Quality Control Guidelines Research Articles

Automated quality control analysis for American College of Radiology (ACR) digital mammography (DM) phantom images.

To develop and validate an automated software analysis method for mammography image quality assessment of the American College of Radiology (ACR) digital mammography (DM) phantom images. Twenty-seven DICOM images were acquired using Fuji mammography systems. All images were evaluated by three expert medical physicists using the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) mammography quality control guideline. To enhance the robustness and sensitivity assessment of our algorithm, an additional set of 12 images from a Hologic mammography system was included to test various phantom positional adjustments. The software automatically chose multiple regions of interest (ROIs) for analysis. A template matching method was primarily used for image analysis, followed by an additional method that locates and scores each target object (speck groups, fibers, and masses). The software performance shows a good to excellent agreement with the average scoring of observers (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] of 0.75, 0.79, 0.82 for speck groups, fibers, and masses, respectively). No significant differences were found in the scoring of target objects between human observers and the software. Both methods achieved scores meeting the pass criteria for speck groups and masses. Expert observers allocated lower scores to fiber objects, with diameters less than 0.61mm, when compared to the software. The software was able to accurately score objects when the phantom position changed by up to 25mm laterally, up to 5 degrees rotation, and overhanging the chest wall edge by up to 15mm. Automated software analysis is a feasible method that may help improve the consistency and reproducibility of mammography image quality assessment with reduced reliance on human interaction and processing time.

WHO guidelines for quality control of herbal medicines: From cultivation to consumption

WHO guidelines serve as a comprehensive framework for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of herbal products throughout their lifecycle, from cultivation to consumption. Here's why adherence to these guidelines is crucial. By following WHO guidelines, manufacturers can implement practices that minimize the risks associated with herbal medicines, including contamination, adulteration, and variability in potency. This helps protect public health and ensures that consumers can use herbal products with confidence. Quality control measures recommended by WHO contribute to the consistency and reliability of herbal medicines. Standardization of production processes and the establishment of quality parameters help maintain the potency and efficacy of herbal products, leading to more predictable therapeutic outcomes. Adherence to WHO guidelines facilitates compliance with regulatory requirements established by national authorities and international bodies. Regulatory agencies often refer to WHO guidelines when developing regulations for the manufacturing, distribution, and labeling of herbal medicines. Compliance with these guidelines helps manufacturers meet regulatory standards and gain market authorization for their products. WHO guidelines provide a harmonized approach to quality control practices, promoting consistency and uniformity in the assessment of herbal medicines worldwide. This facilitates international trade and ensures that products manufactured in one country meet quality standards accepted globally, fostering trust and confidence among consumers and healthcare professionals. The systematic review highlights the ongoing efforts of WHO to review and update guidelines based on emerging scientific evidence and best practices. Adhering to these evolving guidelines encourages continuous improvement in quality control practices and fosters innovation in the herbal medicine industry.

Uji Kelayakan Alat Pelindung diri Lead Apron di Instalasi Radiologi Rumah Sakit Daerah Mangusada Badung

Lead apron is a type of personal protective equipment in the form of an apron and made of lead which is designed to protect the body from the dangers of radiation. Menurut Keputusan Menteri Kesehatan Republik Indonesia Nomor 1250/MENKES/SK/XII/2009 regarding Quality Control Guidelines to protect the density and physical condition of the lead apron, testing is required once a year and may be carried out before one year if necessary. To maintain the quality of the lead apron, it needs to be stored in a good manner and avoid stacking and folding it. Because it can cause damage which will reduce its function as radiation protection equipment. Lead apron storage should be stored flat without folds or on a special shelf. The aim of this research is to test lead aprons in the Radiology Installation of Regional Hospitals Mangusada Badung to determine the feasibility of the lead apron. The type of research used is descriptive quantitative research with a survey approach, observation, namely by carrying out testing, measurement and documentation. This research was conducted in July. The results of this study indicate that lead apron testing in the Radiology Installation of Regional Hospitals Mangusada Badung What has been done is that the four lead aprons are still in good condition and still suitable for use.

Botanical and pharmacognostic investigation of Strobilanthes kalimantanensis.

