Posts Tagged ‘Oral fluid test’

Nicotine Tests

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Nicotine tests

Nicotine tests are important diagnostic tools in respect of any smoking cessation strategy.

Point-of-care nicotine tests

POC nicotine tests provide valuable evidence of nicotine inhalation.

They can provide both qualitative and quantitative accurate results of recent inhalation of nicotine. Ideal for monitoring smoking cessation programmes, insurance assessments and health screening.

Nicotine use

Nicotine use through cigarette smoking is a major health problem. In addition, passive inhalation of secondary smoke by non-smokers is also dangerous to health.

More than 80,000 UK deaths are attributed to smoking ever year, costing the NHS £2.7 billion a year. Bio-feedback by individuals and screening/monitoring programmes by healthcare professionals can easily be undertaken using Point-of-care tests for cotinine a by-product of nicotine using Nicoscreen(R) detectable in either urine or saliva.

As well as affecting insurance premiums, smoking in the workplace can have legal implications.

Pre-employment screening tests for Nicotine

Nicotine Testing is often a requirement of pre-employment screening.
On July 1st 2007, England introduced a new law to make virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England smoke free.

Nicoscreen_Testing_Diagram

NicoScreen® Product Update
See a PDF Nicoscreen® information sheet here

NicoScreen® is ISO 9001/ISO 13485 compliant

A smoke free England ensures a healthier environment, so everyone can socialise, relax, travel, shop and work free from second-hand smoke.

The technology now exists to screen individuals to ascertain if they are smokers by using the

NicoScreen® test - recommended by major insurance companies and clinics.

NicoScreenNicoscreen leaflet

Nicoscreen® is the near-patient diagnostic test used to detect Cotinine in bodily fluids up to 3 days after the body has absorbed the substance.

Nicoscreen® is a very cost effective simple test that requires minimum equipment, gives an instant result and can be conducted by non-medical personnel.

The Nicoscreen® COT test is based on the principle of the highly specific immunochemical reactions between antigens and antibodies, which are used for the analysis of specific substances in urine. The sample is dropped onto a cassette and the assay reacts within 5 minutes providing preliminary evidence of nicotine use.

MHS is the only company to offer the NicoScreen® brand that can be used in the home, smoking cessation clinics, pre-employment screening agencies, for occupation health screening and insurance screening.

MHS can also offer a bespoke health and substance screening programme using trained medical staff located across the UK.

SmokeScreen®

SmokeScreen® is a rapid colorimetric test which detects nicotine and all its breakdown products, with a positive sample turning a pink/orange colour.The test can be used in three ways: observing a colour change will tell whether the sample is from a smoker or not. This test takes 6-minutes.

SmokeScreen® is the world’s first quantitative rapid oral fluid test for smoking.

Smokescreen cotinine saliva test

Smokescreen cotinine saliva test

Oral fluid Smokescreen

The very latest development in

point of care testing is the nicotine saliva test

that provides evidence of smoking via a sample of saliva and a color chart.

This hygienic 10 mins point of care test is very easy to use and cannot be cheated.  It provides quantitative evidence of smoking MHS_SalivaSmokescreen

Now available as a saliva test  Oral Fluid Smokescreen insert

Developed at the University of Birmingham (UK) and backed up by extensive clinical evaluations, it provides an easy-to-use approach to identify smokers correctly and monitor changes in their behaviour. As the social opposition to smoking increases then the likelihood of denial by smokers when questioned by healthcare professionals increases, especially if penalties exist if they smoke.

Biochemical tests are required to overcome the problems with self-reported smoking. Several tests exist to verify smoking, but SmokeScreen® is quick, very sensitive and inexpensive . Potential customers include the insurance industry, smoking cessation clinics and the vast majority of healthcare workers who treat smoking-related diseases.

“Modern Health Systems Ltd is the ideal company to promote and distribute SmokeScreen®. This test complements their current range of products, especially the tests for drugs of abuse. The company’s specialty of providing training and support to companies and organizations that tests their employees or clients for drug use could benefit from using SmokeScreen® to reduce the use of tobacco along with other addictive substances.

Modern Health Systems Ltd is a company with excellent management credentials and a first-rate track-record in the rapidly expanding field of medical diagnostics. Their ambitious attitude and strong management supports Medical Health Systems Ltd as the ideal company to promote SmokeScreen®.”

Dr G. Cope PhD
Birmingham University

Dr Graham Cope has degrees from London, Manchester and Leeds in biological sciences, pharmacology and a PhD in biochemical toxicology. As an academic at the University of Birmingham he worked on the causes of smoking-related diseases and became an expert in the measurement of nicotine intake. He is known as a leading authority on the subject intake and recently spoke at the International Conference on Tobacco at Helsinki, Finland. The pharmacological effects of nicotine are similar to other abused drugs and Dr Cope has a wide appreciation of drug related illness and effects.

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Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Oral fluid drug testing.

Is an ideal method of drug testing for ’cause’ as it is capable of providing an ‘under the influence’ result which is important for workplace drug testing procedures.

There are considerable advantages over traditional urine drug tests:

Advantages Oral Fluid Drug Testing :

  • Easy to administer with no gender issues
  • Difficult to cheat
  • Hygienic and non-embarrassing process
  • Rapid results enabling managers to make safety capability decisions
  • Ideal for the workplace where ‘capability’ is the issue and not lifestyle
  • Detects very recent use
  • Positive samples can be easily confirmed by laboratory analysis.

Next Generation Oral Fluid Drug Testing

The Orascan ‘mouthwash’ is the latest in oral fluid drug testing technology and only available here.  This unique and non-invasive process gathers a sample of oral fluid from the mouth by means of a non-toxic pleasant mouthwash.  The mouth sample is then expelled into a cup and sent for laboratory analysis.  This simple process avoids messy urines, complicated and intrusive mouth swabs and inadequate sweat patches.

The nature of the Orascan mouth wash means there is only ONE SAMPLE collected (sub-divided into: 2-A and B) to analyse and therefore avoiding problems of potential ‘false negative/positive’ from different swabs.

Orascan test

Orascan test

Oral Fluid drug tests can be used to detect:

  • Heroin

  • Cocaine / Crack

  • Methadone

  • Cannabis

  • Amphetamines

  • Ecstasy

    UKAS laboratory

    Our UKAS approved laboratory is the largest privately owned laboratory in the UK and has 28 laboratories and centres across Europe as well as sites in India, China and the US.  It is the 2nd biggest provider of services to UK Police Forces outside the Home Office FSS.   It is also a Linkup approved laboratory.

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Oral fluid drug tests Point of care Test

By using a simple swab and cassette a rapid on-site drug test can be used for a fast result thereby avoiding unnecessary and laboratory tests except where confirmation are required.:

See a simple demonstration of the process below.

Oral Fluid Rapid test: