Medical Laboratory Observer articles from December 2004

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from December 2004

A "cool" Yule.(From the editor)(SMOKING HABITS)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... Around the world this season, families reminisce and look toward the coming year with excited anticipation and renewed hope. And it is time to make my annual New Year's resolution to finally break my on-again, off-again smoking habit. In the...

NCCLS name change.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... NCCLS name change. As of Jan. 1, 2005, the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) will be known as the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The organization will continue in its function as a proponent of...

Potential cervical cancer vaccine.(News)
December 1, 2004... Potential cervical cancer vaccine. An experimental human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine developed by Merck & Co. has been effective in limiting contraction of HPV-16 and preventing the development of precancerous cervical lesions in 755 young...

GYN cytology PT program available.(Education)
December 1, 2004... GYN cytology PT program available. The Midwest Institute for Medical Education (MIME) is accepting registrations for its 2005 national gynecologic cytology proficiency test (PT) program. Next year, all cytotechnologists and pathologists who...

New pathologists' assistant certification.(Education)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... New pathologists' assistant certification. In a collaborative effort, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Registry (BOR) and the American Association of Pathologists' Assistants (AAPA) have established the first...

Flu season.(Global disease)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Flu season. Amid predictions of a global influenza pandemic within the next five years, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a flu vaccine summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 11 to encourage development of vaccines against avian...

Flu vaccine.(Global disease)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Flu vaccine. The U.S. government has signed a $10 million contract with Aventis Pasteur to give the company year-round instead of seasonal access to the poultry eggs necessary to develop flu vaccine throughout the year.

Flu shots.(Global disease)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Flu shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Nov. 9 that the remaining limited supply of flu shots will be divided among the 50 states according to the number of high-risk individuals in each, with state health...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2004... In "Breast-cancer blood test monitors treatment" from the October 2004 Observatory, the development of the CellSearch System blood test was attributed to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In fact, its department of breast...

The future of clinical laboratory genomics.
December 1, 2004... CONTINUING EDUCATION [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To earn CEUs, see test on page 16. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Recognize the number of genes coding for proteins in the human genome. 2. Recognize nontranscriptional methods used to...

Responsible reporting in microbiology: Improving quality of care through better communication.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
December 1, 2004... One of the most important functions that a microbiologist performs is to decide what is clinically relevant regarding specimen work-up, what organisms to look for and report, what organisms are pathogenic, and what constitutes normal flora. The...

When a "good" lab goes "bad": Where do we go from here?(LAB MANAGEMENT)
December 1, 2004... Two unfortunate incidents in the state of Maryland in the recent past--one at Maryland General Hospital and another at Reference Pathology Services--have called into question what have been standard operating procedures in laboratory...

Sage advice from Psyche Systems.(Executive forecast)
December 1, 2004... MLO: Since arriving on the scene in 1976, Psyche Systems has achieved many firsts, from LIS on a standard operating system to graphic interface milestones, and now secure LIS hosting. Which of these do you think has had the greatest impact on...

How to disagree without being disagreeable.(Addressing management issues)
December 1, 2004... Q I am a new supervisor. My manager told me in my review that my team members feel I need to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. Any suggestions? A Do not mistake being nice with being weak. As you go higher in an...

Approving vacation requests when vacant positions exist.(Addressing management issues)
December 1, 2004... Q Because we have several vacant technical positions, we have had to turn down a few requests for "paid time off." Although we try to be creative with scheduling, sometimes it just is not possible to approve all requests for vacation time...

Thumb-skin punctures.(Answering your questions)
December 1, 2004... Q One of our phlebotomists said that you should never poke a thumb for a capillary sample. I know it is not the usual site, but is it absolutely prohibited? What about the big toe? Can you consider exceptions on a case-to-case basis, such as...

Timing of blood cultures.(Answering your questions)
December 1, 2004... Q I have read conflicting recommendations on the timing of blood cultures. What time interval is appropriate for obtaining multiple blood cultures? A Over the years, a number of studies have addressed the issues of timing and volume of...

C-reactive protein as a cardiac test.(Answering your questions)
December 1, 2004... Q What is the current role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in cardiac testing in the laboratory? Is it routinely used? How is it used with other cardiac testing? A Until fairly recently, C-reactive protein (CRP) was used primarily...

Age- and sex-inconsistent results.(Answering your questions)
December 1, 2004... Q CLIA '88 sections require an ongoing mechanism for monitoring inconsistent test results. My state/CLIA inspector tells me that the most important of these are age- and sex-inconsistent results, which must be phoned to the physician to signal...

When irreplaceable specimens are inadequate.(Liability and the lab)
December 1, 2004... Q In general, I agree with not testing inadequate samples--like those that are hemolyzed--but what should we do when an irreplaceable sample is less than adequate? If, for example, we receive an unlabeled pleural biopsy or a blood sample from a...

Laboratory apparel.(Product focus)
December 1, 2004... The lab worker's first line of defense against corrosive liquid spills, chemical vapors, and other sources of contamination is personal protective equipment (PPE)--the second skin that keeps the lab technician safe, healthy, and alive. Working...

Semen evaluation scope.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Semen Evaluation LabScope offers a versatile package for live specimen microscopy. The heated stage and digital control unit can be set for any temperature between 25[degrees]C and 50[degrees]C. In addition, the temperature control unit can...

60 second hematocrit results.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Small and lightweight, the HemataSTAT II centrifuge provides an accurate microhematocrit determination in 60 seconds. The unit features a built-in tube reader with an LCD display that guides the operator through the testing procedure. A...

