CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CL IN ICAL CHEMISTS

LA SOC IÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES CL IN ICO-CHIMISTES

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CL IN ICAL CHEMISTS

LA SOC IÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES CL IN ICO-CHIMISTES

P.O. Box 1570 Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5C8 Canada 613.531.8899 office@cscc.ca

Vol. 57 No. 1 January 2015 ISSN 0826-1024

EPOCC in Full Swing

Connectivity to community within our profession, laboratory medicine, health care and the greater public is a pillar of our existence as laboratory professionals. It is fair to say that, if we want

to see our profession at the very least sustained, we must continue to plan and invest our time and effort in fostering connections. A committee was struck in the summer of 2012 by David Kinniburgh as a mechanism to work on this task. This committee branded itself EPOCC to stand for Educating the Public on Clinical Chemists (EPOCC). EPOCC has the specifi c goal of developing and fostering strategies that work towards improving the public profi le of Clinical Biochemistry laboratory professionals and clinical laboratory medicine in general. As co-chair of this group, I have thought of EPOCC somewhat as a think-tank with a mandate to think outside the current focus of the CSCC.

EPOCC met in the summer of 2013 and developed several key strategies from a fairly long list of exciting opportunities. The intent of this approach was to pick strategies that were manageable within 1 year and those that would help develop a structure for how the committee can function. These strategies have hopefu lly become familiar to

you as a member of the CSCC, as it is my pleasure to report on the success of each of these strategies.

Charity Run

Our 2014 meeting was the pilot meeting for the charity run. The run was a success, receiving positive feedback from those who participated. It was intended to be a

mechanism to give back to the communities who host our meetings and we were able to make a charitable donation to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, with the intent that this money be targeted towards a small need of the hospital laboratory. A charity run is planned for this year’s annual meeting in Montreal. The Charity Run Committee, which includes members of Annual Meeting Committee and private industry, is looking to build on last year’s experiences with the added goal of increasing public awareness of this charitable effort.

Science Fair Award

2014 was the fi rst of fi ve years over which the CSCC has committed to providing a special award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, part of the National Science Fair Program organized by Youth Science Canada. Angela Rutledge attended the fair, which took place in Windsor, Ontario and served as the judge of the award. The recipient of the award was Michael Xu, who is now a graduate of Winnipeg’s St. John’s Ravenscourt high school, for his work on circulating tumour cells…fairly advanced work for a high school student. Given the proximity of Michael to myself, we used this as an opportunity to pilot a strategy for promoting successes. Working with a local free-lance writer, a talk-radio segment, local television interview and several interviews with local papers were orchestrated for Michael and I. It was a pleasant experience, and I was surprised by how excited the media was to work on a success story - both for a local student and for our society contributing to his development. In this regard, Michael and I have stayed connected as he continues to be interested in a career in laboratory medicine. As a second outcome, the importance of having a professional

CSCC News • January 20152

help in connecting with the media was made obvious during this experience. It is a discussion-point for CSCC Council when deciding on how to proceed promoting this year’s award recipient.

Linkage with Industry

A third strategy of EPOCC was to work with the in-vitro diagnostic industry on potential common needs. Discussions initially involved Roche Canada, but more recently the CSCC has been asked to participate in a stakeholders group brought together by MEDEC, a consortium of medical device companies in Canada. The stakeholder group included laboratory administrators and directors chosen by MEDEC. The group met this October in Toronto, and both David Kinniburgh and myself attended on behalf of the CSCC. The discussions were surprisingly intense and it was agreed there was a common need. As a consequence, this group has again met via teleconference and is in the process of producing a document outlining a purpose and strategy. Both David and myself will continue to be involved, as the goals of the stakeholders group will positively serve the needs of our society and we are best suited to position ourselves as leaders in the strategies.

Defi ning our profession

A task group was struck to re-visit the defi nition of a clinical biochemist. This group has produced a defi nition that has been approved by CSCC Council for use, and the intent is to use the defi nition in our approach to branding our profession.

