Clinical Chemistry Podcast

Protease neprilysin is known to be responsible for the degradation of natriuretic peptides. A recent heart failure (HF) drug, LCZ696 (EntrestoTM), that combines a neprilysin inhibitor and an angiotensin II receptor inhibitor was suggested to augment circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations, making the results of BNP measurements diagnostically ambiguous. Because the main form of measured BNP in HF patients is represented by its uncleaved precursor, proBNP, it is important to know the susceptibility of proBNP to cleavage by neprilysin.

CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 3 (CRTC3) is found in adipocytes, where it may promote obesity through disruption of catecholamine signaling. We wished to assess whether CRTC3 is a soluble protein secreted by adipose tissue, explore whether CRTC3 is detectable and quantifiable in the circulation, and ascertain whether CRTC3 serum concentrations are related to metabolic markers in children.

The analysis of dried blood spots has been used routinely for newborn screening since the early 1970s, and the number of disorders screened has expanded substantially in recent years. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding minimum blood spot quality acceptance criteria for sample analysis.

For many years the determination of a routine lipid profile (total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides) has been done routinely in the clinical laboratory using a blood specimen that is collected in the fasting state.

Primary aldosteronism,also known as Conn's syndrome,is a form of endocrine hypertension that results from excess product of aldosterone by the adrenal glands.

More than 70 million couples worldwide are affected by infertility, with male-factor infertility accounting for about half of the cases. Semen analysis is critical for determining male fertility potential, but conventional testing is costly and complex. Here, we demonstrate a paper-based microfluidic approach to quantify male fertility potential, simultaneously measuring 3 critical semen parameters in 10 min: live and motile sperm concentrations and sperm motility.

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of healthcare associated infections in the United States and is increasingly recognized as a pathogen in the community. This organism is considered to be one of the most urgent antibiotic resistant threats to public health, and can cause a variety of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to mild diarrhea, to toxic megacolon, and even death.

More than 70 million couples worldwide are affected by infertility, with male-factor infertility accounting for about half of the cases. Semen analysis is critical for determining male fertility potential, but conventional testing is costly and complex. Here, we demonstrate a paper-based microfluidic approach to quantify male fertility potential, simultaneously measuring 3 critical semen parameters in 10 min: live and motile sperm concentrations and sperm motility.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, but risk is reduced with identification and early treatment. Glucose measurements are affected by preanalytical sample handling, such as temperature of storage, phlebotomy–analysis interval, and use of a glycolysis inhibitor. We evaluated glucose concentrations and the incidence of GDM after strict implementation of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) preanalytical guidelines, compared with usual hospital conditions.

Evidence is accumulating that circulating 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] concentrations are inversely related to overall mortality.

Limited information is available about testosterone concentrations representative of the general US population, especially children, women, and non-Hispanic Asians.

Mass spectrometry–based in vitro diagnostic devices that measure proteins and peptides are underutilized in clinical practice, and none has been cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing or for use in clinical trials. One way to increase their utilization is through enhanced interactions between the FDA and the clinical mass spectrometry community to improve the validation and regulatory review of these devices.

There are now numerous epidemiological studies that have demonstrated that low plasma concentrations of vitamin D are associated with not only bone related disorders, but with a wide variety of adverse health outcomes.

A driving force in the development of point-of-care diagnostics is to conveniently provide information without delay so that healthcare decisions can be made while the patient is on-site. Most point-of-care devices are based on immunochemical, electrochemicalor colorimetric techniques that can be miniaturized and made portable.

A mass spectrometer is a sensitive and specific instrument." In some form or another, this is often the label applied to the platform by all manner of professions (chemists, physicists, biologists, physicians, clinicians, and laboratorians, novice and expert alike). This is a view of mass spectrometry (MS) through rose-colored glasses. It should be properly said that MS can be sensitive and specific, but not without due consideration for the measurement to be performed. In clinical laboratories, this measurement is the extraction, detection, and often, quantification of a compound of interest from a biological matrix.