Medicine and Surgery

Definition, limits, purpose, and methodological approach of Laboratory Medicine. The strategy for requesting laboratory tests: screening tests, individual tests, organ profiles, diagnostic protocols, therapy monitoring, diagnostic investigations. Analytical variability, pre-analytical phase, analytical phase, post-analytical phase. Accuracy, precision, analytical sensitivity, and analytical specificity. Biological variability, prevalence, diagnostic sensitivity, diagnostic specificity, predictive values, efficiency, and characteristic operating curve of laboratory tests. Interpretation of laboratory data: reference values, decision limits, analytical panels, time series, critical difference. Clinical Biochemistry Techniques: spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, nephelometry, electrophoresis. Plasma proteins and protein analysis. General functions of plasma proteins; main techniques for investigating plasma proteins; protein analysis: main plasma components analyzed and their functions, characteristic profiles of the main alterations and their interpretation. Characterization of monoclonal components: immunofixation and immunosubtraction. Automated cytohematology. Automated complete blood count (CBC): operating principles, equipment examples, and key parameters for erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets. The hematology analysis laboratory. Key abnormalities in complete blood counts. Iron, protoporphyrin, and globins: pathophysiology, clinical biochemistry, and laboratory diagnostics. Iron deficiency anemia, porphyrias, thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies, and hemolytic anemias. Classification of anemias and their relationship to CBC parameters.

Ciaccio. Trattato di Biochimica Clinica e Medicina di Laboratorio. Edizioni Edises.

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