Specimen collection

Abstract: PART I: The Clinical Laboratory The Clinical Laboratory: Organization, Purpose and Practice Physician Office Laboratories (POLS) Principles of Instrumentation Clinical Laboratory Automation Interpreting Laboratory Results Informatics, Imaging and Interoperability Laboratory Statistics Clinical Laboratory Quality Assurance PART II: Clinical Chemistry Evaluation of Renal Function, Wather, Electrolytes, Acid-Base Balance and Blood Gases Metabolic Intermediates, Inorganic Ions and Biochemical Markers of Bone Metabolism Carbohydrates Lipids and Dyslipoproteinemia Specific Proteins Evaluation of Liver Function and Injury Clinical Enzymology Evaluation of Endocrine Function Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring PART III: Urine and Other Body Fluids Basic Examination of Urine Cerebrospinal, Synovial, and Serious Body Fluids Andrology Laboratory and Fertility Assessment Laboratory Management of Assisted Reproductive Technology Laboratory Aspects of Gestation Management Laboratory Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal Tract and Pancreatic Disorders PART IV: Hematology, Coagulation and Transfusion Medicine Basic Examination of Blood Hematopoiesis Erythrocytic Disorders Leukocytic Disorders Blood Platelets Coagulation, Fibrinolysis and Hypercoagulation Immunohematology Transfusion Medicine Hemapheresis Tissue Banking and Progenitor Cell PART V: Immunology and Immunopathy Overview of the Immune System and Immunologic Disorders Immunoassays and Immunochemistry Laboratory Evaluation of the Cellular Immune System Laboratory Evaluation of Immunoglobin Function and Humoral Immunity Complement and Kinins: Mediators of Inflamation Cytokines and Adhesion Molecules HLA: The Major Histocompatability Complex of Man The Major Histocompatibility Complex and Disease Immunodeficiency Disorders Clinical and Laboratory Evaluation of Systemic Rheumatic Diseases Vasculitis Organ Specific Autoimmune Diseases Allergic Diseases Diagnosis and Management of Cancer Using Serologic Tumor Markers PART VI: Medical Microbiology Viral Infections Chlamydial, Rickettsial, and Mycoplasmal Infections Medical Microbiology In Vitro Testing of Antimicrobial Agents Spirochete Infections Mycobacteria Mycotic Diseases Medical Parasitology Molecular Pathology of Infectious Diseases Specimen Collection and Handling for Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases PART VII.: Molecular Pathology An Introduction to Molecular Pathology Molecular Diagnostics: Basic Principles and Techniques Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Other Amplification Technology Hybridization Array Technology Applications for Cytogenetics in Modern Pathology Establishing a Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory Oncoproteins and Early Tumor Detection Molecular Techniques in the Hematopoietic Neoplasms Molecular Diagnosis of Genetic Diseases Parentage Testing: Use of DNA Polymorphism and Other Genetic Markers Forensic Identity Testing by DNA Analysis

Abstract: Background Acute myocardial infarction can be triggered by acute respiratory infections. Previous studies have suggested an association between influenza and acute myocardial infarction, but those studies used nonspecific measures of influenza infection or study designs that were susceptible to bias. We evaluated the association between laboratory-confirmed influenza infection and acute myocardial infarction. Methods We used the self-controlled case-series design to evaluate the association between laboratory-confirmed influenza infection and hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction. We used various high-specificity laboratory methods to confirm influenza infection in respiratory specimens, and we ascertained hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction from administrative data. We defined the “risk interval” as the first 7 days after respiratory specimen collection and the “control interval” as 1 year before and 1 year after the risk interval. Results We identified 364 hospitalizations...

Abstract: We measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentrations in primary sewage sludge in the New Haven, Connecticut, USA, metropolitan area during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Spring 2020. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected throughout the more than 10-week study and, when adjusted for time lags, tracked the rise and fall of cases seen in SARS-CoV-2 clinical test results and local COVID-19 hospital admissions. Relative to these indicators, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in sludge were 0–2 d ahead of SARS-CoV-2 positive test results by date of specimen collection, 0–2 d ahead of the percentage of positive tests by date of specimen collection, 1–4 d ahead of local hospital admissions and 6–8 d ahead of SARS-CoV-2 positive test results by reporting date. Our data show the utility of viral RNA monitoring in municipal wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 infection surveillance at a population-wide level. In communities facing a delay between specimen collection and the reporting of test results, immediate wastewater results can provide considerable advance notice of infection dynamics. Testing sewage for the novel coronavirus reveals epidemiological trends.