Clinical Laboratory Science Board Exam Review Flashcards

Comprehensive 100-card vocabulary flashcard deck covering key topics in Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Parasitology, Clinical Microscopy, Hematology, Immunohematology, and Histopathology/Laboratory Laws.

Hexokinase Method

Glucose determination method based on the measurement of NADH production from the reduction of NAD, read at $340\,nm$.

Creatinine Clearance

A clinical laboratory test used primarily to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Serum Protein Electrophoresis

A laboratory technique most important for determining the presence of monoclonal gammopathy.

Uncompensated Metabolic Alkalosis

An arterial blood gas interpretation characterized by pH $7.48$, pCO2 $38\,mmHg$, and HCO3 $54\,mmol/L$.

Alcohol (Ethanol)

The most commonly abused substance, which functions pharmacologically as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant.

Indirect ISE

Electrolyte determination method with the greatest chance of causing false negative results (pseudohyponatremia) due to solvent displacement/perfusion effect.

Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM)

Type 1 diabetes characterized by onset usually at <20 years of age, presence of autoantibodies destroying pancreatic beta cells, and frequent ketosis.

Delta Check

The process of comparing a current laboratory test result with previous results obtained from the same patient.

Bence Jones Protein

An abnormal protein associated with multiple myeloma that precipitates at $60^\circ\text{C}$ and denatures/redissolves at $100^\circ\text{C}$.

Pre-analytical Phase

The laboratory testing phase under which physician test ordering and patient preparation fall.

Plasma/Serum Separation Time

The maximum recommended timeframe within which serum or plasma must be separated from cellular components, which is $60\,minutes$.

Non-Fasting Lipid Measurements

Lipid parameters that can be reliably measured in non-fasting specimens, specifically HDL and Total Cholesterol.

Plasma TSH and T4

The best combination of thyroid markers used for monitoring thyroid status.

Microgram

A unit of mass equal to $1/1000\,mg$ (or $10^{-6}\,g$).

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP)

A cardiac biomarker whose negative result is used clinically to rule out congestive heart failure (CHF).

pH Meter Calibration

The procedure of standardizing a pH meter using buffer solutions of known pH.

Blood Ammonia Level

The most helpful laboratory assay to support a diagnosis of coma secondary to hepatic failure.

Artefactual Hypertriglyceridemia

A false elevation in measured blood triglycerides caused by collecting non-fasting samples.

Hashimoto Disease Thyroid Panel

Thyroid panel results featuring decreased T3 and T4 levels, increased TSH levels, and positive antimicrobial globulin antibodies.

PASS Acronym ('A')

In fire safety, the letter 'A' in the PASS acronym stands for 'Aim the nozzle'.

LD Reaction Coenzyme

The essential coenzyme required in the lactate dehydrogenase (LD) assay reaction, which is NADH.

Oral Drug Route

A drug administration route where patient compliance is generally not reliable.

Chronic Renal Failure Acid-Base Balance

The expected acid-base disturbance in a patient with chronic renal failure, which is metabolic acidosis.

Centrifugation Tube Breakage Hazard

A laboratory biohazard caused by breakage of specimen tubes during centrifugation, resulting in aerosol generation.

Lead Poisoning Specimen

The preferred clinical specimen type required for testing lead toxicity, which is whole blood.

Calcitonin

A calcium-regulating hormone secreted by the parafollicular cells (C cells) of the thyroid gland.

Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL)

A lipoprotein containing 45–55% lipid composition whose primary function is transporting endogenous triglycerides of hepatic origin.

Pernicious Anemia (LD Isoenzymes)

A clinical condition associated with the highest elevation of the isoenzyme LD1.

Acetaminophen Toxicity Target Organ

The primary target organ severely affected by acetaminophen toxicity and overdose, which is the liver.

Protein Electrophoresis Buffer (pH 8.6)

An alkaline buffer environment where serum proteins carry a net negative charge and migrate toward the anode.

Foam Cells

Lipid-laden macrophages whose accumulation leads to the development of atherosclerosis.

Urea

The most abundant non-protein nitrogenous (NPN) compound excreted in the human body.

Hemolysis (Potassium Effect)

A pre-analytical sample condition most commonly responsible for causing pseudohyperkalemia.

Malate Dehydrogenase

The coupling enzyme utilized in the indicator enzymatic reaction for measuring aspartate aminotransferase (AST).

