WHAT IS MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY ?Medical Technology, which is a proper subset of health

technology, encompasses a wide range of healthcare products and is used to diagnose, monitor or treat diseases or medical conditions affecting humans.

WHAT IS MEDICAL

TECHNOLOGISTS ?Medical Technologists, also known as clinical laboratory technologists, perform and analyze the results of complex scientific tests on blood and body fluids.

WHAT IS PROTEINS USED FOR IN THE HUMAN BODY?

• The body's primary building block for muscle, bone, skin, hair, and many other tissues is protein. Over 10,000 different proteins are found and needed in the body for maintaining life. In fact, after water has been excluded 75 percent of your body weight consists of protein. Proteins play many important roles in the body including the structure of enzymes; these are important proteins that help reactions occur in the body, such as releasing from the food we eat. Proteins also function as transport proteins such as hemoglobin; an iron containing protein that transports oxygen to exercising muscles via the bloodstream.

PROTEINS IN RELATION TO MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY•

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE TESTS PERFORMED BY MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS INVOLVING PROTEINS:

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

Bence-Jones Protein (Urine)

Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPEP)

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP)

• A C-reactive protein (CRP) test is a blood test that measures the amount of a protein called C-reactive protein in your blood. C-reactive protein measures general levels of inflammation in your body.• High levels of CRP are caused by infections and many long-

term diseases. But a CRP test cannot show where the inflammation is located or what is causing it. Other tests are needed to find the cause and location of the inflammation.

Why It Is DoneA C-reactive protein (CRP) test is done to:Check for infection after surgery. CRP levels normally rise within 2 to 6 hours of surgery and then go down by the third day after surgery. If CRP levels stay elevated 3 days after surgery, an infection may be present.Identify and keep track of infections and diseases that cause inflammation, such as:

• Cancer of the lymph nodes (lymphoma).

• Diseases of the immune system, such as lupus.

• Painful swelling of the blood vessels in the head and neck (giant cell arteritis).

• Painful swelling of the tissues that line the joints (rheumatoid arthritis).

• Swelling and bleeding of the intestines (inflammatory bowel disease).

• Infection of a bone (osteomyelitis).Check to see how well treatment is working, such as treatment for cancer or for an infection. CRP levels go up quickly and then become normal quickly if you are responding to treatment measures.

How It Is DoneThe health professional taking a sample of your blood .

Normal ResultsResults are usually available within 24 hours.Any condition that results in sudden or severe inflammation may increase your CRP levels.Some medicines may decrease your CRP levels.Many conditions can change CRP levels. Your doctor will talk with you about any abnormal results that may be related to your symptoms and past health.High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levelsHigh-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) measures very low amounts of CRP in the blood. This test may help find your risk of heart problems, especially when it is considered along with other risk factors such as cholesterol, age, blood pressure and smoking. It may be done to find out if you have an increased chance of having a sudden heart problem, such as a heart attack or stroke..

hs-CRP level and heart disease risk 2•Less than 1.0 mg/L --- Low risk•1.0 to 3.0 mg/L --- Average risk•More than 3.0 mg/L --- High risk

BENCE-JONES PROTEIN (URINE)

• The Bence-Jones protein urine test is used mainly to diagnose and monitor multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. An abnormal Bence-Jones test result is also linked with malignant lymphomas, which are cancers of the lymphatic system.

• Healthy plasma cells are one kind of blood cell that can be crowded out by multiple myeloma. Instead of a variety of plasma cells producing antibodies to fight a variety of infections, myeloma tumors produce "monoclonal" antibodies. Monoclonalmeans they are all of one kind, making them ineffective and even harmful. Not only do they not fight infections, but they also can damage the kidneys. These monoclonal proteins are made up of two light chains and two heavy chains. Bence-Jones proteins are the light chain part of these monoclonal antibodies. They show up in the urine in many of cases of multiple myeloma.

How is this test done?The lab may measure the amount of Bence-Jones protein in a 24-hour urine sample. To do this test, you will need to collect all the urine you pass during a 24-hour period. You will collect it in a container that your doctor or the lab gives you.Urine protein electrophoresis, or UPEP, tests the levels of various proteins in the urine, including Bence-Jones proteins. This test does not require a 24-hour sample, just a small sample placed in a collection cup at the lab.

