Cell-free DNA screening tests in the general obstetrical population David Grenache, Ph.D. May 3, 2017 From the Bench, The Pregnancy Lab It has been several years since cell-free DNA (cfDNA) tests for the detection of fetal aneuploidies became available. The first clinical studies of these tests were reported in women who, because of age or...
Predicting Preeclampsia using sFlt-1:PlGF Ratio in Symptomatic Women Ann Gronowski Ph.d. May 1, 2017 From the Bench, The Pregnancy Lab Preeclampsia occurs in 5 to 8% of pregnancies and is a major contributor of premature deliveries and neonatal morbidity in the U.S. and worldwide. It is characterized by new onset hypertension and proteinuria...
Tularemia and the Clinical Laboratory Jen MacCormack MLS (ASCP) CM April 25, 2017 From the Bench When you’re in a medical technology program, you quickly learn that there are some microbiology test questions that you only need to skim for key words before you can guess at an answer. Has the patient been...
Cross-Training in the Laboratory Irwin Rothenberg MBA, MS, MLS(ASCP) April 11, 2017 From the Bench Cross-training is often thought of as a routine staffing event designed to provide additional flexibility and backup for the laboratory’s day to day operation. However, it is far more than that; it is...
An Update on Zika Virus Testing in Pregnant Women Ann Gronowski Ph.d. March 30, 2017 From the Bench, The Pregnancy Lab We have previously blogged about Zika virus during pregnancy.That post was in February of 2016 and a lot has changed since then. For one thing, Zika has been shown to be transmitted via sexual contact...
Sample Quality Matters: Coagulation Testing Jen MacCormack MLS (ASCP) CM March 23, 2017 Featured, From the Bench, Home Page Laboratory professionals are comfortable with blood; after all, without it we wouldn't be able to perform many of the tests necessary for delivering quality healthcare to the people in our communities. We work...
STAT Science Happens: The evolution of antibiotic resistance March 21, 2017 From the Bench In an episode of “Science Happens!” produced by STAT News, Scientist Roy Kishony and his colleagues build a MEGA plate for us and let us see how they make an invisible catastrophe visible. In the process,...
A second hCG blood test that can be performed at the point-of-care Ann Gronowski Ph.d. March 14, 2017 From the Bench, The Pregnancy Lab We have blogged previously about the limitations of urine hCG tests to detect pregnancy in a hospital setting and about the Abbott iSTAT, the first FDA approved device for detection of hCG in whole blood at...
CLIA QUALITY SYSTEM REGULATIONS – CRI Symposium Preview Margaret Blaetz CLC(AMT), CCCP(AAPOL), MLT(ASCP) March 2, 2017 From the Bench, Home Page Last month, I started a new job. Those of you who follow my blog might find this funny. A few months ago I wrote about being "The New Kid in Town." When I wrote that blog, I had no idea I would be living in...
Computer Security in the Lab Margaret Blaetz CLC(AMT), CCCP(AAPOL), MLT(ASCP) February 2, 2017 From the Bench, Home Page Computers in the laboratory are like indoor plumbing. There are very few of us around who can recall when there were NONE. But computer security, that is a very different subject. The first computer I...
