New research from Public Health England and University College London reveals the startling increase of antibiotic prescribing across the UK;  up 40% since 2000. The debate around the issue of antimicrobial resistance assumes additional urgency. In addition, it is estimated that each year one million people across GB spend at least one week in hospital due to respiratory infections. Through more accurate diagnosis, and the more appropriate use of antibiotics, it is possible to improve treatment and reduce the effect of antibiotic resistance.  A reduction of average bed stays from seven days to five days would save the NHS half a billion pounds (€600 mil.) annually. First time, accurate diagnosis is the key and the latest weapon in the fight against antibiotic resistance is taking the form of advanced diagnostics. Randox Respiratory Array is a new test for the identification of respiratory infections. The test screens saliva, mucus or sputum from a patient and can accurately identify up to 22 infections, both viral and bacterial, at the same time, with results back to the doctor on the same day. The test will allow for much needed progression in appropriate prescribing and treatment – enabling doctors to prescribe the correct antibiotic, not just ‘an’ antibiotic or indeed another form of effective medication.

Read more

Launched under the SCIEX Diagnostics brand, the Triple Quad 4500MD and QTRAP 4500MD LC/MS/MS systems are expected to be available in the US and select EU countries in September. The new 4500MD series offers exceptional sensitivity and faster data acquisition over previous systems allowing clinical customers to obtain reliable results so physicians and patients have accurate answers quickly. The 4500MD series is a flexible LC/MS/MS platform that offers enhanced performance, improved sensitivity and faster data acquisition, to enable customers developing their own applications to validate methods that require lower detection limits or higher throughput, with the peace of mind afforded by a regulatory compliant solution. As scientific understanding progressively evolves into improved clinical diagnostic testing, diagnostic customers who develop their own assays are turning to fast, sensitive instruments to perform routine tests with high efficiency and cost savings.
Read more

Further extending the range of infectious disease diagnostic assays for use on the DiaSorin Liaison Iam analyser, the Iam HSV molecular assay provides rapid and reliable differential detection of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), vesicle swabs, plasma and whole blood, making it of enormous value in the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis and potentially severe HSV infections in transplant patients and other immunocompromised individuals.  Together with Iam VZV for the detection of clinically relevant subtypes of Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), these assays provide valuable information for the timely treatment of severe alpha-herpesvirus infections. HSV-1 is an important cause of fatal sporadic encephalitis, although HSV-2 is more commonly associated with herpes simplex encephalitis in neonates and immunosuppressed individuals.  Early diagnosis and treatment are important to reduce and prevent neurological damage.  In transplant patients and other immunocompromised hosts, HSV may cause severe infections, frequently disseminating to the visceral organs, and can be life or organ threatening. Nucleic acid tests are the method of choice for the diagnosis and characterization of HSV infection, following baseline serology, offering greater sensitivity than viral culture.  Furthermore, molecular detection of HSV DNA in CSF is recommended for the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis.  The ability to differentiate between HSV types can provide important prognostic information, particularly in the diagnosis of genital herpes. Like HSV, VZV is the cause of significant morbidity and mortality in transplant patients and other immunocompromised individuals.  Immunocompromised children, particularly those with leukemia, are reported to be at risk of visceral complications and even death folllowing VZV infection. Complications occur in about 20% of VZV infected immunocompromised patients and include interstitial or necrotizing pneumonia, viral hepatitis with acute liver failure, coagulopathies and bacterial superinfections. Offering excellent diagnostic sensitivity (>95% for Iam VZV and >98.5% for Iam HSV) and specificity (100% for Iam VZV and 100% for Iam HSV), and with faster time to results than conventional real-time PCR, the assays provide rapid and accurate molecular confirmation of alpha-herpesvirus infections.  Furthermore, the small footprint, ease of use and scalable design of the benchtop Liaison Iam molecular instrument makes it ideal for use in laboratory facilities of all sizes, including those that are located close to the patient.  

Read more

The Endura MD mass spectrometer LC-MS for in vitro diagnostic use delivers excellent sensitivity for a wide range of compounds and matrices and minimizes signal noise by removing more solvent vapour and blocking neutrals. The instrument provides five orders of dynamic range for accurate quantitation of even low-concentration or limited samples and features ultrafast selected-reaction monitoring (SRM) so more transitions can be monitored for greater confidence. It accommodates both HESI and APCI probes, which can be operated in either positive or negative ion modes to meet varied analytical demands.

Read more

CS-6400 Auto-Chemistry System, utilizing advanced technology, offers an extremely efficient workflow to achieve the laboratory’s turnaround time goals. The cost-effective modular combination design and optional ISE module provide customers with flexible and multiple choices. The throughput of each photometric module is 1600 tests/hour and that of each ISE unit is 480 tests/hours. The highest throughput can reach 7360 tests/hour with 4 photometric modules and two ISE module units.

Read more