Communications and Publications Division (CPD) of the IFCC
Editor: Tahir Pillay, MB ChB, PhD, FRCPath (Lon), FCPath (SA)
Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org

International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

November - December
2017

In t h is issue
 The retrospectoscope: a look back at WorldLab 2017 Durban

3 Record number of travel scholarships contribute to success of WorldLab Durban 2017 5
 Young Scientists Symposium at WorldLab Durban

6 IFCC Regional Representatives 2018-2020 elected7

 Let us join together to achieve excellence in lab medicine!

9 Opinion: our common home and the laboratory10

 IFCC Working Group on CSF Proteins and EC-JRC Alzheimer video on Euronews

11 IFCC standardisation of Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin (CDT)12 IFCC welcomes a new Affiliate Member: LMC, China

14

 IFCC is seeking an eAcademy Coordinator15

 IFCC app and IFCC Electronic Journal (eJIFCC)

15

 Season's Greetings from IFCC

16

 NEWS FROM REGIONAL FEDERATIONS AND MEMBER SOCIETIESSpanishconsensus on recommended values ​​for the lipid profileof the SEQCML POCT online database
Presentation


17
19

News

from Paraguay: evaluation of patients with kidney diseases

20

from the Chilean Society of Clinical Chemistry
News


21

13th

EFLM Symposium for Balkan Region

23

News

from Croatia: research integrity workshop

25

VLP

report from COLABIOCLI Congress26

Updatesof the EFLM publication list

27

EFLM

recommendation for venous blood sampling: call for comments29

 IFCC PROFESSIONAL SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE PROGRAMME (PSEP) experience at Mayo Clinic
My

32

The retrospectoscope: a look back at WorldLab 2017 Durban
22-25 October 2017

by Tahir Pillay
IFCC eNews Editor
Congress Co-president, WorldLab 2017
IFCC Worldlab 2017 Durban was a conference of manyfirsts, including being the first time it was held in Africa.
Durban was the chosen city because the original bid had
been submitted with the city of Durban in 2010.
In South Africa, Cape Town is the popular choice for many conferences, but Durban offered a unique African flavor
and was still an excellent city to host a conference. In any case, the new MedTech Europe directive1 does not allow
the touristic appeal of a city to dictate the choice of venue, therefore, in many respects the choice of Durban had
anticipated this philosophy or concept. Durban is a very understated city and can be thought of as South Africa’s
best kept secret and delegates soon discovered why this is the case.
The conference attracted people from many countries and continents and provided an eclectic mix of topics. It was
the first time that many delegates had either visited South Africa or, indeed, Africa.
Owing to the slightly shortened schedule (1 day), the programme was hectic but the numbers of attending delegates facilitated networking and interaction that would often not be possible with conferences that attract many
thousands of delegates.
A number of satellite conferences were also organized, attachedto the main congress and there
were many delegates who took
advantage of these.
Moreover, the conference wasa huge benefit to African delegates, who would often not
be able to afford to travel toconferences held in Europe,
the USA and elsewhere. In thisway, many African delegateswere also exposed to eminent
speakers.

Prof. Salim Abdool Karim, opening plenary speaker (second from left)
with Prof. Rajiv Erasmus (congress president); Fawzia Peer (Deputy mayor of Durban);Prof. Maurizio Ferrari (IFCC President) and Prof. Tahir Pillay(congress co-president and chair of the scientific committee)

The opening plenary lecture wasdelivered by Prof. Salim Abdool
Karim and the audience was enthralled by his overview of thefight against HIV and the recent
advances he and his group havebeen involved in.
Article continued on next page3

The closing ceremony saw the final plenary lecture by Dr. Bill Bishai from Johns Hopkins and the handing overof the flag to South Korea. It was the first time that an IFCC Conference featured the posters within an app. Thismay have had a downside that fewer people visited the posters but this was a result of filled schedule of talks
during the lunch times and the lunch symposia taking place.
It is hoped that the majority of delegates left with fond memories of South Africa and an appreciation for the
beauty, complexity and challenges in this great country in Africa.
Reference
1. Pillay T.S.: The new MedTech Europe directive: implications for educational activities in pathology and laboratory medicine. J Clin Pathol. 2017 Mar;70(3):185-18.

Entertainment by the Marimba Band at the opening
ceremony hosted by the Ethekwini Municipality

Delegates at the opening ceremony cocktail function

Closing ceremony with the representatives of the Korean
Association, Prof. Maurizio Ferrari, IFCC President
and Prof. Howard Morris, IFCC President-Elect

Delegates at the opening ceremony cocktail function

4

Record number of travel scholarships contribute to successof WorldLab Durban 2017
by Howard Morris
IFCC President-ElectA record number of travel scholarships strongly contributed to the success of the triennial International Congress of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine, WorldLab, held for the first time on the African
continent. The opportunity for the South African Association of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine to host WorldLab 2017 was
granted to stimulate the improvement of laboratory medicine practice throughout this rapidly developing and populous continent and tofurther assist the IFCC national societies in Africa. Critical to achieving
these aims was the attendance of numerous young clinical laboratory
practitioners.

Howard Morris

Members of the Executive Board were very much aware of the impactof attending our own first WorldLab Congresses. It inspired building a
rewarding career in laboratory medicine and had positive impacts oncreating interest in our profession and building national societies. To
this end the IFCC Executive Board allocated the historic level of funding for travel scholarships to support 70 young delegates. In addition,

the IFCC was highly appreciative of the philanthropic
support from Professor Jocelyn Hicks, who supported a further 4 travel scholarships and our Corporate
Member, Roche Diagnostics, for funding to support afurther 11 scholarships.
We were very pleased to receive applications fromsome 90 young African scientists who met the criteria
for support including aged younger than 40 years, priority for abstract presenters and each applicant had
written a personal statement highlighting what they
hoped to gain by attending this Congress. The scholarship provided 4 nights’ accommodation, contribution
to economy air travel to Durban and coverage of bankcharges. The Conference Organizing Committee contributed by providing registration for WorldLab 2017.
The IFCC was now faced with the challenge of identifying extra funds to meet the demand from these
excellent candidates. We turned to the generosity of
our National Societies to allow these young scientists
to achieve their dreams and were very pleased to receive an excellence response for this call for action.
Support for all 90 eligible applicants was achieved

through the contributions received from the following
national societies: Australasian Association of Clinical
Biochemists (5 scholarships); Association of Clinical
Biochemists – UK (1 scholarship), American Association for Clinical Chemistry (2 scholarship), CanadianSociety of Clinical Chemistry (2 scholarship), Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin – DE (2 scholarship), Malaysian Association ofClinical Biochemists (1 scholarship), Société Française
de Biologie Clinique – FR (1 scholarship), Saudi Association for Clinical Chemistry (1 scholarship). The IFCC
pledged to make up any shortfall.
The IFCC is extremely grateful for this extra support
from our members and clearly, as indicated by thereports of the scholarship awardees and the photographs from the WorldLab Durban Congress, feel vindicated for this effort. The future of laboratory medicine in Africa is immeasurably stronger following theCongress and we are confident that many of theseyoung clinical scientists will play key roles in our profession to improve the outcomes of their patients, a
key element in building their young nations.

5Young Scientists Symposium at WorldLab Durban
by Guilaine Boursier
IFCC Task Force for Young Scientists (TF-YS) member

The more than one hundred young scientists around the globe who received the IFCC Travel Scholarship
to attend IFCC WorldLab Durban 2017

The well-organized IFCC WorldLab congress in Durban
was a unique and historical occasion to feature young
clinical laboratorians from African countries and other countries to share their experiences.
The YS symposium featured young scientists from the
IFCC Task Force as well as established scientists; Ms.
Serah Plaifa and Prof Rajiv Erasmus. The symposium
was moderated by Dr. Graham Beastall and focusedon ISO accreditation and quality assurance.
We live in a world of globalization and accreditationof clinical laboratories may be an experience we all
share during our daily practice.

