2003 SERIES ARTICLES

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Laboratory Monitoring of Minimal Residual Disease
By Richard D. Press, MD, PhD
December 2003

Chronic myeloid leukemia—a cancer that affects white blood cells—has traditionally been monitored in the lab by cytogenetic remission, where a percentage of cells affected with the aberrant chromosome is determined. Recently, advances in imatinib therapy have made it possible to utilize PCR has a method to more sensitively monitor the progress of minimal residual disease.

Human Papillomavirus: Molecular Testing Helps to Improve Outcomes
By Deborah A. Paynce, PhD, CLSp (MB), CLDir (NCA)
November 2003

Molecular tests that identify and measure nucleic acids have become increasingly more useful in the detection of infectious diseases, such as HIV and HCV. HPV, unique in that in can be classified as both an infectious disease and a tumor, has increased the role of molecular diagnostics as a screening tool for a variety of reasons.

Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: Clinical Implications and Laboratory Testing
By Majed A. Refaai, MD, and Michael Lapostata, MD, PhD
October 2003

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is the serious decline in platelet count that can occur after routine exposure to heparin. Due to the large number of patients that receive heparin during medical procedures, it is important for clinicians to be able to test and accurately diagnose the onset of this disorder.

Flow Cytometry: Applications in Diagnostic Pathology
By J. Philip McCoy, Jr., PhD
September 2003

Flow Cytometry—a method of examining cellular features by suspending cells in a fluid and passing them through a light source—has become increasingly useful in diagnostic pathology over the last two decades. Today it can be used to monitor patient response to therapy using a variety of protocols.

Newborn Screening: Opportunities and Challenges of Tandem Mass Spectrometry
By Dietrich Matern, MD, and Piero Rinaldo, MD, PhD
August 2003

Tandem mass spectrometry has the ability to enhance traditional newborn screening programs by significantly increasing the number of disorders detected using single bloodspot. However, expansion and widespread use of tandem mass spectrometry for this purpose has been hindered by several implementation problems.

Cancer Biomarkers: How Proteomics is Leading to the Discovery of New Markers
By David C. Muddiman, PhD; William Cliby, MD; and H. Robert Bergen, III, PhD
July 2003

Proteomic analysis holds the possibility of being able to link the presence, or absence, of proteins produced within cells with diseases such as cancer. Using this technology to create quick and efficient biomarkers will have a significant impact on how clinical labs diagnose cancers in the future.

Point-of-Care Testing: Challenges of the Post Connectivity Era
By Jay Jones, PhD
June 2003

Increased use of point-of-care testing has lead to a growth of laboratory information systems and electronic medical records, as all of these systems have to be integrated for a dependable exchange of information to occur. The databases and interfaces that store and allow access to this information can be exceedingly complex, and it is becoming more important for laboratorians to understand the principals of point-of-care testing connectivity and data management.

Cardiac Troponins: A Decade of Change in Cardiac Marker Testing
By Geza S. Bodor, MD, DABCC
May 2003

Monoclonal antibody-based assays for the detection of cardiac troponins have been in use for the past 10 years, greatly improving how clinicians diagnose myocardial infarction. Although our knowledge of troponins continues to advance, further improvements are still needed in key areas.

Thyroid Testing: What Are the Implications of the New NACB Guidelines?
By Laurence M. Demers, PhD, DABCC
April 2003

In 2002, The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry published new thyroid testing guidelines in an effort to increase the level of physician awareness of thyroid disease. These guidelines also provide laboratorians and manufacturers with technical performance expectations of the tests commonly used to diagnose, monitor, and treat thyroid disease.

Oxycodone: Laboratory Procedures for Identifying Overdose and Abuse
By Robert H. Williams, PhD, DABCC, FACB, MT (ASCP)
March 2003

The opioid oxycodone, a commonly prescribed pain medication, has garnered attention recently due a rise in recreational use that has caused a significant rise in oxycodone-related deaths and newly admitted patients to drug treatment programs. Due to this rise in abuse, laboratorians need to familiarize themselves with analytical procedures used to detect the drug, and provide awareness to other clinicians about the limitations of standard opioid screening tests for oxycodone.

Glycated Hemoglobin: The Marker for Long-Term Glycemic Control of Diabetes Mellitus
By Aleksandar M. Babic, MD, PhD and David B. Sacks, MB, ChB, FRCPath
February 2003

Studies are beginning to establish glycated hemoglobin (GHb) as a reliable indicator of long-term glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus. The development of a standardized assay for the detection and monitoring of HbA1c levels would have a substantial and beneficial impact on the treatment of this disease.

Cardiac Markers: The Next Opportunity for Point-of-Care Testing
By Kent Lewandrowski, MD
January 2003

Of the 6 million people admitted to the emergency room every year for chest pains, approximately half will have no significant disease or acute condition, ultimately costing the healthcare system nearly $1 billion per year. Emergency departments, trying to reduce costs and improve patient care, are looking to implement point-of-care cardiac markers that could indicate which patients are in danger of myocardial infarction.