Topic 6: Clinical Chemistry

Question 1

For small animals, what does a typical panel include?

Answer 1

Total protein
Albumin 
Globulin 
Urea
Creatine 
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

Question 2

A yellow colour seen in the plasma should be considered an indication to measure what?

Answer 2

Bilirubin

Question 3

What is an important concept in vet chemistry profiles?

Answer 3

Reference interval

Question 4

What is refernce interval?

Answer 4

Represents values that would be expected from a healthty animal and is needed to interpret patient results

Based on a large number of samples obtained from healththy animals and is calculated to include 95% of the healthy population

Question 5

What samples cna chemistry testings be performed on?

Answer 5

Serum

Plasma

Question 6

When evaluating blood proteins what is the sample of choice?

Answer 6

Serum

Question 7

Changes to the serum can be minimized by what?

Answer 7

Cold storage

Question 8

What is the Total Protein?

Answer 8

Sum concentration of all individual serum proteins

Two main protein components of diagnostic significiance are albumin and globulin

Question 9

What is albumin?

Answer 9

Protein primarily responsible for the oncotic pressure in plasma.
Synthesised in the liver

Question 10

What does globulin consist of?

Answer 10

Many different proteins

Large portion consists of immunoglobulins

Question 11

How do you calculate the the globulin fraction?

Answer 11

Subracting albumin concentration from the total protein concentration

Question 12

Which contains fibrogen and other clotting factors?

Answer 12

Plasma, not serum

Question 13

Hyperproteinaenmia results from what?

Answer 13

Inrease in the concentration of albumin, globulin or both

Question 14

What is the cause of hyperalbuminaemia?

Answer 14

Dehydration

Question 15

Hypoproteinaemia is usually the result of what?

Answer 15

Hypoalbuminaenemia

Question 16

When does hypoalbuminanemia occur?

Answer 16

Excessive loss of albumin or if hepatic production is insufficient to meet demand

Question 17

How can you measure total protein?

Answer 17

Using a refractometry

Snap microhaematocrit tube in half and deposit plasma onto the glass

Question 18

What does a refractometry measure?

Answer 18

Refractive index of a solution

Question 19

What is the biuret method?

Answer 19

Automated chemistry analyser

Detects all proteins

Question 20

Albumin is measured by its ability to what?

Answer 20

Bind to bromocresol green

It reacts at pH 4.2 to form an intense green complex

Question 21

Total Protein Electrophoresis procedure does what?

Answer 21

Seperates the proteins in serum and body fluids into the component fractions - albumin and a, B, y globulins based on their size, shape and charge

Question 22

How is urea synthesized?

Answer 22

By hepatocytes from ammonia generated by catabolism of AAs derived from digestion of proteins in the intestines or from endogenous tissue proteins

Question 23

How is urea secreted?

Answer 23

By the kidneys, colon, saliva and sweat

Question 24

How is urea filtered?

Answer 24

Freely through the glomerulus and passively diffuses out of the tubules at a rate dependent on flow rate through the tubules - remainder is excreted in urine

Question 25

High and low flow rates of urea?

Answer 25

High - 40% of filtered urea is reabsorbed

Low - 60% of filtered urea is reabsorbed and added back to blood urea concentration