Medical Laboratory Observer articles from January 2003

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from January 2003

Love story. (From the Editor).(a child with Down's syndrome can be a joy)(Column)
January 1, 2003... Happy 2003! Last February, our cover article examined prenatal tests that screen for birth defects. You might remember, MLO's cover that month was a replica of a sepia-toned page from Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbook that beautifully depicted a...

Study: C-reactive protein might predict diabetes. (Proteomics).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Recent evidence suggests that C-reactive protein (CRP) may predict the development of diabetes in women. According to a study reported in the November 2002 issue of Diabetes Care, CRP, a substance produced by the liver in response to...

AABB urges bacteria detection program. (Blood Bank).(the American Association of Blood Banks)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Leading blood-safety experts have urged the blood community to initiate a program for detecting the if presence of bacteria in units of platelets. Their call for action came at the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Blood...

ACS releases new cervical cancer screening guidelines. (News).(the American Cancer Society)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... New guidelines that address when and how often women should get early detection tests for cervical cancer and precancer were released recently by the American Cancer Society (ACS). An expert panel developed the new guidelines outlining who...

National Institutes of Health to fund counterterror labs. (News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, will use part of its $1.8 billion biological warfare defense budget on 10 counterterror labs. Two will be located in the Washington, DC, area: one on the NIH campus, and one in Fort Detrick,...

Eclipsys forms alliance with Mysis Healthcare. (Industry Watch).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Eclipsys Corp. recently announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with the Hospital Systems unit of Mysis Healthcare Systems, which specializes in healthcare information technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Eclipsys will offer...

Sharma named top executive at 4Medica. (Industry Watch).(4Medica Inc. names Ravi Sharma as president and CEO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Ravi Sharma was recently appointed president and CEO of 4Medica, Inc., according to a company announcement. Sharma succeeds company co-founder Alexander Zubatov, who will continue to serve on 4Medica's Board of Directors. Sharma is former...

Heska, Pharmacia Diagnostics ink agreement. (Industry Watch).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Heska Corp. of Fort Collins, CO, has entered into an agreement with Pharmacia Diagnostics, according to a December announcement, in which Pharmacia has acquired a worldwide exclusive license to develop and merchandise Heska's recombinant...

Readers respond. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... Note: The first two letters are responses to Celia Stevens' editorial about Alzheimer's disease in the November 2002 issue. Touching lives We have never met before, and we may never have the pleasure -- but I wanted you to know that I...

Driving forces in cancer diagnostics. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)
January 1, 2003... We are beginning to see the first signs of fundamental change in protein-based cancer diagnostics. The field has long been dominated by the search for highly predictive, single biomarkers that could reveal the state of the patient's health,...

Talking with Randy Daniel: Dade Behring's North America Customer Management president. (Expert Opinion).(the shortage clinical laboratory personnel is changing how instruments are developed)(Interview)
January 1, 2003... Celia Stevens: As your company emerges as a global player in the clinical diagnostics industry, what are the major trends that will most affect the industry's future? Randy Daniel: First, the ongoing shortage of trained personnel will...

Using a creatinine ratio in urinalysis to improve the reliability of protein and albumin results. (Clinical Issues).
January 1, 2003... There are currently more than 300,000 people in the U.S. who are on renal dialysis with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and this number is doubling every 10 years. (1)0 A major part of this is related to the dramatic increase in the incidence...

Can you keep a secret? Give your lab results a HIPAA privacy checkup. (Lab Management).
January 1, 2003... The clinical lab industry is nearing one of the many HIPAA-compliance dates demanded of all covered entities. On April 14, privacy regulations take effect, whether or not laboratories are prepared. For those nearing completion of HIPAA privacy...

Laboratory information systems: continue to add features that contribute to maximizing personnel and cost containment. (Product Focus).
January 1, 2003... Today, laboratory information systems (LISs) must move the laboratorian and the clinician toward a total integration and/or interface with all clinical systems to comply with increasing demands for accuracy of patient records, as well as to...

Answering your questions: blood cultures collected from IV line, updating equipment and color atlas for urinalysis. (Tips from the Clinical Experts).
January 1, 2003... Blood cultures collected from IV line Q Is there a reference describing how to collect blood cultures aseptically from indwelling intravenous lines? Should the same blood culture contamination rate threshold be applied to line draws as for...

When should a phlebotomist ask for help with a difficult draw? (Liability and the Lab).
January 1, 2003... I have a question that no one at my facility seems be able to answer. What is the limit to the number of attempts a phlebotomist should make at collecting blood from a patient before asking for a "doctor draw"? There is no hard-and-fast...

