{"title":"Wisconsin's laboratory evaluation and certification program.","authors":"J W Joy, A L Van Duser, S L Inhorn","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A review of methods used in the evaluation of test performance and certification of laboratories in Wisconsin.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"206-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12058594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Screening for metabolic disorders among high risk infants and children.","authors":"H K Berry","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a screening program in Cincinnati urine specimens from over 20,000 infants and children were tested for inherited metabolic disorders involving amino acids, carbohydrates, phenolic acids, organic acids, keto acids, mucopolysaccharides, and imidazoles. The subjects were selected on the basis of symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, acidosis, seizures, failure to thrive, delayed development, mental retardation, and others. The tests were based primarily on paper chromatographic techniques. Patients with 21 different metabolic disorders were found. The patterns of abnormal excretion of amino acids and other metabolites are often useful in making a diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"183-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11359746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of laboratory improvement programs on laboratory performance: the CLIA 67 experience.","authors":"L C Lamotte","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The experience acquired by the Center for Diseases Control during the past 7 years in the administration of the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act of 1967 suggests that the key indicators of reliability have been identified and that sensitive measurement of those indicators is now possible and practical. The costs of assuring high quality are inconsequential compared to the costs to the patient and taxpaying public of inaccurate test results. This objective system for evaluating clinical laboratories has been applied to licensed interstate laboratories and has been shown to be effective. This proven system has been offered to the Bureau of Health Insurance of the Social Security Administration for application to Medicare laboratories.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"213-23"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11539890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cost effectiveness of laboratory improvement programs: the viewpoint from the private sector.","authors":"D J Carlson","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The costs of participating in laboratory improvement programs are categorized and presented from the viewpoint of the laboratory. These include: prevention costs, appraisal costs, and compliance costs. Costs of participating in voluntary vs. mandatory programs are compared. Reduction of costs could be achieved by reducing duplication and overlapping of programs. In conclusion, it is difficult to identify the exact costs in any program, but it is estimated that for the individual laboratory it may represent 10-15% of the operating costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"199-205"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11612181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D Baertschy, R Golubjatnikov, M Steadman, S L Inhorn
{"title":"Serologic study of specimens with borderline FTA-ABS test reactivity.","authors":"D Baertschy, R Golubjatnikov, M Steadman, S L Inhorn","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The treponemal group-specific absorbed fluorescent antibody test (FTA-ABS) does not yield clearly positive or negative results in all instances. This study was designed to analyze those sera showing borderline reactivity, in order to determine whether additional tests may help to resolve serodiagnostic problem cases. FTA-ABS tests on 23,807 sera submitted to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene yielded borderline results with 479 specimens (2%). Patients showing inconclusive FTA-ABS test reactivity were equally distributed among older and younger age groups, and 6% of borderline cases were women. Of all the 479 specimens, only five sera (1%) gave a non-specific hemagglutination with the Treponema pallidum microhemagglutination (MHA-TP) test, with 82.5% of the FTA-ABS test borderline sera yielding negative results with the MHA-TP test. Because recent findings had shown atypical false fluorescence with the FTA-ABS test on sera from patients with antinuclear antibody, the fluorescent antinuclear antibody test (FANA) was also performed on specimens inconclusive with the FTA-ABS test. Only seven sera (1.5%) were reactive by the FANA test, suggesting that antinuclear antibody was not a significant cause of borderline FTA-ABS reactions. The implications of these findings to venereal disease serology laboratory practice are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"177-82"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11539889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stability of working reagents for the Modified Rapid Fermentation Test (MRFT).","authors":"W J Brown","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Modified Rapid Fermentation Test (MRFT) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been shown to demonstrate the proper carbohydrate degradation for confirmation in less than 30 minutes. A new approach for using the reagents in the testing procedure has been established, making the MRFT a more practical tool in the laboratory. Instead of mixing reagents at the time of testing, previously prepared, labelled reagents were made in economic quantities and used according to the established procedure. These prepared reagents were stored at -70 C, -20 C, 4 C, and at room temperature (22-23 C). Stability was determined over a 6-month period by using a laboratory strain and fresh clinic strains of N. gonorrhoeae. The use of prepared reagents increases the efficiency of the confirmation approach, reduces the cost per test, and increases the uniformity of the individual tests.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"172-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11612180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The clinical significance of Acinetobacter species.","authors":"S L Rosenthal, L F Freundlich","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Of 50 consecutive patients from whom Acinetobacter species were isolated, only one had an infection due to the organism which required antibiotic therapy. Fourteen of the isolates were associated with minor body surface infections and the remainder occurred as the result of either colonization without infection or culture contamination. The taxonomy, natural occurrence and antibiotic sensitivity of Acinetobacter species and their differentiation from more pathogenic organisms are reviewed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"194-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12058593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The laboratory diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.","authors":"I G Kagan, L Norman","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii infection in man, rather exacting methods of staining must be used for the organism to be visualized in lung tissue. Techniques for sample collection, which range from open lung biopsy to endobronchial brush methods or collection of sputum, are discussed. Recent advances in the serologic diagnosis and in the culture of the organism are also covered.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"155-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11539887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Specific direct fluorescent antibody detection of Treponema pallidum.","authors":"K C Daniels, H S Ferneyhough","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a study to determine the reliability of specific direct fluorescent antibody staining of Treponema pallidum (DFATP) in lesion exudate, and to evaluate it as a potential diagnostic test to be used in lieu of or as an adjunct to the darkfield and other laboratory tests as an aid in the diagnosis of early syphilis, two types of comparisons were made: Study A-Replicate specimens from each of 350 lesions were examined in the state laboratory by DFATP and in the field by darkfield microscopy and the results were compared; Study B--95 specimens of lesion exudate were tested by the DFATP test and compared with the Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption (FTA-ABS) test on patients' sera. The tests in each study were evaluated as to sensitivity, specificity, and agreement with each other. The DFATP proved to be as reliable as the darkfield, was advantageous in some instances, and can be valuable when a darkfield examination is not feasible. Much of the responsibility of an adequate DFATP or darkfield test rests on the one who takes the specimen.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 3","pages":"164-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11539888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}