FEATURE ARTICLES

Human chorionic gonadotropin is the hormone detected in urine by modern-day point-of-care pregnancy tests. It is produced by syncytiotrophoblasts and, to a lesser extent, cytotrophoblasts in the developing placental tissue following implantation of a blastocyst in the endometrial lining of the uterus. However, a quick look through the current literature confirms that increased hCG level is much more than an indicator of developing life.

In the third in his series of articles on internal quality control, Stephen MacDonald continues his overview of process design with a look at defining process stability, setting target values, and how they should be used.

Antimicrobial resistance is a topic of which we should all be aware, and be actively seeking strategies to reduce use of antimicrobial drugs. Here, Kate Woodhead discusses how general awareness is not as good as it should be, and looks at Public Health England’s relaunched public awareness campaign with poster materials and leaflets.

The search for a universal blood product stretches back decades. Hear, Malcolm Needs looks at the various approaches used, and some prospects for the future.

In September, the thirteenth in the biennial Congress series will return to the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. The focus once again is on the very best that biomedical science and commercial colleagues have to offer. With the launch this month of the full programme, Pathology in Practice provides a brief preview of the event.

Founded in 1920, the National Collection of Type Cultures is the longest-established collection of its type, and serves as a UNESCO Microbial Resource Centre. Here, Ayuen Lual looks at its role and that of the three other important associated collections.

Bacterial sepsis is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in preterm babies. Can new rapid cytokine tests improve diagnosis over use of C-reactive protein alone and help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use? Here, John Rees provides an overview and update.

The term translational research is used to describe the application of discoveries made in the research laboratory to medical diagnosis and treatment. The ongoing story of the understanding of hepcidin is a good example of this process.

One of the uses of serum protein electrophoresis is in detecting a monoclonal gammopathy, the presence of which can indicate a range of related conditions associated with immunoglobulin production.

A new collaboration between the government and the life sciences industry aims to save tens of thousands of lives through pioneering research to detect deadly diseases as early as possible before symptoms appear.

Hepatitis C was first discovered in the 1980s and known initially as non-A, non-B hepatitis. It was identified properly in 1989, and in 1991 a screening process was developed making it possible to detect hepatitis C virus in blood samples. As a relatively new disease, there remain many aspects of hepatitis C which are yet to be fully understood, as the following selection of research efforts illustrate.

The latest cybersecurity systems designed by Stago aim to support and protect NHS pathology networks and facilitate real-time data retrieval, uploading, monitoring and sharing at any time, and from anywhere, with total security offering piece of mind.

The recent resurgence this year in a predominantly childhood infection has focused attention once again on the need to encourage vaccination and therefore increase coverage. Here, Sarah Pitt looks at the background to this and provides an update on progress.

After decades of neglect, political attention has finally turned to TB. In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to hold the first ever High-Level Meeting on TB. Recently, heads of state gathered to make new global commitments to combat the disease, as Mark Pointer reports.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification was developed at the turn of the 21st century and in the almost two decades since has proved increasingly useful, especially in resource-poor settings.

Stephen Macdonald returns with the second in a series of articles on internal quality control, specifically looking in this issue at process design and the impact of the materials used.

The Autumn Symposium of the British Society for Microbial Technology took place at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool last October. On behalf of the BSMT, Mark Wilks reports on a comprehensive and stimulating programme.

Recently, Torbay Hospital saw the first global installation of the HORIBA HELO fully automated haematology system. A collaborative approach to implementation was key to the success of a process that secured UKAS ISO 15189 accreditation.

Following development in the military setting, the bacteria-specific rapid metabolic assay could take a step closer to a new era in bacterial detection. Here, Andrew Kemp provides an overview of progress.

In order to optimise and standardise the handling of fresh tissue for the 100,000 Genomes Project, four partner trusts of the West Midlands Genomic Medicine Centre have adopted an innovative vacuum-packing solution.