The information presented in the symposium was ofgreat value to those who wanted to improve theirknowledge about external quality assessment & internal quality control thanks to Dr. Miljan Savkovic,
followed by Dr. Guilaine Boursier who shared with theaudience the French experience of mandatory ISO accreditation.
We also learnt that the WHO is providing a national external quality assessment to South African laboratories
and that the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) is one of the three national accreditation
bodies on the African continent.
Article continued on next page6

Almost one hundred young scientists
attended the symposium and had
an opportunity to interact with theworkshop speakers and to network at
the conclusion of the session, thanks
to the dynamism of Prof. Vanessa
Steenkamp.
Such a nice symposium would nothave been possible without the support of the IFCC&LM and all our sponsors that provided scholarships andtravel awards for YS.
We would like to sincerely thank the
IFCC, Jocelyn Hicks, Roche Diagnostics
and the scientific societies of South
Africa, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UK and
USA for having made this symposium
possible.
Left to right: Prof. Vanessa Steenkamp – liason TF-YS;
Dr. Graham Beastall – symposium chair and the speakers;
Ms. Serah Plaifa, Dr. Guilaine Boursier and Dr. Miljan Savkovic,
who participated in the YS session.

We are pleased that this successful
event has brought in new energy andinsight into our TF-YS projects, andonce again allowed us to make global
connectiona.

IFCC Regional Representatives 2018-2020 elected
The IFCC Nominations Committee is happy to announce the IFCC Regional Representatives for 2018-2020.
We warmly congratulate the newly elected IFCC Regional Federation Representatives to the IFCC Executive
Board for the period 1 Jan 2018 -31 December 2020. We wish the new EB the best success to ensure the promotion of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine world-wide, promoting the ‘added value’ of laboratory
medicine to healthcare, enhancing international clinical collaboration and education and management support to developing countries, and communicating good laboratory medicine practices and patient safety. The
result of the ballot required to confirm (or reject) the IFCC Regional Federations Representatives’ nominations,for the term 2018-2020, was concluded on September 30th, 2017.
THE CONFIRMED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE REGIONAL FEDERATIONS ARE THE FOLLOWING:
ÂÂ Adekunle Bashiru OKESINA, African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC)
ÂÂ Abderrazek HEDHILI, Arab Federation of Clinical Biology (AFCB)
ÂÂ Sunil SETHI, Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (APFCB)ÂÂ Sverre SANDBERG, European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
ÂÂ Rosa SIERRA-AMOR, Latin-American Confederation of Clinical BiochemistryÂÂ Ann GRONOWSKI, North American Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Article continued on next page7

Adekunle Bashiru OKESINA

Abderrazek HEDHILI

Sunil SETHI

Sverre SANDBERG

Rosa SIERRA-AMOR

Ann GRONOWSKI

THE IFCC EXECUTIVE BOARD 2018-2020 WILL BE COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS:ÂÂ PRESIDENT: Prof. Howard Morris (Australia)ÂÂ PAST PRESIDENT: Prof. Maurizio Ferrari (Italy)ÂÂ SECRETARY: Dr. David Kinniburgh (Canada)ÂÂ TREASURER: Prof. Tomris Ozben (Turkey)
ÂÂ REGIONAL FEDERATIONS Representatives:
 African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC): Prof. Adekunle Bashiru Okesina (Nigeria)
 Arab Federation of Clinical Biology (AFCB): Prof. Abderrazek Hedhili (Tunisia) Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (APFCB):
Dr. Sunil Sethi (Singapore) European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM):
Prof. Sverre Sandberg (Norway)
 Latin-American Confederation of Clinical Biochemistry (COLABIOCLI):
Dr. Rosa Sierra-Amor (Mexico)
 North American Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (NAFCC):
Dr. Ann Gronowski (USA)ÂÂ CORPORATE Representative: Dr. Rolf Hinzmann (Roche Diagnostics)
The confirmation of the results has been officially presented at the Council on Sunday 22 October 2017 in Durban.
On behalf of the Nomination Committee, we would like to thank the candidates who campaigned and took an
active part in the IFCC electoral process as well as for their steadfast commitment to serving IFCC.
We congratulate warmly the newly elected IFCC Regional Federations Representatives.
Best wishes to the new Executive Board for a productive term 2018-2020!

8

Let us join together to achieve excellence in lab medicine!
by Bernard GougetCounselor for Public Health FHF
IFCC Chair-Nominations Committee
President Human Healthcare Section Committee-COFRAC;
General Secretary of the International Francophone Federationof Clinical Biology and Laboratory Medicine (FIFBCML),
SFBC-International Relations Committee
The concentration of the laboratory medicine sector is increasing worldwide.
This still very fragmented sector has been concentrated for several years
around two major types of structures. On the one hand, there are integrated
groups, such as Sonic, Unilabs, Biomnis etc., and on the other, independent
private practice laboratory networks, built around technical platforms, via
mergers or by forming subsidies from private practice companies.
This last form of grouping, a common legal structure with many regionalsites, with the advantage of preserving the private practice character of theprofession, is currently preferred by a number of laboratory medicine specialists. These structures constitute expert local networks with high techplatforms.

Bernard Gouget

In addition to the effects of scale sought by forming groups, this movement
is accompanied by a specific regional strategy of redefining the pathwaysof patient care, concentrating medical expertise, conducting training andorganizing to conduct research with supporting publications.

Given these new networks of regional scope, thepublic sector is setting up, as in France, cooperative
dynamic arrangements with regional focus while
combining two objectives: on the one hand, theguarantee of equal access to healthcare, and on theother hand, control of healthcare costs, notably hospital costs, by the regional cooperation of healthcare
facilities as part of a coordinated and graduated carepathway. Working with legal divisions and shifting
policies, cooperation between healthcare facilities
and laboratories has long been at the heart of the
distribution of the regional supply of hospital services. Also under increasing pressure, coupled withmultiple constraints and competition, the regional
cooperation of public structures is shifting towards
a group focus.
Any collaboration requires a reduction in the autonomy of legal entities or physical partners, involves
information sharing and at least partial coordinationof strategies, actions and operations. Ties of interdependence and even solidarity are created. Thus
cooperation must be understood above all as anindividual and collective method of connection. Cooperation is a way of resolving complex situations
faced by the hospital sector and a force to highlightthe added value of laboratory medicine. In the latest
law on the modernization of the French health system in 2016, functional cooperation is understoodin the sense of complementarity between hospitals
and laboratories.
Thus cooperation becomes a lever for decompartmentalization. Setting up regional hospital groups (GHT)
aims to enable facilities to implement a regional strategy of shared and graduated patient care in order toensure equal access to safe and quality care. To thisend, a shared medical plan and a shared care plan aredeveloped in each GHT. In each GHT, the member facilities jointly organize laboratory medicine activities.
Article continued on next page

9

The laboratory medicine plan is an integral part ofthe shared medical plan. In fact, this underlines theneed for consistency and connection between thelaboratory medicine organization and the clinical activity organization. The common organization of laboratory medicine activities is intended to be understood within the broader framework of GHT reform,taking into account, in particular, the establishmentof a convergent information system within each GHT.
Jointly organizing laboratory medicine activities also
leads to the understanding of other aspects in relation to specific constraints and environment, in particular any existing partnerships and markets. A joint
medical laboratory, set up between the facilities participating in the GHT, leads to a single accreditation
process and a better visibility of laboratory medicine
at the regional level.
Laboratory medicine is a particularly rich and varied
specialty, which has become an essential key player in the care pathway. It is a discipline at the forefront of innovation in continuous development due

to constant technological evolutions and scientificadvances. It is a multifaceted specialty that requires
mastery of medical and technical aspects. Quality is
guaranteed by the accreditation process in which allcountries are involved, ensuring quality and compliance with the rules of good practice according tocommon standards for all medical laboratories, bothprivate and hospital.
The landscape is changing and we are still at the beginning of group formation, but according to Comexium Consulting, history shows that nothing is written
because, on the one hand, laboratory medicine players, bio-financiers- and financiers are emerging eachyear, and on the other, many cessions have shown
that, despite belonging to a network or believing thatlaboratory medicine belongs to practitioners, whenit comes time to take off, the patrimonial aspect canquickly make everyone agree the terms of a cession.
Let us remain vigilant to promote innovative, excellent and locally-based laboratory medicine, serving
the patient.

