Medical Laboratory Observer articles from February 2005

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from February 2005

Deja vu and cockadoodle-doo.(From the editor)(Column)
February 1, 2005... It is now 4703, the Year of the Rooster. February 9 marked the start of the Chinese year, the longest and most important event of that calendar. Perhaps you, too, find the idea of a second chance at setting forth afresh on last month's...

New genetic lab test.(News)(AmpliChip Cytochrome P450 Genotyping Test)(analyzes Cytochrome P450 2D6 and 2C19 genotypes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... New genetic lab test. On Dec. 29, 2004, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the first DNA microarray test--the AmpliChip Cytochrome P450 Genotyping Test by Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., which is for use with the Affymetrix GeneChip...

Possible preeclampsia predictor.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Possible preeclampsia predictor. A study conducted by Dr. Richard J. Levine, et al, and published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a link between low levels of placental growth hormone (PIGF) in women's urine...

Oral cancer diagnosis.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Oral cancer diagnosis. As recently reported in Clinical Cancer Research, researchers led by Dr. David Wong at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center have identified a combination of four RNA biomarkers in saliva that can be analyzed to detect cancers of...

Lab Director track at ThinkLab '05.(Education)
February 1, 2005... Lab Director track at ThinkLab '05. The University of Wisconsin and COLA are sponsoring a Laboratory Director education track at the CLMA/ASCP ThinkLab '05 Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, March 5-8. Planned and implemented in accordance...

Lab student award.(Education)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Lab student award. Applications for the newly established ASCP (American Society for Clinical Pathology) National Student Honor Award--created to acknowledge outstanding performance by students in the laboratory professions--are due by March 4,...

Conferences.(New Developments and Challenges)(Emerging Infectious Diseases--Emerging Responses)(Pushing the Technology Envelope II: An Exploration of the Future of Clinical Laboratory Testing)(sponsors: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Association for Public Health Laboratories)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... * Feb. 28 through March 1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the APHL (Association for Public Health Laboratories) are sponsoring an HIV Diagnostics Conference, "New Developments and Challenges," at the Grosvenor Resort in...

The detection and measurement of microalbuminuria: a challenge for clinical chemistry.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... CONTINUING EDUCATION [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To earn CEUs, see test on page 18. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Describe three forms of urinary albumin. 2. State three quantitative definitions of microalbuminuria (MA). 3....

Under the blue top: coags, corrections, and 'crits.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(standards of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute )
February 1, 2005... Imagine that some well-meaning researchers are testing for "Factor Z" in the blood of various patients, wondering what would happen if the specimens were heated to a high temperature, say above 102[degrees]F. Upon heating the tubes containing...

Can "mom-and-pop" lab cover liability?(Liability and the lab)
February 1, 2005... Q I am the director of an independent toxicology and clinical laboratory. This laboratory is owned by two individuals and performs nearly 2 million tests per year. It is sort of the local "mom-and-pop" operation. I am not, however, an employee...

Mike Dugan and Maryam Sadri talk about their Specialty.(Executive snapshot)
February 1, 2005... The Specialty Labs difference: We are an R & D and client-oriented company that strives to provide the best possible service on a comprehensive menu of specialized testing. We are also a single-source, 24/7 lab, performing all testing in...

Specimen-collection standards complete major revisions.(LAB MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2005... The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, formerly NCCLS) has been publishing standards and guidelines for clinical-laboratory procedures since the early 1970s. At least six documents detail proper specimen-collection...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2005... The toll-free telephone number for the "whistle-blower" hotline was listed incorrectly on page 4 of the January 2005 issue. The correct number is 866-236-7212. Thanks to an MLO reader for notifying us of this error.

In her own words: Kristin Turner's safety crusade.(LAB MANAGEMENT)(Maryland General Hospital laboratory)(problems with Labotechs)
February 1, 2005... After months of maintaining her privacy--other than testifying before the Congressional Committee on Government Reform--Kristin Turner agreed to tell MLO in writing about how her exposure to HIV and HCV after an equipment malfunction at the...

CE scholarships promote learning.(EDUCATION)(Clinical Laboratory Management Association )(American Society of Clinical Pathologists )(CLMA/ASCP ThinkLab '05)
February 1, 2005... Throughout the clinical laboratory industry, companies are bolstering continuing education by establishing scholarships for medical laboratory technologists and managers. One example is that created by BD in memory of CLMA member Lyle Rosser,...

