The comparison of the three assays for determination of fecal calprotectin in inflammatory bowel disease

IntroductionFecal calprotectin is a biomarker for monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity. Our aim, therefore, was to evaluate two new assays, the point of care test Quantum Blue and the Liaison Calprotectin with respect to the Calprest, commonly used assay, and to determine their performance for IBD diagnosis.Materials and methodsWe included 73 prospective patients with IBD. Fecal calprotectin was measured and analysed with the routine Calprest assay and two recently introduced assays, the Quantum Blue and the Liaison Calprotectin. Furthermore, we compared the results by Bland and Altman analysis, and Passing-Bablok regression.ResultsWe observed no difference in median calprotectin values obtained by the Calprest (94.6 µg/g, 95%CI 66.5 to 166.1) and Liaison assay (101.0 µg/g, 95%CI 48.1 to 180.1) whereas significantly higher concentrations were obtained with the Quantum Blue assay (240.0 µg/g, 95%CI 119.9 to 353.2). The mean absolute and relative difference between the Calprest and Quantum Blue methods was statistically significant (- 162.3 µg/g and
- 143.1%). Mean absolute difference between the Calprest and Liaison calprotectin methods was positive (2.2 µg/g). The agreement between assays revealed that Quantum Blue and Calprest have fair agreement with Kappa coefficient of 0.38 (95%CI 0.26 to 0.51). Liaison Calprotectin and Calprest revealed moderate agreement with a weak Kappa coefficient of 0.47 (95%CI 0.32 to 0.62).ConclusionClinicians should be aware of these differences between the assays and avoid comparison of their respective results.     

Bilirubin Interference in Serum Creatinine Estimation by Jaffe’s kinetic Method and Its Rectification in Three Different Kits

The negative interference by bilirubin in serum creatinine estimation by Jaffe’s kinetic method is well known. Several approaches have been suggested to overcome this interference. In this article three different creatinine kits (Jaffe’s kinetic method) have been tested for bilirubin interference and its rectification using two simple approaches. The performance of three kits (A, B and C) supplied by three different manufacturers was tested using IQC and EQAS sera and pooled serum with added bilirubin. To overcome the bilirubin interference two approaches viz. NaOH preincubation and TCA precipitation were used. Bilirubin did interfere in creatinine estimation after a certain level (2.3 mg/dl). However, both NaOH preincubation and TCA precipitation approach rectified this interference. The performance of kit A was better than kit B and C. All the three kits showed bilirubin interference upon increasing the bilirubin concentration but kit A performed better than kit B and C. However, NaOH incubation and TCA precipitation methods overcame this interference to a great extent.     

Post-collection acidification of spot urine sample is not needed before measurement of electrolytes

IntroductionKidney stone formers can have higher oxalate and phosphate salt amounts in their urine than healthy people and we hypothesized that its acidification may be useful. The study aims to compare results of urine concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and inorganic phosphorus in the midstream portion of first voided morning urine samples without (FMU) and with post-collection acidification (FMUa) in kidney stone patients.Materials and methodsThis is a prospective single center study. A total of 138 kidney stone patients with spot urine samples were included in the study. Urine concentrations of calcium, magnesium and inorganic phosphorus were measured with and without post-collection acidification. Acidification was performed by adding 5 µL of 6 mol/L HCl to 1 mL of urine.ResultsThe median age (range) of all participants was 56 (18-87) years. The median paired differences between FMU and FMUa concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and inorganic phosphorus were: - 0.040 mmol/L, 0.035 mmol/L, and 0.060 mmol/L, respectively. They were statistically different: P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.004, respectively. These differences are not clinically significant because biological variations of these markers are much higher.ConclusionsNo clinically significant differences in urinary calcium, magnesium, and inorganic phosphorus concentrations between FMU and FMUa in patients with kidney stones were found.     

The effect of extremely high glucose concentrations on 21 routine chemistry and thyroid Abbott assays: interference study

Introduction

Extremely high glucose concentrations have been shown to interfere with creatinine assays especially with Jaffe method in peritoneal dialysate. Because diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the world, laboratories study with varying glucose concentrations. We investigated whether different levels of glucose spiked in serum interfere with 21 routine chemistry and thyroid assays at glucose concentrations between 17-51 mmol/L.

