New Definition for Abnormal Liver Chemistry For the first time, the American College of Gastroenterology issued a practice guideline to define a healthy serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level. ‘Normal’ ALT (19 to 25IU/L for females 29 to 33 IU/L for males) is based on multiple studies correlating elevated ALT levels and liver-related mortality in populations worldwide. ALT levels above 25 IU/L in women and above 33 IU/L in men should be assessed by physicians. "With the broad range of ‘upper limit of normal’ levels for ALT that vary from institution to institution, clinicians may not think to evaluate an ALT level of 70 IU/L, as this may be within the normal level for the reporting laboratory— even though this level of elevation is associated with increased liver-related mortality," explains guideline co-author Paul Y. Kwo, M.D., from Stanford University, in a statement. Additionally, the guidelines provide clinicians a step-by-step framework for the evaluation of elevated ALT. Molecular Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer A joint guideline from the American Society for Clinical Pathology, College of American Pathologists, Association for Molecular Pathology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology, published in the March issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics establishes evidence-based recommendations for mutational […]