Under a hidden waterfall in the interior of the tropical rainforest of East Kalimantan, a new medicinal plant that produces essential oil (EO) was found with the name Strobilanthes kalimantanensis. The aim was to investigate the botanical and evaluate the pharmacognostic characteristics of S. kalimantanensis leaves from East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Pharmacognostic studies can provide recommendations for establishing quality control standards or guidelines for cultivating, harvesting, and processing S. kalimantanensi s to ensure the consistent and reliable quality of medicinal products. Characteristic methods of S. kalimantanensis leaves include botanical macroscopic, fluorescence, physicochemical, and phytochemical evaluation. The plant characteristics of this plant are similar to S. kunthia and S. reptans but can be differentiated in the leaves and flowers. Fluorescence assay with sodium hydroxide 5% shows unique characteristics of secondary metabolites based on their ability to form dark green with black precipitate in Ultraviolet 365 nm. The physicochemical characteristics showed yield, water content, water-soluble, ethanol soluble, total ash value, and acid-insoluble ash. Phytochemicals showed the presence of alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenoids, and EO containing 23% trans-anethole. This evaluation report details the chemical composition, identity, and safety of S. kalimantanensis leaves.

Investigation of triaxial cables and microdetectors in small field dosimetry

Background. Small field dosimetry presents unique challenges with source occlusion, lateral charged particle equilibrium and detector size. As detector volume decreases, signal strength declines while noise increases, deteriorating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This issue may be compounded by triaxial cables connecting detectors to electrometers. However, effects of cables, critical for precision dosimetry, are often overlooked. There is a need to evaluate triaxial cable and detector impacts on SNR in small fields. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of triaxial cables and microdetectors on signal-to-noise ratios in small-field dosimetry. This study also aims to establish the importance of cable quality assurance for measurement accuracy. Methods. Six 9.1 m length triaxial cables from different manufacturers were tested with six microdetectors (microDiamond, PinPoint, EDGE, Plastic scintillator, microSilicon, SRS-Diode). A 6 MV photon beam (TrueBeam) was used, with a water phantom at 5 cm depth with 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 to 10 × 10 cm2 fields at 600 MU min−1. Readings were acquired using cable-detector permutations with a dedicated electrometer (except the scintillator which has its own). Cables had differing connector types, conductor materials, insulation, and diameters. Detectors had various sensitive volumes, materials, typical signals, and bias voltages. Results. Normalized field output correction factors (FOFs) relative differences of 13.4% and 4.6% between the highest and lowest values across triaxial cables for 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 and 1 × 1 cm2 fields, respectively. The maximum difference in FOF between any cable-detector combinations was 0.2% for the smallest field size. No consistent FOF trend was observed across all detectors when increasing cable diameter. Additionally, the non-normalized FOF differences of 0.9% and 0.3% were observed between cables for 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 and 1 × 1 cm2 fields, respectively. Conclusions. Regular triaxial cable quality assurance is critical for precision small field dosimetry. A national protocol is needed to standardize cable evaluations/calibrations, particularly for small signals (<pC) from modern detectors. This could enhance measurement accuracy and treatment delivery with advanced small-field radiotherapy techniques that promise improved patient outcomes. Further studies should expand detector and cable models tested across institutions to establish robust quality control guidelines.

Friction stir welded joints in aluminum highway bridge decks: a quality control framework

Friction stir welding (FSW) has shown considerable promise for highway aluminum bridge deck fabrication but lacks specific quality control guidelines for fit-up defects. This study conducts a performance-based (PB) quality control assessment of butt-lap FSW joints for highway bridge decks. Five FSW conditions were simulated, including a standard control welding condition, fit-up defects (gaps and tool offset), and a welding tool’s rotational direction inversion from the standard condition. A rigorous prequalification process established acceptable tolerance levels for fit-up defects: a 3 mm positive offset, a 1.5 mm negative offset, and a 1.5 mm gap. Subsequently, specimens from real aluminium deck extrusions, incorporating the various welding conditions were subjected to fatigue testing. Results showed that the fatigue strength and failure mode were primarily influenced by the weld root microstructure. The FSW tool’s rotational direction significantly influenced fatigue strength due to its impact on the nucleation of the hooking defect in the weld root area, while the impact of fit-up defects on fatigue strength was comparatively lesser. Furthermore, finite element analysis examined the impact of the geometrical features of the root microstructure and the direction of the initial crack propagation on the stress intensity factor range. These findings have practical implications for setting tolerance levels for fit-up defects in aluminum butt-lap FSW joints and optimizing of the quality and fatigue strength of butt-lap FSW joints.

