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

N° 11/12 – December 2018

In t h is issue News from the Communications and Publications Division (CPD)3 IFCC General Conference“Laboratory medicine: preparing for the 2020’s”

4 Budapest IFCC General Conference presentations7

 Clinical Chemistry Trainee Council:
Course on study design in laboratory medicine

8 Accreditation: what’s next?

9

 Highlights of recent events in bioethics

11

 UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence: last call for nominations

13

 NEWS FROM REGIONAL FEDERATIONS AND MEMBER SOCIETIES The Slovenian Day of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

16 News from the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine

18 News from the Italian Society of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

21 News from Pakistan

22 Updates of the EFLM publication list24

 IFCC's Calendar of Congresses, Conferences & Events

25

News from the Communications and Publications Division (CPD)by Tahir Pillay
eNews Editor
DEVELOPMENTS IN CPD
There will be changes in the IFCC Communications
and Publications Division (CPD) at the end of 2018.
The electronic newsletter (eNews) of the IFCC falls
under the portfolio of the CPD. I will be completing mysecond term as eNews editor. Khosrow Adeli will complete his second term as CPD chair. Edgard Delvin will
also complete his second term as Vice chair/PR coordinator & chair.
I will be the new CPD chair from 2019 and we will havea new eNews editor and PR coordinator and chair of
the Public Relations committee.
The eNews (electronic newsletter of the IFCC)
It has been six years since I took over and there havebeen a number of substantial changes in the format
and frequency of the newsletter.
The newsletter has increased to a frequency of ten issues per year and it is available in PDF and flip-book
HTML formats. The print production of the newsletter
was subcontracted to Insoft Digital. The contract with
Insoft Digital started in 2014 and by November 2018
will have already produced 33 editions in digital “flipbook” format and PDF versions.
The newsletter has grown over the years and we took
steps to limit the page numbers, and cut costs by reducing the length of the articles. We also changed theagreement with Insoft in 2017 to take the additional
pages into account. We have undertaken strict editing
by imposing word limits and limiting of photos andalso used hyperlinks to provide supplementary information.
Requests for articles are sent to all eNewsletter WG
members, National Societies liaisons and National
Representatives (through the IFCC Office) with a reminder of the deadlines.

The reports of the IFCC Young Scientists task force and
the PSEP reports from awardees have featured prominently to highlight the contribution of the IFCC to international clinical chemistry and to feature contributions of members.
The new eNews editor will be Katherina Psarra, from
Greece, and she will start her term in January 2019.
I would like to thank Mrs Silvia Colli-Lanzi for her outstanding assistance over the past 6 years, Khosrow
Adeli for his excellent leadership and the immense
pleasure of working with him in the CPD. He has left
very big shoes to fill. I would also like to thank Edgard Delvin for the interactions we had and it wasalso a great pleasure to work with him on public relations matters.
The eJIFCC (electronic journal of the IFCC)
As was reported previously and also at the IFCC General Conference, the electronic journal of the IFCC
(eJIFCC) is now indexed on PubMed and the profileand quality of the articles is worthy of mention as thejournal is being widely read and referenced.
There are plans to apply for citation count indexing(eg. “impact factor” listing and equivalent) and thiswill increase the international profile. It is noteworthy
that the citation counts of the eJIFCC can be currently
tracked on Google Scholar and I did a quick analysis of
the most cited articles. The following are the mostcited articles based on Google Scholar:
Ana-Maria Šimundić. Measures of Diagnostic Accuracy: Basic Definitions. eJIFCC. 2009 Jan; 19(4): 203–211(cited 127 times)
Peter Nilsson-Ehle. Iohexol Clearance for the Determination of Glomerular Filtration Rate: 15 Years’ Experience in Clinical Practice eJIFCC. 2001 Jul; 13(2): 48–52(cited 35 times)
L. Thomas. Haemolysis as Influence & Interference
Factor EJIFCC. 2002 Jun; 13(4): 95–98 (cited 35 times)

3

IFCC General Conference“Laboratory medicine: preparing for the 2020’s”
Budapest, 10-11 November 2018
by Howard Morris
IFCC President

Our triennial General Conference is one of the mostimportant items on the IFCC calendar. It brings together National Society representatives to work with IFCC
officers to identify the current major issues for our
profession and to advise on our strategic plan to effectively address our mission.
In order to plan for the future it is useful to think about
why professional societies exist? Why do national societies join the IFCC? Why should clinical laboratory
specialists join national societies?
Three basic answers come to mind from my own experience. I want professional organizations to support
me through (1) assistance to meet my daily challenges in providing optimal clinical laboratory practice;(2) guidance to pursue a fulfilling career; and (3) the
opportunity for meeting, networking and exchanging
views with other clinical laboratory specialists.
To develop a strategy to meet the challenges of providing optimal laboratory practice we need to consider
our work environment and the major challenges facing
healthcare providers internationally. Our laboratories
are facing increased demands without the appropriate
resources as a result of growing rates of chronic diseases, increasing patient expectations, ageing of populations, increasing costs of medical advances and limited growth of healthcare budgets. These are difficult
and uncertain times for our profession but it is similar

for all healthcare workers. We as professionals havea responsibility and self-interest to discover and test
alternate methods for delivering sustainable healthcare. We need to be part of the solution not part ofthe problem.
During the conference a short poll was taken of thedelegates with some 60% indicating that their major
challenge in the laboratory was funding either the
allocated budget or reimbursement constraints. Approximately 15% identified either quality laboratory
performance or training and continuing professional
development as their major challenges and some 5%
identified either the introduction of new technologies
and new biomarkers into the laboratory or opportunities for career development.
WHAT IS THE IFCC STRATEGIC PLAN
TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES?
A. Clinical laboratory funding;budget or reimbursement constraints
The Executive Board has discussed this issue oversome time and is working to develop tools and conduct research to demonstrate and leverage the valueof laboratory medicine.
It is evident that implementing quality analytical procedures such as standardization and harmonization
are necessary for optimal clinical laboratory practice
Article continued on next page4

but by themselves they appear to be insufficient. We
have been improving the quality of our practice oversome 50 years but our achievements have rarely beenrecognized across the clinical disciplines or by financial controllers. We need an extra dimension to thiswork. We can publicise these achievements but weneed to publicise them based on evidence.
Therefore we need to build a high quality evidence base,including peer-reviewed scientific publications, reporting the impacts of quality analytical improvements onpatient and financial outcomes. We also need to leverage the value of laboratory medicine by using thesedata to raise the profile of laboratory medicine acrossthe health disciplines including the financial controllers.

