June 9, 2008

The June issue of Medical Laboratory Observer goes on line this week. www.mlo-online.com To subscribe to the print version, click on SUBSCRIBE at the left side of the MLO homepage.

Focus on National HIV Testing Day
National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), marked this year on June 27, is an annual campaign produced by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US) to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. This enables people with HIV to take steps to protect their own health and that of their partners, and helps people who test negative get the information they need to stay uninfected. Go to www.hivtest.org/press_files/whatis.cfm

Take the First Step Toward a Brighter Future

1. Gain Personal Satisfaction and Confidence by Earning Your Bachelor's Degree 2. Increase Your Earnings & Career Options 3. Attend Classes Online - No Campus Visits Required 4. NAACLS* Accredited Program CLICK HERE  or call 1-800-556-4280 for more information. *The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) 8410 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Suite 670, Chicago, IL 60631 (773) 714-8880; (773) 714-8886 FAX info@naacls.org;   www.naacls.org

COLA marks 20th anniversary
COLA announces plans to commemorate its 20th anniversary this year with a campaign entitled "Laboratorians: Saving Lives One Test at a Time." The campaign urges healthcare professionals and consumers to log on to a special COLA website (www.COLA.org/20th) to order free wristbands with the campaign slogan, and to download other materials to educate themselves and others about the importance of laboratory medicine. The website also provides information about the industry to those interested in entering the field, including profiles of a diverse group of laboratorians who describe their daily work experiences. The anniversary campaign is designed to raise public awareness of the critical role of the nation’s nearly 300,000 clinical laboratory science professionals in the delivery of quality healthcare, and to improve consumer understanding of lab workers’ contributions to protecting the health and safety of the nation. Laboratorians work diligently behind the scenes to provide doctors and other healthcare providers with critical information they need to diagnose and treat their patients safely and expediently. Laboratory tests influence approximately 70% of medical decisions, but these professionals are often unseen by patients and even their medical colleagues — yet, they deserve to be recognized for the enormous contribution they make to the delivery of safe, efficient, and effective patient care. The campaign honors the people who perform this vital work and COLA encourages healthcare professionals to show their support and appreciation for laboratorians by ordering and wearing a free "Laboratorians: Saving Lives One Test at a Time" wristband.

Certain teen blood donors prone to complications
ABC News reported in May that U.S. blood-collection centers face a conundrum: At a time of decreasing blood donations, a new study shows that an important source of current and future donations — 16- and 17-year-olds — are more likely to bruise, faint, or experience other complications when they donate. Experts say that means this critical pool of young donors may be less likely to give in the future. The other important finding was that members of this age group were likely to return to give blood, but even a minor reaction like dizziness or other symptoms reduce the likelihood that they will donate again. In 2005, donors aged 16 to 19 represented 14.5% of annual donations, with 16- and 17-year-olds contributing 8% of the units collected by the Red Cross. About 80% of these donations come from high-school blood drives.

CHECK OUR WEBSITE,  www.mlo-online.com UNDER SPONSORS FOR LINKS TO NEW PRODUCTS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CLINICAL LABORATORY.

Got a management problem? Send us your most puzzling problems on management, dealing with budget cuts to cranky employees or bosses. Contact our Management Q&A editor, Chris Frings, at chris@chrisfrings.com.

U.S. medical research gets $600 million from HHMI
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) expanded its flagship investigators program to nurture a new class of scientists in a variety of fields, including genetics and biology, reported the Washington Post in late May. Fifty-six top American scientists, chosen from more than 1,000 applicants, say they want to answer such questions as how global climate change affects outbreaks and the spread of cholera, malaria, and other infectious diseases; and whether doctors can apply the engineering behind the building of airplanes and computers to the human immune system. Just as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is showering grants on programs to improve global health, the HHMI is trying to foster long-term advances in medicine. HHMI’s goal in funding the basic biomedical sciences is to lay the groundwork for the medical discoveries that will take place 20, 30, 40 years from now. The 42 men and 14 women come from 31 universities and research institutions across the country. They will continue to work at their institutions but will become employees of HHMI, joining about 300 other Hughes investigators.

