Category: H

A tissue typing process used to ascertain compatibility of tissues or fluids between one person and another prior to performing a tissue or organ transplant. The process is also used to determine paternity.  

A condition in which an HIV-infected person loses a substantial amount of weight due to lack of appetite, general debility, and diarrhea.  

A substance produced by the body’s immune system to fight off infection by the AIDS virus. HIV antibodies found in a person’s blood prove that he or she is infected with the AIDS virus.  

A test done to determine past infection with Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus spread by the feces of infected birds, bats, or fowl. The chemical histoplasmin produced by the fungus is injected under the skin. Past or active infection produces a raised area on the skin within 24 to 48 hours.  

Agglutinins associated with fungal lung infection.  

A procedure done to determine the presence or absence of acid in the stomach. The stomach is emptied of all contents by tubal aspiration, histamine is given to stimulate gastric secretions, and gastric fluid samples are collected at 10- or 15- minute intervals for 1/2 to 1 hour.  

A group of heart muscle fibers that transmit electrical impulses from the upper chambers (atria) to the lower chambers (ventricles) to produce contraction of the ventricles.  

A laboratory method for studying types and quantities of certain biological substances such as blood.  

A blood fat fraction that helps remove fatty deposits from tissues and blood vessels.  

A test is done on venous blood in adults, umbilical cord blood in newborns, or amniotic fluid in the fetus, to determine the level of the enzyme. A deficiency may indicate the presence of Tay-Sachs disease or Sandhoff disease.