Pre-analytical specimen labelling and processing errors in the ICU

Introduction: Specimen rejections have been associated with increased in-hospital stay and cost. The majority of errors occur in the pre-analytic phase. Specimen rejection can lead to high rate of recollection, delay in result availability, and high rate of test abandonment. These factors affect patient care and safety. Methods: This study conducted a retrospective review of Patient Safety Learning System (PSLS) reports for the intensive care unit (ICU) at The Ottawa Hospital General Campus (TOH) between 2010 and 2018, and a prospective review using interviews, surveys, and process mapping. Results: From 2098 PSLS reports, 52.6% were related to laboratory specimen collection and processing (pre-analytic phase). Specimen mislabelling with the wrong patient identifier accounted for 9.8% of pre-analytical error reports, while 16.4% of errors were due to non-sufficient quantity (NSQ) of specimen. 12.2 % of pre-analytical error reports involved cytology specimens. Conclusions: Pre-analytical errors are not only costly and resource draining, but may also place a burden on patients. Areas where errors were found include labels and requisitions stored in bedside cabinets, inconsistencies between specimen labels and requisitions, out-dated and difficult to access laboratory manuals, and non-sufficient quantity specimen collection. In the future we hope to start new initiatives to tackle these issues to improve patient safety and hospital efficiencies. This includes the development of a website for the laboratory manual, so that it is more easily accessible and user-friendly. With a new electronic medical record (EMR) system at TOH in 2019, we will explore the affects of pre-analytical processing of specimens.

A Laboratory Manual for the Preparation of Chemical Reagents, Solutions and Special Indicators

A Laboratory Manual for the Preparation of Chemical Reagents, Solutions and Special Indicators. ETHIOPIAN BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE, Microbial Biodiversity Directorate. This manual includes detailed view of the following: Laboratory Safety Precautions, Chemical Reagent Preparation, Buffer and Chemical Solution Preparation, Staining Solution Preparation, Indicators and Dye Solution Preparation, Preparation of Special Reagents, Known and Suspected List of Carcinogens and References.

The Sixth Edition of the WHO Manual for Human Semen Analysis: A Critical Review and SWOT Analysis

Semen analysis is the cornerstone of male fertility evaluation with WHO guidelines providing the basis for procedural standardization and reference values worldwide. The first WHO manual was published in 1980, and five editions have been subsequently released over the last four decades. The 6th Edition was published in July 2021. In this review, we identify the key changes of this 6th Edition. Additionally, we evaluate the utility of this 6th Edition in clinical practice using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. This new Edition has made the analysis of basic semen parameters more robust, taking into account the criticisms and grey areas of the previous editions. The tests assessing sperm DNA fragmentation and seminal oxidative stress are well-described. The main novelty is that this latest edition abandons the notion of reference thresholds, suggesting instead to replace them with “decision limits”. While this seems attractive, no decision limits are proposed for either basic semen parameters, or for extended or advanced parameters. This critical review of the 6th Edition of the WHO laboratory manual combined with a SWOT analysis summarizes the changes and novelties present in this new Edition and provides an in-depth analysis that could help its global use in the coming years.

TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BIOLOGY PRACTICAL COURSES FOR FOUNDATION SCIENCE STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This article aims to communicate several teaching and learning activities that were redesigned for biology practical courses for Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Foundation Science students during the restriction control movement (RMO) due to the Covid-19 outbreak. When RMO has been started the closure of the university campus resulted in postponed of biology practical face-to-face sessions in the laboratory. The teaching and learning activities have been guided by the Foundation Science Biology Laboratory Manual, however, during the pandemic, the delivery approach was modified using online platforms, including video-based blog or vlog, pre-recorded video, using real-time video conferencing i.e. Google Meet, Webex, scheduled online discussions via mobile apps i.e Whatsapp, Telegram, and greater utilization of Universiti Malaysia Sabah online learning platform, SmartV3UMS. The purpose of these redesigned methodologies that are presented in this paper was mainly focusing on delivering the established practical courses’ contents to achieve the intended learning outcomes. A total of 353 students registered for these practical courses. They were divided into 16 groups, with 22 or 23 students per group. All these interventions have facilitated students to sustain their access to Foundation in Science study despite the physical engagement limitation and have opened a pathway to a new normal of science education.

