Central nervous system infections, including

diseases like meningitis and encephalitis, are important

public heath concerns across the globe, as they occur

commonly and/or associated with high rates of mortality and

morbidity. Measurement of biomarkers provide objective

indicators of normal function or pathology, and can present

information that may assist diagnosis, assessment of health

condition, and evaluation of treatment safety and efficacy.

Early detection of acute myocardial infarction is crucial for deciding the course of treatment to preserve and prevent further damage to the myocardial tissue. During the last several years there has been a burgeoning interest in circulating microRNAs as potential novel biomarkers for acute myocardial infarction.

The universal definition of myocardial infarction requires both an increase in cardiac troponin concentrations and changes in values over serial measurements. However, exact criteria regarding the magnitude of change in troponin remain elusive. In the June 2014 issue of Clinical Chemistry, two studies on biological variation of serum troponins helped shed further light on the kinetics of this important cardiac marker.!

On the cover this month: "Chicago" Neon Sign. Each year the July cover

highlights the location of the AACC's Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo. It

does not take much effort to identify this year's host city. The Chicago Theatre,

built in 1921, was originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre. The

preeminent theatre for nearly 50 years, this ornate but obsolete movie house

closed in 1985. But it did not die. After a meticulous renovation, this 3600-seat,

7-story high icon with its 29-rank Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ regained

prominence and is as popular today as it was nearly 100 years ago. Of course,

there is more to Chicago than this one theatre. There are dozens of art galleries,

26 miles of lakefront, and the Magnificent Mile. But most importantly, this year

Chicago is the home of cutting-edge science and the world's largest Clinical Lab

Expo, which will provide you with all you need to make informed decisions about

the future of your laboratory. See you in Chicago!

Laboratory test results are used to aid decisions in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Consistent and comparable results from different measurement procedures are important for developing clinical practice guidelines, and for those guidelines to be applied to decisions about patient care. Yet results for many analytes are neither consistent nor comparable when measured using different clinical laboratory procedures.

One of the largest direct consumer genetic testing facilities, 23andMe, was ordered by the US Food and Drug Administration to cease marketing its Personal Genome Service test in late 2013. This occurred after 23andMe failed to respond to questions that the FDA had about the analytical and clinical validity of this test. While some support the FDA's actions because of the test potential for harm to consumers, some advocates of the technology fault the FDA for being overly paternalistic and impeding medical advances.

The clinical utility of molecular genetic testing relies on an accurate and comprehensive knowledge about the relationships between genes and variants, and diseases. Correctly interpreting the clinical significance of variants that may be detected continues to be a constant challenge for molecular diagnostic practice. This challenge has become substantially enlarged as next generation sequencing-based testing becomes rapidly integrated into routine clinical practice.

In the May issue of Clinical Chemistry, researchers involved

in the Copenhagen City Heart Study found that lower

nonfasting, circulating triglyceride concentrations are

associated with lower all-cause mortality.

This is the June 2014 issue of Clinical Chemistry, Volume 60, Issue 6.

Increased nonfasting plasma triglycerides indicating increase amounts of cholesterol in remnant liver proteins and are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In the May issue of Clinical Chemistry, researchers involved in the Copenhagen City Heart Study found that lower circulating triglyceride concentrations are associated with lower all-cause mortality.