Serum calcitonin is normally produced by the C cells of the thyroid. It functions to reduce serum calcium by inhibiting release of calcium from bone. It is a peptide with a molecular weight of 3400, and has a half life of approximately 12 minutes. It is characteristically elevated in medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Since medullary carcinoma often occurs as an autosomal disorder, family members of patients with this condition should be screened for serum calcitonin.
Serum calcitonin is typically elevated in which of the following conditions:
Hemoglobin electrophoresis uses an electric field to separate hemoglobin molecules based on differences in net electrical charge. The rate of electrophoretic migration is also dependent on the ionic radius of the molecule, the viscosity of the solution through which it is migrating, the electrical field strength, temperature, and the type of supporting medium used.
Electrophoretic separation of hemoglobin fundamentally relies on:
Myoglobin release is strongly associated with muscle damage; therfore, it would most closely match a diagnosis of massive muscle trauma in this question.
Myoglobinuria is MOST likely to be noted in urine specimens from patients with which of the following disorders?
A laboratory scientist is working the night shift at a local hospital when the power goes out. What is the course of action to continue to provide laboratory results?
Cryoglobulin testing can be used to:
This integrity of this specimen is compromised. The unit cannot be used.
What action should be taken if a large clot is noticed in a red blood cell unit while the product is being prepared for release to the patient?
The A and B antigens are present on the red cells of an AB patient. H antigen is a precursor to the ABO antigens.
An individual with type AB blood will demonstrate the complete absence of which of the following antigen sites?
The beta hemoglobin chain loci are found on which chromosome?
Platelets do not circulate in inactivated, spiny forms. The spiny, sticky form of the platelet is initiated once the platelets become activated in response to blood vessel damage.
Which of the following is not true in terms of platelet characteristics?
Amniotic fluid bilirubin is increased in association with the severity of hemolytic diseases of the newborn. As red blood cells lyse during these conditions, bilirubin builds up as a byproduct of the red cell destruction. The more red blood cells that are being destroyed in the baby, the more increased the bilirubin level will become.
Which one of the following tests BEST correlates with the severity of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN).
Which of the following is a selective media recommended for the isolation of Clostridium difficile?
The most common specimen analyzed in the hematology section is:
Serum ferritin is a good indicator of iron deficiency. However, it acts like an acute phase reactant, being elevated in a large number of conditions. Patients who have iron deficiency as well as another condition that elevates serum ferritin levels may therefore have normal or even elevated serum ferritin levels.
Which one of the following statements about serum ferritin are true:
Whole blood glucose values are lower than plasma glucose values. For this reason, point-of-care whole blood glucose meters are programmed to correct the value before presenting the result; therefore, the whole blood glucose meter result correlates to serum or plasma results.
Whole blood glucose values are ____________ plasma glucose values.
In combined fiscal years 2005 through 2009, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) caused the higest number of reported fatalities (48%), followed by hemolytic transfusion reactions (26%) due to non-ABO (16%) and ABO (10%) incompatibilities. Complications of microbial infection, transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO), and anaphylactic reactions each accounted for a smaller number of reported fatalities.
