EFLM Task Force Preparation of Labs for Emergencies (TF-PLE) recommendations for reinforcing cyber-security and managing cyber-attacks in medical laboratories.

The healthcare systems are a prime target for cyber-attacks due to the sensitive nature of the information combined with the essential need for continuity of care. Medical laboratories are particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks for a number of reasons, including the high level of information technology (IT), computerization and digitization. Based on reliable and widespread evidence that medical laboratories may be inadequately prepared for cyber-terrorism, a panel of experts of the Task Force Preparation of Labs for Emergencies (TF-PLE) of the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) has recognized the need to provide some general guidance that could help medical laboratories to be less vulnerable and better prepared for the dramatic circumstance of a disruptive cyber-attack, issuing a number of consensus recommendations, which are summarized and described in this opinion paper.

Diurnal and day-to-day biological variation of salivary cortisol and cortisone.

Objectives: There is a growing interest in the relevance of salivary cortisol and cortisone concentrations in stress-related research. To correctly attribute the magnitude of salivary cortisol and cortisone variation as an effect of a stressful event, a coherent understanding of the day-to-day intra-individual and inter-individual variability across the diurnal cycle of the two steroids is required. However, such information is currently lacking.

Analysis of thicknesses of blood collection needle by scanning electron microscopy reveals wide heterogeneity.

Objectives: The preanalytical phase in clinical laboratory diagnostics is currently receiving more and more attention. This term describes one part of actions and aspects of the "brain-to-brain cycle" of the medical laboratory diagnostic procedure that take place before the analytical phase. However, the preanalytical activities, the handling of unsuitable samples and the reporting procedures are neither fully standardized nor harmonized worldwide.

The impact of physiological variations on personalized reference intervals and decision limits: an in-depth analysis.

The interpretation of laboratory data is a comparative procedure. Physicians typically need reference values to compare patients' laboratory data for clinical decisions. Therefore, establishing reliable reference data is essential for accurate diagnosis and patient monitoring.