What are blood gas levels? We can breathe in oxygen (O2) and breathe out carbon dioxide (CO2) through our lungs: Our blood absorbs the O2 in the lungs – the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2 value) in the blood increases (this reflects the amount of dissolved oxygen in the blood). The heart pumps the oxygen-rich … Blood Gas Levels: What Your Lab Results Mean
What are blood lipid levels? The most important blood lipid values include the blood levels of triglycerides and cholesterol: Triglycerides (neutral fats) belong to the group of dietary fats. They serve the body as an energy reserve and are stored in adipose tissue until needed. Cholesterol, on the other hand, can be absorbed from food … Blood Lipid Levels: What Lab Results Mean
What is the C-peptide? The C-peptide is produced in the pancreas during the formation of insulin: the so-called beta cells produce the inactive precursor proinsulin. To activate it, it is split – into the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin and the C-peptide. The term stands for Connecting Peptide, because it links the building blocks of proinsulin. … C-peptide: What the lab value means
What are bile acids? Bile acid is formed from cholesterol and is a component of bile. It is indispensable for fat digestion. The most important bile acids are cholic acid and chenodesoxycholic acid. Every day, the liver cells release 800 to 1000 milliliters of this fluid, which flows through the bile ducts into the duodenum. … Bile Acid: Meaning of the Laboratory Value
What are ketones? Ketones (also known as ketone bodies) are substances that are produced in the liver when fatty acids are broken down. They include acetone, acetoacetate and b-hydroxybutyrate. If you are starving or have an insulin deficiency, the body produces more ketones. These then enter the bloodstream and are excreted via the kidneys in … Ketones in urine: what they mean
What is thrombocytosis? In thrombocytosis, the number of platelets is abnormally increased. Normally, their value in adults is between 150,000 and 400,000 per microliter (µl) of blood. If the measured value is higher, thrombocytosis is present. However, only platelet counts above 600,000 per microliter of blood are usually clinically relevant. Sometimes a value of more … Thrombocytosis: What it means
What is the Rh factor? There are five antigens in the Rhesus blood group system: D, C, c, E and e. The main characteristic is the Rhesus factor D (Rh factor). If a person carries this factor on the surface of his red blood cells (erythrocytes), he is Rh-positive; if the factor is missing, it … Rhesus Factor – What It Means
What are platelets? Platelets are small, two to four micrometers in size, disc-shaped cell bodies that float freely in the blood. They do not have a cell nucleus. Platelets normally live for five to nine days and are subsequently discarded in the spleen, liver and lungs. Platelet normal values of newborns and adolescents differ from … Platelets: What your lab value means
What are pancreatic enzymes? The pancreas consists of various cells, such as the so-called islet cells: They produce various hormones such as insulin, glucagon and somatostatin and release these into the blood as required. Doctors refer to this as the endocrine function of the pancreas. However, the islet cells only make up around one to … Pancreatic enzymes – what they mean
What is HDL cholesterol? HDL cholesterol is a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) transport system for cholesterol in the blood. It transports cholesterol from the body’s cells to the liver, where the blood fat can be broken down. In addition, HDL is able to remove excess cholesterol that has been deposited in the walls of blood vessels. … HDL Cholesterol: What Your Lab Value Means
What does precipitous birth mean? A “precipitous birth” is a birth process that lasts less than two hours from the onset of the first contractions to the birth of the child. It is a birth that is normal in itself, except that in most cases the woman giving birth has almost no contractions at all, … Premature Birth: Meaning and Process
What is creatine kinase? Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme that occurs in all muscle cells of the body and in the brain. It ensures that certain energy stores in the muscle cells, the adenosine triphosphates (ATP), are sufficiently available: CK-MB (in cardiac muscle cells) CK-MM (in muscle cells of the musculoskeletal system) CK-BB (in … Creatine kinase: What Your Lab Value Means
