The main laboratory characteristic of lupus anticoagulants (LA) is their ability to prolong phospholipid-dependent clotting time in vitro. The laboratory demonstration of LA requires a systematic approach combined with an awareness of the many variables that can affect test results. The ideal testing procedures are those sensitive enough to detect weak LA and specific enough so as not to produce incorrect conclusions. International guidelines have been published to assist laboratories in applying correct testing processes. The most recently published guidelines from the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis update the criteria for detecting the presence of LA that were presented in the 1995 guidelines. Some of the specific recommendations relate to the key areas of setting cut-off levels for screening, mixing, and confirmatory procedures. The more challenging aspects of testing for LA include maintaining sensitivity and specificity of the assays, especially in the presence of anticoagulant therapy.

Mixing tests are a relatively simple procedure used in the hemostasis laboratory as a first-line investigation into the cause of an abnormal screening test, typically a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and/or a prolonged prothrombin time. The mixing test involves combining the test plasma with normal plasma, then repeating the screening test on the mixture to assess whether the clotting time becomes normal or remains prolonged. The primary purpose of a mixing test is to guide further investigations. When mixing test results "normalize," this suggests the test plasma is deficient in clotting factor(s) and thus specific factor assays can be performed to determine which are reduced. When the mixing test result does not "normalize," this suggests the presence of an inhibitor or other type of interference (e.g., the presence of an anticoagulant such as high-dose heparinoids), and so the laboratory needs to determine if this is a lupus anticoagulant or a specific coagulation factor inhibitor, or another type of inhibitor. Because these follow-up investigations are more costly and time-consuming than the basic screening tests, the appropriate performance and interpretation of mixing tests is advantageous for the laboratory. Moreover, the correct laboratory approach is also clinically relevant, as patient management is ultimately affected, and an incorrect interpretation may lead to inappropriate therapies being established. Components of a mixing test that can influence result interpretation include the sensitivity of the used screening reagents to various factor deficiencies and inhibitors, the source or composition of the normal plasma, and the setting of cutoffs for the formula used in expressing mixing test results. Numerous and differing criteria for mixing test interpretation have been suggested historically, which can lead to confusion as to which approach is the most appropriate. The use of differing criteria will also lead to differing interpretations regarding "normalization." For this pivotal reason, standardized mixing test procedures and a consistent set of validated interpretive criteria represent the most favorable approach to maximizing the utility of a mixing test, and ensure the most accurate diagnosis for investigated patients.

Only modest advances in AML therapy have occurred in the past decade and relapse due to residual disease remains the major challenge. The potential of the immune system to address this is evident in the success of allogeneic transplantation, however this leads to considerable morbidity. Dendritic cell (DC) vaccination can generate leukemia-specific autologous immunity with little toxicity. Promising results have been achieved with vaccines developed from purified monocytes (Mo-DC). We now demonstrate that blood DC (BDC) have superior function to Mo-DC. Whilst BDC are reduced at diagnosis in AML, they recover following chemotherapy and allogeneic transplantation, can be purified using CMRF-56 antibody technology, and can stimulate functional T cell responses. While most AML patients in remission had a relatively normal T cell landscape, those who had received fludarabine as salvage therapy have persistent T cell abnormalities including reduced number, altered subset distribution, failure to expand, and increased activation-induced cell death. Furthermore, PD-1 and TIM-3 are increased on CD4T cells in AML patients in remission and their blockade enhances the expansion of leukemia-specific T cells. This confirms the feasibility of a BDC vaccine to consolidate remission in AML and suggests it should be tested in conjunction with checkpoint blockade.

The CELL-DYN Emerald was generally comparable to the larger reference analyzer for both human and mouse samples. It would be suitable for use in satellite research laboratories or as a backup system in larger laboratories.

Patients with β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease have a population of HbF-containing cells which are phenotypically similar to fetal cells. Even with dual-color flow cytometry (FCCK), the detection and quantification of FMH by flow cytometry in this population remains difficult. © 2017 International Clinical Cytometry Society.