Promotion to Top-Tier Journal and Development Strategy of the Annals of Laboratory Medicine for Strengthening its Leadership in the Medical Laboratory Technology Category: A Bibliometric Study

Advances in medical laboratory technology have driven major changes in the practice of laboratory medicine over the past two decades by the development of automated, cross-disciplinary single platform analysers. This has led to the blurring of boundaries between traditional disciplines and the emergence of core automated or blood science laboratories. This paper was commissioned by the Union of European Medical Specialists to examine the changing role of laboratory-based physicians in the light of these advances by focusing on the added value of expert interpretation of test results and resultant improvements in clinical outcomes. The paper also considers the broad range of responsibilities of laboratory-based physicians and the difficulties in precisely measuring how this translates into improved clinical outcomes. Given its provenance, the paper concentrates predominantly on the role of laboratory-based physicians while acknowledging the essential and vital role of scientists in running diagnostic laboratory services.

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Comparison of regression for blood ALP levels using methods of the Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine in bovine, canine, feline, and human testing

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253396 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253396

Author(s):

Akihisa Hata ◽

Noboru Fujitani ◽

Masahiro Takeshita ◽

Chie Tanaka ◽

Noriko Matsuda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Veterinary Medicine ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Clinical Chemistry ◽

Animal Health ◽

Laboratory Medicine ◽

International Federation ◽

Medical Laboratory ◽

Japan Society ◽

Medical Laboratories ◽

Laboratory Technology

Livestock and companion animal health have a direct impact on human health. Research on clinical laboratory technology for veterinary medicine is as important as that on human laboratory technology. Reagents and analysis equipment for human medical laboratory tests are often used in veterinary medicine. Medical laboratories in Japan utilize the Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) method for blood alkaline phosphatase (ALP) analysis. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) method is used worldwide for ALP catalytic concentration measurement. When the IFCC method is used, human blood ALP activity is approximately one-third of the JSCC method’s activity. The JSCC method for ALP measurement was switched to the IFCC method in medical laboratories in Japan in April 2020 for global standardization purpose. It is uncertain whether conventional JSCC method reagents will continue to be supplied. In veterinary medicine, the relationship between the JSCC and IFCC methods in terms of ALP measurement is almost unclear. This study investigated the regression between JSCC and IFCC methods measuring ALP in bovine, canine, feline, and human. The regression formulas for bovine, canine, feline, and human ALP values using the conventional JSCC (x) and IFCC (y) methods are y = 0.379x + 0.124, y = 0.289x + 8.291, y = 0.358x + 0.432, and y = 0.337x + 2.959, respectively. These results suggested that the IFCC method measurement could be estimated by approximately one-third of the JSCC method measurement in animal species such as bovine, canine, and feline. By applying the conversion factors proposed in this study, a very good correlation could be obtained between the two methods for each animal.

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