CLINICAL CHEMISTRY Flashcards
It is a branch of medical science that deals with the analysis of chemical composition of body fluids for diagnostic information on the state of the human body.
Clinical Chemistry
What are the main types of body fluids analyzed in Clinical Chemistry?
- plasma
- serum
- cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
- synovial fluid
- amniotic fluid
- urine
What are the two main origins of Clinical Chemistry?
- Development of scientific research in medicine
- Emergence of organic and physiological chemistry
What elements are involved in Organic Chemistry?
- carbon (C)
- hydrogen (H)
- oxygen (O)
- nitrogen (N)
—–CHON—–
Who is considered the Father of Medicine?
Hippocrates
He believed that diseases are caused by an imbalance of body humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm.
Hippocrates believed that diseases are caused by an imbalance of body humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm.
He introduced the anatomic approach to disease processes, explaining diseases through localized pathologic anatomy.
Giovanni Morgagni introduced the anatomic approach to disease processes, explaining diseases through localized pathologic anatomy.
Who is known as the Father of Modern Chemistry?
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier
He discovered hydrogen and oxygen and the role of oxygen in combustion and respiration, which he described as slow combustion.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier
What did Vitalists believe?
Living organisms have a ‘vital force’ that is the essence of life and that life processes cannot be replicated in a laboratory.
They believed that animals are like ‘machines’ and that life can be explained solely by chemical and physical properties.
Mechanists
What did Darwinists assert about humans and animals?
- Man is not unique
- There is continuity between man and animals
- ‘Origin of Species’
Who isolated urea from urine samples?
Antoine Francois de Fourcroy
Who synthesized urea in vitro, proving that organic compounds could be synthesized without any vital force.
Friedrich Wohler
He discovered glycogen formation in the liver, contradicting the belief that only plants produce complex compounds.
Claude Bernard
Who emphasized the connection between chemistry and medical practice?
William Prout
He stated that ‘Chemical studies are relevant to clinical medicine.
Thomas Hodgkin
What significant change occurred at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1847?
Recognized the aid medicine received from studying organic chemistry and authorized the purchase of a microscope.
Who proposed that American hospitals must employ clinical chemists to advance their ability to differentiate physiologic and pathologic conditions.
Otto Knut Folin
What did Folin and Van Slyke determine in Clinical Chemistry?
Folin and Van Slyke determined reference intervals of chemical analytes and correlated variations with pathologic conditions.
Who invented a volumetric gas-measuring apparatus for determining CO2 concentration?
Donald Dexter Van Slyke
What method did Otto Knut Folin and Hsien Wu develop?
A method for production of protein-free filtrate used for determining blood sugar.
What type of colorimeter did Folin develop?
Duboscq type colorimeter for measuring creatinine in urine.
Who developed the alkaline picrate method for determining creatinine concentration?
Max Jaffe
What is colorimetry?
Pioneered by Otto Knut Folin, it involves the observation of intensity of colored product after chemical reactions.
What is spectrophotometry?
Measurement of light absorbance at selected wavelengths.
What instrument initiated spectrophotometry?
The Beckman DU Spectrophotometer developed by Cary and Beckman.
What is an Auto-Analyzer?
A continuous-flow instrument that reacted specimen and reagents to produce a measurable color density.
Who introduced the Centrifugal Analyzer?
Norman Anderson
What is the Sequential Multiple Analyzer with Computer (SMAC)?
A device capable of performing multiple tests analyzed one after another on a given clinical specimen.
What are the purposes of automation in clinical chemistry?
Saves time, eliminates human errors, and reduces risk of cross contamination.
What is the most commonly performed assay in the Clinical Chemistry section?
Blood Sugar Testing
What does RBS stand for?
Random Blood Sugar - test at any given point of day.
What does FBS stand for?
Fasting Blood Sugar - no eating nor drinking aside from water for at least 8 hours before blood collection.
What is OGTT?
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test - usually requested by physicians for pregnant patients in diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
What is the HbA1c test?
It measures average blood glucose levels of the patient over a three-month period.
What is a Lipid Profile Test?
A combination of tests conducted to check for risks of cardiovascular diseases.
What are triglycerides?
Storage form of fat; elevated levels are observed in obese or diabetic patients.
What is cholesterol?
A steroid alcohol, precursor of hormones, vitamin D, and bile salts.
What are Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)?
‘Bad cholesterol’ that transports cholesterol from the liver to peripheral tissues.
What are High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)?
‘Good cholesterol’ that transports cholesterol from peripheral tissues back to the liver for metabolism.
What is creatinine?
A waste product of muscle metabolism, elevated in impaired renal function.
What does BUN stand for?
Blood Urea Nitrogen - a waste product of protein catabolism, elevated in cases of kidney diseases.
What is azotemia?
Elevation of BUN.
What is uremia?
Elevation of BUN with renal failure.
What is Blood Uric Acid (BUA)?
A product of purine nucleic acids, measured to detect kidney dysfunction and presence of renal stones.
What are Liver Function Tests also referred to as?
Hepatic panel.
What does bilirubin indicate?
A yellow-colored pigment, product of hemoglobin breakdown.
What are the liver enzymes used to assess hepatic function?
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
What are troponins?
Regulatory proteins in cardiac muscles; the most specific test for myocardial damage.
What is myoglobin?
A pigment in muscle tissues, not as specific as troponin.
What are cardiac enzymes?
Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH).
