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W O R L D ’ S C L I N I C A L L A B O R AT O R Y N E W S L E A D E R ISSN 1068-1760
Vol. 34 No. 3 • 5/ 2017
DAILY CLINICAL LAB NEWS
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Blood Test Predicts Cancer Survival
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Serological Test Differentiates Zika from Dengue Infections
urvival evaluations can determine whether or not pharmacological treatment should be given. Cytotoxic chemotherapy would rarely be prescribed in a patient unlikely to survive beyond several weeks because of unpleasant side effects. The sedative midazolam is used for symptom relief in palliative care
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ika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-transmitted flavivirus currently causing large epidemics in South and Central America as well as in the Caribbean, presenting a global public health emergency. Zika is increasingly posing a risk in other parts of the world and it is difficult to differentiate clinically from in-
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fections with dengue and chikungunya viruses, which are endemic in the same geographical regions. In laboratory testing, serology is an important supplement to direct detection and provides a much longer diagnostic window. European scientists led by those at the Institute for Experimental Immunology (EUROIMMUN AG,
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Image: Courtesy of Stanford University Medical Center
Panel of Blood Biomarkers Predicts Aging Health
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New Automated Periostin Immunoassay Developed eriostin is being investigated as a potential biomarker for T-helper2 (Th2)-driven asthma or eosinophilic inflammation and may help to identify patients more likely to benefit from interleukin-13-targeted treatments. The use of serum interleukin-13 (IL-13) itself as a biomarker is challenging because it is expressed locally in inflamed tissue, resulting in very low concentrations in serum and concentrations of serum IL-13 appear
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Blood Test for Earlier Lung Cancer Detection new blood test has been developed that can accurately detect antibodies to lung cancer cells at an early stage, potentially up to five years before traditional scans show any damage. In the UK, only one in six lung cancer patients have surgery which is low compared to other countries, but this audit reveals that early survival rate is very high, with 96% of patients living beyond 90 days, which is very
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panel of 19 biomarkers in the blood was utilized to create molecular signatures that are able to predict how well an individual is aging and how severe the likelihood that he or she will develop an aging-related disease.
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New Integrated Hematology Analyzer Introduced urrently, hematology testing requires a larger blood sample from a given patient, which needs to be run across several different systems in order to get the full set of results. This is labor- and time-intensive, and potentially provides
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Modified Smartphone-Based System Automatically Determines Antibiotic Resistance icrobiology researchers have described a modified smartphone that functions as an automated diagnostic test reader for the determination of antimicrobial resistance. Routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) can prevent deaths due to bacteria and reduce the spread of multi-drug-resistance, but cannot be
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regularly performed in resource-limited-settings due to technological challenges, high-costs, and lack of trained professionals. A team of investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA; www.ucla.edu) has reported the development of a cellphone-based 96-well Cont’d on page 8
Clinical News . . . . . . . . . 4-26 IFCC News . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Product News . . . . . . . 14-24 Industry News . . . . . . . . . .33 International Calendar . . . 34 PUBLISHED IN COOPERATION WITH
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