General Conference in session (L-R): Howard Morris,
IFCC President, David Kinniburgh, IFCC Secretary,
Tomris Ozben, IFCC Treasurer, Rolf Hinzmann,
IFCC Corporate Representative

The IFCC is responding on a number of levels.
1. The Education and Management Division (EMD)
has established a Joint Committee with WASPaLM
on the Value Proposition in Laboratory Medicine(C-VPLM). It aims to conduct research on the use of
the value proposition to demonstrate the impact
of medical tests on patient outcome and healthcare expenditure and to develop a compendium oftools for such research to be widely conducted byclinical laboratory specialists.
2. The IFCC is a partner in the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award2 with AACC, EHMA, Modern Healthcare, Abbott Diagnostics and others toadminister this Award and identify and publicise

the work of teams of healthcare workers undertaking projects to demonstrate the value of laboratory medicine. A major component of the prize
for the first round winners will be the opportunity
to present their work in a symposium at WorldLab
2020 Seoul.
B. Quality laboratory performance/
quality laboratory specifications
Quality clinical laboratory practice continues to lie at
the heart of optimal patient outcomes. While we seek
to demonstrate the value of laboratory medicine,quality is the key component of value. The level ofquality we need is identified by the quality laboratory
specifications which is a major focus of the European
Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM). Furthermore defining optimal pre-analytical practice is being
undertaken by EFLM and the IFCC South American Regional Federation, COLABIOCLI. Each of the regional
federations is conducting scientific projects.
The inclusion of representatives of each of the Regional Federations on the Executive Board of IFCC, which
commenced in 2018, has brought us closer together.
This development renders the work being undertaken by the Regional Federations more accessible tothe international audience. Although each of the Regional Federations is able to effectively publicise theseachievements, the IFCC can assist to ensure the availability of this work internationally.
Standardization of assays remains a key component ofquality laboratory performance. The IFCC Scientific Division continues to provide leadership in this area andhas generated an enviable record. This work is translated into our routine clinical laboratories by the Joint
Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine,(JCTLM) a partnership between IFCC, International
Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
JCTLM is a key resource for the In Vitro Diagnostics
Industry to ensure the assays in our laboratories are
striving for optimal quality.
The IFCC is further developing its work in this area toinclude harmonization of clinical assays through hosting the International Consortium for Harmonizationof Clinical Laboratory Results (ICHCLR)3 as well as IFCC
becoming an ICHCLR Council member.
Article continued on next page5

C. New technologies, new biomarkers
Approximately 5% of responding General Conferencedelegates identified the introduction of new technologies and new biomarkers in routine clinical laboratory
practice as a major challenge. The IFCC has responded through the establishment of a fourth Division, theEmerging Technologies Divisions (ETD). The Division
has established three committees during 2018, Committee-Emerging Technologies in Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, Committee on Mobile Health and Bioengineering in Laboratory Medicine and Committee for
Omics Translation. Working Groups are being established under each committee to conduct projects
D. Training and continuing
professional development
Continuing major investment in the eAcademy is under way via collaboration between the EMD and CPD
to ensure the IFCC can provide quality on-line training and continuing professional development for ourmembers. A major accomplishment has been thedesign of a curriculum. All IFCC educational activities will be leveraged by focussing on the eAcademy
through utilising a variety of resources for the production of webinars including Visiting Lecturer Program
presentations, authors of eJIFCC articles as well as selected speakers. Coordinators are currently preparing
learning objectives and multiple choice questions foreach webinar so that participants can obtain IFCC certification for their educational activities.
We hope that National Societies can utilise the eAcademy webinars as an educational resource for meetings as the experience is likely to be enhanced whengroups of members come together to listen to thewebinars, discuss the topics and undertake the examination to obtain certificates. We urge National Societies to make the eAcademy a resource to build yournational society by providing training and continuing
professional development.
E. Opportunities for career development
The IFCC offers numerous programs for young scientists to develop their careers. These include involvement with the Task Force for Young Scientists andtheir innovative use of social media for networking
and skills development, the availability of scholarships for attendance at international congresses, andscholarships through the Professional Scientific Exchange Programme (PSEP) to develop high level scientific skills and the Professional Management Exchange
Programme (PMEP) to develop appropriate quality
management skills. Details of these schemes are available on the IFCC website.4
In 2018 the IFCC expanded the Mentoring Programmethrough establishment of the IFCC Working Group for
Personal Support (WG-PS), which matches a Young
Scientist with a well-respected experienced laboratory practitioner based on shared interests. The
programme is conducted by e-mail and/or Skype atno cost to any participant. It enables an Associate toseek advice on any laboratory or research issue on an
on-going basis and the Mentor is required to answer
the Associate’s questions or find someone who can.
IFCC MEMBERSHIPThe IFCC is currently a federation of 92 national societies as Full members, 15 national societies as Affiliate
members and 42 Corporate members representing
more than 45,000 clinical laboratory specialists. These
membership categories are recognized and definedwithin our Statutes and Rules along with the Regional
Federations. Over recent years there has been considerable discussion regarding the limitations of expanding the numbers of Full Members, particularly in disciplines of laboratory medicine other than chemistry.5
In order for the IFCC to expand our skills in these disciplines the EB will encourage recruitment of Affiliate
Members. EB will place before IFCC Council a motion
to change the dues structure of Affiliate Members
from a flat fee to one based on membership numbers
and World Bank socioeconomic status – similar to theFull Membership dues structure but at a discount because of the nature of Affiliate Membership.
Corporate membership is recognized by the EB as
critical for the translation of developments in assay
standardization and harmonization to achieve comparability between assays to the routine clinical laboratory. The EB aims to publicize to Corporate Membersthat they have largely the benefits of Full and Affiliate members including access to IFCC expertise andto submit proposals for projects to be undertaken by
IFCC functional units. A Task Force, reporting to the EB,
comprising of Corporate Members’ representatives,
Article continued on next page6

will be established in 2019 to identify and prioritize
their needs with particular reference to possible projects. Those projects recommended to be undertaken
will be assigned to the appropriate Division.
CONCLUSION
Our profession is facing unprecedented challenges andthe need for active and effective professional organizations has never been so great. The IFCC has adopted
a wide-ranging strategic plan including extending theskills of our members to measure the value of laboratory medicine and providing extensive on-line educational resources for training and professional development. We look forward to closer interactions between
national societies, regional federations and corporate

members to ensure all members can contribute to optimal patient outcomes.
REFERENCES
1. Wu L, Jülicher P, Liu L; ChiMei Medical Center,
Tainan, Taiwan and Abbott Diagnostics, Germany
Poster, ISPOR 7th Asia-Pacific Conference,
3-6 September 2016, Singapore.
2. www.UnivantsHCE.com
3. www.harmonization.org
4. www.ifcc.org
5. Beastall G. Shaping the future of laboratory medicine: an update IFCC eNewsletter 2016; January-February: 5-7.

Budapest IFCC General Conference presentations
The IFCC General Conference “Laboratory medicine: Preparing
for the 2020’s” held in Budapest on 10 and 11 November 2018provided an excellent environment for IFCC officers and Nationaland Corporate representatives to meet and discuss present activities and projects, and to plan and decide on future actions of
the organisation.
Sixty-five countries were represented, with a total of 249 IFCC officers and National Representatives and 60 accompanying persons.
A focus on progresses and trends, an opportunity to understand and invest in the value of laboratory medicine,and an opportunity to continue to work together to advance excellence in laboratory medicine for better healthcare worldwide.
Click here to download the Budapest presentations

News from the IFCC Website
Traceability in Laboratory Medicine at the General Conferenceon Weights and Measures (CGPM)
The 26th General Conference of CGPM was held in Versailles
from 13-16 November 2018. The CGPM is an important global
conference and business meeting on metrology, which is held
every four years. This year’s CGPM meeting attracted global
media attention because of the approval of a resolution torevise the international system of units (SI) so that they are all now linked to physical constants.			
													Read more7

