| Reinsch's test | A test for arsenic in which a strip of copper is placed in the suspected fluid, which is then acidulated with hydrochloric acid and boiled; if arsenic is present a gray deposit occurs on the copper, and this deposit on heating is sublimated and deposited as a crystalline layer on a piece of glass held above the copper strip. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| Reiter test | A complement-fixation test for syphilis using as antigen material prepared from the Reiter strain of Treponema pallidum; the test has been largely replaced in laboratory medicine by the fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption (FTA-ABS) test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Patrick's test | A test to determine the presence or absence of sacroiliac disease; with the patient supine, the hip and knee are flexed and the external malleolus is placed above the patella of the opposite leg; this can ordinarily be done without pain, but, on depressing the knee, pain is promptly elicited in sacroiliac disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Paul-Bunnell test | Test for detection of heterophil antibodies in infectious mononucleosis. See: Forssman antigen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Paul's test | Pus is rubbed into a scarification on a rabbit's eye; if the pus is from a variolous or vaccinal pustule a condition of epitheliosis develops in from 36 to 48 hours; the sputum of a smallpox patient is said to cause the same reaction. Synonym: Paul's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| visual field test | <ophthalmology> A test which measures the extent of visual field loss. This test may be performed by a number of methods including confrontation, tangent screen exam and automated perimetry. Diseases that affect visual field include stroke, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, hyperthyroidism, Jacob-Creutzfeldt disease and optic glioma. (27 Sep 1997) |
| glove juice test | <investigation> A test of how effective a particular antimicrobial surgical hand scrub is at disinfecting. (09 Oct 1997) |
| vitality test | A group of thermal and electrical test's used to aid in assessment of dental pulp health. Synonym: pulp test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| PBI test | A formerly used test of thyroid function in which serum protein-bound iodine is measured to provide an estimate of hormone bound to protein in peripheral blood. Synonym: PBI test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| PCR test | <investigation> A very sensitive test that measures the presence or amount of RNA or DNA of a specific organism or virus (for example: HIV or CMV) in the blood or tissue. PCR tests such as HoffmannLa Roche's HIV RT PCR are being used to gauge HIV disease progression and the effect of particular treatments on HIV infection. (09 Oct 1997) |
| vitamin B12 absorption test | <investigation> This test measures the amount of vitamin B12 in the urine after ingesting a dose of B12. This test evaluates vitamin B12 absorption. The cells in the stomach produce a substance known as intrinsic factor. This substance combines with B12 to allow absorption in the distal ileum. The patient is given a small dose of radioactive B12 which can then be detected in the patients urine. Pernicious anaemia is the clinical result of B12 deficiency. Conditions that can result in an abnormal Schilling test include: deficiency of intrinsic factor, malabsorption or the development of an antibody to intrinsic factor. The Schilling test can be performed with or without administration of intrinsic factor to determine what the underlying cause for pernicious anaemia. Laxative use, renal insufficiency and hypothyroidism can all interfere with the results of this test. (27 Sep 1997) |
| vitamin C test | A tourniquet test used to determine presence of vitamin C deficiency or thrombocytopenia; a circle 2.5 cm in diameter, the upper edge of which is 4 cm below the crease of the elbow, is drawn on the inner aspect of the forearm, pressure midway between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure is applied above the elbow for 15 minutes, and a count of petechiae within the circle is made: 10, normal; 10 to 20, marginal zone; over 20, abnormal. See: Rumpel-Leede test. Synonym: capillary resistance test, vitamin C test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| glucose oxidase paper strip test | <chemical pathology> A qualitative test for glucose in the urine, in which glucose is oxidised to gluconic acid by glucose oxidase; a specific test, unless ascorbic acid is present. (05 Mar 2000) |
| glucose tolerance test | <chemical pathology, investigation> A special test where the blood glucose is measure in intervals after a glucose-rich meal is taken, a test used for diagnosing diabetes. (27 Sep 1997) |
| VMA test | A test for catecholamine-secreting tumours (pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma) performed on a 24-hr urine specimen; it is based on the fact that vanillylmandelic acid is the major urinary metabolite of norepinephrine and epinephrine. Synonym: 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid test, VMA test. (05 Mar 2000) |