First Report of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Serbia

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most commonly consumed legume crops worldwide, cultivated in more than 55 countries (FAOSTAT, 2017). However, in Serbia, it is a novel crop grown on approximately 120 acres, but the areas under this crop slightly increase each year. Fusarium wilt caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris is one of the most economically important disease in the most chickpea-growing areas (Jimenez-Diaz et al., 2015), but yet there has been no formal report of the Fusarium wilt of chickpea in Serbia. In June 2018, the first symptoms of Fusarium wilt were registered at Rimski Šančevi (Vojvodina Province), Serbia (N 45019.311' E 019049.933') as wilted chickpea plants grouped in patches on approximately 5% plants in the area of 3 acres. Symptoms as yellowing and necrosis of foliage appeared as late wilt in the podding stage. Roots of affected plants showed no external discoloration, but cross-sections showed dark-brown discoloration of xylem tissue. To isolate the causal agent, symptomatic plants were collected, and ten cuttings of symptomatic root tissue were surface disinfected with 2% sodium hypochlorite solution for 5 min, rinsed three times in sterile distilled water, air-dried on sterilized filter paper and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and water agar (WA) amended with streptomycin sulfate. After seven days of incubation at 25°C in the dark, isolates were preliminarily identified according to their morphological characters and Fusarium Laboratory Manual (Leslie and Summerell, 2006). For each isolate 100, micro/macroconidia and chlamydospores were measured. Conidia were hyaline; macroconidia sickle-shaped, with blunt ends, 2-4 septa (10.1-17.7 x 3.1-5.8 µm); microconidia ellipsoidal, 0-1 septa (4.9-8.6-2.7-3.5 µm). Chlamydospores were globose (4.3-8.8 µm). Representative isolates (K343, K375 and K378) were purified by a single-spore technique for further analyses (Leslie and Summerell, 2006). Molecular identification of three representative isolates (K343, K375 and K378) was made by sequencing the rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and translation elongation factor 1α (TEF1) gen. For all isolates, the ITS and TEF1 genes were amplified and sequenced with primers ITS1/4 (White et al. 1990), EF1-728 and EF1-986 (Rehner and Buckley 2005). Based on a BLAST search of the NCBI nucleotide database, the ITS sequences (GenBank MK920204.1, MK928423.1 and MK928424.1) had 99.8% identity with F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris isolate (MK074845.1). The TEF1 (GenBank MN788462.1, MN788463.1 and MN788464.1) had 96.3 -100% identities with F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris isolate (FJ538245.1). The pathogenicity test was conducted on 7-day old plants according to the drench method described by Maitlo et al. (2016). The concentration of inoculation suspensions was adjusted on 1x106, and ten plants per isolate were tested and inoculated with 10 ml of suspension. Control plants were drenched with 10 ml of sterilized distilled water. Nine days after inoculation, first symptoms as leaves wilting and white mycelia presence around stem base occurred on plants inoculated with isolate K378. On day 11, the first symptoms occurred on plants inoculated with isolates K343 and K375 as well. Up to the 13th day after inoculation, all plants were wilted, and the pathogen was successfully reisolated and confirmed as F. oxysporum f.sp. ciceris. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. oxysporum f.sp. ciceris causing Fusarium wilt on chickpea in Serbia. Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, grant number: 451-03-9/2021-14/200032 References: FAOSTAT. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC. Retrieved 20 February 2010. Jiménez-Díaz, R. M., et al. 2015. Crop Prot. 73: 16-27. Leslie, J. F., and Summerell, B. A. 2006. Page 26 in: The Fusarium Laboratory Manual. Blackwell, Ames, IA. Mailto, S. A., et al. 2016. Int. J. Agric. Biol. 18(1): 31-36. Rehner, S. A., and Buckley, E. 2005. Mycologia 97:84 White, T. J., et al. 1990. Pages 315-322 in: PCR Protocols. A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

COVID-19 disease in clinical setting: impact on gonadal function, transmission risk, and sperm quality in young males

Objectives We want to evaluate the possible presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in semen samples and semen quality, looking for a possible relationship between the infectious disease and fertility. Methods In this prospective study, we enrolled 15 consecutive men (age 18–50 years) with positive oropharyngeal swab to SARS-CoV-2 and classified, according to WHO criteria, in mild to moderate disease. A semen sample was collected to detect SARS-CoV viral RNA by the automated Real-Time PCR ELITe InGenius® system and the GeneFinderTM COVID-19 Plus RealAmp Kit assay (ELITechGroup, France). Analysis of semen characteristics was performed according to WHO laboratory manual 5th ed. for the examination and processing of human semen. Blood samples for the dosage of hormonal assay, procalcitonin, interleukin 6, C-reactive protein were obtained. Results SARS-CoV-2 RNA has not been detected in semen samples from any of the subjects analysed. Sperm analysis exhibited abnormal seminal values in 14 out of 15 patients (93.3%). Furthermore, no difference was detected regarding sperm quality between mild and moderate SARS-CoV-2 patients. No alteration in the inflammatory indices was observed in the studied population, as well gonadotropins and testosterone levels. Conclusions COVID patients studied exhibits alteration of the seminal fluid both in microscopic and macroscopic characteristics such as hypoposia and increased viscosity, which have not been detected in previous studies. The presence of viral RNA within the seminal fluid was excluded.

Development of an Online General Biology Open Educational Resource (OER) Laboratory Manual

Currently, many academic institutions are using one or more variations of online modalities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and science educators face a unique challenge with distance-learning laboratories. Many resources to engage students in virtual, interactive laboratory activities exist, but we found that high costs and/or overlooked content left gaps for several topics typically taught in a general, introductory biology course for undergraduate biology majors (e.g., organismal biology).

The Effect of Ejaculatory Abstinence Interval on Sperm Parameters and Clinical Outcome of ART. A Systematic Review of the Literature

Since the publication of the first edition of the WHO (World Health Organization) Laboratory Manual for the examination of Human Semen in 1980, the reference values of sperm parameters have been updated on four occasions. Currently and globally, most of the laboratories analyzing semen samples use the latest, 5th edition of the manual that recommends ejaculatory abstinence from two to seven days before producing the sample for examination. While this standardized interval of time facilitates the interpretation of the results and research, no solid evidence exists to support the WHO-recommended abstinence time for a semen analysis in order to optimize clinical outcomes after assisted reproduction. Most of the studies refer to different clinical outcomes, different groups of patients and different editions of the WHO Laboratory Manual, including heterogeneous intervals of abstinence or sperm parameters. The aim of the current systematic review was to evaluate available evidence correlating ejaculatory abstinence time with clinical outcomes and sperm parameters analyzed according to the last edition of the World Health Organization Laboratory Manual reference values in different male populations. The results from the included studies indicate that WHO abstinence recommendations may need revision, given that a shorter ejaculatory abstinence interval appears to be associated with improved sperm parameters, such as sperm DNA fragmentation, progressive motility or morphology, while evidence suggests a potential increase in embryo euploidy rates and pregnancy outcomes.