Evaluation of the Diesse Cube 30 touch erythrocyte sedimentation method in comparison with Alifax test 1 and the manual Westergren gold standard method.

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a traditional nonspecific laboratory test used for the assessment of inflammation. Even if its usefulness is nowadays being largely debated, it is still considered a valuable laboratory test in selected clinical conditions, such as rheumatoid diseases, orthopedic infections and Hodgkin's lymphoma, and it can be used for the infectious, inflammatory, malignancies, and autoimmune diseases follow-up. The introduction of new methodologies on semi-automated and automated analyzers started about four decades ago and opened a new era of ESR analysis characterized by shorter assay time, use of (EDTA) undiluted blood, that increases sample stability and allows using a single sample for also other hematologic tests, and greater safety for laboratory personnel. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of new device Diesse Cube 30 touch, comparing it with Alifax Test 1 and with the gold standard Westergren method. The new Diesse Cube 30 touch for determination of the ESR shows a good correlation with the manual Westergren gold standard method in a shorter time, and in a standardized way, since all the phases of the test are automatized. The Diesse Cube 30 touch respect the manual gold standard method, displayed a small bias to confirm that the new automated test system tended to have a small bias for ESR values (mean positive bias +0.2 mm/h). The findings of the present study show that the Diesse Cube 30 touch Westergren-based method can be a valid alternative in laboratory analysis for the determination of ESR.

[How effective are simple laboratory tests (Hb, BSG) in the early diagnosis of stomach neoplasms]. / Was leisten die einfachen Laboruntersuchungen (Hb, BSG) in der Magenkarzinom-Frühdiagnostik?

Up to now only early resection has proven of value in healing gastric carcinoma. It is therefore mandatory that the pathologic lesion be diagnosed as early as possible. Thus, patients with persistent epigastric complaints under symptomatic treatment should undergo endoscopy even if blood parameters are still within normal limits. The fact that, among all our gastric cancers diagnosed in 1977 by endoscopy, 23% were classified as early cancers indicates that the method is well suited to establishing true early diagnosis.

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate in healthy North Nigerian university students.

The technique recommended by the International committee for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) was utilized for determination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in 'healthy' young Nigerian students living in the northern part of the country. Ninety-five point eight percent of a sample of 188 cases showed values within the Westergren norm for the first hour viz. 2.6 mm for males and 8.4 mm for females. A detailed follow up during the second hour revealed that 80% were within the norm for the second hour. The second hour elevations in apparently healthy subjects never exceeded 42 mm into the pathological range which would invalidate its use as a screening test in Nigeria for a young student population. The effects of standardization of technique and the changing age-nutrition parameters of populations on the phenomenon of erythrocyte sedimentation is evaluated in the context of the view that the 'African normal' is higher than in temperate countries.