A clinical trial led by Dr. Karen Hansen, associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has shown Vitamin D supplements may be ineffective in improving bone density or bone strength in postmenopausal women.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Trace Elements Clean Laboratory staff led by Dr. Martin Shafer performed calcium absorption studies using stable isotope testing on urine specimens from the 200+ women enrolled in the study.

WSLH staff used Hi-Res ICP-MS technology to quantify concentrations and ratios of calcium isotopes. This is the gold standard dual stable calcium isotope method.

Tests were performed both on baseline urine specimens and then on urine specimens taken after the women in the study groups drank orange juice containing the stable isotope ⁴⁴Ca and were IV-infused with the stable isotope ⁴²Ca.

The isotopes were used as markers for how much calcium was absorbed into the body and how much was excreted.

Dr. Shafer and the WSLH Trace Elements Clean Lab staff have collaborated with Dr. Hansen on several studies over the past decade and are just completing the research phase of a similar study related to magnesium absorption.

Vitamin D Study results are published in JAMA Internal Medicine — http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2422066

New York Times story about the Vitamin D study — http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/older-women-vitamin-d-supplements/

 

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine featured two articles in late August about the Influenza Incidence Surveillance Project (IISP) 2009-2013.

The IISP is the only multi-state, nationally representative network that can estimate influenza incidence in patients with influenza-like illness presenting to ambulatory care clinics in the USA.

Wisconsin is one of the participating study sites.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Communicable Disease Division Director Dr. Pete Shult and Respiratory Virus Team Leader Erik Reisdorf and WSLH staff collaborate with Dr. Jon Temte in the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine on the project.

 

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600%2815%2900327-6/abstract

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600%2815%2900278-7/abstract

 

The first time parents hold their newborn baby, the rush of emotions and desire to protect their little one can feel almost overwhelming.

In addition to their parents, these youngest Wisconsinites are also protected by the umbrella of the Wisconsin Newborn Screening Program. September is National Newborn Screening Awareness Month.

Newborn screening includes a test performed on a few drops of blood from a baby’s heel, as well as having their hearing and heart checked.

Between 24 and 48 hours after a baby is born, hospital staff (or a midwife for home births) will prick the baby’s heel and a few drops of blood are put on a special newborn screening collection card. The card is sent to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s (WSLH) Newborn Screening Laboratory where scientists test the dried blood spots for 44 rare, serious disorders that, if not treated quickly, can lead to severe health problems and sometimes even death.

If a baby tests positive for one of the disorders, the state lab immediately contacts the baby’s healthcare provider. More tests will be done to confirm the screening result.

Some of the disorders screened for include cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria (PKU), hypothyroidism, sickle cell disease, severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) and galactosemia.

“We screen nearly 65,000 infants a year for these rare, serious disorders and about 135 will have one of the 44 disorders,” says Mei Baker, a UW-Madison pediatrics associate professor and co-director of Wisconsin’s Newborn Screening Laboratory. “For those babies, a few drops of blood from their heel saved their life and gave them a chance for normal growth and development.”

Babies also have their hearing and hearts tested at the hospital or by a midwife after a home birth. More than 100 babies a year are diagnosed with permanent hearing loss and 30 to 40 will have a serious heart defect, lung disease, or infection identified by heart screening.

If a baby’s newborn screening results are normal – and that’s the case for 99.9 percent of babies – the test results will be sent to the baby’s health care provider. Parents should be sure to ask their baby’s doctor for the newborn screening results.

Even though the vast majority of babies have normal newborn screening results, it’s still important to screen all of them.

“Nearly all of the 44 disorders, hearing loss, and critical congenital heart disease are unrecognizable at birth, at least by routine physical examination,” says Patrice Held, a UW-Madison pediatrics assistant professor and co-director of the Newborn Screening Laboratory.

Because of the importance of newborn screening to babies’ health, it’s crucial for hospitals and midwives to send the blood specimens to the WSLH quickly. More than 99% of babies’ blood specimens arrive at the WSLH within 4 days of the heel prick. The WSLH also sends hospitals and midwives a monthly quality report showing how quickly specimens are sent and whether there are any quality problems with the blood specimens.

In Wisconsin, newborn screening testing is mandatory, but parents can opt out for religious reasons or personal conviction. The comprehensive program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. The program also includes physician consultants, genetic counselors and nutrition professionals from around the state.

 

 

 

 

 

For more information:

Wisconsin Newborn Screening Laboratory (WSLH)

Wisconsin Department of Health Services Newborn Screening

Baby’s First Test

“September is Newborn Screening Month” promotional materials for Wisconsin Newborn Screening Stakeholders

 

Written by: Jan Klawitter, WSLH Public Affairs Manager

Whole genome sequencing has the potential to revolutionize influenza vaccines. It also generates lots and lots of data.

In late July, representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and GenoLogics trained Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) scientists on the CLARITY laboratory information management system (LIMS).

CLARITY is the LIMS used as part of a 3-year CDC-funded project at the WSLH to pilot Next Generation whole genome sequencing of influenza viruses submitted for surveillance from Wisconsin and other states.

The CLARITY LIMS will maintain and monitor quality assurance throughout the whole genome sequencing and data transfer process to CDC. GenoLogics developed the CLARITY LIMS.