Chemical characterization, multivariate analysis and comparison of biological activities of different parts of Fraxinus mandshurica.

Fraxinus mandshurica (Oleaceae) is used as a traditional medicinal plant for the treatment of red eyes, menstrual disorders, excessive leucorrhea, chronic bronchitis and psoriasis. To perform chemical characterization of the secondary metabolites of F. mandshurica roots, bark, stems and leaves, 32 samples were collected from eight provinces in this study. A total of 64 chemical components were detected from four different parts of F. mandshurica by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, a total of nine secoiridoids were obtained by natural product chemical extraction, isolation and identification methods. Quantitative analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry showed the highest total content of secoiridoids in the bark, which is also consistent with the traditional medicinal parts. The results of methodological validation showed that the correlation coefficient (R2) values were all >0.9993, indicating a good linear range of the standard curve, while the relative standard deviations of precision, reproducibility and stability were <3%, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 98.22 to 102.27%, indicating that the experimental method was reliable and stable. In addition, fingerprinting and a heatmap were established to demonstrate the content trends of F. mandshurica more visually from different origins. Multivariate analysis, including principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis, was performed to determine the chemical characteristics of different parts of F. mandshurica, and six characteristic secoiridoids that could be used to distinguish different origins were screened. Finally, the inhibition of tyrosinase, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase and pancreatic lipase activities by the nine characteristic compounds and extracts from different parts were investigated, and the results showed that they all exhibited different degrees of enzyme activity inhibition and thus have potential applications in whitening and blemish removal, hypoglycemia, anti-Alzheimer's disease and anti-obesity as a new source of natural enzyme activity inhibitors. This study establishes an identification and evaluation method applicable to phytochemistry of different origins, which is a guideline for quality control, origin evaluation and clinical application of traditional medicinal plants. This is also an unprecedented study on the identification of the chemical composition of different parts of F. mandshurica, characteristic compounds and the inhibition of enzyme activity of extracts from different parts.

Clinical practice guideline for quality control of hemodiafiltration

This guideline was co-authored by a writing committee of experts in hemodiafiltration. Based on the current evidence-based resources, the guideline drew on and referred to the current relevant clinical practice guidelines and expert recommendations at home and abroad, as well as the Standard Operating Procedures for Blood Purification (2021 Edition), focusing on clinical and medical quality control issues such as the indications for hemodiafiltration, the selection of treatment modes, the selection of replacement fluid and the adjustment of components, vascular access, anticoagulation therapy, prescription setting, and prevention and treatment of related complications. The guideline aimed to guide the clinical practice and clinical research of hemodiafiltration in China, and improve the standardization, normalization and homogeneity of medical quality of hemodiafiltration.

Potential of Milk-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Carriers for Oral Delivery of Active Phytoconstituents.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a crucial role in intercellular communication and have the potential to serve as in vivo carriers for delivering active molecules. The biocompatibility advantages of EVs over artificial nanocarriers create new frontiers for delivering modern active molecules. Milk is a favorable source of EVs because of its high bioavailability, low immunogenicity, and commercial producibility. In this review, we analyzed the advantages of milk-derived EVs in the oral delivery of active molecules, discussed their research progress in delivering active phytoconstituents, and summarized the necessary technologies and critical unit operations required for the development of an oral delivery system based on EVs. The review aims to provide innovative ideas and fundamental quality control guidelines for developing the next-generation oral drug delivery system based on milk-derived EVs.

