We all know about the dangers of living a modern life. There are risks when we get behind the wheel of a car, or when we meet a stranger on the street. We can reduce these foreseen risks if we practice defensive driving or avoid contact with suspicious individuals. There are also hundreds of unforeseen risk that we face every day. The world of microbiology falls under this latter category. "Microbiology Because What You Don't Know Will Kill You" is about everyday people who encounter harmful organisms that we cannot see with the naked eye, yet they cause death or serious medical harm to an...

The Hidden Assassin: When Clinical Lab Tests Go Awry e un'antologia di storie di persone comuni che hanno vissuto esperienze con esami di laboratorio. In alcuni casi, esami del tutto innocenti come la determinazione del glucosio nel sangue, possono uccidere, oppure l'identificazione di un composto chimico nel sangue puo svelare un piano terroristico. I test di laboratorio sono essenziali anche per predire la salute di un nascituro. Gli esami genetici, oggi, possono essere utilizzati per determinare la predisposizione al cancro o la possibilita di sviluppare effetti avversi ad un farmaco. E'...

We all wish we had more power. The power to turn back time to re-write history and make better decisions, but most importantly, the power to save a life. However, the dream of being someone's hero or even saving yourself from certain death or misfortune is a plight that no average person can seemingly muster. Many times we find ourselves saying, -If I had only known, I would have done things differently.- Where would the world be today if not only our hindsight was 20/20, but also our foresight? Amit Savjani, a professor of clinical laboratory science, discovers that he has a special gift. He...