Medical Laboratory Observer articles from June 2007

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from June 2007

Beware the lobster: part IV: Tradition in transition.(From the editor)
June 1, 2007... In my final (I promise) commentary on the changing environs of the medical laboratory, brought on by the imminent (and unavoidable) egress of older workers and the influx of younger ones, my thoughts have turned to why the "other" seems to...

Readers respond; automating anemia assay.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... The article by Dr. Vijay Kumar entitled "Pernicious anemia" in the February 2007 issue of MLO [p. 28], provided an excellent summary of this autoimmune disorder. Detecting the presence of intrinsic factor autoantibodies in patients with vitamin...

Readers respond; through patients' eyes.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... I have read your two-part article in MLO on "Tradition in Transition" [see March 2007, page 4, and April 2007, page 4] and just had to comment on how wonderful and insightful it was. I have been an MT for 30+ years and presently work in a small...

Readers respond; how everyone can win.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... I read with trepidation your [letter] in April's MLO. I am 32 and have been a lab tech for 13 years. I find the attitudes of younger folks just beginning their careers are much different than what I remember. However, I also realize every...

States vie for top BSL-4 lab.(Infectious diseases)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... States vie for top BSL-4 lab. A news report announces a dozen states have submitted bid proposals to the Homeland Security Department to become the site of a 520,000 square-foot bio-safety level 4 (BSL-4) national bio- and agro-defense facility...

FDA approves first avian flu vaccine.(Infectious diseases)(sanofi pasteur Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... FDA approves first avian flu vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of the first vaccine for humans against the H5N1 virus. The vaccine, manufactured by sanofi pasteur Inc., could be used in the event the virus...

Clinton to lower cost of AIDS drugs.(Infectious diseases)(Matrix Laboratories Ltd)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Clinton to lower cost of AIDS drugs. The Associated Press reported last month that former President Bill Clinton has negotiated a deal with drug companies to lower the price of many once-a-day "second-line" AIDS drugs. UNITAID, the financier of...

Conferences.(The Observatory)(Calendar)
June 1, 2007... * June 13. The AACC presents an audioconference "Current Issues in Prostate Cancer Testing." New assays are becoming available to stop unnecessary biopsies. Issues include how these new tests affect the current testing paradigm, what they can...

Food-borne illnesses continue.(News)(protecting consumer health)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Food-borne illnesses continue. Many food-borne illnesses stay in the news as more products are recalled. Recently, Dole recalled more than 6,000 cartons of imported cantaloupes distributed throughout eastern United States and Canada between...

Needle-free device measures blood sugar.(News)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Needle-free device measures blood sugar. A new blood-sugar measuring device is expected to be available in a year. Penetrating the skin with near-infrared rays, the cell-phone-size device focuses on the bloodstream and measures the amount of...

The masks of allergy undone by IVT.(CE IVT)(Cover story)
June 1, 2007... After traveling for more than a year and meeting with various lab directors, physicians, and outreach coordinators, we learned that exposure to allergens for individuals with asthma can cause an attack, and repeated exposure can lead to...

In memorium.(Obituary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... One of MLO's advisors and peer-reviewers, James Dehnert Gross, MD, 77, of Osprey, FL, died Jan. 12, 2007. He had retired as director of laboratories in the pathology department of St. Mary's Hospital, Streator, IL, after 31 years. Dr. Gross was...

Trends in hematology.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
June 1, 2007... "Hematology" comes from two Greek words--haima, meaning blood, and logos, meaning study or science. Blood is very different from other body tissue, which means that the science of blood and its disorders, like other specialized sciences,...

Flow cytometry: an overview.(SPECIAL FEATURE)
June 1, 2007... Flow cytometry is the measurement and characterization of light-absorbing and fluorescing properties of particles, usually cells, in a stream of fluid. These properties allow measurements of quantity, size, morphology, internal and external...

HIPAA: where are we now?(LAB MANAGEMENT)
June 1, 2007... Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) with the goal of establishing basic federal safeguards to protect the confidentiality of medical records. Simultaneously, a second mission of the law...

MLO peer reviewers.(TRIBUTE)
June 1, 2007... The MLO peer reviewers, because of their numbers, serve infrequently but perform a most important service without fanfare. These medical laboratory scholars come from all around the nation and represent some of the finest healthcare...

Card makes big splash with ASI.(Executive snapshot)
June 1, 2007... Diversity through opportunity. Technology, customer demand, and changing market demographics have driven the emergence of ASI's diverse products. Early on, ASI took advantage of new technology for in vitro allergy testing--a practice still...

Addressing management issues; decreasing absenteeism.(Management Q&A)
June 1, 2007... Q Any ideas on how to decrease absenteeism in the clinical laboratory? Most of our absenteeism is what I think is sick-leave abuse. A Alton Sturtevant recommends, "The starting point is to have clear policies relating to vacation, holidays,...

Addressing management issues; setting a climate for motivation.(Management Q&A)(Interview)
June 1, 2007... Q I have heard Dr. Frings say that he cannot motivate anyone, and that motivation must come from within. How do I set a motivational climate for a very diverse staff in a large hospital? A One challenge that managers and leaders face is...

Answering your questions; parallel testing of waived kits.(Tips from the clinical experts)
June 1, 2007... Q Please explain CLIA regulation on parallel testing of test kits. Does this regulation include "waived" test kits such as rapid strep, urine pregnancy, and mononucleosis? A The Manager of Laboratory Compliance and Quality Assurance at the...

Clarification.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Correction notice)
June 1, 2007... In the May 2007 issue of MLO (in "Tips from the clinical experts" on page 40, the Q&A entitled "nRBNC and giant-platelet interference on a cell counter" should read, "nRBC and giant-platelet interference on a cell counter."

