title: The stability of markers in dried-blood spots for recommended newborn screening disorders in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  We 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimizing both humidity and temperature in DBS transportation and storage environments is essential to maintaining sample integrity.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. BAdam@cdc.gov
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sternberg
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simms
authors.forename: L X
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: De Jesus
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hannon
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D043523:Biotinidase / Q000097:blood; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D059788:Dried Blood Spot Testing; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D006537:Heptanoates / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009227:Myristic Acids / Q000097:blood; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D011309:Preservation, Biological; D055550:Protein Stability; D005694:UTP-Hexose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase / Q000097:blood; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006537:Heptanoates; D009227:Myristic Acids; C513202:hydroxybutyrylcarnitine; C538774:myristoylcarnitine; C020804:succinylacetone; D001120:Arginine; D005694:UTP-Hexose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase; D043523:Biotinidase; D002331:Carnitine