary sediment was 80.7% and the percentage of good performance of these tests ware 85.8% to 95.8%.
Bilirubin ; Equidae ; Glucose ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea* ; Leukocytes ; Quality Control ; Reagent Strips ; Specific Gravity ; Urinalysis* ; Urobilinogen