Pathology Student

Absolute vs. corrected reticulocyte count

Q. I have one question, and you are my last hope. What is the difference between the absolute and corrected reticulocyte count? (more…)

A 16 year-old male with a nagging cough

A 16 year-old male presents with a nagging, worsening cough that has been present for 4 weeks. His blood smear is shown here.

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Why do you see Howell-Jolly bodies in sickle cell anemia?

Here’s a great question from a reader.

Q. Why are Howell-Jolly bodies seen in sickle cell anemia? (more…)

MHC genes demystified

Q. I have a question on MHC receptors being polymorphic. Does this mean your MHC receptors are all the same, but just different from all of mine, which are the same as each other? Or are all MHC receptors polymorphic?

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Why, why, why D-dimer?

This song by TheMashedPotatoMan is a hilarious and memorable reminder of one very important aspect of the D-dimer assay, which is this: (more…)

Very cool coagulation video (no, really!)

This video is awesome for so many reasons, I just have to post it here so you can watch it. (more…)

Wait, the growth fraction drops as tumors grow?

Q. In class, we talked about how as tumors age, their growth fraction decreases. (more…)

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic anemias

Q. Can you help me understand intrinsic vs. extrinsic anemias? My concept of it is that intrinsic means it’s in the blood vessels and extrinsic means it’s in the spleen. (more…)

What are the MCHC, MCV and RDW in hereditary spherocytosis?

Q. I’m having some difficulty grasping the MCHC, MCV and RDW in hereditary spherocytosis. Wouldn’t the MCHC, MCV, and RDW be elevated in all anemias? (more…)