Medical Laboratory Observer articles from March 2005

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from March 2005

Make mine marrowbones.(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... Sir Winston Churchill gave me all the ammunition I needed to amuse my classmates in 8th grade as I diagrammed sentences at the blackboard. I quipped aloud Churchill's glorious quotation about grammar: "From now on, ending a sentence with a...

Agreeing to disagree.(Readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I would like to make a few comments on the recent MLO article, "Responsible reporting in microbiology: improving quality of care through better communication," December 2004 [p. 18]. I do not believe some of the points of the article are well...

Rare STD surfaces in United States.(News)
March 1, 2005... Rare STD surfaces in United States. Six cases of LGV (lymphogranuloma venereum), a rare form of Chlamydia trachomatis, have been reported to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in recent months. These cases, combined with...

AACC Proteomics Division.(News)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... AACC Proteomics Division. The AACC (American Association for Clinical Chemistry) recently launched a proteomics division, the purpose of which is to educate laboratory professionals about the diagnostic applications of proteomics and to promote...

Conferences.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... May 15-19. The AACC and the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry are sponsoring a five-day intensive course entitled "2005 Professional Practice in Clinical Chemistry: A Review and Update" at the Holiday Inn Old Town in Alexandria, VA....

World TB Day.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... World TB Day. March 24 is World TB Day--a day devoted to increasing awareness of the continuing global disease threat posed by TB (tuberculosis), which sickens 9 million people annually. Although TB is considered to be relatively under control...

TB diagnosis.( )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... TB diagnosis. In its efforts to improve infectious disease diagnosis in developing countries, FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics) is working to speed the diagnosis of pulmonary TB in HIV patients in these countries. TB is the...

HPV study.(Human Papilloma Virus)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... HPV study. The National Institutes of Health have granted Anna Giuliano, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL, $10 million to study the role of men in the transmission of HPV (human papillomavirus), the...

Understanding the obesity epidemic: what does the lab need to know?(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... CONTINUING EDUCATION [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To earn CEUs, see test on page 18. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Describe the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the United States. 2. List a number of diseases associated with...

Pharmacogenomics and its applications.( )
March 1, 2005... The Great Paracelsus (Philipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim-Paracelsus, 1493-1541) is remembered by toxicologists for his famous quote: "All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose...

A commentary on pharmacogenomics: what can it do?
March 1, 2005... What does pharmacogenomics mean? It triggers, in some minds, thoughts of science-fiction and suspense thrillers where cloning and genetic testing often portray a dark, lurking, evil specter. A lingering public fear is that abuse of genetic...

Survival of the fittest.( )
March 1, 2005... Popular reality television shows feature determined contestants pitted in off-the-wall battles from which one survivor emerges to win a prize of majestic proportions. What would a true-to-life game show based in an American medical laboratory...

Offering new lab tests.(Addressing management issues)
March 1, 2005... Q When a new test and equipment are added to the clinical chemistry laboratory, what is a reasonable amount of time to allow before offering the new test on a routine basis? A According to Larry Crolla, "It depends on the test, the...

Choosing a mentor.(Addressing management issues)
March 1, 2005... Q I have read that everyone should have a mentor. I am a relatively new manager and do not. Any suggestions for selecting one? A Larry Crolla advises, "Find someone you think performs well at a job that requires a similar skill set as your...

AMT's McCullough: from grass roots to high stakes; With a membership of 31,000 allied health professionals who can be contacted as part of a grass roots campaign, AMT is a Clinical Laboratory Coalition member that can add some political muscle to the message.(executive snapshot)
March 1, 2005... Advocacy efforts: AMT is active on the state legislative and regulatory fronts to protect its members' interests. We have a model state licensure bill and have worked well with other groups where state licensure is a reality. AMT regularly...

Cryptococcal meningitis diagnosis.(Answering your questions)
March 1, 2005... Q During a recent CAP inspection, the inspector recommended we use the cryptococcal antigen test as a replacement for the microscopic examination of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) specimens by the India ink method. Is there a reason to offer both...

Printed copies after fax report.(Answering your questions)
March 1, 2005... Q Our laboratory follows up every faxed lab report with a printed hard copy. Some doctors, however, do not like receiving multiple copies of the same report. Are your experts aware of any requirements for sending printed copies in addition to...

Drawing blood gases in vacuum tubes.(Answering your questions)
March 1, 2005... Q Occasionally, some of our ED doctors will draw arterial blood gases (ABGs) in a green-top Vacutainer tube. This usually happens with a cardiac arrest or severe trauma case. They also draw additional tubes for other tests while they are in the...

"Green thumb" not welcome in the lab.(Liability and the lab)
March 1, 2005... Q During a recent inspection, the inspector told us we cannot have potted plants in the lab because they are a contamination and bacterial risk. I have always heard that plants are good because they produce oxygen. Who is right? Can we have...

Education and training.(Product focus)
March 1, 2005... Ever-evolving technologies and new medical discoveries demand that laboratory professionals keep abreast with ongoing education and training. Enhancing their clinical knowledge and pursuing professional growth benefits everyone, particularly...

Centrifugal filter device.( )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Optimized for concentrating and desalting proteins, antibodies, viruses from chromatography fractions, cell-culture supernatants, fermentation broths, and biological fluids, the Centricon Plus-70 centrifugal filter device can also be used for...

Easy strep testing.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Offering a simple workflow and easy-to-read results that are available in just five minutes, the BD Directigen EZ Strep A test kit provides 97% accuracy, 95.2% sensitivity, and 99% specificity. The kit includes sufficient liquid controls to...

Nucleic acid purification.( )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The BioRobot MDx DSP system purifies viral nucleic acids for in vitro diagnostic purposes. For use with the QIAamp DSP 96 Virus MDx Kit, this automated system protects against cross-contamination through precision pipetting, improves safety by...

Magnifying light series.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Available with 3X magnification, the 22-watt Ring Light Magnifier (RLM) Series attaches to laboratory work-benches or tables to light and magnify specimens. The RLM series is available in direct, c-clamp, and mobile versions and can be...

EPO testing.(erythropoietin)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Erythropoietin (EPO) ELISA kit is designed for the quantitative determination of EPO in human serum. The assay is intended for in vitro diagnostic use, as an adjunct to determining cause of anemia and erythrocytosis. The kit contains...

Automated urinalysis.(iQ 200 Sprint Automated Urinalysis System)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Designed to perform both urine chemistry and urine microscopy analyses, the fully automated iQ 200 Sprint Automated Urinalysis System enables fast time to results with a throughput of over 100 samples per hour. Equipped with optional...

Convenient, practical automation.(Hematology System)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... 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...

New POL software.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2005... Specifically developed for the POL environment, eMediTape is a new software package that automates and reduces the risk of error in results reporting and interpretation. The program links POC lab-analyzer equipment directly to lab PCs so that...

Compact incubated shaker.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The MaxQ Mini 4450 incubated orbital shaker offers a small 14" X 27" footprint. Three individual controls for speed, time, and temperature, which can all be viewed simultaneously, make the shaker easy to operate and minimize errors when...

Can public policy curtail obesity?
March 1, 2005... Over the past two years, the Endocrine Society has identified obesity as an item worthy of pursuit on its legislative agenda because of the overwhelming health concerns associated with the condition and its co-morbidities. The Society's...