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Editor-in-chief
Maria Stella Graziani

Deputy Director
Martina Zaninotto

Associate Editors
Ferruccio Ceriotti
Davide Giavarina
Bruna Lo Sasso
Giampaolo Merlini
Martina Montagnana
Andrea Mosca
Paola Pezzati
Rossella Tomaiuolo
Matteo Vidali

EIC Assistant
Francesco Busardò

International Advisory Board Khosrow Adeli Canada
Sergio Bernardini Italy
Marcello Ciaccio Italy
Eleftherios Diamandis Canada
Philippe Gillery France
Kjell Grankvist Sweden
Hans Jacobs The Netherlands
Eric Kilpatrick UK
Magdalena Krintus Poland
Giuseppe Lippi Italy
Mario Plebani Italy
Sverre Sandberg Norway
Ana-Maria Simundic Croatia
Tommaso Trenti Italy
Cas Weykamp The Netherlands
Maria Willrich USA
Paul Yip Canada


Publisher
Biomedia srl
Via L. Temolo 4, 20126 Milano

Responsible Editor
Giuseppe Agosta

Editorial Secretary
Chiara Riva
Biomedia srl
Via L. Temolo 4, 20126 Milano
Tel. 0245498282
email: biochimica.clinica@sibioc.it

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ISSN print: 0393 – 0564
ISSN digital: 0392- 7091



BC: Articoli scritti da B. De Angelis

The role of the laboratory in the evaluation of male factor in couple infertility
<p>The evaluation of male factor in couple infertility aims at identifying risk factors and treatable causes of male infertility to offer an adequate counselling and to choose the best treatment options to improve fertility outcomes, including either the chance of a spontaneous conception or the outcome of assisted reproduction. The first approach to the infertile man requires an accurate assessment of medical history as well as a general and andrological anamnesis and physical examination. The evaluation is based on a series of laboratory procedures, comprising semen analysis, the assessment of hormone profile, the eventual microbiological tests for the investigation of urogenital tract infections and genetic testing. This is associated with scrotal ultrasound, aimed at investigating the structure of testis, funiculus, epididymis, vasa and pampiniform plexus, and transrectal ultrasound, aimed at providing information on prostate and seminal vesicles. Semen analysis, performed according to WHO 2010 guidelines, is fundamental to assess the male fertility potential. Hormone profile assessment evaluates the function of the hypothalamic-pituitarygonadal axis and is useful to establish a diagnosis of primary or secondary testis failure and to choose the most appropriate therapeutic approach. Microbiological assessment can be useful in case of clinical suspicion of urogenital tract infections, which might exert a detrimental effect on male fertility. Genetic testing, in particular karyotype analysis, and the assessment of Y chromosome microdeletions should be performed in case of clinical suspicion or in case of a severe reduction of sperm count.</p>
Biochimica Clinica ; 41(4) 335-345
Rassegne - Reviews
 
Valutazione molecolare nella leucemia mieloide cronica
Molecular monitoring in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
<p>The pathognomonic genetic alteration in CML is the&nbsp;formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene, which produces a constitutively active tyrosine kinase that drives leukemic&nbsp;transformation. Targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment is the cornerstone of modern therapy for this hematologic&nbsp;malignancy. Analysis of BCR-ABL [through reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR)]&nbsp;is the gold standard approach for quantitatively assessing minimal residual disease and monitoring the efficacy of&nbsp;tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in CML patients. The continuous therapeutic improvement has led to increasingly&nbsp;ambitious treatment endpoints, which, in turn, require more and more refined measurement and definition of&nbsp;molecular response levels. For these reasons standardization efforts of monitoring by RT-QPCR are now focused on&nbsp;ensuring reliable and harmonized expression of quantitative results.</p>
Biochimica Clinica ; 39(2) 094-099
Rassegne - Reviews