287 articles
Drug test
Drug test: analysis of urine, saliva, blood, hair, or other samples to detect illegal drugs or misused medicines. Two-step immunoassay screen plus GC-MS/LC-MS/MS confirmation; US federal testing governed by HHS/SAMHSA Mandatory Guidelines.
Dual-probe in situ hybridization
Dual-probe in situ hybridization is a molecular pathology assay that counts HER2 gene and chromosome 17 signals in the same tumor cell nuclei to detect HER2 amplification in breast cancer.
Ecarin clotting time
The ecarin clotting time (ECT) is a coagulation assay using ecarin, venom of the saw-scaled viper, to measure direct thrombin inhibitors such as dabigatran and hirudin.
Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay
Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) is a laboratory binding assay in which an electrode triggers a ruthenium label to emit light, quantifying over 100 biomarkers in serum and blood.
Elevated alkaline phosphatase
Elevated alkaline phosphatase (raised ALP, hyperphosphatasemia): serum elevation of a multi-tissue ectoenzyme, usually from bone (osteoblastic disease) or liver (cholestasis), also placenta and intestine; evaluated by GGT and isoenzyme fractionation.
EndoPredict
EndoPredict is an RNA-based prognostic test for ER-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer that measures 12 genes in tumor tissue to estimate distant recurrence risk and guide decisions about adjuvant chemotherapy.
Enzyme immunoassay
An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) is a biochemical test using an enzyme-labeled antibody to detect and quantify analytes in biological samples; the plate-based ELISA is its most common form.
Epigenetic clock
An epigenetic clock is a biomarker method estimating biological age from DNA methylation patterns, used in aging research to assess disease risk and aging rate.
ERG rearrangement analysis
ERG rearrangement analysis is a molecular diagnostic test that detects ERG gene rearrangements, most often the TMPRSS2–ERG fusion, to support prostate cancer diagnosis and risk stratification.
Etest
The Etest is a gradient diffusion method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing in which a plastic strip carrying a dried antibiotic gradient yields a quantified MIC on agar.
Eurofins Scientific
Eurofins Scientific is a Luxembourg-registered international group of laboratory testing companies founded in Nantes, France, in 1987, now running more than 950 laboratories in 59 countries.
Exfoliative cytology
Exfoliative cytology is the microscopic examination of cells shed or scraped from body surfaces to detect infections, hormonal changes, and precancerous or cancerous lesions, best known through the Pap test.
Expanded carrier screening
Expanded carrier screening is a genetic test offered to prospective parents, ideally before conception, that detects carrier status for dozens to hundreds of recessive and X-linked conditions at once.
Extramural venous invasion assessment
Extramural venous invasion (EMVI) assessment is the pathological and MRI evaluation of colorectal cancer for tumor cells in veins beyond the bowel wall, used for staging and prognosis.
Faecal calprotectin
Faecal calprotectin: stool measure of the neutrophil S-100 protein calprotectin, used to distinguish IBD from IBS and monitor IBD activity; typical cut-off 50 µg/g, high negative predictive value.
False-positive serological test for syphilis
False-positive serological test for syphilis (biologic false positive, BFP; ICD-11 MA14.16): a reactive nontreponemal test such as RPR or VDRL caused by conditions other than syphilis, including autoimmune disease, HIV, malaria, pregnancy, and vaccination; occurs in roughly 0.2%–0.8% of the population and is resolved by confirmatory treponemal testing.
Fecal immunochemical test
A fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a stool-based test using antibodies against human hemoglobin to detect hidden blood for colorectal cancer screening, done at home with no preparation.
Fecal occult blood test
A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) detects hidden blood in stool, screening for colorectal cancer; the guaiac-based form has largely been replaced by the more sensitive fecal immunochemical test.
FibroTest
FibroTest is a blood test combining five serum biomarkers, adjusted for age and sex, into a score estimating liver fibrosis stage, a noninvasive alternative to biopsy.
Finger stick
A finger stick is a minimally invasive procedure that pricks a fingertip with a lancet to obtain capillary blood for testing, especially glucose monitoring in diabetes.
Fingerstick
A fingerstick is a minimally invasive blood sampling method in which a lancet pricks the fingertip for a small drop of capillary blood, most often for glucose testing.
Fluorescence polarization immunoassay
A fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) is a homogeneous competitive immunoassay that quantifies small analytes like drugs and hormones in minutes, used in therapeutic drug monitoring and food testing.
Fluorescent enzyme immunoassay
A fluorescent enzyme immunoassay is an immunoassay, a variant of ELISA, in which an enzyme-labeled antibody converts a substrate into a fluorescent product for sensitive detection.
Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption Test
FTA-ABS (fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption) test: manual treponemal syphilis serology using fluorescein-labeled antibody and Reiter treponeme absorption; developed 1957–1964; CDC now prefers TPPA.
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology: medical specialty applying pathology to legal questions via medicolegal autopsies certifying cause and manner of death; also called legal medicine; faces critical US and UK workforce shortages.
Fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing
Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing is a noninvasive breath test measuring eosinophilic airway inflammation in parts per billion at a standardized flow, used to support asthma diagnosis and guide corticosteroid therapy.
Free water clearance
Free water clearance is a renal physiology measure of the rate at which the kidneys excrete or retain solute-free water, used to guide hyponatremia treatment.
Gamma-glutamyltransferase
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT, EC 2.3.2.2, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) is a glutathione-metabolizing enzyme mainly in the liver; its serum test is a sensitive but nonspecific marker of liver, bile duct, and alcohol-related injury.
Gene panel testing
Gene panel testing is a diagnostic method that sequences multiple genes associated with a suspected condition, such as cancer or an inherited disease, at once.
Genetic carrier screening
Genetic carrier screening tests asymptomatic people for one copy of a gene variant linked to recessive or X-linked disorders, so reproductive risk can be assessed before or during pregnancy.