Causes of historically low abstract submissions for the ASCLS annual meeting.

The Abstract Review Committee (ARC) has an ongoing objective of encouraging abstract submissions for the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science's (ASCLS) Annual Meeting. The purpose of this research study was to survey ASCLS members to determine the cause of historically low abstract submissions and how submissions could be increased. An electronic survey was developed and sent to ASCLS members via electronic mail blast. The survey focused on five areas: 1) participant demographics, 2) positives and negatives of the current submission and review process, 3) suggestions for improvement, 4) barriers to participation, and 5) level of attendance at poster and oral presentation sessions at annual meetings. Results of the survey indicated that the foremost reason cited for not submitting an abstract was lack of active research. The ARC believes limited research activity is due to the lack of educational preparedness of educators and practitioners to conduct research.

Research in clinical laboratory science: professionals' involvement.

OBJECTIVES: To describe current qualitative and quantitative aspects of research engagement and other scholarly activities conducted by clinical laboratory science (CLS) professionals across a range of employment settings. DESIGN: A link to a 3-part online survey was sent by electronic mail to 7,572 members of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and 500 program directors. SETTING: email message, on-line survey PARTICIPANTS: all ASCLS members and all directors of accredited clinical laboratory educational programs MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative and qualitative measures of professionals' engagement in research and other scholarly activities RESULTS: 556 of 7572 (7.3%) persons completed the survey. Thirty-two percent of survey respondents reported spending between 1 to > 40 work hours per week conducting research with 68% of respondents not participating in research activities. Conducting research is an employment requirement for 18% of survey participants. Twenty-nine percent of respondents have published at least one research article, and 47% of respondents who conduct research have published studies in the journal Clinical Laboratory Science. More than 57% of respondents participate in non-research scholarly activities as part of their employment. CLS professionals who conduct research are more likely to do applied, clinical, or educational research than other types of research. Fifty-seven percent of respondents who conduct research lack external funding for their work. Ninety-three percent of total research dollars is obtained by respondents who hold the Ph.D. degree. The perception of the importance of conducting research varies by employment position. Barriers to participation in research include lack of inclusion of research in the job description, time constraints, inadequate research funding, limited opportunity, and lack of space and equipment. CONCLUSIONS: CLS professionals participate in research in limited numbers, and are more likely to engage in non-research types of scholarly activities. Numerous barriers are identified which impose limits to conducting research. Over half of CLS's research efforts lack external funding. Although there was broad representation among participants across educational levels, employment settings, and job positions, the number of survey respondents was limited. Possible directions for future research include conducting this survey using members of additional professional organizations.

Research in clinical laboratory science: professionals' educational preparation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the educational preparation of CLS professionals for conducting research. DESIGN: A link to 3-part online survey was sent by electronic mail to 7,572 members of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and 500 program directors research project. Barriers to participation in research by undergraduates include time limitations within the curriculum, insufficient faculty time, and lack of funds, space, and equipment. Increased emphasis on developing research skills is found in educational programs at the master's degree level. CONCLUSIONS: The formal educational background of many CLS professionals may leave them unprepared or underprepared for conducting research. Although there was broad representation among participants across educational levels, employment settings, and job positions, the number of survey respondents was limited. Possible directions for future research include conducting this survey using members of additional professional organizations.

Graduate education in clinical laboratory science is the glass half full or half empty?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the 2007 and 1990 data on the number and characteristics of programs offering graduate level degrees in Clinical Laboratory Science. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANT: Data were collected from published sources (Directory of Graduate Programs for Clinical Laboratory Practitioners) and analyzed at the University of Minnesota. Specific data regarding the kinds of advanced programs and the number of graduates per year, the number of program openings and closures, program requirements were collected, as well as data regarding the number and employment of graduates of Master's degree programs at two long-standing public institutions. INTERVENTION: Not Applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The tabulation of degree, program, and graduate data, together with the first position taken by graduates of two M.S. programs. RESULTS: The numbers of graduate level programs and graduates decreased between 1990 and 2007, from 39 to 28 identified Master's level programs, but with only a slight increase from two to five doctoral programs. Several prominent and historically important Master's level programs have closed since the first edition (1990) of the Directory. Detailed analysis of the data from two Master's level programs showed that the first positions for graduating students were predominantly research related and in the same state as the degree-granting institution. CONCLUSION: The number of advanced programs and graduates are relatively small in clinical laboratory science; however M.S. graduates are successful in obtaining positions. These positions are predominantly geographically related to the degree-granting institution, indicating an intellectual and economic impact of the programs in the regions they are located.

The kinetochore is an enhancer of pericentric cohesin binding.

The recruitment of cohesins to pericentric chromatin in some organisms appears to require heterochromatin associated with repetitive DNA. However, neocentromeres and budding yeast centromeres lack flanking repetitive DNA, indicating that cohesin recruitment occurs through an alternative pathway. Here, we demonstrate that all budding yeast chromosomes assemble cohesin domains that extend over 20-50 kb of unique pericentric sequences flanking the conserved 120-bp centromeric DNA. The assembly of these cohesin domains requires the presence of a functional kinetochore in every cell cycle. A similar enhancement of cohesin binding was also observed in regions flanking an ectopic centromere. At both endogenous and ectopic locations, the centromeric enhancer amplified the inherent levels of cohesin binding that are unique to each region. Thus, kinetochores are enhancers of cohesin association that act over tens of kilobases to assemble pericentric cohesin domains. These domains are larger than the pericentric regions stretched by microtubule attachments, and thus are likely to counter microtubule-dependent forces. Kinetochores mediate two essential segregation functions: chromosome movement through microtubule attachment and biorientation of sister chromatids through the recruitment of high levels of cohesin to pericentric regions. We suggest that the coordination of chromosome movement and biorientation makes the kinetochore an autonomous segregation unit.

The efficacy of supplemental magnesium in reducing atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass is reported from 17% to 53%. Hypomagnesemia after this surgery is considered a contributing factor. METHODS: Two hundred-two coronary bypass patients were randomized to magnesium (n = 105) or placebo (n = 97). The experimental group received 80-mg magnesium sulfate per kilogram ideal weight in 100 mL dextrose 5% water 30 minutes preoperatively. Postoperatively, patients received 8-mg magnesium sulfate per kilogram ideal weight intravenous per hour more than 48 hours. The control group received dextrose 5% water at these intervals. RESULTS: After the first bolus serum magnesium was experimental 4.75 mg/dL versus control 1.91 mg/dL, p less than 0.001, and remained different until postoperative day 4 (experimental 2.33 mg/dL vs control 2.26 mg/dL, p = 0.24). Atrial appendage and strap muscle were analyzed after the first bolus and after revascularization. There were no differences between groups in tissue magnesium or calcium. Urinary magnesium was elevated in the experimental (experimental 324.5 mg/24 hours, vs control 45.1 mg/24 hours, p = 0.01). Calcium excretion was higher (experimental 370 mg/24 hours vs control 186 mg/24 hours, p < 0.001) and was associated with lower serum calcium. Serum calcium was higher in the control through the fourth postoperative day. The incidence of atrial fibrillation was experimental 32 of 105 (30.5%) versus control 41 of 97 (42.3%) p = 0.08. Atrial fibrillation was different on the first postoperative day (experimental 3/105, 2.9% vs control 9/97, 9.3%), p = 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Overall prophylactic magnesium supplementation does not significantly reduce atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. The only significant benefit of magnesium supplementation was on the first postoperative day.