Course Assessment – Spring 2007
Short Answer Questions. Answer all questions. Time allowed 1 hour.
There are 10 marks for each question
1) Parathyroid hormone has a plasma half life of 3 minutes. A patient undergoing a parathyroidectomy had an initial plasma value of 137 ng/L. What was the level 11 minutes after isolation of the gland? How long until the PTH level was undetectable? (Limit of detection = 5ng/L)
(5 marks each part)
2) The following results were obtained on venous plasma glucose samples (mmol/L) during an oGTT
Fasting 2 hour Symptoms
Case 1 6.5 12.2 None
Case 2 6.6 7.8 None
Case 3 6.0 7.6 None
Case 4 6.9 15.0 Polyuria/Polydipsia
Case 5 6.1 7.7 None
Interpret the results in the light of the WHO criteria.
( 2 marks each)
3) Define hypoglycaemia. List 8 possible causes of hypoglycaemia in adults
(2 marks & 8 marks)
4) Assuming the salt XCl2 is completely dissociated in water and a 19g/L solution gave an osmolality of 600 mosmol/kg estimate the molecular weight of XCl2
(10 marks)
5) What volume of a stock glucose solution containing 9.01 g/L of glucose in saturated benzoic acid (5g/L) would be needed to make a litre of 8.33 mmol/L working standard? What would be the concentration in g/L of benzoic acid in the final solution?
(6 marks & 4 marks)
6) Write down the equation for Beer’s Law in terms of a) % transmission b) optical density. State the units of any symbols used.
(6 marks & 4 marks)
7) Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in nmol/L of solutions of pH 6.9 and 7.6.
(5 marks each)
8) Describe the current definitions for the metabolic syndrome
(10 marks)
9) State the risk factors that are currently used to calculate cardiovascular disease risk.
(10 marks)
10) Given the following patient results calculate the fractional excretion of sodium:-
-
- Serum:Urine
- Sodium 146 mmol/L 50 mmol/L
- Potassium 4.2 mmol/L
- Chloride 94 mmol/L 57 mmol/L
- Urea 34.4 mmol/L 100 mmol/L
- Creatinine 450 umol/L 3.2 mmol/L
- Osmolality 337 mmol/kg 325 mmol/kg
10 marks)