Opinion: our common home and the laboratory
by Joseph Lopez
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Our planet is warming at an unprecedented rate. The scientific evidence
for this is overwhelming (see e.g. reference 1). While we scientists report this fact to others, we ourselves often do not do enough to mitigate
the environmental impact of our activities. It is time we woke up to thisshortcoming in order to play our part to protect the earth from the deleterious effects of our activities. After all, this is the only “common home”
that we have (2).
The profession of clinical chemistry can do a lot more to institute the 3
key elements of being green i.e. to reduce, reuse and recycle more, bothwithin the laboratory and even individually, among ourselves. One of thetargets of the IFCC’s 2009 Strategic Plan was to produce a set of guidelines for good environmental practices for clinical laboratories (3). The
same authors have published a follow-up document on this subject (4).

Joseph Lopez

Since then little has happened and the topic has not appeared on the radar
screens of clinical chemists. The recent WorldLab in Durban did not have asingle session on the impact of the clinical laboratory on the environment.
Neither did the APFCB Congress in 2016 nor the EuroMedLab in Athens 2017.
Article continued on next page

10

The IFCC as the global representative of our profession needs to take a leadership role in this matter tosensitise laboratories to their impact on the environment. Such an effort involves education andlaboratory management. Rather than take a bottom-up approach and passively wait for proposals
to come to IFCC, the new Executive Board can adopt
a top-down approach and direct the EMD to proactively look into the matter. For a start, a Working
Group could be formed. The IFCC could encouragecase studies and promote good laboratory practices
globally. There was a time not too long ago whenlaboratory quality and subsequently accreditation
were the flavours of the day. It is time that the IFCC
encouraged laboratories to look closely at their environmental impact and, where possible, work towards ISO 14000 certification for good environmental practices. If that is too big a goal, laboratories
could for a start by incorporating Good Environmental Practices into their quality programmes.
The IFCC also needs to co-opt its corporate membersin this endeavour. If the pressure is to come fromusers then laboratories can impose conditions onvendors, suppliers and contractors by buying instruments, equipment, reagents and services that areenvironmentally friendly. Instruments that consumeless energy and water, chemicals that pollute the environment less are but a few of several ways. Laboratories could, for example, contractually demand that
suppliers reduce and take back for reuse packaging,where this is feasible. We need to move away fromsingle use plastics to products made from biodegradable or reusable materials (3, 4). The construction of

new laboratories or renovations of existing ones provide an excellent opportunity to introduce a greenlaboratory infrastructure (5).
There is much we can and should do to go green but
it requires laboratories to first need to be conscious
about their environmental impact. We do not lack theknowledge or technology to be more environmentally
sustainable in our practices. We need to think green
and have the will to make changes.
References
1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA). Global climate change – vital signs of theplanet. https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ (accessed
1 Nov 2017).
2. Laudato si’, subtitled, “On Care For Our Common
Home”. Second encyclical o Pope Francis. Publ Vatican, 2015. Also available online. http://w2.vatican.
va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/
papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html(accessed 26 Nov 2017).
3. Lopez JB and Badrick T. Proposals for the mitigationof the environmental impact of clinical laboratories.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2012; 50(9): 1559–1564.
4. Lopez JB, Jackson D, Gammie A, Badrick T. Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clinical Laboratories(commentary). Clin Biochem Rev 2017; 38: 3-11.
5. Lopez JB, Hoyaranda E and Priatman I. The First
Green Diagnostic Centre and Laboratory Building inIndonesia. eJIFCC 2016; 27:84-87.
[The writer is a past member of the IFCC Executive
Board and a past President of the APFCB]IFCC Working Group on CSF Proteins and EC-JRC Alzheimer video on Euronews
Over 40 million people in the world are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. No cure exists today, however researchers are making rapid progress focussing on a small
protein in the brain called Abeta 42. Clinical trials are ongoing with the hope thatnew treatments may be on the horizon! The IFCC Working Group on CSF proteins in conjunction with the EC-JRC (formerly IRMM) presented their work on
Alzheimer’s Abeta 42 with a video released on Euronews. The Alzheimer’s Abeta
42 video has been broadcasted on the Euronews TV channel in 71 countries in 13 different languages.
Watch the video at: http://www.euronews.com/2017/11/20/takeaway-alzheimer-early-detection.

11

News from the IFCC Website
23rd IFCC-EFLM Barcelona Congress
website is now open!
We are happy to announce that the EuroMedLab Congress website is now open with all the information toplan your attendance.
Visit www.euromedlab2019barcelona.org to retrieve
all the information you need. Mark on your calendar
the dates: 19-23 May, 2019 in beautiful Barcelona!
													Read more

IFCC standardisation of Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin (CDT)International standardization of CDT measurement and interpretation
improves its use as biomarker for chronic excessive alcohol consumption
by Jos Wielders
Chair, IFCC WG-CDT
CDT (carbohydrate deficient transferrin) is a biomarker for chronic excessive alcohol consumption.
Its diagnostic accuracy exceeds that of traditional
markers such as γGT and MCV, while the skills andanalysers needed for measuring CDT are available inmost medium-sized modern medical laboratories.
Because the results obtained and the reference
intervals differed significantly between available
commercial methods the IFCC decided to start a
Working Group for standardisation of CDT (WGCDT) in 2005.
Very recently this standardization task of the WGCDT was completed by the acceptance in 2016 of thecandidate Reference Measurement Procedure by
the IFCC-SD (chaired by Prof Ian Young) and the subsequent approval by the national IFCC societies. The
present main goal of the WG-CDT, as agreed with
Prof Philippe Gillery, is to expand the knowledge

about CDT and the worldwide use of the standardized CDT, called CDTIFCC.
WHAT IS CDT AND WHAT DOES IT TELL US?
CDT is the abbreviation for carbohydrate-deficienttransferrin which is used as a clinical and forensic alcohol biomarker. The iron transport protein transferrin contains two carbohydrate chains with sialic acidend groups. Chronic excessive alcohol consumption
decreases the carbohydrate content of the molecule,increasing the amount of “carbohydrate-deficient”
transferrin. Transferrin and CDT, have a half-life ofabout two weeks, meaning that the CDT level becomes elevated after excessive alcohol intake over a
couple of weeks and will not return to baseline until after about 3-4 weeks of alcohol abstinence. CDT
has a higher sensitivity and specificity than traditional
markers like gGT and MCV.
Article continued on next page

12

WHEN IS CDT MEASUREMENT RELEVANT?
Excessive alcohol consumption is amongst the top-five five risk factors for disease, disability and deaththroughout the world. Single CDT measurements are used for objective detection of people engaged in chronic excessive alcohol use. CDT measurement is also becoming increasingly used in health checks of professions
where the client may put others at risk, such as public transport services and aviation.
In some countries, CDT is the cornerstone in regranting of a driver’s license in individuals being involved in a
traffic accident when driving under the influence of alcohol. CDT is also used in other medical issues with special implications for heavy alcohol consumption, such as pregnancy (first two trimesters), liver transplantationand pre-surgery check-up.
HOW IS CDT MEASURED AND WHAT ARE THE PRESENT REFERENCE INTERVALSAND DECISION LEVELS?
At present, three different analytical principles are applied for routine CDT testing: high-performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and immunonephelometry. Because both the measurand, being the actually measured substance, and the reference intervals differ between available methods the
IFCC decided to start a Working Group for Standardization of CDT measurement (WG-CDT) in 2005.
HOW WAS THAT STANDARDIZATION ACHIEVED?
The IFCC WG-CDT started with defining the analyte (disialotransferrin) and the way it is measured by an HPLC
candidate reference measurement procedure (cRMP). A number of experienced international CDT referencelaboratories running the HPLC-cRMP were selected and demonstrated to provide comparable results overtime. Multi-level serum calibrators and control materials were then developed and tested for long-term stability, to be used as candidate reference material (cRM).
The WG proved that all commercial CDT methods correlated linearly with the cRMP, indicating that standardization was possible. After a validation procedure of the cRMP and the cRM, both were approved by thenational societies within the IFCC, making them a formal IFCC RMP and RM.
WHAT IS THE REFERENCE INTERVALAND THE FORENSIC DECISION LEVEL FOR THE RMP?
CDT results obtained with methods that are calibrated against the HPLC-RMP are to be termed CDTIFCC. The clinicalreference interval defined using standard procedures has an upper limit of 1.7% CDTIFCC no lower level is defined.
For forensic application, the measurement uncertainty, as required by ISO 15189, should be taken into account, leading to a higher decision limit (also called cutoff) of 2.0%. This implies that a single CDTIFCC resultof 2.0% could be considered in forensic medicine as the highest expected numerical value without excessive
alcohol consumption, considering all sources of imprecision.
WHAT CHANGES IN REPORTING RESULTS?
WHEN IS THE CHANGEOVER TO THE NEW UNIT?
CDT results expressed in the new standardized CDTIFCC unit will be different from those presently obtained withcommercial methods. Especially for some capillary electrophoresis methods (manufacturer claimed upper levelof reference interval is 1.3%) and for the immunonephelometry method (manufacturer claimed upper level ofreference interval is 2.4%) the change in results will be significant. Manufacturers will adapt their inserts and /or software in the last quarter of 2017. From December 2017, it is advised that results will be provided both as
traditional method-specific results (% CDT) and as IFCC-standardized results (% CDTIFCC).
From 1 July 2018, only % CDTIFCC results should be used as recommended by the IFCC.