Overall, it is my feeling that the EPOCC committee has produced several strategies that are now benefi ting the CSCC. Structures are in place for moving the goals of EPOCC forward to become a reality. Refl ecting on these successes, we are still limited by our ability to communicate who we are, what we do and how we contribute to health care in addition to our charitable efforts. Thus, a task of the EPOCC committee will be to work with CSCC Council to develop a communication strategy to promote our profession that builds on our successes to date and that becomes an integral function of our society.

It is through the volunteer efforts of our members that our professional society functions. Spare time to make these contributions is always a challenge and more so when it involves working outside the traditional modes of giving back to our profession. That being said, as co-chair of the EPOCC committee, I would like to thank all who have contributed up to this point to the goal of this committee. I also challenge members to continue to find innovative ways to keep our profession connected with community, as we need to think outside of traditional measures.

It is fair to say that our British colleagues have been successful in their campaign to educate the public on their profession. In Charlottetown I asked Graham Beastall what was done and he told me it was the small contributions of many, not one simple thing. He mentioned it was the young in the profession who have the most at stake, and it was those who went to science museums and used many non-traditional means to promote their profession.

Respectfully,Curtis OleschukCo-chair of the EPOCC Committee

Science Fair Award - Dr. Angela Rutledge, CSCC member who presented the award, with winner Michael Xu

CSCC Town Hall Summary

On June 11, 2014, a CSCC Town Hall meeting was convened at the CSCC

annual meeting in Charlottetown PEI. This special meeting was meant to provide an open forum to discuss topics of relevance to members of our society.

Dr. David Kinniburgh, CSCC President, started with an update on status of health professions regulation for Biochemists. He explained that regulation is meant to ensure that a group has the necessary systems in place related to the delivery of their services to ensure public safety. Being considered under this legislation requires changes to province-specifi c Health Professions Acts. In general, it is recognition of a professional group having a signifi cant impact on patient safety, requiring the province to regulate their activities. Regulated health professions must have a self-governing college that deals with credentialing professional development and discipline. Groups can form their own college or join an existing one. Updates from provincial sections followed.

Alberta, presented by Dr. David Kinniburgh:

Currently the Biochemists are working with other clinical laboratory doctoral scientist groups, including CCMG and CCMM, via the Alberta Association of Clinical Laboratory Doctoral Scientists (AACLDS). AACLDS is now preparing an application to register Biochemists under the Health Professions Act in Alberta. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) has indicated that if successful in the application, they will accept Biochemists into the college. CPSA are interested in regulating CLDS for liability purposes. CPSA and Alberta Health have indicated that upon a submission of the application, they may consider an interim registry with CPSA. There are still ongoing discussions on how to register members of other academies and whether it would be

CSCC News • January 2015 3

possible to issue restricted practice licenses on a case by case basis.

Ontario, presented by Dr. Stephen Hill:Previous attempts in Ontario to form a College and

obtain registration under the Health Professions Act have been unsuccessful. There is a group in Hamilton monitoring for opportunities to re-open the application.

British Columbia, presented by Dr. Morris Pudek:Currently BC accreditation requirements state that

Division Heads and Laboratory Directors must be part of the Royal College. The hope is to ultimately follow the current system in Alberta. A legislative change would be required to obtain status in BC. However, previous attempts to obtain status have been unsuccessful. The BC Association of Clinical Scientists has been formed with a total of 20 members.

Updates from CACB presented by Dr. Sheila Boss, CACB Chair:

In preparation for supporting provincial societies in their application process, CACB is updating policy and processes to facilitate alignment with future requirements. No change is required to the primary mandate of the CACB. CACB defi nes the requirements for Training, Certifi cation, Fellowship and Maintenance of Competency. CACB does not have a regulatory role as that function is performed on a provincial level in Canada.

A summary of the CACB presentation was included in the July 2014 issue of CSCC News.

The fl oor was opened to discussion after updates. It was agreed by the group that it would be productive for our society to make a Town Hall meeting a continuing part of our CSCC Annual Meeting in the future.