Basophilic Stippling

Red blood cell inclusion seen on blood smear in lead poisoning, commonly found alongside abdominal pain and anemia.

LASER

An acronym transcribing Light Amplification via Stimulated Emitted Radiation.

Excessive Insulin

The major cause of severe hypoglycemia in patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.

Neonatal Primary Hypothyroidism

A congenital condition presenting with growth deficiency, mental retardation, and cretinism (thyroiditis is absent).

Thyroxine-Binding Globulin (TBG)

The major plasma carrier protein responsible for transporting thyroid hormones in circulation.

Acute Phase Reactants

Inflammatory plasma proteins that increase significantly during acute tissue injury, including CRP and serum amyloid A.

Xenon Discharge Lamp

A spectrophotometric light source providing a continuous source of radiant energy covering both ultraviolet and visible light spectra.

Primary Aldosteronism

An adrenal endocrine disorder resulting in increased sodium retention and decreased potassium levels in extracellular fluid.

Salivary Gland

An exocrine digestive structure, specified as NOT being an endocrine gland.

Ionized Calcium

The physiologically active, unbound fraction of calcium present in blood plasma.

Transreference Study Sample Size

The minimum required number of subjects needed to verify a reference interval (transreference study), which is 20 individuals.

Fibrinogen Peak

A distinctive sharp peak present on plasma electrophoresis between beta and gamma regions that is absent on serum electrophoresis.

Sodium ($\text{Na}^+$)

The chief plasma cation whose primary function is maintaining osmotic pressure and extracellular fluid volume.

Fluorescence (Wavelength Shift)

The property of a fluorescent molecule absorbing light at a specific wavelength and emitting light at a longer wavelength and lower energy.

Administrative Controls

The level of safety management under which most laboratory hazards and work practices are best regulated.

Analytical Phase Error

The testing phase where sample misidentification or analytical processing errors must be strictly avoided.

Westgard Multirule for Random Error

A combination of quality control multirules sensitive to random analytical errors, specifically including $1_{2s}$, $1_{3s}$, and $R_{4s}$.

De Novo Vitamin D Synthesis

The anatomical organ where de novo synthesis of vitamin D initiates upon UV exposure, which is the skin.

Competitive Inhibition

An enzyme inhibition mechanism where the inhibitor molecule competes directly with the substrate for binding at the enzyme active site.

Bilirubin in Hemolyzed Sample

An analyte that suffers a false decrease in concentration when assayed in a hemolyzed serum specimen.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG)

The primary hormone released by the placenta during the early production stages of pregnancy.

Somatostatin (SS)

A hypophysiotropic hypothalamic hormone that inhibits growth hormone (GH) secretion without stimulating other anterior pituitary hormones.

Visible Light Spectrum Wavelength

The electromagnetic spectrum range visible to the human eye, spanning from $400\text{ to }700\,nm$.

Reliability

The ability of a laboratory test method to provide accurate and reproducible assay results that offer significant clinical information.

Whipple's Triad

A clinical grouping of signs and symptoms diagnostic for hypoglycemia.

Enzymatic Urea Method

A quantitative method for urea determination utilizing urease to measure ammonia formation.

Enzyme Activators

Inorganic cofactors, such as essential minerals and electrolytes, that increase the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

Alpha-1 Chymotrypsin

A plasma protein found as a vital complement of amyloid deposits in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Control Blank

A solution used in optical measurements such as spectrophotometry to zero the baseline analyte level.

Vanillylmandellic Acid (VMA)

The major end-stage urinary excretion metabolite used as a clinical indicator of epinephrine.

Chylomicron

A large lipoprotein characterized by high Apo B-48 content, responsible for transporting exogenous dietary triglycerides.

Measure Phase (Lean Six Sigma)

The process phase in Lean Six Sigma methodology where the current process is benchmarked and compared to the desired state.

Densitometry

The method of choice used to quantitate individual protein fractions following zone electrophoresis.

Ammonia (Encephalopathy)

A toxic non-protein nitrogen (NPN) compound that accumulates in liver failure and causes hepatic encephalopathy.

$5\,\text{N}\text{ H}_2\text{SO}_4$ Equivalent Molarity

The molarity equivalent of a $5\,\text{N}$ sulfuric acid solution, which is $2.5\,\text{M}$ (since sulfuric acid is diprotic).

