Re-evaluation of Blogs This Week

ATTENTION BSMT 4 STUDENTS:

1. Make the necessary corrections on your blogs.

2. Compose a 1-20 post quiz about your topic. Display it as a new post. Identification should be 1 to 10 and a case analysis would be items 11-20.

3. Do not copy from books or from internet sources. (Avoid being charged with plagiarism)

A 10 pt merit will be awarded to students who will have original questions and case studies.

4. Follow all CC blogs.

5. Complete your blog roll.

N.B.

T. Siroy and A. Naguiat, kindly come and see me on Monday.


For your guidance and strict compliance.

Photo by Nikes Alviz

UPDATES ON CC BLOGS

BSMT CC 4 STUDENTS: TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. You are given till Tuesday - June 9, 2009 to make the necessary corrections and suggestions I have required from your blogs. Read your comments to check further recommendations.

2. Be sure you have blog rolled all classmates in your side bar, with this blog as your 1st anchor.

3. Read and leave comments in posts.

4. Next topic for study are anterior and posterior pituitary glands.

5. Announcement of Best Blog for the Week will be on June 10, 2009.

6. Good luck to all.

Attention: MT4: All Posts Should be Written Before Wednesday

All posts should be written and posted on or before Wednesday - June 3, 2009. On Tuesday night, I'll be checking those who have completed their posts.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS!

1. DON'T COPY PASTE ARTICLES TO YOUR POST! YOU'LL BE CHARGED WITH PLAGIARISM - A CRIME WHICH HAS CORRESPONDING SANCTIONS.

2. Even if you didn't copy - verbatim- a reference material, you should still cite them in your references.

3. You could link your articles to relevant videos, posts, or any teaching aids available in the internet as long as you don't violate copyright.

4. Pictures you upload to your posts, should be properly attributed. Don't use copyrighted material. It is best to use your own pictures.

5. GOOD LUCK and welcome to the dynamic world of the blogosphere.

Photo by usm photos

Diagnostic Exams and Assignment for MT4

Prepare for a Diagnostic Exam on Wednesday , May 13, 2009.

Topics covered CC1, CC2, CC3 (Endocrinology and Toxicology) .

Assignment:

Read about the introduction of Endocrinology & Toxicology.

Photo by dcJohn

Blood Glucose Determination

Glucose levels are maintained in the body at 60-100 mg/dL and this is done through the body's homeostatic ability.

When the glucose levels increase, the primary hormone that decreases the level is insulin. On the other hand, the primary hormone that increases glucose levels when it is below normal, is glucagon.

Both of these hormones are produced by the pancreas in the beta and alpha cells of the Islets of Langerhans, respectively.

Since blood glucose levels are affected by diet through the food that we eat, fasting is required before a test is performed ( except in cases of RBS - Random Blood Sugar).

In the colorimetric method of glucose determination, The Orthotoluidine Method is the most common method utilized.

MANUAL PROCEDURE:

Precautions:

1. Patient should have fasted for 8-12 hours.
2. Unhemoylzed, non icteric and non turbid serum should be used to avoid interferences with the procedure.
3. The reagent contains sodium azide, which is corrosive, so PPE should be worn.
4. The solution should be brought to a boil to ensure proper reaction

MANUAL PROCEDURE:

Precautions:

1. Patient should have fasted for 8-12 hours.
2. Unhemoylzed, non icteric and non turbid serum should be used to avoid interferences
with the procedure.
3. The reagent contains sodium azide, which is corrosive, so PPE should be worn.
4. The solution should be brought to a boil to ensure proper reaction.

PROCEDURE PROPER:

1. Prepare Three tubes labeled, SA (Sample)/ C (Control), ST (Standard) and RB (Reagent Blank).

2. To the SA/C tube add 0.1 ml of the test specimen/ Control specimen.

3. To the ST tube add 0.1 ml of the standard stock solution.

4. To the RB tube add 0.1 ml of distilled water.

5. Add 4 ml of glucose reagent to all tubes. Cap and mix by gentle inversion.

6. Boil all tubes at 100 degrees centigrade for 8 minutes.

7. Cool tubes in running tap water for about 2 minutes.

8. Read absorbance of solutions in the spectrophotometer with appropriate cuvets at 636 nanometers against the RB (Reagent Blank).

