Biochemistry of human physiology in health and disease is focus of updated cli...( COLD SPRING HARBOR N.Y. (Nov. 4 2008...)

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Nov. 4, 2008) To intelligently perform laboratory methods in the investigation and diagnosis of disease, a solid understanding of the biochemistry behind the diseases and methods is required. The second edition of a leading book that describes the biochemical and physiological fundamentals needed in a clinical setting, Clinical Biochemistry, was recently released by Scion Publishing (www.scionpublishing.com).

The book was written by Richard Luxton, a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Chemistry at the University of the West of England (Bristol, U.K.) and is aimed at biomedical students with no previous experience in biochemistry. "This text gives a sufficiently broad introduction to the subject of clinical biochemistry so that the student will have the necessary basic understanding and knowledge to appreciate the role of the clinical biochemistry laboratory in the investigation of disease," wrote Luxton in the Preface to the book.

The book is organized according to six main body functions: input (nutrition and digestion), control (genetic and chemical control of metabolism, and water and electrolyte balance), processing (enzymes in health and disease), transport and storage (plasma proteins, lipids, and blood gases), defense (immunoglobulins and proteins of the innate immune system), and output (liver and kidney function). The text has been substantially revised and updated throughout to incorporate the latest developments in genomics, proteomics, and biosensors.

Each chapter discusses the pathophysiology of a particular body system (how biochemical changes result in disease). Relevant laboratory methods are introduced to show how biochemical changes are measured and how they change during disease. For those who require more details, a list of recommended books and review papers is also provided.

"This is a good basic text which is well wr
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