COVER STORIES
Evidence as Antidote
Will Comparative Effectiveness Research Help Labs?
By Bill Malone
Policymakers are demanding that healthcare choices in the U.S. be steered by real data rather than guesses, predilections, or profits. Now, public funding for evidence-based medicine is expanding, with billions of dollars for comparative effectiveness research becoming available under the healthcare reform law. AACC has partnered with researchers in the federal government to steer attention toward lab medicine, and major systematic evidence reviews proposed by the association are now completed or underway.
The Latest Guidance on Chronic Kidney Disease
How Will New Framework Impact Patient Classification?
By Genna Rollins
Guidelines on chronic kidney disease from an internationally recognized expert panel call for a new framework to predict CKD-related risk, based on cause, GFR, and albuminuria. The panel also defined a new role for cystatin C in better identifying patients at risk, and emphasized the importance of lab professionals in improving the care of and outcomes from CKD patients.
SERIES ARTICLE
Ovarian Cancer
A Review of Current Serum Markers and Their Clinical Applications
By Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, PhD, DABCC
The lack of an effective screening test has contributed to ovarian cancer's low survival rate. Although much effort has gone into the search for sensitive and specific tumor markers, few are available today. Laboratory professionals should work closely with clinicians to ensure the available biomarkers are used appropriately to help overcome this deadly cancer.
NEWS BRIEF
Vitamin D Deficiency Worse in Obese, Minority Children
SYCL SnapShots
An Introduction to Practical Statistical Applications and Software Tools
By Joshua Bornhorst, PhD, DABCC, FACB, and Steven Post, PhD
For laboratory professionals who wish to improve their statistics competency, software programs can help with general statistical analyses, as well as with analyses of laboratory methods and quality control data.
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