New diagnostics are urgently needed to address emerging antimicrobial resistance. The Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group proposes a strategy called MASTERMIND (Master Protocol for Evaluating Multiple Infection Diagnostics) for advancement of infectious diseases diagnostics. The goal of this strategy is to generate the data necessary to support US Food and Drug Administration clearance of...

Sir, the recent report on “Utility of filter paper for preserving insects, bacteria, and host reservoir DNA for molecular testing” is very interesting (Karimian et al. 2011). Karimian et al. (2011) reported that “The filter paper method is a simple and economical way to store, to preserve, and to distribute DNA samples for PCR analysis.” Many facts should be discussed. First, this work is only ...

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in southern China. A cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted in 180 villages across 15 counties in southern China from July to November 2010. Totally, 17437 persons completed all of the questionnaires, measurement examination and blood specimen collection....

BACKGROUND Phlebotomy performed with poor adherence to venous blood specimen collection (VBSC) guidelines jeopardizes patient safety and may lead to patient suffering and adverse events. A first questionnaire study demonstrated low compliance to VBSC guidelines, motivating an educational intervention of all phlebotomists within a county council. The aim was to evaluate the impact of a large-sca...

BACKGROUND Accurate quantification of mRNA in whole blood is made difficult by the simultaneous degradation of gene transcripts and unintended gene induction caused by sample handling or uncontrolled activation of coagulation. This study was designed to compare a new blood collection tube (PAXgene Blood RNA System) and a companion sample preparation reagent set with a traditional sample collect...

There isa well-recognized need fora reliable, convenient, and simple method for determining whole blood pH, PaCO2, and Pa0,. We have designed a specimen collectionset thatfacilitates collection ofthespecimen and permits convenient and reliableanalysis by the laboratory.Specimens are collected in newly designed “Vacutainer” tubes containing heparin and nitrogengas.WithoutremovingtheVacutainersto...

BACKGROUND Millipedes from 1983 collections by the author in southern Chile have been identified and registered as specimen lots at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) in Launceston, Tasmania. NEW INFORMATION Collection and specimen data from the new QVMAG specimen lots have been archived in Darwin Core format together with a KML file of occurrences. The 31 occurrence records in...