9. Compute for the Cu (Concentration of the Unknown making use of the formula:

Cu= Absorbance of Unknown(Au) multiplied by the Concentration of the
Standard(Cs) divided by the Absorbance of the Standard (As)

Adapt the unit of the Cs

Normal Values = 60 - 100 mg/dL
to convert values to mmol/L multiply values in mg/dL with 0.0555

The clinical significance of the elevation of blood glucose denotes an abnormality in the body. One of the main causes of elevated blood levels is diabetes mellitus. It maybe Type 1, Type 2.

Further testing maybe done using OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) or 2HPPT (2 Hour Post Prandial test). The 2HPPT is more sensitive as a test for diagnosis of DM (diabetes mellitus). There are two types of DM: Type 1 and Type 2.

FINAL LIST FOR REMOVAL EXAMS IN CLINICAL CHEMISTRY 2

BSMT 3 STUDENTS WITH THE FOLLOWING ID NUMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT ON MONDAY
(MARCH 30, 20O9) FOR REMOVAL EXAMS.

COME IN COMPLETE UNIFORM AND BRING NECESSARY PARAPHERNALIA.

1. 06-1718-758
2. 058205
3. 06-059586
4. 058435
5. 058501
6. 06-0322-615
7. 059289
8. 06-1720-892
9. 06-2060-419
10. 06-0935-794

FOR YOUR COMPLIANCE AND GUIDANCE.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR B.S. PHARM 4

EVERYONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS. CONGRATULATIONS!

Photo by: CarbonNYC

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR B.S.MT 3A

EVERYONE IS ADVISED TO STUDY FOR THE REMOVAL EXAMS SCHEDULED ON MONDAY MARCH 30, 2009; AT 9 AM, EXCEPT FOR THE FOLLOWING:

DE LEON, Lindsey
FLORES, Ann Alexys
GARCIA, Ma. Rachelle
LANUZA, Nera
LAXA, Kelly Shaye Louise
LEONARDO, Dia Rowena
PAYUAN, Lovely
SY, Charles Eryll
TAYAG, Louinne Amie
ZULUETA, Jayson

CHECK BACK FOR ANY CHANGES TONIGHT - MARCH 29, 2009 AT 7:00 PM.
(TIME: GMT + 8)

The Importance of PPE (personal protective equipment)

Every laboratory class, be it in elementary, high school or college should always have a protocol on the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The required PPE is usually composed of a laboratory gown, gloves, goggles, and hair cap. Additional accessories will largely depend upon the type of laboratory experiment to be performed.

The Universal Precaution is to "treat all specimens as potentially infectious." Reagents are also to be considered as toxins and treated as such, no matter what their classification is.

Laboratory reagents in general chemistry classes are usually preserved with sodium azide (NaN2), which is considered as a hazard to health causing symptoms like burns on skin and mucus membranes, respiratory problems, convulsions, and many more unhealthy side effects.

In clinical laboratory classes where students deal with human and animal specimens, proper orientation should be given, again, just before the performance of the procedure to remind the students of proper precautionary measures. This will ensure that students do not take the importance of a PPE for granted. The Universal Precaution should be prominently displayed in significant places where students get to read it more often.

What are the specific uses of each of the PPE?

1. Laboratory gown

This is a long sleeved, usually knee length coat which protects the student from direct exposure to harmful reagents and toxic specimens. In some cases, they are disposable but most students wash their gowns and autoclave them (if needed), which is less expensive than buying disposable gowns every laboratory performance.


2. Gloves

The hands are the most common routes to cause autoinfection that is why it should always be protected from contamination. For highly infectious agents a double or triple layer of gloves should be worn, or better the thickest and most durable brand should be utilized.

3. Goggles

These are used to protect the eyes from reagents/specimens, which may have the tendency to splatter and to produce destructive and corrosive fumes. Since the eyes are composed of thin mucus membranes they are delicate and are sensitive to foreign agents. Extra care should be done to protect these vital organs from damage.

