Clin Chem. 2026 Jan 7:hvaf182. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf182. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Urinalysis is a standard clinical test that includes the microscopic examination of urinary sediment to identify formed elements. Manual evaluation by laboratory technicians is time-intensive and subject to human error. Automated analysis using digital microscopy images presents a potential alternative. This study … Read more

Clin Chem. 2026 Jan 7:hvaf167. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf167. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening is primarily designed to detect fetal chromosomal abnormalities, but can also identify aneuploidies derived from other tissues, including cancer. The identification of aneuploidies of unknown origin during prenatal cfDNA screening can lead to time-consuming multistage investigations and … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):206-216. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf135. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Angiogenic biomarkers aid in short-term prediction of preeclampsia (PE) but are often limited by false-positive results. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), which is elevated in PE due to cardiovascular dysfunction, may enhance diagnostic precision. This study evaluated whether adding NT-proBNP to the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):39-46. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf146. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Persistent disparities in prenatal care contribute to preventable maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. Clinical laboratories play a central role in early detection of prenatal gaps in care and stratifying pregnancy-related risk factors linked to other health conditions, yet their … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):82-100. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf169. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer, though rare, remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children in the United States. The overall incidence has been rising for the past several decades, and the factors underlying the increasing rates are unclear. This unexplained increase underscores the critical need for high-quality, … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):18-26. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf143. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Uterus transplantation (UTx) is uniquely positioned at the transition from experimental to clinical reality for women with absolute uterine factor insufficiency. As the technique gains wider clinical adoption, there is a growing need for standardization in both protocols and diagnostics. CONTENT: This review describes the current … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):140-151. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf154. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Childhood cancers comprise a variety of liquid and solid tumors that display different patterns of incidence than adult cancers. Most have distinct molecular subtypes characterized by specific genomic driver events. The mutational processes that influence the somatic landscape of cancers also generate distinctive mutational signatures (mutSig). … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):101-113. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf133. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening has transformed the prenatal aneuploidy testing landscape testing since its clinical introduction in 2011. Leveraging placentally derived cfDNA fragments as fetal indicators in maternal plasma, cfDNA screening enables highly sensitive aneuploidy detection, most notably for trisomies 21, 18, and 13. With … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):35-38. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf145. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Birth defects registries seek to identify all cases of major birth defects occurring in a population that are identified in the first year of life, while other public health programs collect data on special needs, developmental disabilities, and early intervention services. Because newborn screening programs are … Read more

Clin Chem. 2025 Dec 30;72(1):192-205. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaf124. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Pregnancy induces a series of physiological adaptations, making accurate interpretation of clinical laboratory tests essential for maternal and fetal health. However, significant knowledge gaps persist in understanding how gestation affects circulating blood biochemistry, leading to potential clinical misinterpretations and underscoring the need for updated reference intervals … Read more