American Association for Clinical Chemistry
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NACB Blog
Inborn Errors of Metabolism:  are they just for kids?

3/19/2013 3:55 PM | Comments (0) Recommend (181)

By Michael J. Bennett Ph.D., FRCPath, DABCC, FACB
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​A 72 year old female was recently referred to a metabolism clinic (yes at a children’s hospital!) with a very long history of anemia and bone pain that had been monitored but not particularly investigated by numerous internists. She was subsequently found to be deficient in the enzyme glucocerobro...(Read More)
Posted at 3/19/2013 3:55 PM | Tags: Special Populations | New/Other Disease Markers
Procalcitonin: The Answer to the Sepsis Dilemma?

3/29/2011 8:01 AM | Comments (6) Recommend (1,841)

By Alison Woodworth, PhD, DABCC, FACB
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Sepsis is systemic inflammation due to infection.  It is the most common cause of death in intensive care units (1), with a mortality rate up to 50% depending on severity.  Sepsis can be considered in individuals with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) manifested by alterations in at le...(Read More)
Posted at 3/29/2011 8:01 AM | Tags: New/Other Disease Markers | Immunology/Infectious Disease
High Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Assays: Benefits and Challenges

1/11/2011 9:14 AM | Comments (5) Recommend (1,917)

By Allan S. Jaffe, MD, FACB
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There have been a multiplicity of recent articles in both acute coronary syndromes and heart failure indicating that high sensitivity assays for cardiac troponin provide additional diagnostic and prognostic information but may do so at the cost of specificity for the underlying diagnosis.  The pros...(Read More)
Posted at 1/11/2011 9:14 AM | Tags: CVD/Markers/Risk Factors | New/Other Disease Markers
Has the Time Come to Bid Adieu to Tests of Fetal Lung Maturity?

1/4/2011 8:01 AM | Comments (11) Recommend (2,009)

By David G. Grenache, PhD, FACB
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Abbott Laboratories recently announced that it was ending production of its widely used fetal lung maturity test, the TDx FLM II, due to the retirement of their TDx and TDxFLx instrument platforms.  The impact of the loss of this test on the obstetrical and clinical laboratory communities remains...(Read More)
Posted at 1/4/2011 8:01 AM | Tags: Instrumentation/Technology | Special Populations | New/Other Disease Markers