4. Hair cap

The hair easily snags objects that may contaminate the student. It is also one source of mechanical hazards when it can get caught in revolving apparatus, or moving equipment. To avoid this, it should always be tied neatly in a bun and a hair cap neatly in place.

The primary consideration in a laboratory class should be the safety of the student. Every possible means of contamination and/or accident should be explained fully and avoided by making use of the required Personal Protective Equipment or PPE.

These safety measures should ensure that students would have a pleasant and rewarding learning experience in their laboratory class.

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Precautions in the Venipuncture Procedure

Venipuncture is a procedure that involves the extraction of blood from a vein making use of a syringe and a needle. This is done when the doctor wants to determine the levels of certain substances in blood to arrive at a correct diganosis.

It is an invasive procedure but the pain is tolerable when done by an expert. The most common site of puncture is the ante-cubital fossa which is composed of three veins, the cubital, basilic and the median cephalic. Blood extraction could be performed in veins that meet the criteria.

Here are some precautions to remember when performing venipuncture:

1. Be sure to identify the patient correctly. The reliability of results does not only concern the performance of the test but all processes involved with the test. This starts with patient identification. Ask the patient to state his name or to write it down. Make sure you got all your data entries correct including the complete name of the patient. There are people who have similar names so obtaining the middle name would be useful to solve such problems.

2. Know the tests required before commencing with the venipuncture as this would determine the type of blood specimen to collect and the manner of collection. i.e. anaerobic, for blood gas analysis (BGA), etc.

3. The site to be punctured should be free from hematoma and edema.

4. Proper sterilization procedures should be done before puncturing the vein, preferably a circular motion starting from the site of puncture going outwards. This is to minimize contamination of the site of puncture.

5. Do not puncture in the same vein that an IV fluid is inserted as the components of the IV fluid would contaminate your specimen. If you don't have any alternative, then collect your sample below the IV fluid.

6. Check that your syringe is not clogged by pulling and pushing the plunger. If it operates smoothly, then it could be used. Check also your needle of any factory defect. Do not; however, open the pack, not until you're ready to puncture as this may lead to contamination.

Read more...

Most Common Tests for Glucose

Glucose- also known as dextrose- is the most predominant carbohydrate. The glucose level in the blood is affected by diet through the food that we eat like carbohydrates (rice, bread, starch, etc.)

Blood glucose levels are usually tested in fasting samples of patients- Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS). The patient is required to fast for 8-12 hours before blood is extracted for testing. On certain occasions, Random Blood Sugar (RBS) or non-fasting samples are required too.

Oral Glucose Tolerance is also done in borderline suspected Diabetes Mellitus (DM) patients; sometimes an HbA1C test is done to monitor compliance to medication of patients.

Although automated procedures employing the enzymatic principle of glucose assays are now being adapted by many clinical laboratories, the manual method using the Orthotoluidine method is still useful. Some manual methods employ the oxidation-reduction property of glucose to measure its concentration.

In the Orthotoluidine method utilizes the principle of the condensation of aromatic amines by glucose to form a green end product which is then measured spectrophotometrically.

Unhemolyzed, non-icteric, non- tubid and non- lipemic serum is the best specimen. Serum is the supernatant fluid when coagulated blood is centrifuged. If an anticoagulant is used EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is preferable.

The specimen and the orthotoluidine reagent is mixed and then boiled for 5-8 minutes, and then the absorbance or transmittance is read in the spectrophotometer. The reading will then be computed based on the absorbance /transmittance of unknown and standard and computed.

This formula is used to determine Cu (concentration of unknown):

Cu= Absorbance of Unknown/ Absorbance of Standard X Concentration of standard (Cu=Au/As X Cs)

This will give you the concentration in milligrams per deciliter. To convert this to mmol/L multiply it with 0.0555 (conversion factor)

The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on the other hand, measures the body's ability to metabolize glucose. This test is used to diagnose borderline diabetes and also determines gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women.

Read the rest at Helium.com