background: although, nontuberculous mycobacteria can cause disease in different organisms, they usually are not reported in most countries because scientists in general consider them as non-pathogens. but, increasing nontuberculous mycobacteria diseases occurrence has changed this belief. nevertheless, there is no meta-analysis review about prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacteria in iran. me...

background :    although, nontuberculous mycobacteria can cause disease in different organisms, they usually are not reported in most countries because scientists in general consider them as non-pathogens. but, increasing nontuberculous mycobacteria diseases occurrence has changed this belief. nevertheless, there is no meta-analysis review about prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacteria in iran...

One purpose of the EC funded project, SPIDIA, is to develop evidence-based quality guidelines for the pre-analytical handling of blood samples for RNA molecular testing. To this end, two pan-European External Quality Assessments (EQAs) were implemented. Here we report the results of the second SPIDIA-RNA EQA. This second study included modifications in the protocol related to the blood collecti...

Laboratory testing, a highly complex process commonly called the total testing process (TTP), is usually subdivided into three traditional (pre-, intra-, and post-) analytical phases. The majority of errors in TTP originate in the pre-analytical phase, being due to individual or system design defects. In order to reduce errors in TTP, the pre-analytical phase should therefore be prioritized. In...

Pneumonic plague is a highly transmissible infectious disease for which fatality rates can be high if untreated; it is considered extremely lethal. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, disease management can be problematic. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2 outbreaks of pneumonic plague occurred during 2005 and 2006. In 2005, because of limitations in laboratory capabilities, etiolo...

Ammonia concentrations in plasma may increase because of contamination and deterioration of blood components during specimen handling and storage. Using replicate specimens from healthy volunteers, we studied influences of specimen processing and storage procedures on ammonia measurements made with a self-contained reagent system. Under some conditions, ammonia concentrations more than doubled....

AIMS To determine the suitability of primary gel separation tubes for the storage of frozen sera intended for serological testing. METHODS Blood samples from 102 patients were collected into gel separation tubes. The sera from these samples were split between the primary gel separation tubes and conventional plastic storage tubes and frozen. A year later, the tubes were thawed and anti-rubell...

For two months between May and July 2015, a nationwide outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) occurred in Korea. On June 3, 2015, the Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine (KSLM) launched a MERS-CoV Laboratory Response Task Force (LR-TF) to facilitate clinical laboratories to set up the diagnosis of MERS-CoV infection. Based on the WHO interim recommendations, the ...

Specimen collection is an integral component of clinical research. Specimens from subjects with various stages of cancers or other conditions, as well as those without disease, are critical tools in the hunt for biomarkers, predictors, or tests that will detect serious diseases earlier or more readily than currently possible. Analytic methodologies evolve quickly. Access to high-quality specime...