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Background: Vitamin D binding protein plays a crucial role in regulating vitamin D levels by carrying vitamin D and its metabolites and immunological response by binding to endotoxins and fatty acids. We aimed to compare vitamin D, DBP, and specific inflammatory markers among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with and without the COVID19 virus. Methods: This multicenter study in two training and research hospitals included 37 (13 female) COVID-19positive and 51 (34 female) COVID-19-negative ICU patients. 25(OH) vitamin D, DBP, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), D-dimer, troponin T (TnT), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and ferritin levels, survival, mortality rates, duration of stay (ICU) were examined. Results: We observed higher ferritin and CRP levels, along with lower DBP, TnT, and D-dimer levels, in patients with COVID-19. ICU patients with COVID-19 exhibited elevated mortality rates (Odds Ratio: 3.012, 95% Confidence Interval (1.252-7.248), p=0.013). However, no statistically significant correlation was observed between mortality rates and Vitamin D or DBP levels across the ICU patient cohort. Conclusions: Vitamin D values were found to be low in all intensive care patients, regardless of their COVID-19 status. Contrary to the literature, COVID-19 patients had lower D-dimer and TNT levels than negative controls. However, COVID-19-positive ICU patients have decreased DBP. Further, DBP gene polymorphism studies are needed to explain this situation.
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INTRODUCTION: To interpret test results correctly, understanding of the variations that affect test results is essential. The aim of this study is: 1) to evaluate the clinicians' knowledge and opinion concerning biological variation (BV), and 2) to investigate if clinicians use BV in the interpretation of test results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study uses a questionnaire comprising open-ended and close-ended questions. Questions were selected from the real-life numerical examples of interpretation of test results, the knowledge about main sources of variations in laboratories and the opinion of clinicians on BV. A total of 399 clinicians were interviewed, and the answers were evaluated using a scoring system ranked from A (clinician has the highest level of knowledge and the ability of using BV data) to D (clinician has no knowledge about variations in laboratory). The results were presented as number (N) and percentage (%). RESULTS: Altogether, 60.4% of clinicians have knowledge of pre-analytical and analytical variations; but only 3.5% of them have knowledge related to BV. The number of clinicians using BV data or reference change value (RCV) to interpret measurements results was zero, while 79.4% of clinicians accepted that the difference between two measurements results located within the reference interval may be significant. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians do not use BV data or tools derived from BV such as RCV to interpret test results. It is recommended that BV should be included in the medical school curriculum, and clinicians should be encouraged to use BV data for safe and valid interpretation of test results.
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Técnicas de Laboratório Clínico , Ciência de Laboratório Médico , Humanos , Valores de Referência , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Maintaining of precise balance between oxidation and anti-oxidation is important in both physiological and pathological states. Knowledge about this balance may give an idea about the process of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis in patients with low-grade gliomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serial serum samples were collected in 13 patients operated on low-grade gliomas before and after surgery. Control serum samples were obtained from venous cord blood from 13 healthy women during cesarean section. Total thiol, native thiol, and disulfide bond formation were measured and compared with the controls. RESULTS: Total thiols, native thiols, and disulfide bond formation were significantly elevated in patients before the surgery compared to the controls (p<0.05). Even after the surgery, these three parameters were still high in patients, and the differences were significant (p<0.05). Although no significant difference was found between patients and controls regarding the ratios of disulfide/total thiol, disulfide/native thiol, and native thiol/total thiol (p>0.05), the balance seemed to shift to oxidative side. CONCLUSIONS: Thiol-disulfide homeostasis was disrupted in patients with low-grade gliomas, and oxidation may play a role in the process of this disease. Supplementation with antioxidants before and after surgery may be taken into consideration.