Background: Estimation of glucose is very important in clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. The core aim of clinical laboratory service is to produce accurate, precise and reliable test results. The ability of laboratories to do this lies in the availability of well trained personnel, equipment, electricity etc. There has been a progressive increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Nigeria and the burden is expected to increase even further and the need for proper diagnosis cannot be overemphasized. Aim: In this study we have tried to evaluate the impact of delayed separation of plasma and serum from cells and clot on glucose level. Method: A total of fifty (50) randomly selected apparently healthy students of Federal School of Medical Laboratory Technology (Science), Jos were recruited as subject into this study. Blood samples were collected from each of the subjects into plain and anticoagulant bottles for serum and plasma respectively. An aliquot was analyzed within 10 minutes to obtain a baseline value where other values after timely delays were compared. The samples were spun but not separated from the cells/clot all through the period of the analysis. Blood glucose was determined by glucose Oxidase Colourimetric assay kit obtained from Randox Laboratories Limited United Kingdom. Data were analyzed using student’s t-test and performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: Result obtained shows the mean and standard deviation of all timing for plasma and serum. In plasma it shows that the means±SD of 2, 4 and 24hours (5.2±0.7, 5.1±0.4 and 5.3±0.5 respectively) were not significantly varied when compared to the baseline (0 hour) value (5.3±0.5). That of baseline and 24 hours (5.3±0.5 and5.3±0.5 respectively) were significantly higher (P<0.001) than that of 48 and 74 hours (1.0±0.20 and 7±0.2 respectively). In serum, similar results were obtained. Conclusion: In conclusion, where possible, it is advised that the established best practices in processing and analysis of samples be adhered to. However, the results of this work shows reasonably stable results for blood glucose determination could be obtained within 24 hours. Therefore, instead of discarding the sample, it might seem more appropriate that the sample be analyzed and the result reported indicating the number of hours delayed within 24hours.

Background: The human body is constantly exposed to chemicals and other substances injurious to health from the environments, foods etc. These substances are taken into the body either consciously or unconsciously through the mouth, nose, and skin which often lead to oxidative stress, gene mutation, direct injury on cells and tissue, alteration of immune system etc, resulting in cancer development and other chronic and acute health challenges and death. This study is aimed at assessing the health risks due to chronic exposure to non-combusted Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and appraising the potential inflammatory and liver problem among its vendors who did not wear Personal Protective Equipments (PPE). Methods: Forty-one apparently healthy Liquefied Petroleum Gas sellers and Forty-one apparently healthy non Liquefied Petroleum Gas sellers/user (control), aged 18 to 50 years were recruited for this study. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was determined by taking the ratio of weights in Kg to the square of heights in meters. Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) was estimated by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), 2-butanol was estimated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), ALT and AST were estimated using Colorimetric method. Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s correlation at p<0.05. Results: From the results obtained, AST, ALT and BMI did not show significant variation but TNF-α and 2-butanol showed a significant variation compared to control. TNF-α and 2-butanol showed a significant positive correlation among the exposed group. The duration of exposure does not appear to cause a significant difference in the levels of the biochemical parameters. Conclusion: This study therefore showed that exposure to Liquefied Petroleum Gas has no effect on anthropometric and liver parameter but appears to cause significant elevation of TNF-α and 2-butanol, meaning that sellers may be predisposed to inflammation. It is therefore recommended that vendors of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) always wear their PPE to avoid deleterious effect on their health.