Transplants under silent attack
The number of patients treated with implants – from cardiac pacemakers, heart valves and vascular implants to artificial hips and knees – is rising worldwide.
Laboratory
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.
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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.
Siemens enters agreement with Pfizer for companion diagnostics
Today, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc. announces that it has entered into a master collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc. to design, develop and commercialize diagnostic tests for therapeutic products across Pfizer’s pipeline.
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.
French bio-terrorism network of labs
Born in the USA out of the anthrax scare that followed the 9/11 attacks, the formation of a network of laboratories kept on 24/7 alert against potential bio-terrorism was introduced in France at the end of 2001.
Article • Trisomy 21
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.
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.
Better training could help
Internet-based training for clinicians could help lower antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory tract infections by as much as 62%, according to British researchers.
Understanding parameters
Clinical chemistry influences almost all medical disciplines: most diagnoses are made or confirmed only after the laboratory has determined at least one or two parameters.
Carefully selected devices reward MHH with 50% cost cuts
In intensive care units (ICUs) little can be automated to relieve staff pressures – with the exception of point of care testing (POCT)
Diagnostics: Market trends
Nat Whitney, President of Whitney Research, sums up the ups and downs of the international IVD market and reports on a fitting finale for 17 years of dedicated service
An international impact on immunoassay
Snibe, the Shenzhen New Industries Biomedical Engineering Company Ltd., is a leading Chinese biomedical technology company dedicated to developing and manufacturing clinical laboratory equipment and in vitro reagents. Founded 18 years ago and a growing force in the Chinese market, the firm is based in Shenzhen, China’s fourth largest city, situated in Guangdong Province.
New Benchtop Centrifuges from Beckman Coulter
The Allegra X-5 air-cooled benchtop centrifuge from Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is designed specifically for clinical sample preparation.
Heart failure
About 500,000 people in France people suffer heart failure (HF). In Europe the figure is six million and the same in the USA.
Molecular US therapy, computer diagnosis and customized medication
Which technological advancements can we expect to see in the field of medical technology? How well can diagnosis and therapy be customized for each patient?
Moving mass spec into the clinical lab
Mass spectrometry has been applied in advanced clinical research and drug discovery and development. Continual innovations have created capabilities to address complex analytical challenges qualitatively and quantitatively with unparalleled speed, sensitivity and accuracy
Raising awareness of in vitro diagnosis values
Labs need to optimise their costs as well as accommodate increasing volumes – and new tests are continuously demanded.
Norway leads in POCT quality control
Increasing demand for Point of Care Testing (POCT) devices leads to an increasing number of nurses and physicians working with unfamiliar equipment. Laboratory-quality test results are available in doctor’s surgeries, out-patient clinics and hospital departments. However, how can a high and comparable quality standard for POCT be guaranteed?
China looks inward and outward
From the meetings between the Presidents of China and the USA came the slogan, ‘A new model of cooperation’. One item discussed was the proposed $4.6 billion purchase of a US pork producer by a Chinese company, which affirmed: ‘the acquisition won’t affect the quality of the bacon on stateside breakfast tables’.
EuroMedLab 2013
Milan, Italy – The 20th European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine certainly lived up to its claim as the EU’s largest event of its kind – 2,407 visitors and 4,786 delegates from 101 countries plus 82 exhibitors fanned out or arranged themselves over the event’s 3,500 square metres, Hanna Politis reports
LEAN workflow analysis
This year’s EuroMedLab and IFCC-EFLM Congress came at a time when all hospitals face ever-increasing healthcare costs, aging populations and patients and GPs demanding more complex and novel diagnostic tests.
Quality control via round robin tests
If a parameter is determined with different test systems the results must still be comparable. This sounds simple, but is hard to achieve.
Faster sample analysis for UK and EU hospitals
Run by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the new automated Medical Laboratory at the Northern General Hospital has drawn a previously fragmented service into a purpose-built centre.
LabsAreVital program out in full force at AACC
The newly relaunched LabsAreVital program will be out in full force at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) meeting, from July 28 – August 1 in Houston, Texas.