Clinical Chemistry Trainee Council:
Course on study design in laboratory medicine
by Nader Rifai
Founder of CCTC programme
Ann Gronowski
Co-Chair, CCTC programmeThis is the eighth in a series of articles about the Clinical Chemistry Trainee Council (CCTC), a free multi-lingual
online educational program for laboratory medicine trainees and their mentors (www.traineecouncil.org).
Over 12,500 registrants from 157 countries currently use the CCTC, approximately 40% are from emerging anddeveloping countries.
The CCTC website houses a variety of educational materials and activities including a seven-lecture course on
fundamentals of epidemiology with a focus on study design in laboratory medicine by Dr. Julie Buring, a Professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. This course is housed under the section entitled Webcasts.
In this course, Dr. Buring discusses essential concepts in clinical study design and basic epidemiology using relevant examples from laboratory medicine to illustrate the various points.
Appropriate study design is essential for the accurate evaluation of the value of a laboratory test. Unfortunately,
study design is often not properly taught, if at all, during graduate or post-graduate training in laboratory medicine. In fact, one of the main reasons for manuscript rejection in Clinical Chemistry is poor study design.
This course will help to remedy this deficiency. The titles of the various lectures are listed in Table 1.
Table 1

Julie Buring’s Fundamentals of Epidemiology lectures

1

Interpretation of epidemiologic studies

2

Randomized controlled trials

3

Principles of study design and analysis: cohort studies

4

Principles of study design and analysis: case-control studies

5

Special Issues: p-values and confidence intervals; power and sample size

6

Special Issues: confounding and effect modification

7

Screening for early disease detection

This course has been shown to be useful and popular among students, trainees, and faculty members and has been
incorporated in the curriculum of training programs in laboratory medicine.
We encourage all trainees in laboratory medicine and their mentors to take advantage of this free resource andregister to gain access to these materials by going to www.traineecouncil.org. It takes less than a minute!
Enjoy the course on study design in laboratory medicine.

8Accreditation: what’s next?
by Bernard Gouget
Chair-Human Health Care Committee-COFRAC
Chair, IFCC Committee on Mobile Health and Bioengineeringin Laboratory Medicine (C-MHBLM)
SFBC-International Committee
General Secretary of the International Francophone Federationof Clinical Biology and Laboratory Medicine (FIFBCML)
Counselor for Public Health-FHF
Héléne Mehay
Director Human Health Care Section-COFRAC, France

Bernard Gouget

The first “Accreditation & Human Health Forum” held by Cofrac took
place on 6 November November 2018 at the Salons de l’Aveyron in Paris(FR). Dedicated to the theme “accreditation, a lever for healthcare efficiency and safety”, this event welcomed more than 500 healthcare professionals concerned with accreditation (laboratory medicine specialists,
pathologists and cytology specialists, radiologists, hospital managers,
biomedical engineers, risk and quality managers, technicians, patient’s
associations, Regional Health Authority representatives, etc … and members of the Human Health section of Cofrac.
This first Accreditation & Human Health forum under the patronage of
Ms. Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Solidarity and Health, made it possible totake stock of accreditation in laboratory medicine and to put into perspective the improvements and optimizations expected and the 2020
deadline. It also permitted discussions of accreditation of delocalizedlaboratory medicine testing (POCT) as well as the voluntary accreditationof the pathological anatomy and cytology specialists, and the expansion
in the near future of accreditation into the field of medical imaging, at
the request of medical imaging professionals.

Héléne Mehay

The first round table, coordinated by Bernard Doroszczuk, Director-General of Cofrac, in the presence of Catherine Grenier (French National Health
Authority, HAS), Patrick Boutinon (France Assos Santé), Prof. Jacques Isopet (CHU Toulouse), François Cornu (Eurofins Biomnis) and Franck Lebeugle (AFNOR Certification), was dedicated to quality expectations, approaches and tools in healthcare.
Three major lessons were learned:

ÂÂ Patient satisfaction must be considered in evaluating healthcare organizations, as well as the quality of
medical laboratory services. This expectation has become one of the priorities of the “Ma Santé [My Health]2022” plan that relates to improving healthcare quality and the appropriateness of procedures.
ÂÂ Quality approaches must evolve by integrating new indicators measuring the results of patient management and by simplification for better compliance of healthcare professionals.
Article continued on next page9Â Â Digitization and artificial intelligence aretools that will permit improving diagnostic capacity via an infinite database analysis capacity. These
tools, which will redefine the role of the laboratory medicine specialist and their relationship withclinicians and patients must be quickly integrated
into healthcare.
The second round table, coordinated by Bernard
Gouget, Chairman of the Human Health Section Committee, demonstrated the leading role played by
France in Europe and internationally. Wim Huisman,representative of the European Federation of Clinical
Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) confirmedthat ISO 15189 is now deployed in all European countries and recognized as an essential standard, whether
accreditation is mandatory or voluntary. According to
Lorraine Turner (UKAS), the United Kingdom is very
advanced in the diversity of medical sector accreditations, especially in imaging and oncology, and standard ISO 15189 is predominantly applied.
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission as an internal scientific department of the European Commission is at the centre of research andstudy of quality assessment methods in healthcare
sectors. Luciana Neamtiu underlined all the benefits
that an innovative approach could have in setting up
a standard care pathway in the treatment of breast
cancer, based on accreditation in laboratory medicine,pathology and medical imaging, as well as on the evaluation of good healthcare practices, in a harmonizedEuropean vision.
Anne-Sophie Degryse (Union of the In-Vitro Diagnostics Industry, SIDIV) reported on synergies between
laboratory medicine specialists and the in-vitro diagnostics industry described in the “provider charter” asa support for the accreditation process, and the challenges posed by new technologies in the face of increasingly stringent European regulation. “Healthcare
accreditation is undeniably a substantial international
movement today, reported Etienne Couelle, CEO of
Synlab France. Beyond categorial interest, laboratory
medicine accreditation is a source of harmonization ofpractices internationally, of excellence in services andoptimization of laboratory medicine. The entire activity

can be accredited, he added, and can only increase theconfidence of users and patients in the quality of services rendered.”
The afternoon was dedicated to assessing laboratory
medicine accreditation in France. Currently, 819 private and public medical laboratories are accredited
for at least 50% of their activity. These figures provethat the profession was able to reorganize itself by appropriating the mandatory “accreditation tool”, in acontext of changing healthcare needs and economic
restructuring.
The afternoon workshops, led by Cofrac teams, tookstock of the laboratory medicine accreditation process, its evolution and development. Hélène Méhay,Director of the Cofrac Human Health section, reported on strategic focus areas: optimizing and simplifying the accreditation process, notably by making
processes digital and adapting evaluation protocols;
recruiting and training evaluators; supporting development, in particular delocalized laboratory medicine and anatomical pathology and cytology testing
and medical imaging; improving the accreditation
service and its added value, especially by improved
communication.
Professor Jérôme Salomon, Director-General of Health,closed the forum and put laboratory medicine into
perspective in the face of the challenges of healthcare
system reform.
“Laboratory medicine has become a critical elementof the care pathway for our fellow citizens”, statedJérôme Salomon; «We no longer talk about complementary examinations, but rather a three-part medical approach associating clinical and laboratory medicine and imaging.” The Director General of Healthemphasized the important role of laboratory medicine specialists in antibiotics resistance and prevention of chronic diseases, and their role in the development of molecular biology, especially in the context of
the France Genomic Plan for 2025.
“Laboratory medicine is currently one of the driversof healthcare progress. This gives you great pride but
also great responsibility”, concluded Prof. Jérôme
Salomon.

10

Highlights of recent events in bioethics
Notes from the World Medical Association Medical Ethics Conference
Ann M. Gronowski
Department of Pathology & Immunology, School of Medicine
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
The World Medical Association (WMA) recently held a conference on
Medical Ethics together with a meeting of their General Assembly in
Reykjavik, Iceland. The WMA is best known for crafting the Declarationof Geneva in 1948 and the Declaration of Helsinki in 1964. Both of these
documents have been revised numerous times and have helped to form
the cornerstone of what we now know as modern biomedical ethics.
The Medical Ethics conference covered a variety of topics from Euthanasia to medical professionalism. Interestingly, a number of laboratory
medicine-related topics were covered. Here I will summarize some of
the more interesting presentations.

