RECENT FEATURE ARTICLES
Expression of uncertainty in measurement: combining standard uncertainties
The fifth in a series of articles on individual aspects of the assessment of uncertainty of measurement sees Stephen MacDonald consider some of the more difficult questions that may be faced in relation to measurement uncertainty- Feature
Microbiology collection device and ISO 15189: an appropriate selection
Loss of bacterial viability during any significant holding period following sampling compromises subsequent recovery by culture. Here, Jamie Laughlin assesses the performance of a range of swab collection devices.- Feature
Avoiding a nightmare: helping to meet the challenges of winter care
Automated molecular diagnostics is proving to be a valuable tool in the management of influenza and norovirus outbreaks. Here, the benefits of this approach are highlighted by the experiences of three district general hospitals.- Feature
Science of industry: review of a very specific Congress experience
The International Convention Centre in Birmingham recently hosted one of the largest gatherings of biomedical and life science companies held anywhere in the world. The following review provides a snapshot of a biennial event that combines the best that biomedical science and the in vitro diagnostics industry can offer.- Feature
Integrating diagnostics: not a takeover but fundamental to better care
The era of diagnoses based on incomplete datasets is at an end, Here, Dr Brendan Devlin explains why the ‘ologies’ must be connected and what integrated diagnostics is actually about.- Feature
Antimicrobial resistance: what are our future needs?
The fight against antimicrobial resistance is so important that it is the subject of the 21st-century equivalent of the Longitude Prize. Here, Sarah Wallis puts current commercial issues and developments into context.- Feature
Pathology and the NHS Five Year Forward View
Delegates from across the NHS pathology spectrum attended the annual national information technology conference, staged earlier in the year by CliniSys at The Belfry in the West Midlands. Donald Saum reports.- Feature
Macro digital imaging for advanced perinatal post-mortem investigations
Sarah Davis and colleagues at Birmingham Women’s Hospital are using the MacroVIEW DM system from Menarini Diagnostics. Here, they report on how the system has revolutionised routine mortuary practice.- Feature
Body fluid analysis: automated system versus manual method
Anna Finuliar and Alison Hadfield examine the laboratory methods in use to quantify and differentiate cells in body fluids, and assess the value of automation in routine practice.- Feature
Clinical performance of the EliA anti-thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor assay
The TSH receptor is a primary antigen in Graves' disease hyperthyroidism, and the presence of TSH-R-specific antibodies are indicative of the condition. Recently, automated assays measuring these antibodies have proved useful in diagnosis, as this article explains.- Feature
Confidence in haemostasis solutions for NHS hub and spoke networks
Gill Eyre speaks to Pathology in Practice about company successes and how far Stago has developed since it first opened in the UK over 10 years ago.- Feature
Internal quality control as the means of determining measurement uncertainty
The next in this series of articles on individual aspects of the assessment of uncertainty of measurement sees Stephen MacDonald consider the role of internal quality control, the most commonly used method, and provides some examples in straightforward assays.- Feature
Serious Hazards of Transfusion scheme: a review of 2016 data
Laboratory Incidents Specialist Hema Mistry summarises the 2016 SHOT Annual Report and looks at why the same errors are still occurring, and why many of them could have been prevented.- Feature
Hot topics in microbiology: an ideal opportunity to join the BSMT grapevine
The committee of the British Society for Microbial Technology reports from its annual scientific meeting, held earlier in the year at PHE Colindale in London.- Feature
Biomedical Science Congress: an exhibition of excellence
Next month, the International Convention Centre in Birmingham will host one of the largest gatherings of biomedical and life science companies held anywhere in the world. The following selection of brief exhibitor previews provides a taste of what IBMS Biomedical Science Congress delegates and visitors may find to interest them on individual stands in the exhibition.- Feature
Inoculum standardisation device for the EUCAST disk-diffusion method
Support for antimicrobial susceptibility methodology is changing, and laboratories face testing times in this important area of practice. Here, Andrew Ferguson and Rahila Chaudhry assess different approaches.- Feature
OXA-48-, KPC- & NDM-type carbapenemase-producing organism detection
Multidrug resistance exhibited by a range of microorganisms is a growing problem, a prime example being that resulting from carbapenemase production. Here, Gemma Vanstone and colleagues assess the value of the RESIST-3 O.K.N. lateral-flow immunochromatography assay.- Feature
Clinical benefits of IgE antibody profiling with ImmunoCAP ISAC
Since the introduction of the ISAC microarray more than a decade ago, an increasing number of allergist and other specialists have made use of its broad and detailed sensitisation profiles, as this overview from Thermo Fisher Scientific illustrates.- Feature
Harnessing the potential offered by digital pathology: an update
Pathology and cancer leaders from the UK and across Europe met in London in May at a Philips Digital Pathology Workshop to learn how a Lean-based business tool can be used to build the case for digital pathology.- Feature
Point-of care testing and EQA: a look in the current literature
The external quality assessment of point-of-care testing (POCT) has not been a prominent feature of coverage in the literature over the past decade or more, as the examples highlighted below demonstrate. However, with the ever-increasing application of POCT in modern clinical medicine, this is an area of quality management that requires attention.- Feature
