Important objectives of External Quality Assessment (EQA) is to detect analytical errors and make corrective actions. The aim of this paper is to describe knowledge required to interpret EQA results and present a structured approach on how to handle deviating EQA results. The value of EQA and how the EQA result should be interpreted depends on five key points: the control material, the target v...

application of the cross-run rules. Data were also modeled for n 4, and the error detection for full multirules was lower than described on the Westgard site for all changes in bias from 1.0 to 3.0 times the SD when previously detected shifts were removed from the 8x rule (data not shown). The change in bias that can be detected with 90% certainty decreases from 1.8 times the SD, as shown on th...

It has been hypothesized that increased HIV acquisition in uncircumcised men may relate to a more thinly keratinized inner foreskin. However, published data are contradictory and potentially confounded by medical indications for circumcision. We tested the hypothesis that the inner foreskin was more thinly keratinized than the outer foreskin using tissues from 19 healthy, HIV-uninfected men und...

DNA ladder is commonly used to determine the size of DNA fragments by electrophoresis in routine molecular biology laboratories. In this study, we report a new procedure to prepare a DNA ladder that consists of 10 fragments from 100 to 1000 bp. This protocol is a combination of routinely employed methods: cloning, PCR, and partial digestion with restriction enzymes. DNA fragments of 100 bp with...

The advent of nanotechnology has had a revolutionary impact on many aspects of 21st century life. Nanotechnology has provided an opportunity to explore new avenues that conventional technologies have been unable to make an impact on for diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of different diseases, and of cancer in particular. Entities in nanometer sizes are excellent platforms to incorporate variou...

The use of amphibians in classrooms and research laboratories has increased, along with a corresponding increase in the amount of information about these animals on the Internet. This review is intended to aid both novices and experts in the search of such information. The bibliography of Internet resources is organized by discipline and includes general and selected species information, taxono...

This installment of the WebWise series reviews the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) web site (http://www.jgi.doe.gov/). The JGI, established in 1997 (Casey 1996), represents an ongoing consolidation of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) genome sequencing centers established at the Los Alamos (LANL), Lawrence Berke ley (LBNL) , and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). The JGI web site p...

INTRODUCTION Base metals have a wide use in casting methods. Sometimes they are reused in laboratories which may have an adverse effect on the restoration marginal integrity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of recasting of alloys on marginal integrity of restorations. MATERIALS AND METHODS Models with two types of finishing lines shoulder bevel 45° and shoulder 135° were produced a...

The Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL) has become a nationally recognized accreditation program with the primary goal of providing a multidisciplinary peer review program. The purpose of this paper is to review the structure and mission of the ICANL to help increase awareness of the importance of voluntary accreditation. Included is a broad r...

BACKGROUND The emerging market of mobile phone technology and its use in the health sector is rapidly expanding and connecting even the most remote areas of world. Distributing diagnostic images over the mobile network for knowledge sharing, feedback or quality control is a logical innovation. OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility of using mobile phones for capturing microscopy images and tr...