FEATURE ARTICLES

Ever-increasing workload stretches resources in pathology, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the pre-analytical phase of laboratory work. However, Plumtree can offer biomedical scientists a range of innovative solutions.

All new and current members of NHS staff are required to receive training in infection prevention, and a new online learning initiative, designed to combat the spread of hospitalacquired infection, has proved to be remarkably successful.

Increasingly, new parents across Europe are turning to storage of stem cells from umbilical cord blood as a safeguard against their childrensÆ potential future health problems. Now, the logistics of cell collection and storage are aided by internet services.

Computer technology has supported the work of pathology for longer than that of any other healthcare group, yet Connecting for Health appears to have forgotten about this vital area of medicine. Here, Jem Rashbass puts forward the case for an appropriately resourced pathology IT programme.

Confocal imaging may not be found in every cellular pathology laboratory but a new system from Image Solutions is easy to use, allows the use of virtually any fluorescence probe and fits all existing microscopes.

With the passage of an unseasonably mild autumn and the onset of winter, thoughts turn to what infections the dormant season has in store for the susceptible among us. Viral infections are high on the list of things of which to be wary, and laboratories, with a little help from Oxoid, must be as vigilant as ever in an attempt to identify these agents promptly.

The battle against healthcare-acquired infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extended spectrum ▀-lactamase-producing organisms continues with a need for high-level leadership and support, the Infection Control Nurses Association Conference, held recently in Brighton, was told. A comprehensive report of the proceedings follows.

Bacterial sepsis is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in preterm babies. Can a new rapid cytokine test improve diagnosis over use of C-reactive protein alone and help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use?

Increasingly, workflow efficiency is seen as the way forward in dealing with ever-expanding workload, and tracks linking individual analysers are becoming a more common sight in the laboratory. Here, biomedical scientists from Basingstoke in Hampshire share their experiences of a very successful implementation.

A trial last year of three chromogenic MRSA media and oxacillin resistance screening agar in Nottingham has led to significant improvements in the detection of this nosocomial pathogen. Here, infection control biomedical scientist Ros Montgomery describes the testing process and the advantages gain in patient care.

Introduction of a rapid test for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has had a dramatic impact on several specialties in a district general hospital. The result has been a close working relationship between laboratory and infection control staff, and important benefits to patient and hospital alike.

From porphyrin analysis to textile sun protection factor measurement, use of spectrophotometers from Norfolk-based company Camspec has achieved global utility in routine and research applications in the past 20 years.

Advances in stem cell technology have prompted attempts to remove legal obstacles arising from differences in patentability standards in national legislation and case law across Europe. Here, SiΓn Gill explains the complexities of patent protection and how they relate to this emotive subject.

The increasingly diverse ethnicity of the United Kingdom population is having a major effect on haemoglobin screening workloads in laboratories around the country. Here, Ben Starling looks at the impact that TosohÆs G7 high performance liquid chromatography analysers have had in Sheffield and Leicester.

Hospital-acquired infection is of increasing concern in the health service, and the spectre of MRSA is now being joined by other, equally problematic infections. However, new technology from Acolyte Biomedica has joined the fight and promises to expedite detection and antibiotic susceptibility testing, directly from clinical specimens.

Continuing professional development has been a fact of professional life for the best part of two decades, but only recently has it become a mandatory requirement for re-registration. Historically, commercial support for CPD has been indirect, but Cosmos Biomedical felt it could do more, as Chris Sanders explains.

Such has been the response to the CellNass off-site storage service, launched in 2003, that cellular pathology specialist CellPath has had to build a new facility to keep up with demand from across England and Wales.

The new UniCel DxC 880i from Beckman Coulter is designed for high-throughput workstation consolidation, as Jag Grewal, the companyÆs marketing manager for Northern Europe, explains.

Examination of bone sections for abnormalities is helping to define mechanisms of bone loss in untreated and treated osteoporosis, but imaging large bone sections can prove difficult. Here, Ana Maria Caballero-Alias discusses some of the issues surrounding imaging this type of section and how digital systems are overcoming some of these problems.

The current drive towards greater automation in pathology should be measured against a range of important factors that need to be considered carefully. Here, Alistair Forrest goes into some detail and provides an example of a successful implementation.