Foods allergen kit.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Intended for in vitro quantitative analysis of IgG antibodies, the Allerquant 90G Foods IgG ELISA Kit has been extended to include 18 additional new foods: abalone, bamboo shoot, coconut, cuttlefish, duck, eel, ginger, guava, kiwi, leek, mango,...

Safe tube decapping.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A cost-effective way of providing an additional level of safety, the SAF DECAP protects lab workers and diminishes the chances of cross-contamination when decapping blood tubes or micro samples, or breaking open ampules. This translucent,...

Versatile multistainer.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Offering high throughput and the ability to simultaneously process multiple staining protocols for both histology and cytology applications, the Leica ST5020 Multistainer incorporates patented CodeRack technology, which enables the system to...

Visual verification reagent.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The upgraded ELISA II IgG test kits now offer the SAVe Diluent that changes from a light yellow color to bright purple when added to serum. The reagent provides visual verification that sample has been added when preparing manual assays or...

Rapid RSV test.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Intended for in vitro diagnostic use to aid in the diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in neonatal and pediatric patients, the NOW RSV is a rapid immuno-chromatographic assay for the qualitative detection of RSV fusion...

Multichannel verification system.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Designed specifically for calibrating multichannel liquid-handling equipment, the Multichannel Verification System (MVS) improves testing protocols, reducing the turnaround time for tests. Using a dual-dye photometric process, the MVS allows...

Web-based QA program.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Newly released for Coulter hematology analyzers, the Interlaboratory Quality Assurance Program (eIQAP) allows clinical labs to submit, share, and receive hematology QA information quickly and efficiently via a secure website. The program...

New DIC system.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... For routine observation of living cells and for micromanipulation, PlasDIC is the first polarization-optical differential interference contrast (DIC) system designed for use with plastic dishes for microscopic examinations. The system delivers...

Group B streptococci I.D.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Increasing sensitivity and decreasing TAT, the StrepB Carrot Broth Kit has been developed for pregnant women to provide the selective enrichment and identification of beta-hemolytic group B streptococci in genital and gastrointestinal...

Microplate evaporator.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Providing fast dry down of 96-well and 384-well microplates, the ZIPVap Evaporator is designed with needle height that is easily adjustable for 96 individual or 384 stainless-steel needles. The small-footprint unit holds standard microplates or...

Convenient, practical automation.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The ADVIA 2120 Hematology System has been designed for moderate- to high-sample volume workloads. The fully automated, random access, test-selective system runs CBCs, six-part differentials, and reticulocyte analyses at the rate of 120 samples...

Autopurified bacterial DNA.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Using the BioRobot EZ1 workstation, the newly developed EZ1 Bacteria Card provides automated protocols for bacterial DNA purification from primary samples or bacterial cultures. The purified DNA is suitable for use in many applications,...

Co-enzyme analog technology.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Ammonia L3K is a single-vial, stable liquid reagent that uses co-enzyme analog technology to determine ammonia concentrations in plasma. The reagent requires no sample pretreatment, demonstrates superior low-end sensitivity, offers accurate...

Clinically sensitive marker.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay, the ARCHITECT STAT Troponin-1 is intended to assist in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction by providing a quantitative determination of cardiac troponin-1 in human serum and plasma. The STAT...

One platform for HbA1c and Hb.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... An HPLC system designed to provide fast and precise assessment of a patient's true glycemic status, the new ultra[.sup.2] A1c Hemoglobin Variants Analyzer offers two hemoglobin variant programs--a four-minute Hb variant quick scan with an...

Color digital AST-ID system.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The new color digital BIOMIC Vision System performs image analysis of all NCCLS antibiotic disk test zones, including difficult-to-read enterococci, streptococci, and staphylococci. The instant color digital processing--combined with...

Detect platelet dysfunction.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA-100) diagnostic system aids in the rapid detection of platelet dysfunction by uniquely simulating the in vivo function of platelets in primary hemostasis. The system measures platelet function under...

Tailor-made bar-code printing.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Designed to meet the demands of labeling slides, vials, test tubes, and well plates, the Quick Start range of barcode label printing systems offers an all-inclusive solution, which can be tailored to individual needs. The systems are supplied...

DNA decontamination.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A quick and easy alternative to bleaching methods, NucleoClean Decontamination Wipes offer a simple solution to cleaning PCR equipment, labware, and workbenches. The nonwoven, lint-free wipes are packaged in snap-lid dispensers, ensuring that...

Coagulation factor X assay.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Recently FDA cleared for the chromogenic measurement of factor X activity in human citrated plasma, the DiaPharma FX Kit was developed as a tool to monitor warfarin patients with prolonged pro-times, and is also useful in detecting factor X...

Quick-reference resource.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... This suite of products provides a series of comprehensive databases focused on time-sensitive, POC health information content, including diagnostic procedures and laboratory tests, toxicology, and infectious diseases. Applications are available...

Test for hepatitis A.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Developed for use on the AxSYM automated immunoassay system, the AxSYM HAVAB 2.0 assay aids in the diagnosis of previous or ongoing hepatitis A by detecting the total antibody to hepatitis (anti-HAV) in human serum or plasma. The assay can also...

Outreach growth challenges clinical labs.(Lab management)
December 1, 2004... With the advent of the computer revolution, clinical laboratories were early adopters of information technology. Computers, hardware, and software have been integral to conducting and managing the testing process, as well as reporting and...

Year-end CLIAC meeting.(Washington report)(Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee )
December 1, 2004... The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) met in Atlanta on Sept. 22-23, 2004, and welcomed new members: (1) Joeline Davidson, MBA, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA), West Georgia Health Systems in LaGrange; (2) Patrick A. Keenan, MD,...