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Introduction: C-reactive protein (CRP), urea, albumin, CRP/albumin ratio (CAR) and urea/albumin ratio (UAR) could be valuable biomarkers for determining the severity of illness in patients with COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the association between these markers and disease severity in COVID-19 patients on admission and days five to seven after admission. Methods: This retrospective study includes 153 adult COVID-19 patients admitted to Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II and Hospital Ampang from January 2021 to December 2021. Patients' serum CRP, urea, albumin and creatinine levels were recorded on admission and on days five to seven after admission. The patients were categorised based on the Annex 2e guidelines published by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia and further classified as mild to moderate disease (stages 1-3) and severe to critical illness (stages 4-5). Results: On admission, urea, creatinine, CRP, UAR and CAR were significantly higher in the severe to critical group (p<0.001). The optimal cut-off value for the UAR was 0.16; the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.760, and sensitivity and specificity were 63.6% and 85.7%, respectively. The AUC of the CAR was 0.752, with 54.2% sensitivity and 91.4% specificity at an optimal cut-off value of 1.63. In severe to critical COVID-19 patients, albumin levels decreased significantly on days five to seven after admission, while urea levels remained significantly higher in this group (p<0.001, p<0.05, respectively). Conclusion: CRP, urea, albumin, CAR and UAR are promising biomarkers for predicting the severity of disease in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: N-Carboxymethyllysine (CML) is involved in diabetic nephropathy (DN) via production of oxidative stress, growth factors and cytokines. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker associated with diabetes risk. This study is to determine the level of serum CML and CRP in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and healthy subjects and to determine the correlation between CML and CRP with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in T2DM patients. Methods: This is a case-control study on 73 T2DM patients without nephropathy, 74 T2DM patients with nephropathy and 73 healthy subjects, aged from 18 to 65 years old. Fasting venous blood was taken and analysed for CML, CRP, HbA1c, and creatinine. The comparisons of serum CML and CRP among the three groups and the correlation between CML and CRP with HbA1c (in T2DM patients) were determined. Results: The differences in CML [median (Interquartile Range) (IQR)] between healthy subjects [131.80 (73.56) ng/ml] and T2DM patients without nephropathy [188.80 (55.95) ng/ml]; between healthy subjects and T2DM patients with nephropathy [237.70 (439.04) ng/ml] were statistically significant (P<0.001). The differences in CRP [median (IQR)] between healthy subjects [1.64 (1.91) ng/ml] and T2DM patients without nephropathy [2.15 (5.64) ng/ml]; between healthy subjects and T2DM patients with nephropathy [4.75 (6.91) ng/ml] were statistically significant (P<0.001). Logistic regression showed CML and CRP are independent predictors of diabetic groups. There was no correlation between HbA1c with CML and CRP in T2DM groups. Conclusion: Since serum CML and CRP are independent predictors of DN, their levels can be used to identify high-risk diabetic patients prone to developing DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is used to monitor glycaemic control and predict diabetic complications. Measurement of HbA1c can be interfered by haemoglobin (Hb) variant and other Hb derivatives include carbamylated Hb and elevated labile A1c. This study is to determine the percentages and type of interferences during HbA1c analysis and the percentages of nonreportable HbA1c results. This is a cross-sectional study using retrospective data of HbA1c. The HbA1c is measured on Biorad D10 using the ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography method. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 26,560 patients were included. The result showed the presence of interferences of 2269 (8.56%). The most common causes of the interferences were the Hb variant (8.48%) followed by carbamylated Hb and labile A1c (0.03% each). The non-reportable HbA1c results were 0.46% with the Hb variant contributed most of the causes. By knowing the presence of interferences particularly the Hb variant, the HbA1c results hopefully are interpreted with caution and correct management can be given to the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Procalcitonin (PCT) has attracted significant attention as a novel biomarker of sepsis. This study aimed to assess the agreement between blood results of PCT, obtained using the Finecare™ FIA Meter Plus (FS113), a pointof- care (POC) procalcitonin testing device, and the automated Elecsys® BRAHMS PCT assay on the Cobas e411, among critically ill septic patients. Methodology: This observational study was conducted in the intensive care unit of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, in 2021. Whole blood samples were collected and tested with the Finecare™ FIA Meter Plus (FS113) (Wondfo, China) for PCT measurement. Additionally, the same whole blood samples were centrifuged to produce plasma samples, which were then analyzed using the automated Elecsys® BRAHMS PCT assay on the Cobas e411 (Roche Diagnostics, Germany). Results: A total of 40 samples were analyzed in this study. Both PCT measurement techniques demonstrated a significant correlation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. Regression analysis revealed the following results: an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) slope of 0.91 (95% CI 0.83, 1.00) with an intercept of 1.27 (95% CI -0.75, 3.29); a Deming slope of 0.95 (95% CI 0.80, 1.10) with an intercept of 0.77 (95% CI -0.44, 1.85); and a Passing-Bablok slope of 1.16 (95% CI 0.99, 1.36) with an intercept of 0.22 (95% CI 0.08, 0.58). Conclusion: The point-of-care procalcitonin measurement provided by the Finecare™ FIA Meter Plus presents a viable alternative for assessing procalcitonin levels among septic patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]