| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970839 | Clinical Biochemistry | 2011 | 6 Pages |
ObjectiveWe aimed to measure separately the contributions of heat and humidity to changes in levels of 34 markers of inborn disorders in dried-blood-spot (DBS) samples.Design and methodsWe stored paired sets of DBSs at 37 °C for predetermined intervals in low-humidity and high-humidity environments. Marker levels of all samples in each complete sample set were measured in a single analytic run.ResultsDuring the 30 ± 5 day studies, galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase and biotinidase lost almost 65% of initial activities in low-humidity storage; most of the degradation in 27 other markers was attributable to adverse effects of high-humidity storage; seven markers in DBSs stored at high humidity lost more than 90% of initial levels by the end of the study and 4 of the 7 lost more than 50% of initial levels within the first week of storage.ConclusionsMinimizing both humidity and temperature in DBS transportation and storage environments is essential to maintaining sample integrity.
►We stored paired sets of blood-spots at 37 °C for 30 ± 5 days at low- and high-humidity. ►We measured marker levels of all samples in each set in a single analytic run. ►High blood-spot storage humidity caused most of the loss of 27 disorder markers. ►High (37 °C) blood-spot storage temperature caused most of the loss of 4 markers. ►Little of the marker losses were recovered by extending blood-spot elution times.