Submitted by: Isolde Seiden-Long

Helpful Hints for Submission of Claims for the PD Program

Demonstration of one’s competence is not only a requirement to be a Fellow of the CACB, but is key to assuring our stakeholders that our members can uphold the professional standards of practice. To achieve this, ongoing learning is documented through the PD Program and a certifi cate is issued upon earning the requisite credits. We should be proud that the vast majority of the Academy members comply with the PD program, and we’ve made signifi cant efforts over the years to keep the program relevant. While a few fi nd the whole process time consuming, I would argue it serves a purpose much like QC in the lab. How? The Academy, much like many self-governing professional societies, needs to verify continuously that its members are reasonably competent.

Here are some suggestions to help save time when submitting PD claims:

• Submit your activity right away. This leaves out the worry of searching for the details later or having to deal with a pile of claims at the deadline. Only a few minutes are needed per claim and can be completed during a coffee break, while waiting on hold, etc.

• If you prefer to wait until year’s end, recurring events from the same organizer over several dates could be combined into a single claim. Journal clubs, rounds, and similar events usually have announcements that also can be merged into a single fi le. Although they have different dates, the claim date would encompass the earliest date to the latest date in the series.

• No scanner? Just take a picture. When the online module came into use, access to scanners was limited and the effort to upload supporting documents was challenging. Now with cameras built into so many devices, taking a picture and uploading as an attachment can be done almost anywhere.

• Pay attention to the maximum credits allowed. With the exception of Category 1 claims (accredited events related to laboratory medicine which there is a minimum), all other categories have a maximum number of credits that can be applied to the 3-year requirement of 150 credits. Any claims above the limit are automatically taken as zero by the system.

Following the recommendations of the PD Credits Task Force, revisions to the claim categories have taken effect on January 1. A description of these changes can be found in the March 2014 issue of CSCC News. Remember, the deadline to submit claims for last year (2014) is February 28. If you haven’t done so, don’t wait until the last minute. Hopefully the tips above will provide both the help and motivation!

Paul Yip, PhD, FCACBChair, Maintenance of Competence Committee

CSCC News • January 20154

Countdown to MontrealSocial Activities – Opening Ceremony and Reception

Dear colleagues,

The next annual meeting of the CSCC takes place in June 2015 in Montreal and will give us the opportunity to hear renowned speakers on the theme of “Cinical Biochemistry on the Move!”. What better way to open the meeting than with an opening reception that will introduce you to the beautiful city of Montreal and its magnifi cent past.

We will begin the ceremonies with a presentation by Jacques Coté, the biographer of Dr. Wilfred Derome, who will present the fascinating career of this exceptional Montrealer. In 1914, this physician established the fi rst forensic science laboratory in the Americas, right here in Montreal! At that time this laboratory served as the model for the FBI forensic laboratory later established by J. Edgar Hoover.

After this introduction to some of Montreal’s early 20th century history, a town crier emerging from the historical mists of New France will be our guide through the streets of Old Montreal. As we wend our way to the Reception at Marché Bonsecours, he will regale us with facts and stories from this era. The Montreal of New France was central to the fur trade and the commerce of sugar and rum as well as other important merchandise of the era. Visitors from everywhere, merchants (more or less honest), coureurs des bois, ecclesiastics, sailors and soldiers came to Montreal all looking for a comforting meal and a glass of cheer in good company. During the reception, actors will mingle with the group to entertain and educate, allowing us to relive the day to day life of the colony of 350 years ago. For the reception we will be regaled with tidbits inspired by New France prepared from local produce and served by friendly “innkeepers” and their jovial “servants”. Hear ye, hear ye, gentle folk, we await you in great numbers for this celebration with costumes, music and legends of New France in the heart of Montreal!

Dr Luce BoulangerSocial Activities, Joint CSCC CAP Congress 2015 (translated by Dr. Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon)

Activités Sociales

Chers collègues,

Le prochain congrès de la SCCC qui se tiendra à Montréal en juin 2015 nous offrira l’opportunité d’apprécier plusieurs conférences de pointe sur le thème de la biochimie clinique en action! Pour bien partir le bal, nous avons pensé vous offrir des activités sociales, entourant l’ouverture du congrès, tournées vers la belle ville de Montréal …et vers son passé!

