| alternating light test | Test to detect a relative afferent defect in one eye by watching pupillary movements. With the patient fixing in the distance, the light is held on each eye for about a second, and quickly moved to the other eye. Assuming no defect of the innervation to the iris sphincter in one eye (which would produce an anisocoria in light), the eye with the weaker light response has a relative afferent pupillary defect. This asymmetry of pupillomotor input can be estimated by holding neutral density filters in front of the better eye until the pupillary responses of the two eyes are balanced. Synonym: swinging light test. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| Ames test | <procedure> One of a number of procedures used to test substances for likely ability to cause cancer that combines the use of animal tissue to generate active metabolites of the substance with a test for mutagenicity in bacteria. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Amsler test | Projection of a visual field defect onto an Amsler chart. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Anderson and Goldberger test | A test for typhus in which the patient's blood is injected into a guinea pig's peritoneal cavity. In typhus a typical temperature curve will be observed. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Anderson-Collip test | A procedure for evaluating the thyrotropic activity of an extract of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, as indicated by an increased basal metabolic rate or histologic evidence of stimulation of the thyroid gland in a hypophysectomised rat injected with the test extract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anoxaemia test | A test for coronary insufficiency; the patient breathes a mixture of 10% oxygen and 90% nitrogen; if anginal pain or electrocardiographic abnormalities are induced, the test is positive. Synonym: hypoxaemia test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior drawer test | <investigation> This test is performed with the patient lying on their back with there knee in 90 degrees of flexion with the foot resting firmly on the table. The examiner grasps the top portion of the shin with both hands, positioning the thumbs on either tibial condyle. Stabilising the foot the examiner places pressure slowly on the proximal tibia by moving the shin toward the examiner. Abnormal looseness and movement forward indicates a significant anterior cruciate ligament injury. (27 Sep 1997) |
| antibiotic sensitivity test | The in vitro testing of bacterial cultures with antibiotics to determine susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotic therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antibody-coated bacteria test, urinary | Fluorescent antibody technique for visualizing antibody-bacteria complexes in urine. The presence or absence of antibody-coated bacteria in urine correlates with localization of urinary tract infection in the kidney or bladder, respectively. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antiglobulin test | Haemagglutination test in which coombs' reagent (antiglobulin, or anti-human globulin rabbit immune serum) is added to detect incomplete (non-agglutinating, univalent, blocking) antibodies coating erythrocytes. The direct test is applied to red cells which have been coated with antibody in vivo (e.g., in haemolytic disease of newborn, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and transfusion reactions). The indirect test is applied to serum to detect the presence of antibody (e.g., in detection of incompatibility in cross-matching tests, detection and identification of irregular antibodies, and in detection of antibodies not identifiable by other means). (12 Dec 1998) |
| antithrombin test | A procedure for estimating the inhibitory effect of a defibrinated specimen of plasma on the action of thrombin in converting fibrinogen to fibrin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aptitude test | An occupation-oriented intelligence test used to evaluate a person's abilities, talents, and skills; particularly valuable in vocational counseling. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Apt test | A test for identifying foetal blood by the addition of sodium hydroxide and water to a specimen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Aschheim-Zondek test | An obsolete test for pregnancy; repeated injections of small quantities of urine voided during the first months of pregnancy produce in infantile mice, within 100 hours, minute intrafollicular ovarian haemorrhages, and the development of lutein cells. Synonym: A.-Z. Test, Zondek-Aschheim test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Ascoli's test | A precipitin test for anthrax using a tissue extract and anthrax antiserum. (05 Mar 2000) |