Materials and methods

Baseline (group I) serum pool with glucose concentration of 5.55 (5.44-5.61) mmol/L was prepared from patient sera. Spiking with 20% dextrose solution, sample groups were obtained with glucose concentrations: 17.09, 34.52, and 50.95 mmol/L (group II, III, IV, respectively). Total of 21 biochemistry analytes and thyroid tests were studied on Abbott c8000 and i2000sr with commercial reagents. Bias from baseline value was checked statistically and clinically.

Results

Creatinine increased significantly by 8.74%, 31.66%, 55.31% at groups II, III, IV, respectively with P values of < 0.001. At the median glucose concentration of 50.95 mmol/L, calcium, albumin, chloride and FT4 biased significantly clinically (-0.85%, 1.63%, 0.65%, 7.4% with P values 0.138, 0.214, 0.004, < 0.001, respectively). Remaining assays were free of interference.

Conclusion

Among the numerous biochemical parameters studied, only a few parameters are affected by dramatically increased glucose concentration. The creatinine measurements obtained in human sera with the Jaffe alkaline method at high glucose concentrations should be interpreted with caution. Other tests that were affected with extremely high glucose concentrations were calcium, albumin, chloride and FT4, hence results should be taken into consideration in patients with poor diabetic control.Key words: assay interference, glucose interference, preanalytical phase, creatinine, Jaffe kinetic assay, thyroid function tests     

Biomineralization of a calcifying ureolytic bacterium Microbacterium sp. GM-1

BackgroundBiomineralization is a significant process performed by living organisms in which minerals are produced through the hardening of biological tissues. Herein, we focus on calcium carbonate precipitation, as part of biomineralization, to be used in applications for environmental protection, material technology, and other fields. A strain GM-1, Microbacterium sp. GM-1, isolated from active sludge, was investigated for its ability to produce urease and induce calcium carbonate precipitation in a metabolic process.ResultsIt was discovered that Microbacterium sp. GM-1 resisted high concentrations of urea up to 60 g/L. In order to optimize the calcification process of Microbacterium sp. GM-1, the concentrations of Ni^2 + and urea, pH value, and culture time were analyzed through orthogonal tests. The favored calcite precipitation culture conditions were as follows: the concentration of Ni^2 + and urea were 50 μM and 60 g/L, respectively, pH of 10, and culture time of 96 h. Using X-ray diffraction analysis, the calcium carbonate polymorphs produced by Microbacterium sp. GM-1 were proven to be mainly calcite.ConclusionsThe results of this research provide evidence that Microbacterium sp. GM-1 can biologically induce calcification and suggest that strain GM-1 may play a potential role in the synthesis of new biominerals and in bioremediation or biorecovery.     

中国大陆科研机构在《物理评论快报》上发表论文的特点及启示

【目的】分析中国大陆科研机构在《物理评论快报》(PRL)发表论文情况,进而揭示中国基础物理研究水平和中国物理科技期刊发展的现状。【方法】 以历年中国大陆科研机构在《物理评论快报》发表的论文统计为数据源,从发表论文的时间段、发表论文的作者和作者所属单位等方面进行数据整理和比较。【结果】通过数据比较,发现我国基础物理学研究整体上仍处边缘地位,个别领域有所突破,高水平的论文作者和单位集中程度很高。【结论】中国需要长期稳定支持基础物理学研究,扶持年轻物理学者,同时要努力办好国内的物理学期刊。     

Verification of Atellica 1500 and comparison with Iris urine analyser and urine culture

