FEATURE ARTICLES

High-throughput ADVIA 2400 and ADVIA 1800 chemistry systems have reached new levels of productivity with the introduction of innovative new concentrated reagent test wedges. ADVIA clinical chemistry systems are the system of choice for many core pathology services. Their fast cycle speeds, low water usage, open-channel capability and assay menu capacity allow them to serve laboratory requirements ranging from district general hospitals through to multisite networks processing 10,000 specimens per day or more.

At the Human Protein Atlas project’s Rudbeck Laboratory, the Thermo Scientific Autostainer 480 has improved quality and reproducibility while increasing reliability and throughput, as Peter Brooks and Kenneth Wester explain.

Last year, a top London foundation trust entered into a partnership with Serco to provide an innovative and world-leading pathology service that promises to be the model for others to follow. Almost 18 months on, here is the view from Lambeth Palace Road.

Historically, the majority of tissue processing in histopathology has taken place overnight, limiting workflow flexibility. Now, the incorporation of ultrasonic technology promises to cut processing times significantly, as Neil Catlett explains.

ThinPrep cervical screening has taken a further step forward with installations of Hologic’s Integrated Imagers and ThinPrep imaging systems. Positive feedback is now arriving from early users. In the UK and Ireland there are now 17 Hologic ThinPrep Imager-enabled laboratories. The ThinPrep Integrated Imager, Hologic’s next-generation technology, represents the latest innovation in cervical screening by combining proven ThinPrep imaging technology and slide review into a single, convenient standalone device. This exciting new product allows laboratories of all sizes to benefit from the clinical advantages of ThinPrep imaging.

Current infection control focus is on surgical site infection and how it can be minimised. Here, James Beaves explains how cutting-edge products from Oxoid have an important role to play. Despite appropriate pre-and post-operative decontamination practices and implementation of infection prevention and control techniques in theatre, surgical site infections (SSIs) are the second most common type of adverse event occurring in hospitalised patients.

Ever since the Institute organised its first scientific meeting over 80 years ago, input from the commercial sector has always played a vital role in success, and last year’s Biomedical Science Congress was no exception.

Sterilin has set world standards for quality, reliability and user safety in the field of single-use laboratory plastics for the past 50 years. Now it leads the way by being the first to offer a range of 95 kPa-validated disposable containers for the transportation of clinical specimens. Sian Hayman tells us more. With more and more biological samples being transported through normal mailing systems, using different forms of transportation (from bikes to aeroplanes), the containers used to carry these samples are subject to increasingly tighter transport regulations. The requirements can vary depending on the mode of transport and the classification of samples.

In the wake of recent developments in the area of nurse prescribing of blood components, Pathology in Practice recently talked to two leading nurse professionals at the forefront of this initiative. At last year’s British Blood Transfusion Society (BBTS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Manchester, Liz Pirie and Jan Green launched the much-awaited framework document outlining guidance for nurses and midwives wishing to extend their role to prescribe blood components for transfusion.

Bone histopathology presents a challenge to both tissue processing and diagnosis, but the Excelsior ES from Thermo Fisher Scientific has set new standards for efficiency and performance at one of the UK’s premier orthopaedic facilities.

Rapidly evolving changes in pathology configurations require ongoing support, training and education. This is where Siemens Academy Training and Education Centre, which opened towards the end of last year, can help hard-pressed laboratory staff. The move towards the commercialisation of pathology, coupled with an increase in diagnostic testing and technologies, has placed more pressure on laboratories to reconfigure services for efficiency and quality.

Significant advances in immunohistochemical technique made over the past four decades have revolutionised surgical pathology practice. Now, the latest automated immunostainer from Menarini is set to enhance the service provided to clinicians and patients alike.

High throughput and full serum work area capability are just two of the advantages that the latest Roche equipment has brought to two hospitals in the south-west of England. Southmead Hospital in Bristol and Poole General Hospital on England’s south coast have both benefited recently from installation of Roche’s latest modular analyser, the cobas 8000. The combination of cutting-edge equipment, commercial expertise and dedicated laboratory personnel has had a big impact on the services offered by these two high-quality healthcare facilities.

The QIAsymphony AS from Qiagen has extended the company’s range of high-quality assay and detection solutions. This new module in the QIAsymphony series provides fully automated set up of Qiagen assays and polymerase chain reaction PCR kits and combines its experience in sample and assay technologies on a single platform.

In sub-Saharan Africa, turnaround time for CD4 lymphocyte count results is an important but often missing factor in the use and monitoring of effective antiviral therapy, as Grace Kahenya explains.

Increased demand for sexually transmitted disease testing as a result of the implementation of national screening programmes can now be accommodated thanks to a new, fully automated molecular biology instrument from Roche.

In December 2009, the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) published a standardised European disc-diffusion test method. Amanda Appleton liaised closely with the EUCAST committee during this time and, here, explains what this means for laboratories across Europe.

Feather disposable microtome blades have a reputation for high quality and now represent the global gold standard in microtomy. Here, Sue Wollington talks about history, production and how users can get the best performance from their disposable blades.

Despite launch of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme in 2003, levels of testing in the high-risk group are not sufficiently high to reduce the prevalence of this infection. Here, Rachel Adams considers the problem and how the latest sampling technology can help.

The recent joint meeting of UK NEQAS (BTLP) and the BBTS Blood Bank Technology SIG provided transfusion professionals with an opportunity to examine their role in improving clinical outcomes in the wider healthcare community. Pathology in Practice reports.