Answering your questions; tests for renal function.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Interview)
June 1, 2007... Q What is the best test to evaluate the kidney status? Is the spot urine protein/creatinine ratio better than 24-hour urine total protein? In nephrotic-syndrome patients, which test is appropriate to order to evaluate the amount of protein in...

Answering your questions; normal range for anion gap.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Interview)(Column)
June 1, 2007... Q What is the normal range for anion gap with the formula Na-(Cl+CO2)? With the formula (Na+K)- (Cl+CO2)? Which one should be used? A The anion gap is defined as the difference between the major measured cation, sodium, and the major...

Hard evidence required to bring official charges.(Liability and the lab)
June 1, 2007... Q In the laboratory, I witnessed a situation that seriously concerns me. When a physician orders blood cultures x 2 in the Emergency Department, two lab technologists should collect one blood culture, place additional blood in another tube or...

Extended platelet storage makes a welcome difference.(EDUCATION)
June 1, 2007... Turnaround time, quality control, and accurate results. Each and every day, lab technicians are reminded of these critical issues. It is no different for blood centers and transfusion services where laboratorians ensure the safety, purity, and...

Point-of-care testing: one test, two results.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... Using a single drop of blood, the HemoPoint H2 offers accurate results for both hemoglobin and hematocrit tests--in less than a minute. The easy-to-read touch screen displays the current time and battery status, and allows for easy operation....

Point-of-care testing: fast blood-lead outcomes.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The CLIA-waived blood-lead analyzer, LeadCare II, improves clinical outcomes and is safe, fast, easy, and inexpensive to use. It delivers quantitative blood-lead results equivalent to those reported by outside labs in just three minutes, and...

Point-of-care testing: expand testing capabilities.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The Clinitek Status Analyzer is a point-of-care urinalysis analyzer designed for in vitro use in the semi-quantitative detection of albumin, bilirubin, blood (occult), creatinine, glucose, ketone, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific...

Point-of-care testing: big on accuracy.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The Piccolo xpress is a compact, portable clinical chemistry system designed for on-site testing. Roughly the size of a shoebox, the Piccolo xpress has easy-to-follow screen commands that enable routine multi-chemistry panels. 0.1 cc of whole...

Point-of-care testing: wide testing range.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... Afinion AS100 is a multi-parameter analyzer system for performing HbA1c and CRP testing (other tests are under development) using a single drop of blood from a finger stick. Operation using a touch screen is simple, and accurate results are...

Point-of-care testing: POC data management.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The Point-of-Care Manager (PDM) is a comprehensive blood-gas and critical-care data-management system that is designed to manage all STAT test reporting and CLIA documentation needs. The PDM produces cumulative patient reports, Levey-Jennings...

Point-of-care testing: fast TAT at POC.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The ABL80 FLEX is an blood analyzer with a 60-second measurement time, a small footprint of only 9"x11", a 120-second cycle time (sample to sample), and a requirement only 70 [micro]L of whole blood. This analyzer has a customizable user...

Point-of-care testing: clear and convenient DOA screen.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The Triage TOX Drug Screen detects several illicit and prescription drugs including amphetamines/methamphetamines, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, tetrahydrocannabinol, acetaminophen, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone, propoxyphene, and...

Point-of-care testing: reduce labor costs.(Product focus)
June 1, 2007... The HemoNIR is a convenient, small hand-portable device that measures the ability of a person's blood to carry oxygen by monitoring functional vs. non-functional hemoglobin. The HemoNIR allows personnel to determine whether factors such as...

Relocation solution.(Industry spotlight)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... OneSource laboratory relocation service handles the complex and time-consuming burden of moving equipment. This global service facilitates the move of all laboratory equipment, chemicals, and samples; covers insurance, installation, as well as...

Sensitivity to bladder cancer.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2007... The FDA has approved the bladder-cancer diagnostic test, oncoFISH bladder, in conjunction with the Ikoniscope robotic digital microscope platform to screen for chromosomal abnormalities. This combination offers improved sensitivity and...

Improve processing.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2007... Para-Pak Parasitology Products are designed to improve the overall processing of fecal specimens for examination of ova and parasites and enteric pathogens. A wide variety of fixatives and preservatives are available in single or multivial...

Molecular-level cleaner.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2007... PUROSOL Optical is a molecular-level, enzyme-based cleaner that will not harm delicate lens products--microscopies, safety goggles, and cameras--and creates a protective anti-static shield without harsh chemicals. It is specifically designed to...

Slim and space saving.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2007... The Innova U360 is a slim-styled, space-saving -86[degrees]C freezer with automated data-logging capability that features an advanced new-user interface with extra-large display. This freezer uses vacuum-insulation-panel technology, has a small...

Online equipment store.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2007... A new website that contains thousands of high-precision, brand-name instruments, accessories, and supplies for a variety of lab applications is now up and running. This online equipment store provides competitive pricing and prompt delivery....

Complete HSV profile.(Industry spotlight)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... FDA clearance has been granted to Plexus HerpeSelect 1 and 2 IgG test, which is the first multiplex type-specific HSV serology using Luminex xMAP technology. It provides labs with a complete HSV serology profile from a single specimen in a...

Read, interpret, record.(Industry spotlight)
June 1, 2007... BioMIC V3's color image analysis instantly reads, interprets, and records D-test results when erythromycin and clindamycin disks are placed and the appropriate organism conditions recommended by CLSI are met. It reads antibiotic disk-diffusion...

A novel approach to public policy.(Washington report)
June 1, 2007... Last year, Nature ran an article bemoaning the lack of "lab lit"--novels set in laboratories. The author, Jennifer Rohn, complained about how laboratory scientists got a bad rap in novels. They were either geeky, evil, or just plain absent....