PurposeIn this study, we evaluated C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-8, procalcitonin (PCT), and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) as predictors for bacterial infection in febrile neutropenia, plus their usefulness in febrile neutropenia during chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal mucositis.MethodsPlasma was obtained from pediatric oncology patients at presentation with febrile neutropenia (n = 43) and 24–48 h later (n = 17). The patients were classified as having or not having a bacterial infection. Plasma was also obtained of patients in the absence and in the presence of mucositis (n = 26).ResultsAt presentation with febrile neutropenia, median IL-8 and PCT levels were significantly increased in patients with a bacterial infection, in contrast to CRP and sTREM-1. IL-8 was the most sensitive marker for the early detection of bacterial infection, in combination with clinical parameters or PCT the sensitivity reached 100%. After 24–48 h, only PCT was significantly elevated during bacterial infection. IL-8 levels were significantly increased during mucositis. Mucositis did not cause considerable changes in PCT levels.ConclusionsIL-8 is the most useful marker for the early detection of bacterial infections, compared with CRP, PCT, and sTREM-1. IL-8 in combination with clinical parameters or PCT might be even more useful. Gastrointestinal mucositis alone does not affect PCT levels, in contrast to IL-8 levels, and therefore, PCT might be more useful for the detection of bacterial infections during mucositis than IL-8.

D-dimer tests are an essential element in the diagnostic work-up of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, the poor standardization amongst assays necessitates clinical validation before implementation in daily practice. We therefore evaluated the analytical and diagnostic performance of eight D-dimer tests in a representative group of 290 prospectively identified consecutive primary care patients with suspected DVT. Seven quantitative D-dimer assays, and a qualitative test, Simplify, were evaluated. Correlation between assays was generally poor and several assays showed a significant bias in the method comparison. Nevertheless, the Vidas D-dimer, Innovance D-dimer (CA1500 and BCS), Pathfast D-dimer, and HemosIL HS500 (ACL TOP), all displayed 100% (95% CI: 85-100%) sensitivity. Tina-quant (Modular), AQT90 D-dimer, and Liatest (STA(®)) D-dimer tests showed a slightly lower sensitivity of 95% (78-100%). and the Simplify test reached a sensitivity of 91% (72-99%) that was further improved in combination with a clinical decision rule to 95% (76-100%). In concert with the low (8.2%) prevalence of proximal DVT, diagnosed by compression ultrasonography, in our study, all test reached a negative predictive value (NPV) of at least 99%. The user friendliness of the assays differed mainly by stability of reagents, calibration frequency, time required to obtain a test result and costs of a test. In conclusion, despite considerable analytical differences, in our low-risk population all tests evaluated displayed an excellent NPV. In combination with a validated clinical decision rule to identify low-risk patients, even a straightforward POC solution could safely and cost-efficiently rule out DVT.

It has remained unclear whether the amount of fecal fat excreted in the stool and stool production influences the severity of neonatal jaundice. We determined the relationship between stool production, fecal fat excretion and jaundice in healthy breast-fed (BF) or formula-fed (FF) (near-)term neonates. From postnatal day 1-4, we quantitatively collected stools from 27 FF and 33 BF infants in daily fractions. Stool production and fecal fat contents were related to unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) levels, as determined by transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TcB). Bilirubin concentrations and stool production did not differ between FF and BF neonates during the study period. Neonatal bilirubin levels were not inversely correlated with stool production. FF and BF infants had similar fecal fat excretion rates. The stool production of FF infants was profoundly lower in the present study than in a 1985 study by De Carvalho et al. [J Pediatr (1985) 107:786-790]. We conclude that increased jaundice during the first postnatal days in healthy term neonates can no longer be attributed to breast-feeding and speculate that improved absorbability of formulas since 1985 has contributed to similar fat excretion and stool production in FF and BF neonates in 2007.

Light transmission aggregometry (LTA) is considered the gold standard method for evaluation of platelet function. However, there are a lot of variation in protocols (pre-analytical procedures and agonist concentrations) and results. The aim of our study was to establish a national LTA protocol, to investigate the effect of standardization and to define national reference values for LTA. The SSC guideline was used as base for a national procedure. Almost all recommendations of the SSC were followed e.g. no adjustment of PRP, citrate concentration of 109 mM, 21 needle gauge, fasting, resting time for whole blood and PRP, centrifugation time, speed and agonists concentrations. LTA of healthy volunteers was measured in a total of 16 hospitals with 5 hospitals before and after standardization. Results of more than 120 healthy volunteers (maximum aggregation %) were collected, with participating laboratories using 4 different analyzers with different reagents. Use of low agonist concentrations showed high variation before and after standardization, with the exception of collagen. For most high agonist concentrations (ADP, collagen, ristocetin, epinephrine and arachidonic acid) variability in healthy subjects decreased after standardization. We can conclude that a standardized Dutch protocol for LTA, based on the SSC guideline, does not result in smaller variability in healthy volunteers for all agonist concentrations.