Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. A large proportion of PCa are latent, never destined to progress or affect the patients’ life. It is of utmost importance to identify which PCa are destined to progress and which would benefit from an early radical treatment. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) remains the most used test to detect PCa. Its limited specificity and an elevated rate of overdiagnosis are the main problems associated with PSA testing. New PCa biomarkers have been proposed to improve the accuracy of PSA in the management of early PCa. Commercially available biomarkers such as PCA3 score, Prostate Health Index (PHI), and the four-kallikrein panel are used with the purpose of reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies and providing information related to the aggressiveness of the tumor. The relationship with PCa aggressiveness seems to be confirmed by PHI and the four-kallikrein panel, but not by the PCA3 score. In this review, we also summarize new promising biomarkers, such as PSA glycoforms, TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene, microRNAs, circulating tumor cells, androgen receptor variants, and PTEN gene. All these emerging biomarkers could change the management of early PCa, offering more accurate results than PSA. Nonetheless, large prospective studies comparing these new biomarkers among them are required to know their real value in PCa detection and prognosis.

These results suggest that galectin-3 could help to monitor the risk of short-term mortality in unselected patients with AHF attended in the ED.

Resumen Objetivos Atellica Solution (AS) es una plataforma que permite incorporar módulos de bioquímica e inmunoanálisis y almacenar controles de calidad internos (CC) en su interior gracias al módulo de refrigeración (MR). El objetivo del estudio es analizar el tiempo máximo de estabilidad de los CC almacenados en su interior. Métodos Se analizaron 48 magnitudes mediante materiales CC: Liquid Assayed Multiqual (MQ), Liquichek Immunology (LI), Liquichek Lipids (LL), y Liquichek Urine Chemistry (UC). La variación en los resultados (Xt %) se calculó comparando el promedio del análisis realizado en cada momento (Xt) con el promedio realizado en el momento inicial del estudio (Xo), y se expresó como un cambio porcentual: (Xt%) = (Xt/Xo) × 100. La estabilidad se evaluó de acuerdo con el límite de cambio total (LCT) el cual combina la variabilidad analítica y biológica: LCT = ±√((1,65 × CVa)2 + (0,5 × CVb)2) Resultados Un total de 40 de las 48 magnitudes estudiadas fueron estables al finalizar el estudio. En el caso del CC MQ y el UC 32 de las 39 magnitudes fueron estables durante los 15 días del estudio, excepto fosfatasa alcalina, aspartato aminotransferasa, calcio, lactato deshidrogenasa y bilirrubina total en MQ y cloro y glucosa en UC. En los CC LI, LL 8 de las 9 magnitudes fueron estables durante los 20 días del estudio, a excepción de la transferrina en LI. Conclusiones El módulo de refrigeración de Atellica Solution es un sistema fiable para mantener almacenados los materiales de control de calidad.

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Objectives Atellica Solution (AS) is a platform that incorporates immunoassay and chemistry modules. AS is fitted with a refrigerated storage module (RSM) for internal quality controls (QC). The objective of this study was to assess the maximum permissible storage time in AS for QCs. Methods A total of 48 analytes were tested using QC materials: Liquid Assayed Multiqual (MQ), Liquichek Immunology (LI), Liquichek Lipids (LL), and Liquichek Urine Chemistry (UC). The percentage of variation between results (Xt%) was calculated as the difference between the mean value of the triplicate performed at every time point of the study (Xt) and the average of the triplicate performed in the baseline time (Xo). Stability was assessed based on the total change limit (TCL), which combines analytical and biological variation: TCL=±√((1.65 * CVa)2 + (0.5 * CVb)2). Results A total of 40 of the 48 analytes tested remained stable at the end of the study. In relation to MQ and UC QCs, 32 of the 39 analytes remained stable for the whole study period (15 days) except for alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, lactate dehydrogenase, and total bilirubin in MQ, and chlorine and glucose in UC. In LI and LL QCs, eight of the nine analytes were stable throughout the 20 days of the study, except transferrin in LI. Conclusions The Atellica Solution refrigerated storage module is a reliable system for the storage of quality control materials.