Clinical Chemistry Podcast

Pheochromocytomas are tumors of the adrenal gland that secrete catecholamine. Closely related tumors called extraadrenal paragangliomas can arise at extraadrenal sites. Catecholamine secretion from these tumors causes headache, perspiration, palpitations and hypertension. If not recognized and treated, pheochromocytoma and extraadrenal paraganglioma can lead to arrhythmias, myocardial infarction,...

In resource-limited settings, both access to laboratory diagnostics and to patients' health records can be challenging. In the April 2013 issue of Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Samuel Sia and his colleagues described a low-cost mobile device that combines cellphone and satellite communication technologies along with fluid miniaturization techniques for performing all of the functions of an enzyme-linked...

MicroRNAs are present in body fluids and have the potential to serve as disease biomarkers. A study in the April 2013 issue of Clinical Chemistry explored the clinical value of microRNAs in serum and urine as biomarkers for idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome.  This paper was accompanied by an editorial by Johan Lorenzen and Thomas Thum, both from the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germa...

Genomic research had been widely expected to transform medicine, but progress has been slower than some have expected. To critics delays represent broken promises and/or a sign that at least some of the money spent on genomic research might have been better spent elsewhere.

In the March 2013 issue of Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Yuan Chen and colleagues of the National Taiwan University demonstrated a new miniaturized device that performs most of the key semen analyses that predict male infertility.

For decades, vitamin D deficiency was thought a thing of the distant past, but recent evidence has associated low vitamin D levels with a number of diseases and conditions. Tobacco smoke chemicals may influence vitamin D metabolism and function, and vitamin D itself may modify the carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke.

Cannabis is the most prevalent illicit drug identified in impaired drivers. The effects cannabis has on driving continue to be debated, making legislation and prosecution difficult.

"More Data, Please!" That's the provocative title of Dr. Keith Baggerly's editorial in the March 2013 issue of Clinical Chemistry. He was commenting on an article appearing in the previous month of the journal by Kenneth Witwer who joined us in a podcast earlier this year, regarding the state of data reporting in microRNA studies.

Mass spectrometry has revolutionized many areas of clinical chemistry, but this technology is not just limited to chemistry. Introduction of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry into the clinical microbiology laboratory has markedly altered workflow allowing bacterial and fungal colonies to be accurately, rapidly, and inexpensively identified.

Early cancer detection before metastasis in asymptomatic patients is one of the primary objectives of cancer research initiatives. Early detection generally means more opportunities for intervention that ultimately lead to improvements in patient outcomes.