Clinical Microscopy

Chemical hazard — Exposure to toxic, carcinogenic, or caustic agents in the laboratory.

Hand sanitizing — The best way to break the chain of infection.

Sodium hypochlorite — An acceptable disinfectant for decontamination of blood and body fluids.

Biohazards — Information not included in the NFPA classification symbol.

1200 mL — Average daily output of urine.

Urine container label — Should be placed on the container body rather than the removable lid.

Random urine specimen — The specimen most frequently collected for general screening.

Bacterial growth — The primary cause of unsatisfactory results in an unpreserved routine urine specimen not tested within 8 hours.

Decreased bilirubin — Effect of prolonged exposure of a preserved urine specimen to light.

Glomerular filtration barrier — Prevents filtration of large proteins in the glomerulus.

Afferent arteriole → Efferent arteriole → Peritubular capillaries → Vasa recta — The sequence of blood flow through the nephron.

Color — Can be used to estimate the concentration of a normal urine specimen.

Urochrome — Pigment responsible for the normal yellow color of urine.

Yellow foam — Produced when a urine specimen containing bilirubin is shaken.

Black — Color of urine containing melanin.

Uroerythrin — Causes a pink precipitate in a refrigerated urine specimen.

Leukocyte esterase — Reagent strip reaction requiring the longest reaction time.

Runover between reagent pads — Occurs when excess urine remains on the reagent strip after removal from the specimen.

Leukocyte reading — Primarily affected when a urine specimen is not mixed before inserting the reagent strip.

Glucose — Reagent strip test significantly associated with a positive ketone result.

Protein — Reagent strip result associated with a positive ketone result according to the provided reviewer.

Squamous epithelial cells — Largest cells normally encountered in urine sediment.

Neutral fats and triglycerides — Lipids stained by Sudan III.

Clue cell — A clinically significant squamous epithelial cell associated with bacterial vaginosis.

Polarized microscopy — Valuable initial aid for identifying crystals in urine.

Polarized light — Used to differentiate casts from fibers.

Immunologic disorders — Most glomerular disorders are caused by these conditions.

WBC casts — Help differentiate cystitis from pyelonephritis.

Calcium oxalate — Most common component of renal calculi.

Inborn errors of metabolism — Main purpose of newborn screening for PKU and related disorders.

Alkaptonuria — Overflow disorder of the phenylalanine-tyrosine pathway listed in the reviewer.

Urine, blood, and feces — Specimens that may be used for porphyrin testing.

Epididymis — Site where maturation of spermatozoa takes place.

Seminal vesicles — Produce enzymes involved in coagulation and liquefaction of semen.

Fructose — Major component of seminal fluid listed in the reviewer.

Decreased sperm count — Expected semen-analysis finding when the first portion of the specimen is not collected.

Secretion of protein — Primary function of synoviocytes according to the reviewer.

Gram stain — Test listed as not frequently performed on synovial fluid.

Arthrocentesis — Procedure used to collect synovial fluid.

Effusion — Increase in the amount of serous fluid.

Thoracentesis — Procedure used to collect pleural fluid.

Fetal urine — Primary cause of the normal increase in amniotic fluid as pregnancy progresses.

37°C incubation — Temperature used to incubate amniotic fluid specimens for cytogenetic cell culture.

Small intestine — Part of the digestive tract where pancreatic enzymes and bile salts contribute to digestion.

Large intestine — Major site of water reabsorption in the digestive process.

Fecal neutrophils — Test not performed to detect osmotic diarrhea.

Blood — Not a normal component of feces.

Quantitative fecal fat testing — Fecal test requiring a 3-day specimen.

Urobilin — Pigment responsible for the normal brown color of feces.

Fat — Excessive component found in stools of patients with steatorrhea.