Lab Best Practice

Debunking Common Misconceptions of COVID-19 Related Testing and Transfusion Practices

The 2019 novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in a constant and massive surge of information. Over 100,000 scientific articles related to COVID-19 were published in 2020 alone.

Flow Cytometric Immunophenotypic Analysis of Hematolymphoid Neoplasms

Flow cytometry (FCM) by immunophenotypic analysis has a prominent role in the diagnosis and classification of hematolymphoid neoplasms, and in monitoring response to therapy. There have been tremendous advances for

Reconstituted Whole Blood Transfusion Exchange in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

The blood bank occasionally will receive requests for a transfusion exchange in a neonate with hyperbilirubinemia. Neonates with hyperbilirubinemia may necessitate hospital admissions with approximately 5-10% of all

Infectious Diseases

Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Specimen Types: Nasal Swabs, Nasopharyngeal Swabs and Beyond

The nasopharyngeal (NP) swab serves as the primary specimen type for respiratory molecular pathogen detection. During the novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID) pandemic of 2019, the NP swab became the

Coronavirus

Role of Quantitative Serology Testing for COVID-19

The current pandemic has led to considerable interest in COVID-19 related laboratory testing. The widespread distribution of the various vaccines, the emerging genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 circulating around the

An Overview of Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) Definition and Diagnosis

The numbers of primary total hip and knee arthroplasties have been increasing over time, with 332,000 total hip and 719,000 total knee arthroplasties performed in 2010 in the United States.

Infectious Diseases

Hepatitis B Serologic Testing Methods

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was first discovered in 1965. Briefly, HBV is a DNA virus from the Hepadnaviridae family which is spread via contaminated body fluids. After exposure, the virus enters hepatocytes and .....

Plasma Exchange with Albumin Replacement for Alzheimer’s Disease

The guidelines on the use of therapeutic Apheresis in clinical practice published in JCP 2019 has showed strong consideration for the addition of a new fact sheet on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) based on the ....

Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA)

FNA is a simple, safe, and Cost-effective procedure for patient with a mass. FNA is a biopsy procedure and should be considered in the same light as a surgical biopsy.

Race and eGFR: Addressing Health Disparities in Chronic Kidney Disease

Starting on May 4, 2021, UC Davis Health will calculate estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) rate without a parameter for race. African Americans are at high risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Infectious Diseases

Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) Smear and Culture Testing

It is a foundational principle for any laboratory test procedure that the value of the test heavily relies on using specimens that have been properly collected, labelled, handled or stored prior to....

The Importance of Trephine Biopsy and Aspirate in Bone Marrow Analysis

The morphologic analysis of bone marrow specimen is an essential part of comprehensive evaluation in the diagnosis of hematologic and certain non-hematologic disorders.

Coronavirus

The SARS-CoV-2 Variant and its Impact on Diagnostic Testing

The new SARS-CoV-2 mutant (VOC 202012/01) has become the dominant variant in the United Kingdom (UK) with the first known case in the United States identified on December 29, 2020.

Red blood cell antigen phenotyping and genotyping

The main purpose of testing prior to transfusion is to provide the most compatible blood to the patient in order to minimize the risk of hemolytic transfusion reactions.

CAP Inspections and the importance of informatics…

The College of American Pathology (CAP) systematically reviews and accredits laboratories across the U.S. to ensure these laboratories meet certain safety and patient care criteria.

Rapid Combined Flu A/B and SARS-CoV-2 RNA Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing for Emergency and Ambulatory Care Settings

Nam K. Tran, PhD1; Larissa May, MD2; Allen Hall, MD3; Tom Bullen, MD3; Sarah Waldman, MD4; John Rodrigo, MD1; Julia Loegering, BS1; Shelley Gillott, CLS1; Stacy Yee, CLS1; Taylor Howa

GI biopsies with lymphoid aggregates: What does this mean?

Ananya Datta Mitra MD Hooman H. Rashidi MD Karen Matsukuma MD, PhD Background: Because the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a site of continuous challenge by foreign antigens, it contains a well-develop

Introduction to Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and the Clinical Laboratory's Role

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the practice of measuring drug concentrations in order to tailor dosages and maintain therapeutic levels in a patient’s bloodstream.

Coronavirus

Challenges and Implications of False Negative COVID-19 Testing

As communities across the U.S. struggle to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have focused on the lack of widespread testing as a major roadblock to reopening the country.

Infectious Diseases

Specimen Collection Practices for Microbiologic Culture

The culturing of microorganisms remains the mainstay of laboratory testing for infectious disease, even in an age of rapid and more cost-effective molecular testing.

Coronavirus

Review of COVID-19 Testing Methods

The pandemic has created significant interest in COVID-19 related laboratory testing. Given the rapidly evolving testing landscape, it's become challenging to keep up with the numerous available assays.

Coronavirus

Pathology Residency in the Era of Shelter-in-Place

COVID-19 and the resulting pandemic has forced everyone to rethink when person-to-person interactions are required.

Vitreous fluid for primary intraocular lymphoma

Primary intraocular lymphomas (PIOLs) are a subset of primary central nervous system lymphoma arise from retina, vitreous, or optic nerve-with or without central nervous system (CNS) involvement.

Cancer

Considering pattern of invasion to identify low risk endocervical adenocarcinomas

In economically developed countries like the U.S., the decline of endocervical squamous cell carcinoma associated with the utilization of the Pap screening test is one of the great success stories in medicine.

Staining Methods in Frozen Section: Best Lab Practices

Tissue staining during a frozen section is one of the most important steps in obtaining an accurate pathologic diagnosis.

Cancer

ProMisE – a Simple and Clinically Applicable Molecular Classifier of Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic cancer in the U.S. and the 4th most common cancer in women. There are about 61,000 cases annually which account for about 7% of all cancers in women.

Blood Disorders

Identification of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia

Heparin is a commonly-used anticoagulant that is given to patients to prevent the formation of blood clots used in the setting of certain medical condition or medical procedures.

Blood Disorders

Assessing Platelet Refractoriness and the Appropriate Use of HLA Testing

Platelet transfusions have become a mainstay of treatment that are invaluable in the management of patients with hematologic and oncologic disorders.

Concerns Regarding Biotin Interference: Two Years Later

In recent years, the emergence of high dose biotin supplementation and unproven regimens for treating multiple sclerosis has brought biotin interference back into the spotlight.

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