The LEAP checklist for laboratory evaluation and analytical performance characteristics reporting of clinical measurement procedures

Reporting a measurement procedure and its analytical performance following method evaluation in a peer-reviewed journal is an important means for clinical laboratory practitioners to share their findings. It also represents an important source of evidence base to help others make informed decisions about their practice. At present, there are significant variations in the information reported in laboratory medicine journal publications describing the analytical performance of measurement procedures. These variations also challenge authors, readers, reviewers, and editors in deciding the quality of a submitted manuscript. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Method Evaluation Protocols (IFCC WG-MEP) developed a checklist and recommends its adoption to enable a consistent approach to reporting method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics of measurement procedures in laboratory medicine journals. It is envisioned that the Laboratory Evaluation and Analytical Performance Characteristics (LEAP) checklist will improve the standardisation of journal publications describing method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics, improving the quality of the evidence base that is relied upon by practitioners

Delivering in‐school interventions to improve dietary behaviours amongst 11‐ to 16‐year‐olds: A systematic review

Childhood obesity is a global health concern, which has both short‐and long‐term health consequences for the individual, and is a potential burden on health care services and the wider economy. The school environment is a setting where changes can be applied to dietary behaviours, as schools have direct and intensive contact with children. This systematic review evaluated school‐based interventions designed to improve dietary behaviours among adolescents (11‐to 16‐year‐olds). The aims were to review types of interventions delivered, dietary behaviours targeted, and interventions' effectiveness in improving dietary behaviour and associated intervention components. Twenty‐nine school‐based interventional studies with this population were identified for review. The data were synthesized by identifying and comparing individual studies' results, intervention components, and characteristics.Interventions appeared more effective when they involved peers, used educational media to deliver health messages, increased availability of healthy foods in school,and incorporated computer‐based individualized feedback with normative information on eating behaviours. A limitation of the review was the lack of description in cer-tain reviewed studies and the nonfeasibility of conducting a meta‐analysis owing to study heterogeneity. Future interventions with this population could consider including the aforementioned components, gender‐specific feedback, and both short‐and long‐term follow‐ups as change may not be apparent immediately and to determine if changes are sustained

Doping in sport and exercise: Anabolic, ergogenic, health and clinical issues

The use of doping agents is evident within competitive sport in senior and junior age groups, where they are taken by non-elite as well as elite participants. They are also taken in non-sporting contexts by individuals seeking to ‘improve’ their physique through an increase in muscle and/or decrease in fat mass. While attaining accurate data on the prevalence of their use has limitations, studies suggest the illicit use of doping agents by athletes and non-athletes may be 1–5% in the population and greater than 50% in some groups; with the prevalence being higher in males. There is conclusive evidence that some doping agents are anabolic and ergogenic. There is also evidence that the use of doping agents such as anabolic androgenic steroids, growth hormone and other anabolic agents, erythropoietin and stimulants conveys considerable health risks that include, but are not limited to: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health issues, virilisation in females and the suppression of naturally produced androgens in males. This review will outline the anabolic, ergogenic and health impacts of selected doping agents and methods that may be used in both the sporting and physique development contexts. It also provides a brief tabulated overview of the history of doping and how doping agents may impact upon the analyses of clinical samples

Emerging technology: a definition for laboratory medicine

The term ``emerging technology'' (ET) is used extensively, and there are numerous definitions offered, but to our knowledge, none specifically encompass the field of laboratory medicine. An ET definition that incorporates the overarching IFCC aim of advancing excellence in laboratory medicine to support healthcare worldwide would clarify discussions. We discuss key aspects of the term ``emerging technology(ies)'' as it applies to laboratory medicine with a view to laying the foundations for a practical definition for the profession and propose the definition of an ET as an analytical method or device that by virtue of its stage of development, translation into broad routine clinical practice, or geographical adoption and implementation has the potential to add value to clinical diagnostics

The Enigma of the Adrenarche: Identifying the Early Life Mechanisms and Possible Role in Postnatal Brain Development

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated metabolite (DHEAS) are dynamically regulated before birth and the onset of puberty. Yet, the origins and purpose of increasing DHEA[S] in postnatal development remain elusive. Here, we draw attention to this pre-pubertal surge from the adrenal gland—the adrenarche—and discuss whether this is the result of intra-adrenal gene expression specifically affecting the zona reticularis (ZR), if the ZR is influenced by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and the possible role of spino-sympathetic innervation in prompting increased ZR activity. We also discuss whether neural DHEA[S] synthesis is coordinately regulated with the developing adrenal gland. We propose that DHEA[S] is crucial in the brain maturation of humans prior to and during puberty, and suggest that the function of the adrenarche is to modulate, adapt and rewire the pre-adolescent brain for new and ever-changing social challenges. The etiology of DHEA[S] synthesis, neurodevelopment and recently described 11-keto and 11-oxygenated androgens are difficult to investigate in humans owing to: (i) ethical restrictions on mechanistic studies, (ii) the inability to predict which individuals will develop specific mental characteristics, and (iii) the difficulty of conducting retrospective studies based on perinatal complications. We discuss new opportunities for animal studies to overcome these important issues

The LEAP checklist for laboratory evaluation and analytical performance characteristics reporting of clinical measurement procedures

Reporting a measurement procedure and its analytical performance following method evaluation in a peer-reviewed journal is an important means for clinical laboratory practitioners to share their findings. It also represents an important source of evidence base to help others make informed decisions about their practice. At present, there are significant variations in the information reported in laboratory medicine journal publications describing the analytical performance of measurement procedures. These variations also challenge authors, readers, reviewers, and editors in deciding the quality of a submitted manuscript.The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Method Evaluation Protocols (IFCC WG-MEP) developed a checklist and recommends its adoption to enable a consistent approach to reporting method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics of measurement procedures in laboratory medicine journals. It is envisioned that the LEAP checklist will improve the standardisation of journal publications describing method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics, improving the quality of the evidence base that is relied upon by practitioners