Clinical Chemistry

  1. Analytical Techniques and Instrumentation
    1. Spectrophotometry
      1. Basic Principles
        1. Electromagnetic Radiation
          1. Absorbance and Transmittance
            1. Wavelength Selection
              1. Optical Density
              2. Beer-Lambert Law
                1. Mathematical Expression
                  1. Limitations and Deviations
                    1. Practical Applications
                    2. Instrumentation
                      1. Light Source
                        1. Tungsten Lamps
                          1. Deuterium Lamps
                            1. Xenon Lamps
                              1. Maintenance and Calibration
                              2. Monochromator
                                1. Prisms
                                  1. Diffraction Gratings
                                    1. Filters
                                      1. Function and Adjustment
                                        1. Bandwidth
                                        2. Sample Cell (Cuvette)
                                          1. Materials and Path Length
                                            1. Cleaning and Handling
                                              1. Temperature Control
                                              2. Detector
                                                1. Photodiodes
                                                  1. Photomultiplier Tubes
                                                    1. Signal Processing
                                                      1. Noise Reduction
                                                    2. Types of Spectrophotometry
                                                      1. Absorbance Spectrophotometry
                                                        1. Single Beam
                                                          1. Double Beam
                                                            1. Diode Array
                                                            2. Reflectance Spectrophotometry
                                                              1. Principles
                                                              2. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry
                                                                1. Principles
                                                                  1. Flame Atomization
                                                                    1. Graphite Furnace
                                                                    2. Fluorometry
                                                                      1. Principles of Fluorescence
                                                                        1. Excitation and Emission
                                                                          1. Applications in Clinical Chemistry
                                                                            1. Advantages and Limitations
                                                                            2. Chemiluminescence
                                                                              1. Principles and Applications
                                                                                1. Enhanced Chemiluminescence
                                                                                2. Turbidimetry and Nephelometry
                                                                                  1. Principles and Differences
                                                                                    1. Clinical Applications
                                                                                      1. Particle Size Effects
                                                                                  2. Immunoassays
                                                                                    1. Principles of Antigen-Antibody Reactions
                                                                                      1. Antigen Structure
                                                                                        1. Antibody Structure
                                                                                          1. Affinity and Specificity
                                                                                            1. Cross-Reactivity
                                                                                              1. Avidity
                                                                                              2. Labels and Detection Systems
                                                                                                1. Enzyme Labels
                                                                                                  1. Horseradish Peroxidase
                                                                                                    1. Alkaline Phosphatase
                                                                                                      1. Beta-Galactosidase
                                                                                                      2. Radioactive Labels
                                                                                                        1. Iodine-125
                                                                                                          1. Tritium
                                                                                                          2. Fluorescent Labels
                                                                                                            1. Fluorescein
                                                                                                              1. Rhodamine
                                                                                                                1. Europium
                                                                                                                2. Chemiluminescent Labels
                                                                                                                  1. Acridinium Esters
                                                                                                                    1. Luminol
                                                                                                                  2. Competitive vs. Non-competitive Assays
                                                                                                                    1. Mechanisms and Examples
                                                                                                                      1. Advantages and Limitations
                                                                                                                        1. Dose-Response Curves
                                                                                                                        2. Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous Assays
                                                                                                                          1. Mechanisms and Examples
                                                                                                                            1. Advantages and Limitations
                                                                                                                              1. Separation Methods
                                                                                                                              2. Common Immunoassay Formats
                                                                                                                                1. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
                                                                                                                                  1. Direct ELISA
                                                                                                                                    1. Indirect ELISA
                                                                                                                                      1. Sandwich ELISA
                                                                                                                                        1. Competitive ELISA
                                                                                                                                        2. Radioimmunoassay (RIA)
                                                                                                                                          1. Principles
                                                                                                                                            1. Safety Considerations
                                                                                                                                            2. Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique (EMIT)
                                                                                                                                              1. Principles
                                                                                                                                              2. Fluorescent Polarization Immunoassay (FPIA)
                                                                                                                                                1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                2. Chemiluminescent Immunoassays (CLIA)
                                                                                                                                                  1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                  2. Lateral Flow Assays
                                                                                                                                                    1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                      1. Point-of-Care Applications
                                                                                                                                                  3. Electrophoresis
                                                                                                                                                    1. Basic Principles
                                                                                                                                                      1. Migration of Charged Particles
                                                                                                                                                        1. Factors Affecting Separation
                                                                                                                                                          1. Electroosmosis
                                                                                                                                                            1. Resolution
                                                                                                                                                            2. Support Media
                                                                                                                                                              1. Agarose Gel
                                                                                                                                                                1. Polyacrylamide Gel
                                                                                                                                                                  1. Cellulose Acetate
                                                                                                                                                                    1. Capillary Electrophoresis
                                                                                                                                                                      1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                                    2. Instrumentation
                                                                                                                                                                      1. Power Supply
                                                                                                                                                                        1. Voltage Control
                                                                                                                                                                          1. Current Monitoring
                                                                                                                                                                          2. Gel Casting and Loading
                                                                                                                                                                            1. Sample Application
                                                                                                                                                                              1. Buffer Systems
                                                                                                                                                                              2. Staining and Visualization
                                                                                                                                                                                1. Protein Stains
                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Nucleic Acid Stains
                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Densitometry
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Applications
                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPEP)
                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Normal Patterns
                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Abnormal Patterns
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Hemoglobin Electrophoresis
                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Normal Variants
                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Abnormal Variants
                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Isoenzyme Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                              1. CK Isoenzymes
                                                                                                                                                                                                1. LD Isoenzymes
                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Immunoelectrophoresis
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Chromatography
                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Basic Principles
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Partitioning Between Phases
                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Retention Time
                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Resolution
                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Selectivity
                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Types of Chromatography
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Gas Chromatography (GC)
                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Components and Operation
                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Stationary Phases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Mobile Phases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Sample Preparation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Components and Operation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Stationary Phases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Mobile Phases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Sample Preparation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Ion Exchange Chromatography
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Mass Spectrometry (MS)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Principles of Mass Spectrometry
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Ionization Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Electron Impact
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Chemical Ionization
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Electrospray Ionization
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Mass Analyzers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Quadrupole
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Time-of-Flight
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Ion Trap
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Detectors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Electron Multiplier
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Photomultiplier
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. GC-MS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Advantages
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. LC-MS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Advantages
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Tandem MS (MS/MS)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Principles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Electrochemistry and Chemical Sensors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Potentiometry
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Principles of Potentiometry
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Reference Electrodes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Ion-Selective Electrodes (ISE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Glass Electrodes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Solid-State Electrodes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Liquid Membrane Electrodes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Applications in Electrolyte Measurement
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Amperometry
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Principles and Applications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Glucose Sensors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Oxygen Electrodes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Coulometry
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Principles and Applications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Chloride Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Conductometry
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Principles and Applications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Biosensors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Enzyme-Based Biosensors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Immunosensors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. DNA Sensors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Clinical Applications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Automation in the Clinical Laboratory
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Principles of Automation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Workflow Integration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Error Reduction
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Throughput Enhancement
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Cost Considerations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Continuous Flow Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. System Design
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Segmented Flow
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Flow Injection Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Discrete Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. System Design
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Random Access
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Batch Processing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Modular Analyzers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Types and Configurations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Integration with Laboratory Information Systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Maintenance Requirements
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Point-of-Care Testing (POCT)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Types of POCT Devices
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Quality Control in POCT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Connectivity and Data Management
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Regulatory Considerations