Monitoring and reporting of preanalytical errors in laboratory medicine: the UK situation.

Background: Most errors in the clinical laboratory occur in the preanalytical phase. This study aimed to comprehensively describe the prevalence and nature of preanalytical quality monitoring practices in UK clinical laboratories.

Methods: A survey was sent on behalf of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine Preanalytical Working Group (ACB-WG-PA) to all heads of department of clinical laboratories in the UK.

Faster-X effects in two Drosophila lineages.

Under certain circumstances, X-linked loci are expected to experience more adaptive substitutions than similar autosomal loci. To look for evidence of faster-X evolution, we analyzed the evolutionary rates of coding sequences in two sets of Drosophila species, the melanogaster and pseudoobscura clades, using whole-genome sequences. One of these, the pseudoobscura clade, contains a centric fusion between the ancestral X chromosome and the autosomal arm homologous to 3L in D.

Expansion of the pseudo-autosomal region and ongoing recombination suppression in the Silene latifolia sex chromosomes.

There are two very interesting aspects to the evolution of sex chromosomes: what happens after recombination between these chromosome pairs stops and why suppressed recombination evolves. The former question has been intensively studied in a diversity of organisms, but the latter has been studied largely theoretically. To obtain empirical data, we used codominant genic markers in genetic mapping of the dioecious plant Silene latifolia, together with comparative mapping of S.

Combined influence of gene-specific cord blood methylation and maternal smoking habit on birth weight.

Aim: Evidence suggests that folic acid intake affects birth weight and that these effects may be mediated via the fetal epigenome. Our previous array data indicate that methylation in human cord blood at gene-specific CpGs is associated with birth weight percentile (BWP). Our aims were to investigate associations with BWP in specific CpGs identified by the array analysis in a significantly larger cohort and investigate the effects of other relevant factors on this association.

Does lactate measurement performed on admission predict clinical outcome on the intensive care unit? A concise systematic review.

Background: There is a need for practical, efficient and effective prognostic markers for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with sepsis, to identify patients at highest risk and guide and monitor treatment. Although many biomarkers and scoring systems have been advocated, none have yet achieved this elusive combination. Most ICUs already use blood lactate concentrations to monitor patients but the evidence base for this application is unclear.