Medical Laboratory Observer articles from August 2005

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from August 2005

Are we better now?(increasing tuberculosis deaths)
August 1, 2005... Tuberculosis (TB) is no respecter of age, gender, or social status. The list of world-famous people who have been diagnosed with TB is lengthy: King Tut, Sir Walter Scott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Bronte, Paul Gauguin,...

Good job!(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I realize that I am a bit late, but please accept my compliments on the article in the December 2004 issue by Colleen K. Gannon, "Responsible Reporting in Microbiology" [p. 18]. I worked in the clinical microbiology field from 1981 to 1993, the...

Certificant exams noted.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... In regard to the Management Q & A in the May issue [p. 36], I would like to bring to the MLO readers' attention that in addition to the DLM certification offered by ASCP, the NCA offers two certifications in laboratory management. One is the...

A short history of Giemsa.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I would like to comment on the spelling of one of the stains mentioned in MLO's June 2005 cover article on bioterrorism [p. 10]. The stain (and its variation) is spelled Geimsa throughout the article and the test. Rather, it is Giemsa, named...

Deadly grits.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Zoonotic diseases have plagued mankind for millennia. Conditions such as chickenpox and cowpox (smallpox) have become common terms in our language, and chickenpox was once an anticipated experience of childhood. To propose "wearing protective...

HIV testing recommended for all pregnant women.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... HIV testing recommended for all pregnant women. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of independent, private-sector healthcare experts supported by the Department of Health and Human Services, has joined the CDC and the American...

Nipah virus clue.(viral infection mechanism)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Nipah virus clue. Two separate teams of U.S. scientists--one from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, and another from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Pennsylvania...

Reimbursement workshop.(Education)
August 1, 2005... Reimbursement workshop. The CLMA (Clinical Laboratory Management Association) will host its annual regulatory and compliance workshop, Reimbursement Education and Learning (REAL) 2005, Sept. 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The course...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... While the author referred throughout the article "Under the blue top: coags, corrections, and 'crits" (MLO, February 2005, p. 20) to Becton, Dickinson and Company, or BD, as "the maker of Vacutainer brand tubes," BD's trademark office sent MLO...

Conferences.(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... Sept. 14-17. The 42nd Annual Intermountain States Seminar (IMSS) Education Conference and Exhibits for clinical laboratory scientists will return to its inaugural location in Jackson Hole, WY, for "Magic in the Mountains." Participants will...

Tuberculosis and the expanding role of the laboratory.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... CONTINUING EDUCATION To earn CEUs, see test on page 20 LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article, the reader will be able to: 1. Describe standard methods of lab confirmation of TB. 2. Describe new tests...

No more STAT testing: improve critical results management and lab efficiency through automation and data management.(standard turnaround time)
August 1, 2005... Imagine a medical lab that seemingly ignores physicians' requests to process tests as STATs, and instead treats the samples as if they were routine, without placing a higher priority on them. What would be the fallout? Masses of injured...

Laboratory training: safety at any age.
August 1, 2005... It has often been said there are three kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, "What happened?" All too often when it comes to laboratory safety, "What happened?" is the...

Roche Diagnostics' Dr. Lazarus commits to improving HIV testing.
August 1, 2005... Benefits of early HIV diagnosis During acute infection, the time immediately following initial infection, an individual with HIV has tremendously high amounts of virus (viral load) in the blood. These individuals are extremely infectious;...

Decentralization skews traditional specimen collection.(Liability and the lab)
August 1, 2005... Q In developing our outsourcing plan for specimen collection--in which nursing staff will be responsible for most of the specimen collection--we have run into a serious problem. Lab standards require that a tech or phlebotomist who draws blood...

Following procedures for clocking out.(Addressing management issues)
August 1, 2005... Q I am a lab tech in a student health service at a large state university. When the university is closed for winter and spring breaks, my co-workers sometimes go out to lunch for about two hours without punching out. I asked my supervisor about...

Delegating LIS responsibilities.(laboratory information system)
August 1, 2005... Q Our laboratory information system (LIS) administrator is not a lab tech. When the previous LIS administrator was fired because of a conflict of interest, many tasks were left undone, and no one in the lab knew how to accomplish them. The lab...

Fasting lipid specimen collection.(best specimen for a lipid profile)
August 1, 2005... Q I was taught that the best specimen for a lipid profile is drawn in the early morning from a patient in the basal state who has been fasting for 10 to 12 hours. Upon researching this, I found mention of the fasting requirement, but I found no...

Web-based programs work for the lab manager.(EDUCATION)
August 1, 2005... Laboratory supervisors are challenged with what may seem another full-time job--providing education on diverse topics to employees to help them excel at their jobs. A relatively new solution to this responsibility is the Internet. Harnessing...