• What do my test results mean?

• Many things may affect your lab test results. These include the method each lab uses to do the test. Even if your test results are different from the normal value, you may not have a problem. To learn what the results mean for you, talk with your health care provider.

• You usually have no Bence-Jones proteins in your urine. The presence of Bence-Jones proteins in urine can be a sign of multiple myeloma or another rare condition called Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. Approximately 50 to 80 percent of people with multiple myeloma have Bence-Jones proteins in their urine.

• This protein can also be present if you have monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, or MGUS. In this condition, your plasma cells produce more of one kind of antibody than they should, but they don't form a tumor or make enough antibodies to do damage. MGUS doesn't generally require treatment, but if you have MGUS, you are at higher risk of developing multiple myeloma. You are also at higher risk for lymphoma, a cancer affecting white blood cells, or amyloidosis, the buildup of certain proteins in tissues. For these reasons, you should be watched by a doctor.

• If you have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a Bence-Jones protein urine level can also be used as one of several ways to find out the stage of the cancer. That is, how far it has progressed. The other factors used in staging are your calcium level, hemoglobin level, and X-ray findings.

• The Bence-Jones proteins are also found in some people with lymphoma.

SERUM PROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS (SPEP)The serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) test measures specific proteins in the blood to help identify some diseases. Proteins are substances made up of smaller building blocks called amino acids. Proteins carry a positive or a negative electrical charge, and they move in fluid when placed in an electrical field. Serum protein electrophoresis uses an electrical field to separate the proteins in the blood serum into groups of similar size, shape, and charge.

Blood serum contains two major protein groups: albumin and globulin. Both albumin and globulin carry substances through the bloodstream. Using protein electrophoresis, these two groups can be separated into five smaller groups (fractions):

Albumin. Albumin proteins keep the blood from leaking out of blood vessels. Albumin also helps carry some medicines and other substances through the blood and is important for tissue growth and healing. More than half of the protein in blood serum is albumin.

Alpha-1 globulin. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" type of cholesterol, is included in this fraction.

Alpha-2 globulin. A protein called haptoglobin, which binds with hemoglobin, is included in the alpha-2 globulin fraction.

Beta globulin. Beta globulin proteins help carry substances, such as iron, through the bloodstream and help fight infection.

Gamma globulin. These proteins are also called antibodies. They help prevent and fight infection. Gamma globulins bind to foreign substances, such as bacteria or viruses, causing them to be destroyed by the immune system

Each of these five protein groups moves at a different rate in an electrical field and together form a specific pattern. This pattern helps identify some diseases.

How It Is DoneThe health professional drawing blood.

ResultsThe serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) test measures specific proteins in the blood to help identify some diseases. Test results for each protein group are given as a percentage of the total amount of serum protein. To obtain the actual amount of each fraction, a test that measures the total serum protein must also be done.

Results are usually ready in 2to 3 days.

Serum Protein ElectrophoresisTotal serum protein amount in grams per

deciliter (g/dL)Total serum protein amount in grams per liter

(g/dL)(SI units)

Albumin (adult) 3.8-5.0 38-50

Alpha-1 globulin 0.1-0..3 1-3

Alpha-2 globulin 0.6-1 6-10

Beta globulin 0.7-1.4 7-14

Gamma globulin 0.7-1.6 7-16

High values•High values may be caused by many conditions. Some of the most common are shown here.

•High albumin: Dehydration

•High alpha-1 globulin: Infection; inflammation

•High alpha-2 globulin: Inflammation; kidney disease

•High beta globulin: Very high cholesterol; low iron (iron-deficiencyanemia)

•High gamma globulin: Inflammation; infection; liver disease; some forms of cancer

Low values•Low values may be caused by many conditions. Some of the most common are shown here.

•Low albumin: Poor nutrition; inflammation; liver disease; kidney disease

•Low alpha-1 globulin: Severe inflammation; liver disease

•Low alpha-2 globulin: Thyroid problems; liver disease

•Low beta globulin: Poor nutrition

•Low gamma globulin: Problems with the immune system

Prepared by:Mercado, Princess Cate R.Alejandrino, Ma. Lourdes F.Aspillaga, Liezel