Standardization And Implementation of Lab Policies Ensure Hemostasis Sample Quality

How many of us remember the tilt-tube method for basic hemostasis testing? Fortunately, today’s instruments have automated most of these manual steps. However, until recently, assuring sample quality in the pre-analytical phase of testing had remained a manual process and had been difficult to implement and standardize.

Several questions must be considered when evaluating the integrity of a hemostasis sample: Is the sample tube under-filled? Is the sample hemolyzed, icteric, or lipemic? If so, do the levels of the interferent impact the testing results? Is there a clot in the sample?

All labs have policies on sample acceptance and rejection. Inappropriate rejection of acceptable samples—requiring redraw—directly impacts patient care, patient satisfaction, and cost. Failing to reject inappropriate samples can lead to the reporting of erroneous results, impacting the quality of patient care and associated cost. Let’s take a look at the most common pre-analytical quality issue culprits.

Read more: Standardization And Implementation of Lab Policies Ensure Hemostasis Sample Quality

Source: MedicalLaboratoryObserver

Why Is My Urine Bright Yellow? Colors Changes and Causes

Normal urine should be a pale yellow color. It should be clear, without cloudiness or particle deposits.

"Why is my urine bright yellow?" is a question that can be answered if the meaning of bright yellow is clear.

This page will explain the full range of possible colors of urine and why they change. If bright yellow means neon yellow, this has a specific cause.

Read more: Why Is My Urine Bright Yellow? Colors Changes and Causes

If anyone has concerns about urine, it is recommended that they visit a doctor. Some drugs may turn

the urine orange, brown, or green. Urine color may be used to work out hydration levels.

Source: MedicalNewsToday

How to Get Rid of a Stuffy Nose: Eight Possible Treatments

Nasal congestion is a very common condition. In fact, most people get a stuffy nose from time to time.

Nasal congestion can develop when the blood vessels inside the nose become inflamed and the nasal tissues swell. Excess mucus drainage may also occur with a stuffy nose.

This article will look at eight possible treatments for a stuffy nose.

Read more: How to Get Rid of a Stuffy Nose: Eight Possible Treatments

Nasal congestion is very common and can be treated in a variety of ways. A neti pot is of Indian origin
and is used to flush the sinuses. A stuffy nose should clear after 10 days. If symptoms persist, a doctor
should be consulted.

Source: MedicalNewsToday

New Cancer Therapy: Food Poisoning?

Scientists at the Cancer Research Center and the University of Missouri have developed a nontoxic strain of Salmonella to penetrate and target cancer cells. Results from this study could lead to promising new treatments that actively target and control the spread of cancer.

While bacteriotherapy may sound like some new age skin treatment or colon cleanse that you hear about as part of a new Hollywood diet trend on late night infomercials, it is, in fact, a sound medical tool that researchers and clinicians utilize to treat disease. "Bacteriotherapy is the use of live bacteria as therapy to treat a medical condition, like cancer,” explains Robert Kazmierczak, Ph.D., a senior investigator at the Cancer Research Center and a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri (MU) College of Arts and Science.

Read more: New Cancer Therapy: Food Poisoning?

Color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph ofSalmonella strain (red) in cultured human
cells (yellow). [Source: NIAID]

Source: GenEngNews

Watch Video: 50-Year-Old Bacteria Could Be Alternative Treatment Option for Cancer

Impact of Flow Cytometry on Blood Disorders

Among its many clinical uses, fluorescence-based flow cytometry aids laboratories in the diagnosis of blood cancers and other disorders. The Division of Hematopathology within the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, performs both basic and specialized hematology testing via six specialty labs. Its Cell Kinetics Laboratory, in particular, uses flow cytometry as a primary technology to diagnose leukemias and lymphomas from blood, bone marrow, fluid, and tissue specimens. Clinical diagnosis of most hematological diseases, especially malignant forms, requires clinicopathologic correlation, and flow cytometry can play an important role in pathological diagnosis. The processes employed by flow cytometry help distinguish abnormal from normal conditions and provide an expedient method of establishing clonality and aberrant antigen expression on abnormal populations.

The Cell Kinetics Lab employs 28 staff and utilizes 9 flow cytometers to manage its volume demand. The lab analyzes high volumes of mostly malignant samples sent from all over the world in addition to those from patients at Mayo Clinic. All specimens must be preprocessed, and the lab purchases monoclonal antibodies that attach to one type of cell antigen (ie, cluster of differentiation [CD]), multiples of which can be found on each cell surface. These acquired antibodies are pre-conjugated with one or more fluorescent markers, and there are many color options for each CD marker, adding flexibility to panel makeup. Monoclonal antibodies can be expensive but can have a substantial shelf life of 6 to 18 months. The Cell Kinetics Lab stocks anywhere from 70 to 80 different antibodies in refrigeration for use in flow cytometry processes.

Read more: Impact of Flow Cytometry on Blood Disorders

Source: MedLabMag

Watch Video: Flow Cytometry Animation