Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Delivering Health Care - Part 2
Lecture:Laboratory, Pathology, Radiology, and Ancillary Services
Slide content:Laboratory Pathology - 2 Hematopathology Diseases of blood cells Traditional microscopy Immunohistochemistry Flow cytometry Molecular diagnostic tests Blood banking - Transfusion medicine Cytogenetics 5
Slide notes:Another division of pathology is hematopathology , or the study of blood cell diseases. Blood cells can be examined using traditional microscopy or through more sophisticated techniques. Immunohistochemistry, or IHC, is the process of localizing antigens, such as proteins in the cells of a tissue, by exploiting the principle that antibodies bind specifically to antigens within the tissue itself. Flow cytometry is a technique for counting and examining microscopic particles of cells and chromosomes by suspending them in a stream of fluid and passing them through an electronic detection mechanism. This process allows the simultaneous analysis of physical and chemical characteristics of thousands of particles per second and is used in the diagnosis of disorders such as blood cancers. Molecular diagnostic tests are specialized blood tests that leverage the principles of molecular medicine to diagnose diseases. Another entire division of pathology encompasses blood banking and transfusion medicine, which involve the acquisition, storage, and dissemination of blood and blood products. Another aspect of pathology is the discipline of cytogenetics, which is a branch of genetics that is concerned with the study of the structure and function of the cell, especially the chromosomes. 5