Pre Chemotherapy Package

Lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme which plays an essential role in the production of energy from glucose. It is present in all the cells of the body, with the highest concentrations being in the cells of heart, lungs, muscles, liver, kidneys, and RBCs. Normally, only a small amount of the enzyme is found in the serum outside blood cells. However, in certain conditions of damage to the cells, lactate dehydrogenase is secreted out of the cells into the serum, where its concentration rises. Thus, the Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase Test is a nonspecific test that helps to determine the presence of conditions causing tissue damage somewhere in the body. Further tests are performed to identify the exact cause and location of these conditions.

The total lactate dehydrogenase in the body consists of five different forms of the enzymes (isoenzymes) named LDH-1 to LDH-5. The isoenzymes are present in different concentrations in different organs of the body. For example, LDH-1 and LDH-2 are most abundant in the cells of the heart, while LDH-5 is most abundant in the liver. Although the total LDH levels indicate tissue damage somewhere in the body, testing for the different isoenzymes can help identify the location of such damage.

Lactate dehydrogenase is also secreted into other body fluids in case of damage to the body tissues. It is also produced by bacteria and can be thus used to help identify bacterial meningitis.

Magnesium is a mineral micronutrient which plays essential roles in body processes including enzyme functions, energy production by metabolism, contraction of muscles, and nerve functioning. It also helps in the metabolism of calcium and hence helps in the maintenance of healthy bones. Magnesium is supplied to the body from dietary sources and is absorbed in the small intestine and colon. It is subsequently absorbed into the bones and tissues. Only about 1% of the total amount of magnesium absorbed remains in the blood within a narrow normal range. The normal range of magnesium concentration is maintained in the body by utilizing the amount absorbed from food and excreting the excess through urination.

Deviation from the normal range of magnesium concentration causes Hypomagnesia (shortage of magnesium), or Hypermagnesia (excess of magnesium). Both these conditions impact normal body processes in the short term and may give rise to other conditions in the long term.

The Prothrombin Time (PT) Test measures the ability of the plasma to clot in order to detect a bleeding disorder or clotting disorder and to monitor the effects of anticoagulant medication, Warfarin.

In case of any bleeding, the body responds to stop the blood loss as quickly as possible by forming a blood clot. This process of blood clotting or coagulation is called hemostasis and involves a series of chemical reactions in the blood (coagulation cascade) which activates blood proteins called coagulation factors one after another, in a series. The activated coagulation factors lead to the formation of fibrin mesh around the platelets and other blood cells at the site of bleeding and this complex hardens to form a “blood clot”.

Coagulation cascade proceeds by two pathways, the intrinsic pathway, and the extrinsic pathway. These pathways later merge together into a common pathway. Prothrombin (Coagulation Factor II) is converted to its active form thrombin in one of the reactions. The PT Test assesses the functioning of Blood Coagulation Factors I, II, V, VII, and X, which are parts of the extrinsic and common pathways by measuring the time taken for conversion of prothrombin to thrombin. The Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) Test measures the functioning of Blood coagulation Factors I, II, V, XII, VIII, IX, X, and XI, along with other factors Prekallikrein (PK), and High Molecular Weight Kininogen (HK) which form parts of the intrinsic and common coagulation pathways. The PT and aPTT tests are usually performed together and the results of both are evaluated simultaneously to determine the rate of blood clotting.

Warfarin is prescribed in the treatment of conditions caused or worsened by excessive blood clotting like Deep Vein Thrombosis (blood clot formation in blood vessels), irregular heartbeats, etc. The PT test is also performed to evaluate the effectiveness of Warfarin treatment. When performed to determine Warfarin efficacy, the result of the PT Test is expressed in terms of a measurement scale called the International Normalized Ratio (INR). Since the PT Tests are performed using different reagents in different labs giving rise to widely varying results in other conventional units, the INR system was created to maintain uniformity in the results.

The Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) test measures the time taken by the blood to form a clot after the addition of substances (reagents) which activate the clot formation.

In case of any bleeding, the body responds to stop the blood loss as quickly as possible by forming a blood clot. This process of blood clotting or coagulation is called hemostasis and involves a series of chemical reactions in the blood (coagulation cascade). During this process, the blood proteins called coagulation factors get activated one after another in a series. The activated coagulation factors lead to the formation of fibrin mesh around the platelets and other blood cells at the site of bleeding and this complex hardens to form a “blood clot”.

Coagulation cascade proceeds by two pathways, the intrinsic pathway, and the extrinsic pathway. These pathways later merge together into a common pathway. The Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) test measures the functioning of Blood Coagulation Factors I, II, V, XII, VIII, IX, X, and XI, along with other factors Prekallikrein (PK), and High Molecular Weight Kininogen (HK) which form parts of the intrinsic and common coagulation pathways.

The Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) test measures the time taken by the blood to form a clot after the addition of substances (calcium and phospholipid emulsion) which activate clotting. The aPTT test result is compared to a control sample of normal blood.

The aPTT test is usually performed along with Prothrombin Time (PT) test to evaluate the cause of a coagulation defect, if any. PT test assesses the functioning of Blood Coagulation Factors I, II, V, VII, and X, which are parts of the extrinsic and common pathways by measuring the time taken for conversion of prothrombin to thrombin.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV Virus is of two types: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is found in AIDS patients, AIDS-related complex patients, and those persons who are at high risk of getting affected by AIDS. HIV virus can be transmitted by sexual contact, exposure to blood or blood products of AIDS-infected patients, or transfer of infection from AIDS-infected mother to the fetus. Most of the cases of HIV-2 infected patients are seen in West Africa, and it is detected in patients who had sexual contact with people of that geographic region. These viruses have the same morphology, overall genomic structure, and ability to cause infection. 

When the patient gets infected with the virus, the virus attacks the immune system called CD4 and combines with antibodies to use them for making a large number of copies inside the body of the patient by replication. During the first few weeks of infection, the amount of virus present and the level of p24 antigen in the blood becomes very high. After another 2-8 weeks, these increased levels start to fall as the body of the infected patient starts producing antibodies against the antigen of the virus. At this time, the HIV virus antibody can be detected in the patient’s blood via tests. The tests should be performed at this brief time because after some time both the levels of antigen and antibody in the blood falls. This will make the detection of virus infection difficult as the initial infection may have been resolved and you may not get a positive result against the infection.

The HIV antibody tests do not detect an HIV infection soon after exposure, before the development of antibodies. Most people produce detectable levels of antibody 3 to 12 weeks after exposure. If someone is screened with an HIV antibody test too soon, the result may be negative despite the fact that the person is infected. For those who are at increased risk of HIV infection, it is important to get this screening test done frequently to check for possible exposure to the virus.

This test is done by ELISA method which is also known as EIA for Enzyme Immunoassay. This test is done to analyze certain proteins which are produced by the body in response to HIV infection.