MCQs Flashcards by Aífe Hayden

What HB and red cell indices are indicative of severe iron deficiency?

HB = 6g/dl
MCV = 60
MCH = 15.5

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What might a lack of intrinsic factor be due to?

Pernicious anaemia

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is used to fix a peripheral blood smear?

Methanol

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the iron transport protein

Transferrin

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What anticoagulant is used for cell counting analysis

EDTA
Ethylene-diamine-tetra acetic acid

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What does polychromasia indicate?

The presence of immature red blood cells

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Delta checking is a QC tool whereby:

Results obtained and compared to previous results

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the most acute form of malaria caused by?

Plasmodium falciparum

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is thrombocytosis?

A platelet count above the reference range

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How does platelet satellitism affect platelet count

May result in a falsely decreased platelet count on an autommated haematology counter

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What might a platelet count of 25x10^5/L be associated with?

Platelet clumps on a blood smear

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is chronic myeloid leukaemia characterised by?

An increased number of immature myeloid cells

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is a major cause of a prolonged APTT?

Heparin therapy

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the most common cause of neutrophilia?

Bacterial infection

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What might cause a monocytosis?

Chronic infections such as TB

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the most common cause of eosinophilia in Ireland?

Allergies or asthma -> rarely parasitic

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How do we monitor the intrinsic pathway?

APTT assay

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the inherited abnormality in the factor V molecule that renders it resistant to inactivation by protein C known as>

APCR
Activated protein C resistance
such as factor V leiden mutation

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What can cause a low MCV and MCH

Iron deficiency

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What causes microcytic, hypochromic rbcs?

Iron deficiency

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

When are sickle cells seen?

Haemoglobin S

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What causes a vitamin B12 deficiency in most cases

Lack of intrinsic factor

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What sample are full blood counts carried out on?

EDTA samples

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What does Perls Prussian Blue stain detect?

Iron

What concentration of sodium citrate is used to measure ESR?

109 mmol/L

What are schistocytes

Fragmented red blood cells

What is thrombocytosis

A platelet count above the reference range

What platelet count indicates thrombocytopenia

<140 x 10^5/L e.g. 20x10^5/L

What happens to platelets in chemotherapy

Platelet counts are reduced

What might cause a lymphocytosis

Viral infections

What test is used to confirm a diagnosis of Infectious Mononucleosis?

Monospot

What is the thromboplastin reagent used for?

PT assay

Fibrinogen is converted to fibrin by the action of which enzyme?

Thrombin

What is the recommended test for monitoring low molecular heparin?

anti-Xa assay

What might cause a lack of intrinsic factor

Pernicious anaemia

What is an erythroblast

A red cell precursor

What does a large number of sideroblasts and ringed sideroblasts in bone marrow stained with Prussian blue indicate

Sideroblastic anaemia

Is haptoglobin part of a haemolytic screen?

What are acanthocytes?

Red blood cells with irregularly distributed spicules

What is basophilic stippling?

RNA aggregates from broken down mitochrondria and ribosomes

At what platelet count is spontaneous bleeding most likely to occur

<10x10^5/L platelets

When is toxic granulation seen?

Bacterial infection

What is the infectious viral agent in infectious mono

Ebstein Barr Virus

What physiological protein's anticoagulant effect is accelerated by heparin

Antithrombin

What does the ISI value of a thromboplastin reagent stand for?

An International Sensitivity Index

What is the units for haemoglobin

g/dL

What are hypersegmented neutrophils indicative of?

Megaloblastic anaemia

What is the formation of blood cells called?

Haemopoiesis

What is the staining solution used for manual reticulocyte counting?

Methylene Blue

What are Howell Jolly Bodies

Red cell inclusions made of DNA remnants

What is the role of activated platelets?

Activated platelets are involved in adhesion, aggregation and release reaction

What is anisocytosis

Variation in red blood cell size

What haematological disorders would you expect to see decreased platelet counts?

Any form of acute leukaemia

What is immunophenotyping the study of?

The study of antigen expression on cells

What are myelocytes

A form of immature neutrophil

What does ISI stand for

International Sensitivity Index

What clotting factor is deficient in Haemophilia A

Factor VIII

What factors are reduced when on Warfarin therapy

I, II, VII, X (Vitamin K sensitive factors) Protein C and S are also affected

What is needed to degrade fibrin strands to D-dimers

Plasmin

A patient has a Hb of 15g/dl and a haematocrit of 0.45L/L, what is the correct MCHC

MCHC = Hb/Hct MCHC = 33.33

What treatment is carried out for the reversal of warfarin

Vitamin K -> IV

What parameter would be affected by a lipaemic sample?

Haemoglobin -> spectrophotometrically measured

What is the necessary pH for MGG stain?

6.85/6.90

How does EDTA work?

By chelating calcium ions

What are large reactive (atypical) lymphocytes with dispersed chromattin and irregular cytoplasmic membrane associated with?

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

How long does Warfarin take to manifest its anticoagulant response?

2 days

At what pH should the buffer be for a Giemsa stain to examine parasites?

pH 7.2

A patient has a Hct of 0.45L/L and an RBC count of 5x10^12/L, calculate the MCV

MCV = Hctx10/RBC count MCV = 0.9

What is the definition of an acanthocyte?

abnormal red blood cells with spikes of different lengths and widths unevenly positioned on the cell surface

What is the staining solution used for manual reticulocyte counting?

New Methylene Blue stain

How does heparin exert its effects?

Heparin works via antithrombin, Heparin binds to and enhances the inhibitory activity of the plasma protein antithrombin against several serine proteases of the coagulation system, most importantly factors IIa (thrombin), Xa and IXa

Blast criteria for different leukaemias

AML > 20% blasts in the marrow or blood

MGG stain principle

- MGG stain at pH 6.8 - Two parts o A basic/cationic dye which stains the nucleic acids e.g. azure B (any thiazin) o A acid/anionic dye which stains the Hb and eosinophilic granules e.g. eosin

What stain is used for films (?) and bone marrow aspirated?

May Grunwald Giemsa @ pH 6.8 -> its a Romanowsky type stain

Sysmex flow cytometry measurement

The intensity of the forward scatter indicates the cell volume. The side scatter provides information about the internal cell structure and its content, such as nucleus and granules. The side fluorescence indicates the amount of nucleic acids present in the cell