Cholinesterase (CHS)

A serum liver enzyme whose clinical significance is indicated by a decrease in activity level (e.g., organophosphate poisoning).

Isoenzymes

Multiple molecular forms of an enzyme originating from different tissues that catalyze the exact same chemical reaction.

Primary Hypothyroidism (Lab Results)

A thyroid state presenting clinically with fatigue and heat intolerance, accompanied by markedly increased TSH and low T4.

Order of Draw (Coagulation, Serum, EDTA)

The proper sequence of collection tubes when drawing for PT/aPTT, FBS/Lipids, and CBC: Light Blue, Red, Lavender.

Nephelometry

An analytical optical detection technique that frequently uses a LASER light source to measure light scattering by particles.

Bismuth Sulfite Agar

A highly selective culture medium designed for the isolation of Salmonella species from stool specimens.

Trichina Worm (Trichinella spiralis)

A tissue nematode whose larvae encyst within skeletal muscle surrounded by a modified striated nurse cell.

Skirrow Medium

A selective culture medium specifically formulated to isolate Campylobacter jejuni from clinical specimens.

Trichrome Stain

A standard histological stain widely used for microscopic examination of fresh, PVA-preserved, and SAF-preserved fecal smears.

Bang's Bacillus (Brucella abortus)

An obligate aerobic, intracellular bacterial pathogen causing brucellosis (undulant fever).

Scolex

The anterior attachment structure of a tapeworm equipped with suckers or hooks to attach to the intestinal mucosa.

Differential Media

Culture media containing specific indicators that aid in the presumptive identification of organisms based on metabolic characteristics.

Taenia spp. Adult Characteristics

Taenia saginata adults have a scolex with 4 suckers but no rostellum or hooks, and 15-30 lateral uterine branches per side. Taenia solium adults possess an armed rostellum with a double crown of hooks and 7-15 lateral uterine branches.

Alkaline Peptone Water (APW)

An enrichment broth medium used to enhance the growth and recovery of Vibrio cholerae from stool samples.

Rice Water Stool

The classic watery diarrheal stool appearance associated with severe Vibrio cholerae infection.

Aeromonas

A gram-negative bacterium recognized as the causative agent of red leg syndrome in amphibians.

Schistosoma mansoni

A blood fluke species whose diagnostic eggs possess a prominent lateral spine.

Shigella flexneri

The bacterial species categorized as Shigella serotype B.

Fontana Tribondeau

A specialized silver stain used for visualizing Treponema pallidum under light microscopy.

Frei Test

A diagnostic skin test procedure previously used to detect Lymphogranuloma venereum caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae

The only catalase-negative, non-spore forming, gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium that produces hydrogen sulfide ($\text{H}_2\text{S}$).

Blastocystis hominis

An intestinal parasite measuring approximately $25\,\mu m$ characterized by a large central body surrounded by a narrow cytoplasmic rim containing nuclei.

Giardia lamblia Flatus Odor

A parasitic intestinal infection causing excessive flatus characterized by a strong odor of hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs).

Serratia marcescens

A gram-negative bacillus known for producing an intense red pigment (prodigiosin) at room temperature.

Vibrio vulnificus

The only Vibrio species capable of fermenting lactose (lactose-positive).

Wagatsuma Agar

A specialized blood-rich selective medium used to detect the Kanagawa phenomenon produced by pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Vancomycin (Thayer-Martin Medium)

An antimicrobial component incorporated into Modified Thayer-Martin medium to inhibit gram-positive bacteria.

Enterobius vermicularis

A pinworm nematode whose infective stage is an egg with a thin hyaline shell, flattened on one side, containing a fully developed larva.

Coronavirus

A pleomorphic, medium-sized enveloped RNA virus with distinctive club-shaped surface projections resembling a solar crown.

Supravital Stain (RTE Cell Differentiation)

A staining procedure used in urine sediment analysis to differentiate mononuclear cells and disintegrating neutrophils from renal tubular epithelial (RTE) cells, which are larger than WBCs and contain eccentrically placed nuclei.

Person Executing a Legacy (RA 7170)

Under Section 3 of RA 7170 (Organ Donation Act), any individual who is at least 18 years of age and of sound mind may execute a legacy of all or part of his body.