CENTRUM
KLINISCH LABORATORIUM
ARTIKELS ABSTRACT 1 Combined oropharyngeal/nasal swab is equivalent to nasopharyngeal sampling for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic PCR Desmet T, De Paepe P, Boelens J, Coorevits L, et al. BMC Microbiology, 2021, 21(1), 31
ABSTRACT Early 2020, a COVID-19 epidemic became a public health emergency of international concern. To address this pandemic broad testing with an easy, comfortable and reliable testing method is of utmost concern. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab sampling is the reference method though hampered by international supply shortages. A new oropharyngeal/nasal (OP/N) sampling method was investigated using the more readily available throat swab. 35 patients were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by means of either NP or OP/N sampling. The paired swabs were both positive in 31 patients. The one patient who tested negative on both NP and OP/N swab on admission, was ultimately diagnosed on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. A strong correlation was found between the viral RNA loads of the paired swabs (r = 0.76; P < 0.05). The sensitivity of NP and OP/N analysis in hospitalized patients (n = 28) was 89.3% and 92.7% respectively. This study demonstrates equivalence of NP and OP/N sampling for detection of SARS-CoV-2 by means of rRT-PCR. Sensitivity of both NP and OP/N sampling is very high in hospitalized patients.
liver and kidney dysfunction. The patient was transferred to the medium care unit of our hospital where she was observed for possible organ failure. During the next days, the kidney function improved and liver function started to recover. Four days after admission, the patient was transferred to the psychiatric ward. Urine, serum, plasma and whole-blood samples were analyzed for ricinine using a quantitative LC–MS-MS method. Initial values on admission (serum and urine) were very high in comparison with previously reported cases. Based on these values, the patient was monitored closely in the following days. The patient made a full recovery, and during the course of hospitalization, concentrations of ricinine in plasma/serum, blood and urine gradually declined. The presence of ricinine in a patient’s blood or plasma is a proof of castor bean and, hence, ricin exposure. However, based on this case and previously reported cases in literature, we can conclude that no clear correlation can be established between ricinine blood, plasma or urine levels and the severity of the intoxication. Clinicians should be aware of the potential danger of a ricin intoxication, and patients should be monitored closely for several days due to the unpredictable outcome of the intoxication.
ABTSTRACT 3 A G316A polymorphism in the ornithine decarboxylase gene promoter modulates MYCN-driven childhood neuroblastoma Gamble LD, Purgato S, Van Maerken T, et al. Cancers, 2021, 13(8), 1807
ABSTRACT ABSTRACT 2 Non-lethal intoxication by ingestion of 50 castor beans: serial measurement of ricinine in blood, plasma and urine Lefever S, Geerts I, Vermeulen E, Croes K, et al. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2021, 45(5), e8-e12, doi:10.1093/jat/bkaa139
ABSTRACT A 30-year-old woman presented to the emergency department 2 days after ingestion of 50 castor beans. Her symptoms on admission were vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, agitation and anxiety. Initial laboratory tests showed a slightly elevated C-reactive protein and mild
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ABSTRACTBOEK | 2021
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC1), a critical regulatory enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, is a direct transcriptional target of MYCN, amplification of which is a powerful marker of aggressive neuroblastoma. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), G316A, within the first intron of ODC1, results in genotypes wildtype GG, and variants AG/AA. CRISPR-cas9 technology was used to investigate the effects of AG clones from wildtype MYCN-amplified SK-N-BE(2)-C cells and the effect of the SNP on MYCN binding, and promoter activity was investigated using EMSA and luciferase assays. AG clones exhibited decreased ODC1 expression, growth rates, and histone acetylation and increased sensitivity to ODC1 inhibition. MYCN was a stronger transcriptional regulator of the ODC1 promoter containing the G allele, and
