Career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce: Education, exposures, and motivations.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce by examining medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, histotechnologists, histotechnicians, cytologists, and phlebotomists.

Methods: We collected data through an anonymous online survey (May-June 2023) from a convenience sample of medical laboratory professionals in the United States (N = 1243). We performed descriptive analyses of demographics, current employment characteristics, educational and training history, career exposures, motivations, movement, and outlook (eg, job satisfaction, future career plans).

Power stabilization of a terahertz-frequency quantum-cascade laser using a photonic-integrated modulator.

We demonstrate a technique to stabilize the emission from a 3.4-THz quantum-cascade laser against power drifts, using a recently developed photonic integrated circuit (PIC) structure formed by coupling a racetrack resonator with a ridge waveguide. This structure enables a dynamic power-control range of ±15% and locking over >600 s using a proportional-integral control loop.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology's 2023 wage survey of medical laboratories in the United States.

Objectives: To inform the pathology and laboratory field of the most recent national wage data. Historically, the results of this biennial survey have served as a basis for additional research on laboratory professional recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification, and advocacy.

Methods: The 2023 Wage Survey was conducted in collaboration between the American Society for Clinical Pathology's (ASCP's) Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy in Washington, DC, and ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, Illinois.

The multifaceted roles of circular RNAs in cancer hallmarks: From mechanisms to clinical implications.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a distinct class of covalently closed RNA species lacking conventional 5' to 3' polarity. Derived predominantly from pre-mRNA transcripts of protein-coding genes, circRNAs arise through back-splicing events of exon-exon or exon-intron junctions. They exhibit tissue- and cell-specific expression patterns and play crucial roles in regulating fundamental cellular processes such as cell cycle dynamics, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation.

Differential proteomics of circulating extracellular vesicles of placental origin isolated from women with early-onset preeclampsia reveal aberrant innate immune and hemostasis processes.

Problem: Early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE) is a severe gestational hypertensive disorder with significant feto-maternal morbidity and mortality due to uteroplacental insufficiency. Circulating extracellular vesicles of placental origin (EV-P) are known to be involved in the pathophysiology of EOPE and might serve as an ideal reservoir for its specific biomarkers. Therefore, we aimed to characterize and perform comparative proteomics of circulating EV-P from healthy pregnant and EOPE women before delivery.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology 2022 Vacancy Survey of medical laboratories in the United States.

Objectives: To determine the extent and distribution of laboratory workforce shortages within the nation's medical laboratories.

Methods: The Vacancy Survey was conducted through collaboration between the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy in Washington, DC, and the Evaluation, Measurement, and Assessment Department and ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, IL. Data were collected through an internet survey distributed to individuals who were able to report on staffing and certifications for their laboratories.

Examining the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in mitigating workforce burnout in laboratory medicine.

Objectives: The clinical laboratory workforce plays a crucial role in health care delivery, yet little is known about the unique pressures and challenges this workforce faces. The objective of this study was to identify factors that contribute to burnout, discrimination, exclusion, and inequity in pathology and laboratory medicine.

Methods: A nationwide survey was conducted in 2 phases.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology's 2021 Wage Survey of Medical Laboratories in the United States.

Objectives: To inform the pathology and laboratory field of the most recent national wage data. Historically, the results of this biennial survey have served as a basis for additional research on laboratory recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification, and advocacy.

Methods: The 2021 Wage Survey was conducted through collaboration between the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy in Washington, DC, and the ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, IL.

Identification of Larval (Nematoda: Dioctophymatoidea) sp. from Bloch, 1793 by Morphological and Molecular Techniques.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the larval form of sp. isolated from the visceral organs of (Bloch, 1793) using morphological and molecular methods.

Methods: Fishes were collected from fish farms in Nadia and North 24 Paraganas for the collection of nematodes.

Functional Outcome of Bilateral Total Knee Replacement in Advanced Osteoarthritis in Simultaneous Versus Staged Procedure.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, progressive disease involving the degeneration of cartilage and joint tissue, resulting in pain and disability. Bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is is an effective intervention that improves quality of life, reduces pain and increases functional capability. This study was performed to compare the functional outcomes between staged and simultaneous total knee arthroplasty.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology 2020 Vacancy Survey of Medical Laboratories in the United States.

Objectives: To determine the extent and distribution of workforce shortages within the nation's medical laboratories.

Methods: The survey was conducted through collaboration between the American Society for Clinical Pathology Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy in Washington, DC, and the Evaluation, Measurement, and Assessment Department and Board of Certification in Chicago, IL. Data were collected via an internet survey distributed to individuals who were able to report on staffing and certifications for their laboratories.

Osteopontin Signaling in Shaping Tumor Microenvironment Conducive to Malignant Progression.

