Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
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The availability of portable healthcare devices, which can acquire and transmit medical data to remote experts would dramatically affect healthcare in areas with poor infrastructure. Smartphones, which feature touchscreen computer capabilities and sophisticated cameras, have become widely available with over billion units shipped in 2013. ⋯ This review covers the use of smartphones to acquire, analyze, communicate, and liberate clinical laboratory data. Smartphones promise to dramatically improve the quality and quantity of healthcare offered in resource-limited areas.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are conditions that substantially increase morbidity and mortality. Although novel biomarkers are being used in practice, the diagnosis of AKI and CKD is still made with surrogate markers of GFR, such as serum creatinine (SCr), urine output and creatinine based estimating equations. SCr is limited as a marker of kidney dysfunction in both settings and may be inaccurate in several situations, such as in patients with low muscle mass or with fluid overload. New biomarkers have the potential to identify earlier patients with AKI and CKD and in the future potentially intervene to modify outcomes. ⋯ Recent advances in molecular biology have resulted in promising biomarkers for AKI and CKD diagnoses; however more research is necessary to implement them successfully into clinical practice in order to facilitate early diagnosis, guide interventions and monitor disease progression. The following review describes the most important biomarkers studied in kidney disease and will discuss the use and the value of these biomarkers in different clinical settings.