Scientific Foundations of Biochemistry in Clinical Practice

Now available in paperback this text is aimed at postgraduates studying for membership examinations of the Royal College of Pathologists and scientists studying for higher examinations such as the MSc. It describes the scientific foundations of the biochemical aspects of pathophysiological processes, the data obtained and what the results mean.

Contents: GENERAL METABOLIC DISORDERS: Nutritional disorders; Obesity; Disorders involving disturbance in hydrogen ion concentration and blood gases; Disorders of fluid and electrolyte balance; Polyuria and disorders of thirst; Diabetes mellitus; The clinical biochemistry of alcohol; Psychiatric disorders of biochemical origin; The clinical biochemistry of neoplasia. CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY IN THE CARE OF SICK PATIENTS: Clinical biochemistry in intensive and postoperative care; Clinical biochemistry and transplantation surgery; Nutrition of the sick patient. CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY OF PREGNANCY AND CHILDHOOD: Prenatal screening for neural tube defects and Down's Syndrome; Prenatal diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases; Neonatal screening for biochemical disorders; Inherited and acquired mental deficiency; Neonatal and paediatric biochemistry; DISORDERS OF THE RENAL TRACT: The chemical analysis of urine; Tests of kidney function; Renal stones; DISORDERS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT: The assessment of gastrointestinal function; Tests of the functions of the liver; Clinical diagnosis and the acute abdomen. DISORDERS OF THE BLOOD CONSTITUENTS: Haem synthesis and the porphyrias; Haemoglobinapathies; Disorders of iron metabolism; Anaemias; Abnormalities of the plasma proteins; Clinical biochemistry of blood coagulation. DISORDERS OF THE NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM: Calcium metabolism and disorders of bone; Rheumatoid arthritis and connective tissue diseases; Clinical biochemistry of the central nervous system; The biochemistry of coma. DISORDERS OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: Hypertension; Hyperlipidaemia; Chest pain. ENDOCRINE DISORDERS: The hypothalamus and pituitary and tests of their functions; The thyroid gland and its disorders; Hypoglycaemia; Gastrointestinal hormones; Disorders of the adrenal cortex; Disorders of the reproductive system. BIOCHEMICAL ASPECTS OF TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY: The biochemistry and toxicology of metals; Laboratory investigation of the poisoned patient; The regulation and monitoring of drug therapy.

Readership: MRCPath candidates and MSc students, MLSOs, clinical biochemists, chemical pathologists.