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In this chapter the author shows how personal, moral, and familial qualities are implicated in the social relations of the Malaysian clinical pathology lab, and may also adhere to samples as they make their way through analysers and diagnostic machinery. While the space of the lab and the more theatrical zones of Malaysian politics might seem to be 'worlds apart', we may be able to trace connections between them. A section highlights what actually happens to samples of bodily material as they pass through the labs, and illuminates the traces of personality, character, or social categories that may inhere in the sample, or may be newly attached to samples during the work processes of the lab and through the engagements of staff. Many different truths may be revealed by a blood sample, but these may go beyond the health, identity, or moral status of the person from whom it derives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microarray technology is revolutionizing the assessment of gene expression in human disease. Coupled with the publication of the human genome, it is becoming possible to measure the relevant levels of all 30,000-40,000 human genes in a single experiment. The applications of these methods to breast cancer research are helping us to both further our understanding of the biology of mammary tumorigenesis, as well as providing novel subclassifications of breast cancer of direct clinical relevance. Unbiased RNA amplification techniques are allow the study of small biopsy samples as well as archival pathology specimens, increasing our molecular understanding, and providing real hope for the clinical application of gene expression profiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter describes some simple standard operating procedures for the regular collection of samples from surgical resections and their rapid preservation by freezing for long-term cryogenic storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammography is a vital screening test for breast cancer because early diagnosis is the most effective means of decreasing the death rate from this disease. However, interpreting the mammographic images and rendering the correct diagnosis is challenging. The diagnostic accuracy of mammography varies with the expertise of the radiologist interpreting the images, resulting in significant variability in screening performance. Radiologists interpreting mammograms must manage uncertainties arising from a multitude of findings. We believe that much of the variability in mammography diagnostic performance arises from heuristic errors that radiologists make in managing these uncertainties. We developed a Bayesian network that models the probabilistic relationships between breast diseases, mammographic findings and patient risk factors. We have performed some preliminary evaluations in test cases from a mammography atlas and in a prospective series of patients who had biopsy confirmation of the diagnosis. The model appears useful for clarifying the decision about whether to biopsy abnormalities seen on mammography, and also can help the radiologist correlate histopathologic findings with the mammographic abnormalities observed. Our preliminary experience suggests that this model may help reduce variability and improve overall interpretive performance in mammography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter 10 of book "Manual of Basic Techniques for a Health Laboratory," 2nd edition, is presented. It highlights the discussion on blood chemistry including the principle and materials used in the estimation of glucose concentration in blood. It also discusses the principle, materials, and method for the estimation of urea concentration in blood.

Chapter 9 of the book "Manual of Basic Techniques for a Health Laboratory," 2nd edition, is presented. It discusses the concept of hematology as the study of the cells which are found in the blood and the factors that affect their functioning. It also highlights the three main types of blood cells, the collection of blood specimens, and the estimation of the erythrocyte volume fraction.

Chapter 8 of the book "Manual of Basic Techniques for a Health Laboratory," 2nd edition, is presented. It discusses the examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which is contained in the cavity that surrounds the brain in the skull and the spinal cord in the spinal column. It also highlights the common reasons for investigation, collection, and examination of CSF specimens.

This article focuses on comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) in cellular pathology. Genetic abnormalities can occur both at the DNA and the chromosomal level. Solid tumours, which comprise around 95% of all human cancers, commonly exhibit many and complex chromosomal changes, but it is difficult to appreciate the meaning of recurrent and specific chromosomal changes against a background of a multitude of alterations. CGH was very difficult to reproduce in less specialised laboratories; only after the publication of an article reviewing the method in great detail did CGH become more widely applied.

This article studies molecular and immunological aspects of cell proliferation. Modern diagnosis of many biopsy specimens depends upon various changes which are directly or indirectly related to cell replication. This is particularly true in the field of cancer, where cell division is known to be disordered. Normal cells are stimulated to divide by numerous external signals (mitogens), such as hormones and growth factors. These ligands interact with receptors, either on the cell surface or within the cytoplasm, which signal via secondary messengers.

