|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toxic alcohols — Practical challenges in laboratory diagnosis of ingestions Clinical Laboratory News Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() With most attention today focused on drugs-of-abuse, toxic alcohol poisonings are often overlooked. Laboratory diagnosis of toxic alcohol ingestions presents several practical challenges. While most clinical laboratories can quickly and accurately quantitate plasma or serum ethanol levels using enzymatic assays on common chemistry analyzers, rapid assays for other alcohols have not been commercially available or have lacked specificity. More
Researchers discover egg-producing stem cells in human ovaries Time Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() For 60 years, doctors have believed women were born with all the eggs they'll ever have. Now Harvard scientists are challenging that dogma, saying they've discovered the ovaries of young women harbor very rare stem cells capable of producing new eggs. More New meaningful-use rules stress online contact with patients Medscape Medical News Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Physicians will need to communicate with patients online to satisfy new and tougher federal rules for "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs), earn five-figure bonuses, and avoid a penalty down the line. Under proposed regulations released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, physicians must receive "secure messages," an encrypted form of email, from more than 10 percent of patients seen. In addition, they must give patients timely electronic access to their healthcare information. More Renato Dulbecco, who won a Nobel for virus research, dies at 97 The Washington Post Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Renato Dulbecco, an Italian-born virologist who shared the 1975 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology for providing crucial early discoveries into the genetic nature of cancer, died Feb. 19 at his home in La Jolla, Calif. He was four days shy of his 98th birthday. The death from undisclosed causes was announced by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the La Jolla-based research center where Dulbecco had been a founding fellow in 1963 and later president. More
Congress enacts new cut in clinical laboratory test fee schedule Dark Daily Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Congress voted on a temporary funding fix to keep Medicare physician fees at current levels for 10 more months and a reduction in lab test fees was one source of the money that Congress used to fund this bill. Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will be disappointed to learn that the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule was cut by 2 percent when Congress voted to approve a deal to extend the payroll tax cut. More 1 in every 33 baby boomers is living with hepatitis C infection The Associated Press via MSNBC Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Deaths from liver-destroying hepatitis C are on the rise, and new data shows baby boomers especially should take heed — they are most at risk. Federal health officials are considering whether anyone born between 1945 and 1965 should get a one-time blood test to check if their livers harbor this ticking time bomb. More
Laboratory rubrics Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Laboratory workers are lucky. Every result leaves an objective trail of lot numbers, expiration dates, storage conditions and quality control. As a manager charged with performance assessment, this can make your job easier. Documentation is complete or not; controls are acceptable or not; a result is reliable or not. But what about subjective measures? Bench organization, responding to complaints and problem solving are a few examples of valuable employee skills that affect quality but are difficult to assess beyond opinion. Using rubrics, you can develop objective criteria to measure less tangible yet vital qualities of your employees. More Scientists identify 2 new blood types Forbes Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Researchers at the University of Vermont have made a discovery that could save the lives of thousands of people. They've identified two new blood types called Langereis and Junior. A patient being able to know whether or not they have one of the two rare blood types could be the difference between life and death when it comes to organ transplants and blood transfusions. More
A new era for clinical models Science Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The lab mouse represents an icon of clinical research. A PubMed search of mouse model pulls up more than 150,000 articles, which indicates the pervasive use of this clinical tool in modeling diseases. Moreover, groups of scientists keep developing new ways to use mice in basic and medical research. More Sequencing cancer mutations: There's an app for that Advance for Administrators of the Laboratory Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Using precise information about an individual's genetic makeup is becoming increasingly routine for developing tailored treatments for breast, lung, colon and other cancers. But techniques used to identify meaningful gene mutations depend on analyzing sequences of both normal and mutant DNA in tumor samples, a process that can yield ambiguous results. Now, a team of Johns Hopkins researchers says it has developed an easy-to-use online computer software application that can clear up any confusion faster and cheaper than other methods currently used to do the job. More
Novel swine influenza virus has 'pandemic potential' Medscape Medical News Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() A novel strain of a swine influenza virus that sickened just 12 individuals in 2011 nevertheless merits continued surveillance because tests indicate that the emerging virus has "pandemic potential" among humans, according to an article published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More Raw milk disease risk high Medical News Today Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() According to a 13-year review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of outbreaks associated to pasteurized milk was 150 times less than outbreaks caused by unpasteurized milk (raw milk) and products made from it. Furthermore, the researchers found that the rate out outbreaks was over two times higher in states where the sale of unpasteurized milk was legal compared to those where it was illegal. More
In a new microchip, cells separate by rolling away MIT News Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Cell rolling is a common mechanism cells use to navigate through the body. During inflammation, for example, the endothelial cells that line blood vessels present certain molecules that attract white blood cells just enough to divert them from the rest of the vessel’s cellular traffic. White blood cells then roll along the vessel wall, slowing down to help in the healing of inflamed areas. More Pathologists take note! In-car health management services are intended to further patient-centered healthcare Dark Daily Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() If a smartphone can be configured to perform a medical laboratory test, then why can't some clinical lab tests be performed by an automobile? Believe it or not, several car companies are preparing to introduce these types of features into their automobiles in coming years! First out of the box with the concept of "lab testing in an automobile" are carmakers Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation. Each company has teamed up with healthcare device companies to develop in-car connectivity solutions. More |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|