Laboratories, Volume 2, Issue 1 (March 2025) – 8 articles

Medical laboratories (MLs) are vital in global healthcare delivery, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and supporting clinical decision-making. This systematic review examines the multifaceted contributions of ML, emphasizing their importance in pandemic preparedness, disease surveillance, and the integration of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Medical laboratories are equally crucial to clinical practices, offering essential diagnostic services to identify diseases like infections, metabolic disorders, and malignancies. They monitor treatment effectiveness by analyzing patient samples, enabling healthcare providers to optimize therapies. Additionally, they support personalized medicine by tailoring treatments based on genetic and molecular data and ensure test accuracy through strict quality control measures, thereby enhancing patient care. The methodology for this systematic review follows the PRISMA-ScR guidelines to systematically map evidence and identify key concepts, theories, sources, and knowledge gaps related to the roles and impact of MLs in public health delivery. This review involved systematic searching and filtering of literature from various databases, focusing on studies from 2010 to 2024, primarily in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The selected studies were analyzed to assess their outcomes, strengths, and limitations regarding MLS roles, impacts, and integration within healthcare systems. The goal was to provide comprehensive insights and recommendations based on the gathered data. The article highlights the challenges that laboratories face, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resource constraints hinder effective healthcare delivery. It discusses the potential of AI to improve diagnostic processes and patient outcomes while addressing ethical and infrastructural challenges. This review underscores the necessity for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to enhance laboratory services, ensuring that they are accessible, efficient, and capable of meeting the evolving demands of healthcare systems. Overall, the findings advocate for strengthened laboratory infrastructures and the adoption of advanced technologies to improve health outcomes globally. Full article

Introduction. Bisphenols are chemicals widely used in industrial production, but they are also of significant concern due to their potential health effects. In particular, bisphenol A (BPA) is a documented endocrine disruptor. As a result, bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) are now frequently used as substitutes. However, evidence of endocrine-disrupting properties is also emerging for these substances. Methods. A new, simple, and rapid HPLC-MS/MS procedure for the urinary analysis of bisphenols was developed and validated. Results. The mean accuracy ranged from 83.3 to 119.2%, and precision values (CV%) ranged from 2.2 to 18.9%. The limit of detections (LODs) for BPA, BPS, and BPF, were 0.01, 0.001, and 0.07 µg/L. The pre-analytical step involved only enzymatic hydrolysis, followed by a liquid–liquid extraction, for the subsequent urine analysis of the three BPs. Chromatographic separation was achieved in 9 min, with high selectivity. Discussion. The procedure was applied to 36 urine samples of a male population attending a fertility center. Most of the subjects showed relevant exposure to BPs (BPS average level: 0.87 ± 3.03 µg/g creatinine; BPF average level: 0.14 ± 0.34 µg/g creatinine), particularly to BPA (average level 0.97 ± 1.27 µg/g creatinine). The procedure demonstrated high efficiency and was confirmed to be practical, fast, and accurate. Full article

This paper presents a redesign of the MAE 372 Aerospace Structures Laboratory at North Carolina State University (NCSU), incorporating both traditional laboratory demonstrations and an integrated student project to enhance hands-on learning. The redesign aligns with Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)’s emphasis on engineering education that bridges theoretical learning and practical, real-world experiences. In the redesigned laboratory, students participate in four laboratory demonstrations focused on fundamental structural concepts, followed by a student-led project in which they design and test stiffened panels. A new feature of this redesign is the use of a portable test apparatus for three of the laboratories, streamlining the laboratory setup and reducing costs, providing comparable accuracy between experimental results and theory. The paper outlines the structure of the course, the methodology for redesigning the laboratories, and the educational benefits of the new approach. Cost analyses of equipment and materials are also included, making this paper a valuable resource for educators aiming to implement similar lab redesigns. Full article