13

IFCC welcomes a new Affiliate Member: LMC
Lab Medicine Committee
China Association of Medical Equipment (LMC)
The IFCC is glad to welcome its 12th affiliate member:
Lab Medicine Committee, China Association of Medical Equipment (LMC).
The Lab Medicine Committee, China Association of Medical Equipment is a branch of the China Association of
Medical Equipment. It is a national secondary-level association approved by the Chinese Ministry of Civil
Affairs. It is a group specializing in professional academic research and practice in the construction and management of medical clinical examinations. This committee is a national social and educational institution thatis fully non-profit, commonweal, academic organization. Formed entirely by volunteers by public, scientificresearch and educational institutions and social organizations, related to laboratory medicine and laboratory
medicine equipment.
The purpose of work done in the Lab Medicine Committee, China Association of Medical Equipment is to promote the concept of “big test”, to build a platform for cooperation, learning, research and use, and to develop
clinical diagnosis and treatment technology. This is accomplished through exploration and introduction of
new ideas in laboratory medicine, creating a new culture to promote the development of laboratory medicine
and support talented qualified personnel, ultimately to improve the overall state of China’s laboratory medicine services to serve the cause of human health efforts.
At the same time, it will actively play the role of self-discipline, rights protection, coordination, supervisionand guidance in related industry, to improve the quality of laboratory medicine services and management tomaintain the legitimate rights and interests of the industry to promote the development of general laboratory
medicine.

News from the IFCC Website
eJIFCC Vol 28 n°3 (October 2017)
eJIFCC Vol 28, n°3 is now available.
In this issue you will find the following articles: "Postprandial dyslipidemia:
pathophysiology and cardiovascular disease risk assessment"; "e-Learning: a model
to support ongoing education"; "Compendium of Terminology and Nomenclatureof Properties in Clinical Laboratory Sciences”; "Correlation of HbA1C levels withbody mass index in newly diagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome"; "Factors affecting
quality of laboratory services in public and private health facilities in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia"; and "Retrospective approach to evaluate interferences in immunoassay".
The issue also features a "Case report: biliary pancreatitis with acute cholangitis ina patient under anticoagulant treatment with dabigatran".
										Read more

14

IFCC is seeking
eAcademy
Coordinator
IFCCanis seeking
an eAcademy
Coordinator
The eAcademy Coordinator will work closely with the IFCC Committee on Internet andDistance Learning (C-IDL) and will be responsible for coordinating the development of
new webinars for the eAcademy website. The coordinator will support communication withwebinar speakers (identified by the Committee), recording of presentations, and webinar
development using slides provided by the speaker and voice recordings. Familiarity andprior experience with eLearning software such as Office Mix is essential.
Other responsibilities of the eAcademy Coordinator include:• To follow up potential presenters recommended by C-IDL for specific eAcademy topics.
• To provide advice, troubleshooting and training to presenters during the production ofwebinars.
• To provide relevant documentation, including that relating to permissions and monetaryissues.
• To follow up progress on module preparation by presenters (it includes Key Words, CV,
Photo, Self-assessment, Quizzes).
• To liaise with C-IDL members to identify learning objectives.
• To coordinate recording of select presentations at IFCC conferences and development of
Webinars.
The eAcademy Coordinator will report to the Chairs of the Internet and Distance Learning
Committee as well as the CPD chair. Compensation will be provided for each webinar
developed based on an expected annual development of 20-30 webinars.
Eligible applicants are encouraged to apply by providing a full curriculum vitae and astatement of interest, sending them via email to colli-lanzi@ifcc.org.
Nomination by an IFCC national society is not required.

IFCC app and IFCC Electronic Journal (eJIFCC)
by Edgard DelvinVice Chair/Public Relations Coordinator, CPD

IFCC app Promotion
Reaching the IFCC website is easier than everthrough the newly launched IFCC app!
The IFCC Internet and eLearning Committee
and the Communication and Publication Division (CPD) would like to remind you that the
IFCC website can be reached by a single stepon a smartphone, iPad/tablet or laptop by
typing or copying/pasting the following link:
http://www.ifcc.org/.
Consult this information-laden site anywhere
and anytime!

15

eJIFCC indexing reminder

We remind all laboratory professionals that the electronic Journal of IFCC (eJIFCC)
is officially indexed by MEDLINE/PUBMED.
All issues from 2009 onward are available on the PubMed website(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/2920/).
Older issues will be available online in the near future.

Season's Greetings from IFCC

16

NEWS FROM REGIONAL FEDERATIONS AND MEMBER SOCIETIESNews from the Spanish Societyof Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML)

Consensus on recommended values for​​ the lipid profile
Under the auspices of the scientific societies
for Arteriosclerosis, Primary Care, Cardiology,
Family and Community Medicine,and Laboratory Medicine
The consenus may be summarized as follows:ÂÂ Currently, there is variability in lipid values ​​considered to be advisable by clinical laboratories, which may generate confusion and pose abarrier to the correct treatment of dyslipidemias.
ÂÂ The document´s aim is to recommend to allclinical laboratories the adoption of homogeneous recommended values ​for the variables thatmake up the lipid profile.
ÂÂ This consensus includes wide-reaching anddocumented information, such as epidemiological data for our country, existing barriers toachieving control of dyslipidemia and strategies
to avoid them, and recommendations on which
values ​​of lipid constituents should be reported asaltered.

as “baseline” or “recommended” and, therefore, used
to define dyslipidemia when they are altered.
In addition, the recommendations in international literature are based on population studies that are not universally applicable. For this reason, the reference or recommended values ​​that accompany analytical laboratory
reports may vary between different clinical laboratories.
This variability can create confusion among clinicians
who receive laboratory results and may be a barrier
to the correct treatment of lipid abnormalities (ordyslipidemias) and reduction of ischemic cardiovascular disease.

ÂÂ In Spain, it is estimated that 48% of men and
52% of women over 18 years of age have high total cholesterol levels, while 23% of men and 12%
of women have hypertriglyceridemia.

Recently, the European Society of Arteriosclerosis(EAS) and Cardiology (ESC) have developed a recommendation for the control of dyslipidemia, which
includes several novel aspects. One of them is the
non-need for fasting to obtain the lipid profile, which
requires the varying of concentrations of triglycerides
that are considered desirable.

Madrid, October 2017. Alterations in circulating lipid
concentrations (total cholesterol and its high --HDL-and low --LDL-- density and triglycerides fractions),
commonly referred to as dyslipemias, correlate withthe development of cardiovascular diseases of ischemic origin. Thus, numerous studies have shownthat interventions that “normalize” circulating lipid
concentrations protect against these diseases.

Faced with this situation, a group of professionals hasdeveloped the consensus document ‘Homogenization of lipid profile values’, under the auspices of thefive scientific societies of which they are part: Spanish
Society of Arteriosclerosis, Spanish Society of Primary
Care Physicians, Spanish Society of Cardiology, Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine, andSpanish Society of Laboratory Medicine.