Ann M. Gronowski

One of the first plenary sessions was given by Kari Stefansson, CEO of
DeCode Genetics. DeCode Genetics is a Biopharmaceutical company
based in Reykjavík. Its goal is to identify human genes that are associated with common diseases using population studies, to guide development of candidate drugs for treatment. Tens of thousands of Icelanders
have contributed their DNA & medical records to DeCode. During his
presentation, Stefansson discussed the ethical quandary they now facebecause the company is aware of certain genetic conditions, such as
mutations in the BRCA genes.

The subjects apparently never explicitly consented
to be notified of personal health risks that might bediscovered. Stefansson stated that is an ethical imperative to let the subjects know. Others have stated, including the government, that subjects have the rightnot to know. This is a classic medical ethics quandaryof weighing patient autonomy against beneficence. I
am sure we will hear more about this important topic
in the future as more and more researchers uncover
medically actionable genetic mutations. To read more
about the DeCode debate, access the following links(https://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/right-not-knowwhen-ignorance-bliss-deadly, https://www.bbc.com/
news/health-32024158).
A session on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical carehighlighted some of the ethical issues confronting thistechnology. David O. Barbe, immediate past presidentof the American Medical Association (AMA), opened
the session. Barbe indicated that “augmented intelligence” was the preferred terminology instead of AI.
He also pointed out that the American Medical Association (AMA) had recently passed its first policy recommendations on augmented intelligence (https://www.
ama-assn.org/ama-passes-first-policy-recommendations-augmented-intelligence).
The policy states that the AMA will “identify opportunities to integrate the perspective of practicing physicians into the development, design, validation and implementation of health care AI.” Barbe also discussed
a recent special issue in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that focused on AI(https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/issue/320/11).
Article continued on next page11

It is clear that physicians appreciate the potential for AI
to improve the quality of healthcare, but are cautious
about the data used to develop it, how the programs
are used and ultimately how it effects the patient-physician relationship. Andrew L. Beam of Harvard University discussed a deep learning algorithm for detecting diabetic retinopathy using retinal photographs(https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarti­
cle/2588763).
While exciting he cautioned that many things can affect the quality of the results. They were able to alter
the results of the algorithm by making very minimalchanges to the photographs that were imperceptible
to the human eye. In addition, the program could accurately make other predictions about the patient including gender, age, smoking status and systolic bloodpressure (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551018-0195-0). The discussion following this session wasinteresting, with participants concerned about physician unemployment and de-skilling. There was also
concern about the accuracy of such tools. Of course,
as laboratorians, we recognize these concerns as common to the implementation of any new diagnostic
tool, not just AI.
Another laboratory medicine-related symposium
focused on clinical genetic newborn screening. Heidi Howard from the Centre for Research Ethics &BioEthics, Uppsala University in Sweden, discussed
ethical, legal, social issues (ELSI) related to genetic screening and gene editing. Howard pointed outthat newborn genetic screening does not obtain theconsent of the child, but consent is implied because
it is assumed to be in the best interest of the child.
For that reason, she is opposed to whole genome
sequencing newborns and thinks testing should focus on screening for treatable conditions. Howard
discourages screening for anything that predicts the
future health of the child. Howard went on to briefly
discuss the ethics of gene editing. She pointed outthat there are safety issues as somatic gene editing
could lead to gene line changes.
Can parents, who are desperate to treat/cure (?) theirchildren, really be considered truly informed? There
are questions about acceptable uses of gene editing
and is genetic testing and gene editing ultimately

leading to eugenics. Is there equitable access to gene
editing? Howard pointed out that the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) has created or endorses anumber of recommendations regarding genomic testing (https://www.eshg.org/eshgdocs.0.html).
Finally, a related session focused on non-invasive
prenatal testing (NIPT). Bjorn Hoffman, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Oslo
University posed many medical-ethical questions:
What conditions should we screen for? How severe
should the conditions be? Should genetic identificationof sex be allowed? What about social characteristics?
Who gets to decide what to screen for? Should it be thepregnant woman? Society? Medical health professionals? In what context should we screen? Patients withhigh risk of a genetic disease? Or all pregnant women?
What should be done when a condition is identified?
Treat? End the pregnancy?
Many of these ethical questions are the same for maternal serum screening. However there are some notable differences. NIPT will undoubtedly allow identification of a much wider range of genetic conditions.
In addition, as with any genetic testing, there are implications for other related family members that may
carry the same genetic mutations.
The session provided opposing points of view including a representative from the Danish National Association for Down syndrome who pointed out that patientswith Down syndrome can be productive members ofsociety and they defend their right to exist.
An argument was made for genetic diversity. Prenatal screening and subsequent pregnancy termination
eliminated this diversity and de-valued the living-members of society with such conditions.
This is an important question. Can you value people
with a disability at the same time as you de-value affected embryos? Clearly, part of the problem is that
there is no cure for many of the conditions being
screened. If the conditions were, in fact, safely treatable, it is unlikely that people would opt out of treatment in favor of genetic diversity. This is a difficult andsensitive ethical topic, which is unlikely to be solved
any time soon.
Article continued on next page12

During this meeting, the WMA General Assembly crafted and revised numerous policies, including a statement on gender equality in medicine (https://www.
wma.net/policies-post/wma-statement-on-gender-equality-in-medicine/), as well as a resolution
on migration (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/
wma-resolution-on-migration/). For a complete list of
the policies adopted during the meeting, you can visit

the link to the following WMA website (https://www.
wma.net/policy/).
In summary, the WMA Medical Ethics Conference
provided an excellent discussion of the most recent
ethical issues facing medicine. A number of these issues were directly related to laboratory-medicine. It
is important for laboratorians to be aware of theseissues to provide the best possible patient care.

News from the IFCC Website
eJIFCC Vol 29 n°3 - November 2018
The third issue of the eJIFCC for 2018 is now available. It is composed of articles focused on topics discussed at the conference entitled “Laboratory medicine: Meeting the needs of the Mediterranean nations”. The conference was held this year inRome, July 2-4, with Professor Sergio Bernardini as the Conference President. The
current issue is part one of a two-part series, and contains articles covering three
sections of the conference: • Transmissible diseases in the Mediterranean area
• Training and education in laboratory medicine • Improving health with emerging
technologies.
Read more

UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence: last call for nominations

The UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award application deadline is March 31, 2019. This award, in its inaugural year, recognizes interdisciplinary care teams around the world who have achieved measurable, innovative
impact within the healthcare system. To learn more about the award and how to apply, visit this webpage.
If you know any healthcare teams that might be interested in applying, please let them know that the deadline
is quickly approaching and share the application available here.
This year we partnered with leading healthcare organizations to launch the UNIVANTS of Healthcare ExcellenceAward program. The initiative set out to recognize interdisciplinary care teams around the world who haveachieved measurable, innovative impact within the healthcare system. The program’s greater mission is to inspire new solutions within healthcare that will positively affect patients, clinicians, payors and health systems
globally.
For more information, please visit UnivantsHCE.com.

13

UNIFY GREATERFOR SOMETHING

Announcing the 1st Annual UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award,celebrating teams of UNIFIERS who have applied AVANT-GARDE
approaches to achieve measurably better healthcare outcomes.