Lors d’une courte conférence, Monsieur Jacques Côté, biographe du Dr Wilfrid Derome, nous tracera le portrait de ce scientifi que montréalais d’exception. En 1914, ce médecin fondait le premier laboratoire de science médico-légale d’Amérique ici-même à Montréal. À l’époque, cette institution a servi de modèle pour la création du laboratoire scientifi que du FBI , établi plus tard par J. Edgar Hoover.

Après cet intermède historique du début du 20e siècle, un crieur public sorti tout droit de la Nouvelle-France nous accompagnera à travers les rues du vieux Montréal pour une visite historique et colorée dans le temps jusqu’au marché Bonsecours. Lors de l’âge d’or de la colonie de la Nouvelle-France, Montréal est à la croisée de la route du commerce de la fourrure, du sucre, du rhum et de plusieurs autres denrées. Visiteurs de partout, marchands (plus ou moins honnêtes!), coureurs des bois, hommes d’église, marins et militaires, tous cherchent le confort d’un repas et de quelques verres en bonne compagnie. Des comédiens se mêleront à notre groupe pour nous divertir, nous éduquer et faire revivre le mode de vie typique de la vie dans la colonie il y a 350 ans. D’avenants tenanciers et de joviales servantes nous ferons goûter lors d’un cocktail dinatoire aux spécialités à «saveur d’antan » préparées par le chef à partir de produits du terroir. Oyez, oyez bonnes gens, nous vous attendons en grand nombre pour un festin accompagné des coutumes, de la musique et des légendes de la Nouvelle-France au cœur du vieux Montréal!

Dre Luce BoulangerActivités Sociales, Congrès conjoint SCCC, ACP 2015

Jacques Coté

CSCC News • January 2015 5

CSCC rebate for conference hotel roomMembers registered at Le Westin Montreal Hotel for the 2015 Conference will receive a $40 per night rebate on the hotel rate of $239. Simply book your hotel room in the specifi ed room block as usual. The rebate will take place at the time of the conference.

Le Westin Montreal Hotel, 270 St Antoine ouest, Montreal T: 514-380-3333(link to online reservation available on the website at www.clmc.ca/2015/accommodation)

2014 CSCC Travelling Lectureship

A visit fromDr. Mario Plebani

Dr. Mario Plebani is Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology at the University of Padova Medical School, Italy. He is Chief of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University Hospital of Padova and Chief of the Center of Biomedical Research (a specialized center focusing on laboratory medicine quality for the Veneto Region). He served as President of the International Society of Enzymology for four years (2004-2008) and as President of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Clinical Biology for five years (2003 and 2006-2009). Dr. Plebani is Editor-in-Chief of the Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine journal, and co-editor of Diagnosis. His main areas of research include: quality in laboratory medicine, diagnostic and laboratory errors, cancer and cardiovascular disease biomarkers, and in vitro allergy diagnostics. He has received

numerous awards. Of particular note, from the AACC (Outstanding contribution to laboratory medicine and patient care), the AACC-NACB (Outstanding contribution in a selected area of research) and the IFCC (Outstanding contributions to laboratory medicine and patient care). This past year, Dr. Plebani was the recipient of the 2014 CSCC Travelling Lectureship sponsored by Bio-Rad Laboratories.

The 2014 Lectureship was delivered in fi ve Canadian cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Quebec City) between September 23 and October 3, 2014. Each city had the option of attending one or two presentations.

His first lecture, entitled “Quality Management and Its Impact on Patient Care: First Do No Harm”, discussed the defi nition and link between quality, patient care and patient safety. In addition, he addressed quality in laboratory medicine, the quality management system and ISO 15189, principles and implementation recommendations, errors in laboratory medicine and risk management, as well as quality indicators.

His second presentation was entitled “Harmonization in Laboratory Medicine as a Global Picture: the Request, the Sample, the Measurement, and the Report”. He addressed the rationale and drivers of harmonization, defi nitions of harmonization and standardization, and the process of analytical standardization. He also focused on the road map and global picture of harmonization.

The CSCC was very fortunate to have Dr. Plebani tour the country and share his wealth of experience and knowledge with laboratories and the medical community in Canada. We are grateful for his time, energy and dedication to knowledge sharing.