A custom approach to online learning.(EDUCATION)
August 1, 2005... When Sysmex America wanted to achieve greater efficiencies in its customer training, it turned to Knowledge Anywhere to create an online educational program to support lab technicians in the field. Knowledge Anywhere builds technology-based...

Trends in microscopy/imaging.(executives opinions )
August 1, 2005... From the earliest record of lens use to view images in 1000 AD, to the first compound microscope in 1590, to the reflecting microscope in 1736, this laboratory "workhorse" has come a long way to the present day. Executives from the industry's...

2005 Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing Symposium.(Product focus: Prenatal and neonatal testing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Oct. 24-27. The Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, OR, is the site of the 2005 Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing Symposium, sponsored by APHL and the CDC. This event is intended for laboratory professionals, counselors, and...

36 CFTR mutations/wild types.(Product focus: Prenatal and neonatal testing)
August 1, 2005... Probe Array's CFTR36 reagents identify 36 CFTR mutations and their associated wild types. The Probe Array can be adapted to low- or high-volume requirements and covers the American College of Molecular Genetics recommended mutations for CFTR...

For low- and high-volume.(Product focus: Prenatal and neonatal testing)
August 1, 2005... The ACTIVE Inhibin A ELISA for in vitro diagnostic use is available as an aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of various hormonal reproductive disorders. This direct, nonisotopic assay utilizes two highly specific antibodies in a two-site...

Manage newborn lab data.(Product focus: Prenatal and neonatal testing)
August 1, 2005... NeoMate, a complete laboratory information-management system, manages newborn laboratory data efficiently and simply with modules for kit management, patient demographics, specimen receiving and tracking, and case management, including...

Walkaway screening.(Product focus: Prenatal and neonatal testing)
August 1, 2005... The VARIANTnbs, a fully automated, HPLC-based system for comprehensive newborn screening of hemoglobins S, F, A, E, C, and D--as well as for detection of other abnormal hemoglobin variants--is designed specifically for samples collected as...

Same-day TAT.(Product focus: Prenatal and neonatal testing)
August 1, 2005... Neonatal screening with the SPOTCHECK automated chemistry analyzer includes tests for phenylalanine, total galactose, uridyltransferase, tyrosine, biotinidase deficiency and G6PD deficiency. Same-day turnaround of quantitative patient results...

More power in a strip.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... The PS-615-HGULTRA power outlet strip provides an effective power-distribution solution where built-in outlets are limited. With six NEMA 5-15R hospital-grade receptacles, it also features an all-metal case, a 15' AC power cord with NEMA 5-15 P...

Short tissue-freezing times.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... For routine histology and clinical pathology, the recently introduced CM1850 UV clinical cryostat with ultraviolet (UVC) light means the cryochamber can be rapidly and effectively disinfected at any time without warming or defrosting. No...

HIPAA-compliant system.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... The LabDAQ LIS has introduced a new option: DAQaccess--accessible anytime, anywhere. The system offers consolidated and cumulative patient reports, extensive QA functions, and management tools to monitor workload, review cost accounting, and...

Isolate nucleic acids.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... BNZG joins more than 100 liquid, ready-to-use reagents available for use on the SYNCHRON systems. This rapid-screening procedure determines the concentration of benzodiazepine in human urine at a cut-off value of 200 ng/mL oxazepam. Pre-filled,...

Longer shelf life.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... Now Liquichek Urine Chemistry Control has a two-year shelf life. This liquid, ready-to-use product monitors a wide range of urinary chemistry testing, and contains and claims all the general urine chemistry analytes, including amylase,...

Quick slide staining.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... Quick-Dip is an easy-to-use, three-part manual differential stain for use with blood, bone marrow, FNAs, and other body fluids. Stains 25 well-defined slides in less than 30 seconds with two-year dating. Twenty-five-slide rack available...

Hi-rez particle samples.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... The new FlowCAM Benchtop II particle-analysis system takes high-resolution, digital images of individual fluid-borne particles, and measures particle size, length, width, shape, fluorescence, and other parameters; also records data in an...

DAT detection.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... New, improved Oratect II detects drugs-of-abuse (e.g., THC, amphetamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates, PCP, or benzodiazepines) in oral fluids in a simple one-step procedure with results in eight minutes. Presumptive positive results are...

Calibration material.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... The HDL/LDL-ADVANCE Calibrator launch means an expressly designed product for the ready-to-use, liquid stable, direct enzymatic HDL- and LDL-ADVANCE assays, which eliminate the need for result calculations, sample pretreatment, and reagent...