However, in Spain, there is no unanimous agreement on
circulating lipid concentrations that can be considered“The objective of creating this consensus is to recommend to all laboratories the adoption of homogeneous
Article continued on next page17

the analytical report provided by clinical laboratories.
In addition, it establishes values for blood tests obtained both with and without fasting “.
The consensus is directed particularly at clinical laboratory specialists and recommends, in particular, theadoption by the laboratories of limit values ​​to consider the concentrations of circulating lipids as altered.
“Although it is also useful for any medical professional who has responsibility in the diagnosis, treatment,
and treatment monitoring of dyslipemias,” concludes
Dr. Ordóñez.
HIGH PREVALENCE
Dr. Jordi Ordóñez Llanos, SEQCML

values, considered as recommended, for the variables
that make up the lipid profile,” says Dr. Jordi Ordóñez
Llanos, one of the authors of the work and member of
the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML).
According to this expert, this consensus not only reflects the recommendations of the EAS-ESC, but also
includes epidemiological information for our country, and the details of the pre-analytical, analyticaland post-analytic sources of variation that may influence lipid concentrations or their evaluation; it also
identifies the barriers that exist to achieving controlof dyslipidemia, and recommends strategies to avoid
them. “In addition,” he adds, “it establishes a recommendation for the lipid constituents that the lipid
profile should include and, very importantly, whatvalues ​​of the same should be reported as altered in

Different studies estimate that in our country, 48% of
men and 52% of women older than age 18 have totalcholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L), while
hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides> 150 mg/dL, 1.67
mmol/L) occurs in 23% of men and 12% of women.
THE SEQC MLThe Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML)- founded in 1976 - currently comprises more than
2,000 professionals and has as its main objective tobring together all scientists interested in the ClinicalLaboratory field, to promote the diffusion of scientific and technical publications, to organize meetings,
courses and congresses of national and international
character, and to cooperate with other Scientific Societies. Likewise, the Society wants to contribute to thestudy and recommendation of standardized methods,
and to establish guidelines and recommendations fortraining in the field of Laboratory Medicine. For more
information: http://www.seqc.es.

News from the IFCC Website
Diagnóstico in vitro - Octubre 2017
Enjoy the contents of the new DIAGNÓSTICO IN VITRO October issue!
El Consejo Editorial del DIV ha elaborado para todos un nuevo número de la Revista
Diagnóstico in Vitro, con el objeto de mantenerlos informados de los eventos,
noticias, artículos científicos y publicaciones que se producen en el ámbito delLaboratorio Clínico.																														Read more

18

Presentation of the SEQCML POCT online database
by Paloma Oliver Sáez
Chairman of the Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Commission, SEQCML
called POCT ONLINE. Within both the Commission itself and our different work environments, we have always shared the view of the great difficulty that existed in quickly and easily finding the POCT equipment
and/or devices for measuring a specific test. The development and growth of this technology is exponential, which is why we began to see the crucial needto create a consultation tool that would resolve all ofthese observed limitations.
The SEQCML supported this idea from the beginning

Dr. Paloma Oliver Sáez

In 2005, interest arose within the Spanish Society ofLaboratory Medicine (SEQCML) in creating a working
group focused on Point-of-Care Testing (POCT). This
group created a “Guide for the implementation of laboratory tests at the point of patient care”, publishedin 2006.
Subsequently, back in 2012, the SEQCML promoted theincorporation of new professionals, which ultimately
led to the creation of the current Point-of-Care Testing
Commission.

During its first few years, the Commission developed
many activities, such as the creation of documents,
surveys, and publications, the organization of courses and seminars, and also participated in researchand development projects related to POCT. All of thiswas done in collaboration with other SEQCML Commissions as well as other scientific societies, such as
the Spanish Diabetes Society, which granted to thisCommission the interdisciplinary role so importantin this type of tests.
One of the latest activities of the Commission has
been the creation of a database on POCT equipment,

through its later development and incorporation into
the website. The POCT Commission began conversations with different in vitro diagnostic companies,
with the aim of inviting them to freely and voluntarily collaborate. Thus, the information offered in thisdatabase has always been provided by the suppliers.
The POCT and the SEQCML claim no responsibility
for the truth of the information or the quality of theequipment. As noted on the website, once the database has been consulted, it is the user´s responsibility to make the appropriate evaluations to choose
the option that best meets their needs and quality
requirements.
The POCT ONLINE database will be updated periodically in collaboration with the companies involved,
and will continue to be developed further with theincorporation of additional information that could be
useful for users.
Behind every announced result in the POCT environment there are many activities carried out by numerous professionals, such as the evaluation of methods, quality assurance, the training and qualificationof personnel, connectivity, daily monitoring of theequipment that makes up the network, reports of results, etc.
Once the benefits of the use of POCT technology inthe clinical environment is evaluated, a process begins
with the correct choice of equipment. POCT ONLINE
Article continued on next page19

was specifically created in order to provide, in a userfriendly format, extensive information that can help
users find and evaluate the equipment that best meets
their needs. As always, patient care is the main objective of our activities.

Information on the Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Commission, as well as the database, can be found in thefollowing link: http://www.seqc.es/es/comisiones/comision-de-pruebas-de-laboratorio-en-el-lugar-de-asistencia-poct/_id:22/.

News from Paraguay
Biochemistry laboratory approach and evaluationof patients with kidney diseases
by M. Montserrat Blanes G.
Paraguayan Biochemistry Association
Last October, in Asunción, Paraguay, more than150 biochemists were trained, in a congresscourse entitled: "Biochemistry laboratory approach and evaluation of patients with Kidneydiseases", during the IX Congress of Chemistry
Sciences and VIII Congress of Clinic Biochemistry of Paraguay. The course, coordinated by biochemist Montserrat Blanes Gonzalez, had the
purpose that each and every one of the participants should take into account the importanceof their work beyond kidney disease. In order toachieve this purpose, two speakers were invited: María E. Bianchi, nephrologist, Professor of
Physiology at the Medicine School of the Northeast National University (Corrientes, Argentina)
and Gustavo A. Velasco, Biochemist, responsible
for the Clinical Biochemistry area of “Julio C. PerL-R: Prof. Dra. Maria E. Bianchi, Nephrologist, Professor of
rando” Hospital, one of the most important hosPhysiology, Medicine School, Northeast National University,
pitals of the region (Northeast, Argentina). The
Corrientes, Argentina
Dr. Gustavo A. Velazco, Biochemistry, Coordinator Clinicalaudience was presented with a detailed frame
Biochemistry, Julio C. Perrando Hospital Resistencia, Argentinaof the physiological mechanism behind a simple
Prof. Dra. M. Montserrat Blanes G., Coordinator course
creatinine clearance, for example, and the comintra-congress, Paraguayan Biochemistry Association,
plexity of a standardization process when all
Asunción, Paraguay
laboratories need to harmonize their methods.
Clinical practice was addressed, establishing Diabetic Nephropathy and Chronic Kidney Disease as axes to show
the kidney function was affected. There was an excellent reception. The strength of the course was the motivation shown by the participants, who managed to understand the concept and the different interpretations
that the clearance formula has, depending on the substance filtered. The need for the joint work of nephrologists and biochemists was strengthened, especially for the development of standardization programs in clinicalchemistry. The weakness was that the “omics” and “genomics” approaches were presented as a wish for future
courses, since they are not accessible for the first line patient care in Latin America.