Learn more and apply for the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award at UnivantsHCE.com.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

© 2018 Abbott Laboratories

14

ADVERTISE
in IFCC eNews!
Showcase your products and initiatives to morethan 15000 laboratory medicine specialists
throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle
East, Africa and Latin America: laboratory
directors, clinical chemists, and other clinicallaboratory specialists and technologists, leading
manufacturers, distributors and dealers in thefield.
• Ten issues per year
• Free-of-charge to readers• Interactive digital edition

Published ten times a year:
No 1/2		
January/FebruaryoMarch
N 3 		oN 4 		ApriloMay
N 5 		oN 6 		Juneo
N 7/8 		July/AugustoN 9 		
September
No 10 		October
No 11 		Novembero
N 12 		December

For prices and formats andany further information on
how your company can gain
unique access to international
markets through advertisingwith us, please email us at:enews@ifcc.org.

IFCC Corporate Members receive
a 25% discount on current prices

www.ifcc.org

NEWS FROM REGIONAL FEDERATIONS AND MEMBER SOCIETIESThe Slovenian Day of Clinical Chemistry
and Laboratory Medicine
5th Open Day of Slovenian Clinical Laboratories
by Evgenija Homsak
Past-President of SZKKLMNational representative of IFCC

http://www.szkklm.si/si
In Slovenia, the 2nd of October is the “Slovenian Day
of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine” andit marks the founding of the Slovenian Association for
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (SZKKLM)
in 1961.
In the 1950s, our colleagues who had been working in
the field of medical biochemistry felt the lack of being interconnected within a professional society. They
wished for a society that would pursue better recognition of medical biochemistry in Slovenian health careand enhance its professional development and value.
In 1958, the Slovenian Chemical Society established a
Section of Biochemistry. Its members tried very hard toenrol medical biochemists as well.
On 2 October 1961, our colleagues of that time decided to join the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society andestablished a Section of Medical Biochemists within
it. The Society had 29 members (pharmacists, chemists, biologists, doctors and technicians) at the timeand acted as a part of and within the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society.
After 33 years, in 1995, the association became independent, under the name of Slovenian Association ofClinical Chemistry (SZKK) and with its own respective
first statutes.
Throughout the years, professional activities, and theactivities within the SZKK increased. The profession
achieved noticeable progress and development within the society during the 70s and the 80s. At that time,the internal verification of quality of work within clinical chemistry laboratories was enhanced; externalverification of quality of work was implemented; procedures of analysis were unified, educational system
was improved and branched; permanent courses of
education started including all profiles, with different
levels of achieved education (technicians, engineers,
specialists) and Republican professional College ofClinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine began tooperate.
The number of members has steadily increased over
the years and today the association connects 324 members with different educational backgrounds. Morethan half of them are university graduates in pharmaceutical, chemical, biological, biochemical or other biomedical professional fields. Most of them have also
successfully completed specialisation in medical biochemistry at the Ministry of Health.
Article continued on next page

16

The common goal of the society and members is toensure a constant development of clinical chemistry
and laboratory medicine in Slovenia, following international standards.
In 1994, SZKK joined the International Federation ofClinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC),
and in the mid-90s, it joined the European Federationof Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM).
Since that time our members have been actively involved in various working groups and committees of
the IFCC and EFLM.
In an effort towards better recognition and harmonization of our profession at the EFLM level, in March 2014,
the society was renamed the Slovenian Association
for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (SZKKLM).

SZKKLM is also associated with other Slovenian andforeign professional, scientific, research and educational institutions. In cooperation and under the auspices of IFCC and EFLM, the SZKKLM regularly organizes Slovenian and international congresses of clinicalchemistry and laboratory medicine; conferences on
the topic of accreditation and quality in medical laboratories.
By organizing regular professional meetings, seminars
and workshops, we ensure continuing professional
education for all of our members (including technicians, engineers and specialists). In close cooperation
with the Croatian Society for Medical Biochemistry
and Laboratory Medicine and with EFLM our society
has regularly organized EFLM Continuing Postgraduate Course in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine in Dubrovnik.
Considering the achieved equivalent standard of education since 1994 and EC4/EFLM registration, Slovenian specialists in medical biochemistry can also obtainthe title of European Specialist in Laboratory Medicine(EuSpLM).
According to latest and actual efforts of EFLM/EC4 andour profession to become one of the automatic regulated profession in EU through revision of Directive forprofessional qualification 2005/36, we have achieved,
as the first of 28 EC4 countries, the important andnecessary confirmation and signature from our government for agreement and acceptance of European
Common training Framework of specialist educationfor our profession in Slovenia.
In an effort, to increase the visibility of our profession,in 2014 SZKKLM, for the first time, organized the OpenDay of Slovenian Clinical Laboratories, marking 2 October, the Slovenian Day of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

Brochure for the presentation of the profession
and the poster to announce
the Slovenian Day of Laboratory Medicine
and the Open Day of Slovenian Clinical laboratories

Laboratories throughout Slovenia opened their doors
to the wider public and organized guided tours. Patients, journalists and other health professionals wereinvited to the laboratories, where they were shown
our working environment and diagnostic procedures.
The importance of our work in the health care field waspresented, as well as the difficulties we are facing inour daily work.
Article continued on next page17

On this occasion, we have also issued a common notice about the event in the form of a poster and thebrochure that represents our profession and is fromnow on available for the patients and visitors in allclinical chemistry laboratories in Slovenia. These activities were extensively promoted in different media(TV broadcasts and news programs, newspapers, radio), at the national level and on local levels as well.

Visiting laboratories and looking at /recognizing thelaboratories from different perspectives

The Open Day was warmly welcomed publicly andwas well attended. Thus, it is clear that it will assist
with the better recognition of our profession whitin
our country and will undoubtedly become one of a
traditional event on our “Day of Clinical Chemistry
and Laboratory Medicine”.

News from the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine(SEQCML)The National Clinical Laboratory Congress (LabClin 2018)

Between 24-26 October 2018, Bilbao hosted the main national scientific event for Laboratory Medicine, the National Clinical Laboratory Congress (LabClin 2018).
Clinical laboratory professionals defend their role in improving health outcomes•

Organized by the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), the Spanish Association of Medical
Biopathology-Laboratory Medicine (AEBM) and the Spanish Clinical Laboratory Association (AEFA)•

More than 100 speakers and moderators participated in the various scientific activities of the Congress,
such as pre-congress courses, symposia, workshops, communications, posters, and conferences•

Autoimmunity, allergy, and immunology; genetics and molecular techniques; reproductive pathology andprenatal diagnosis; endocrinology and hormones; infectious diseases, medications and drugs of abuse,
quality assurance; and cardiac and tumour markers, are just some of the topics that were addressed at thisgathering
Article continued on next page18

Bilbao, October 2018 - In October, Bilbao hosted the
XII National Clinical Laboratory Congress (LabClin2018), organized by the three national clinical laboratory societies, the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), the Spanish Association of Medical
Biopathology-Laboratory Medicine (AEBM) and the
Spanish Clinical Laboratory Association (AEFA), whichallowed for a Congress in which the interests of alllaboratory professionals came together.
The importance of this congress is that it represented
the principal national scientific event for laboratory
medicine, which together with the multiple and varied training activities provided by each of the scientific societies and by the professionals themselves,
made it a scientific reference for the field and reflects
the enormous professional stimulation of the laboratory specialties.
Dr. Mercedes Martinez-Novillo González, president of
the Congress Organizing Committee, affirmed that at
the present time “the clinical laboratory area is being
recognized as a field of knowledge whose leadershipand visibility we must defend and proclaim, highlighting the role of the laboratory professional as a key figure in the current healthcare model, which is focusing
increasingly on the patient, and reinforcing the roleof Laboratory Medicine in improving health outcomesfor citizens”.
High scientific level
The purpose of the Congress was to be a professional
meeting point of the highest scientific quality, encouraging the attendance of expert professionals-in-training, facilitating the updating of knowledge and theapproach to new challenges in the laboratory, as wellas constituting a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences of enormous value, facilitating
collaboration between different working groups.
For this, the scientific content and format of the Congress was key. Dr. Antonio Buño, president of theCommittee of Congresses of the Spanish Society ofLaboratory Medicine, explains that the creation of thescientific programme involved specialists of recognized prestige, both nationally and internationally, ineach of the areas addressed”.