ID E coli 0157.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... E coliPRO 0157 Latex Agglutination kit offers definitive ID from a single isolated colony. Results in two minutes at room temperature. Ready-to-use with positive and negative controls, mixing sticks, and reaction cards. Stable with two-year...

Programmable incubators.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... Two new programmable chilling/heating bench-top incubators--models IN35 and IN45--are designed for use in clinical, general chemistry, and other labs. Peltier-based, the units have a temperature range from 4.0[degrees]C to 70.0[degrees]C with...

Interface for results.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... EpiCenter v5 software interfaces directly to the BACTEC, BACTEC MGIT and Phoenix, and the LIS to deliver efficiency and consistency in the production of rapid and expert microbiology results. The EpiCARE module allows construction of reporting...

QC peer analysis.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... An online QC peer-analysis program has been introduced in the QOMPARE, designed to complement the company's Liquid QC Controls and LiniCAL Calibration Verifiers, so that labs can monitor and compare their performance with thousands of others...

Control for CELL-DYN.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... Para 12 Plus, a whole-blood, five-part differential control, now includes assay and disk-based assay value information for the Abbott CELL-DYN 3200. Packaged in bar-coded, 3.0-mL pierceable-cap vials, the product has seven-day open-vial and...

POC for ED.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... Test Select upgrades the Triage MeterPlus rapid-testing platform for quantitative/qualitative results for immunoassays using urine, whole blood, serum, or plasma. Customize test menus based on physician preference or patient presentation when...

End power fluctuations.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... Laboratory Battery Backup Power Protection Systems protect against power fluctuations/failures that could result in lost samples and data, damaged instruments, and lost productivity. Certified Category III-3 instrumentation-grade interface...

Biohazard packaging.(Industry spotlight)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2005... Comply with regulations for shipping biohazardous diagnostic specimens with Sorb-Pak, which features fast-acting bursting technology for quick absorption. Release of absorbent granular material envelops any leak or spill within specimen...

DVT/PE assay.(Industry spotlight)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2005... VIDAS D-Dimer Exclusion is a rapid automated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the exclusion of a diagnosis of both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism when used in conjunction with a pre-test probability assessment. With...

Document management.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... LabCORE v2.01 means users can now import, archive, and retrieve e-mail, as well as other file types. Flexible storage file system for extremely large numbers of documents in multiple locations is managed from a central hub. The upgraded product...

Free evaluation software.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... DiffIQ allows labs to ensure staff is trained to report results consistent with lab policies and to help guarantee the consistency and quality of the differential result. The combination of high-quality digital images, sophisticated...

New version/new features.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... The release of Harvest LIS v6.5 means enhanced features for the broadest application in POLs, clinics, small- to medium-size hospitals, and independent reference labs. With some 273 added features, Harvest v6.5 offers flexible printing and...

AP modules.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... NovoPath anatomic pathology software introduces the Tele-Pathology and Synoptic Reporting modules. The first is a real-time slide video-conferencing module that eliminates a separate system for remote slide viewing. The second module, which...

Online book orders.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... From Cancer to Urinalysis, the 2005 Publications Catalog is full of books--both hardcover and softcover--offering the latest information on clinical laboratory science, education, and management. Go online to order one of the more than 340...

Emergency lighting.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... ModuLight Emergency Lighting Systems provide one- or two-lamp T8 operation, 1100 to 1400 lumens, and 90 minutes of operation time. The power converter is mounted separately from the lighting fixture--eliminating the need for electrical...

Green Belt training.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... For quality-improvement projects, equip lab personnel with the Six Sigma Green Belt Training Curriculum certification program. A pre-work component, two 4.5-day group-training sessions four weeks apart, and a ValuMetrix Services mentor between...

New to breast-cancer panel.(Industry spotlight)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2005... The Ariol automated scanning microscope and image-analysis system uses the PathVysion Her-2/new DNA Probe Kit for gene amplification in breast-cancer biopsy samples via fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). This application complements and...

Reduce reagent waste.(Industry spotlight)
August 1, 2005... A large variety of reagent reservoirs are available, featuring low-binding polypropylene construction. The deep-well and low-profile reservoirs offer chemical and heat resistance for aggressive solvents. The unique pyramid bottoms reduce...

Takin' it to the streets: how one company contributes to the fight against diabetes.(Ross Products and Abbott Diabetes Care )
August 1, 2005... Together, Ross Products and Abbott Diabetes Care have launched the "Taking Diabetes Freedom to the Streets" tour in 22 cities across the country. Actor Mark Consuelos, who has several family members with type 2 diabetes, serves as the tour's...

Kids count in Congress.(Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International)
August 1, 2005... The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) Children's Congress is a powerful grassroots advocacy event in which children aged 2 to 17 descend on Capitol Hill to tell their stories of living with diabetes to Congressional...