20

News from the Chilean Society of Clinical Chemistry
Report on 19th National Congressof the Chilean Society of Clinical Chemistryby Leticia Luna
Chair of the Scientific Committee, SCHQC

The XIX Congress of Chilean Society of Clinical Chemistry was held on 4th-6th October, 2017 in Santiago,
the capital and largest city of Chile.
This event takes place every two years gathering professionals from clinical laboratories of several regionsof Chile, academics from local universities and representatives of the “in vitro” diagnostic industry with aselect group of speakers.
The activities were organized in one pre-congresscourse, four plenary lectures, eight conferences, seven symposia and two workshops.
An update on immunohematology and blood centerwith a view towards self-sustainability and safety was
the starting point of the meeting as a highly attended
pre-congress course.
The meeting has received the significant support of the
IFCC through its Visitor Lecturer Program that made it
possible to include two relevant speakers: Dr. Veronica
Luzzi PhD, DABCC, FACB from Providence Health andServices, Portland, Oregon, USA and Dr. Gian Cesare
Guidi, PhD, Postgaduate in Laboratory Medicine fromthe University of Verona, Italy. Dr. Luzzi provided
the lectures “Human chorionic gonadotropin and its
multiple forms: challenges and achievements” and“Vitamin D assays in the clinical laboratory and what
they really measure”. Dr. Guidi addresses the importance of the preanalytical phase through the lectures:“Preanalytics in haematology and immunochemistry”,“Preanalytic aspects of Biobanking and ccfDNA” and“Preanalytics and personalized medicine”. Both speakers not only have offered such wonderful talks but also
have strengthened links with Chilean professionals
and students that will allow future collaborations, andby this way, improving the knowledge in this area.
This year the organizing committee has invited to Dr.
Jeanette Vega, Director of FONASA, the government
entity in charge of the funds administration and distribution destined to health, to deliver the keynote
address. She provided an interesting view of information technology as a critical factor for health transformation.
A wide range of issues were also presented: “Hepatitis
E, new perspectives” by Dr. Mauricio Venegas; “Clinicallaboratory contribution to the diagnosis and follow-up
of polycystic ovarian syndrome” by Dr. Nicolás Crisosto; “State of art in neonatal screening of phenylketonuria and other inborn errors of metabolism” by Dr.
Verónica Cornejo; “New findings in medical mycology
in Chile and estimation of national fungal burden” by
Dr. Eduardo Álvarez; “Reliable and recognized HPLC/
UHPLC and LC-MS/MS assays for the clinical laboratory” by Dr. Richard Lukacin; “Advances in automatedanalysis in the urinary sediment by fluorescence flow
cytometry and support in the decision to perform uroculture” by Dr. Domingo Osorio; “Quality management
system, design and implementation: risk management
process” by Dr. Pau Vila; and “Quality process systems
Article continued on next page21

that support manufacture reagents and components” by Dr. Charles Towne.
In the symposiums the following topics werediscussed: “The current challenge in determinations of hormones and neurotransmitters”,
provided by Dr. V. Luzzi, Dr. Eduardo Aranda
and Dr. Cristian Carvajal; “Preanalytical phase”
by Dr. Gabriel Lima-Olivera, Dr. Olga Panes and
Dr. GC Guidi; “Stem cells use in regenerative
therapy and immunomodulation” by Dr. Flavio
Carrion, Dr. Claudio Aguayo, Dr. Caroline Weinstein; “Plasma levels of therapeutic drugs” by
Dr. Juan Cayun, Dr. Sandra Solari, and Dr. Luis
Quiñones; “Point of Care Testing” by Dr. Javier Giraldo, Dr. Fernanda Mosso and Dr. Sabina
Vargas; “Quality and safety of the patient. Laboratory´s perspective” by Dr. Olaya Peñaoza
and Dr. Ximena Daza and “Current challenges
in mycological diagnosis” by Dr. Hugo Madrid,
Dr. Cecilia Tapia and Dr. Victor Silva.

Left to right: Dr. Jeanette Vega, Dr. René Gómez, Chair of Congress
and Dr. Angélica Lagos, Chair of SCHQC

The workshops were presented by international experts invited by sponsors: “Flow cytometry harmonization in oncohaematology,
the harmonaemia proyect” by Dr. Andre Marinato; “Significance of ionized magnesium levels (iMg2+) in critical care patients” by Dr. Federico Montealegre; and “β-hydroxybutyrate
use in diagnosis and management of Diabetic
Ketoacidosis” by Dr. Alberto Blanco.
Attendees also had the opportunity to hearfrom the authors of 17 oral communications
and 15 posters who shared their experiences in a very enthusiastic way, demonstratingthat young professionals and students canbe a significant contribution to the medical

Left to right: Dr. Eduardo Aranda, National representative SCHQC;
Professor Gian Cesare Guidi, IFCC- ABBOTT VLP
and Professor Leticia Luna, Chair of the Scientific Committee

laboratory. From this group of authors the Chilean Clinical Chemistry Society award recognized the work “Implementation of an analytical methodology for the measurement of the activity of the enzyme tiopurine s-methyltransferase through High Resolution Liquid Chromatography” authored by Alonso De la Rivera, Diaz M. andDaniel Navea from Dr. Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital Clinical Laboratory, Andrés Bello University and Clinica Las
Condes Medical Laboratory. And the “Biosystems” award recognized the work “Evaluation of 8 equations for theestimation of LDL-cholesterol in Chilean population” authored by Sergio Guerrero from ACLIN Clinical Laboratory.
During the closing ceremony, Dr. René Gómez, Chair of the XIX Meeting of the Chilean Society of Clinical Chemistry, thanked all the attendants for their enthusiastic participation and invited them to the next meeting on 2019.

22

13th EFLM Symposium for Balkan Region
Laboratory medicine management:
leadership skills for effective laboratory
by Snežana Jovičić
Society of Medical Biochemists of Serbia
Liaison Member of the IFCC eNewsletter Working Group
This year’s EFLM Symposium for Balkan Region entitled “Laboratory Medicine Management: Leadership
Skills for Effective Laboratory” successfully fulfilled
high expectations set thirteen years ago.
The 13 th EFLM Symposium for Balkan Region washeld on 21 -22 September 2017 and organized under
the auspices of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), Balkan Clinical Laboratory Federation (BCLF), Ministry of
Education, Science and Technological Developmentof Serbia and Ministry of Health of Serbia.
During the two-day Symposium, eminent foreign andlocal experts introduced participants to the latest developments in the management in laboratory medicine, leadership skills of laboratory medicine professionals, laboratory medicine planning, organizationand strategy, medical laboratory accreditation andcompetence, and laboratory medicine environmental
health and safety.

The Symposium was opened by Prof. Sverre Sandberg, the EFLM President, with the reminder of therole and current developments in the EFLM. The welcoming word of the Symposium President Prof. Nada
Majkić-Singh followed, when the participants wereintroduced with the Society of Medical Biochemistsof Serbia’s activities and the contents of the previous
symposia.
The lecturers were Prof. Paul Collinson (UK), Prof. Ivan
Brandslund (Denmark), Dr. Per Jorgensen (Denmark),
Prof. Sverre Sandberg (Norway), Prof. Bernard Gouget(France), Dr. Vera Lukić (Serbia), Dr. Snežana Jovičić(Serbia), Prof. Nataša Bogavac-Stanojević (Serbia),
Prof. Matthias Nauck (Germany), Prof. Mario Plebani(Italy), Prof. Tomáš Zima (Czech Republic), Prof. Svetlana Ignjatović (Serbia), Dr. Herbert Stekel (Austria),
Dr. Zorica Šumarac (Serbia), Prof. Duško Mirković (Serbia), Dr. Ciprian-Valentin Mihali (Romania), and Prof.
Dr Jelena Kotur-Stevuljević (Serbia).

Also, the optimization of the post-analytical phase,
economy of consolidation and decentralization of
medical laboratories, how to use laboratory information system and manage laboratory data, and also
how to implement economic evaluation of laboratory testing were elaborated.
Experiences regarding accreditation process and total
quality management were discussed, with the accenton the balance between the accreditation process
and patient safety, possible errors and risks in sample
collection and how to register frequent pre-analyticalincidents, and efficiently manage unexpected eventsand accidents. Special attention was given to laboratory reports form, its categorization and actions, aswell as to the use of statistics in laboratory practice.

Prof. Sverre Sandberg opening the Symposium

Article continued on next page23

The special lecture was prepared by the students of medical biochemistry from the Facultyof Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, organizedin the Team of Medical Biochemistry Students,
part of the Belgrade Pharmacy Students’ Association. Their representatives, Ana Đorđević andTamara Stamenić, presented their view on laboratory medicine management and leadership for
effective laboratory, in an original and refreshingmanner.
The central event of the 13th EFLM Symposiumfor the Balkan Region was the presentation of
the Honorary Diploma of the Society of Medical Biochemists of Serbia, as the highest recognition presented to foreign colleagues, andmeant for promoting Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine in Europe and globally,and for significant contributions to the workand development of the Society of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. It was awarded, so far, toProf. Victor Blaton, Prof. Stojan Danev, and Prof.
Simone Zerah.
On this occasion, the Honorary Diploma wasawarded to the distinguished Professor Mario
Plebani for his huge activity and great contribution to the development and improvementof Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
at the national and international level, as well
as for his contribution to the work and development of the Society of Medical Biochemistsof Serbia.