Aroma and taste analysis of pickled tea from spontaneous and yeast-enhanced fermentation by mass spectrometry and sensory evaluation

Anaerobically fermented pickled tea (PT) can be produced by spontaneous fermentation (SF) or yeast-enhanced fermentation (YF). Aroma and taste characteristics of PT during YF and SF were investigated using sensory evaluation, odour activity, aroma character impact values, HS-SPME-GC–MS, UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS, and spectrophotometry, annotating 198 volatile and 115 non-volatile components. The main contributing volatile components were β-ionone, and 1-octanol, promoted by YF and SF, and yielding floral and fruity aromas respectively. Additionally, compared with SF, YF promoted the formation of citronellol yielding a floral aroma, inhibited the stale aroma of methoxybenzenes, and reduced bitter, astringent, and sour tastes. Furthermore, partial least-squares regression analysis identified the main components related to the ‘acides aroma’ of PT as linalool oxide, n-decanoic acid, hexanoic acid, 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienoic acid, 3-methyl-1-dodecyn-3-ol, and nerolidol. This application could be used as methodology for the comprehensive analysis of tea aroma and taste and these results can act as guidelines for PT production and quality control.

QComics: Recommendations and Guidelines for Robust, Easily Implementable and Reportable Quality Control of Metabolomics Data.

The implementation of quality control strategies is crucial to ensure the reproducibility, accuracy, and meaningfulness of metabolomics data. However, this pivotal step is often overlooked within the metabolomics workflow and frequently relies on the use of nonstandardized and poorly reported protocols. To address current limitations in this respect, we have developed QComics, a robust, easily implementable and reportable method for monitoring and controlling data quality. The protocol operates in various sequential steps aimed to (i) correct for background noise and carryover, (ii) detect signal drifts and "out-of-control" observations, (iii) deal with missing data, (iv) remove outliers, (v) monitor quality markers to identify samples affected by improper collection, preprocessing, or storage, and (vi) assess overall data quality in terms of precision and accuracy. Notably, this tool considers important issues often neglected along quality control, such as the need of separately handling missing values and truly absent data to avoid losing relevant biological information, as well as the large impact that preanalytical factors may elicit on metabolomics results. Altogether, the guidelines compiled in QComics might contribute to establishing gold standard recommendations and best practices for quality control within the metabolomics community.

Guidelines for quality control and clinical applications of breast-specific PET scanners: A consensus of Chinese experts

Guidelines for quality control and clinical applications of breast-specific PET scanners: A consensus of Chinese experts

An Overview of Modern Biotechnological Tools in Aquatic Food Production – A Review

Abstract Aquatic food production system raises aquatic organisms including fish, shellfish and seaweeds for human consumption and associated value chains. Moreover, as the global human population continues to expand at a high rate and is expected to reach over 9 billion by 2030, developing a cost-efficient production method is a significant challenge in the future development of the aquatic food production industry to provide food and nutritional security with high-quality animal protein. Recent advancements in biotechnological tools and approaches provided a new toolset that can be used to design and optimize the existing processes such as food preservation, fermentation, packaging, quality control and setting proper guidelines to manufacture and process genetically modified fish. At the same time, with the refinement of technology, these are becoming easier applicable and transferable to several other aquatic species production systems. These trends have resulted in exploiting new and unconventional microbial systems with sophisticated properties, which render promising results in the production industry. Here, we highlight the recent advances in the newly emerging biotechnological technology in the production of fish and fish products and discuss the potential of these tools as a sustainable platform for centuries to come with a significant impact on the aquatic food production industry.

Guidelines for quality control and management of death cases in medical institutions (2023)

The report of death cases is an important source of information for cause analysis and monitoring of trends, which can reflect the death situation and characteristics of a population in a relatively accurate manner. It helps understand the health status of the population and the level of healthcare. The special deployment of case review for in-hospital deaths is not only the high priority for health authorities in terms of quality and safety of medical care but also a practical implementation of the concept that values people and life. Currently, there is a lack of scientific and standardized evaluation for the review of death cases in various specialties, excluding maternal and neonatal cases. To standardize the quality control and management of death cases in medical institutions, the Guidelines for quality control and management of death cases in medical institutions (2023) has been developed by the Hunan Province Resuscitation Quality Control Center. The members of the working group of this guideline visited medical institutions, conducted research, reviewed relevant guidelines from domestic and international sources, and integrated clinical experience to form a preliminary consensus. This consensus was submitted to the expert group for multiple discussions, underwent several revisions, and finally, it was sent to the experts in the form of a questionnaire for feedback. The guidelines clarify the scope, data collection, and quality control requirements for death case quality control, providing a reference for the quality control and management of death cases in medical institutions.

