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Lab medicine outlook Clinical Laboratory News Share     The first decade of the 21st Century by any measure has been transformative for lab medicine. Pharmacogenetics (PGx), point-of-care testing (POCT), lab automation, and LEAN went beyond buzzwords to become mainstream realities. Evidence mounted about certain biomarkers and pushed them into the limelight, while others fell out of favor. Still others that showed great promise have yet to make their mark on clinical practice. The field of lab medicine also sharpened its focus on standardizing and improving the analytical performance of assays, and on the methods used to report lab-related research. More  Microbiology of ascending lymphangitis Medscape Pathology Share
A 73-year-old, white man presented to the emergency department with a draining wound on his right hand and erythematous subcutaneous nodules tracking up his right forearm. He stated that he sustained the wound to his hand during a traumatic injury while hammering in his barn three days prior to presentation. He was treated at another hospital with clindamycin, levofloxacin, and vancomycin, after which he demonstrated only mild improvement. His medical history was significant for long-term steroid use for pulmonary hemosiderosis. The patient was taken to surgery for incision and drainage of the hand wound. Specimens were sent for culture and direct examination. More Updated recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for revaccination of persons at prolonged increased risk for meningococcal disease Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Share
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, for all persons aged 11—18 years and for persons aged 2—55 years at increased risk for meningococcal disease. MCV4 is licensed as a single dose. Because of the high risk for meningococcal disease among certain groups and limited data on duration of protection, at its June 2009 meeting ACIP recommended that persons previously vaccinated with either MCV4 or MPSV4, who are at prolonged increased risk for meningococcal disease should be revaccinated with MCV4. More American Diabetes Association revises diabetes guidelines Medscape Medical News Share
The American Diabetes Association revised clinical practice recommendations for diabetes diagnosis promote hemoglobin A1c as a faster, easier diagnostic test that could help reduce the number of undiagnosed patients and better identify patients with prediabetes. The new recommendations are published in the January supplement of Diabetes Care. More  Evolutionary surprise: Eight percent of human genetic material comes from a virus Science Daily Share
About eight percent of human genetic material comes from a virus and not from our ancestors, according to researchers in Japan and the U.S. The research showed that the genomes of humans and other mammals contain DNA derived from the insertion of bornaviruses, RNA viruses whose replication and transcription takes place in the nucleus. More Study reveals new insight into transfusion-related acute lung injury Medscape Medical News Share
Transfusion-related acute lung injury is a leading cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality, and characterized by acute noncardiogenic pulmonary edema and compromised respiratory status. Although the etiology of TRALI is not fully understood, many cases of TRALI are likely caused by antibodies to leukocyte antigens in blood components. New translational research presented here at the American Society of Hematology 51st Annual Meeting might help lead to a reduction of this serious transfusion-related complication. More New immune link to inflammation and scarring In Graves' disease Medical News Today Share
A cell type that causes significant scarring in lung disease appears to have a similar effect in Graves' disease, University of Michigan Health System researchers have found. The cells, called fibrocytes, are present at a higher than normal frequency in patients with Graves' disease, according to a new study, the first to associate fibrocytes with this autoimmune disease. More
Fruit fly bodies hoard stem cells U.S News & World Report Share
Stem cells lead sheltered lives. A new study of fruit flies shows how stem cell precursors create their own niches where the developing cells can safely hang out. These cell banks give the fly a reserve of stem cells to draw on later to create and replenish organs, make new cells or repair wounds. A stem cell in the fruit fly gut divides, creating a daughter cell that wraps itself around its mother and siblings and prevents them from turning into specialized tissues, researchers from Columbia University report in Science. More New data show young, minorities disproportionately hit by H1N1 in L.A. County Los Angeles Times Share
New data released indicate H1N1 flu disproportionately struck the young and minorities in Los Angeles County, groups public health officials have vowed to increasingly target for vaccination. About 55 percent of patients hospitalized with H1N1 flu in L.A. County were Latino, 130 of 237 patients as of Aug. 3, the most recent data available from the county Department of Public Health. Of the total, 17 percent were white, 8 percent black and 4 percent Asian, records show. More Human trial for leukemia vaccine CBS News Share
A new treatment for leukemia to stop the disease from returning following chemotherapy treatment or a bone marrow transplant has been developed by British researchers and will be now be available for patients in a clinical trial at King's College London. The new vaccine, as reported in the London Telegraph, is for the most common form of adult leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia (or acute myelogenous leukemia), which usually recurs in half of all cases even after aggressive treatment. More |
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