IntroductionThe aims of study were to assess: 1) performance specifications of Atellica 1500, 2) comparability of Atellica 1500 and Iris, 3) the accuracy of both analysers in their ability to detect bacteria.Materials and methodsCarryover, linearity, precision, reproducibility, and limit of blank (LoB) verification were evaluated for erythrocyte and leukocyte counts. ICSH 2014 protocol was used for estimation of carryover, CLSI EP15-A3 for precision, and CLSI EP17 for LoB verification. Comparison for quantitative parameters was evaluated by Bland-Altman plot and Passing-Bablok regression. Qualitative parameters were evaluated by Weighted kappa analysis. Sixty-five urine samples were randomly selected and sent for urine culture which was used as reference method to determine the accuracy of bacteria detection by analysers.ResultsAnalytical specifications of Atellica 1500 were successfully verified. Total of 393 samples were used for qualitative comparison, while 269 for sediment urinalysis. Bland-Altman analysis showed statistically significant proportional bias for erythrocytes and leukocytes. Passing-Bablok analysis for leukocytes pointed to significant constant and minor proportional difference, while it was not performed for erythrocytes due to significant data deviation from linearity. Kappa analysis resulted in the strongest agreements for pH, ketones, glucose concentrations and leukocytes, while the poorest agreement for bacteria. The sensitivity and specificity of bacteria detection were: 91 (59-100)% and 76 (66-87)% for Atellica 1500 and 46 (17-77)% and 96 (87-100)% for Iris.ConclusionThere are large differences between Atellica 1500 and Iris analysers, due to which they are not comparable and can not be used interchangeably. While there was no difference in specificity of bacteria detection, Iris analyser had greater sensitivity.     

Macroprolactinemia: new insights in hyperprolactinemia

Hypersecretion of prolactin by lactotroph cells of the anterior pituitary may lead to hyperprolactinemia in physiological, pathological and idiopathic conditions. Most patients with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia may have radiologically undetected microprolactinomas, but some may present other causes of hyperprolactinemia described as macroprolactinemia. This condition corresponds to the predominance of higher molecular mass prolactin forms (big-big prolactin, MW > 150 kDa), that have been postulated to represent prolactin monomer complexed with anti-prolactin immunoglobulins or autoantibodies. The prevalence of macroprolactinemia in hyperprolactinemic populations between 15-46% has been reported. In the pathophysiology of macroprolactinemia it seems that pituitary prolactin has antigenicity, leading to the production of anti-prolactin autoantibodies, and these antibodies reduce prolactin bioactivity and delay prolactin clearance. Antibody-bound prolactin is big enough to be confined to vascular spaces, and therefore macroprolactinemia develops due to the delayed clearance of prolactin rather than increased production. Although the clinical symptoms are less frequent in macroprolactinemic patients, they could not be differentiated from true hyperprolactinemic patients, on the basis of clinical features alone. Although gel filtration chromatography (GFC) is known to be the gold standard for detecting macroprolactin, the polyethylene glycol precipitation (PEG) method has offered a simple, cheap, and highly suitable alternative. In conclusion, macroprolactinemia can be considered a benign condition with low incidence of clinical symptoms and therefore hormonal and imaging investigations as well as medical or surgical treatment and prolonged follow-up are not necessary.     

Verification of automatic analysers Roller 20PN and iSED for measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate

IntroductionAutomated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) analysers are based on different methodology than Westergren method. It is questionable whether ESR values obtained from those analysers are comparable with determined values with Westergren method. The aim was verification of the precision, method comparison and accuracy of automated ESR analysers: Roller 20PN (Alifax S.p.A., Polverara, Italy) and iSED (Alcor Scientific, Smithfield, USA).Materials and methodsBlood samples (N = 752 for Roller 20PN and N = 213 for iSED) were sampled into K₂EDTA (Kima, Italy) tubes for automated and 3.8% Na-citrate tubes (Kima, Italy) for Westergren method. The data was divided into three groups according to the ESR values obtained with the Westergren method: Group Low (L) (ESR ≤ 20 mm), Group Medium (M) (ESR 21-60 mm), and Group High (H) (ESR ≥ 61 mm). Method agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman analysis and Passing-Bablok regression.ResultsAnalyser iSED has shown better comparability with Westergren method (bias 0.0 (95%Cl -1.4 to 1.5) range than Roller 20 PN (bias = - 6.4 (95%Cl - 7.1 to -5.7) in the whole measuring. For Roller 20 PN, Passing-Bablok regression has shown constant and proportional difference for Groups L and M, and for iSED only for Group H. Roller 20 PN had lower sensitivity (0.51 (95%Cl: 0.45-0.57) than iSED (0.72 (95%Cl: 0.59-0.80) while they had comparable specificity (> 0.90) and accuracy (≥ 0.80) in comparison with the Westergren method.ConclusionBoth analysers are not comparable with the Westergren method and should not be used interchangeably.     

