\ugnsl
27 _29
1998Tartu
llkka Pentillä speaks
ble discussions and poster displays and presenta–
tions. Anumber ofindustrial workshopswere also
arranged. Acomprehensive program- and abstract
volume was included in the congress bags.
The first plenary session was a review of the
situation of health care, focussed on laboratory
medicine, in the three Baltic countries. The pre–
sentations byUrmas Siigur, DainaSinkevicha and
Zita Kusinskiene revealed impressive overall de–
velopments but also slightlydifferent strategies for
education and development in the different
countries. We learnt that by and !arge modern
equipment and modern techniques have become
available in themajorcentres. Instruments that will
make further and general progress possible are
acquired by alllevels in the health care system.
The first speakers' session was devoted to bio–
chemistry and covered areas like standard-ization
30
of enzymemeasurements, markers for various di–
seases and an advanced presentation of diagnosis
and monitoring ofinbom errors ofmetabolism.
Much attention was paid to urinalysis, thus
Walter Guder fromMunich, Germany gave a re–
view of the use of various protein fractions and
their relationships in differentiating between dif–
ferent types of rena! impairments.This was follo–
wed by a round table discussion onmodern urina–
lysis which attracted a !arge audience. The use of
multi component test strips justifies a strategy
where microscopy of urinary sediments can be
considerably reduced. The remaining samples
should be viewed in a standardizedmanner using
supra vital staining or phase contrastmicroscopes.
The session on heamatology highlighted throm–
bophilia and functional studies of platelets and
addressed themonitoring anticoagulation therapy.
Increased mobility of patients and thus consulta–
tion ofphysicians ondifferent sites requires a firm
strategy and policy for standardisation and con–
tro! of the quality of measurements. These ques–
tions were adequately presented and discussed.
The first day concluded with a session on im–
munochemistry, dominated by molecular biology
andDNA analyses. Amajor panBaltic discussion
ofthe strategies and problems in theDNAdiagno–
sis of inheriteddiseases deserves special attention.
Entertained, but not exhausted, the audience
returned from the illustrious congress evening on
the seeond day to listen to the third plenary lectu–
re, given by Sverre Sandberg from Bergen, Nor–
way on an important subject for all clinical che–
mists: Evidence Based Laboratory Medicine. Dr
Sandbergillustratedhis leeturewithmanyexarup–
les of how the published literature is biassed in
favour ofahypothesis and how important it isthat
a reader does not draw far-reaching conclusions
without a solid investigation ofseveral reports and
studies, published or not.
Logically this plenarywas followed by presen–
tations actdressing similar subjects. Diabetes, in–
flammation and bone metabolismwere discussed
as was the biochemistry of the elderly. It could be
mentioned that the topic ofmarkers ofbonemeta–
bolismhas been discussed in an entireSupplement
of the Scandinavian Journal ofClinical andLabo–
ratory lnvestigation. The author of the present rep–
ort still has some copies which would gladly be
Klinisk Kemi
i
Norde11
J
-2.
1999
