Comparative Assessment of Physico-Chemical Results of Air, Water and Soil Samples Tested at Accredited and Non-accredited Laboratories

There are thousands of results produced by the environmental testing laboratory for the air, water and soil parameters. The results produced by the environmental testing laboratories are always basis of the policy decision on various occasions. The results produced by the environmental testing laboratory provide the basis for the water whether it is fit for drinking purposes or not. The soil of a particular area is fit for specific agriculture or not. Similarly, the air of a specific location is under the permissible limit of the required component or not. Over some time the environmental testing laboratories are increasing in our county and these laboratories can be segregated broadly into two categories namely accredited laboratories and non-accredited laboratories. The accreditation is done by the independent authoritative body as per the international standard ISO/IEC 17025. It is believed that the accredited laboratory has a quality management system and proven technical competence to perform a specific type of testing. This work presents the comparative studies of the physico-chemical results of air, water and soil samples tested by accredited and non-accredited laboratories. In case of soil, the pH and sulfate is tested by the accredited and non-accredited laboratories in the specific environment. Similarly, construction water and drinking water are tested for various parameters as per the relevant standard. The air samples were collected from the same site and analysis was done for the various parameters like PM2.5, PM10 and other toxic gases present in air. It is observed that there is a considerable difference between the results produced by the accredited and non-accredited laboratories. It is believed that the results produced by the accredited laboratory are more reliable in comparison to the non-accredited laboratory.

Management of COVID-19 in Different Countries

Covid-19 is a category B type infection, but it has created a serious threat across the globe because the pandemic spread more quickly than any other in history. Before the spring festival, the epidemic in China just begun. Different measures, including mobilization of health care workers, building new hospitals and imposing the lockdown, were undertaken to minimize the spread. In South Korea, the measures were implemented under strong and coordinated government leadership. The developing countries, including India and Iran, have taken the steps like travel limitations, specified hospitals, testing laboratories, quarantine facilities, awareness campaigns and lockdown, which aided a great deal in taking the flooding tide of diseases back to a controllable level. Also, educational institutions, industrial establishments and hospitality services for other patients were suspended for the sake of critically ill Covid-19 patients.

Development of SARS-CoV-2 packaged RNA reference material for nucleic acid testing

Nucleic acid tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been performed worldwide since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the quality assessment of testing laboratories and the performance evaluation of molecular diagnosis products, reference materials (RMs) are required. In this work, we report the production of a lentiviral SARS-CoV-2 RM containing approximately 12 kilobases of its genome including common diagnostics targets such as RdRp, N, E, and S genes. The RM was measured with multiple assays using two different digital PCR platforms. To measure the homogeneity and stability of the lentiviral SARS-CoV-2 RM, reverse transcription droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) was used with in-house duplex assays. The copy number concentration of each target gene in the extracted RNA solution was then converted to that of the RM solution. Their copy number values are measured to be from 1.5 × 105 to 2.0 × 105 copies/mL. The RM has a between-bottle homogeneity of 4.80–8.23% and is stable at 4 °C for 1 week and at −70 °C for 6 months. The lentiviral SARS-CoV-2 RM closely mimics real samples that undergo identical pre-analytical processes for SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing. By offering accurate reference values for the absolute copy number of viral target genes, the developed RM can be used to improve the reliability of SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing.

Use of standard samples for qualification inspections of testing laboratory for analysis safety of meat and meat products

This article provides insights into qualification testing, interlaboratory comparative testing, and qualification testing programs in testing laboratories that analyze the safety of meat and meat products. Samples with codes OK-MB- 21 were used as a model for interlaboratory comparisons. The uniformity and stability of the CC code was assessed in accordance with GOST R 50779.60-2017 “Statistical methods. Application in proficiency testing through interlaboratory testing ”. Seven laboratories participated in the proficiency testing program. The test preparation procedure was described and the test results determined whether each sample tested was satisfactory or questionable. Participants with unsatisfactory results are encouraged to identify the causes of the alarms, take corrective actions and document them, and identify and eliminate the causes of the unsatisfactory results.

ON THE ISSUE OF DETERMINING THE QUALITY OF FOAMING AGENTS DURING THEIR STORAGE AT FACILITIES

В статье представлены результаты анализа экспертных заключений по отчетным материалам, выполненным испытательными пожарными лабораториями ФГБУ ФПС в 2021 году по контролю качества пенообразователей и смачивателей, хранящихся в пожарных частях, на объектах, а также в установках пожаротушения. There are presented the results of analysis of expert reports on the reporting materials carried out by fire testing laboratories of FGBU FPS in 2021 concerning quality control of foaming agents and wetting agents stored in fire departments, at facilities, as well as in fire extinguishing installations.

A proposal of model for a quality management system in research testing laboratories

There is a broad consensus on the importance and advisability of testing laboratories adopting a Quality Management System (QMS) to support their work, no matter they are industrial or research oriented. However, laboratories involved in R&D have specific difficulties to implement a QMS due to the peculiar nature of their activity. This paper analyzes the main challenges and difficulties found by professionals when implementing a QMS in a research testing laboratory, based on the literature review and a questionnaire with 86 laboratories participating performed in collaboration with RedLab (Red de Laboratorios de la Comunidad de Madrid). After this analysis, a set of requirements for the competence of research testing laboratories based on ISO/IEC 17025 and UNE 166002 is defined, and an agile methodology for the fulfilment of these requirements is proposed.

Diagnostic testing laboratories are valuable partners for disease gene discovery: 5-year experience with GeneMatcher

Clinical and research laboratories extensively use exome sequencing due to its high diagnostic rates, cost savings, impact on clinical management, and efficacy for disease gene discovery. While the rates of disease gene discovery have steadily increased, only ~16% of genes in the genome have confirmed disease associations. Here we describe our diagnostic laboratory’s disease gene discovery and ongoing data-sharing efforts with GeneMatcher. In total, we submitted 246 candidates from 243 unique genes to GeneMatcher, of which 45.93% are now clinically characterized. Submissions with at least one case meeting our candidate genes reporting criteria were significantly more likely to be characterized as of October 2021 compared to genes with no candidates meeting our reporting criteria (p=0.025). We reported relevant findings related to these gene-disease associations for 480 probands. In 219 (45.63%) instances, these results were reclassifications after an initial candidate gene (uncertain) or negative report. Since 2013, we have co-authored 105 publications focused on delineating gene-disease associations. Diagnostic laboratories are pivotal for disease gene discovery efforts and can screen phenotypes based on genotype matches, contact clinicians of relevant cases, and issue proactive reclassification reports. GeneMatcher is a critical resource in these efforts.