FEATURE ARTICLES

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.

Telepathology provides a range of benefits in cellular pathology, and at the heart of this technology are digital pathology systems and so-called virtual microscopy. Paul Cormack provides an overview of progress in this exciting field of laboratory medicine.

Temperature plays a vital role in polymerase chain reaction methodology. Thus, it is important to verify that thermal cyclers used in the technique are functioning properly. Here, Tom Hendrix, Marc Verblakt and Roger Pierik report on a study of cycler performance and on a validation service.

The use of glass microscope slides across pathology is largely taken for granted, but the technology that produces these ubiquitous laboratory consumables varies considerably, depending on which part of the world you happen to explore. Here, Andrew Cuthbert peers through the looking glass at slide production worldwide.

PathLore was established in 2001 to provide an alternative private sector model for cellular pathology support and provision in the UK. It was designed to meet emerging and anticipated future needs and those of other branches of pathology. Here, Professor Ian O Ellis gives an historical perspective and provides an overview of progress so far.

Agenda for Change and the latest government pathology review are evolutionary pressures on pathology the effect of which will only become fully apparent with the passage of time. However, forewarned is forearmed, so Pathology û the real agenda will inform, update and advise.

Clinical Diagnostics and Water, Environmental and Industrial Analysis are the two divisions that comprise Manchester-based company Labmedics. Now, two decades of expertise has resulted in an international reputation.

Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust has just gone live with a modern, multisite blood transfusion system that exceeds expectations and offers unprecedented support for EU directives on haemovigilance and electronic vein-to-vein tracking. Dave Simm provides an overview.

Two of the main suppliers to the automated diagnostics market have joined forces in the south-west of England to provide a managed service and equip a combined laboratory facility.

The concept of extended leucocyte differentials in automated haematology has considerable appeal, with haematologists calling for the ability to bring extended differentials into routine practice. Here, Louise Nichols looks at current laboratory practice, the clinical significance of an extended differential and the Abbott CELL-DYN Sapphire.

Few diagnostics manufacturers combine a state-of the-art facility with some of the most stunning scenery that Mother Nature can provide, yet DPC UK has done just that at Llanberis in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. However, there is substance behind the scenery.

After almost four months of meticulous planning, three hospital laboratories in the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust now have automated chemistry systems that set new standards in cost-effectiveness and efficiency and extend the benefits of high-throughput analysis.

Tissue processing changed little over the course of the last century until the introduction of microwave equipment into histopathology. Now, the technology that revolutionised work in the kitchen appears set to do the same in one of the oldest disciplines in pathology, as Sue Wollington explains.

Legal requirements that demand absolute traceability of each unit of blood and blood component means that an affordable, easily implemented system that provides compliance and additional document management capability is essential. Enter the Plumtree Group.

The importance of erythrocyte sedimentation rate as a laboratory investigation is often overlooked, but it is one that clinicians use to judge the efficacy of certain forms of treatment. Thus, confidence in the test requires accurate control, as Peter Hooper explains.

Convenience, time saved, health and safety benefits and improved workflow are just a few of the advantages that staff experience when using analysers that incorporate closed-tube sampling technology.

Reduction of potential risks and greater cost efficiency are fundamental surgical ideals. Here, David Coates considers the benefits that can be provided for hip arthroplasty patients by the use of autologous blood transfusion.

Hospital-acquired infection is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in the clinical setting. Here, Fiona Macrae discusses some ways in which hospitals can assess and monitor the microbial cleanliness of critical areas.

The opening of state-of-the-art biomedical research and teaching laboratories will support current scientific research that now focuses on proteomics rather than genomics.