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Simone M Castro, Raquel Weber, Vivian Dadalt, Vanessa F Santos, George J Reclos, Kenneth A Pass, Roberto Giugliani, Evaluation of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Stability in Blood Samples under Different Collection and Storage Conditions, Clinical Chemistry, Volume 51, Issue 6, 1 June 2005, Pages 1080–1081, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2005.048520
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To the Editor:
Fujimoto et al. (1) reported that the stability of galactose 1-phosphate in dried blood spots for neonatal screening was adversely affected by humidity and temperature, especially when low-value samples are evaluated. We extend these findings to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD; EC 1.1.1.49) activity, deficiency of which is by far the most common genetic disease worldwide (2) and accounts for more than one-half of the cases of severe jaundice among male newborns in Greece, China, and in Sephardic Jewish groups (3). Tests for G-6-PD deficiency are thus included in newborn screening programs in some regions.
We collected whole-blood specimens from 20 volunteers and spotted them on filter papers (Schleicher & Schuell no. 903) or placed them in EDTA tubes. G-6-PD activity was measured on the day of collection, and samples were immediately divided into 8 portions. Portions 1–4 were dried on filter paper and stored at room temperature, 2–8 °C, −20 °C, and 37 °C, respectively. Portions 5–8 were stored as whole blood under the same conditions. Subsequent assays were performed on days 3, 10, and 15. Whenever dried blood spots were used, we allowed them to dry at room temperature for 6 h and then placed them in air-tight plastic bags with desiccants, from which we eliminated air by squeezing the bag before closing. Thus, the effect of refrigeration and ambient room humidity was minimized.
