Medical Laboratory Observer articles from October 2003

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from October 2003

Eat your heart out, Sophia.(From the Editor)(Column)
October 1, 2003... "Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti," Sophia Loren once explained. Perhaps Sophia could get away with consuming a lifetime's worth of spaghetti and turn into a knock-out, but some of us cannot brag that pasta has enhanced our figures or...

Power blackout affects blood supply.(Blood Bank)
October 1, 2003... Power blackout affects blood supply. The August power blackout motivated blood centers to re-evaluate future disaster needs. Many labs used backup generators to preserve their blood products; however, disruption of service meant thousands of...

West Nile virus update.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... West Nile virus update. To combat the spread of West Nile virus (WNV). The Netherlands' Crucell--a biotechnology company--is developing a whole-killed vaccine for humans, based on the company's trademarked PER.C6, a human cell manufacturing...

CDC recommends flu vaccinations.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... CDC recommends flu vaccinations. The CDC estimates that manufacturers will produce approximately 85.5 million doses of flu vaccine for the approaching influenza season. The vaccine is reformulated yearly to match the currently circulating...

SARS update.(News)(Severe acute respiratory syndrome)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SARS update. International health experts and U.S. intelligence officials say SARS could re-emerge this fall as cold temperatures return. A report by the U.S. National Intelligence Council states the virus could still exist in animal...

It's showtime 2003!(Calendar)
October 1, 2003... * Nov. 1-4 Annual Meeting & TXPO American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) San Diego, CA--www.aabb.org * Nov. 4-8 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Los Angeles, CA--www.ashg.org...

The ruthless malady: metabolic syndrome.
October 1, 2003... CONTINUING EDUCATION To earn CEUs, see test on page 24. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article the reader will be able to: 1. Define and identify the terminology use in association with metabolic syndrome. 2....

CE test on the ruthless malady: metabolic syndrome.(Continuing Education)
October 1, 2003... MLO and Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, IL, are cosponsors in offering continuing education units (CEUs) for this issue's article on THE RUTHLESS MALADY: METABOLIC SYNDROME. CEUs or contact hours are granted by the College of Health...

Jellybeans for GTT?(Four Clinical Experts Focus on a Variety of Lab Concerns)(glucose tolerance testing)
October 1, 2003... Q I am looking for an article about glucose tolerance testing using jellybeans. Can you help me? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Two studies have looked at the use of jellybeans as a substitute for a liquid 50-gram glucose load for the...

Bending the arm after phlebotomy.(Four Clinical Experts Focus on a Variety of Lab Concerns)
October 1, 2003... Q A doctor has asked whether, after drawing blood, the patient should be instructed to bend the arm in order to hold pressure. In my 28 years, I have always been told to bend the arm. Is there new information that indicates the arm should not...

Effect of radiographic agents on lab specimens.(Four Clinical Experts Focus on a Variety of Lab Concerns)
October 1, 2003... Q We are trying to write a policy addressing the collection of laboratory specimens after contrast dyes or imaging agents have been administered. Ultimately, we would like to have all specimens collected before the administration of such media,...

Take pride in SAFEty: a comprehensive lab-safety program.(Clinical Issues)
October 1, 2003... Because of the nature of the work, most labs have a combination of biological, chemical, physical and, sometimes, even radiological hazards. As a result, the lab is often the most safety-conscious department in a hospital. Many laboratorians...

Dealing with a difficult supervisor.(Management Q & A)(Panel Discussion)
October 1, 2003... Q Our supervisor treats employees like grade school children, monitoring their every move. Outside the department, everyone--including management--is afraid of her. She rules by intimidation and gets away with it. It is very hard to work with...

Develop a useful donor-screening process.(Liability and the Lab)(Column)
October 1, 2003... Q We have an ongoing debate in our blood bank about the relative propriety of using self-administered screening forms as opposed to directly interviewing donors. With the need to reduce overhead, the director is increasingly relying on...

Testing, 1, 2, 3, testing ... with Quest Diagnostics' Dr. Surya N. Mohapatra.(Expert Opinion)(Interview)
October 1, 2003... Dottie Dunham: Quest Diagnostics is a major player in diagnostic testing. What trends do you believe will influence the direction of the clinical laboratory industry in the next five years? Surya N. Mohapatra: Advances in technology,...

Remote diagnostics monitors vital signs in the lab.(Lab Management)
October 1, 2003... Laboratories are searching for ways to do more with less--and relying increasingly on automated instruments. Consequently, it is no surprise that critical instrument malfunctions can throw labs into chaos. As those involved in laboratory...

Innovations in blood collection.(Product Focus)
October 1, 2003... Manufacturers' ongoing commitment to researching, evaluating and developing new and improved technological advancements in the design of blood-collection equipment has resulted in a wide selection of innovative devices and systems. All of these...

Purified reagent water.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... Specifically designed for the clinical laboratory, the AFS-8 and AFS-16 (Analyzer Feed Systems) incorporate multiple technologies required to produce Type 1 water. This family of purification systems produces reagent water from tap water for...

Intuitive protocol definition.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... The OPSYS MW is an economical, full-featured 96-well microplate strip washer. Its flexible and intuitive protocol definition offers wash options for whole or partial plates, by row and column, with interchangeable 8-way and 12-way wash heads....

Fast access to patient results.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... Designed and launched specifically for small to medium-size clinical labs that run complete blood counts, the CELL-DYN 1800 produces a CBC with 18 parameters, including histograms and a three-part differential in 60 seconds. This automated...

High degree of linearity.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... The L-Type HDL-C assay with its ready-to-use reagents is based on an immunoinhibition. By means of measuring an enzymic reaction, the HDL-C concentration of the sample can be quantitated. The assay shows good correlation with the reference...

Nine-minute miniprep.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... The Eppendorf Fast Plasmid Mini Kit isolates high-quality plasmid DNA in as little as nine minutes. Up to 20 [micro]g of high-copy and up to 10 [micro]g of low-copy plasmid DNA can be isolated from 1.5 mL of bacterial culture. The innovative...

Compatible standardization.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... The new Urinary/CSF protein reagent is optimized for use on Olympus' AU series of chemistry-immuno analyzers, aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of renal, cardiac and thyroid disease. It is a colorimetric assay, utilizing pyrogallol red to...

400 tests per hour.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... The new Unicel DxI 800 random-access immunoassay system is capable of performing up to 400 tests per hour. In addition to providing laboratorians with access to a broad immunoassay test menu, including cardiac, cancer, anemia, infectious...

Specificity and sensitivity verified.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... Suitable for use with either serum or plasma samples, the Genetic Systems HIV-1/HIV-2 PLUS 0 ELA is the first diagnostic tool to detect HIV-1 (Group M and O) and HIV-2 in response to FDA guidance. Clinical data reflects 100% sensitivity...

Upright lab freezers.(Industry Update)
October 1, 2003... The REVCO Super Insulation -86[degrees]C upright freezers use super-insulated thin walls to increase interior volume compared with conventional freezers of the same size. The models come in 11, 25 and 32 cu. ft. sizes; the 11 cu. ft. model can...

Where have all the lab workers gone?(Washington Report)
October 1, 2003... Lab business is booming, but there are not enough laboratorians to do the work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that roughly 10 billion lab tests were performed in 2001, and demand is expected to climb. (1) Unpublished data from a...