So called circulating tumor cells (CTC) seem to be an indicator of the progression and therapy outcome for cancer patients. US- and UK-researchers have shown concurrently that blood tests of CTC's are as reliable as painful biobsies to predict how well patients respond to therapy.
Russia has one of the fastest-growing AIDS epidemic in the world. One reason for this development is unsafe sex of addicts. Therefore sexual behaviour should be considered as an important component in the treatment of drug-dependent people to stop HIV-transmission.
Italy - The genome sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii has been determined by scientists at the Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche, the Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive at the Istituto Superiore della Sanità and the Dipartimento di Biologia at Roma Tre University. In Italy alone this antibiotic resistant pathogen causes 4,500 to 7,000 deaths annually.
In today's clinical laboratory the technical staff performs quality inspections that are separate and distinct from normal laboratory testing quality control.
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics will showcase the combined strengths of Diagnostics Products Corporation (DPC), Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics and Dade Behring.
An estimated 92 million Chlamydia trachomatis infections occur annually. Often, this disease presents no clear symptoms. Inverness Medical reports that its Clearview Chlamydia MF test can provide a diagnosis in as little as 30 minutes, so that, during a single visit, a patient can also begin treatment.
Possibilities to co-develop new clinical diagnostic tests for companion diagnostics, metabolic syndrome, oncology and diabetes, are being explored by Siemens Healthcare and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp).
Lean Laboratory and Lean Automation are vital ingredients for the efficient and productive running of today's modern pathology laboratories. Automation serves as an essential endorsement to Lean, says Paul M Button, Senior Consultant at ValuMetrix, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics*
Latest estimates predict that the global prevalence of Alzheimer's disease will quadruple by 2050. The EU funded research project "PredictAD" aimed at developing new diagnostic tools by combining data from imaging biomarkers, electrical brain activity measurement and blood based markers.
France - Clinical biology is faced with many internal and external developments, notably advances in medical science, automation, quality assurance, electronic data transmission, and the impact of the European legislation.
With 121 high level lectures and 65 published posters, Analytica 2008 - organised by the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) and the German United Society of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) - was again a notable bio-chemistry event.
Three types of human heart cells have been grown from cultures derived from embryonic stem cells, by a team of Canadian, US and UK scientists.
The recent marketing of "at home" genomic tests for disease risk may be premature, according to Dr. Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). "Health professionals are now faced with the prospect of their patients coming to the office, a DNA profile in hand, asking for preventative management tailored to their…
Germany - Managing a lab for out- and in-patient care involves not only mastering increasing pressures in terms of efficiency and cost-optimisation, but also being au courant with ever evolving clinical issues and state-of-the-art lab technology and procedures.
The complete takeover of hospital laboratories through private laboratory service providers is rapidly changing the nature of German laboratories. Taking a closer look at these developments, it becomes apparent that several trends are developing.
Labs are Vital is a global initiative managed in the United Kingdom by a steering group that includes the Royal College of Pathologists, Association of Clinical Pathologists, Association for Clinical Biochemistry, Institute of Biomedical Science, British In Vitro Diagnostics Association and Abbott Diagnostics.
By Tamar Jehuda-Cohen PhD, Biomedical Engineering Department, Technion Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
During the formal launch ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, representatives of the European Commission acknowledged Lab Tests Online as a valuable patient-centered website, providing health information that meets the highest quality standards. Approximately 1.5 million users visit the non-commercial, peer-reviewed website each month to access accurate, reliable and easy to understand information…
Healthcare is in a dynamic state of change — and so is the healthcare industry, in which there is an increasing trend towards integrating scientific disciplines.
Columbus was onboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis when it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 20:45 CET 7 Feb 2008. For this one-way trip to Earth orbit, Columbus is in the expert hands of a crew of seven astronauts, including two members of the European astronaut corps: Leopold Eyharts of France and Hans Schlegel of Germany.
A new test, developed at the University of Leeds, searches for a heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) which is released into the circulation following heart injury. The test seems to be more accurate in identifying patients with heart damage at an earlier course of their illness.
Roche's product portfolio includes three systems for urinary diagnostics, all of which use the proven Combur test strips.
Inverness Medical acquired the Determine Brand of diagnostics was from Abbott laboratories in 2005. This move was part of their ongoing strategy to provide clinicians worldwide with a comprehensive portfolio of rapid, potentially life-saving diagnostic tools.
SMARTube technology enables super-stimulation of lymphocytes, which leads to enhanced production of antibodies in vitro. This enables better and earlier detection of infections.
The DCA Vantage Analyser from Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics is a user-friendly, point-of-care (POC) patient management platform for diabetes.
