Roles of the C-terminal domains of topoisomerase IIα and topoisomerase IIβ in regulation of the decatenation checkpoint.

Topoisomerase (topo) IIα and IIβ maintain genome stability and are targets for anti-tumor drugs. In this study, we demonstrate that the decatenation checkpoint is regulated, not only by topo IIα, as previously reported, but also by topo IIβ. The decatenation checkpoint is most efficient when both isoforms are present.

Accreditation of Individualized Quality Control Plans by the College of American Pathologists.

The Laboratory Accreditation Program of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) began in 2015 to allow accredited laboratories to devise their own strategies for quality control of laboratory testing. Participants now have the option to implement individualized quality control plans (IQCPs). Only nonwaived testing that features an internal control (built-in, electronic, or procedural) is eligible for IQCP accreditation.

College of American Pathologists' laboratory standards for next-generation sequencing clinical tests.

Context: The higher throughput and lower per-base cost of next-generation sequencing (NGS) as compared to Sanger sequencing has led to its rapid adoption in clinical testing. The number of laboratories offering NGS-based tests has also grown considerably in the past few years, despite the fact that specific Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988/College of American Pathologists (CAP) laboratory standards had not yet been developed to regulate this technology.

Objective: To develop a checklist for clinical testing using NGS technology that sets standards for the analytic wet bench process and for bioinformatics or "dry bench" analyses.

Blood storage duration and biochemical recurrence of cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that perioperative transfusion of allogeneic and autologous red blood cells (RBCs) stored for a prolonged period speeds biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after prostatectomy.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated biochemical prostate cancer recurrence in men who had undergone radical prostatectomy and perioperative blood transfusions from July 6, 1998, through December 27, 2007. Those who received allogeneic blood transfusions were assigned to nonoverlapping "younger," "middle," and "older" RBC storage duration groups.

Laboratory standardization from the patient's point of view.

Optimal patient care is best defined in terms of outcome. Reliable laboratory test results are important to patient safety. The laboratory must use the tools available to it to minimize the uncertainty of measurement.

Duration of red-cell storage and complications after cardiac surgery.

Background: Stored red cells undergo progressive structural and functional changes over time. We tested the hypothesis that serious complications and mortality after cardiac surgery are increased when transfused red cells are stored for more than 2 weeks.

Methods: We examined data from patients given red-cell transfusions during coronary-artery bypass grafting, heart-valve surgery, or both between June 30, 1998, and January 30, 2006.

Detection and correction of systematic laboratory problems by analysis of clustered proficiency testing failures.

Context: The Laboratory Accreditation Program of the College of American Pathologists monitors the performance of its subscribers in proficiency testing (PT). Failure to perform as expected prompts the program to query the laboratory.

Objective: To determine whether laboratories are correcting apparent problems when contacted by the program about repeatedly unacceptable performance in a diagnostic test.

The cost of patient safety.

To ensure patient safety, it costs an organization time, money, and commitment. The clinical laboratory may promote patient safety or may contribute to medical error. Laboratory errors put a patient at risk at any point along the path of workflow.

A case of fatal West Nile virus meningoencephalitis associated with receipt of blood transfusions after open heart surgery.

First identified in the United States in 1999, West Nile virus caused approximately 3,500 infections in the late summer and fall of 2002. The virus is predominantly transmitted by mosquitoes, and the risk of infection through blood product transfusion is believed to be low. We present a case of West Nile virus encephalitis transmitted by red blood cell transfusion at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting that resulted in the patient's death.

A pulmonary syndrome in patients with acute myelomonocytic leukemia and inversion of chromosome 16.

Different subtypes of acute myelogenous leukemia have distinct clinical presentations and courses. The specific clinical and molecular aspects of these leukemias have helped modify and create specific strategies for their management. We observed an increased incidence of pulmonary complications in patients with acute myelomonocytic leukemias (AMML) with inversion of chromosome 16 [inv(16)] irrespective of the presence of hyperleukocytosis.

Allergic transfusion reactions: an evaluation of 273 consecutive reactions.

Context: Allergic reaction to transfusion is common. However, the review of a large series of allergic transfusion reactions has not been performed.

Objective: To review a large series of allergic transfusion reactions.