Chapter 8 of the book "Oral Diagnosis, Oral Medicine, and Treatment Planning" is presented. It discusses the common laboratory aids and tests used in dental diagnosis, such as radiographs, biopsies and routine hematology. The chapter notes that it is necessary to use radiographs and clinical laboratory procedures to supplement information gathered from the patient's history and clinical examinations. It also tackles the indications and contraindications of each dental laboratory procedure.

The article discusses the uses of computed tomography (CT) in clinical practice and laboratory diagnosis. CT is a widely available neuroradiological technique to exclude intracranial mass lession. It has several advantages over magnetic resonance imaging in investigating dementia and its examination is less difficult. It is also helpful in certain diagnoses such as Alzheimer's disease and is used to differentiate vascular dementia from primary degenerative dementia.

The article presents a study which investigates the relationship between HIV testing and behaviour change using a qualitative methodology, focusing on the process of behaviour change. The sample consisted of 40 women and 51 men who had tested for HIV in the two years prior to interview. Respondents were recruited from a range of sources including HIV testing sites and statutory and voluntary services for people with HIV in London and the home counties. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions and respondents were encouraged to discuss issues in depth. Some HIV positive respondents had not perceived themselves to be at risk at all and sometimes it was only the presence of additional cues. For some respondents, behaviour change was seen as part of a developmental process, something that would have happened anyway. HIV positive respondents were much more likely to work successfully at overcoming these problems. The research suggests that to promote testing on the basis of public health benefits is unwarranted.

The article informs that for the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death. In the less than two decades of their use, the synthetic pesticides have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the animate and inanimate world that they occur virtually everywhere. In the course of developing agents of chemical warfare, some of the chemicals created in the laboratory were found to be lethal to insects. The discovery did not come by chance: insects were widely used to test chemicals as agents of death for man. The result has been a seemingly endless stream of synthetic insecticides. In being man-made--by ingenious laboratory manipulation of the molecules, substituting atoms, altering their arrangement--they differ sharply from the simpler insecticides of prewar days. Among the herbicides are some that are classified as "mutagens," or agents capable of modifying the genes, the materials of heredity.

The article examines the diagnostic and prognostic value of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for the diagnosis and management of depressive illness in older people. The claim of Carroll BJ that DST is a highly specific diagnostic test for endogenous depression is not supported due to variation of non-suppression. The use of DST in examining the psychobiology of depression is a major development in biological psychiatry. The test proved to be useful to both diagnosis and prognosis.

An encyclopedia entry for the term "bacteriological standards" is presented. It refers to standards which ensure the quality, shelf life and purity of food. Bacteriological standards can be measured in a laboratory through assessing the number of microorganisms present in a sample of a particular food. Several laboratory methods are available to undertake this task.

Chapter 2 of the book "Critical Decisions in Periodontology" is presented. It provides information about laboratory tests and their significance for patients undertaking a periodontal examination. It explores about the patient's examination process by completing a health questionnaire that provides the basis for the dentist to initiate taking a health history.

Chapter 10 of the report "Control of Chagas Disease" from the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on the Control of Chagas Disease is presented. It discusses the most important research priorities according to the Committee. They include clinical pathology and diagnostic tests, biochemistry, functional genomics and drug development and social and economic research.

This entry offers information on conducting a local lymph node assay (LLNA) challenge experiment. The method is used when questionable results are obtained with an induction phase LLNA. The method consists of two phases, namely, the induction or sensitization phase, and the challenge or elicitation phase.

This entry presents the definition of the term "local lymph node assay." The term refers to a laboratory method used on laboratory rats to test for skin sensitization properties of chemicals.

The article presents an encyclopedia entry for complement fixation (CF) test. It has been used for the screening of antibodies against a variety of possible pathogenic microbes. The CF test is performed by mixing the serum with a standard amount of the antigen and complement and adding antibody-sensitized indicator cells to detect unconsumed complement.