FEATURE ARTICLES

Although one of the oldest disciplines in pathology, microbiology has experienced little impact from automation. However, the debut of the AccuPAS system may be about to change this perception, as Catherine Balding reports.

With strict new blood bank refrigeration and storage requirements now in force to comply with European regulations, and with MHRA inspections imminent, Barry Hill talks to one company that has a solution to the present concerns.

The unmasking, labelling and detection systems that together represent modern-day immunohistochemical technique have been refined over the past quarter of a century. However, Vector continues to produce dividends at the cutting edge of cellular pathology technique, as Ian MacKarill explains.

An Australian study of the ThinPrep Imaging System from Cytyc featured in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal. A synopsis of the findings is summarised below.

The use of latex agglutination methodology is ubiquitous in pathology, having first been described over 50 years ago. Now, advances in technology employed by Pro-Lab Diagnostics mean that visual results are now faster, clearer and more specific.

Concerns in blood transfusion departments about the need to meet the demands of the EU Blood Directive, and other requirements, has led one UK company to develop an innovative standalone information technology solution to address the problem.

According to current popular fiction, forensic science can provide the answer to virtually any question. However, what is not apparent in television programmes such as CSI is the lengths to which commercial companies, such as Thermo Scientific, go to help minimise the problem of cross-contamination.

Recently, Siemens Medical Solutions acquired Bayer HealthcareÆs Diagnostics Division and Diagnostic Products Corporation to create Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics. The new companyÆs combined expertise in laboratory diagnostics and clinical information technology has proved beneficial for laboratories at St GeorgeÆs Hospital, London, and the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

Following the withdrawal of several phenol-based disinfectants, TeknonÆs product Biocleanse stepped into the breach and demonstrated broad-spectrum efficacy.

Currently, antibiotic resistance is a major issue, particularly in the hospital setting, and susceptibility testing plays a vital role in monitoring this problem. OxoidÆs recently introduced simple, precise and easy-to-implement MIC strip system should help.

Monitoring short-term cell growth in culture and biofermentation assays is notoriously inaccurate and slow using conventional laboratory techniques. However, introduction of the VoluPAC tube has resulted in increased reliability and precision, as Martin Jordan, Matthieu Stettler and Florian Wurm explain.

The haematology service across two large Sheffield hospitals is supported by a laboratory informatics system from Beckman Coulter. This Yorkshire facility now represents the largest Remisol set-up in Europe and contributes to cutting-edge biomedical science at its best.

Advanced laboratory information management and order communications are part of the new pathology computer environment being implemented at hospitals in the West Midlands. Here, pathology IT manager Richard Humphrey comments on the utility of an EU-compliant platform.

The second anniversary of the devastating Asian tsunami saw the return of a popular television programme to a peak-time viewing slot and also a donation to a worthy cause from CellPath, a Welsh medical supplies company.

Fully automated electrophoretic analysis of proteins in serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid, and the characterisation of haemoglobinopathies is now available using the Interlab Microgel system available from Launch Diagnostics. Brian Murphy explains.

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.