Clin path 2 lab 1 vocab

Acidosis

A pathological condition resulting from an accumulation of acid or depletion of base in the body, shifting the systemic pH below normal.

azotemia

An abnormal accumulation of nitrogenous waste products (such as BUN and creatinine) in the blood.

anisocytosis

An abnormal variation in the size of cells (most commonly used to describe red blood cells).

cholestasis

A condition where the flow of bile from the liver is slowed or blocked. In urinalysis, it can lead to significant bilirubinuria

effusion

An abnormal accumulation of fluid in a body cavity (e.g., thoracic or abdominal cavity).

exudate

A fluid with high protein content and cellular debris that has escaped from blood vessels due to inflammation or tissue injury.

transudate

A fluid with low protein content and low cellularity that passes through a membrane or tissue interface, usually due to hydrostatic or osmotic pressure imbalances rather than inflammation.

purulent

Containing, consisting of, or forming pus; indicative of active, localized bacterial infection and high numbers of neutrophils.

micturition

The physiological act of urinating or voiding the bladder.

anuria

NO urine : The complete absence of measurable urine production.

oliguria

a dangerous decrease in daily urine output; passing abnormally low amounts of urine.

polyuria

The abnormal passage of large volumes of urine (diuresis).

polydipsia

Excessive or abnormal thirst, leading to a high intake of fluids.

dysuria

Painful, burning, or uncomfortable urination.

stranguria

slow, painful urination accompanied by severe straining to pass small drops.

incontinence

The involuntary leakage of urine due to a loss of control over the urinary bladder or urethral sphincters.

diuretic

A substance or drug that promotes the production and excretion of urine.

ren/o & nephr/o

Combining forms meaning kidney (e.g., renal, nephron).

ur/o

Combining form meaning urine or the urinary tract.

cyst/o

Combining form meaning urinary bladder or a fluid-filled sac.

urethr/o

Combining form referring to the urethra (the tube carrying urine out of the body).

pyel/o

Combining form referring to the renal pelvis (the funnel-like structural start of the ureter).

centesis

A surgical puncture of a body cavity, organ, or space using a hollow needle to safely extract fluid.

cystosentesis

A sterile procedure involving the insertion of a needle directly through the abdominal wall into the urinary bladder to collect an uncontaminated urine sample.

cystotomy

A surgical incision made into the wall of the urinary bladder (often performed to harvest uroliths).

urethrostomy

A surgical procedure creating a permanent, functional opening into the urethra to bypass an obstruction (common in blocked male cats).

nephritis

inflammation of the kidney tissues

pyelonephritis

A serious bacterial infection and inflammation involving both the nephrons and the renal pelvis.

glomerulonephritis

Inflammation specifically localized to the glomeruli (the renal filtering units).

cystitis

Inflammation or infection of the urinary bladder wall.

urethritis

inflammation of the urethra

ARF & CRF

Acute Renal Failure (sudden loss of kidney function) and Chronic Renal Failure (progressive, irreversible loss of functioning nephrons).

UTI urinary tract infection

colonization of the urinary tract by pathogenic microorganisms.

FLUTD feline lower urinary tract disease

an umbrella term for conditions affecting the bladder and urethra of cats (including sterile cystitis, stones, or urethral plugs).

FUS feline urologic syndrome

(an older historical term largely replaced by FLUTD).

urolithiasis

The pathological process of forming mineral stones (calculi) anywhere within the urinary tract.

specific gravity USG

A numeric measurement of the concentration of dissolved solutes in urine compared to distilled water.

isosthenuria

urine whose specific gravity is the same as protein free blood plasma (glomerular filtrate).  Indicates kidneys may not be concentrating urine.

hyposthenuria

Urine concentration that matches the glomerular filtrate/plasma level (1.008 to 1.012), indicating the kidneys did not concentrate or dilute the urine.

hyperthenuria

Highly concentrated urine featuring a specific gravity greater than 1.030 in dogs and greater than 1.035 in cats.

urochrome

The primary yellow pigment responsible for giving normal urine its characteristic yellow/amber color.

pH

A logarithmic scale indicating the acidity or alkalinity of the urine (values < 7 are acidic, > 7 are alkaline).

urea

A major nitrogenous waste product formed in the liver from protein breakdown and excreted via glomerular filtration.

creatinine

A nitrogenous breakdown product of phosphocreatine in muscle tissue, generated at a stable rate and used to track kidney clearance

bilirubin

a orange-yellow pigment formed from the regular breakdown of hemoglobin.

bilirubinuria

The abnormal presence of conjugated bilirubin in the urine (trace levels can be normal only in dogs and cows).

proteinuria / albuminuria

The presence of abnormal amounts of protein (specifically albumin) in the urine, indicating potential glomerular damage.

glucosuria

The excretion of glucose into the urine, occurring when blood glucose levels exceed the tubules' resorptive threshold.

acetonuria / ketonuria

The presence of ketones (such as acetone) in the urine due to excessive fat catabolism.

hematuria

red cells in the urine

hemoglobinuria

free hemoglobin pigment in the urine, leaving the sample uniform and red even after centrifugation.

pyuria

The abnormal presence of white blood cells (pus) in the urine sediment, indicating inflammation or infection.

bacteriuria

The presence of bacteria in the urine sample.

cast

Cylindrical structures formed by accumulated protein/cells inside the lumens of the distal loops of Henle and collecting tubules.

hyaline casts

A clear, colorless, semitransparent cylindrical cast composed entirely of pure Tamm-Horsfall protein.

granular casts

A textured cast containing fine or coarse granules, representing degenerated cellular casts; it is the most common cast found in domestic animals.

struvite

a classic magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal that forms "coffin-lid" or prism shapes in alkaline urine.

calcium carbonate crystal

Dumbbell or radiating spherical crystals that are completely normal and abundant in horse and rabbit urine.

calcium oxalate crystal

Crystals that form "envelope" shapes (dihydrate) or picket-fence structures (monohydrate) in acidic/neutral urine.

ammonium biurate

A distinct yellow-brown crystal displaying "thorny-apple" spiky spheres, common in Dalmatians or animals with portosystemic shunts.

amorphus crystals

Granular, unformed crystal precipitates that lack a definitive microscopic shape (amorphous urates or amorphous phosphates).

ghost cell

A lysed, dead, or empty red blood cell that has lost its hemoglobin contents, leaving only an faint outer cell membrane shell visible in dilute or alkaline urine.

urolith / calculus

A solid macroscopic mineral stone or calculus formed within the urinary tract.

GFR glomerular filtration rate

The rate at which the glomeruli form plasma filtrate within Bowman's capsule.

refractometer

An optical instrument used to measure the refractive index of a solution, utilized in clinic to determine Urine Specific Gravity (USG).

Spectrophotometer

A lab instrument that measures the intensity of light wavelengths absorbed or transmitted by a solution, used for automated chemical testing.

enzyme

A specialized protein catalyst that accelerates biochemical reactions (such as those embedded on reagent strip pads).

anion

a negatively charged ion

cation

a positively charged ion

aerobic

Requiring the presence of free oxygen to survive and replicate.

anaerobic

Capable of living and growing in the complete absence of free oxygen.

sedi stain

A commercial crystal-violet and safranin stain used to highlight the internal architecture and nuclei of cells and casts in urine sediment.

ADH Antidiuretic Hormone (also known as vasopressin).

a hormone produced by the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary gland that plays a critical role in total body water balance. Its primary function is to signal the kidneys to conserve water by making the collecting tubules of the nephrons permeable to water reabsorption.