CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

GLOSSARY 457
Total cholesterol Measures both high-density and
low-density lipoproteins
Total solids (TS) meter Measures specific gravity as a
screen in urinalysis
Transfer pipette Semiquantitative pipette used
for measuring reagents by the number of drops
dispensed; bulbs can serve as a reservoir
Transfusion Process of transferring whole blood or
blood components from one person (donor) to
another (recipient)
Trend When a quality control value consistently
increases or decreases from the mean value for six
consecutive days
Treponema pallidum Causative organism for
syphilis
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) Reagent used in urinalysis
to treat for turbidity
Trichomonas Two species of this genus of flagellated
parasitic protozoan cause sexually transmitted
infection, mostly in women
t-Test Comparison of standard deviations for
two methods for the same procedure should be
approximately the same; also called paired
“t” test
Tuberculosis (TB) Usually chronic respiratory
disease transmitted by the airborne bacterium M.
tuberculosis; classified as a “covered pathogen”
Tubular reabsorption Process by which solutes
(protein and salts) and water are removed from
the tubular fluid of the kidney and transported
into the blood; called reabsorption because these
substances have already been absorbed once
(particularly in the intestines)
Turbidity Cloudy appearance of liquid due to
precipitant
Tygon Clear, flexible, and extremely chemically
resistant plastic commonly used for tubing
Undiluted Full strength, not changed or weakened
with the addition of water or any other liquid
Universal Precautions Guidelines recommended by
the CDC designed primarily to protect workers
with occupational exposure to pathogens in blood
or body fluids
Unopette disposable diluting pipette Container with
diluents; used to dilute blood in preparation for
counting blood cells on hemacytometer
Urinometer Device for determining specific gravity of
a liquid by flotation
Urobilinogen Bilirubin that is broken down by
bacterial action in the gut
Vein Blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood
from tissues back to heart and lungs
Venipuncture Procedure for collecting blood from a
vein
Virus Infective organism that must live intracellularly
in order to survive and reproduce
Volume expander Normal saline or plasma
administered to maintain adequate blood pressure
during or following hemorrhage
Volumetric container Measuring container of various
sizes and shapes used in the laboratory
Volumetric pipette Provides extremely accurate
measurement of a specific volume of solution;
commonly used to make laboratory solutions from
a base stock as well as to prepare titrations
Waived test Test that may be performed by
noncredentialed laboratory personnel
Warfarin (Coumadin) Anticoagulant medication
Wavelength Distance between beginning and ending
of a single wave cycle; used for measuring both
end-point and kinetic reactions
Work practice controls Practices rather than devices
that the medical worker can use to protect against
contamination, such as hand washing
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