Allison Venner

Summary of the SQBC Annual Meeting

The 35th Annual Congress of the Société québécoise de biologie clinique (SQBC) took place from the 8th to the 10th of October 2014 at the Universal Hotel in Rivière-du-Loup. The theme of the meeting was Matrices Deciphered. Again this year we lined up a team of experts for each of the three symposia: The Polychromatic Matrix, The Matrices we Love to Hate and Matrices Used for Genetic Testing. Roundtables were also part of the program for the fi rst time this year. The poster session showcased the quality and variety of work by our members. The winners of this year’s poster awards were Dr Marie-Ève Habel, a clinical biochemist at CSSS (Centres de santé et de services sociaux) de Rimouski-Neigette and Dr Evelyne Lapointe, a trainee at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) who respectively received the fi rst and second prize for the best poster. As part of the celebration of the 35th aniversary of the SQBC, a prize was presented to Dr Joël Lavoie for his contribution to the fi eld of clinical biochemsitry and to the SQBC.

The fi rst symposium: The Polychromatic Matrix, had three speakers who presented on the theme of renal disease. The first speaker, Dr Michel Valée spoke about the importance of biochemical investigation in patients with refractory hypertension. This is a rare condition, occuring in only 5% of hypertensive patients. A secondary cause of their hypertension, be it hyperaldosterism or pheochromocytoma, can be identifi ed with specifi c biochemical tests. The next speaker, Dr. François Leblond discussed acute renal failure including the etiology of the disease as well as an exhaustive review of markers, in particular, NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin), Cystatin C, NAG (N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase) KIM-1 (Kidney Injury Molecule-1) and L-FABP (liver-type fatty acid binding protein). Dr Lebond touched on the pros and cons of each marker as well as changes in levels in the evolution of the disease. Lastly, the biochemical followup of dialysis patients was presented by Dr. Nathalie Langlois.

CSCC News • January 20156

The basic principles of artifi cial renal fi ltration (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) were briefl y reviewed. This facilitated the introduction of some more complex notions like Kt/V (K - dialyzer clearance of urea, t - dialysis time,V - volume of distribution of urea, approximately equal to patient's total body water) a calculation that allows the determination of urea clearance. However the use of Kt/V is limited because it does not take into account the clearance of other molecules and factors that infl uence morbidity and mortality. The measurement of other biochemical analytes such as phosphorous, calcium, potassium and PTH are also important for the followup of dialysis patients.

The second symposium entitled: The Matrices We love to Hate, brought together three speakers who gave an update on analyses performed on matrices that are less frequently encountered and often not well-liked by medical technologists such as stool and saliva. Dr. Jean Dubé was the fi rst speaker and he elaborated on the development of the Quebec Colon Cancer Screening Program: from the gFOBT test (guaiac fecal occult blood test) to the FIT test (fecal immunochemical test), and the experience of the CHUS (Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Sherbrooke) in setting up a central laboratory for this test. He described the whole process from patient collection to the fi nal result. The positive cut-off of 175ng/mL for the FIT test was established by taking into consideration studies done by the INESSS (Institut national d’excellence en santé et en service sociaux). The goal of this study was to determine a value at which the sensitivity of the analysis had a minimum specifi city of 95% to limit the number of false positives and consequently the number of unnecessary colonoscopies. Dr Mathieu Provençal presented next on fecal calprotectin, a marker used to distinguish chronic infl ammatory bowl diease (IBD) from other gastrointestinal conditions. An evaluation of the different methods available was presented. Sample preparation is critical in order to obtain consistant results. An understanding of the nature of this biomarker, preanalytic variables and interpretation of results leads to a better treatment and follow-up of patients with IBD. The next speaker, Dr. Guy Fink ended the symposium with a presentation on laboratory tests in saliva. Saliva is a biological fl uid that can be collected noninvasively at home. Various analytes such as cortisol are good candidates for measurement in saliva either qualitatively or quantitatively.

