Medical Laboratory Observer articles from November 2008

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from November 2008

Thanks for giving.(From the editor)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... The season of sharing is already upon us. Thanksgiving is around the next corner, and celebrations of various religious holidays extend through the New Year. Throughout these weeks, most folk start serious deliberation on what gifts to give...

Consult ASCP for volunteer info.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... I have not been abroad lately, but I went to Belize in August to investigate the possibility of a student-exchange program. Also, I am a consultant with ASCP which has a PEPFAR project ongoing, and there are several colleagues that go out short...

Scout out volunteers on "Net".(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... The clinic that I am associated with in Haiti is the Halos Medical Clinic; contact Jennifer@threeangelshaiti.org Also, the Internet is loaded with contact information for other volunteer clinics all over the world. --Colleen K. Gannon,...

Where to volunteer.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... In response to Lisa Lister's question in the September 2008 MLO "Letters to the editor," page 8, here is information on volunteering in medical missions. I have been to Haiti nine times with a local mission organization, Allegany Region...

"Kaizen" but never do "Kaizan".(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... I read with interest "Kaizen--LEAN in a week" by Gitte Wennecke in the August issue (page 28). Kaizen is the way where all laboratory personnel participate to enhance laboratory operations. I am sorry to tell you that I found a misprint of...

Tainted milk scandal grows.(News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * Tainted milk scandal grows. China's Ministry of Health efforts to stem the distribution of melamine-tainted baby formula has grown since first reported in September. Since then in China, more than 54,000 infants have fallen ill, 1,300 were...

Test scrutinized by FDA.(Testing)(LabCorp. screening test approved)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Test scrutinized by FDA. According to LabCorp, its OvaSure test--developed by Yale University to find ovarian-cancer tumors in an early, treatable stage--has attracted scrutiny from the FDA, which is not discussing its ongoing probe. Yale...

NY lab fees recalculated.(Worth noting)(New York State Department of Health issues certification for clinical laboratories)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * NY lab fees recalculated. The American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB) filed a lawsuit nine years ago, alleging that the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) overcharged the state's licensed clinical laboratories. According to AAB's...

More funds for HIV infections?(HIV/AIDS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * More funds for HIV infections? CQ HealthBeat and The Los Angeles Times report that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said an additional $4.8 billion over the next five years is needed to reduce by 50% the 56,300...

Instrumentation leasing.(Industry watch.)(BioTek Solutions Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * Instrumentation leasing. BioTek Instruments introduces options for its U.S. customers to lease and/or purchase its microplate technologies through North Star Leasing Company. Available are financing for up to 60 months, no-penalty early...

Test for flu virus.(Infectious diseases)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * Test for flu virus. A new genetic test for flu virus was announced on Sept. 30 by the CDC that developed the test with Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA. The FDA has approved the test kit, and state health labs began using it immediately....

Better statistics, less malaria.(Infectious diseases)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * Better statistics, less malaria. In its annual malaria report, the World Health Organization (WHO) cites 250 million cases of malaria worldwide each year and about 880,000 deaths--fewer than previously thought. The organization says the drop...

Gates' grant boosts vaccine initiative.(New vaccines)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Gates' grant boosts vaccine initiative. Bill Gates announced in late September that his foundation is giving $168.7 million to the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) to develop vaccines for malaria. PATH is working with GlaxoSmithKline...

Conferences.(Calendar)
November 1, 2008... * Nov. 3-6. The APHL announces the 20th annual "Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing Symposium" in San Antonio. Review developments in newborn screening and collaborate on strategies to address changes in the rapidly evolving field. Go to...

Detection of lupus pleuritis: a tale of lights and shadows.(Clinical report)
November 1, 2008... Systemic lupus crythematosus (SLE) is the most common of the autoimmune disorders and can involve virtually any organ in the body. SLE is associated with pleuropulmonary manifestations in well over 50% of cases. (1) The clinical spectrum ranges...

Faster laboratory detection of MRSA translates to cost savings for hospital.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
November 1, 2008... Over the past 20 years, the incidence of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased dramatically, especially in patients in intensive-care units (ICUs) and...

Help avoid MRSA's spread.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Q How can medical laboratories help prevent MRSA outbreaks, and how should lab personnel clean and disinfect once a MRSA outbreak happens? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Staph/MRSA can survive for weeks to several months on almost all hard...

Using procalcitonin to diagnose sepsis and the potential for improved antibiotic stewardship.(MRSA)
November 1, 2008... Increased rates of infection with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), have focused attention on early detection of such "superbugs" and the adoption of measures to control their...

Sputum, the final frontier: PCR from the research bench to the MRSA diagnostic trench.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
November 1, 2008... Some readers may have had the experience of actually performing PCR as it was first described in 1985. The procedure involved pipetting new aliquots of Klenow polymerase after each PCR cycle because the temperatures required for denaturation of...

OSHA BPS interpretations issued.(LAB MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2008... In light of the current global occupational and public-health challenges and policies in healthcare, the Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (OSHA) has issued some new and important letters of interpretation regarding the requirements...

Westgard's trilogy for analytical QM.(Executive snapshot)
November 1, 2008... In the lead-up to a recent meeting, COLA featured a series of interviews with James Westgard, PhD, who recently published the 3rd edition of Basic Method Validation. This book is part of a series on analytical quality management that also...

