Analysis of Urine and Body Fluids Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering urinalysis, renal physiology, safety protocols, and body fluid analysis based on medical technology lecture notes.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

A government agency that mandates safety policies described in laboratory safety procedure manuals.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The federal agency responsible for mandating safety policies for laboratory personnel.

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)

The organization that provides guidelines for writing safety procedures and policies in the laboratory.

Oliguria

A decrease in urine output, defined in adults as less than $400\,mL/day$.

Anuria

The complete cessation of urine flow, which may result from serious kidney damage or decreased blood flow to the kidneys.

Nocturia

An increase in the nocturnal excretion of urine.

Polyuria

An increase in daily urine volume, defined in adults as greater than $2.5\,L/day$ and in children as $2.5$ to $3\,mL/kg/day$.

Diabetes insipidus

A condition caused by decreased production or function of $ADH$, resulting in truly dilute urine with a low specific gravity.

Diabetes mellitus

A condition caused by insulin defects leading to high blood glucose and urine that appears dilute but has a high specific gravity.

Urochrome

The major pigment responsible for the yellow color of normal urine, named by Thudichum in $1864$.

Uroerythrin

A pink pigment evident in refrigerated specimens that deposits on amorphous urates and uric acid crystals.

Urobilin

An oxidation product of urobilinogen that imparts an orange-brown color to urine that is not fresh.

Isosthenuric

A term used to describe urine with a fixed specific gravity of $1.010$, reflecting the gravity of the plasma filtrate.

Hyposthenuric

Urine with a specific gravity below $1.010$.

Hypersthenuric

Urine with a specific gravity above $1.010$.

Urinometer

A weighted float (hydrometer) designed to measure specific gravity by sinking to a level of $1.000$ in distilled water.

Nephron

The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, with approximately $1$ to $1.5$ million per kidney.

Cortical nephrons

The majority of nephrons ($85\%$), primary responsible for waste removal and nutrient reabsorption.

Juxtamedullary nephrons

Nephrons with long loops of Henle extending into the medulla, primarily responsible for the concentration of urine.

Shield of Negativity

A property of the glomerular filtration barrier that repels negatively charged molecules, such as albumin, preventing their filtration.

Renin

An enzyme secreted by the juxtaglomerular cells that initiates the $RAAS$ by cleaving angiotensinogen.

Aldosterone

A hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that increases the rate of sodium reabsorption and potassium secretion.

Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)

Also known as Arginine Vasopressin ($AVP$), it regulates water reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule and collecting ducts.

Renal threshold for glucose

The plasma concentration at which tubular reabsorption of glucose stops, usually $160-180\,mg/dL$.

Protein error of indicators

The principle of the reagent strip test for protein, where certain indicators change color in the presence of protein at a constant $pH$.

Bence-Jones protein

A monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain excreted in multiple myeloma that precipitates at $40^{\circ}C$ to $60^{\circ}C$ and disappears at $100^{\circ}C$.

Glitter cells

Neutrophils found in hypotonic urine that swell and show Brownian movement of granules, producing a sparkling appearance.

Clue cells

Squamous epithelial cells covered with $Gardnerella\,vaginalis$ bacilli, indicating bacterial vaginosis.

Cylindruria

The clinical presence of urinary casts in the urine sediment.

Tamm-Horsfall protein

A glycoprotein (uromodulin) produced by renal tubular epithelial cells that forms the matrix of all urinary casts.

Waxy casts

Highly refractile casts with jagged ends and notches, indicating extreme stasis of urine flow and chronic renal failure.

Broad casts

Casts formed in the collecting ducts that indicate renal failure and the destruction or widening of tubular walls.

Hyaline casts

The most frequently seen and least significant cast, consisting almost entirely of uromodulin.

Xanthochromia

A term for $CSF$ supernatant that appears pink, orange, or yellow due to $RBC$ degradation products.

Pleocytosis

The presence of an increased number of normal cells in the $CSF$, considered abnormal.

Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB)

The tight-fitting structure of endothelial cells in the choroid plexuses that protects the brain from harmful substances.

Arthrocentesis

The procedure for collecting synovial fluid via needle aspiration from a joint cavity.

Mucin clot test

Also known as the Ropes test, it measures hyaluronate polymerization by adding synovial fluid to acetic acid.

Effusion

An abnormal accumulation of fluid between the serous membranes of a body cavity.

Transudate

An effusion caused by systemic disorders disrupting fluid balance, characterized by low protein and low $WBC$ counts.

Exudate

An effusion produced by conditions directly involving the membranes, such as infection or malignancy, characterized by high protein levels.

Amniocentesis

The procedure for obtaining amniotic fluid by needle aspiration into the amniotic sac via a transabdominal approach.

Lecithin-Sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio

The gold standard test for fetal lung maturity ($FLM$), where a ratio of $2.0$ or higher indicates maturity.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)

A major protein produced by the fetal liver used as a biochemical marker for neural tube defects ($NTDs$).

Steatorrhea

The presence of increased fat in the stool, exceeding $6\,g/day$, often associated with pancreatic insufficiency or malabsorption.

Hansel stain

A specialized stain used to identify urinary eosinophils in drug-induced interstitial nephritis.