The fi nal symposium discussed genetic testing and the matrices particular to this type of testing. Dr Sébastien Chénier touched on genetic testing and amniotic fl uid. He discussed the implications of prenatal genetic testing for the patient and their family. He also described the new technologies available like microchip comparative genome hybridization, a technique that is more reliable, reproducible and rapid than karyotyping and is superior for diagnostic utility. Dr. Marie-Thérèse Berthier then spoke about the recent changes to the Quebec Prenatal Serum Screening Program. The CHUQ (Centre hospitalier universitaire du Québec) is responsible for this program and its laboratory is at the heart of it. In 2011 the program acquired a new LIS and the laboratory installed new instruments. These changes made it possible to add new tests to the prenatal screen: a screen for medium-chain fatty acid acyl-CoA dehydrogenase defi ciency (MCADD) in 2011 and a screen for major sickle cell syndromes in 2013. Dr. Luigi Bouchard closed the last symposium

with a talk explaining a pilot project offering testing for carriers of four recessive syndromes in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region. The founder effect in this region is responsible for the high frequency of certain genetic diseases. This is why this area was chosen for carrier screening. The four conditions targeted were: hereditary sensorimotor neuropathy, recessive ataxic spasticity of Charlevoix-Saguenay, hereditary type I tyrosinemia and congenital lactic acidosis. The pilot project was a success and the results are being analysed in order to determine if these screens should be offered on continual basis.

Dr. Marie-Hèlene Levesque Chair, Organizing Committee 35th SQBC Congress (translated by Dr. Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon)

Résumé du congrèsde la SQBC

Le 35e congrès annuel de la Société québécoise de biologie clinique (SQBC) a eu lieu du 8 au 10 octobre 2014 à l’hôtel Universel de Rivière-du-Loup sous la thématique « La matrice décryptée ». Encore une fois cette année, nous proposions aux participants des conférences d’experts regroupées sous trois symposiums : La matrice polychromique, la matrice: les mal-aimés et la matrice : code source. En nouveauté, un atelier tables rondes était offert aux participants. La session de présentations par affi che s’est illustrée encore une fois par la variété et la qualité des travaux présentés. Deux d’entre eux se sont cependant démarqués. Il s’agit de Marie-Eve Habel, biochimiste clinique au CSSS de Rimouski-Neigette et d’Évelyne Lapointe, résidente au Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), qui ont remportés respectivement le premier et le deuxième prix. Dans le cadre de sa 35e édition, la SQBC a également remis le prix Excellence de la SQBC 2014 à Joël Lavoie pour sa contribution signifi cative à la biochimie clinique et au rayonnement de la SQBC.

Le premier symposium, « La matrice polychromique », proposait trois conférences sous la thématique de la maladie rénale. Le premier conférencier, le Dr Michel Vallée a exposé l’importance du bilan biochimique chez les porteurs d’hypertension réfractaire. Il s’agit d’un phénomène rare qui touche moins de 5% des patients hypertendus. La recherche d’une cause secondaire à l’hypertension, comme l’hyperaldostéronisme primaire et le phéochromocytome, est entrepris chez ces patients grâce au bilan biochimique. Le Dr François Leblond a ensuite discuté de l’insuffi sance rénale aigüe en présentant l’étiologie de la maladie ainsi qu’une revue exhaustive des marqueurs d’insuffi sance rénale aigüe, notamment NGAL(neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin), Cystatine C, NAG (N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase) KIM-1 (Kidney Injury Molecule-1) et L-FABP (liver-type fatty acid binding protein) Le Dr Leblond a abordé les avantages et inconvénients de chacun de ces marqueurs de même que leur cinétique d’évolution. Enfi n, le suivi biochimique des patients dialysés a été présenté par le Dre Nathalie Langlois. Une brève présentation des principes de base de la suppléance rénale (hémodialyse et dialyse péritonéale) a permis

CSCC News • January 2015 7

d’introduire des notions plus complexes telles le Kt/V (K - clairance de l’urée par le dialysat, t– temps de la dialyse, V - volume de distribution de urée, eqivalent approximativement au volume d’eau total du patient), qui est en fait un calcul permettant de calculer la clairance de l’urée. L’utilisation du Kt/V est cependant limitée puisqu’il ne tient pas compte de la clairance des autres molécules et facteurs qui infl uencent la morbidité et la mortalité. Le dosage d’autres paramètres biochimiques, dont le phosphore, le calcium, le potassium et la PTH sont également nécessaire au suivi des patients sous dialyse.