Recommendations for the application and follow-up of quality controls in medical laboratories

This is a translation of the paper “Recommendations for the application and follow-up of quality controls in medical biology laboratories” published in French in the journal Annales de Biologie Clinique (Recommandations pour la mise en place et le suivi des contrôles de qualité dans les laboratoires de biologie médicale. Ann Biol Clin (Paris). 2019;77:577-97.). The recommendations proposed in this document are the result of work conducted jointly by the Network of Accredited Medical Laboratories (LABAC), the French Society of Medical Biology (SFBC) and the Federation of Associations for External Quality Assessment (FAEEQ). The different steps of the implementation of quality controls, based on a risk analysis, are described. The changes of reagent or internal quality control (IQC) materials batches, the action to be taken in case of non-conform IQC results, the choice of external quality assessment (EQA) scheme and interpretation of their results as well as the new issue of analyses performed on several automatic systems available in the same laboratory are discussed. Finally, the concept of measurement uncertainty, the robustness of the methods as well as the specificities of near-patient testing and rapid tests are described. These recommendations cannot apply for all cases we can find in medical laboratories. The implementation of an objective alternative strategy, supported with documented evidence, might be equally considered.     

近50年东江流域极端降水事件变化特征

基于东江流域1960年-2009年逐日降水数据资料,运用Mann-Kendall非参数检验、滑动T检验和Morlet小波分析法,分析了近50年来东江流域极端降水事件的时空变化特征.结果表明,东江流域极端降水指数的多年平均值及变化趋势的空间分布存在明显区域差异.极端降水指数增幅较大的区域位于流域下游,以增城为中心的地区升幅尤为明显,流域上、中游地区变化幅度相对较小.近50年来,整个东江流域极端降水指数未表现出明显的变化趋势,除连续湿日数外,其他极端降水指数仅呈现出弱的上升趋势.东江流域的极端降水与年降水量密切相关.流域极端降水指数的突变特征并不一致,5日最大降水量、强降水日数、连续干日数及连续湿日数分别在1984年-1985年、1973年、2005年和1978年前后发生突变.近50年东江流域极端降水事件变化,普遍存在着22～23年左右的主周期和7～8年左右的次周期.     

Correlation between mean platelet volume and B-type natriuretic peptide concentration in emergency patients with heart failure

Background

In heart failure patients, mean platelet volume (MPV) may reflect increased platelet activation or increased numbers of large, hyper-aggregable platelets. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration in blood is a sensitive and specific marker of heart failure, correlating with the severity and prognosis of illness, in patients presenting with acute dyspnea to the emergency department. This study evaluated the correlation between BNP concentration and MPV.

Material and methods

Data were collected from 319 patients admitted to the emergency department of a cardiology hospital from January–July 2014. EDTA blood samples drawn at admission were analyzed using automated hematology system, and BNP concentration was measured using a fluorescence immunoassay.

Results

The study included 190 patients with and 129 without acute heart failure (AHF). These groups had BNP concentration of 200-5000 ng/L and 5-98 ng/L, respectively. MPV levels were significantly higher in the AHF group (P < 0.001). BNP concentrations were positively correlated with MPV (r = 0.41, P < 0.001) and neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio (r = 0.38, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Increased MPV values correlate with BNP concentration, an indicator of HF severity and clinical status, in patients with AHF admitted to the emergency department.Key words: natriuretic peptide, brain; heart failure; platelet; mean platelet volume     

香格里拉未来50a主要气候环境要素变化预估——基于小波分析和多元 VAR 回归预估模型

采用云南省香格里拉气象站55a（1958-2012）的逐年气温、降水量、绝对湿度、相对湿度和霜日数资料,引入多元最小二乘估计模型（多元OLS）、多元向量自回归模型（多元VAR）和结构方程模型,基于Morlet连续复小波（Cmor）变换的主周期数据,探索未来50a香格里拉气温等气候环境要素的定量预估模型、变化趋势及5个主要气候环境要素的相互关系。结果表明：未来50a内香格里拉的气温以0.44℃/10a的速率升高,50a后气温将升高2℃左右;降水以围绕平均值做周期振荡为主,并以14.7mm/10a的速率增多;绝对湿度以0.06 mg/L/10a的速率增大,并有明显的周期振荡;相对湿度以-0.96%/10a的速率减小,并有周期振荡;年霜日数以-2.8d/10a的速率减少,并有周期振荡。绝对湿度、相对湿度和霜日数的变化与气温和降水的变化显著相关,气温变化对湿度和霜日数的影响大于降水量的影响,气温的持续升高是除降水外其他气候要素变化的主要原因。     

