FEATURE ARTICLES

The latest reports by Jim O’Neill’s independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance have highlighted the power of simple measures to prevent infections, as well as the potential role of vaccines and other alternatives in tackling antimicrobial resistance.

Lack of formal international standardisation of tests for venous thromboembolism means that appropriate medical care may sometimes not be given. Here, Laurence Loï looks at the current situation.

Merkel cell carcinoma is a neuroendocrine tumour that often follows an aggressive course. Understanding its biology could improve the clinical outcomes for patients who present with this rare malignant disease.

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Providing a high-quality, reliable and cost-effective pathology service is the priority for today’s NHS. Beckman Coulter’s Ibti Rashid explains why the company’s laboratory automation customers excel in these areas.

Teams of researchers in Cardiff, Zaragoza in Spain, and Brno in the Czech Republic have focused on the use of TRAIL, a member of the TNF cytokine superfamily, as a more effect treatment for breast cancer.

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The next phase in the development of innovative laboratory technologies is in progress and will be highlighted next year with the return of SmartLAB to Hanover.

Pathology services have a pivotal role to play in the diversification of point-of-care testing services, but the shift of responsibility outside the laboratory setting is not without its challenges, as Martin Wilkinson explains.

Use of the cardiac troponin high-sensitivity test from Roche means that faster diagnoses can be made in patients who present with chest pain to accident and emergency, resulting in prompt treatment and better use of healthcare resources.

Suzanne Callander reports on the move towards accreditation of quality and competence of point-of-care test services to bring them into line with clinical laboratories.

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Advances in immunohistochemistry, digital pathology, quantum dot technology and the use of tissue microarrays were subjects covered in an annual EuroSciCon meeting devoted to advances in histopathology.

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Delia Geary provides a United Kingdom Accreditation Service perspective and insight into the importance of accreditation for point-of-care testing to ensure quality control.

When a patient suffering from Trichomonas vaginalis proved difficult to cure using standard treatment, the clinician turned to laboratory medicine to provide some answers. Subsequently, an in-house approach proved successful and indicated that sensitivity testing should be more widely available, as Alison Davies and colleagues explain.

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As laboratories experience expanding molecular diagnostic workloads, many are faced with meeting this increasing demand in cramped working environments. Here, Jordi Vila and Angeles Marcos describe how workflow efficiencies can be achieved in virology.

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Accreditation terminology does not fit comfortably in the cellular pathology lexicon, as many of its reports are subject to interpretation, so how can it satisfy ISO 15189 standards? Julie Terry reports on a positive assessment exercise, and provides some relevant guidance.

An impressive 250 delegates gathered at York Racecourse recently for the UK NEQAS General Haematology 18th Annual Participants’ Meeting, Barry Hill was there to report on the highlights.

In certain circumstances there may be clinical need to assess the plasma DOACs status of a patient. Here, Aine McCormick, Dervilla Gorman and Gary Moore report on an initial retrospective study of automated and manual assays.

Sepsis is a common and potentially life-threatening condition triggered by an infection. Now, a rapid and early screen for bloodstream infections offers a number of benefits, as Charlotte Duncan explains.

Antimicrobial resistance is regarded as one of the most pressing problems facing 21st-century healthcare, such that it is the focus of The Longitude Prize 2014. Here, Erin Vaughan provides an overview and update.

The 11th Association of Anatomical Pathology Technology annual conference took place in Inverness earlier in the year. This one-day event covered a range of subjects from evisceration and Ebola to DNA fingerprinting and forensic fiction.

Jonathan Horan looks at how laboratories can move forward to the more comprehensive quality control regime that regulators now demand, and how Beckman Coulter can assist in this process.