Medical Laboratory Observer articles from August 2004

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from August 2004

Join my new cult.(From the Editor)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... A global movement is afoot. Its mantra? Slow down. This refreshing idea came across my cluttered desk in June via newspaper. The movement's "guru," Carl Honore, wrote In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of...

Strange progesterone saga.(Readers Respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... For some time, we have observed striking, seemingly random, elevations in controls (BIO-RAD Liquichek Immunoassay Plus Control, Irvine, CA) for only progesterone. Opening a new bottle of control has usually brought the results back into range....

Morpholic hematologist's recommendation.(Readers Respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I have read the recent article [HeMYTHology: 10 myths of hematology. MLO November 2003] and the reader response about the controversy over the presence of neutrophil bands. As a morpholgic hematologist with many years of experience looking at...

Band counts rouse passions.(Readers Respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I enjoyed Carol Houde's passionate defense of band forms in your May [2004] issue ["Letters to the editor," p. 6], but also have strong feelings toward a dangerous assumption here that I doubt has changed in the last 25 years. Rumke's study in...

Blood tests target ovarian cancer.(Bloodwork)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Blood tests target ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer claims the lives of around 114,000 women annually. No accurate screening test for ovarian cancer exists. In a study recently released by the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute...

Annual program scheduled for September.(Education)
August 1, 2004... Annual program scheduled for September. Washington G-2 Reports and Johns Hopkins Department of Pathology will co-sponsor the department's 22nd annual Lab Institute from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, 2004, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in...

CLIA '88 requirements updated.(Education)(Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act/Amendment )(Brief Article)(Public Notice)
August 1, 2004... CLIA '88 requirements updated. COLA has just released an updated version of its online CLIA '88 requirements course for physicians, laboratory scientists, and laboratory staff on how the latest CLIA regulatory changes impact lab compliance. Two...

Recent EHF cases reassessed.(Global Disease Update)(Ebola haemorrhagic fever )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Recent EHF cases reassessed. The World Health Organization's (WHO's) latest update on the recent Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) outbreak in Sudan reports that Yambio County health authorities have reassessed the number of cases, revised now to...

Experts warn of polio epidemic.(Global Disease Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Experts warn of polio epidemic. The WHO warns that areas of west and central Africa are on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years, following confirmation that a child was paralyzed on May 20 by polio in the Sudan--a country...

Another mosquito-borne danger.(Global Disease Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Another mosquito-borne danger. As of July 20, 182 human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) had been reported to the CDC from 12 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Texas, and...

Population-based carrier screening and prenatal diagnosis.(Prenatal Testing)
August 1, 2004... CONTINUING EDUCATION To earn CEUs, see test on page 20. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article the reader will be able to: 1. Recognize genetic disorders that are currently approved for population-based carrier...

Introduction to tumor markers from A to Z.(Clinical Issues)
August 1, 2004... How does a tumor begin? Scientists are coming ever closer to the answer. For discussion purposes, consider this simple view of three general mechanisms for the conversion of a normal cell into a cancer cell: 1. A complete carcinogen ...

Dick Aderman says Roche's partners expand horizons.(Executive Forecast)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Q For more than 100 years, Roche Diagnostics has provided products to the medical laboratory, and today its diagnostics division supplies a wide array of testing products via some 19,000 employees worldwide. With that global presence, what is...

Choosing a reference laboratory?(Lab Management)
August 1, 2004... The selection of a reference laboratory is a critical step in establishing integrated laboratory services to meet the needs of a wide variety of hospital-and clinic-based physicians. Today, the role of the reference laboratory is under...

Reference labs.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... Choosing a Reference Laboratory Rating scale: 0=not Subjective available 1=available priority/weight 2=value added ...

Importance of training.(Addressing Workplace Issues)
August 1, 2004... Q We always have the funds for necessary new equipment and instruments, but not for the necessary in-depth training because it is "too costly." When we need more space for something else, the training room/conference room is the first to go....

Dealing with deadline stress.(Addressing Workplace Issues)
August 1, 2004... Q Does the panel have recommendations for managing and avoiding deadline stress? A Procrastination, unrealistic deadlines, and/or lack of appropriate prioritization are why most deadlines are missed. People frequently start too late when...

Differentiating K-E group from Citrobacter freundii.(Answering Your Questions)
August 1, 2004... Q What is the best and least expensive way to differentiate K-E group from Citrobacter freundii? A Differentiation of the Enterobacteriaceae is not always a simple task; it normally requires a battery of biochemicals, such as those...

Salmonellae survival in the intestines.(Answering Your Questions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Q How long does Salmonellae stay in a person's lower GI tract? As I remember, intestinal survival is relatively short, but Salmonellae can establish a nidus in the gallbladder and survive there for many years. A In order to establish an...

Discarded slides and tubes and HIPAA.(Answering Your Questions)
August 1, 2004... Q I am interested to know how other labs dispose of glass slides and specimen containers that are labeled with the patient's confidential information. We are considering having the glass processed by a trash compactor followed by incineration,...