Lipoproteins and cholesterol homeostasis in paediatric nephrotic syndrome patients

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to investigate lipoprotein particle distributions and the likelihood of achieving cholesterol homeostasis in the remission phase of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in paediatric patients. We hypothesized that lipoprotein particle distributions moved toward less atherogenic profile and that cholesterol homeostasis was achieved.Materials and methodsThirty-three children, 2 to 9 years old with NS were recruited. Blood sampling took place both in the acute phase and during remission. Serum low-density lipoprotein particles (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein particles (HDL) were separated using non-denaturing polyacrylamide gradient gel (3-31%) electrophoresis. Serum non-cholesterols sterols (NCSs), desmosterol, lathosterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC), campesterol and β-sitosterol were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).ResultsAll patients had desirable serum HDL cholesterol concentrations during remission. The dominant lipoprotein diameters and LDL subclass distribution did not change significantly during follow-up. In contrast, HDL lipoprotein particle distribution shifted towards larger particles. The absolute concentration of desmosterol was significantly lower during remission (P = 0.023). β-sitosterol concentration markedly increased during remission (P = 0.005). Desmosterol/β-sitosterol (P < 0.001) and 7-DHC/β-sitosterol (P = 0.005) ratios significantly declined during disease remission.ConclusionsFavourable changes in the serum lipid profiles, HDL particle subclass distribution and cholesterol metabolism in paediatric patients with NS during remission took place. For the first time, we found that cholesterol homeostasis changed in favour of increased cholesterol absorption during disease remission. Nevertheless, complete cholesterol homeostasis was not achieved during disease remission.     

Increased plasma vaspin concentration in patients with sepsis: an exploratory examination

Introduction

Vaspin (visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin) was first described as an insulin-sensitizing adipose tissue hormone. Recently its anti-inflammatory function has been demonstrated. Since no appropriate data is available yet, we sought to investigate the plasma concentrations of vaspin in sepsis.

Materials and methods

57 patients in intensive care, fulfilling the ACCP/SCCM criteria for sepsis, were prospectively included in our exploratory study. The control group consisted of 48 critically ill patients, receiving intensive care after trauma or major surgery. Patients were matched by age, sex, weight and existence of diabetes before statistical analysis. Blood samples were collected on the day of diagnosis. Vaspin plasma concentrations were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Vaspin concentrations were significantly higher in septic patients compared to the control group (0.3 (0.1-0.4) ng/mL vs. 0.1 (0.0-0.3) ng/mL, respectively; P < 0.001). Vaspin concentration showed weak positive correlation with concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = 0.31, P = 0.002) as well as with SAPS II (r = 0.34, P = 0.002) and maximum of SOFA (r = 0.39, P < 0.001) scoring systems, as tested for the overall study population.

Conclusion

In the sepsis group, vaspin plasma concentration was about three-fold as high as in the median surgical control group. We demonstrated a weak positive correlation between vaspin and CRP concentration, as well as with two scoring systems commonly used in intensive care settings. Although there seems to be some connection between vaspin and inflammation, its role in human sepsis needs to be evaluated further.Key words: adipocytokine, inflammation, vaspin, CRP, intensive care     

Correlation between Apgar score and urinary uric acid to creatinine ratio in perinatal asphyxia

A randomized case control hospital based study was conducted over 12 months time on 31 asphyxiated and 31 normal newborn to see whether urinary uric acid can be used as a marker of perinatal asphyxia and can be correlated with the clinical diagnosis by Apgar score. Uric acid and creatinine were estimated in spot urine within 24 hours after birth in both cases and controls. A ratio between concentrations of uric acid to creatinine was estimated and compared between cases and controls. It was found that the ratios were significantly higher in cases than controls (3.1± 1.3 vs 0.96± 0.54; P < 0.001) and among asphyxia patients, a significant negative linear correlation was found between the uric acid to creatinine ratio and the Apgar score (r = −0.857, P < 0.001). So urinary uric acid to creatinine ratio can be used as an additional non-invasive dispace, easy and at the same time early biochemical marker of birth asphyxia which biochemically supports the clinical diagnosis and severity grading of asphyxia by Apgar score.     