The Honorary Diploma Laureat, Prof. Mario Plebaniwith Prof. Nada Majkić-Singh (left)and Dr. Zorica Šumarac (right)

The 13th EFLM Symposium for the Balkan region, with over 200 participants from many
Balkan and European countries, fulfilled thehigh expectations defined during the previous ones. The presence of distinguished lecturers gave very high recognition and prestige
to this meeting, which influences the development of clinical chemistry and laboratory
medicine in the Balkan region and strives tofocus on the new data in the field of laboratory medicine.
This is the opportunity to thank them, as well
as all the participants, for another successful
symposium.

Representatives of Team of Medical Biochemistry
Students, Ana Đorđević and Tamara Stamenić

Article continued on next page24

Left to right: Prof. Sverre Sandberg, Prof. Nada Majkić-Singh, Prof. Bernard Gouget, Dr. Snežana Jovičić, Dr. Vera Lukić,
Prof. Nataša Bogavac-Stanojević, Dr. Per Jorgensen and Prof. Ivan BrandslundNews from Croatia
Research integrity workshop – Zagreb, Croatia
by Daria Pasalic
Zagreb University School of Medicine
Croatia IFCC National Representative
On 29 September 2017, the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine along with
its official scientific journal Biochemia Medica organized Research Integrity Workshop.
This one-day event took place at the Faculty of Food
Technology and Biotechnology Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences at the University of Zagreb,
Croatia and it dealt with research integrity challenges
science journal editors encounter.

Speakers and experts in the field Treffor Higgins, member of the Task Forceon Ethics at International Federation of Clinical
Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
 Mirjam Curno, elected Trustee and council
member at Committee on Publication Ethics
 Vedran Katavić, Associate Professor at University of Zagreb, School of Medicine and former research integrity editor for Croatian Medical Journal
Article continued on next page25

 Ana Utrobičić, Information Specialistat Cochrane Croatia
 Ana Borovečki, Assistant Professor at University of Zagreb and associate editor for Medicine
Health Care and Philosophy Journal Tjeerd Fuijk, product support specialist, Turnitin
The aim of the workshop
To gather research integrity experts and science journal editors in order to consider and debate research
integrity issues where there are no clear conclusions
or definitive recommendations. This workshop was
also an opportunity to share knowledge and increaseawareness on research integrity.
The workshop was organized in four sections:
ÂÂ handling submitted manuscript in Crossref
Similarity Check and technical challenges

ÂÂ detection of plagiarism during editorial process
ÂÂ ethical approval and informed consent
ÂÂ other topics concerning publishing in biomedical science
Each section started with a short lecture from an expert speaker, followed with a few cases prepared by
Research Integrity Editors from Biochemia Medica,
which cases illustrated the challenges they encounterin their work.
The Workshop welcomed 22 biomedicine journal editors from Croatia. The small group of participants andprepared cases allowed rather productive discussions.
As such, the Research Integrity Workshop successfully
fulfilled its goal in exchanging ideas and practices toimplement and use in further editorial work.

VLP report from COLABIOCLI Congressby Tomris Ozben
IFCC Treasurer
Chair, VLP program
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Chairof the VLP program and Abbott company for supporting my attendance at the COLABIOCLI Congress.

held every congress day between 10:00 and 19:00.
Poster defences were then received between 13:40
and 17:05.

The joint XXIII COLABIOCLI CONGRESS and XI URUGUAYAN CONGRESS OF CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY washeld at the Convention Centre of Punta del Este Uruguay, 17-20 September 2017.

On Monday, September 18, 2017, in the main auditorium, the IFCC sponsored symposium titled “the IFCC
eAcademy: Progress and the future” chaired by Janet
Smith was held between 08:00-10:50. Following the
IFCC symposium, I delivered my lecture titled “Potential Risk Predictors for Cardiovascular Diseases” between 10:55 and 11:45. The Chair was Juana Ortellado. The main auditorium was full and I received a lotof questions regarding cardiovascular disease markers
from the audience. The day was ended by the opening
plenary conference, held between 19:00 and 19:50,
and the opening ceremony between 20:00- 20.25.

On Sunday, 17 September 2017, a full day pre-congressworkshop was organized by the AACC.
During the main congress, five parallel sessions wereorganized from 18-20 September 2017. Simultaneoustranslation from English/Spanish was provided at themain auditorium. The participants of the congress
were students of Clinical Chemistry and Pathologists,
Medical Laboratory Technicians Licensed in Laboratory Sciences, Clinical Biochemists, Clinical Pathologists,
Biochemists, Biologists, Chemists, and Physicians. The
commercial exhibition and posters’ exhibition wereOn Tuesday, 19 September 2017, I took part in theround table held in the main auditorium, “Biomarkers
and new therapies in cancer” chaired by Marta Marcobetween 17:05 and 18.30. The first speaker was Mev
Article continued on next page

26

diagnostic and prognostic markers”. The last speaker
was Monica Vazquez-Levin and the title of her presentation was “From investigation to clinic: identifying
new markers of tumour progression and aggression”.
After delivering our talks, we answered the questionsof the audience.
Tuesday night, a dinner was organized for the speakers in a restaurant in front of the Hotel Conrad Punta
del Este.
On Wednesday, 20 September 2017, I participated in
the Workshop “Regulatory Aspects for Clinical Laboratories” which was held in the main auditorium from08:00 till 09:55.
I was the first speaker and the title of my presentation
was “In vitro Diagnostics and Evolving Regulatory
Changes in Laboratory Medicine”.
The second speaker was Sergio Bernardini. He spokeon “Automation and Digital Laboratory”.

Tomris Ozben

The last speaker of the workshop was Ingrid Lima andthe title of her talk was “Regulatory aspects for reagents and equipment”. After delivering our talks, weanswered the questions.

Dominguez and the title of her talk was “From genomics to genetic markers”. I was the second speaker andspoke on “Liquid Biopsy: Circulating free tumour DNA(ctDNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTC) as novel

The Congress was ended by the closing plenary conference delivered by Jean Claude Forest on “Hypertensive
disorders of pregnancy” between 19:00 and 19:50 andthe closing ceremony between 19:55-20.25.

Updates of the EFLM publication listby Maria Stella Graziani
Chair of the EFLM Communication Committee
EFLM can count on four more papers by EFLM functional units: the scientific relevance of these papers demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Working
Groups and Task Forces to the advancement of our profession.

in the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine.
Carobene A on behalf of the EFLM Working Group on
Biological Variation
J Lab Precis Med doi: 10.21037/jlpm.2017.08.13

The European Biological Variation Study (EuBIVAS):
delivery of updated biological variation estimates, aproject by the Working Group on Biological Variation

