Theory & Practices of Clinical Laboratory
Calcium is required for efficient cellular function and signaling, as well as neuromuscular transmission, cardiac contractility, hormone secretion, and blood coagulation. Extracellular calcium concentrations are controlled within an extremely narrow range thanks to a number of feedback processes including parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the active vitamin D metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitmin D …
PSA is a protein released by the prostate gland. PSA is a kallikrein-family serine protease that has been commonly used to screen men for prostate cancer. It’s also used to monitor recurrence and therapy response after initial treatment. PSA is developed in both normal and cancerous prostate tissue. PSA is …
Osmometry is the determination of the concentration of solute particles in a solution based on their contribution to osmotic pressure. In biological systems, osmotic pressure governs the movement of water across semipermeable membranes that separate two solutions of differing solute concentrations. This process is fundamental to the maintenance of cellular …
C-Peptide (Connecting peptide) is the binding peptide cleaved in proinsulin insulin processing. Responsive immunoassays in blood and urine can easily detect it. Serum C-peptide is a particularly useful marker of endogenous insulin secretion (a synthetic insulin that does not contain C-peptide). A patient is being diagnosed with exogenous (injected) insulin …
Liver Function Tests (LFTs) are blood tests that provide critical insights into your liver’s health. These tests measure specific enzymes, proteins, and substances that indicate liver functionality and help detect liver diseases or damage early. In this article, we’ll explore the liver’s role in your body, the importance of LFTs, and …
The fecal occult blood test detects bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract in a simple, fast, and low-cost manner. Although the treatment is not definitive for colorectal cancer or any other disease, it is commonly used as a colorectal cancer screening test, and is a leading cause of cancer death. When …
The WNT signaling pathway was first discovered in colon cancer research and embryonic development studies of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), frogs (Xenopus laevis), and other animals. Colorectal and other forms of cancers may be caused by abnormal activation of the WNT pathway. The bipartite transcription factor β-catenin/ Tcell factor (β-cat/TCF) …