BACKGROUND Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in blood might be a helpful biomarker in various diseases. However, various authors report that TIMP-1 is dependent on preanalytical procedures. Our study was performed to determine how storage conditions and time to centrifugation influence TIMP-1. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-six blood specimens were collected from each of 20 volu...

Background: Despite the efficacy of reduction mammoplasty and demonstration that resection weight does not predict symptomatic relief of macromastia, many insurers still rely on the Schnur scale or predetermined resection weight for reimbursement. Insurers review pathology reports to determine reimbursement. Tissue desiccation and handling decrease specimen weight prior to pathology evaluation....

The Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) Plasma Proteome Project has mounted a Pilot Phase focussed on key problems essential for standardization of specimen collection, specimen handling, choice of fractionation and analysis technologies, and search engines and databases for protein identifications. This international collaboration will lay the groundwork for many large-scale clinical and epidem...

OBJECTIVE To observe students' perception of gross anatomy dissection. METHODS The qualitative study comprised second year medical students of Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, and was conducted in July, 2013. Data was collected over three weeks through quota sampling. Focus group discussions were held with four groups having 15 students each.The sessions were audio-recorded which were transc...

BACKGROUND loss of an excised lesion can have devastating clinical and legal consequences. Previously, the incidence of pathological specimen loss was 1/1466 (0.07%) due to failure to place pathology specimens in correctly labeled containers. We theorized that a strict protocol for handling specimens would help reduce losses. OBJECTIVES To devise a protocol to reduce the loss of pathology spe...

BACKGROUND Venous blood specimen collection is a common health care practice that has to follow strict guidelines, non-compliance among sampling staff may compromise patient safety. We evaluated a large-scale 2 h educational intervention that emphasised guideline adherence to assess possible improvements of venous blood specimen collection practices. METHODS Blood specimen haemolysis is usual...

To the Editor: All Bayer ACS:180 and ADVIA Centaur system chemiluminescent immunoassays are evaluated during product development for performance characteristics based on specimen collection tube type, anticoagulant, and sample handling. Recommendations are reported in the product inserts in the Specimen Collection and Handling section. The approved specimen types for the ACS:180/ADVIA Centaur C...