Articles related to TESTING/LABS

Suflave™, an osmotic laxative approved by the FDA for colon cleansing in adults, represents a significant development in colonoscopy preparation. Patients interested in a low-volume option with improved taste attributes will find Suflave to be a promising alternative.

The burgeoning use of procalcitonin testing in hospital medicine underscores its potential to guide antibiotic decisions, particularly during diagnostic uncertainty, while highlighting the need for effective clinician behavior change strategies and an understanding of the test’s limitations.

SIVAD Diagnostic Medical Group’s novel drug testing strips, HarmGuard FX, are making strides in harm reduction, beginning in Delaware. These strips, a part of the wider Harm Stopper Program, signal a potential turning point in the battle against the national opioid crisis.

Enhancing Platelet Dysfunction Diagnosis with Platelet Function Screen The Platelet Function Screen (PFA-100®) is a critical in vitro system for detecting platelet dysfunction. It uses citrated whole blood samples under high shear flow conditions, demonstrating its sensitivity. As blood is aspirated through collagen-coated membranes, platelet adhesion forms an initial matrix. Adding to the mix, platelet aggregation is stimulated by either epinephrine (COL/EPI) or adenosine diphosphate (COL/ADP), coating the membranes. In this process, the time required to form a platelet plug that blocks the aperture, known as closure time (CT), is the key measure of platelet function. Interestingly, several conditions can cause prolonged CT, including drug effects, low hematocrit, thrombocytopenia, von Willebrand Disease (vWD), and platelet disorders. Notably, aspirin therapy impacts the COL/EPI closure time more than COL/ADP. While assessing results, hematological considerations are pivotal, particularly with anemia and thrombocytopenia that could extend CT. Platelet counts below 150,000/uL or hematocrit below 35% could interfere with the results, thus, the test might not serve patients with counts below 100,000/uL or hematocrit under 30%. Moreover, hematocrit over 50% could generate inconsistent outcomes. Fundamentally, normal CT with both COL/EPI and COL/ADP signifies healthy platelet function. The COL/EPI membrane, while sensitive to primary hemostasis disorders, […]

A blood test focusing on a set of eight autoantibody markers was 97% effective in detecting the presence of Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology up to 10 years before onset of clinical symptoms. According to the investigators, “this is the first blood test to accurately detect Alzheimer’s-related pathology several years before either clinical symptoms or more expensive and invasive tests can identify the disease.”

Originally published in JAMA Psychiatry, a broad-based study shows nearly 7% of OUD patients are adding buprenorphine to urine sample to fake treatment adherence. Buprenorphine spiking suggests to the physician that the treatment plan is not working—especially in patients continuing illicit drug use.