The Human Biome is a complex and essential biological system within the human body. The adult human harbors some 100 trillion bacteria in his gut alone. Balance of this system is essential to good health. This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine focuses on treatments to realign this balance as well as advances in understanding the system in general. Topics include: Changes in microbiome in GERD; The relationship of microbiome, inflammation, and colon cancer; Gut microbiome and host genetics in Crohn's disease; Association of oral microbiome with head and neck cancer; The vaginal microbiome-disease, genetics and the environment;, The human virome in children and its relationship to febrile illness; Gut microbiome in irritable bowel syndrome; The neonatal microbiome and necrotizing enterocolitis; Fecal microbiota transplantation for clostridium difficile Infection.

Topics in this clinically focused publication devoted to Anticoagulants are: Antithrombin clinical applications and anti-inflammatory effects; Pharmacology and laboratory testing of oral direct thrombin inhibitor Dabigatran; Pharmacology and laboratory testing of the oral Xa inhibitors; Clinical use of the new oral anticoagulants; Pharmacology and safety of new oral anticoagulants-the challenge of bleeding; Emergency reversal of Warfarin anticoagulation - prothrombin complex concentrate compared with plasma; Prothrombin complex concentrate as reversal agent for new oral anticoagulants - lessons from prelinical models; Bleeding with new oral anticoagulants - clinical presentation and management; Treatment of ICH with new oral anticoagulants - a neurologist's view; Management of anticoagulation agents in trauma patients; and Anticoagulation and pediatric patients.

Acute respiratory infections are responsible for an estimated 4 million deaths annually worldwide, and are the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years. Over 1 million people in the United States are hospitalized each year with pneumonia. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects one third of world’s population. There are more than 1 million tuberculosis-related deaths worldwide each year. Emerging resistance to multiple available antimicrobial agents has hampered the ability to treat tuberculosis and hospital-acquired respiratory infections. The laboratory diagnosis of respiratory infections is an important part of patient management and treatment. In addition to culture isolation of pathogens, advances have been made in a number of non-culture methods. This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicinee reviews state-of-the-art laboratory diagnosis of respiratory infections, as well as the testing of susceptibility to antibiotics and antiviral agents. Among some of the respiratory infections covered are: Cystic fibrosis infections; Pertussis; Pharyngitis; Fungal infections. Among the diagnostic tests are: Interferon gamma release assays; Molecuar diagnosis of TB; Urine antigen tests and discussion of Antibiotic resistance in nosocomial respiratory infections.

Topics in this clinically focused publication devoted to Cardiac Markers include: Overview of cardiac markers in heart disease; Methodologies for measurement of cardiac markers; Natriuretic peptides in HF and ACS; Tropoinins and high sensitivity troponins; Point-of-care testing for cardiac markers; ST-2 and galectin 3 in patients with heart failure; Cardiac markers following heart surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention; Cholesterol, lipoproteins, high sensitivity CRP and other risk factors for atherosclerosis; Myocarditis and cardiac transplant and rejection; New molecular genetic tests in the diagnosis of heart disease; Biomarkers for cholesterol balance.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, edited by Drs. Nahed Ismail, A. William Pasculle, and James Snyder, will cover a wide variety of Emerging Pathogens. Topics covered in this issue include, but are not limited to West Nile Virus; Zika Virus; Ebola and Marburg Heamorrhagic Fever; Rift Valley Fever; Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriacae; Closteridium Difficuile; and Chikungunya, among others.

Clinical laboratory directors and staff working with blood samples will benefit from the essential information in this hematology focused publication in Clinics in Laboratory Medicine. Leading a field of expert authors are two renown physicians in the field - Dr Carlo Brugnara and Dr Alexander Kratz. They present topics such as White Blood Cell Counts: Reference Methodology; Integration of Automated Heme and Bone Marrow Analysis; Red Cell Dynamics; Red Cell Diagnosis other than Anemia; Laboratory and Genetic Assessment of Iron Deficiency in Blood Donors; Body Fluid Cell Counting; Platelets: The Few, the Young, and the Active; Reticulocytes; Quality Control of Automated Cell Counters; Digital Image Analysis of Blood Cells; Blood Cell Counters in Urgent Care Settings; Novel Parameters in Blood Cell Counters; and the Development and Future of Automated Blood Cell Counters.

In this issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, guest editor Dr. Gregory Tsongalis brings his considerable expertise to Current Topics in Molecular Diagnostics and Precision Medicine. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as syndromic and point-of-care molecular testing; building evidence for clinical use of pharmacogenomics and reimbursement for testing; precision medicine using pharmacogenomic panel-testing; and more. - Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including next-generation sequencing approaches to predicting antimicrobial susceptibility testing results; the role of the human gutome on chronic disease: a review of the microbiome and nutrigenomics; blood group genotyping; review of SARS-CoV-2 antigen and antibody testing in diagnosis and community surveillance; and more. - Provides in-depth clinical reviews on current topics in molecular diagnostics and precision medicine, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

The field of Clinical Microbiology is evolving at a rapid pace, perhaps more so than any other arm of laboratory medicine. This can be attributed to new technology, including high throughput gene sequencing, multiplex molecular assays, rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance, and discovery of new pathogens. In addition, modern medical procedures, such as solid organ and stem cell transplantation, have resulted in an explosion of infections with agents that historically have been considered to be of low virulence. This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine will highlight some of the advances in diagnostic microbiology, including MALDI-TOF MS, pathogen discovery, and personalized antimicrobial chemotherapy. In addition, one of the papers will focus on implementation of new technologies and how to maximize patient impact of these new methods.

The Food Forum convened a public workshop on February 22-23, 2012, to explore current and emerging knowledge of the human microbiome, its role in human health, its interaction with the diet, and the translation of new research findings into tools and products that improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. The Human Microbiome, Diet, and Health: Workshop Summary summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the workshop. Over the two day workshop, several themes covered included: The microbiome is integral to human physiology, health, and disease. The microbiome is arguably the most intimate connection that humans have with their external environment, mostly through diet. Given the emerging nature of research on the microbiome, some important methodology issues might still have to be resolved with respect to undersampling and a lack of causal and mechanistic studies. Dietary interventions intended to have an impact on host biology via their impact on the microbiome are being developed, and the market for these products is seeing tremendous success. However, the current regulatory framework poses challenges to industry interest and investment.

In this issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, guest editor Lauren L. Ritterhouse brings her considerable expertise to the topic of molecular pathology. Experts in the field cover topics such as molecular pathology of lung cancer, gliomas, prostate cancer, and more. - Contains 14 relevant topics including clinical utilization and designing a test menu; molecular alteration in pediatric solid tumors; pan-cancer molecular biomarkers; and more. - Provides in-depth clinical reviews on molecular pathology, offering actionable insights for practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.