Specifically, the scientific programme was based on
13 thematic areas: autoimmunity, allergy and immunology; genetics and molecular techniques; reproductive pathology and prenatal diagnosis; endocrinology
and hormones; infectious diseases and microbiology;
technical evaluation, point-of-care testing (POCT);
medications and drugs of abuse; renal and digestive
function; pre-analytics; quality assurance, information technology and management; haematology andhaemostasis; cardiac markers, and lipid and tumourmarkers.
Thanks to this variety of areas of knowledge, the Congress covered most of the fields that nowadays concern Laboratory Medicine specialists. In addition,
given that “laboratory professionals are increasingly
involved in hospital life, it is important to have knowledge of a broad range of disciplines, such as quality,
management, research and teaching, innovation, etc.,
so these subjects also have their place in the scientificprogram,” said Dr. Martínez-Novillo.
“The official activities of the Congress program, suchas pre-congress courses, symposia, and other sessions,were combined with workshops. All of this means that
there were more than 35 different activities in total,
and this ensured a broad coverage of the different
clinical laboratory disciplines in a way that enabled
the continuous training of the attendees (amongwhom were future specialists who are currently carrying out their periods of specialized training), andprovided updates on hot topics in our specialty,” says
Dr. Buño.
Throughout the three days of the congress (October24, 25, and 26) there were numerous scientific activities - endorsed by the excellent results obtained inprevious editions -, such as 4 pre-congress courses
and 10 symposia, not counting the close to 15 workshops organized by in vitro diagnostic companies (IVD)
conferences, and the presentation of communications
and posters, among other activities in which morethan 100 speakers and moderators participated.
Among the new highlights of this edition, it is worth
mentioning the introduction of a debate session format, presenting a current topic that was the subject of
debate between two positions. This new approach allowed us to provide new ways of sharing professional
Article continued on next page19

opinions, framed in the current healthcare situation.
Likewise, for the first time, communications in English were presented, allowing us to receive work by professionals
who were interested in participating in
the congress but who are not able to
do so in Spanish.
In addition, the IVD companies presented their latest news on both technicaland knowledge fronts in this high level
forum, contributing the criteria of innovation in the latest trends. “This platform represents a forum of interest foreveryone, and in addition the participation and ongoing collaboration of thesecompanies represents an endorsementof the specialties of Laboratory Medicine”, concluded the president of theOrganizing Committee of the Congress.

Snapshots of the SEQCML booth during the Congress

The SEQCMLThe Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML) -founded in 1976- currently includes more than 2,500 professionals, and its main objective is tobring together all scientists interested
in the field of Laboratory Medicine, topromote the dissemination of scientific and technical publications, to organize meetings, courses and congressesof a national and international nature,
to cooperate with other Scientific Societies, and to defend and promote
the specialties within Laboratory Medicine as well as its associates. Likewise,
the Society wishes to contribute to thestudy and recommendation of standardized methods and the establishmentof guidelines and recommendations fortraining in the field of Laboratory Medicine.
For more information: www.seqc.es.

20News from the Italian Society of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine (SIBioC)
50th National Congress:“InnovAction in Laboratory Medicine”
by Giulia Sancesario
Chair, SIBioC Young Scientist Working GroupAda Aita
SIBioC Young Scientist Working Group-Full member(International Connections Section)
The beautiful city of Naples hosted the 50th National
Congress of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine focused on “InnovActionin Laboratory Medicine” last on 16-18 October 2018.
The Congress was organized by the SIBioC President,
Prof. Sergio Bernardini, jointly with the Board of theSociety and the Local Committee composed of members of the University of Naples and of important Research Institutes.
The value of laboratory medicine in the context of sustainable health care was the central theme addressedin the Round Table by representatives of laboratory
medicine professionals, citizens and stakeholders.
A significant contribution was offered by Professors
Howard Morris (IFCC President) and Francesco Salvatore with the lecturers on “The Value of Laboratory
Medicine and “Longevity, from Predictive Medicine toLaboratory Medicine” respectively.
The Inaugural Ceremony and the Congress have beenenriched by the participation of members by IFCC Executive Board, Professors Michael Bennett, Bernard
Gouget, Michael Neumaier and Maurizio Ferrari.
The intervention of Prof. Pradeep Kumar Pabla, chairof IFCC Task Force for Young Scientist (TF-YS), on skype
from Delhi, represented an important link between
the IFCC YS-TF and the Working Group Young Scientists(YS) of SIBioC, coordinated by Dr. Giulia Sancesario.
The relationship between IFCC TF-YS and SIBioC YS had
already begun in Rome during the Conference “Laboratory Medicine: meeting the needs of the Mediterranean Nations” last July. Finally, during the Inaugural

Ceremony, the SIBioC President also signed the twinning with Kosova Association of Clinical Chemistry KACC, an IFCC full-member.
Scientific sessions focused on key topics in Laboratory
Medicine, such as diagnostic appropriateness, liquidbiopsy, biological drugs, extra-analytical variability,
microbiome, integrated bio-banking in healthcare,technological innovation, multidisciplinary diagnostics in haematological, and neonatal and pediatricdiseases.
The great attention to young professionals, expressedby the SIBioC President and the whole Society has
manifested itself with a scientific session completely
dedicated to the presentation of original contributions submitted by young researchers.
The session, namely “InnovAction: Diagnosis, Risk andPrevention” was attended by a large number of professionals. Travel Grants, three best posters awards
and free registration of residents were made available
to promote the active participation of young professionals to the Society.
Congress contributions have been published by thejournal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine(CCLM) and are now available at https://doi.org/
10.1515/cclm-2018-1050.
In conclusion, the Congress offered an excellent opportunity for exchange and participation. We hope in
the future to continue promoting the participation ofyoung professionals to national and international societies and strengthening the collaboration between
the YSs all over the world.
Article continued on next page21

Prof. Michael J. Bennett with Dr. Giulia Sancesario, Prof. Martina Montagnana (right) and SIBioC Young Scientists

