Book excerpt: Get the foundational knowledge you need to successfully work in a real-world, clinical lab with Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, 8th Edition. From highly respected clinical chemistry expert Nader Rifai, this condensed, easier-to-understand version of the acclaimed Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics uses a laboratory perspective to guide you through selecting and performing diagnostic lab tests and accurately evaluating the results. Coverage includes laboratory principles, analytical techniques, instrumentation, analytes, pathophysiology, and more. This eighth edition features new clinical cases from The Coakley Collection, new questions from The Deacon's Challenge of Biochemical Calculations Collection, plus new content throughout the text to ensure you stay ahead of all the latest techniques, instrumentation, and technologies. Condensed version of the clinical chemistry "bible" offers the same authoritative and well-presented content in a much more focused and streamlined manner. Coverage of analytical techniques and instrumentation includes optical techniques, electrochemistry, electrophoresis, chromatography, mass spectrometry, enzymology, immunochemical techniques, microchips, automation, and point of care testing. Updated chapters on molecular diagnostics cover the principles of molecular biology, nucleic acid techniques and applications, and genomes and nucleic acid alterations, reflecting the changes in this rapidly evolving field. Learning objectives, key words, and review questions are included in each chapter to support learning. More than 500 illustrations plus easy-to-read tables help readers better understand and remember key concepts