Vitro Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Vitro and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| Proteolytic enzyme techniques may be useful in identifying which of the following antigen groups: | View Page |
| A yellow coloration found in fresh cerebrospinal fluid is termed: | View Page |
| Table Specifications Here are the criteria for the preparation of tables, as specified by the Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science: Write table titles at the top of the table. Number tables sequentially with Roman numerals. Include the following information in a title, whenever possible: who, what, where, why and when. Put the independent variable in the left column, and the dependent variable in the right, if you are listing data with independent and dependent variables. Label each column with the appropriate units. Adequately space tables that appear on the same page. Example:Table I Patient specimens analyzed for blood urea nitrogen on the Dimension RxL and the Vitros 250 at City Hospital Sample # RxL (mg/dL urea) Vitros 250 (mg/dl) urea 1 8.8 8.8 2 11.2 10.0 3 12.4 13.6 4 16.2 13.2 5 20.0 21.2 6 25.0 20.0 7 28.8 26.2 In this case, the Dimension RxL is the "reference method" and is considered the independent variable, while the Vitros 250 is the "test method" and is considered the dependent variable. | View Page |
| The forms seen in this photomicrograph, produced from a light inoculum of an unknown yeast colony incubated in rabbit plasma at 35°C for 2 hours, leads to the presumptive identification of: | View Page |
| Conditions Associated with Sherocytes Examples of conditions in which spherocytes can be seen include hereditary spherocytosis and immune hemolytic anemias (i.e., ABO incompatibility). Spherocytes can also form in conditions where there has been a direct physical or chemical injury to the cells, such as heat. An example would be a smear from an individual who has suffered severe burns. In each of the above conditions, tiny bits of membrane are removed from the adult red cells, leaving the cell with a decreased surface/volume ratio. In hereditary spherocytosis where spherocytes are numerous, the MCHC value will be at the upper limits of normal, or about 36. The identification of spherocytes on the smear of a patient with hereditary spherocytosis can aid significantly in the diagnosis of the disorder. In vitro conditions which will cause spherocytes include prolonged storage, i.e. stored bank blood. | View Page |
| Summary It is important to differentiate in vitro changes which are secondary to preparing the slide, from in vivo morphology, which is the result of the pathophysiological condition of the patient. Examining erythrocytes in the critical viewing area is extremely important in making this distinction. The determination of the clinical significance of the morphology reported is the responsibility of the physician, who must correlate the blood smear findings with the clinical diagnosis, and other laboratory parameters. | View Page |
| Another Target Cell Another example of a target cell (or codocyte) is seen in the center of this slide. Notice that the hemoglobin in the center of this cell is somewhat lighter in appearance than in the previous slide. A second codocyte can be seen in the upper left portion of the slide. Codocytes appear in conditions which cause the surface of the red cell to increase disproportionately to its volume. This may result from a decrease in hemoglobin, as in iron deficiency anemia, or an increase in cell membrane.
Target cells have excess membrane cholesterol and phospholipid and decreased cellular hemoglobin. Examples of other conditions in which target cells may be present include thalassemias, hgb C disease, post splenectomy and obstructive jaundice. Since their presence can be the result of an in vitro artifact, their value in clinical diagnosis is limited. | View Page |
| Notes about Poikolocytosis Some forms of poikilocytosis represent in vitro artifact rather than being the result of abnormal physiology within the body. Inconsistent terminology also hampers communication about red cell morphology, in that various terms are used to describe the same type of change. Uniform terminology based on Greek roots has been applied in an attempt to provide standardization, although it has not been widely accepted. | View Page |
| Stomatocyte The term, stomatocyte, is derived from the Greek term, stoma, meaning mouth. Stomatocytes are cup-shaped erythrocytes which have an elongated or slit-like central pallor. The occasional stomatocyte seen in normal smears is the result of a slight pH change in the environment similar to the in vitro changes which cause cells to assume the echinocyte shape. A stomatocyte can be seen in the center of this slide. | View Page |