Question 1

Molecular diagnostic testing methods and results can be:&#10;A) qualitative only.&#10;B) quantitative only.&#10;C) either qualitative or quantitative.

Accepted Answer

Molecular diagnostic testing methods can be either qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative tests detect the presence or absence of a particular nucleic acid sequence in a sample, such as in PCR or hybridization assays. Quantitative tests, such as real-time PCR, measure the amount of a nucleic acid sequence present in a sample.

Question 2

The discipline involved in the selection,provision,and interpretation of diagnostic testing that uses primarily samples from patients is:&#10;A) clinical chemistry.&#10;B) hematology.&#10;C) laboratory medicine.&#10;D) molecular diagnostics.

Accepted Answer

Laboratory medicine involves the selection, provision, and interpretation of diagnostic testing using patient samples, which encompasses various disciplines like clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, and molecular diagnostics. Therefore, laboratory medicine is a more appropriate and inclusive choice than the other options provided.

Question 3

A patient visits her physician stating that her prescribed painkiller is not working to reduce the pain following her recent surgery.A friend of the patient claims that the same painkiller "worked wonders" to reduce her pain after the same surgery.The physician states that the difference in the effect of the drug might be caused by ____,which is studied in pharmacogenetics.

A) epidemiology
B) an inherited disease
C) a conflict of interest
D) a genetic variation in drug-metabolizing enzymes

Accepted Answer

The physician suggests that the difference in the effectiveness of the painkiller may be due to a genetic variation in drug-metabolizing enzymes, which is a key area of study in pharmacogenetics. This variation can affect how an individual's body processes the drug, leading to differences in its effectiveness and potential side effects.

Question 4

Analysis of which one of the following by molecular diagnostic methods provides a measure of processes that are ongoing at the time of blood sampling?&#10;A) Genetic variation in an individual's response to a drug&#10;B) Circulating plasma nucleic acids&#10;C) Malignant lymphomas&#10;D) Histocompatibility

Accepted Answer

Circulating plasma nucleic acids, specifically cell-free DNA (cfDNA) or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), can be analyzed using molecular diagnostic methods to provide a measure of ongoing processes such as tumor growth or response to therapy. Genetic variation in an individual's response to a drug and histocompatibility are static traits and do not change over time. Malignant lymphomas can be diagnosed by molecular diagnostic methods, but this does not necessarily provide information about ongoing processes at the time of blood sampling.

Question 5

Molecular diagnostics testing is only used by the clinical chemistry laboratory.

Accepted Answer

Molecular diagnostics testing can be used by various types of laboratories, including clinical chemistry, microbiology, and genetics laboratories.

Question 6

An individual working in a clinical chemistry laboratory is married to a sales representative who works for a company that sells chemistry laboratory supplies.When the laboratory manager requests a list of needed supplies,cost of supplies,and vendors,this individual only recommends the spouse's company as the vendor.This is considered to be a(n):

A) accounting issue.
B) possible conflict of interest.
C) maintenance of confidentiality issue.
D) problem with resource allocation.

Accepted Answer

The individual's recommendation of only their spouse's company as a vendor represents a potential conflict of interest, as they may be prioritizing their personal relationship over the best interests of the laboratory. This could compromise the integrity of the laboratory's procurement process and potentially lead to biased decision-making.

Question 7

A healthy individual with no clinical signs or symptoms of disease visits his physician for a routine physical examination.Blood samples are collected and sent to the laboratory.The tests requested on the sample are for general laboratory analyses,including a complete blood count,a panel of general chemistry tests (including glucose,protein,cholesterol,and others),and an analysis of urine.This type of testing in laboratory medicine is directed at:

A) confirming a clinical suspicion of disease.
B) selecting a treatment for disease.
C) ruling in a diagnosis.
D) screening for disease in the absence of clinical signs or symptoms.

Accepted Answer

The fact that the individual has no clinical signs or symptoms of disease suggests that this testing is being done as a screening measure to identify any underlying health issues that may not yet have presented with symptoms. The tests being performed are general in nature and not specific to any particular disease, further indicating that the aim is to uncover any health concerns rather than to confirm or rule in a specific diagnosis.

Question 8

John works in a molecular diagnostics laboratory and receives a blood sample that has the name of a close friend printed on the bar-coded label.The genetic test that is ordered on the friend's sample would provide diagnostic information about a disorder that has a poor prognosis,and the test is usually performed by John.He asks a fellow employee to analyze the sample for him and not divulge the results.This ethical issue concerns:

A) confidentiality of patient genetic and medical information.
B) a conflict of interest.
C) resource allocation.
D) diagnostic accuracy.

Accepted Answer

This ethical issue concerns the confidentiality of patient genetic and medical information. John has a duty to protect the privacy of his friend's medical information, even if he is the one performing the test. Asking someone else to analyze the sample and keep the results confidential is a way for John to uphold his ethical obligation to maintain confidentiality.

Question 9

Clinical epidemiology,which is the study of the patterns,causes,and effects of health and disease in certain populations,has provided the clinical laboratory with methods that evaluate the effects and outcomes of laboratory testing.This allows for a more effective:

A) process of determining the cost of the testing methods.
B) selection and interpretation of laboratory tests.
C) determination of the boundaries between the components of the clinical lab.
D) conduct assessment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Clinical epidemiology,which is the study of the...

Question 10

A male laboratorian works in the clinical chemistry laboratory of a large hospital.He is approached by his friend,who is a representative of a drug company,and asked to analyze some patient samples for drug levels of a specific drug that the representative's company sells and that these patients use.The representative wants to publish a report on the rate of drug absorption and distribution of this drug and tells his laboratorian friend that he will personally reimburse him for his time.What ethical issues come into play here?

A) Resource allocation and conflict of interest
B) Maintenance of confidentiality and publishing issues
C) Maintenance of confidentiality,conflict of interest,and publishing issues.
D) Resource allocation,maintenance of confidentiality,conflict of interest,and publishing issues.

Accepted Answer

This scenario involves multiple ethical issues: resource allocation (using hospital resources for personal gain), maintenance of confidentiality (handling patient samples and information), conflict of interest (personal gain from a friend's request), and publishing issues (potential bias in reporting results).

Deck 1: Clinical Chemistry, molecular Diagnostics, and Laboratory Medicine