Context-dependent reciprocal crosstalk between cancer and surrounding stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment is imperative for the regulation of various hallmarks of cancer. A myriad of growth factors, chemokines, and their receptors aids in the interaction between cancer cells and tumor microenvironmental components. Osteopontin is a chemokine-like protein, overexpressed in different types of cancers.

A Recombinant Fragment of Human Surfactant Protein D Binds Spike Protein and Inhibits Infectivity and Replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Clinical Samples.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an acute infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Human SP-D (surfactant protein D) is known to interact with the spike protein of SARS-CoV, but its immune surveillance against SARS-CoV-2 is not known. The current study aimed to examine the potential of a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rfhSP-D) as an inhibitor of replication and infection of SARS-CoV-2.

Enrichment analyses of diseases and pathways associated with precocious puberty using PrecocityDB.

Precocious puberty (PP) is an important endocrine disorder affecting children globally. Several genes, SNPs and comorbidities are reported to be associated with PP; however, this data is scattered across scientific literature and has not been systematically collated and analysed. In this study, we present PrecocityDB as the first manually curated online database on genes and their ontology terms, SNPs, and pathways associated with PP.

Membrane Interactome of a Recombinant Fragment of Human Surfactant Protein D Reveals GRP78 as a Novel Binding Partner in PC3, a Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cell Line.

Surfactant protein-D (SP-D), a member of the collectin family has been shown to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. SP-D is composed of an N-terminal collagen-like domain and a calcium-dependent carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). Recently, we reported that a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rfhSP-D), composed of homotrimeric CRD region, induced intrinsic apoptotic pathway in prostate cancer cells.

Exploring the druggable proteome of Candida species through comprehensive computational analysis.

Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida spp. are major cause of systemic mycoses. Antifungal drugs such as azoles and polyenes are not efficient to successfully eradicate Candida infection owing to their fungistatic nature or low bioavailability.

American Society for Clinical Pathology's 2019 Wage Survey of Medical Laboratories in the United States.

Objectives: To inform the pathology and laboratory field of the most recent national wage data. Historically, the results of this biennial survey have served as a basis for additional research on laboratory recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification, and advocacy.

Methods: The 2019 Wage Survey was conducted through collaboration of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy in Washington, DC, and the ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, Illinois.

Revised Reporting (Issuing Addenda and Amendments) in Pathology.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to align the current experiences and best practices in revised reporting (issuing of addenda and amendments) in pathology. Pathology specialties explored in the survey include anatomic pathology, surgical pathology, cytopathology, and hematopathology.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design in which an online revised reporting survey was deployed to a large national sample represented by pathologists, pathology residents, pathology fellows, pathology managers, and laboratory directors.

PCOSKB: a database of genes, diseases, pathways, and networks associated with polycystic ovary syndrome.

PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome KnowledgeBase (PCOSKB) is a manually curated database with information on 533 genes, 145 SNPs, 29 miRNAs, 1,150 pathways, and 1,237 diseases associated with PCOS. This data has been retrieved based on evidence gleaned by critically reviewing literature and related records available for PCOS in databases such as KEGG, DisGeNET, OMIM, GO, Reactome, STRING, and dbSNP. Since PCOS is associated with multiple genes and comorbidities, data mining algorithms for comorbidity prediction and identification of enriched pathways and hub genes are integrated in PCOSKB, making it an ideal research platform for PCOS.

Cross-linking of poly (vinyl alcohol) films under acidic and thermal stress.

Poly (vinyl alcohol), PVA, a commonly used excipient to coat tablets, forms insoluble films in the presence of acids and thermal stress. This may lead to drug products failing to meet dissolution specifications over time. Studies were conducted to understand the effect of acid strength, processing conditions, and storage stress on the mechanism of insoluble film formation using PVA and Opadry II as model systems.

Special Description of Agarwal 1958 (Acanthocephala: Quadrigyridae) from (Bloch, 1793) by Scanning Electron Microscope.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological features of acanthocephalans isolated from (Bloch, 1793).

Methods: Fishes collected alive from fish farms in Nadia District of West Bengal (India) were dissected for collection of acanthocephalans. Parasites isolated from intestine were fixed in formalin-aceto-alcohol and finally preserved in 70% ethanol for light microscopic studies and in 2.

Terahertz photonic integrated circuit for frequency tuning and power modulation.

The quantum cascade laser is a powerful solid-state source of terahertz-frequency radiation. However, integrating multiple photonic functions into a monolithic platform in this frequency range is non-trivial due to the scaling of photonic structures for the long terahertz wavelengths and the low frequency tuning coefficients of the quantum cascade lasers. Here, we have designed a simple terahertz-frequency photonic integrated circuit by coupling a racetrack resonator with a ridge laser in the longitudinal direction to design a notch filter.