Medical Laboratory Observer articles from March 2009

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from March 2009

Fond memories from an expert.(From the guest editor)(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... In my 25-year association with MLO, remarkable changes have occurred in the laboratory. MLO, at the forefront of these changes, has frequently been first to discuss new management, regulatory, and quality issues. One early edition of MLO...

MD helped control Ebola spread.(Global diseases)(death of William T. Close)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... William T. Close, MD, 84, father of actress Glenn Close, died of a heart attack on Jan. 15 at his home in Big Piney, WY. In 1976, Close, a surgeon, was personal physician to the president of Zaire and its army's chief doctor during the first...

New cytology rules published.(Education)
March 1, 2009... A news article from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) traces cytology proficiency testing (PT) from its introduction with the CLIA '88 mandate through the current state of affairs involving changes to the now-outmoded program. The CAP...

Aid in ID of E coli/P aeruginosa.(New tests)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Among new tests being approved by the Food and Drug Administration under its 510(k) clearance is the first diagnostic test for identifying Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa directly from positive blood cultures. This latest addition...

Score developed by late Dr. Gleason predicts prostate cancer.(Industry watch)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... On Jan. 20, an obituary for Dr. Donald F. Gleason, 88, was published. Gleason, the Minnesota pathologist who developed the Gleason score that is now used almost universally in the United States to predict the likely outcome of prostate cancer,...

Conferences.(The Observatory)(Calendar)
March 1, 2009... April 16-17. The two-day 41st Annual Oak Ridge Conference at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore includes opportunities for diagnostics executives, lab directors, and academic researchers to interact with scientists from academia/industry who develop...

The role of nipple-aspirate fluid cytology in breast-cancer risk screening.(COVER STORY)(Cover story)(Statistical data)
March 1, 2009... The current standard for screening women to assess their breast health and risk of developing breast cancer is review of family history, physical breast exam, plus regular mammography for women over 40. Clinical experience has shown, however,...

Critical values launch interpretive lab medicine and clinical pathology.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(Interview)
March 1, 2009... MLO: George D. Lundberg, MD, has been credited with "inventing"--or, perhaps, more accurately "first implementing"--the system of critical-value reporting in 1970. He recently said that "... the critical value can serve as a nidus or a...

Find a ray of hope in a gloomy economy.(ANNUAL SALARY SURVEY)(Survey)(Statistical data)
March 1, 2009... Every where you turn these days, there is another hard-luck story. Whether it is a store closing, company layoffs, or short sales and foreclosures, the economic hard times have darkened nearly every corner of the world. The glimmer of hope that...

Addressing management issues.(Management Q&A)
March 1, 2009... Tooting my own horn Q For 20 years, I have worked at a physician office with two nurses, two doctors, an office manager, two receptionists, a referral person, and one MLT (me) with a limited license for X-ray. My employer has had a...

Answering your questions.(Tips from the clinical experts)
March 1, 2009... Mixing EDTA blood too long Q If a CBC is collected in an EDTA tube, what is the maximum amount of time it can be mixed on a mechanical rocker? Do any of the cells break down if it is mixed too long? A Blood samples collected in...

Design a risk-management program.(Liability and the lab)
March 1, 2009... Q We have decided to start an in-house enrichment curriculum in risk management. What resources can you recommend? What topics should we include? Who should attend? A Everyone--from receptionist to medical director--can benefit from...

The "globalization" of the medical lab.(SPECIAL FEATURE)(Interview)
March 1, 2009... One of the harbingers of global laboratory science is Robert Michel, editor of The Dark Report and founder of the Executive War College (scheduled this year in New Orleans, April 28-29). We asked Mr. Michel a few questions about this topic...

Advances in digital pathology drive continued momentum and globalization.(GOING GLOBAL)
March 1, 2009... Digital pathology--an image-based environment for the management and interpretation of pathology information enabled by the digitization of a glass slide--represents a new generation of technology for pathology and laboratory professionals....

Distance learning works when gas and airfares skyrocket.(EDUCATION)
March 1, 2009... Employee training and competency for allied healthcare and healthcare information technology professionals has taken on a special urgency in light of the current economic downturn. This economic crisis may continue for the next decade, meaning...

Trends in STDs.(sexually transmitted diseases)
March 1, 2009... Sexually transmitted disease (STD) is on the rise in the United States, as is the use of molecular diagnostic testing for the human pipillomavirus, herpes simplex, Gardnerella vaginalis, candida, and trichomonas. STDs pose a serious...

HPV genotyping prior to vaccination holds promise.(human papillomavirus infection )
March 1, 2009... Human papillomavirus infection continues to slowly burn its way through populations around the world, not discriminating by gender, race, or age. About 50% of adults are reported to be infected, and more than 80% of females age 50 and older...

