Will MortonMolecular DiagnosticsDoes Tc-99m SPECT damage DNA?In a pilot study, researchers studied the effect of ionizing radiation on patients who underwent MPI exams, also known as nuclear stress tests. They used a comet assay, a standard lab test for detecting DNA damage in cells, to analyze patient blood samples before and after they underwent imaging, with results suggesting a small yet likely irrelevant amount of damage.September 19, 2022Pathology, histologyTransgender hormone therapy can change lab test levelsResearchers led by Dr. Matthew Krasowski, PhD, of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, recruited healthy transgender and nonbinary individuals from clinics specializing in transgender medical care who had been prescribed either estradiol (n = 93) or testosterone (n = 82) for at least 12 months.May 18, 2022Alzheimer'sDoes race affect interpretation of Alzheimer's disease tests?An international team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, compared three experimental blood tests and a commercially available Alzheimer's disease test they developed in previous work (PrecivityAD, C2N Diagnostics) in 76 pairs of Black and non-Hispanic white participants.April 21, 2022Federal LegislationAACC criticizes FDA over warning on prenatal genetic testsNIPTs can determine the risk of a fetus having certain genetic abnormalities, which could result in a child being born with a serious health condition. However, since they are not diagnostic tests, they cannot confirm or rule out a suspected genetic abnormality, the FDA said.April 21, 2022Alzheimer'sSpinal fluid tests may aid PET scans of Alzheimer's diseaseA Swiss group led by senior author Michael Schöll, PhD, of the University Gothenburg investigated whether fluid and blood biomarkers that indicate Alzheimer's disease could predict the accumulation of neurofibrillary tau tangles seen on PET scans in patients diagnosed with the disease. They found the lab tests performed well enough to help select patients for PET imaging studies evaluating new treatments.Associations of baseline beta-amyloid PET and baseline phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181) with F-18 flortaucipir (FTP) Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) annualized change for (A) cognitively unimpaired and (B) cognitively impaired individuals. Image courtesy of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.Associations of baseline beta-amyloid PET and baseline phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181) with F-18 flortaucipir (FTP) Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) annualized change for (A) cognitively unimpaired and (B) cognitively impaired individuals. Brain surface renderings depict Pearson correlation coefficients adjusted for age and sex (r) representing the strength of the association between the different biomarkers and F-18 flortaucipir SUVR change in each brain region. The right upper panel represents age- and sex-adjusted Pearson correlation coefficients (r), along with p-values, for the association between the biomarkers and F-18 flortaucipir SUVR change in the Alzheimer's disease meta-region of interest (ROI). The root mean squared error (RMSE) for the prediction of F-18 flortaucipir SUVR change by a linear model with the biomarker as predictor and age and sex as covariates. RMSE was estimated using leave-one-out cross-validation. Voxel-wise statistical maps were thresholded using more lenient cluster-forming thresholds of p < 0.05 (uncorrected) at the voxel level and further thresholded at the cluster level by restricting results to clusters with a number of voxels higher than the expected number of voxels as predicted using random field theory. Image courtesy of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.March 3, 2022ConsumerCMS will cover free over-the-counter COVID-19 testsNo date has been established, yet CMS said by early spring Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free at local pharmacies and other participating facilities. The policy applies to tests cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).February 2, 2022InfectiousNeurodegenerative markers found in COVID-19 patientsResearchers at New York University (NYU) analyzed the serum of 251 hospitalized COVID-19 patients without a history of dementia, in particular looking for neurodegenerative markers. These included total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), and beta-amyloid (Aβ40,42).January 12, 2022COVID-19AI model identifies SARS-CoV-2 from blood tests, chest x-raysChinese researchers in Hong Kong designed a machine-learning model using blood tests taken during the first and second wave of infection since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in April 2020. They found when combined with a radiologist's interpretation of x-rays, the model achieved a very high sensitivity in detecting COVID-19 infections.July 15, 2021Pathology, histologyAACC advises against lab testing for premature birthPreterm delivery is an ongoing problem that can lead to numerous complications for both infants who survive birth and their mothers, according to AACC. To address the issue, medical providers have turned to clinical lab tests that measure fetal fibronectin (fFN), interleukin 6, and placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) that may predict whether a woman will deliver preterm.June 2, 2021Page 1 of 1Top StoriesSickle Cell AnemiaHemex Health nabs $3M NIH grant to develop portable test for sickle cell diseaseAccording to Hemex, the test is being developed to be affordable, portable, and usable at the point of care, providing results in about eight minutes.SequencingAcutis Diagnostics to use Sophia Genetics technology to develop NGS testCollaborationSeegene collaborates with Hy Laboratories, seeks similar deals to broaden syndromic testingPolicy and RegulationPreludeDx obtains CMS advanced approval for DCIS testRegulatory ApprovalBiolytical Laboratories nabs Health Canada authorization for HIV-1/2 syphilis antibody test