Factors influencing the quality of acupuncture clinical trials: a qualitative interview of stakeholders

ObjectiveTo investigate the influencing factors on the quality of acupuncture clinical trials from the stakeholders, and to provide references for improving the quality of acupuncture clinical trials.MethodsA qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews was performed. Experts, acupuncturists, editors, and patients were interviewed. The interview results were thematically analyzed from transcribed audio recordings.ResultsA total of 38 stakeholders were interviewed, including 12 experts, 14 acupuncturists, 2 editors, and 10 patients. There were 25 tree nodes and 106 sub-nodes, with 1141 reference points. The key factors influencing the quality of acupuncture clinical trials could be divided into five core theme frameworks: a) trial design, b) trial conduction, c) research results reporting and publication, d) research evidence dissemination, and e) research evidence transformation and application.ConclusionsThe results reveal that to improve the quality of acupuncture trials, it should consider each step of trial design, trial conduction, research results reporting and publication, research evidence dissemination, and research evidence transformation and application. A guideline for quality control of the whole process of acupuncture clinical trials is needed.

Determination, Quality, and Health Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Kumquat in China.

Pesticide residues in kumquat fruits from China, and the quality and chronic/acute intake risks in Chinese consumers, were assessed using the QuEChERS procedure and UHPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS methods. Our 5-year monitoring and survey showed 90% of the 573 samples of kumquat fruits collected from two main production areas contained one or multiple residual pesticides. Overall, 30 pesticides were detected, including 16 insecticides, 7 fungicides, 5 acaricides, and 2 plant growth modulators, of which 2 pesticides were already banned. Two or more residual pesticides were discovered in 81% of the samples, and pesticide residues in 9.4% of the samples surpassed the MRLs, such as profenofos, bifenthrin, triazophos, avermectin, spirodiclofen, difenoconazole, and methidathion. The major risk factors on the safety of kumquat fruits before 2019 were profenofos, bifenthrin, and triazophos, but their over-standard frequencies significantly declined after 2019, which was credited to the stricter supervision and management policies by local governments. Despite the high detection rates and multi-residue occurrence of pesticides in kumquat fruits, about 81% of the samples were assessed as qualified. Moreover, the accumulative chronic diet risk determined from ADI is very low. To better protect the health of customers, we shall formulate stricter organic phosphorus pesticide control measures and stricter use guidelines, especially for methidathion, triazophos, chlorpyrifos, and profenofos. This study provides potential data for the design of kumquat fruit quality and safety control guidelines and for the reduction in health risks to humans.

A promising resilience parameter for breeding: the use of weight and feed trajectories in growing pigs

BackgroundIncreasing resilience is a priority in modern pig breeding. Recent research shows that general resilience can be quantified via variability in longitudinal data. The collection of such longitudinal data on weight, feed intake and feeding behaviour in pigs has been facilitated by the development of technologies such as automated feeding stations.The goal of this study was to investigate resilience traits, which were estimated as deviations from longitudinal weight, feed intake and feeding behaviour data during the finishing phase. A dataset with 324,207 records between the age of 95 and 155 days on 5,939 Piétrain pigs with known pedigree and genomic information was used. We provided guidelines for a rigid quality control of longitudinal body weight data, as we found that outliers can significantly affect results. Gompertz growth curve analysis, linear modelling and trajectory analyses were used for quantifying resilience traits.ResultsTo our knowledge, this is the first study comparing resilience traits from longitudinal body weight, feed intake and feeding behaviour data in pigs. We demonstrated that the resilience traits are lowly to moderately heritable for deviations in body weight (h2 = 2.9%–20.2%), in feed intake (9.4%–23.3%) and in feeding behaviour (16.2%–28.3%). Additionally, these traits have good predictive abilities in cross-validation analyses. Deviations in individual body weight and feed intake trajectories are highly correlated (rg = 0.78) with low to moderate favourable genetic correlations with feed conversion ratio (rg = 0.39–0.49). Lastly, we showed that some resilience traits, such as the natural logarithm of variances of observed versus predicted body weights (lnvarweight), are more robust to lower observation frequencies and are repeatable over three different time periods of the finishing phase.ConclusionsOur results will help future studies investigating resilience traits and resilience-related traits. Moreover, our study provides first results on standardization of quality control and efficient data sampling from automated feeding station data. Our findings will be valuable for breeding organizations as they offer evidence that pigs’ general resilience can be selected on with good accuracy. Moreover, this methodology might be extended to other species to quantify resilience based on longitudinal data.