Pink cap for easy ID.(Blood banking and donor systems)
March 1, 2009... Added to this company's product assortment is the new 4-mL, 13 x 75-mm, [K.sub.2] EDTA blood collection tube with a pink cap for rapid and easy identification as a blood-bank tube. Pink-capped tubes make it easy for diagnostic laboratories to...

Self-closing doors.(Blood banking and donor systems)
March 1, 2009... The i.Series and Horizon Series Undercounter Refrigerators can be placed under the counter, used free-standing, or stacked in the lab or blood bank. Featuring temperature uniformity with quick recovery and a bacteria-resistant powder coating,...

Manage blood-donation systems.(Blood banking and donor systems)
March 1, 2009... The PRISM Director is a computer system that enhances laboratory efficiency by managing test data for single or multiple PRISM systems used to screen donated blood for hepatitis and retroviruses. In addition to managing data, this system offers...

Enhance safety initiatives.(Blood banking and donor systems)
March 1, 2009... Transfusion Manager is a bedside point-of-care blood-administration system that enhances patient-safety initiatives. The device will positively identify the correct patient and units of blood or components, verify the product about to be...

Dependable storage.(Blood banking and donor systems)
March 1, 2009... A complete package of energy-efficient blood-plasma walk-in panels and refrigeration systems that create a consistent -40[degrees]F environment for rapid freezing and dependable storage are available. When storing blood plasma, the proper...

Type-specific assay.(Industry spotlight)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The FDA has recently cleared the AtheNA Multi-Lyte HSV 1 & 2 IgG Plus Test System, a herpes simplex virus (HSV) typespecific assay, for use on the AtheNA Multi-Lyte System. The new assay is intended for the qualitative detection of IgC...

Improve DOA workflow.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The EasyTox 2.5 GX/MS is a productivity solution software package for routine drugs-of-abuse (DOA) analysis. This platform has been designed to reduce costs, increase sample throughput, and improve productivity. This software includes complete...

Rapid test solution.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... ReadyCells are a solution to the CDC, WHO, and FDA recommendations that all negative rapid cartridge tests be confirmed. ReadyCells, when combined with the [D.sup.3] Ultra DFA Respiratory ID Kit, give the reliability, accuracy, and value of...

Innovative illumination.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The DM IL LED Microscope has a low-maintenance light source with no heat build up, long free-working distances, generous space for operation, and high stability. This versatile scope can be individually configured with a wide range of optics...

HIV/AIDS monitoring.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The FACSCanto II Flow Cytometry System is a bench-top analyzer that supports the first six-color flow-cytometry IVD application for routine HIV/AIDS monitoring using an efficient one-tube test. The system has a range of turnkey IVD...

New application.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... FDA clearance has been given for the Body-Fluid Application to run on the company's DM96 analyzer. Labs using the DM96 for blood differentials are now able to analyze other body fluids (i.e., CSF and pleural fluid) on this platform. This makes...

Quick ship program.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The CaseQ program is designed to offer laminate-casework customers guaranteed quicker delivery. Regardless of an order's size, standard shipping from the facility is guaranteed in four weeks of completed order-information receipt. Serving the...

Improve testing quality.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The hematology program from Randox International Quality Assessment Scheme (RIQAS) offers quick and easy quality analysis for eight analytes. With over 8,100 participants in 70 countries worldwide, RIQAS helps labs assess their analytical...

Improve patient safety.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... This Patient Identification Check System helps improve patient safety by correctly identifying the patient for specimen collection, and improving the efficiency and standardization of the collection process while reducing the turnaround time....

Distance learning.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... Register by Sept. 1 to join a laboratory personnel education collaboration created in response to the ongoing critical shortages of qualified lab professionals nationwide. Past records of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated 12,400...

Multiplexing capabilities.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The FLEXMAP 3D System offers medium to high-volume labs improved analytical performance, greater speed, front-end automation, enhanced throughput, and higher multiplexing capabilities. Measuring up to 500 analytes in a single well and powered...

High-def cellular analysis.(Industry spotlight)
March 1, 2009... The UniCel DxH 800 Cellular Analysis System for mid- to high-volume workloads has a modular design and small footprint--ideal for the LEAN lab. It features high-definition signal processing and multiangle light scatter, which produce 10 times...

Re-aligning healthcare.(Washington report)
March 1, 2009... Only a small fraction of physicians use an electronic health record (EHR) systems in their practices, and many are low-tech. While health information technology (HIT) advocates often lament this fact, they miss the many good reasons physicians...