Genetic characterization of influenza viruses is important both for monitoring genetic drift (how the virus may be changing) and for selecting the virus strains to include in influenza vaccines. Next generation sequencing of influenza viruses in state public health laboratories could potentially shave months off the vaccine development process.

The WSLH is the first state public health laboratory in the country to collaborate with the CDC on this cutting-edge technology. The WSLH has been 1 of 3 CDC-designated Influenza Reference Public Health Labs since 2009.

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is coordinating and facilitating the pilot project for CDC.

 

More Information: APHL/CDC Pilot Trumps WGS File Size for Fast Exchange of Flu Data

A National Parks Service research project monitoring environmental contaminants via testing baby eagles’ blood and feathers was featured in a June 8th Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) at UW-Madison scientists provide testing for this project.

The WSLH Organic Chemistry Section tests the eaglets’ blood for contaminants such as PCBs, PFCs, pesticides, flame retardants and other industrial chemicals, while the Clinical Metals Section tests the blood samples for lead.

Eaglet feathers are tested for lead in the Trace Elements Clean Laboratory and for mercury in the Metals Lab.

From the story –

 

The WSLH Forensic Toxicology Section is featured in a quick video produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Classified Staff.

Learn how WSLH Toxicology staff test for alcohol and drugs in allegedly impaired drivers and help medical examiners and coroners in death investigations.

Video link

The Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) system at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) is featured in the latest issue of the Association of Public Health Laboratories Lab Matters magazine.

ELR involves sending laboratory test result information electronically rather than via paper reports. This speeds up the ability for public health departments to respond to potential disease outbreaks.

The WSLH has established ELR for test results from Wisconsin patients with reportable conditions such as measles, TB and E. coli O157:H7. The WSLH IT system is connected with systems at 52 hospital laboratories in Wisconsin and 5 national laboratories in order for those labs to send  test results to the WSLH.  Another 24 hospital labs in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio send results via a secure web portal.

After being assigned identifier codes, these test results are sent via a secure system to the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance system (WEDSS), where staff at local health departments and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health (WDPH) can view the results and respond as needed to prevent further disease spread.

The WSLH also electronically reports results from tests it performs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a variety of infectious disease pathogens. This is part of efforts by WSLH, WDPH and CDC to monitor what may be sickening people and where.

It was through these surveillance efforts, that WSLH and WDPH staff discovered cases of “flumps” last year. The story is recounted in the article by Bill Bellini, chief of CDC’s Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Herpes Viruses Laboratory Branch.

 

Lab Matters ELR Story

Dr. George Papanicolaou was born on May 13, 1883, in Greece.  A pioneer in cytopathology and early cancer detection, Papanicolaou is most famous as the inventor of the “Pap smear” test to detect cervical cancer.

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) began offering Pap smear testing in the late 1940s after WSLH Medical Technologist Normal Arvold went to Cornell University Medical School to train with Papanicolaou himself.

Upon returning to Wisconsin, Arvold started the WSLH Cytology Unit and also the educational program now known as the University of Wisconsin-Madison Cytotechnology Certificate Program.

Arvold also helped train two WSLH Medical Directors in cytotechnology – current Medical Director Dr. Daniel Kurtycz and emeritus Medical Director Dr. Stanley Inhorn.

Every year on this date National Cytotechnology Day is celebrated to honor Dr. Papanicolaou and his contributions to medicine.

The WSLH Forensic Toxicology Team received a University of Wisconsin-Madison 2015 Administrative Improvement Award for their efforts to reduce turnaround time for impaired driver drug testing without compromising quality.

Increased demand for drug testing had caused average turnaround time to balloon from just over 60 days in 2003 to more than 260 days in 2012.

With process improvements put in place by the team, turnaround time for drug testing is now less than 60 days for 90% of samples. Importantly, law enforcement agencies that had decreased sending samples to the WSLH due to turnaround time delays have increased the number of samples they now send for testing.

The Administrative Improvement Awards recognize exceptional performance in UW-Madison administrative roles supporting academics, research, student services, outreach or administration. Emphasis is given to outstanding work that results in improved efficiency, increased revenue channels, cost savings or improved service delivery.

UW-Madison news story

With measles and mumps making headlines again, the efforts of Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) scientists to fight outbreaks of these and other vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) are featured in the latest report from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

In 2012, the WSLH was designated as 1 of 4 vaccine preventable disease reference centers in the U.S. Funding and support for the work comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and APHL.

The VPD Reference Centers use CDC test methods to provide routine VPD testing capacity for other public health laboratories as well as surge capacity for CDC in case of a large-scale outbreak. The 4 centers (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and New York) also use HL7 messaging to electronically send test results to CDC, strengthening public health informatics capability between state labs and the CDC.

The WSLH is not only performing viral and bacterial VPD testing for Wisconsin and 17 other state and local public health laboratories across the country, it is also the only VPD Reference Center providing test performance evaluation panels to public health laboratories so that they can assure the quality of their testing.

The work the WSLH performs as a VPD reference center enhances its surveillance and outbreak response capabilities in support of Wisconsin’s public health system.

APHL Vaccine Preventable Disease Annual Report (April 2015) 

APHL: VPD Reference Centers: Just in Time for Measles Outbreaks