American Medical Technologists (AMT) is a nationally and internationally recognized certification agency for allied health professionals, including Medical Technologists (MTs), Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs) and Phlebotomists. In existence since 1939, AMT is also a membership association, providing continuing education and other services to over 12,000 MT and MLT members. AMT is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) for all its competency-based examinations. Visit us at www.amt1.com.

Google unveils medical records storage plan
Internet search giant Google rolled out its long-awaited Google Health product, which will enable users to upload and store medical records from many sources. Local healthcare companies working with Google on the project include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and CVS Caremark of Woonsocket, RI, reported the Boston Globe in mid-May. Google said users can enter their personal medical records on a site with individual password protection, giving them a way to view the information from any geographic location. The company said such access is especially useful if a patient becomes ill or is injured far from his primary-care physician. Patients can also search for medical information, similar to what is offered on the WebMD website. While many healthcare industry professionals consider electronic medical records crucial to reducing healthcare costs and eliminating medical errors, the start-up of electronic systems has been slow because few physicians and hospitals can afford to invest. Additionally, there are no established standards that would allow data to be shared across different medical-record systems. Google’s service is part of a plan to boost users’ loyalty by giving them more reasons to log on to Google sites.

Got a testing problem? Send us your most vexing problems on test methods, validation, reporting procedures, ornery instruments, and other technical questions. Contact our TIPS editor, Dan Baer, at tips@mlo-online.com.

Study: Antibacterial wipes can spread superbugs
In early June, Reuters reported that British researchers say disinfectant wipes routinely used in hospitals may actually spread drug-resistant bacteria rather than kill the dangerous infections. While the wipes killed some bacteria, a study of two hospitals showed they did not get them all and could transfer the so-called superbugs to other surfaces. The findings presented at the American Society of Microbiology's General Meeting in Boston focused on bacteria that included methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. MRSA infections can range from boils to more severe infections of the bloodstream, lungs, and surgical sites. Most cases are associated with hospitals, nursing homes, or other healthcare facilities. The superbug can cause life-threatening and disfiguring infections, and can often only be treated with expensive, intravenous antibiotics. Experts have been saying for years that poor hospital practices spread dangerous bacteria, and yet many studies have shown that healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, often fail to even wash their hands as directed. The findings from a study of intensive-care units at two Welsh hospitals suggest that even cleaning with antimicrobial wipes may not be enough, depending on how staff use them. The researchers found that many healthcare workers cleaned multiple surfaces near patients, such as bed rails, monitors, and tables, with a single wipe and risked sweeping the infections around rather than cleaning them up. The most effective way to prevent the risk of MRSA spread in hospital wards is to ensure the wipe is used only once on one surface to avoid the possibility of cross transfer.

bioMérieux awards for leadership in clinical microbiology
bioMérieux announced Geraldine S. Hall, PhD, as the 2008 recipient of its Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology during the 2008 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 108th General Meeting Awards Ceremony and Dinner on June 2. Given in memory of Alexander Sonnenwirth, PhD, the award honors a top microbiologist for innovation in clinical laboratory science, dedication to ASM, and leadership in the microbiology field. The award recognizes the advancement of clinical microbiology as a profession. Hall works in the microbiology department of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and is medical director at the Cleveland Clinic Medical Technology School. Under her leadership, that organization was the first to implement the use of pyrosequencing as a routine method for the identification of clinically important mycobacteria. Hall also played a key role in implementing the routine use of fluorescence in-situ hybridization using peptide nucleic-acid probes (PNA FISH) for the rapid identification of S aureus and Candida albicans.

CHECK OUR WEBSITE'S NEW PRODUCTS at www.mlo-online.com FOR INFORMATION ON LINKS TO THE LATEST CLINICAL LABORATORY SERVICES, PRODUCTS, AND TECHNOLOGY.

