National Center for Clinical Laboratories

Age at first live birth modifies the association between age at menarche and breast cancer risk in the UK Biobank cohort

Abstract Background Early menarche is an established risk factor for breast cancer (BC), but it remains unclear whether this elevated risk can be modified by later-life reproductive events. Methods We analysed data from 254,578 women in the UK Biobank using Cox proportional hazar...

Commutability Assessment of Materials for Serum Copper Measurement Using the IFCC Difference-in-Bias and the CLSI EP30 Approaches

Background: Evidence on the commutability of material for serum copper when assessing multiple material categories and assay pairs remains limited. Methods: We evaluated 21 reference materials for serum copper across four routine colorimetric systems and an inductively coupled pl...

Stakeholder Perspectives on Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Nurse‐Led Diabetic Plantar Pressure Assessment and Management: A Multicentre Group Concept Mapping Study

ABSTRACT Aim To comprehensively identify, conceptualize and map the barriers and facilitators influencing the implementation of nurse‐led diabetic plantar pressure assessment and management (NL‐DPPAM) from a multicentre, multi‐stakeholder perspective and to construct a priority a...

Cerebellar Glutamate Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Alterations Correlated With Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease

ABSTRACT The role of cerebellar glutamatergic dysfunction in cognitive impairment of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains poorly understood. Glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) imaging enables noninvasive assessment of regional glutamate levels. To investigate t...

Residual lipid-related proteomic and metabolomic signatures associated with major adverse cardiovascular events after revascularization in peripheral artery disease

Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) remain at high risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after lower-extremity revascularization. In contemporary practice, widespread lipid-lowering therapy may reduce the discriminatory value of conventional lipid paramete...

Multicenter evaluation of Coyote FlashDetect LyocartE multiplex assays for six respiratory pathogens: a comparative analysis with Sansure and Cepheid assays

ABSTRACT Respiratory diseases caused by common respiratory pathogens, such as influenza A/B (Flu A/B), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), share many of the same symptom...

Multi-omics profiling identifies neuroinflammation-related genes and exosomal miRNA as robust diagnostic signatures for Parkinson’s disease

Neuroinflammation is a pivotal driver that amplifies the pathogenic cascade within the Parkinsonian brain. Nevertheless, the pathogenic drivers connecting neuroinflammation to PD pathogenesis remain unclear. To elucidate their diagnostic and therapeutic implications, this researc...

Can digital gait biomarkers complement the WHO intrinsic capacity framework in fall risk stratification? A cross-sectional exploratory analysis

The World Health Organization (WHO) Intrinsic Capacity (IC) framework serves as a holistic construct for healthy aging and fall risk screening. However, current IC assessments predominantly rely on subjective reports or macroscopic physical tests, which may lack the sensitivity t...

Incidence and risk factors for rotator cuff retear after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in middle-aged and older patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Rotator cuff retear remains a major challenge after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR), particularly among middle-aged and older patients. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of retear and identify its associated risk factors in this patient pop...

Oral anticoagulation therapy in nonagenarian patients with atrial fibrillation: usage patterns, predictors, and in-hospital outcomes from a single-center retrospective study

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is highly prevalent in nonagenarians (≥ 90 years). However, this group is often excluded from clinical trials, leaving limited real-world evidence on oral anticoagulant (OAC) use, safety, and efficacy. This study sought to investigate...

Benchmarking RNA-seq with the Quartet and MAQC reference materials to establish best practices for accurate alternative splicing analysis

Previous limited characterization of short-read RNA-seq (srRNA-seq) accuracy in alternative splicing (AS) analysis due to methodological diversity and lack of reference standards, has left unclear how to achieve optimal performance—an issue increasingly critical with the rise of...

Burden of Crohn’s disease in East Asia: a 34-year analysis with projections to 2060

Abstract Purpose Crohn’s disease has transitioned from a rare condition to a significant public health concern in East Asia, yet comparative evidence across countries and long-term projections remain limited. We assess national trends in the burden of Crohn’s disease in China, Ja...

Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess factors affecting the role effectiveness of intravenous therapy specialist nurses in Beijing, China

Despite the growing workforce of intravenous therapy (IV) specialist nurses in China, substantial underutilization remains a significant challenge. The effective use of IV specialist nurses is influenced by a complex interplay of factors. However, no comprehensive instrument curr...

Intraoperative titanium clip localization versus preoperative medical glue localization for pulmonary nodules: a prospective cohort study

Preoperative CT-guided percutaneous localization of pulmonary nodules is widely used in clinical practice but is often associated with localization-related complications. Intraoperative titanium clip localization may provide a safer localization strategy. This study aimed to comp...