News from Pakistan
Report on a Multidisciplinary Symposiumon ‘Management of Vitamin D deficiency and Osteoporosis’
by Hafsa Majid
Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
World Osteoporosis Day is celebrated worldwide every
year on 20 October to create awareness of this important non-communicable disease. At the Aga Khan University, we have been celebrating this day since 2015.
This year also, on 19 October 2018, the research groupon ‘Bone and Mineral disorders’ of Aga Khan University conducted multidisciplinary symposia to celebrateworld osteoporosis day.
This activity by the research group on ‘Bone and Mineral disorders’ of Aga Khan University, Service lines
Clinical Laboratories, Musculoskeletal and Medicine,
Department of Continued Medical Education, AKU
under the auspices of Pakistan Society of Chemical Pathology, Pakistan Orthopaedic Association andInternational Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Presenters from different specialties
delivered talks related to diagnosis and managementof different metabolic bone disorders, ranging from vitamin D deficiency to osteoporosis and advancementsin Pharmacotherapies for osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency are prevalentin our part of the world. There are practice variations
in treatment of these non-communicable disease.
The aim of this programme was to improve the quality of care delivered to patients with osteoporosis
and vitamin D deficiency by educating the physicians
about the clinical utility of available biochemical andradiological investigations and the preventive role
Article continued on next page22

of lifestyle factors in bone health. Along with it advancements in pharmacological management of osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency and updates on
the preventive role the lifestyle factors that can playin achieving good bone health were addressed.
The event started with recitation of a few verses from
Holy Quran followed by an online quiz conducted via‘Kahoot’ to gain an idea about participants understanding of diagnosis and management of vitamin D
deficiency and osteoporosis. The programme was divided into two parts, first , related to diagnosis, identification of risk factors and the second part focused on
supplementation and pharmacotherapy of osteoporosis. Dr. Lena Jafri, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, AKU presented a talkon risk factors and radiological identification of osteoporosis. Following her talk Dr. Sibtain Ahmed, Senior
Instructor, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, AKU gave his talk on ‘The Mat caused the fall but
what caused the fracture’, an insight into the causesof secondary osteoporosis. This talk was followed by
an important presentation by Dr. Romaina Iqbal, Associate Professor in Department of Community Health
Sciences AKU, on ‘Bone Health and Lifestyle Factors’.
She talked about the different simple life style modifications which can improve bone health.

Group photo of presenters and panelistof a healthy and an osteoporotic bone and the bestposter was awarded at the end of the programme.

The second part of the program started with a talkgiven by Dr. Hafsa Majid on ‘management of vitamin
D deficiency: issues and challenges’. She addressed
the need for cautious supplementation and monitoring patients when treating by mega-doses of vitamin D. Then Dr. Masood Umer, Associate Professor,
Orthopedics, AKU presented on ‘Bisphosphonate use
Next was an interactive poster making session on thefor osteoporosis’. He stressed the importance of drug
theme of Love your Bones: participants drew posters
holidays to prevent adverse effects related to continuous drug use and also shared clinical experience of patients presenting with atypical
fractures. The last talk of the session wasgiven by Dr. Mehmood Riaz, Associate Professor, Rheumatology, AKU on ‘Newer Therapies for Management of Osteoporosis’. He
stressed the importance of selecting thebest therapeutic strategy based on the individual patient. At the end Dr. Aysha Habib
Khan, Associate Professor, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, AKU conducted the ‘Kahoot’ online quiz related to topics
discussed in the presentations of this CME
activity to assess the knowledge gained.
This was followed by a panel discussion andcertificate presentation to all the presenters
Photo of symbolic walk on World Osteoporosis Day
and panelist.
Article continued on next page23

The programme concluded with a symbolic walk from the AKU auditorium to the male hostel garden and networking tea.
This educational activity was well attended by wide range of participants from different institutes or hospitalsof Karachi. Participants included medical students, residents, and physicians from various specialties including,
general physicians, rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, endocrinologists, pathologists, gynecologists, physiotherapist, dieticians, and nutritionist. The participants found the activity very insightful and comprehensive andthanked the organizers for sharing their rich and educational experience.

Updates of the EFLM publication listby Maria Stella Graziani
Chair, EFLM Communication Committee
A couple of EFLM papers have been added recently to our publication list.
The first one has been produced by the EFLM WG on Test Evaluation.
Practical guide for identifying unmet clinical needs for biomarkers
Monaghan PJ, Robinson S, Rajdl D, Bossuyt PMM, Sandberg S, St John A, O’Kane M, Lennartz L, Röddiger R, Lord
SJ, Cobbaert CM, Horvath AR. for the Test Evaluation EFLM WG.
EJIFCC. 2018;29:129-37
The paper illustrates the work carried on by the EFLM TE-WG in approaching the development of new biomarkers and testing strategies with a close attention to existing clinical pathways, including mapping of current
pathways and identifying areas of unmet need. The WG has produced first a conceptual framework of the test
evaluation cycle which is driven by the clinical pathway, inherent to which is the test purpose and role within thepathway that are defined by clinical need. To supplement this framework, the EFLM TE-WG has also published
an interactive checklist for identifying unmet clinical needs for new biomarkers; a practical tool equally usable bylaboratories, clinicians, researchers and industry. Both tools are available at the WG-TE web page (https://www.
eﬂm.eu/site/page/a/1158).
The second one has been published by the indefatigable WG on Biological Variation (WG-BV).
Systematic review of the biological variation data for diabetes related analytes
González-Lao E, Corte Z, Simón M, Ricós C, Coskun A, Braga F, Aarsand A.K, Carobene A, Bartlett WA, Boned B,
Asland B, Díaz-Garzón J, Marqués-García F, Minchinela J, Perich C, Fernández-Calle P, Roraas T, Fernández-Fernández P, Jonker N, Sandberg S.
Clin Chim Acta 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2018.10.031
The aim of this study was to quality assess publications reporting biological variation data for diabetes-related
analytes using the Biological Variation Data Critical Appraisal Checklist (BIVAC) developed and made available tothe scientific community by the WG-BV. BIVAC assessment of 47 publications delivered 1 A (highest quality), 3 B,
39 C and 4 D (poorest quality) gradings. Publications relating to adiponectin, C-peptide, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, lactate andpyruvate were all assessed as grade C. Meta-analysis enabled global BV estimates for all analytes except pyruvate,lactate and fructosamine.
It can be concluded that there remains a need for delivery of new high-quality BV studies for several clinicallyimportant analytes.

24

IFCC's Calendar of Congresses, Conferences & Events
Calendar of IFCC Congresses/Conferences
and Regional Federations' Congresses

May 19 - 23, 2019

XXIII IFCC - EFLM EuroMedLab
Barcelona 2019

Barcelona, ES

Sep 11 - 13, 2019

COLABIOCLI Regional Congress 2019Panama, PA

Nov 17 - 20, 2019

APFCB Regional Congress 2019

Jaipur, IN

May 24 - 28, 2020

XXIV IFCC WorldLab
Seoul 2020

Seoul, KR

May 16 - 20, 2021

XXIV IFCC - EFLM EuroMedLab
Munich 2021

Munich, DE

May 21 - 25, 2023

XXV IFCC - EFLM WorldLab
EuroMedLab - Rome 2023

Rome, IT

Calendar continued on next page25

Calendar of events with IFCC auspices
Dec 5 - 6, 2018

4th Annual Meeting, Saudi Society for Clinical Chemistry

Riyadh, SA

Dec 7 - 8, 2018

JBP 2018 - Journées de Biologie Praticienne

Paris, FR

Dec 24 - 27, 2018

ICB 2018 - 2nd International Congress on Biomedicine

Teheran, IR

Feb 7 - 8, 2019

International Congress on Quality in Laboratory Medicine

Helsinki, FI

Mar 22 - 23, 2019

5th EFLM European Conference on Preanalytical Phase“Preanalytical Challenges - time for solutions”

Zagreb, HR

Apr 4 - 5, 2019

10th European Symposium on Clinical Laboratory
and In Vitro Diagnostic Industry: ‘The Clinical Laboratory
in the Pregnancy Monitoring'

