Immunoassays and Mass Spectrometry for Determination of Protein Concentrations in Genetically Modified Crops.

Quantifying protein levels in genetically modified (GM) crops is crucial in every phase of development, deregulation, and seed production. Immunoassays, particularly enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, have been the primary protein quantitation techniques for decades within the industry due to their efficiency, adaptability, and credibility. Newer immunoassay technologies like Meso Scale Discovery and Luminex offer enhanced sensitivity and multiplexing capabilities.

Prescription drug diversion among substance-impaired pharmacists.

Background And Objectives: Prescription drug addiction is a significant problem affecting healthcare professionals. The purpose of the present study was to identify common mechanisms of prescription drug diversion by pharmacists, in order to facilitate the development of effective prevention programs and policies for this high-risk group.

Methods: A total of 32 pharmacists (71% male) who were being monitored by their State professional health program (PHP) due to substance-related impairment participated in anonymous guided group discussions.

Reasons for misuse of prescription medication among physicians undergoing monitoring by a physician health program.

Objectives: Substance-related impairment of physicians is a small but serious problem, with significant consequences for patient safety and public health. The purpose of this study was to identify reasons for prescription drug misuse among physicians referred to a physician health program for monitoring because of substance-related impairment, to develop better mechanisms for prevention and intervention.

Methods: A total of 55 physicians (94.

Clinical care paths: a role for finance in clinical decision-making.

Care paths map the critical actions and decision points across a patient's course of medical treatment; their purpose is to guide physicians in the delivery of high-quality care while reducing care costs by avoiding services that do not contribute meaningfully to positive outcomes. Each care path development initiative should be led by a respected physician champion, whose specialty is in the area of the care episode being mapped, with the support of a clinician project manager. Once the care path has been developed and implemented, the finance leader's role begins in earnest with the tracking of financial and clinical data against care paths.

Recovering substance-impaired pharmacists' views regarding occupational risks for addiction.

Objective: To better understand the occupational risks for substance use disorders among pharmacists and possibilities for improved prevention.

Design: Descriptive, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study.

Setting: A southeastern state from December 2008 to April 2009.

The bundled payment battle.

As hospitals bundle services, administrators will have to take a close look at clinical costs. Resolving conflicts with physicians will require strong leadership.

Mechanisms of prescription drug diversion among impaired physicians.

The diversion of medications by physicians is a seldom discussed problem in the United States. A better understanding of the mechanisms of diversion could assist decision makers as they develop preventive policies. To identify these mechanisms, nine focus groups of physicians undergoing monitoring for substance abuse by a state-based physician health program were conducted.

Injury, pain, and prescription opioid use among former National Football League (NFL) players.

Background: Athletes with injury-related pain, especially National Football League (NFL) players, are at increased risk for opioid use and misuse which may result in medical, psychiatric and social problems. This is the first study to evaluate the intersection of sports pain and opioid use and misuse among former NFL players.

Methods: A telephone survey of 644 retired NFL players from the 2009 Retired Players Association Directory was conducted (53.

Accurate genotyping from paraffin-embedded normal tissue adjacent to breast cancer.

Genetic polymorphism analysis for disease risk is widely used in epidemiology studies; blood or oral cavity cells are the most widely used source of DNA. However, these types of samples are not always available, particularly for studies that were conducted years ago. An alternative potential source of patient DNA exists in the form of paraffin-embedded normal tissue adjacent to tumor samples, which are collected and stored routinely for clinical use.