CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

GLOSSARY 449
Enzymatic Procedure in which enzymes are used to
react with a substrate or as a catalyst
Eosinophil White blood cell with large orange
granules; comprises 1% to 3% of all white blood
cells; numbers increase in allergic reactions and
parasitic infections; releases chemical mediators
such as histamines
Equivalency testing Examinations formerly but
no longer accepted for credentialing laboratory
workers other than formal certification, licensure,
or registry
Erlenmeyer flask Graduated flask with a narrow neck
and flat bottom
Ethics System of moral principles that governs
the conduct of individuals in their personal and
professional lives
Exposure Control Committee Sometimes included in
the Infection Control Committee; makes policies
to prevent exposure to biohazardous and toxic
materials
Exposure incident Direct contact with patient
blood or body fluids, usually as a result of lack
of training, failure to follow proper procedures,
or exposure to patient who does not yet show
symptoms; incidents must be reported promptly to
the supervisor of the department where the incident
occurred; if warranted the incident also will be
reported to the Infection Control Committee
Extrinsic factor Extrinsic pathway utilizing Factor III;
important in the coagulation process following a
break in the skin but not present within circulating
blood
Factor X Unites intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of
blood coagulation; activated factor X activates
prothrombin; deficiency may cause a systemic
coagulation disorder
Fahrenheit Temperature scale in general use in the
United States on which the freezing point of water
is 32°F and the boiling point is 212°F
False positive paradox Situation in which the
actual incidence of a condition is lower than the
statistical false positive rate for that test, making
it extremely difficult to identify true positives for
very rare conditions
Fecal materials Products remaining from digestion
of food in the gastrointestinal system that may
contaminate urine specimens
Ferricyanide Compound of iron and cyanide; used
to oxidize oxyhemoglobin to methemoglobin as a
convenient form used for measuring hemoglobin
by spectrophotometer or hemoglobinometer
Fiber fragments Fragments from cloth or paper that
may contaminate urine specimens
Financial management Management of costs and
revenues to maintain the fiscal viability of a
laboratory
Flask Narrow-necked, wide-bottomed vessel used for
measuring and mixing in the laboratory
Fluoride Ingredient in anticoagulant that is
recommended for glucose determinations when
testing will be delayed; not suitable for other
determinations
Fomite Inanimate object (such as a dish or article of
clothing) that may be contaminated with infectious
organisms and serve in their transmission
Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Federal agency
responsible for oversight of many health related
institutions and practices
F-test Compares the precision of the same method
for two different procedures; the standard
deviation of the method with the larger variance
is divided by the standard deviation of the
one showing the smaller variance to show the
percentage difference
Fume hood Used to prevent inhalation while working
with toxic chemicals
Fungi, yeasts, and molds Related groups in the
kingdom of fungi; chlorophyll is not found in
this group; may grow as uni- or multicellular
organisms; most fungi are not pathogenic and
some are normal flora
Gamma globulin Class of blood plasma proteins,
most notably including antibodies that help fight
infections and disease
Gel technology Imbedding of either antigens or
antibodies into a colloidal solution where reactions
between antigens and antibodies are often visible;
widely used in immunohematology
Gene probe Single-stranded DNA or RNA fragment
used to seek out its complementary sequence among
a mixture of other singled-stranded fragments
Genetic predisposition Make-up of an individual’s
genes that causes a statistical increase in certain
ailments
Ghost cells Red blood cells whose cellular
components have lost their hemoglobin, leaving
only the cytoplasmic membrane visible in
microscopic examination of urine samples
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