Quantitating low body fluid protein.(Answering Your Questions)
August 1, 2004... Q When our laboratory receives requests for fluid total protein, if the value is less than our lower linearity, we report A Measurement of total protein in body fluids other than blood, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid is usually done to...

Way cool refrigerators and chillers.(Product Focus)
August 1, 2004... Refrigeration and freezing processes have long been critical components in clinical and biological applications. The potency of lab consumables, the efficacy of test kits, and the integrity and reliability of samples and specimens all depend...

Lost in translation: foreign languages in the lab.(Liability and the Lab)
August 1, 2004... Q Even though our healthcare institution has a rule about speaking English on the job, supervisors and techs who come from the same country constantly exclude the other techs by speaking their native language. When we complained, we were told...

Temperature recorder.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... The size of a videocassette, the ThermaViewer records, displays, and stores days, weeks, or even months of temperature and/or humidity data from lab refrigerators, freezers, and incubators. Once installed, temperature collection can be adjusted...

Mycoplasma decontamination routine.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... Heraeus HERAcell C[O.sub.2] Incubators provide a stable, precisely controlled growing environment, while maintaining high contamination protection for valuable cell and tissue cultures. By using the ContraCon 90[degrees]C automatic...

ROM diagnostic test.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... AmniSure is a new, noninvasive, rapid test for rupture of fetal membranes (ROM) in pregnant women that is easy to administer and eliminates the multiplicity of current testing methods. With a sensitivity threshold of 5 ng/mL to 7 ng/mL, the...

Intelligent electronic lock.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... Developed to provide controlled access, the TouchAccess 200 is a surface-mounted, intelligent, electronic lock that requires no wiring, yet provides a record of every entry, closure, and denied entry. The audit capability of this lock makes it...

Vascular disease reagent.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... An easy-to-use reagent suitable for most clinical chemistry analyzers, the Homocysteine Reagent Kit requires no reagent or sample pre-treatment and offers two-point calibration with a low per-test cost. The kit can be run with other lipid...

Effective microbial barrier.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... Available in two different absorbencies, this new range of Benchliners features an orange, two-layer, polyethylene backing that prevents leakage of xylene and xylene substitutes, acetone, ketones, alcohol, and formalin to counters. In addition,...

Specimen-transport security system.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... Made from unbreakable polyethylene, the Whirl-Pak Trans-Pak biohazard bag features a guaranteed leak-proof positive closure fitted with puncture-proof tabs, providing a unique specimen-transport security system. The bag also offers a unique...

Electronic multichannel pipettes.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... Ideally suited to the demands of higher-throughput testing labs, the new Ovation BioNatural Pipette product line includes four 12-channel models for precision liquid dispensing from 0.5 [micro]L to 850 [micro]L. Ergonomically designed, this...

New oncology marker.(Industry Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... A new addition to the company's oncology marker menu, the ZAP-70 marker is a prognostic indicator in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). This innovative marker will be incorporated into flow cytometry cases of newly diagnosed B-CLL to...

Dangerous days ahead: a call to arms.(Washington Report)
August 1, 2004... The field of laboratory medicine has always been hard to explain to policymakers. Evidence of this problem recently surfaced when Congressional lawmakers inserted two laboratory-related provisions that the American Society for Clinical...

Seek in CLR, and ye shall find.(From the Editor)(Clinical Laboratory Reference)
August 1, 2004... "The next best thing to knowing something is to know where to find it," said Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). With the publication of the 31st edition of Clinical Laboratory Reference (CLR), readers gain this convenient, compact print format, as...

Table of critical limits.
August 1, 2004... Critical limits define the boundaries of the life-threatening values of laboratory test results. Critical results, also called critical values, are those that fall outside the high and low critical limits. Urgent clinician notification of...

Table of reference intervals.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... Reference interval Specimen Test (conventional units) S Albumin 3.8-5.0 g/dL B Base excess -3.3 to +2.3 mmol/L P ...

Critical values for therapeutic drug levels.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... The concept of critical values for drug levels was developed by Daniel M. Baer, MD, professor emeritus of laboratory medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, and first published in the April 1982 issue of MLO. This table is an...

Cut-off and toxicity levels for drugs-of-abuse testing.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... This table summarizes information useful in the interpretation of drugs-of-abuse assays. It was developed by Daniel M. Baer, MD, professor emeritus of pathology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland OR, and updated by Richard A. Paulson,...

How to use the CLR.(Clinical Laboratory Reference )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Product information section CLR's product information section includes detailed descriptions of thousands of essential laboratory products. Company listings also provide contact information for ordering and pricing. Index of tests,...

Product information.
August 1, 2004... ABAXIS INC. 3240 Whipple Road Union City, CA 94587 Ordering/Pricing/Product Information Toll Free: (800) 822-2947 Website: www.abaxis.com Changing the Way You Practice Medicine Abaxis provides Lipid,...

Index of tests, equipment and services.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... 11-Deoxycortisol Arup Inc 16 See our ad on page 13 MP Biomedicals LLC 38 Quest Diagnostics Inc 43 See our ad on IBC 17-Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone assay Arup Inc ...