Accuprobe Awareness

Dengue fever is a viral disease caused by any of four closely related serotypes of flavivirus (RNA virus). Aedes mosquito particularly aedes aegyptii is a vector transmitting it to human beings. Most parts of India are dengue epidemis because of overcrowding and poor sanitation and civic bodies. As cases of adult dengue fever increases after monsoons it also affects pregnant females. The clinical manifestations, treatment and outcome of dengue in pregnant women are similar to those of nonpregnant patients. Few areas of concern shall be briefly touched in this article. Classical dengue fever is characterized by sudden high fever, severe headache, retro-orbital pain and non specific body aches. Sometimes, ecchymosis or rash develop or bleeding symptoms appear. Dengue infections can sometimes also accompany potentially fatal complications that can cause shock, bleeding or organ damage.  Hence, a pregnant female should always be worked for suspected dengue infection. Misdiag...

Lipemia is the increased concentration of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in blood resulting in the cloudy/turbid appearance of serum or plasma. Lipemia in a blood specimen used for clinical evaluation can cause significant interference with obtaining accurate test values. Lipemia creates turbidity of a sample and is a result of the accumulation of lipid particles (mainly due to the presence of chylomicrons). These large particles create light scatter, resulting in elevated absorbance levels that impact colorimetric determinations. Many clinical analytes are found in the aqueous layer of plasma/serum, thus decreasing certain test values in lipemic specimens, while lipid-soluble analytes may be erroneously elevated.  Lipemia causes clinically significant interferences for level of phosphorus, creatinine, total protein, calcium etc.  Mechanism of Interference Light scattering effects may increase absorbances during end point reactions and non-blanked r...