The AACC is urging laboratory professionals to contact their members of Congress and request that they support H.R.1248, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which would preserve recent advances in state newborn screening programs. Earlier legislation contributed to a dramatic expansion in newborn screening for treatable ...

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day. This is the 25th annual observance of the day originally organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise the awareness of HIV/AIDS and garner support for research, understanding, education and allocation of resources. We have come a long way in our understanding, treatment and ...

A few years ago a local patient with a critical INR in our laboratory had his test repeated at a medical center in a nearby city with wildly different results. The patient telephoned us and complained. “I don’t know who is running your tests,” he said, “but they need to get their act together! I can’t drive an hour every time I need a blood ...

I just saw the blockbuster movie Contagion and must say I was pretty impressed. When I watch a medical-themed movie, I always look at it with a critical eye. How factual is it? Is it authentic in terms of scenarios, equipment, procedures and vocabulary?I look for how realistically roles are portrayed. For example I tend to roll my eyes and become ...

The classic 100-cell differential is a hard habit to break, but it can be done. I can still see those microscopes lined up (with the ashtrays!) at the diff table! Modern cell counters report more accurate differentials than possible by counting 100 cells on a peripheral smear, a procedure useful when estimating abnormal cells or as a backup ...

It’s common for laboratories to repeat all critical values before reporting them, but that may be changing. A 2009 CAP Q-Probe examines the utility of this practice that may be obviated by modern instrumentation. An article in ASCP Lab Medicine makes the point that in the last ten years we have made leaps in accuracy, precision, clot detection, ...

In 2000, the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI) recommended: The level of GFR {glomerular filtration rate} should be estimated from prediction equations that take into account the serum creatinine concentration and some or all of the following variables: age, gender, race, and body size. The ...

Years ago, my aunt started having sleeping problems. She went to her doctor, who couldn't seem to figure out why she wasn't getting a full night's rest. After many years and a few misdiagnoses, a physician finally found out my aunt had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). She's now being treated for OSA and can get a good night's sleep. However, it's a ...

ViraCor-IBT Laboratories recently named diagnostics industry veteran Mark Roberts, PhD, as the company's president and CEO. Dr. Roberts assumed the position on Nov. 30. Laurence McCarthy, chairman of the ViraCor-IBT Board of Directors, commented: ''Mark is a proven leader with more than 18 years of experience in the diagnostics products ...

In a week where the medical community is up in arms about the new mammogram guidelines, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced women should get their first Pap test at age 21, regardless if they are sexually active before then. The ACOG said unnecessary treatment for a rare cancer can happen when ...