Showing papers in "Clinics in Laboratory Medicine in 2013"

TL;DR: This article summarizes the current literature on MALDI-TOF MS for microbial identification and provides a preview of the method's potential future applications in clinical microbiology.

TL;DR: Major cellular activities and intracellular metabolic conditions have been shown to be associated with diabetic embryopathy using animal models and translating advances made in animal studies into clinical applications in humans requires collaborative efforts across the basic research, preclinical, and clinical communities.

TL;DR: The usefulness and potential of biomarkers and molecular test methods for a more rapid clinical and laboratory diagnosis of sepsis and new technologies are quickly emerging.

TL;DR: The operational and staffing challenges facing clinical microbiology laboratories and the evolution of automation that is shaping the way laboratory medicine will be practiced in the future are outlined.

TL;DR: A review of future clinical applications of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) explores practical approaches for laboratorians interested in implementing direct identification processing methods for MALDI-toF detection of microbes in bloodstream infection and urinary tract infection.

TL;DR: The available techniques and their applications to major parasitic diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, and trichomoniasis are reviewed.

TL;DR: A review of the current state of the art in bacterial strain typing for outbreak investigation and infectious disease surveillance, and the impact of emerging genomic technologies on the field of public health microbiology can be found in this paper.

TL;DR: The tests described herein range from kits containing primers and probes detecting specific groups of viruses, to self-contained systems requiring specialized instruments that extract nucleic acids and perform the polymerase chain reaction with little operator input.

TL;DR: The principle and analytical performance characteristics of these methods are described in this review of automated blood culture systems for detection of the causative agent of sepsis.

TL;DR: The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) C24A3 provides guidance for the application of SQC in medical laboratories and provides an SQC selection tool that relates the sigma-metric of a testing process to the medically important systematic error and the rejection characteristics of different SQC procedures.

TL;DR: Lack of standardization and validation of the various molecular assays and platforms has hindered their widespread acceptance in the evaluation of invasive fungal infections, although the future is promising.

TL;DR: Treatment of CAPS is based on expert opinion and relies on a combination of several strategies, including anticoagulation, steroids, plasma exchange sessions, and/or intravenous immunoglobulins.

TL;DR: The EP23A (Evaluation Protocol 23A) document from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute provides specific guidance on the use of risk management for developing analytical QC plans.

TL;DR: Six Sigma provides data-driven techniques that can enhance and improve the EP23 risk management approach for formulating quality control (QC) Plans.

TL;DR: These methods simplify and speed up the detection of pathogenic microorganisms, and their implementation in the clinical microbiology laboratory has potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of gastroenteritis.

TL;DR: Molecular pathogenesis and classification of colorectal carcinoma are based on the adenoma-carcinoma sequence in the Vogelstein model, serrated polyp pathway, and microsatellite instability.

TL;DR: The rapid increase in the adoption of electronic health records has created a new role for laboratory professionals in the management of patient test results, and they must interface with the clinical side of the health care team in establishing quality control for post-analytical processes.

TL;DR: In this article, patient-specific data algorithms include delta checks, tests to verify specimen or tube type, absurdity checks, and result-based reporting, which can be used to detect error or identify potential testing complications at all phases of the total testing process.

TL;DR: Understanding of which patients are at high risk for adverse pregnancy outcome and the most effective treatment will require clinical trials based on risk stratification and long-term follow-up of infants.

TL;DR: Despite the published risks, women with SCD are capable of successful pregnancy outcomes with proper education and well-coordinated multidisciplinary care.

TL;DR: The expected number of unreliable patient results reported before and after the last accepted quality control evaluation before the detection of an out-of-control condition are discussed and used as design criteria for quality control strategies that meet a laboratory's risk criteria.

TL;DR: Recent studies indicate microRNAs detection in a wide variety of human biologic specimens including blood, serum, fine-needle aspirates, and tissues, making them clinically useful biomarkers of disease for early detection, prognosis, and for designing personalized therapies.

TL;DR: It is imperative that autoverification of laboratory test results be viewed as a process evolving into a broader, more sophisticated form of decision support, which will require strategic planning to form a foundational tool set for the laboratory.

TL;DR: The various causes of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy are reviewed, clinical and laboratory features of the most common and most severe causes are highlighted, and an overview of management for these disorders is provided.

TL;DR: This review focuses on issues surrounding implementation of new technology such that the improvements to clinical care are maximized.

TL;DR: Patients who have acute thrombosis or who require anticoagulant therapy for other indications, as well as breastfeeding options, are reviewed.

TL;DR: The steps in developing and using a risk based QC plan based on the EP23 model are outlined, providing an introduction to risk management techniques and guidance on developing a risk-based QC plan.

TL;DR: The uses of molecular techniques in diagnostic microbiology are highlighted, including “older,” as well as innovative, probe techniques, qualitative and quantitative RT-PCR, highly multiplexed PCR panels, some of which use sealed microfluidic test cartridges, MALDI TOF, and nuclear magnetic resonance.

TL;DR: The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) requires all US clinical laboratories that test "materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease..." to be regulated.

TL;DR: Knowing the progression pathways involved in the transition of in situ carcinoma to invasive carcinoma might lead to efficient risk stratification in these patients and help identify novel therapeutic targets, which might have an impact on prognosis.