The Barnum effect in Luscher color test interpretation

ABSTRACT A color test has been developed for the selection and identification of mutants in Neurospora crassa, constitutive for the three normally inducible enzymes which convert quinate to protocatechuate. By this means seven such mutants have been recovered after ultra violet irradiation of wild type and have been shown to be allelic (or very closely linked) to the qa-1C mutants previously obtained by other means. Thus, the regulation of the synthesis of these three catabolic enzymes is indicated to be under the control of a single gene, qa-1+.

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Clinical pathology resident education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Journal of Clinical Pathology ◽

10.1136/jclinpath-2020-207103 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. jclinpath-2020-207103

Author(s):

Lisa Senzel ◽

Tahmeena Ahmed ◽

Rebecca Batiste

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Resident Education ◽

Clinical Pathology ◽

Laboratory Medicine ◽

Test Interpretation ◽

Laboratory Methods ◽

Institutional Experience ◽

Sensitivity Specificity ◽

Antigen Testing ◽

Pathology Education

COVID-19 arrived at our medical centre in March 2020 with substantial force. Clinical pathology concepts began to have a new, direct relevance to our residents’ lives. As we wondered ‘Have I been exposed? Do I need to self-isolate? Are the tests reliable? Am I protecting myself adequately while handling specimens?’, these questions drew new interest in laboratory methods, test interpretation and limitations, supply chain issues, safety and quality. By incorporating SARS-CoV-2 teaching points into laboratory medicine lectures, we enlivened concepts of sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and methodologic issues in serologic, molecular and antigen testing for pathology residents. We drew from the emerging literature on SARS-CoV-2 to create lectures and added details from our own institutional experience with COVID-19. When the pandemic fades from memory, clinical pathology education can still benefit from mnemonics, analogies, anecdotes and creative efforts that capture the attention of the audience.

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IFCC interim guidelines on biochemical/hematological monitoring of COVID-19 patients

Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) ◽

10.1515/cclm-2020-1414 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Simon Thompson ◽

Mary Kathryn Bohn ◽

Nicasio Mancini ◽

Tze Ping Loh ◽

Cheng-Bin Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Clinical Chemistry ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Test Interpretation ◽

Clinical Value ◽

Clinical Laboratories ◽

Pandemic Response ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

Hematological Tests

AbstractRoutine biochemical and hematological tests have been reported to be useful in the stratification and prognostication of pediatric and adult patients with diagnosed coronavirus disease (COVID-19), correlating with poor outcomes such as the need for mechanical ventilation or intensive care, progression to multisystem organ failure, and/or death. While these tests are already well established in most clinical laboratories, there is still debate regarding their clinical value in the management of COVID-19, particularly in pediatrics, as well as the value of composite clinical risk scores in COVID-19 prognostication. This document by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Task Force on COVID-19 provides interim guidance on: (A) clinical indications for testing, (B) recommendations for test selection and interpretation, (C) considerations in test interpretation, and (D) current limitations of biochemical/hematological monitoring of COVID-19 patients. These evidence-based recommendations will provide practical guidance to clinical laboratories worldwide, underscoring the contribution of biochemical and hematological testing to our collective pandemic response.

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Sex and the Barnum Effect: Rationality versus Helpfulness

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1999.85.1.187 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 187-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christopher Layne

Keyword(s):

Barnum Effect

In 1998 Piper-Terry and Downey found that women accepted friends' bogus test interpretations more readily than did men and the researchers attributed this to women's helpfulness. Layne countered that women are more open and thus rationally expected their friends' interpretations to be more accurate. Later Downey asked participants how accurately they believed their friends could describe their personalities. Although this pilot study's sensitivity to differences was low, the women's accuracy ratings still tended to exceed those of men ( p <.06) as Layne predicted. This may suggest that the rationality hypothesis is better supported than the female-helpfulness hypothesis.

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