Chemical laboratories, as the cornerstone of scientific innovation, face inherent risks due to the nature of their operations. Hazards such as flammable, explosive, and corrosive chemicals, combined with high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, present significant safety challenges. Accidents not only jeopardize the health and safety of personnel but also risk equipment damage, environmental pollution, and broader societal impacts. Ensuring a safe laboratory environment demands a multifaceted approach involving all stakeholders. Institutional managers must establish and enforce comprehensive safety management systems, covering chemical storage, equipment handling, and waste disposal. Laboratory directors play a pivotal role in overseeing the implementation of these protocols, ensuring all members are well-trained and compliant. Laboratory personnel, as direct operators, must adhere to safety procedures, utilize protective equipment, and responsibly manage experimental waste. By fostering a culture of safety and collaboration, laboratories can effectively mitigate risks, safeguard research environments, and advance scientific progress without compromising well-being. Full article

Since 2012, the Joint Safety Team (JST) has led initiatives aimed at increasing safety awareness and improving safety culture in research laboratory environments at the University of Minnesota. Specifically, its Analysis and Compliance committee has implemented biannual lab safety walkthroughs and safety surveys to monitor safety culture, sentiments, and compliance. Despite several lab safety teams (LSTs) using similar initiatives, the logistics and effectiveness of these initiatives have yet to be reported. Hence, JST has analyzed the decade of overall lab safety walkthrough scores and scores of individual safety items in the context of the evolution of our rubrics and external factors. Similarly, the changes to the safety survey content have been analyzed to demonstrate the dynamic approach of gauging sentiments towards arising safety issues. Generally, the results suggest that these initiatives improved laboratory safety. Furthermore, safety compliance was observed to vary by semester, with fewer safety issues in the spring semester compared to the fall semester, and to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These observations support the effectiveness of these student-led initiatives, despite the initiatives being designed for internal use. Additionally, the initiative logistics are described to inform LSTs of strategies for creating, sustaining, and improving their own initiatives. Full article

From the perspective of the history of science and technology, this paper delves into the global development of high-level biosafety laboratories, the establishment of related legal frameworks, and the evolution of safety standards. The importance of these laboratories within the context of national security is emphasized. This paper begins with an overview of global high-level biosafety laboratories’ origins and technological advancements. Then, it provides a detailed analysis of the legal and institutional frameworks that different countries have developed in the field of biosafety. By comparing the evolution of laboratory standards across nations, the paper illustrates how high-level biosafety laboratories have adapted to and addressed the international challenges posed by health security and biological threats. This study provides a broad review and analysis of the historical development and technological progress of these laboratories, offering insights into the construction and management of high-level biosafety laboratories. It also provides important historical perspectives for the formulation of future biosafety policies and international cooperation, contributing to the development of more effective strategies to address global biosafety challenges. This review demonstrates the critical role of high-level biosafety laboratories in safeguarding national security and global health, highlighting the continuous need for improving regulatory systems, upgrading standards, and fostering technological innovation. Full article

This study applied ARIMA modeling to analyze the energy consumption patterns of laboratory equipment over one month, focusing on enhancing energy management in the laboratory. By explicitly examining AC and DC equipment, this study obtained detailed daily operating cycles and periods of inactivity. Advanced differencing and diagnostic checks were used to verify model accuracy and white noise characteristics through enhanced Dickey–Fuller testing and residual analysis. The results demonstrate the model’s accuracy in predicting energy consumption, providing valuable insights into the use of the model. This study highlights the adaptability and validity of the ARIMA model in laboratory environments, contributing to more competent laboratory energy management practices. Full article

The distribution of water droplets in crude oil is one of the key issues involved in the processes of oil extraction and transportation, and these water droplets might also be habitats for microorganisms in oil reservoirs. However, it is still a challenge to observe and measure the distribution of water droplets in crude oil quickly and directly. In this work, an improved method based on the optical microscopy technique is introduced, which is named the Plate Pressing (PP) method and can observe and determine the distribution of water droplets in crude oil directly. The reliability of this method was verified by comparing the results with those of a computed tomography (CT) scan, indicating that the PP method can measure the distribution of water droplets accurately. Meanwhile, the total number and size distribution of water droplets in three crude oil samples from different oilfields were obtained by the PP method, which consolidated the idea that the PP method is capable of determining the distribution of the water droplets in crude oil directly and is suitable for the statistical analysis of water droplets in multiple samples of crude oil. Full article