Laboratory/Pathology • healthcare-in-europe.com

Personalised Medicine Drives Uptake

Future of DNA sequencing will shift from a laboratory-based setup to point of care testing in the next 5 years

One tube for comprehensive urine diagnostics

Reliable results can only be achieved in urine diagnostics, if correct preanalytical conditions are ensured. Urine collection, specimen transport and further storage are critical influential factors for sample quality and can affect the results.

Mobile POC applications and educational resources

‘Physicians and clinicians treating patients at the point of care (POC) can benefit greatly from easy access to materials and resources via their handheld devices,’ comments Jamie Gramz, Director of Global Marketing at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.

Curse or blessing?

A small prick to sample blood instead of complex pathological or other diagnostic procedures – this is how early cancer diagnosis will be in the near future. Blood tests to diagnose tumorous diseases early are already being researched for clinical use.

Sectra brings PACS power to pathology

"I can count on my fingers the number of pathologists who work full digitally," said Elin Kindberg who is leading the development of a pathology PACS for Sectra Imaging IT Solutions. Conventional light microscopes continued to be standard tool for examining histo-pathology slides.

‘Huge progress’ in the ICU

You’ll find Élie Azoulay everywhere during this year’s International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (ISICEM).

Brain has switch board to guide behavior in response to external stimuli

How do our brains combine information from the external world (sensory stimulation) with information on our internal state such as hunger, fear or stress?

A challenge for oncologists

‘The disease “cancer” is increasingly classified into sub-groups. Today, we are already dealing with a number of orphan diseases,’ says Professor Richard Greil MD, head of LIMCR at University Hospital Salzburg.

Virtual microscope images at your fingertips

Olympus launches its OlyVIA Mobile iPad App, an image viewer dedicated to virtual slides.

Small size in early pregnancy linked to poor heart health later in life

Poor growth in the first three months of pregnancy is associated with a range of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood, finds a study published on bmj.com.

Automated Anatomic Pathology Labs Transform Diagnostics

Offering attractive procurement strategies will boost adoption of high-end tools

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Earlier detection of Down’s syndrome

Down’s syndrome (also referred to as trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra copy of chromosome 21 in a person’s DNA. Current screening for Down’s syndrome and other trisomy conditions includes a combined test done between the 11th and 13th weeks of pregnancy.

Point-care-testing in emergency departments

Over the past decade the use of point-of-care testing (POCT) in European and North American hospitals has steadily increased, stimulated by the objectives of accelerating diagnostic treatment, increasing efficiency and improving patient outcomes.

Trinity Biotech hits high mark for cardiac test

Ahead of regulatory approval that is expected before the end of the year, Trinity Biotech chose Medica to present the novel point-of-care (POC) analyzer Meritas with the Troponin I (TnI) that are expected to disrupt a €700 million market.

Is copper preventing nosocomial infections?

The properties of copper in helping prevent nosocomial infections were debated this October at the Infection Prevention 2013 conference, when Professor Tom Elliott, Consultant Microbiologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, addressed the question: ‘Can the use of copper help prevent infection?’

Point-of-care-testing in emergency departments

Over the past 10 years the use of point-of-care testing (POCT) in in European and North American hospitals has steadily increased, stimulated by the objectives of accelerating diagnostic treatment, increasing efficiency and improving patient outcomes, Cynthia E. Keen reports

Printable IVDs put diagnostics in a patient’s pocket

Using electrically conductive, ink-like materials, a Swedish consortium has created a fully functional prototype for a self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) test that could be disruptive for in vitro diagnostics.

C.diff associated diarrhoea

Diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile, which remains an issue in hospital settings, has been the focus of Cochrane Collaboration scientists, who now suggest that taking probiotics at the same time as antibiotics could help to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut, particularly as antibiotics can disturb the ecosystem of organisms normally present in the digestive system.