Collagen is a strong, fiber-forming protein that holds the body’s tissues together. It is the body’s most common protein. Collagen gives strength to the skin, bones, tendons, ligaments, and the walls of blood vessels and organs. Cells called fibroblasts make it. Collagen is a normal part of almost every tissue sample, so its presence is …
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The dermis is the thick middle layer of the skin. It sits under the epidermis, the thin outer layer, and above the fat under the skin. The dermis gives the skin its strength and flexibility, and it contains the blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and glands that support the skin. The dermis is a normal …
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Hemosiderin is a golden-brown pigment made of iron. It forms when the body breaks down red blood cells and stores the iron they contained. Seeing hemosiderin in a tissue sample usually means that bleeding happened in that area at some point in the past. Hemosiderin is a description of what the pathologist saw under the …
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CD163 is a protein found on the surface of macrophages, immune cells that clean up damaged tissue, dead cells, and foreign material. In tissue, macrophages are also called histiocytes. Pathologists test for CD163 to find out whether cells in a tissue sample are macrophages or histiocytes. CD163 is a test result, not a diagnosis. It …
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Factor XIIIa is a protein that pathologists test for to help identify certain tumors of the skin. It is found in a type of cell in the skin called a dermal dendritic cell. Factor XIIIa is most often used to tell a noncancerous skin growth called a dermatofibroma apart from a skin cancer called dermatofibrosarcoma …
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Storiform describes a pattern in which cells are arranged in short, crisscrossing bundles. The pattern looks like a woven mat or the spokes of a wheel. The word comes from the Latin storea, meaning a woven mat. The cells that form this pattern are usually long, thin spindle cells. Storiform is a description of what …
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Nuclear grade is a score that describes how abnormal the nuclei of tumor cells look under the microscope. The nucleus is the part of the cell that holds its genetic material. The more the nuclei differ from those of normal cells, the higher the nuclear grade. Nuclear grade is most often reported for breast cancer …
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Mean platelet volume, usually shortened to MPV, is the average size of the platelets in your blood. Platelets are the small cell fragments that stick together to stop bleeding after an injury. MPV is calculated automatically as part of a complete blood count (CBC) and reported in femtoliters (fL), a unit of volume. This article explains …
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Every laboratory report shows more than your result. Beside each measurement is a reference range, and after the number is a unit. Together, they turn a bare figure into something you can interpret. On its own, a creatinine of 1.0 or a sodium of 139 tells you nothing at all. This article explains what a …
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Urea is a waste product your body makes when it breaks down protein. Your liver produces it, your blood carries it, and your kidneys remove it in your urine. Measuring how much urea remains in your blood is one of the oldest and most widely used ways to check how well your kidneys clear waste. …
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