Brightfield microscopy Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Brightfield microscopy and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| Which of the following forms of microscopy is not commonly used in the clinical laboratory: | View Page |
| Which is the best method for examination of synovial crystals: | View Page |
| Red Cell Cast Under High Power This slide shows a red cell cast under high power magnification with brightfield microscopy. | View Page |
| Hyaline Casts Hyaline casts are the type most commonly seen in the urine sediment. A few hyaline casts may occasionally be found in normal urine, and hyaline casts may be seen after strenuous exercise, during fever, diuretic therapy. Pathologically, hyaline casts may be seen with congestive heart failure, and may be seen together with other types of casts in a variety of renal diseases. Hyaline casts have a refractive index similar to the urine in which they are suspended. For this reason, hyaline casts will appear almost invisible under brightfield microscopy, but are easily of seen by phase-contrast microscopy. | View Page |
| Renal Tubular Epithelial Cast Under High Power This slide show a renal tubular epithelial cast under brightfield microscopy. | View Page |
| Phase-Contrast Microscopy Phase contrast is used to detect casts and mucus which have a very low refractive index and may be missed using brightfield microscopy. Phase contrast enhances the outlines of casts and mucus, making their detection much easier. | View Page |
| Red Cells Under Brightfield Microscopy and High Power Magnification Under brightfield microscopy and high power magnification, red cells appear as pale green or orange discs about 7 microns in diameter. | View Page |
| Squamous Epithelial Cells The most common type of cell seen in the urine sediment is the epithelial cell. This slide shows squamous epithelial cells under low power brightfield microscopy. They appear as large flattened cells with abundant cytoplasm and small round central nucleus. Although squamous epithelial cells have little clinical significance they must be differentiated from other cellular elements. | View Page |
| Which of the following are characteristic of normal RBCs under high power (40x) brightfield microscopy? | View Page |
| All of the following are characteristic of WBCs under high power (40x) brightfield microscopy except that they: | View Page |
| Mucous Threads Mucous threads are semi-transparent under brightfield microscopy and could be mistaken for hyaline casts. They occur as ribbon-like strands with poorly defined edges, pointed or split ends and longitudinal striations. | View Page |