In this month's "Hot Topic," Brad Karon, M.D., Ph.D., reviews pediatric venipuncture volumes in this year’s Phlebotomy Top Gun case-based presentation as requested by previous Phlebotomy conference attendees.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Robin Patel, M.D., discusses how matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry works for bacterial identification, including the strengths and limitations of this...
Lyme Disease, Part 2: Borrelia mayonii-A New Cause of Lyme Disease in Upper Midwest - Insights
In this “Hot Topic,” Bobbi Pritt, M.D., discusses how Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States and Europe and caused primarily by Borrelia burgdorferi in the United States, while B burgdorferi, B afzelii,...
Congenital disorders of glycosylation - Insights
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Gessi Pino, a genetic counselor in the Biochemical Genetics Lab at Mayo Clinic, and Kimiyo Raymond, M.D., a clinical consultant in the laboratory and an expert in Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG),...
Optic Neuritis in the Era of Biomarkers - Insights
Antibodies to aquaporin-4 and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) are recently described biomarkers seen in a subset of atypical optic neuritis which have revolutionized our understanding of the condition. In this “Hot Topic,” my...
Top Gun Phlebotomy - Butterfly Use: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Insights
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Brad Karon, M.D., Ph.D., will discuss recent information on the advantages and disadvantages of using butterfly needles for blood collection.
New tests launched in November - Insights
In November 2021, Mayo Clinic Laboratories announced thirty four new tests along with numerous reference value changes, obsolete tests, and algorithm changes.
The Metabolic Autopsy: Postmortem Screening in Cases of Sudden, Unexpected Death - Insights
In cases of sudden or unexpected death, autopsy evaluation can include a biochemical analysis to identify deaths caused by fatty acid oxidation disorders.
Autoimmune Encephalitis Misdiagnosis - Insights
In this month's "Hot Topic," Eoin Flanagan, M.B., B. Ch., discusses the important issue of autoimmune encephalitis misdiagnosis and identifies red flags that be useful in clinical practice to suggest alternative diagnoses and highlight...
Behind the scenes in neural antibody testing - Insights
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” John Mills, Ph.D., explains the central role of tissue immunofluorescence in the identification of neural antibodies and discusses the benefits of an integrated laboratory approach to the development and...