CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

452
GLOSSARY
Laboratory Information System (LIS) Computer
system that generates identification labels,
interfaces with testing equipment, and transmits
test results electronically to other hospital
departments or physician’s office laboratories
Lancet Sharp device used to puncture skin for
collecting small blood samples
Latex reagent Solution containing latex particles that
are often used to coat antibody-antigen complexes;
enables visual observation of agglutination and
precipitation
Lease-purchase Agreement whereby a facility has the
use of a piece of equipment as long as the facility
purchases consumable supplies and reagents for
that equipment
Leeuwenhoek, Anton van Credited with making the
first microscope
Leukemia Malignant growth in bone marrow;
produces numerous abnormal cells
Leukocyte Any white blood cell
Leukocyte esterase (leukoesterase) Enzyme found in
urine specimens when white blood cells have been
destroyed
Levey-Jennings charts Graph form of daily quality
control records for the laboratory
Licensure Governmental and nonvoluntary method
of ensuring competence by a practitioner of a
profession
Lifestyle costs Increased costs of health care for those
with risky lifestyles, which are passed on to the
insured and/or to taxpayers
Light-guided pipetting system Computer-based
accessories that use LCD monitors or LED arrays
to light source and destination wells in microplates
or vials for accurate well-to-well pipetting; text-tospeech
features on some systems alert operators to
laboratory protocols
Linear Having the characteristic of a straight line;
response or output that is directly proportional to
the input
Lister, Joseph Developed techniques for aseptically
cleaning a surgical suite
Liter Metric measure of volume equaling
approximately a quart in the English system of
measurement
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Known as “bad”
cholesterol for its tendency to form plaque in
arteries, where blood clots in narrowed arteries
could cause stroke or heart attack
Low-power field (LPF) Microscope magnification
level used to count certain elements in specimens
Lumen Internal diameter of a needle or tube, or
other tubular body cavity such as a blood vessel,
intestine, or esophagus
Lymphocyte Type of white blood cell that increases
in viral infections; B cells produce antibodies and T
lymphocytes recognize invasive antigens
Macroglobulinemia Presence of increased levels of
macroglobulins in circulating blood; a plasma
cell disorder resembling leukemia that produces
copious amounts of immunoglobulin
Macropipettes Pipettes that dispense volumes greater
than 1 mL
Macroscopic Visible with the naked eye
Malaria Acute or chronic disease caused by the
presence in red blood cells of protozoan parasites
of the genus Plasmodium; four major strains of the
malaria organism are capable of infecting humans,
although none are prevalent in North America
Malpighi, Marcello Described renal cells in the 1600s
Mean Average of all values
Median Middle value within a range, with half of the
values above and half below
Medical laboratory technician (MLT) Also called a
clinical lab technician (CLT)
Medical technologist (MT) Also known as clinical
lab scientist (CLS)
Medicare and Medicaid Federal government
programs providing health insurance for those
over 65 years old, those with low income, or those
who meet other special criteria; reimburses medical
facilities and physicians at a lower rate than the
actual cost of service
Memory cells Lymphocyte other than a B-lymphocyte
that maintains memory of past infections and can
clone itself rapidly to produce more antibodyforming
cells (plasma cells)
Meningitis Inflammation of the meninges, or
protective membranes surrounding the brain and
spinal cord; severity and treatment vary by cause
(viral or bacterial)
Metabolic end-point products Body waste products
that can help diagnose genetic disorders
Methemoglobin A form of the oxygen-carrying
protein hemoglobin; methemoglobin cannot carry
oxygen
Microcapillary reader Instrument used to read
percentage of cells in a microhematocrit test
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.