Addressing management issues: departmentalized laboratory; storage of records, reports and samples; and nontechnical employees as lab assistants. (Management Q&A).
January 1, 2003... Departmentalized laboratory Q Do you have any information on the pros and cons of "departmentalizing" a laboratory? A Larry Crolla advises, "Most labs are going to core labs, where several departments are folded into one. Departments...

New features. (Industry Update).
January 1, 2003... Genesis FE500 Workcell offers more flexibility in front-end! automation through its enhanced modular system design: specimen sorting, centrifugation, decapping, secondary tube labeling and aliquoting; serum volume verification, barcode labeling...

POC urinalysis. (Industry Update).
January 1, 2003... The UrineQuick Urine Chemistry Analyzer allows laboratorians to process batches of samples quickly and cost-efficiently. The point-of-care instrument features advanced software capabilities, as well as patented transport and optic systems....

Automated blood test. (Industry Update).
January 1, 2003... The Elecsys proBNP assay is the first automated test for use in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure. It is available on the Elecsys 1000, Elecsys 2010 and E 170 modules. It has a CV of less than 5.8 percent on all three systems. Linear...

Lipoprotein(a), ferritin reagents. (Industry Update).(immunoturbidimetric assay )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... K-ASSAY Lp(a) reagent for the quantitative determination of human Lp(a) by immunoturbidimetric assay may provide the risk assessment of coronary artery disease. It has an assay range of 5 to 150 mg/dL and precision below 5 percent CV. The...

Down assays control. (Industry Update).(Lyphochek Maternal Serum Control)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Lyphochek Maternal Serum Control monitors the critical decision levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and free estriol for Down syndrome screening assays. This human serum-based product contains very...

Digital camera software. (Industry Update).(new imaging software products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... EclipseNet's imaging software tools can be used with DXM 1200 and DN 100 digital cameras for image documentation and analysis. Its image archiving and database engine utilize Microsoft industry standard database tools. It offers various modes...

CRP reagents. (Industry Update).(new immunochemistry analyzers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) reagents have been optimized for use on [AU400.sup.e], AU600, [AU640.sup.e], AU2 700, and AU5400 immunochemistry analyzers. This follows the introduction of a new HDL and LDL reagent line to help...

Antibiotic resistance. (Industry Update).(dried minimum inhibitory concentration panel)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... To help physicians determine the best prescriptions for patients, MICroStrep plus, a dried minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) panel, provides antibiotic susceptibility testing of all pneumococcal and streptococcal isolates across a range of...

Automation system software. (Industry Update).(uses adaptable Oracle relational database)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... URSA (unverified result set analyzer), the software subsystem of LAB-InterLink's laboratory automation system, integrates automation, instruments and process control. The platform runs on an adaptable Oracle relational database, evolving as the...

IF and BJ assays. (Industry Update).(permits mixing/matching of gel sizes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... With the addition of the 1 Immuno-fixation (IF) and 1 Bence Jones (BJ) tests, IF and BJ assays are available in 1-, 2-, 4-, and 9-size kits, which allow mixing and matching of gel sizes to help eliminate waste. These tests can be performed...

Antibody assay. (Industry Update).(new 2-cell antibody screening assay)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A two-cell antibody screening assay has been added to the ABS2000, a fully automated blood bank instrument for antibody screening, blood grouping, donor confirmation and crossmatch testing. It provides an alternative to the traditional...

Cholesterol book. (Industry Update).(lipoprotein profile )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... In the book Lipoprint, Dr. Robert W. Ban relates the essentials to the understanding of the lipoprotein profile and what it means for people's health. It describes the importance of good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) subfractions...

Microbiology guide. (Industry Update).(online encyclopedia for microbiologists)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Hugo (version 4.0) software serves as a technical reference manual and encyclopedia for microbiologists. Its fully searchable program contains more than 3,500 pages of reference material and procedures related to culture media, quality control,...

Task tables. (Industry Update).(new heavy-duty mobile laboratory equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Heavy-duty mobile laboratory task tables are available in different heights, lengths, widths, and work surfaces. Made of powder-coated steel, the frames support an evenly distributed load of up to 600 pounds. Work surfaces are stainless steel...

Washington's view for 2003. (Washington Report).(U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, Senate Republicans and health care)
January 1, 2003... On Jan. 7, the 108th Congress convened. U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, (R-TN) and the first physician elected to the Senate since 1928, voiced his goal for the coming year: "I hope we will seize this historic opportunity to reduce the ranks of the...