Le deuxième symposium sur « La matrice : les mal-aimés » regroupait trois conférenciers parlant de sujets d’actualité impliquant des analyses de laboratoire sur des matrices moins communes et parfois moins appréciées des technologistes médicaux, telles que les selles ou la salive. Le Dr Jean Dubé a d’abord présenté l’évolution du dépistage du cancer du côlon au Québec : du test RSOSg (recherche de sang occulte dans les selles guaiac), au RSOSi (recherche de sang occulte dans les selles immunochimique), l’expérience du CHUS (Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Sherbrooke) pour démarrer un laboratoire d’analyse centralisé. Il a décrit le processus de cheminement complet de l’analyse du patient au résultat. Le seuil de positivité du RSOSi à 175 ng/mL a été déterminé en tenant compte des travaux de l’INESSS (Institut national d’excellence en santé et en service sociaux). Cette étude visait à déterminer une valeur pour laquelle la sensibilité de l’analyse respectait une valeur minimale de spécifi cité de 95% afi n de limiter le nombre de résultat faussement positif et de limiter les coloscopies. Le Dr Mathieu Provençal a ensuite discuté de la calprotectine fécale, un marqueur permettant de distinguer les maladies infl ammatoires chroniques de l’intestin (MICI) des autres atteintes gastro-intestinales. Une évaluation des différentes méthodes disponibles sur le marché a été présentée. La préparation des échantillons serait également responsable de la variabilité des résultats obtenus. La compréhension de la nature de ce biomarqueur, de la variation pré-analytique et de l’interprétation des résultats permet une meilleure prise en charges des patients souffrant de MICI. Le dernier conférencier, le Dr Guy Fink, a conclu cette session en présentant sur les tests de laboratoire clinique dans la salive. La salive est un fl uide biologique dont la collecte se fait de façon non invasive et peut donc être effectuée à domicile. Différentes molécules, telles le cortisol, sont susceptibles d’être de bonnes candidates cliniques pour le dosage soit qualitatif ou quantitatif dans les laboratoires de biologie médicale.

Enfi n, les analyses génétiques ont fait l’objet du troisième symposium intitulé « La matrice : code source ». Le Dr Sébastien Chénier a d’abord abordé la génétique et le liquide amniotique, discutant des implications d’un diagnostic génétique prénatal pour le patient et sa famille. Il a également présenté les nouveaux outils technologiques actuels, dont l’analyse d’hybridation génomique comparative (CGH) sur micropuce, une analyse plus fiable, reproductible et rapide que le caryotype, offrant un rendement diagnostic supérieur. Le Dre Marie-Thérèse Berthier a ensuite exposé les récents changements apportés au programme québécois de dépistage néonatal sanguin. Le CHU de Québec est fi duciaire du programme québécois de dépistage néonatal sanguin dont le laboratoire provincial est le cœur. En 2011, le programme se dote

d’un nouveau SIL alors que le laboratoire renouvelle son parc d’équipement. Ces changements permettent l’ajout du dépistage de la défi cience en déshydrogénase des acyls-CoA des acides gras à chaîne moyenne (MCADD) en 2011 et celui des syndromes drépanocytaires majeurs en 2013. Le Dr Luigi Bouchard est venu clore le dernier symposium en expliquant un projet pilote d’offre de tests de porteurs pour quatre maladies récessives au Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean. L’effet fondateur dans cette région est responsable de la fréquence élevée de certaines maladies génétiques. C’est dans ce cadre qu’un projet pilote de dépistage de porteur à été élaboré. Quatre maladies récessives ont été ciblées : la neuropathie sensitivomotrice, l’ataxie récessive spastique de Charlevoix-Saguenay, la tyrosinémie héréditaire de type 1 et l’acidose lactique. Le projet-pilote est parvenu aux objectifs fi xés et une réfl exion est présentement en cours sur la pérennisation du service.

