Medical Laboratory Observer articles from May 2008

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from May 2008

Bravo for brave souls.(From the editor)
May 1, 2008... Talk-show host and comic Arsenio Hall relates an amusing mother-son tale: "My mother wanted me to be a lawyer. I wanted to be an actor. I said, 'Mom, I have to choose my own destiny' I went to school and majored in theatre. A couple of weeks...

Looking to get out.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I just finished your retirement article ["Retirement challenge looms large," page 4], and I really wish I could mentor and encourage the lab field. But being a 10-year certified MT and still not making the starting pay of an AS RN, I am myself...

Success filling area openings.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I enjoyed reading your editorial in the January 2008 MLO. I recognized the laboratory-staffing crisis several years ago as well, when I was over laboratory services. I organized a meeting of hospital and reference laboratory managers at our...

Not "rah-rah".(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I am a little behind on my reading but wanted to comment on your "retirement" article in the January 2008 MLO. I, too, am approaching retirement after 35 years in the laboratory of which 30+ I have spent as the supervisor of the chemistry...

Educating students.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I wanted to comment regarding the special-report article regarding Labs Are Vital ["Survey reveals need to educate students about profession," March 2008, page 8]. If labs want to maintain MTs and MLTs in the profession, then increase the pay...

Second annual EWC Scholarship awarded to a "Georgia peach".
May 1, 2008... The winner of the second annual Executive War College Scholarship program is Cynthia Parrish from Thomasvillc, Georgia's JDArchbold Memorial Hospital. Parrish has more than 27 years' experience in the clinical laboratory by way of hospital,...

New leads for treating schistosomiasis.(Genomics)(National Institutes of Health Roadmap )(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... New leads for treating schistosomiasis. A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health Roadmap and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has identified chemical compounds that hold promise as potential...

Medal awarded to American.(Awards)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Medal awarded to American. In Mosbach, Germany, her findings in the field have been termed "groundbreaking" by the president of the German Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. There, American scientist Susan Lindquist, PhD, was...

New info on CJD.(Worth noting)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... New info on CJD. News-Medical.Net reported in late March that researchers from the United Kingdom and France have identified four separate biochemical subgroups in a selection of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). According to the news...

Concerns about a strange Las Vegas story still surface.(Biothreat)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Concerns about a strange Las Vegas story still surface. One of the police officers who went to a motel room at the Extended Stay America where ricin was found has tested positive for trace detectible levels of the substance "ricinine" in his...

New poster ready.(Education)(Ten Commandments for Handling Biological Specimens in the Clinical Laboratory)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... New poster ready. The "Ten Commandments for Handling Biological Specimens in the Clinical Laboratory" poster is available from the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB). First published in 1992 as the "Ten Commandments for Handling...

Protection against ticks.(New vaccines)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Protection against ticks. Lyme disease may be prevented with a single injection, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. The United States saw nearly 20,000 cases of Lyme disease in 2006. Now, scientists at the...

New study shows syphilis is making a U.S. comeback.(Testing)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... New study shows syphilis is making a U.S. comeback. CDC researchers report in the journal Lancet that many doctors are unprepared to recognize and treat outbreaks of syphilis being fueled by illicit drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors. The...

Conferences.(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... * May 9-10. AACC and its Proteomics division present "Translating Proteomic Discoveries into Clinical Diagnostics" at The Grand Hyatt, Seattle. Hear leading researchers, regulators, lab professionals, and industry representatives discuss the...

The laboratory's role in pharmacogenetic testing.
May 1, 2008... Pharmacogenetics, or the study of the relationship between genes and drugs as it applies to individualized medicine, holds great promise for improving patient care. As the interest in translating pharmacogenetic research to clinical practice...

Why is there not a de facto gold standard for genetic-testing controls? Where we are now, and where we can go?(Cover story)
May 1, 2008... Genetic testing offers the promise of a quantum leap toward the understanding and treatment of a wide array of diseases and conditions--and, ultimately, the effective application of personalized medicine. In the United States, however, the...

