OBJECTIVE To assess whether the quality of reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies has improved since the publication of the Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy studies (STARD statement). METHODS The quality of reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies published in 12 medical journals in 2000 (pre-STARD) and 2004 (post-STARD) was evaluated by two reviewers independently. For ea...

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a frequently used technique in molecular diagnostics. To date, practical guidelines for the complete process of optimization and validation of commercial and in-house developed molecular diagnostic methods are scare. Therefore, we propose a practical guiding principle for the optimization and validation of real-time PCR assays. Based on literature, e...

A comparative evaluation was performed on the micro- and macrocomplement fixation (CF) tests that are used as standard procedures in the serodiagnosis of blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis. Tests with 937 sera from suspected and culturally proven cases of these diseases against yeast-form antigens of Blastomyces dermatitidis and Histoplasma capsulatum and against the soluble ...

Semiconductor fabrication is a manufacturing sequence with hundreds of sophisticated unit operations and it is always challenged by strategy development for ensuring the yield of defect-free products. In this paper, an advanced control strategy through integrating product and process control is established. The proposed multiscale scheme contains three layers for coordinated equipment control, ...

In this paper, we present the results of mammography quality control tests related to the work with Portuguese mammography equipment, either in conventional or in digital mammography computed radiography, showing the main differences in the tested equipments. Quality control in mammography is a very special area of quality control in radiology, which demands relatively high knowledge on physics...

Analysis for lead and cadmium in biological liquids (blood and urine) is difficult. Results of such analyses from five laboratories are compared for samples with known additions of lead and cadmium. The data, evaluated in terms of inter- and intralaboratory reproducibility and accuracy, suggest that laboratories should voluntarily participate in quality control programs. Users of routine labora...