| 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) |
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| 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) |
| Volhard's test | A test for renal function: the patient drinks 1500 ml of water on an empty stomach; if the patient was not dehydrated beforehand and the kidneys are normal, this fluid will be excreted by the end of 4 hr, with specific gravity of the urine being from 1.001 to 1.004. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Vollmer test | A tuberculin patch test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| resorcinol test | A test for fructosuria; fresh urine treated with resorcinol in acid gives a red precipitate in the presence of fructose; the precipitate should form a red solution in ethanol. Synonym: Selivanoff's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Meinicke test | The first successful application (1917-1918) of immune precipitation to diagnosis of syphilis, now obsolete. (05 Mar 2000) |
| glycosylated haemoglobin test | <investigation> A blood test that measures a person's average blood glucose (sugar) level for the 2- to 3-month period before the test. See: haemoglobin A1C. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Gmelin's test | A test for bile in the urine or other body fluid; nitric acid, with a little nitrous acid, is cautiously added to a few milliliters of the material to be tested; if bile (bilirubin) is present, it is oxidised to varying degrees, thereby resulting in disklike zones that are (from the interface outward) yellow, red, violet, blue, and green; development of green and violet layers is essential to the validity of the test. Synonym: Rosenbach-Gmelin test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pentagastrin test | An alternative to histamine for stimulation of acid secretion in gastric analysis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Gofman test | A test for various serum lipoproteins that contain cholesterol, as an index of the tendency to the development of atheromatous lesions and arteriosclerosis; the test is based on the differential flotation of molecules of various sizes when the serum is treated in an ultracentrifuge. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Meltzer-Lyon test | A test used in diagnosis of gallbladder conditions: 25 ml of a 25% solution of magnesium sulfate are delivered into the region of the sphincter of Oddi through a duodenal tube, causing contraction of the gallbladder, relaxation of the sphincter, and the expulsion of bile from the common duct and gallbladder; bile from the common duct is relatively pale and is expelled first, that from the gallbladder follows; samples aspirated from the tube are examined for pus cells, pigment granules, epithelial cells, cholesterol, etc. (05 Mar 2000) |