The Gram stain goes molecular.
May 1, 2008... Every year, 350,000 patients in the United States contract bloodstream infections, causing over 90,000 unnecessary deaths and significant costs to our healthcare system. The mainstream early diagnostic process continues to revolve around the...

American med techs volunteer in Haiti.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
May 1, 2008... When a local medical-mission team came to our laboratory at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland asking for volunteers to staff their new clinic in Petionville, Haiti, we thought this would be our chance to "give something back." Certainly,...

Beyond technical: training future lab leaders in professionalism.(LAB MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2008... Teaching future laboratorians the technical skills required to excel in their profession is a crucial component present in all clinical laboratory curriculums. Developing students' abilities beyond this, however, is handled in varying ways...

Digital pathology advances with Soenksen's Aperio.(Executive snapshot)
May 1, 2008... Suite G. Aperio is Latin and means, "to reveal, to make clear," which seemed particularly fitting for a company with an optical technology focused on diagnostics. The business opportunity associated with rapid slide scanning crystallized when I...

Alternate careers for 'burned-out' medical lab personnel.(SPECIAL FEATURE)
May 1, 2008... In conjunction with the ongoing concern about the lack of qualified personnel to staff the nation's medical laboratories in the not-too-distant future, there is an equal concern about the departure of qualified personnel who have "burned out"...

Addressing management issues.(Management Q&A)(Discussion)
May 1, 2008... Effective meetings Q Many of the meetings in our hospital are non-productive and a big waste of time. Does the panel have suggestions for conducting effective meetings? A How many people think that meetings are a waste of time? Holding...

Answering your questions.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Interview)
May 1, 2008... Hemolysis control QI have been trying to find a hemolysis control for our COBAS INTEGRA and have been unsuccessful. We perform donor testing, and some of the samples are hemolyzed to some degree. The instrument package inserts indicate...

Removing ID before discarding slides.(Liability and the lab)
May 1, 2008... Q Our HIPAA supervisor insists that we have to remove all identifying information from slides before discarding them. Is this true? A This is the HIPAA question that will not die. It first raised its head when HIPAA was new and uncharted...

Middleware services may be the key to its return on investment.(EDUCATION)
May 1, 2008... Bagwell, Hunter^Coughlin, Bill^Jarvis, Don There have been many articles and case studies published describing how the use of middleware has increased the efficiency of laboratories. One aspect often missing from these discussions, however,...

Trends in middleware.(EDUCATION)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2008... Middleware offers a "mixed bag" "Obviously the term 'middleware' comes from the combination of the two words 'middle' and 'ware' or 'wares.' This easily defines the central theme of middleware in the medical laboratory computer world....

Hematology standardization for the IDN.(EDUCATION)
May 1, 2008... Hospitals, allied healthcare facilities (e.g., outpatient clinics and nursing homes), and other ancillary services (e.g., core laboratories) that make up an integrated delivery network, or IDN, satisfy all of their patients' healthcare needs...

Lab automation software products.(EDUCATION)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2008... Identifies and supports needs With experience with and knowledge of most major laboratory information management systems (LIMS) products and vendors in the market, the consultation services offered by this company include continuously...

Point-of-care testing.(Product focus)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2008... Simplicity at POC The DCA Vantage Analyzer, a point-of-care diabetes patient-management platform performs glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), microalbumin/creatinine, and albumin-to-creatinine tests. The analyzer is critical for monitoring a...

Nine antifungal agents.(Industry spotlight)(Trek Diagnostic Systems)
May 1, 2008... Sensitire YeastOne now includes the latest antifungal agents--anidulafungin and micafungin--as part of its plate format for antifungal susceptibility testing. With nine antifungal on just one format, it is a comprehensive panel with low-cost,...

Reduced time for ID.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The CarboFerm Neisseria Kit rapid test for the identification of Neisseria species and Moraxella catarrhalis reduces time required for identification to four hours, down from the usual 48. Each kit contains 12 six-well reaction strips, a...

