In the News

In 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adopted the policy of screening all incoming athletes for the sickle-cell trait. Athletes with sickle cell trait are at risk for "exertional sickling," a condition in which intense exercise can cause blood cells to become deformed enough to block the blood flow to muscles and cause rapid muscle deterioration. In January 2012, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) issued a policy statement opposing this practice as unnecessary and possibly harmful, recommending instead universal procedures that prevent exertion-related collapse in all athletes.

A blood test for the hormone leptin may be an effective way to gauge how much excess fat a person is carrying, according to a recent study. In some people, checking the level of leptin in the bloodstream may be more accurate than relying solely on the traditional body mass index (BMI) to assess body fat, although more research is needed to determine whether leptin will be a useful clinical tool in the management of obesity.

A decision in March by the Supreme Court to disallow a patent on a laboratory test could impact any biomedical firms' decisions to develop and market diagnostic tests in the future, according to some attorneys who have followed the case. Alternately, however, these patent rulings may allow more universal patient access to testing in the medical management of certain diseases. Many view this as a success for the advancement of personalized medicine.

More Americans today die from hepatitis C than from HIV, according to a new study by the CDC. The rise in deaths affects people born between 1945 and 1964, most of whom are unaware that they have even been infected by this slowly progressing disease. A second study found that routine age-based screening followed by treatment can be a cost-effective method to prevent serious liver disease and premature death associated with chronic hepatitis C infection.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society released final versions of their new recommendations on screening for cervical cancer in March 2012. 

FDA has cleared for marketing a molecular test that may help reduce the need for repeat biopsies and their associated complications for men with previous negative prostate biopsies. The new prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) assay is the first urine-based molecular diagnostic assay approved as a decision aid for possible prostate cancer.

A new clinical practice guideline includes the recommendation that everyone admitted to the hospital have blood glucose testing performed. The guideline was developed by a panel convened by The Endocrine Society made up of experts in the field of hyperglycemia. Studies have shown that about one-third of hospital patients on general wards, not exclusively diabetics, have high blood glucose.

Citing new data that lead causes harm to children at levels lower than previously thought, an advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges that public health efforts focus on preventing lead exposure and also recommends that the cutoff value for blood lead levels be lowered from 10 mcg/dL to 5 mcg/dL. The report by the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (ACCLPP) notes that even very low levels of lead can have long-term adverse health effects on children.

Researchers have reported that a test for a specific form of bilirubin may help in the early identification of newborns with biliary atresia, a rare but life-threatening malformation of the bile ducts, and are recommending that all newborns be tested. A corrective surgical procedure is available but is most successful when performed soon after birth, making early diagnosis critical.

Doctors rely on blood tests for cardiac troponins, proteins released into the blood by damaged heart muscle cells, to help diagnose heart attacks in people who visit the emergency department with chest pain. Evaluation of patients using the current versions of the troponin tests takes many hours to be sure whether a heart attack has occurred. Now, findings from several recent studies indicate that newer versions of troponin tests may be useful in helping to rapidly rule out heart attacks. Though results of the studies are promising, this new generation of highly sensitive troponin tests is still under evaluation and not yet approved for use in the U.S.

UPDATE: Numerous studies have concluded that current tests do not reproducibly detect Murine leukemia viruses (MLV), including xenotropic-MLV-related virus (XMRV/MLV), in blood samples from people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Two journals have now retracted previously published papers that reported finding evidence of a link between CFS and MLV-related viruses. 

In an effort to help stop the spread of HIV among teens, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends routine screening for adolescents who live in certain high risk communities. In areas where more than 1 in every 1000 people is infected with the virus or the HIV prevalence is unknown, pediatricians should offer testing at least once to all teens between the ages of 16 to 18 regardless of sexual history.

A new guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends routine cardiovascular screening with cholesterol tests for pre-adolescents and young adults. It advises that all youths should have cholesterol screening tests performed during well visits once between the ages of 9 and 11 and again between ages 17 and 21.

Babesiosis is the most common parasitic blood disease in the U.S. Incidence of the tick-borne disease has been increasing in recent years and now the CDC has published a report noting an increase in babesiosis related to blood transfusions. Effective and efficient donation testing is needed in those areas that have reported cases of babesiosis, but developing a test that is sufficiently sensitive and specific has presented some challenges.