Dre Marie-Hélène Levesque, biochimiste cliniquePrésidente du comité organisateur du 35e congrès de la SQBC

Dr. Nadine Urquhart has retired from St. Paul’s Hospital after 32 years as a Clinical Biochemist. Her grand farewell party was held at the Richmond Oval on May 11, 2013, a fi tting venue to demonstrate Nadine’s lifelong ice-dancing skills. She and many others skated at this event. Her fellow skaters, who judged her on her performance were told to be just as tough as she was on QC violations! A magnifi cent dinner followed with many tributes by her colleagues at St. Paul’s as well as those at other hospitals and labs. Nadine and her husband David are enjoying having more time for sailing their boat and enjoying their cottage on Shuswap Lake.

Did you know that CSCC is now on wikipedia? Check out the wikipedia page started by Dr. Andrew Lyon:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Society_of_Clinical_Chemists. We invite you to visit this link and make your own contribution!

CSCC News • January 20158

The CSCC News is published bimonthly by the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists and distributed to the members by the Society. Letters to the Editor must be signed and should not exceed 200 words in length. Chairs of Committees and Local Sections are requested to submit announcements and reports of activities.

Deadline for Submissions:

December 31 January issueFebruary 28 March issueApril 30 May issueJune 30 July issueAugust 30 September issueOctober 30 November issue

Notices from members seeking employment may be inserted without charge, and box-number replies may be arranged. Notices from institutions will be invoiced at $150 and include a notice on the website on the Job Opportunities page.

Views and reports appearing in CSCC News do not necessarily have the endorsement of the Society. Address general communications to the Editor care of the CSCC Head Offi ce.

Editor in Chief: Dr. Isolde Seiden Long

Associate Editors: Dr. Vilte Barakauskas and Dr. Cheryl Tomalty

Publication Offi ce:

CSCC News

C/o CSCC Head Offi ce4 Cataraqui St., Suite 310, Kingston ON K7K 1Z7Tel: 613-531-8899 • Fax: 613-531-0626offi ce@cscc.ca

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2014-2015 Executive & Council of the CSCC

President David Kinniburgh 2013-2015President-Elect Andrew Lyon 2013-2015Secretary Stephen Hill 2012-2015Treasurer Ivan Blasutig 2014-2017Councillors Isolde Seiden Long 2014-2016 Vathany Kulasingam 2013-2015 AbdulRazaq A.H. Sokoro 2013-2015

Division Heads:

Education & Scientifi c Affairs Allison Venner 2013-2016Professional Affairs Julie Shaw 2013-2016Publications Curtis Oleschuk 2012-2015Executive Director Elizabeth Hooper

2014-2015 Board of Directors of the CACB

Chair Sheila Boss 2014-2017Secretary Lianna Kyriakopoulou 2012-2015Chair, Accreditation Annu Khajuria 2012-2015Chair, Certifi cation Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon 2013-2016Chair, Credentials Cheryl Tomalty 2014-2017Chair, Maintenance of Competence Paul Yip 2013-2016Liaison, Nominations & Awards Ihssan Bouhtiauy 2013-2016Committees

If you would like to announce your meeting, please send at least 3 months in advance to offi ce@cscc.ca

March 20-12, 2015

3rd EFLM-BD European Conference on Pre-analytical PhasePorto Palácio Hotel, Porto, Portugalhttp://www.preanalytical-phase.org

June 20-24, 2015

2015 CSCC-CAP Joint Annual Conference (Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (CLMC)Clinical Biochemistry on the MoveWestin Montréal HotelMontréal Quebechttp://www.clmc.ca/2015/

June 21-25, 2015

Euromedlab Paris 201521st IFCC-EFLM Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory MedicinePalais des congrès, Parishttp://www.paris2015.org/

June 29-July 1, 2015

International Society for Enzymology Annual Conference 2015Corfu Greeceediamandis@mtsinai.on.ca

July 26-30, 2015

2015 Annual Meeting & Clinical ExpoAACCAtlanta Georgia

October 11-15, 2015

14th International Congress of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring & Clinical Toxicology 2015Rotterdam, the Netherlandshttp://iatdmct2015.org/

October 21-23, 2015

SQBC Annual Conference“Dans le point de mire de la biologie clinique”Château Bromont, Bromont QC

T H A N K S T O O U R C S C C N E W S S P O N S O R S !