Beckman Coulter Inc.,

Fullerton medical instruments maker, said net income for the fourth quarter totaled $38.6 million, or $1.30 a share, up from $18.5 million, or 63 cents a share, a year ago. The earlier figure included a $19.1 million restructuring charge. Sales increased 7% to $517.3 million.

The company’s fourth-quarter worldwide clinical diagnostic sales increased 7.7% to $390.9 million, while life-science research sales rose 5.2% to $126.4 million from a year earlier.

For the year, net income rose to $106 million, or $3.57 a share, from $33.5 million, or $1.14 a share, for 1998. Sales were up 6% to $1.8 billion.