Point-of-Care Testing Recently, laboratories have tended to become more specialized and centralized and may process millions of samples per year. High throughput, cost-effective automation (perhaps including the use of robotics),…
Patient Sample Collection and Use of the Laboratory Most clinical laboratories take stringent precautions to control the analytical accuracy and precision of results. Indeed, many laboratories undergo carefully regulated accreditation…
Genetics and Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Based Technology in Clinical Biochemistry Genetic disorders fall into three main categories: Chromosomal disorders due to the absence, or abnormal arrangement, of chromosomes affecting many genes and…
Inborn Errors of Metabolism The inherited characteristics of an individual are determined by about 50 000 gene pairs, arranged on 23 pairs of chromosomes, one of each pair coming from…
Clinical Biochemistry at the Extremes of Age This chapter looks at clinical biochemistry at the extremes of age, that is, in neonates and the elderly. NEONATES Some preliminary definitions are…
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Poisoning Drug overdose and the consequences of drug side effects are common causes of hospital medical admissions. This chapter also looks at therapeutic monitoring of particular…
Metabolic Effects of Tumours This chapter looks at how clinical biochemistry tests can be used to diagnose and monitor patients with malignant disease. Malignant disease is one of the world’s…
Cerebrospinal, Pleural and Ascitic Fluids This chapter looks at various important biological fluids and how their biochemical analysis can be useful clinically. CEREBROSPINAL FLUID In adults, the total volume of…
Cardiovascular Disease The clinical biochemistry laboratory often plays a central role in the diagnosis and management of acute myocardial infarction. A number of cardiovascular risk factors have been described, some…
Disorders of Haem Metabolism: Iron and the Porphyrias Abnormalities of haem metabolism are important clinically. They include the porphyrias, which are rare, and disorders involving haem iron, such as iron…