Comparison of hyaluronic acid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus

IntroductionThe aim of the present study was to determine and compare the concentration of hyaluronic acid (HA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and its correlation with parameters of disease activity and duration. The hypothesis was that HA should be increased in rheumatic diseases. We also expected that HA could be a marker of disease activity and inflammation in some of these diseases.Materials and methodsThe study group comprised 149 patients with RA, SSc and SLE hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok (Bialystok, Poland) and 30 healthy controls. The concentrations of HA, C-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were measured using Architect ci8200; haemoglobin, platelets on Sysmex XS-800i; and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) on Sediplus S 2000 analysers. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 13.3 PL.ResultsHyaluronic acid was increased in RA, SLE and SSc when compared to controls (P < 0.001, P = 0.011, and P = 0.015, respectively). There were no differences in HA between rheumatic diseases (P = 0.840). Hyaluronic acid positively correlated with SLE activity (P = 0.025). In RA, HA positively correlated with ESR (P = 0.028) and CRP (P = 0.009). However, HA was not found to correlate with the duration of rheumatic diseases.ConclusionsHyaluronic acid concentration undergoes changes in rheumatic diseases with no difference between RA, SLE and SSc. In RA, HA concentration can be a marker of inflammation, while in SLE patients an indicator of disease activity.     

Effects of volatile fatty acids in biohydrogen effluent on biohythane production from palm oil mill effluent under thermophilic condition

BackgroundBiohydrogen effluent contains a high concentration of volatile fatty acid (VFA) mainly as butyric, acetic, lactic and propionic acids. The presence of various VFAs (mixture VFAs) and their cooperative effects on two-stage biohythane production need to be further studied. The effect of VFA concentrations in biohydrogen effluent of palm oil mill effluent (POME) on methane yield in methane stage of biohythane production was investigated.ResultsThe methane yield obtained in low VFA loading (0.9 and 1.8 g/L) was 15–20% times greater than that of high VFA loading (3.6 and 4.7 g/L). Butyric acid at high concentrations (8 g/L) has the individual significantly negative effect the methane production process (P < 0.05). Lactic, acetic and butyric acid mixed with propionic acid at a concentration higher than 0.5 g/L has an interaction significantly negative effect on the methanogenesis process (P < 0.05). Inhibition condition had a negative effect on both bacteria and archaea with inhibited on Geobacillus sp., Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum, Methanoculleus thermophilus and Methanothermobacter delfuvii resulting in low methane yield.ConclusionPreventing the high concentration of butyric acid, and propionic acid in the hydrogenic effluent could enhance methane production in two-stage anaerobic digestion for biohythane production.     

Cross-lingual text categorization: Conquering language boundaries in globalized environments

Text categorization pertains to the automatic learning of a text categorization model from a training set of preclassified documents on the basis of their contents and the subsequent assignment of unclassified documents to appropriate categories. Most existing text categorization techniques deal with monolingual documents (i.e., written in the same language) during the learning of the text categorization model and category assignment (or prediction) for unclassified documents. However, with the globalization of business environments and advances in Internet technology, an organization or individual may generate and organize into categories documents in one language and subsequently archive documents in different languages into existing categories, which necessitate cross-lingual text categorization (CLTC). Specifically, cross-lingual text categorization deals with learning a text categorization model from a set of training documents written in one language (e.g., L₁) and then classifying new documents in a different language (e.g., L₂). Motivated by the significance of this demand, this study aims to design a CLTC technique with two different category assignment methods, namely, individual- and cluster-based. Using monolingual text categorization as a performance reference, our empirical evaluation results demonstrate the cross-lingual capability of the proposed CLTC technique. Moreover, the classification accuracy achieved by the cluster-based category assignment method is statistically significantly higher than that attained by the individual-based method.