This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, Guest Edited by Nigel Clarke, MD, and Andrew Hoofnagle, MD, will focus on Mass Spectrometry, with topics including: Proteins; Peptides; Small Molecules: Toxicology; Small Molecules: Diagnostics; and Regulatory Considerations.

Mass Spectrometry for the Clinical Laboratory is an accessible guide to mass spectrometry and the development, validation, and implementation of the most common assays seen in clinical labs. It provides readers with practical examples for assay development, and experimental design for validation to meet CLIA requirements, appropriate interference testing, measuring, validation of ion suppression/matrix effects, and quality control. These tools offer guidance on what type of instrumentation is optimal for each assay, what options are available, and the pros and cons of each. Readers will find a full set of tools that are either directly related to the assay they want to adopt or for an analogous assay they could use as an example. Written by expert users of the most common assays found in a clinical laboratory (clinical chemists, toxicologists, and clinical pathologists practicing mass spectrometry), the book lays out how experts in the field have chosen their mass spectrometers, purchased, installed, validated, and brought them on line for routine testing. The early chapters of the book covers what the practitioners have learned from years of experience, the challenges they have faced, and their recommendations on how to build and validate assays to avoid problems. These chapters also include recommendations for maintaining continuity of quality in testing. The later parts of the book focuses on specific types of assays (therapeutic drugs, Vitamin D, hormones, etc.). Each chapter in this section has been written by an expert practitioner of an assay that is currently running in his or her clinical lab. Provides readers with the keys to choosing, installing, and validating a mass spectrometry platform Offers tools to evaluate, validate, and troubleshoot the most common assays seen in clinical pathology labs Explains validation, ion suppression, interference testing, and quality control design to the detail that is required for implementation in the lab

Beyond LC MS: The Next Frontier in Clinical Mass Spectrometry, An Issue of the Clinics in Laboratory Medicine,E-Book

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, edited by Dr. Martin Bluth, will cover a wide array of topics related to drug testing and toxicology. Experts will discuss common drugs in analgesia, toxicology techniques, errors and interferences in toxicology testing, toxicology considerations in pain and addiction medicine, toxicology in reproductive endocrinology, forensic toxicology, and toxicology in emergency medicine, among others.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine will focus on Clinical Pathology and is edited by Geza S. Bodor. Topics include, but are not limited to, Steroid measurement / Salivary cortisol measurement, Protein testing by LCMSMS, LCMSMS in the Clinical Laboratory, Laboratory Standards for Clinical LCMSMS, The need to teach LCMSMS to clinical laboratory scientists, MALDI-TOF in the clinical laboratory, MALDI TOF MS in the clinical microbiology laboratory, LCMSMS method development consideration in clinical laboratory practice, Cancer diagnosis using mass spectrometry, Adulteration and LCMSMS drug testing, Diagnosis of inherited metabolic disorders using LCMSMS, Harmonization of LCMSMS protein assays, Vitamin D testing by LCMSMS versus by immunoassay, Pain management testing by LCMSMS, and Development of FDA approved clinical mass spectrometer.

This issue on Diagnostic Testing for Enteric Patholgens is led by two experts in the field of clinical pathology: Alexander J. McAdam and Collette Fitzgerald. Topics include Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia; Escherichia coli; Campylobacter; Clostridium difficile; Use of markers of intestinal inflammation for diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis; Antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria that cause gastroenteritis; Norovirus; Rotavirus; Intestinal Abebae; Intestinal coccidia and cryptosporidium; Intestinal microsporidia; and Multiplex PCR tests for gastroentieritis. An added features of this issues a Q and A on a controversial area in clinical microbiology, related to STI testing. Several participants from different fields each answer the same series of questions; specialists from clinical laboratory medicine, public health and clinical patient care participate. Each question is introduced by the lead Editors.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine includes the following topics: Detection of cancer biomarkers by cerium oxide nanoparticles; Quantum dot-based assays for cancer biomarkers; Monoclonal antibody conjugated fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles for in vivo diagnosis of cancer; RNA quantification with gold nanoprobes for cancer diagnostics; Nanostructured silica materials for imaging in cancer; and Nanoparticle-based cancer cell sorting.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, titled Toxicology Testing, includes the following topics; Progress in Clinical Toxicology Testing, The Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic, Substance Abuse Among Healthcare Professionals, Pain Management Drug Testing, Ethanol Biomarkers, Newly-emerging Drugs of Abuse, Synthetic Cannabinoids, Synthetic Cathenones, Immunoassay Methodology in Drugs-of-abuse Testing, Toxicology Testing in Alternative Specimen Matrices, Principles and Procedures in Postmortem Toxicology, and Pharmacogenetics and the Future of Toxicology Testing. Advances in toxicology testing are paving the way for major improvements in the way scientists evaluate health risks posed by toxic chemicals. Toxicity tests help scientists better understand how the human body carries out normal functions that are key to maintaining health. Therefore, this topic is important to the field of Laboratory Medicine.

Molecular pathology has significantly matured over the past decade to establish itself as a discipline in its own right. Patient diagnosis, prognosis, management and care have been influenced by molecular pathology testing algorithms on a global scale. Whether it pertains to carrier status of deleterious genes, diagnosis by molecular techniques, assessment of appropriate remission post treatment, parentage or forensics testing – molecular pathology continues to increase its presence and influence in the diagnostic laboratory armamentarium. Furthermore, intellectualization and proprietization of molecular pathology with respect to the discovery of new genes and or new techniques continues to pose new challenges of test ownership, legalities, liabilities, widespread acceptance and utility. This issue of Laboratory Clinics seeks to provide selective state of the art understanding of molecular pathology with respect to its relationship to key pathology disciplines as well as the current challenges and promise for the future.

This updated issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, edited by Martin H. Bluth, will focus on Molecular Pathology. Topics include, but are not limited to, The Impact of Molecular Pathology on the Practice of Pathology; Molecular pathology techniques; Clinical Implication of MicroRNAs in Molecular Pathology; Diagnostic Molecular Microbiology; Molecular Pathology in Transfusion Medicine; Molecular Diagnosis of Hematopoietic Neoplasms; Molecular Diagnostics in Colorectal Carcinoma; Molecular Diagnostics in the Neoplasms of Small Intestine and Appendix; Molecular Diagnostics in Esophageal and Gastric Neoplasms; Molecular Diagnostics in the Neoplasms of the Pancreas, Liver, Gall Bladder, and Extrahepatic Biliary Tract; Current Applications of Molecular Genetic Technologies to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cutaneous Melanocytic Neoplasms; Breast Carcinoma; and Gynecologic Cancers.