Content-safe message board.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The Clean Writer Chalkless Board is clean and safe. Micro-magnetic particles inside the panel are controlled by a magnetic stylus and magnetic erasers, which eliminate chalk, dust, and other contaminants associated with traditional boards....

Real-time flu test.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The ProFlu+ is a real-time molecular biology test for respiratory viruses that gives results in as few as three hours. It employs a multiplex platform that allows several tests to be processed using the same sample to detect influenza A virus,...

One-step disinfecting.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... Clorox Germicidal Spray Disinfectant is EPA registered as a one-step cleaner/disinfectant, and has a spray and foam setting, helping maximize surface-contact time. It has a 30-second kill time for MRSA, VRE, Salmonella, Shiglla, Mycobacterium,...

Rapid aid in diagnosis.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The QuickVue Respratory syncytial virus (RSV) test has been granted CLIA-waived status. This dipstick immunoassay allows for the rapid, qualitative detection of RSV antigen directly from nasopharyngeal swab or nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens...

Custom labels.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... Hema-Trax ISBT-128 is a stand-alone program that allows a full range of ISBT-128-compatible labels to be printed, including ABO- Rh, collection/ expiration date/ time, facility, product/expiration date, and more. The program produces a full set...

Generous view.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The Protector XLE Laboratory Hood offers seven widths and offers a generous 35" viewing height. The vertical-rising tempered safety-glass sash includes a self-closing counterbalanced closing mechanism to maintain hood access opoeining of 18",...

Print in-house.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The 8000 Series of durable hazard-warning labels can be printed in-house using an existing laser or thermal-transfer printer. The labels are ideal for withstanding the harshest lab environments including alcohol, chemicals, daily handling, and...

Easily configured workbenches.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... Modular Workbenches are designed for laboratory settings with a choice of sturdy, long-lasting work surfaces, such as laminate, static dissipative, and butcher block to suit a variety of applications. The Nexus Workbench Accessories System can...

Reliable data transfer.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The OneTouch DataLink Wireless 2 gives secure, fast, reliable data transfer from the OneTouch Flexx Meter to the laboratory and hospital information systems, thereby eliminating the need for manual data entry. This software is fully compatible...

New package.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The QuickSpin PLUS package was developed for STAT and coagulation applications, including platelet-poor plasma. Featuring the EBA 20S high speed centrifuge, it has a maximum RPM of 8,000 and RCF of 6,153, offering fast results and increased...

Touch-free technology.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The Sensorturn and Sensorturn Pro turntables for inoculation of Petri dishes are for those up to 150 mm in diameter. They utilize touch-free IR-sensor technology, which guarantees extremely simple hand operation. Alternatively, these new units...

High-quality sections.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The CM 1950 cryostat produces high quality frozen sections and includes a standard instrument, plus a range of options to create a cryostat perfectly matched to a lab's specific needs. This instrument features the CryoZone cooling system and...

Large menu.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... The RX Daytona is a fully automated clinical chemistry analyzer with a large test menu and time-and labor-saving capabilities. This random-access analyzer has permanent Pyrex cuvettes, on-board reagent refrigeration, LIMS connectivity, and...

Automated pipetting.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... Plug 'n' Prep epMotion automated pipetting technology system requires only three steps for simple and rapid purification of up to 96 samples at once. Simply choose the preferred extraction kit, load the pre-programmed processing method on...

Monitor precision.(Industry spotlight)
May 1, 2008... Liquichek Microalbumin Control is a liquid human urine-based third-party control with a two-year shelf life for monitoring the precision of microalbumin test procedures. The Unity Inter-laboratory Program with peer group comparison is available...

Court orders temporary halt to CBD.(Washington report)
May 1, 2008... On April 8, 2008, a federal district court in San Diego ordered a temporary halt to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS') competitive bidding demonstration (CBD) in the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos communities of southern...