Medical Laboratory Observer articles from July 2003

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from July 2003

Examining the secret of life. (From the Editor).(Editorial)
July 1, 2003... In 1953 -- the year I mostly stood in the corner of Mrs. Stuckey's second-grade classroom for talking too much in class -- Francis Crick pronounced to the world, "We have discovered the secret of life." In 1964, in a college classroom, my...

COLA offers accreditation savings to U.S. labs. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... COLA is a nonprofit, physician-directed organization promoting quality and excellence in medicine and patient care through programs of voluntary education and achievement. This national healthcare accreditation agency has changed its pricing...

State-of-the-art lab opens in Richmond, VA. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Virginia Biotechnology Research Park recently hosted the grand opening of its newest building, Biotech Six, occupied by one of the most advanced laboratories in the United States, the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services...

Blood news. (Blook Bank).
July 1, 2003... Global Med Technologies announced that it is working closely with the philanthropic organization Safe Blood for Africa Foundation (SBAF) to help stop the transmission of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa through contaminated blood transfusions. SBAF...

Worth noting. (News).
July 1, 2003... * ASM's remaining 2003 audio conference program. Registration for eight American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 2003 audio conferences continues: Aug. 13 -- Update of stool ordering and testing for diagnostic parasitology Aug. 27 --...

Diabetes: get a clearer picture. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)
July 1, 2003... Snapshots can reveal only a small, often indistinct, portion of a landscape. Any brief consideration of a topic as far-reaching and complex as diabetes is bound to suffer from the same limitations. While a snapshot can convey helpful...

Digene's chairman/CEO Evan Jones: discusses disease-specific molecular diagnostic tests, women's health issues and consumer health advocacy. (Expert Opinion).(Interview)
July 1, 2003... Interview Carren Bersch Carren Bersch: What do you see as the major trends that will affect the clinical diagnostics industry over the next five years? Evan Jones: New diagnostics technologies and advances in our understanding of...

From peapods to laboratory medicine: molecular diagnostics of inheritable diseases. (Clinical Issues).
July 1, 2003... "She has your smile and my eyes," says one parent to the other. As pleasing as these facial characteristics are, their child may also inherit disease predisposition from one or both parents. This article reviews some of the common applications...

Deliver the lesson now: just-in-time training. (Lab Management).
July 1, 2003... In April 1979, Medical Laboratory Observer published a paper by Dr. Charles H. Altshuler, describing Accessible Information for Diagnosis and Evaluation (AIDE), a microfiche-based system that provided "on-the-spot" education to physicians. AIDE...

Addressing management issues: crisis management and personal hygiene in the workplace. (Management: Q&A).
July 1, 2003... Crisis management Q How can we minimize crisis management in our laboratory? We always seem to be doing things on short notice, and everyone is stressed Out. A Crisis management is when a deadline has sneaked up behind you and robbed...

Patient's right to choose raises points with common grounds. (Liability and the Lab).(healt care industry)
July 1, 2003... Q We recently had a patient come our lab with a requisition from a competing lab. His physicians had ordered testing, but this presented a problem for him because, not only was it rather far from his home, it was closed. He wanted us to perform...

Answering your questions: iodine disinfectant for infants, biohazard waste transport and stroke work-up. (Tips From the Clinical Experts).
July 1, 2003... Iodine disinfectant for infants In the January 2002 MLO "Tips from the clinical experts," p. 25, a question was asked in regard to site preparation for infant blood cultures. In the response, a statement was made that, "For patients who...

Chemistry systems do more, faster. (Product Focus).
July 1, 2003... Chemistry systems continue the current industry trends of becoming faster, more powerful, more versatile, more automated, and, in some cases, more portable. It is not uncommon for a contemporary chemistry system to be able to handle 500...

Glycoprotein test kit. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... The ADIAflo GP-TRIO test kit is available for the quantitative measurement of GpIb-[alpha], GPIX and GPV glycoproteins. This is a ready-to-use test kit, with all reagents, calibrator, controls and associated testing materials included to...

-86[degrees]C upright freezers. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... Forma 8600 series -86[degrees]C upright freezers are constructed and stress tested to meet a wide variety of laboratory storage applications. The series includes single-and double-door uprights, ranging from 13 cu. ft. to 28 cu. ft. Double-door...

Antiseptic hand gel. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... Compatible with virtually every surface, SurgAcare antiseptic hand gel is nontoxic, biodegradable and deodorizing. The product uses isopropyl alcohol, an antimicrobial, antiviral disinfectant, and can be used full strength. Made with binders to...

Test handbook for professionals. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... Davis's Comprehensive Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests is a practical collection of nearly 400 monographs to help laboratorians and nurses. The book features commonly requested procedures grouped by organ system in one set of tables....

Breast cancer marker. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... The monoclonal E-Cadherin antibody helps distinguish between lobular and ductal carcinoma and other tumor differentiation. In recent studies, monoclonal E-Cadhein (Clone 4A2C7) identified pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ from intraductal...

UV LED performance. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... A 395-nm peak wavelength UV LED array has been added to the company's Shark multi-wavelength product line. Using 50 die in a TO-66 package, the LED achieves 300 mW of optical power from a single package, or 20 times the performance of a typical...

Detect allergic reactions. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... The fully automated Total IgE (Immunoglobin E) assay is designed to quantitatively determine the IgE in human serum and plasma. The assay features a measuring range from 5 IU/mL to 30,000 IU/mL, 24-month reagent stability and calibration...

Silicone encased labels. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... AdvantaLABEL is a labeling system made to cleanly, clearly and permanently identify silicone hoses. The system is designed for applications in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and biomedical laboratories. Permanently vulcanized silicone encases a...

Chest pain diagnostic tool. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... Within 15 minutes, the Triage Cardio ProfilER provides quantitative measurement of four heart disease markers: creatinine kinase (CK-MB), myoglobin, all forms of troponin I and b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). The product is based on the...

MS diagnosis. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... A new IgG IEF method for the clinical diagnosis of multiple sclerosis uses the SPIFE analyzer to perform isoelectric focusing of paired CSF and serum for identification of IgG-specific oligoclonal banding. This assay is suitable for routine...

IMA indicator. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... The Albumin Cobalt Binding (ACB) test is a quantitative diagnostic test used on human serum to detect ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) by measuring the cobalt binding capacity of albumin. IMA is intended for use with EGG and cardiac troponin as...

Class II safety cabinets. (Industry Update).
July 1, 2003... Heraeus HERAsafe KS Class II safety cabinets incorporate features to improve user comfort and maximize contamination prevention. An aerosol-tight, motorized front window and transparent sides provide unobstructed viewing. The front window is...

Clinical laboratories and the shape of Medicare reform. (Washington Report).
July 1, 2003... This year has been, and will continue to be, a very busy one for legislators in our nation's capital. There are many international and domestic issues on the congressional agenda, ranging from the Middle East and the war on terrorism to a...