Addressing management issues.(Management Q&A)
November 1, 2008... Sick-time abuse Q Does the panel know of any successful incentive plans that motivate staff members not to use sick time needlessly? A Alton Sturtevant says: "I do not condone abuse of any policies, especially those adversely affecting...

Total bilirubin critical value.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2008... Q What is the critical value for total bilirubin (newborn) and adult? I am using Roche Integra 800 special bilirubin reagent. A A critical value is implemented to decrease hospital error and increase overall patient safety. It is also used...

Macrocytosis with normal MCV.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2008... Q Is there any reference information to show that moderate to marked macrocytosis can be present in view of a normal mean red-cell volume (MCV) of 91 and an RDW (red-blood-cell [RBC] distribution width [RDW]) of 18.5 with marked targeting. I...

UA and culture do not agree.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2008... Q What are causes of a urine culture not agreeing with a urinalysis? They UA shows positive nitrite and positive leukocytes but no growth on media (plated to blood agar and MacConkey's agar). If the results do not match, can we take the...

Best procedure for skin scraping fungi.(Answering your questions)
November 1, 2008... Q What is the best procedure to use for looking for fungal elements on slides of nails, skin, and other such samples? Just KOH (potassium hydroxide), or KOH and a stain? Which stain? One of my techs worked in a lab that used Chlorazol, which is...

Defining minors under the law.(Liability and the lab)
November 1, 2008... Q What is the definitive answer on drawing routine bloods on minors--not the well-defined categories of "emancipated minors" or minors who are having sexual-activity-related testing (i.e., "mature minors"). Is there liability for drawing those...

CLIAC sets two-year meeting plan.(CLIAC UPDATE)
November 1, 2008... The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) in Atlanta on Sept. 10-11, 2008, reviewed and discussed the genetic-testing workgroup (GTW) report; testing quality control (QC) through risk management; status of waived testing;...

Capillary-blood gases: to arterialize or not.(EDUCATION)
November 1, 2008... The gold-standard sample for blood-gas analysis is arterial blood obtained via an indwelling arterial catheter or by arterial puncture. For a number of reasons, capillary blood is an attractive substitute sample that is routinely used in some...

New diagnostic tests for HPV in the developed and the developing world.(SPECIAL FEATURE)
November 1, 2008... Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide, affecting up to 80% of women by the age of 50. (1) Increasing evidence shows that men have a similar risk of HPV infection. (2) There are...

Assayed control.(Flow cytometry)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... CD-Chex Plus BC is an assayed control for immunophenotyping with flow-cytometry systems. CD-Chex Plus BC determines the accuracy and reproducibility of all the steps involved in the process of immunophenotyping, including red-blood-cell lysis....

Optimize workflow.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... SoftFlowCytometry is an information-management system that has reliable data capture and allows for optimized workflows in flowcytometry applications. SoftFlowCytometry assists in cell identification and refines chromosomes in the...

Simplifies processes.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... A broad range of flow-cytometry reagents and cellular analysis systems is available including sample-prep systems and flow systems and flow cytometers, to meet the diverse needs of today's laboratories. Applications on the FC 500 include...

Supports varied applications.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... A wide range of fluorescent and antibody-binding microsphere standards to support diverse flow-cytometry applications, including immunophenotyping, cellular expression analysis, and assay development, is available. The Quantum MESF and Quantum...

Monitor renal function.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... FDA clearance has been granted for the sensitive and specific Cystatin C Assay for use on Roche's Modular Analytics P. This assay is an accurate marker of glomerular-filtration rate and is reliable for monitoring renal function. This assay...

For mid- to high-volume labs.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... The ACL TOP 500 CTS Hemostasis Testing System has the same advanced technology as the other members of the ACL TOP Family, and is designed to handle the testing needs of the mid- to high-volume hemostasis laboratories. The ACL TOP 500 CTS...

Rapid PCT test.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... The VIDAS BRAHMS PCT 20-Minute Rapid Assay assesses the risk of progression to severe sepsis and septic shock. The test detects elevated levels of procalcitonin (PCT), which indicates a bacterial infection, accompanied by a systemic...

Full of new features.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... The Instrument Manager (IM) v.8.07-which includes a new archiving feature, a re-designed rules interface, enhanced back-up functionality, and more--has been released. Free software upgrades from previous Windows versions are included in the...

Reliable temperature recording.(Flow cytometry)
November 1, 2008... The TCR Temperature Chart Recorder is a stand-alone unit that gives accurate and reliable temperature recording within a specified range. The TCR 1 records ambient conditions from 0[degrees]C to 35[degrees]C. The TCR 2 is used for refrigerators...

Complete lab package.(Flow cytometry)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... A perfect fit for any clinical laboratory, the complete bench-top lab pack-age is available and includes the BioLis 24i chemistry analyzer, the BC 3200 hematology analyzer; and the TOSOH immunoassay analyzer. The BioLis 24i offers a 100+ test...

Washington buzz: laying it on the line for labs.(Washington report)
November 1, 2008... As most readers know by now, the laboratory community successfully won one of the most difficult advocacy battles it ever faced on July 15 of this year. On that date. Congress voted to override the president's veto of Medicare legislation that...