Desempeño mecánico e hidráulico de pavimentos permeables de concreto: evaluación experimental

Pervious pavements emerge as an alternative for good management of surface runoff, providing the opportunity to quickly and efficiently reduce the potential for flooding and reuse rainwater. However, the mechanical and hydraulic performance of the material have been extensively evaluated at the laboratory level, leaving aside how the material will behave in the field and how its exposure will accelerate the loss of its hydraulic properties (clogging). In this sense, this research evaluated the mechanical and hydraulic performance of permeable concrete pavements in an experimental field that simulates the working conditions of the material, where properties such as compressive strength, tensile strength, porosity, and permeability were evaluated, as well as the loss of hydraulic efficiency due to clogging. This is to increase the knowledge of the material to provide construction and quality control guidelines that guarantee the correct functioning of this type of pavement, considering its great contribution to sustainability.

INTERMACHINE VARIABILITY BETWEEN THE SPHYGMOCOR CVMS AND SPHYGMOCOR XCEL DEVICE IN YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY

Objective: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) is considered the gold-standard measure for arterial stiffness. The SphygmoCor CVMS uses applanation tonometry on the carotid and femoral arteries, synchronized with an ECG signal. The more recent SphygmoCor XCEL eliminates the need for ECG gating by utilizing leg cuff detection of the femoral pulse in conjunction with carotid tonometry. The latter method is more time-efficient, but may yield different cf-PWV values. The aim of this pilot study is to validate the use of the SphygmoCor XCEL against the SphygmoCor CVMS. Design and method: Measurements of the right carotid and femoral artery were conducted using the SphygmoCor CVMS (AtCor Medical), immediately followed by the SphygmoCor XCEL (AtCor Medical). These measurements were performed under standardized conditions, namely in a fasted state and after 15 minutes of rest in a supine position in a quiet room (20̊). All measurements were done in triplicate and were repeated when they did not meet the quality control guidelines, as defined by the manufacturer. The mean difference and SD of the difference between the two devices was calculated and visualized through scatter plot and Bland-Altman analysis. Correlation coefficient as well as intraclass correlation (ICC) was calculated. Results: A total of nine (5 females) non-smoking, physically active individuals were included, with a MEDIAN age of 21 years (21-36) and MEDIAN BMI of 21.8 (18,4-25,8). Mean cf-PWV measured by SphygmoCor CVMS was 8.11 ± 0.69 m/s and by SphygmoCor XCEL was 7.61 ± 0.16 m/s. Measurements by both techniques were significantly correlated (R = 0,75; P&lt;0,05; Fig1). The mean difference between the two measurement techniques was 0.50 ± 0.81 m/s, which is ‘acceptable’ according to the ARTERY Society guidelines. Bland-Altman analysis revealed limits of agreement ranging from -1.09 to 2.09 m/s. A ‘moderate’ agreement was documented (ICC = 0.51). Conclusions: In this pilot study, the SphygmoCor XCEL demonstrated acceptable agreement with the SphygmoCor CVMS. Bland-Altman plots show that with higher cf-PWV values, there could be a tendency towards overestimation of the cf-PWV by the SphygmoCor EXCEL. Further validation is needed in larger cohorts and other populations.

Guidelines for genetic data analysis

The IWC Scientific Committee recently adopted guidelines for quality control of DNA data. Once data have been collected, the next step is to analyse the data and make inferences that are useful for addressing practical problems in conservation and management of cetaceans. This is a complex exercise, as numerous analyses are possible and users have a wide range of choices of software programs for implementing the analyses. This paper reviews the underlying issues, illustrates application of different types of genetic data analysis to two complex management problems (involving common minke whales and humpback whales), and concludes with a number of recommendations for best practices in the analysis of population genetic data. An extensive Appendix provides a detailed review and critique of most types of analyses that are used with population genetic data for cetaceans.