This Letter to the Editor is a reply of a comment written by CG Fraser on a previous paper by the samegroup published in Clinical Chemistry, also included in
Article continued on next page27

the EFLM publication list. Thanking prof Fraser for hiskind words of appreciation, the Author describes inmore details the EuBIVAS project emphasizing the design of the study that allows the collection of robust
data on biological variation (both within and between
subjects). These data could be used to define sounderanalytical quality specifications that are the basis forthe evaluation of new analytical systems and for setting criteria of acceptability of internal quality control
results and proficiency testing.
Strategies to define performance specifications in laboratory medicine: 3 years on from the Milan Strategic
Conference
Panteghini M, Ceriotti F, Jones G, Oosterhuis W, Plebani M and Sandberg S, on behalf of the Task Force on
Performance Specifications in Laboratory Medicine of
the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine
Clin Chem Lab Med 2017;55:1849-56
This paper describes the deliverables from the five
EFLM Task & Finishing groups established after the
1st Strategic Conference that was aimed to address
the definition of different models to set performance
specifications (PS) for analytical quality. The deliverables are related to concepts about PS for EQAS, how
to set PS for the extra-analytical phases, the need formore quality data on biological variation and the useof the “total error” concept. These concepts help thedefinition of what quality is needed and what measurement errors can be tolerated without jeopardizing
patient safety and should therefore be defined foreach analyte having clinical use. It is expected that
this work will now be taken forward, possibly by consolidating some of these activities in a permanent
structure within EFLM.
The EFLM strategy for harmonization of the preanalytical phase
Lippi G, Simundic AM. on behalf of the European Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) Working Group for Preanalytical Phase(WG-PRE).
Clin Chem Lab Med. 2017 DOI 10.1515/cclm-2017-0277
The EFLM Working Group on preanalytical phase(WG-PRE) was established four years ago with the aim

to promote harmonization in the preanalytical phase.
This article describes the achievements of the groupand illustrates future projects. Among the completed
projects: harmonizing the definition of fasting status,
patient and blood tubes identification, colour codingof blood collection tubes, sequence of tubes during
blood drawing and development of suitable preanalytical quality indicators. The WG-PRE has also provided guidance on local validation of blood collection
tubes, and has organized four European meetings topromote the importance of quality in the preanalytical phase. The future activities include developmentof an external quality assessment scheme on preanalytical variables, dissemination of a survey about the
local management of unsuitable samples in clinicallaboratories, as well as release of EFLM phlebotomy
guidelines.
Pre- and post-test probabilities of venous thromboembolism and diagnostic accuracy of D-dimer, estimatedby clinicians working in emergency departments
Kristoffersen AH, Ajzner E, Bauça JM, Carraro P, Faria
AP, Hillarp A, Rogic D, Sozmen EY, Watine J, Meijer P,
Sandberg S.
Thromb Res 2017;159:19-23
This letter to the Editor has been written on behalfof the joint Working Group on Postanalytical Phase(WG-POST) of EFLM and the European Organisation
for External Quality Assurance Providers in Laboratory Medicine (EQALM). It follows a paper published in the same Journal in 2016 (also included in
the EFLM publication list) describing the results ofa questionnaire sent to clinicians working in Emergency Departments in Europe. The present study
illustrates the results of questions about pre- andpost-test probability before and after receiving D-dimer results that were not included in the previous
report. The conclusions are that the clinicians estimated the diagnostic accuracy (LR) of the D-dimer
test for venous thromboembolism in line with what
is found in the literature, but they estimated a toohigh pre-test probability which also resulted in a toohigh post-test probability.
The list of the EFLM publications is available on www.
eflm.eu under EFLM Publications, where the available
papers can be downloaded.

28

EFLM recommendation for venous blood sampling:call for comments

The EFLM Working Group on Pre-analytical Phase

The EFLM Working Group on Preanalytical Phase,chaired by Prof. Ana-Maria Simundic, has recently released the final draft of the “EFLM Recommendationfor venous blood sampling”.
Click here to download the paper.
EFLM National Society Members are invited to takepart in the final stage of the development of the first
official EFLM Recommendations.
Comments have to be submitted to the EFLM National
Representatives who are in charge of collecting comments on behalf of the National Society Members andsend them to EFLM within December 10, 2017. Allcomments will be taken into account during the final
revision of the document.
After this public consultation and revision, final version of this Recommendation will be sent for final
voting to all EFLM National Societies.

Abstract of the guidelines
This document provides the European Federation ofClinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM)
Working Group for Preanalytical Phase (WG-PRE) recommendation for venous blood sampling and practicalguidance on how to successfully overcome potential
barriers and obstacles to its widespread implementation. It offers guidance on the requirements for ensuring that blood collection is a safe and patient-centred
procedure. Target audience for this recommendation
are healthcare staff members directly involved in bloodcollection. This recommendation applies to the use of
a closed blood collection system and does not provide
guidance for the blood collection with an open needle
and syringe and catheter collections. Moreover, thisdocument neither addresses patient consent, test ordering, sample handling and transport nor collection
from children and unconscious patients.
Article continued on next page

29

The recommended procedure is based on the best
available evidence. Consensus opinion about eachstep and requirement throughout the procedure wasreached after detailed discussions and involving a
mixture of stakeholders from over 16 EFLM member
countries, including nurses, phlebotomists, specialists
in laboratory medicine and representatives of venous
blood collection products manufacturers.
Each step was graded using a system that scores thequality of the evidence and the strength of the recommendation. The process of grading was done at several

face-to-face meetings involving the same mixture of
stakeholders stated previously.
The main parts of this recommendation are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Pre-sampling procedures;
Sampling procedure;
Post- sampling procedures; andImplementation.

We encourage professionals throughout Europe toendorse, adopt and implement this recommendation
to improve the quality of blood collection practices
and increase patient safety.

News from the IFCC Website
IFCC Call for Nominations						
Education and Management
Scientific Division C-STFT
Division EC

Scientific Division C-TLM

Applications by Dec 18, 2017

Applications by Dec 20, 2017

Applications by Dec 20, 2017

Scientific Division C-NPU
in collaboration with IUPAC

Education and Management
Division C EBLM

Education and Management
Division C-DL

Applications by Dec 20, 2017

Applications by Jan 22, 2018

Applications by Feb 5, 2018													Read moreNews from the IFCC Website
IFCC Slide Kit now available in HungarianThanks to the contribution of the Hungarian Society ofLaboratory Medicine (MLDT), the Hungarian version of theLaboratory Medicine Slide Kit is now available. Hungarian
speaking IFCC members can access the slide kit for the generalpublic to increase awareness of the role of Clinical Chemistry
and Laboratory Medicine Clinical Laboratory in delivery ofhealthcare. Visit the "Resources & Downloads" section of the
IFCC website to find PR resources (Brochures in 12 languages,
and presentations), Educational Resources, Programmes forDeveloping Countries and Register of Experts.
								Read more

30

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31

IFCC PROFESSIONAL SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE PROGRAMME (PSEP)
My experience at Mayo Clinic
by Cristina Bailén Ruiz
Spain
From July to October 2017 I was able to carry out a research Project on “Assessment of immune function gene expression in relation to Braf V600E mutation in Papillary Thyroid Cancer”, at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, thanks to thehelp of IFCC, SEQC and Jose Luis Castaño foundation.
I chose Mayo Clinic to carry out my external rotation because there are many interesting projects that could be
useful for my career in laboratory medicine and considering that the Mayo Clinic is a great research centre, I
thought it was a great opportunity to perform my external rotation.
My experience at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville gave me the opportunity to integrate into a research team and tolearn new technologies such as NanoString technology and the software interpretation and how to evaluate thequality of RNA samples with Bioanalyzer equipment. From the first day I had my own work space and my own
organization to carry out the project step by step.
Our main objective was to confirm the hypothesis that BRAF V600E tumors are immunosuppressed in Papillary
Thyroid Cancer samples. The working hypothesis was that expression of the BRAFV600E mutation was associated with decreased immune function and perhaps attenuated chemotherapeutic response.
My project consisted of assessing immune function gene expression RNA in thyroid tumor specimens for genetic
analysis. NanoString digital quantitative analysis of immune function gene expression was
carried out using the NanoString Cancer Immunology V2 codeset and additional immune
function genes.
I had the opportunity to assist in a videoconference about NanoString nSolver Analysis 3.0 and
Illumina training NGS.
In addition, I visited the core laboratory as I
was interested in knowing how they work in
the laboratory and the work protocols that are
followed.
It has been a great experience. I have learned
another way of working in the laboratory andabove all I have gained excellent training in NanoString technology.
Cristina Bailén Ruiz (second from left),
Dr. Aubrey Thompson (third from left), and team at Mayo Clinic

I would like to thank Dr. Aubrey Thompson for
all I have learned and Jennifer Kachergus who
was my day-to-day teacher for the procedures.

32

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Publisher
Communications and Publications
Division (CPD) of the IFCC
Starting in 2018, the Communications
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EditorTahir Pillay, MB ChB, PhD, FRCPath (Lon), FCPath (SA)
Department of Chemical Pathology
University of Pretoria, South Africa
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org

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