BACKGROUND: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is widely used for the monitoring of glycemic control in diabetes mellitus patients. Various methods are applied for the determination of HbA1c levels. Recently, a novel National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP)-certificated reagent (AutoLab HbA1c, IVD-LAB, Korea) was introduced for use in an automated chemistry analyzer. We evaluated the analytical performance of this immunoturbidimetry reagent and compared it with the ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography (Variant II Turbo, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., USA) and immunoassay (Cobas Integra 800, Roche Diagnostics, Germany) methods. METHODS: Toshiba 200FR NEO (Toshiba Medical Systems Co., Japan) with the AutoLab reagent was evaluated for precision, linearity, carryover and compared with Cobas Integra and Variant II Turbo. RESULTS: Coefficients of variation (CVs) of within-run imprecision for low and high level were 1.8% and 0.7%, respectively. CVs of within-laboratory imprecision for low and high level were 2.4% and 1.0%, respectively. The linearity was excellent with R2 = 0.99 in the range of 3.05-15.50%. It was well correlated with Variant II Turbo (R=0.9904) and Cobas Integra 800 (R=0.9992). The carryover rate was 0.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The Toshiba 200FR NEO with the AutoLab reagent showed excellent precision and linearity and minimal carryover rate. It was well correlated with the other widely used methodological instruments. It may be used for the diagnosis and the treatment monitoring of diabetes.
Chromatography, Liquid ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Immunoassay

BACKGROUND: Various virulence factors and superantigens are encoded by mobile genetic elements. The relationship between clonal background and virulence factors differs in different geographic regions. We compared the distribution and relationship of spa types and virulence genes among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from a tertiary hospital in 2000-01 and 2007-08. METHODS: In 2000-01 and 2007-08, 94 MRSA strains were collected from 3 intensive care units at a Korean tertiary hospital. We performed spa typing and multiplex PCR for 19 superantigen genes. RESULTS: Relatively frequent spa types were t037 (40.5%), t002, t601, and t2138 in 2000-01, and t2460 (43.9%), t002, t037, t601, t324, and t2139 in 2007-08. We identified 4 novel spa types, 2 of which were designated as t5076 and t5079. Superantigen profiles were closely linked to spa types. For example, sea, sek, and seq superantigen genes were mainly detected in t037 strains. CONCLUSIONS: Major spa types differed depending on study periods, and the distribution of superantigen genes correlated with spa type.
Bacterial Typing Techniques ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry ; Genotype ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics/*isolation & purification/pathogenicity ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology ; Superantigens/genetics ; Virulence/genetics ; Virulence Factors/*genetics

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has been recently shown to play important roles in the functioning of various systems. Most of the current analytical methods for measuring vitamin D levels are based on immunoassays. We simultaneously measured the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [ 25(OH)D3 ] and 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 [ 25(OH)D2 ] in human serum by performing ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) after Diels-Alder derivatization with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) and evaluated the performance of our method. METHODS: After liquid-liquid extraction, samples were dried under N2 at 50degrees C for 1 hr followed by Diels-Alder derivatization with ethyl acetate containing 0.1 mg/mL PTAD. The samples were resuspended in 60 microL of methanol:10 mM ammonium formate solution (1:1, V/V). C18 UPLC column and positive ion multiple reaction monitoring transitions such as m/z 558.35-->298.1, 25(OH)D3; m/z 570.35-->298.1, 25(OH)D2; and m/z 564.35-->298.1, hexadeuterated-25(OH)D3 were used for UPLC-MS/MS. RESULTS: The within-run imprecision (CVs) for 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2 were 3.5-4.0% and 3.8-4.2%, respectively, and the corresponding between-run CVs were 3.3-5.5% and 4.7-5.8%. The lower limit of quantification for 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2 were 0.5 and 1.0 ng/mL, respectively. The curve for interassay calibration variability data obtained over concentrations of 0-120 ng/mL for 25(OH)D3 and 0-90 ng/mL for 25(OH)D2 was linear and reproducible [ 25(OH)D3, R2=0.993; 25(OH)D2, R2=0.998]. The total 25(OH)D levels in Koreans (average, 18.7 ng/mL) were lower than those in American Caucasians, and the percentage of people with total 25(OH)D levels under 10 ng/mL was 8.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Our method to measure 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2 levels by performing UPLC-MS/MS after PTAD derivatization showed good performance as a sensitive and reproducible method for routine analysis of vitamin D status.
25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2 ; Acetates ; Calcifediol ; Calibration ; Formates ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Liquid-Liquid Extraction ; Mass Spectrometry ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Triazoles ; Vitamin D

BACKGROUND: Anti-K is one of the most significant unexpected antibodies that cause hemolytic transfusion reactions. Individuals with anti-K have to be transfused with K antigen-negative red cells. Although Koreans rarely have the K antigen, we have detected three cases of anti-K and we analyzed the Kell blood group genotypes for the KEL*1/KEL*2 alleles at the same time. METHODS: We analyzed the KEL*1/KEL*2 allele genotypes from 261 blood donors at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Kell genotyping were carried out using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction enzyme length polymorphism (RFLP). Identification of anti-K was performed using three kinds of methods; 37degrees C albumin, an anti-human globulin phase tube, a bead cassette and a gel card. Three cases of anti-K also underwent PCR with a sequence specific primer (SSP) for Kell genotyping. For comparison, the KEL*1 allele (698C>T) was synthesized by site-directed-mutagenesis. RESULTS: All 261 donors were KEL*2/KEL*2 homozygotes and a digested KEL*1 allele was not found. The three patients with anti-K were also KEL*2/KEL*2 homozygotes and the reactivities of the anti-K identification test were the same. CONCLUSION: The KEL gene frequency for the KEL*1/KEL*2 allele corresponded with that of the Kell phenotype, as was previously reported. We experienced three cases of anti-K and two out of the three were assumed that they had been transfused with the K antigen-positive blood of foreigners. This study revealed that the possibility of anti-K alloimmunization and hemolytic transfusion reactions cannot be excluded in Koreans.
Alleles ; Antibodies ; Antigens, Bacterial ; Antigens, Surface ; Blood Donors ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tissue Donors