Barcelona, ES

Apr 11 - 12, 201915th Belgrade Symposium for Balkan Region

Belgrade, SRB

May 1 - 3, 2019

Focus 2019 – Annual Meeting of the ACB

Glasgow, UK

May 18, 2019

VII International Symposium Laboratory Medicine and Quality- Satellite Meeting IFCC-EFLM EUROMEDLAB 2019

Barcelona, ES

May 19, 2019

International Symposium : Breast Cancer and Environment- Satellite Meeting IFCC-EFLM EUROMEDLAB 2019

Barcelona, ES

May 19, 2019

International Symposium: Standardization and Recommendationsin the Laboratory of Haematology - Satellite Meeting IFCC-EFLM
EUROMEDLAB 2019

Barcelona, ES

The 23rd International Conference on Laboratory Medicine
Jun 29 - Jul 3, 2019 and Pathobiology: An expert forum in clinicaland laboratory sciences

Chios Island, GR

Sep 10 - 13, 2019

XXIV Congreso Latinoamericano de Bioquímica Clínica
(COLABIOCLI) and XIV Congreso Nacional de Laboratoristas
Clínicos de Panamá

Panama City, PA

Sep 25 - 27, 2019

Congreso Nacional Bioquímico CUBRA XV 2019

Chaco, AR

Jun 9 - 12, 2020

XXXVII Nordic Congress in Medical Biochemistry

Trondheim, NO

26

IFCC MEMBERSHIP
Full Members
Albania (AL)
Algeria (DZ)
Argentina (AR)Australia and New
Zealand (AU/NZ)
Austria (AT)
Belarus (BY)
Belgium (BE)Bolivia (BO)
Bosnia Herzegovina (BA)
Brazil (BR)
Bulgaria (BG)
Canada (CA)Chile (CL)
China (Beijing) (CN)China (Taipei) (TW)
Colombia (CO)Croatia (HR)Cuba (CU)
Cyprus (CY)
Czech Republic (CZ)
Denmark (DK)
Dominican Republic (DO)
Ecuador (EC)Egypt (EG)Estonia (EE)
Ethiopia (ET)Finland (FI)France (FR)Germany (DE)Greece (GR)
Guatemala (GT)Hong Kong (HK)
Hungary (HU)
Iceland (IS)India (IN)Indonesia (ID)
Iran (IR)
Ireland (IE)
Israel (IL)
Italy (IT)Japan (JP)Jordan (JO)
Kazakhstan (KZ)
Kenya (KE)
Korea (KR)Kosovo (XK)

Latvia (LV)
Lebanon (LB)
Lithuania (LT)
Luxembourg (LU)
Macedonia (MK)Malawi (MW)Malaysia (MY)Mexico (MX)Montenegro (MNE)
Morocco (MA)
Netherlands (NL)
Nepal (NP)
Nigeria (NG)
Norway (NO)Pakistan (PK)Palestine (PS)Panama (PA)Paraguay (PY)
Peru (PE)Philippine (PH)Poland (PL)Portugal (PT)
Romania (RO)Russia (RU)
Saudi Arabia (SA)Serbia (SRB)
Singapore (SG)Slovak Republic (SK)Slovenia (SI)South Africa (ZA)
Spain (ES)Sri Lanka (LK)
Sudan (SD)
Sweden (SE)Switzerland (CH)
Syrian Arab Republic (SY)
Thailand (TH)Tunisia (TN)Turkey (TR)Ukraine (UA)United Kingdom (UK)
United States (US)Uruguay (UY)
Vietnam (VN)
Zambia (ZM)
Zimbabwe (ZW)

Regional Federations
Arab Federation of Clinical Biology (AFCB)
African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC)
Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry andLaboratory Medicine (APFCB)
European Federation of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine (EFLM)
Latin America Confederation of Clinical Biochemistry(COLABIOCLI)North American Federation of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine (NAFCC)

Corporate Members
AbbottADx Neurosciences
Agappe Diagnostics, Ltd.
Analis R&D Diag.
Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp., AS
BD Life Sciences – Preanalytical Systems
Beckman Coulter, Inc.
Beijing Dream Diagnostics Medicine (DDM)
Technology Co. Ltd.
The Binding Site Group, Ltd.
Bio-Rad Laboratories
C.P.M. Diagnostic Research, SAS
DiaSys Diagnostic Systems GmbH
DiatronFujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation
Fujirebio Europe
Gentian, AS
Helena Biosciencies Europe
Hemas Hospitals (PVT) Ltd.
HyTest, Ltd.
A. Menarini Diagnostics
Mindray

Mitsubishi Chemical Europe, GmbH
Ningbo MedicalSystem Biotech. Co., Ltd.
Nova Biomedical Corporation
Oneworld Accuracy Collaboration
Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc.
PPD Inc.
Radiometer Medical ApS
Randox Laboratories, Ltd.
Roche Diagnostics, GmbH
Sebia S.A.
Sekisui Diagnostics (Uk) Ltd.
Sentinel CH SpA
Shanghai Kehua Bio-Engineering Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Zhicheng Biol. Tech. Co., Ltd.
Sichuan Maccura Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
Snibe Co., Ltd.
Sysmex Europe, GmbH
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Timedico A/SLabor Dr. Wisplinghoff

Affiliate Members
Brazil: Sociedade Brasileira de Patologia Clínica / Medicina Laboratorial (SBPC/ML)
China: Lab Medicine Committee, China Association of Medical Equipment (LMC)
Egypt: Egyptian Association of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety
France: French National Network of Accredited Laboratories of Medical Biology (LABAC)
India: Association of Medical Biochemists of India (AMBI)
Iran: Iranian Association of Clinical Laboratory Doctors (IACLD)
Jordan: Society for Medical Technology & Laboratories (SMTL)
Kazakhstan: Public Association - Federation of Laboratory Medicine (FLM)
Mexico: Federación Nacional de Químicos Clínicos (CONAQUIC A.C.)
Nepal: Nepalese Association for Clinical Chemistry (NACC)
Philippines: Philippine Council for Quality Assurance in Clinical Laboratories (PCQACL)
Russia: Regional Association for Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis, St. Petersburg
Spain: Asociación Española de Farmacéuticos Analistas (AEFA)
Turkey: Society of Clinical Biochemistry Specialists (KBUD)
Ukraine: Association for Quality Assurance of Laboratory Medicine (AQALM)

Publisher
Communications and Publications
Division (CPD) of the IFCC
Starting in 2018, the Communications
and Publications Division publishes
ten editions of the e-News per year,
including two double issues.

EditorTahir Pillay, MB ChB, PhD, FRCPath (Lon), FCPath (SA)
Department of Chemical Pathology
University of Pretoria, South Africa
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org

Design & Production:www.insoftdigital.com

Circulation
The eNews is distributed to all IFCC members
registered on-line to receive it and to all IFCC
sponsors.

Deadlines for submissions
to the eNews
N° 1/2 – January/February: by mid January
N° 3 – March: by mid February
N° 4 – April: by mid March
N° 5 – May: by mid April
N° 6 – June: by mid May
N° 7/8 – July/August: by mid June
N° 9 – September: by mid August
N° 10 – October: by mid September
N° 11 – November: by mid October
N° 12 – December: by mid November
If you want to submit an article or advertisement
to be published in the eNews, send it to:
Tahir Pillay, Editor, IFCC eNews
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org

Copyright © 2018 IFCC. All rights reserved.
Contents may not be reproduced without the priorpermission of the Communications and Publications
Division (CPD) of the IFCC.