Got a legal issue? Send us your legislative questions, inquiries on human resource management legalities, and general problems on healthcare law. Contact our Liability and the lab editor, Dr. Barbara Harty-Golder, at toadehall@comcast.net.

First Dx test for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
In early May, DARK Daily Laboratory and Pathology News reported that a new blood test has been developed by a company that claims it can give an early diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease and distinguish between Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The test, called NuroPro, comes from Power3Medical Products, an Oklahoma-based proteomics company that has identified and patented several blood proteins associated with neurodegenerative disease. NuroPro measures a suite of 59 protein biomarkers, the relative levels of which can help distinguish between Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease, or can tell if a patient is disease-free. The company says the test has specificity and sensitivity in the high 90s. Two clinical-validation studies are currently underway; the U.S. study includes 100 Alzheimer’s patients, 100 Parkinson’s disease patients, and 100 controls. The test is predicted to be available in the U.S. market by late Q3 or Q4 of 2008.

Conferences
Audioconference CD. Washington G2's recent audioconference on "New Developments in the FDA’s Oversight of Waived Tests: What Is the Impact on the Lab Industry?" is available on CD. Experts from the FDA detail the key changes in this new guidance. Hear reactions from a leader in the clinical laboratory industry. The 90-minute program will update both IVD manufacturers or laboratorians performing waived tests on important regulatory developments. For more information and to order the CD, visit www.g2reports.com/audioconferences/997.html.

Aug. 11-13. The 5th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis (TB) to be held at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego will consist of general sessions, breakout sessions, posters, and an exhibit hall. Its focus on TB drug susceptibility testing (DST) practice and standards for U.S. laboratories, and recommendations from APHL and CDC regarding DST will be discussed. Other topics include new TB diagnostics including the use of molecular tests and interferon gamma release assays, global laboratory implications, and laboratory integration into TB control. Visit www.aphl.org/profdev/conferences/TBConference/Pages/default.aspx for more information and registration.

Sept. 10-12. The Beaumont Hospital, Department of Clinical Pathology, in Royal Oak, MI, announces its 17th Annual Symposium on Molecular Pathology, "Clinical Applications in Genomic Medicine." Sessions in molecular oncology, pharmacogenomics, HLA/blood banking, molecular hematology, and molecular microbiology. For more information, contact Domnita Crisan by phone, 248-551-7261; by fax, 248-551-3694; and by e-mail dcrisan@beaumont.edu, or visit www.beaumonthospitals.com/dnasymposium.

Sept. 17-19. Washington G-2 Reports presents its 26th Annual Lab Institute, "Changing of the Guard: Working With a New Administration, the New Millennial Generation, and a New Health Care System," in Arlington, VA. Sessions include strategies for lab and pathology coding and reimbursement, Capitol Hill buzz: laying it on the line for labs and pathologists, and the future of customized diagnostics: strategic implications for labs. Visit www.g2reports.com/conferences/915.html for more information and to register.

Oct. 4-7. Attend this year’s AABB Annual Meeting and TXPO 2008 held in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Learn the latest in blood banking, transfusion medicine, and cellular and related biological therapies. Advance your career, explore state-of-the-art products and services, and network with colleagues. This year’s meeting offers more than 160 educational and oral abstract sessions, along with an impressive array of speakers from around the globe. For more information and registration, visit www.aabb.org/Content/Meetings_and_Events/Annual_Meeting_and_TXPO/.

"I am among those who think that science has great beauty.
A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician:
he is also a child placed before natural phenomena
which impress him like a fairy tale."
—Marie Curie (1867-1934), French Physicist

Look for the next MLO LABline on July 14, 2008.

Medical Laboratory Observer ● 2500 Tamiami Trail North ● Nokomis, FL 34275 ● 941-966-9521

If you no longer wish to receive MLO LABline or you wish to update your profile, follow this link.