Q. I had some confusion on why the PT, PTT, and TT are prolonged in disseminated intravascular coagulation. Intuitively I thought they might be shorter because everything is already present and turned on due to the constant state of coagulation, but the only way I can think it might be prolonged would be that are the factors being used up which then shows up as a long PT, PTT and TT? If you could just clarify that for me that would be great.
A. Yes! That’s exactly why they are prolonged! In disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) there’s a ton of clotting going on – so the platelets and coag factors are getting used up. As the coag factors get used up, the PT (prothrombin time), PTT (partial thromboplastin time) and TT (thrombin time) go up. You also see increased FDPs (fibrin degradation products) – but that’s an incredibly sensitive test, best used for other purposes.
By the way, Ed’s Pathology Notes has a way to remember the seriousness of DIC – he calls it “Death is Coming.”
Q. I have a question about the Philadelphia chromosome. The Philadelphia chromosome is present in chronic myeloid leukemia. (more…)
Q. I have a quick question regarding Richter’s transformation in CLL. (more…)
First, a short question on IgA:
Q. I heard in lecture that IgA is bactericidal. How does that work, if IgA doesn’t bind to complement and does not have an available Fc receptor? (more…)
Q. We’re doing immunology right now and I don’t get what the difference is between isotypes and idiotypes. Are they the same thing? (more…)
Q. What’s a dermoid cyst?
A. “Dermoid cyst” is a term that’s sometimes used to describe a benign form of a tumor called a teratoma (a pretty descriptive term, as we’ll see, as it comes from the Greek word for monster). (more…)
Today we’ll continue on in our little series of posts on how to study for boards. In part I, we talked about how to set up a study plan, and how to pick among all the resources available for students. (more…)
Q. What does it mean when Robbins says the adrenal cortices are hyper- and hypoplastic?
A. Hypoplastic adrenal cortices mean that the adrenal cortices have atrophied; hyperplastic adrenal cortices mean that they have expanded. (more…)
Q. I have a question about the secretion of aldosterone that I haven’t been able to figure out by searching online or looking in books (maybe I’m looking in the wrong places!). (more…)
Q. Here’s a question from Twitter: Can you explain to me what the M protein in multiple myeloma is? (more…)
_MG_stain.jpg "Myeloma bone marrow aspirate smear")
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