Zero-based staffing.(Addressing management issues)
February 1, 2005... Q Does the panel recommend any articles or information on zero-based staffing? A Marti Bailey points out, "My take on zero-based staffing is that it is a natural extension of zero-based budgeting (ZBB), a budgeting model developed in the...

Staffing after a lab merger.(Addressing management issues)
February 1, 2005... Q The hospital and clinic in town have decided to unify services. Currently, the hospital and clinic have their own laboratories. We are in the construction phase of building a new hospital with the clinic as a separate wing. The new lab will...

Charging for nonpathogens.(Answering your questions)(usage of CPT code 87077 for biochemical tests)
February 1, 2005... Q When we perform stool cultures, we frequently come across isolates that have black colonies on the Hektoen agar or are nonlactose fermenters on the MacConkey agar. Since we suspect Salmonella or Shigella in such cases, we perform a complete...

Critical values for the INR.(Answering your questions)(international normalized ratio therapy)
February 1, 2005... Q Are there established critical ranges for INR (international normalized ratio) therapy? It seems that these should be standard across methods, but we have not found any reference to this issue. It does not seem logical to take the PT...

Specimen stability.(Answering your questions)(standards of NCCLS)(Column)
February 1, 2005... Q Stability requirements for some time-sensitive tests may vary widely among laboratories. For example, after searching websites, I found PTs were acceptable unfrozen for four hours, 24 hours, or 48 hours, and CBCs (complete blood counts) were...

Rapid results: point-of-care testing.(Product focus)(Stratus CS Analyzer - random-access analyzer )(ICON microALB - detects kidney disease )(AVOXimeter 4000 - measures tHb, O2Hb, MetHb, and COHb )
February 1, 2005... Point-of-care (POC) testing allows physicians to diagnose patients more rapidly than traditional laboratory-based testing. With the large selection of products on the market today, that has never been easier. All these products offer a broad...

POCT works for lab managers.(Point-Of-Care Technology)
February 1, 2005... In today's highly connected, rapid-paced healthcare organization, lab managers need quick and accurate tools to streamline workload and run a capable, controlled lab. Physician demand for enhanced diagnostic information and the need for faster...

Fast BAP method.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... The OCTEIA OSTASE Bone Alkaline Phosphatase (BAP) microplate assay can indicate the activity of bone-forming cells and is very fast, using less than half the time to result over existing manual methods. Marketed and sold worldwide via agreement...

Centrifuge package.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... The CentraSpin Package includes the Hettich Universal 32 centrifuge, four aerosol-tight swinging buckets with inserts, and a four-lace swingout rotor. It can be used for many lab applications, including specimen receiving and sample processing....

Electronic ice cube.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... An inexpensive replacement for ice baths and chillers and measuring only 6.5" X 4.75", the IC10 Ice Cube requires virtually no bench space and uses aluminum sample blocks that can accommodate nearly all routine sample containers. It chills to...

Longer pipet disposal.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... The new, longer design of the Pipet Keeper now allows disposal of contaminated pipets, swabs, and other long items up to 15" in length right at the workstation. Designed for both right- and left-handers with an interlocking top and reclosable...

Durable labels.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... New 'Print & Seal' labels incorporate an easy-to-apply clear protective layer. Ideal for pathology, histopathology, and cytology use, the construction provides the most durable label yet--offering resistance to acetone, alcohol, ethanol,...

Optical system.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... The UIS2 Microscope Optical System has aberration-free plan performance, higher numerical apertures, longer working distances, and higher transmission rates from the UV light spectrum through the infrared. This high-performance system is also...

High-performance microtome.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... The fully motorized and programmable rotary RM2265 microtome has easily accessible controls and ergonomic accessories to reduce repetitive motion strain. An entire line of accessories, including a knife-holder base, knife holders, and...

Single-tube screen.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... Recommended for use as a single-tube screen on stool specimens for enteric pathogens, the EnteroScreen 4 is designed to rule out normal enteric flora and to aid in the detection and the differentiation of Salmonella and Shigella species....

New IS features.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2005... This latest version of WindoPath, the anatomic pathology information system, reflects the evolving nature of pathology testing. It incorporates the ability to add clinical results from instruments--such as flow cytometry, cytogenetics, and...

Biosecurity benefits public health.(Washington report)(Biological Aerosol Sentry and Information System)
February 1, 2005... Ever since the anthrax letters that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, much attention has focused on the threat of bioterrorism. Considerable resources and effort have been devoted to the development and deployment of systems and...