Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:00 How does the cardiovascular laboratory support patient care?01:47 Can you tell us a bit about ceramides? What are they?04:14 When should ceramides be tested? 06:04 Can you modify someone’s ceramides such that the test can be repeated and monitored, or is it once in a lifetime because ceramides or more static?08:05 What is the controversary around ceramides? 09:52 Could you give our listeners an introduction to Lipoprotein(a)?11:45 Who should be tested for Lipoprotein(a)?13:59 How do we treat elevated Lipoprotein(a)? 17:20 How did your interests in laboratory medicine develop? How has this brought meaning for you in your career professionally? 19:23 Outro Resources:1.  Ceramides and Ceramide Scores: Clinical Applications for Cardiometabolic Risk Stratification. Hilvo M, Vasile VC, Donato LJ, Hurme R, Laaksonen R. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020 Sep 29;11:570628. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2020.570628. eCollection 2020. PMID: 33133018 Free PMC article. Review. 2.  Measuring the contribution of Lp(a) cholesterol towards LDL-C interpretation. Fatica EM, Meeusen JW, Vasile VC, Jaffe AS, Donato LJ. Clin Biochem. 2020 Dec;86:45-51. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2020.09.007. Epub 2020 Sep 28. PMID: 32997972 3.  Ceramides improve atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment beyond standard risk factors. Meeusen JW, Donato LJ, Kopecky SL, Vasile VC, Jaffe AS, Laaksonen R. Clin Chim Acta. 2020 Dec;511:138-142. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2020.10.005. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PMID: 33058843 4.  Ceramide Scores Predict Cardiovascular Risk in the Community. Vasile VC, Meeusen JW, Medina Inojosa JR, Donato LJ, Scott CG, Hyun MS, Vinciguerra M, Rodeheffer RR, Lopez-Jimenez F, Jaffe AS. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2021 Apr;41(4):1558-1569. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.315530. Epub 2021 Feb 18. PMID: 33596665 5.  High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin for the Diagnosis of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes. Vasile VC, Jaffe AS. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017 Aug 24;19(10):92. doi: 10.1007/s11886-017-0904-4. PMID: 28840515 Review. 6.  Natriuretic Peptides and Analytical Barriers. Vasile VC, Jaffe AS. Clin Chem. 2017 Jan;63(1):50-58. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2016.254714. Epub 2016 Oct 10. PMID: 28062611 Review. 7.  Diseased skeletal muscle: a noncardiac source of increased circulating concentrations of cardiac troponin T. Jaffe AS, Vasile VC, Milone M, Saenger AK, Olson KN, Apple FS. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011 Oct 18;58(17):1819-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2011.08.026. Epub 2011 Sep 29. PMID: 21962825 8.  Elevated cardiac troponin T levels in critically ill patients with sepsis. Vasile VC, Chai HS, Abdeldayem D, Afessa B, Jaffe AS. Am J Med. 2013 Dec;126(12):1114-21. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2013.06.029. Epub 2013 Sep 28. PMID: 24083646