FEATURE ARTICLES

Point-of-care testing is finding increasing application in healthcare, and monitoring patients on anticoagulant therapy is just one example of how this aspect of pathology modernisation is evolving. Here, Robert Powley examines a hand-held coagulometer from Inverness Medical UK.

Growing demand for more information about medical conditions and treatments has now become a reality in modern healthcare. Medical Solutions is at the forefront of breast cancer diagnosis and offers comprehensive test portfolios designed to answer key questions about disease prognosis and treatment options for the patient.

Transport a Victorian laboratory assistant into a modern-day histopathology department and they would feel immediately at home with tissue processing. However, things are moving on at last, and xylene-free processing is one example of changing methodology, as Glyn Woodward explains.

The use of tissue microarray methodologies has increased dramatically over the past decade. Now, the National Cancer Institute and The Netherlands Cancer Institute have become the first research organisations to adopt TMALab II software.

The unmasking, labelling and detection systems that together represent modern-day immunohistochemical technique have been refined over the past quarter of a century. However, Vector continues to produce dividends at the cutting edge of cellular pathology technique, as Ian MacKarill explains.

An Australian study of the ThinPrep Imaging System from Cytyc featured in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal. A synopsis of the findings is summarised below.

With strict new blood bank refrigeration and storage requirements now in force to comply with European regulations, and with MHRA inspections imminent, Barry Hill talks to one company that has a solution to the present concerns.

The management of stock is a crucial factor to smooth running in the laboratory environment. Introduction of the StockTraxx NHS inventory system has enabled Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation TrustÆs biochemistry department to control costs and operate just-in-time ordering.

Although one of the oldest disciplines in pathology, microbiology has experienced little impact from automation. However, the debut of the AccuPAS system may be about to change this perception, as Catherine Balding reports.

In the current NHS climate, trusts are continually looking for ways to reduce their financial exposure. Thus, the management services of a vendor-independent company such as Asteral have great appeal, particularly in the field of laboratory medicine.

The use of latex agglutination methodology is ubiquitous in pathology, having first been described over 50 years ago. Now, advances in technology employed by Pro-Lab Diagnostics mean that visual results are now faster, clearer and more specific.

Concerns in blood transfusion departments about the need to meet the demands of the EU Blood Directive, and other requirements, has led one UK company to develop an innovative standalone information technology solution to address the problem.

The haematology service across two large Sheffield hospitals is supported by a laboratory informatics system from Beckman Coulter. This Yorkshire facility now represents the largest Remisol set-up in Europe and contributes to cutting-edge biomedical science at its best.

Monitoring short-term cell growth in culture and biofermentation assays is notoriously inaccurate and slow using conventional laboratory techniques. However, introduction of the VoluPAC tube has resulted in increased reliability and precision, as Martin Jordan, Matthieu Stettler and Florian Wurm explain.

Currently, antibiotic resistance is a major issue, particularly in the hospital setting, and susceptibility testing plays a vital role in monitoring this problem. OxoidÆs recently introduced simple, precise and easy-to-implement MIC strip system should help.

According to current popular fiction, forensic science can provide the answer to virtually any question. However, what is not apparent in television programmes such as CSI is the lengths to which commercial companies, such as Thermo Scientific, go to help minimise the problem of cross-contamination.

Recently, Siemens Medical Solutions acquired Bayer HealthcareÆs Diagnostics Division and Diagnostic Products Corporation to create Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics. The new companyÆs combined expertise in laboratory diagnostics and clinical information technology has proved beneficial for laboratories at St GeorgeÆs Hospital, London, and the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

Following the withdrawal of several phenol-based disinfectants, TeknonÆs product Biocleanse stepped into the breach and demonstrated broad-spectrum efficacy.

Fully automated electrophoretic analysis of proteins in serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid, and the characterisation of haemoglobinopathies is now available using the Interlab Microgel system available from Launch Diagnostics. Brian Murphy explains.

Advanced laboratory information management and order communications are part of the new pathology computer environment being implemented at hospitals in the West Midlands. Here, pathology IT manager Richard Humphrey comments on the utility of an EU-compliant platform.