The document discusses medical technology and medical technologists, who analyze complex tests on blood and body fluids to diagnose diseases. It then explains that proteins are the body's primary building blocks and play many roles, and medical technologists perform several protein tests, including C-Reactive Protein, Bence-Jones Protein from urine, and Serum Protein Electrophoresis from blood, to detect inflammation and diseases.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. 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.

7. Why It Is Done
A 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

8. How It Is Done
The health professional taking a sample of your blood .
Normal Results
Results 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) levels
High-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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. • 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. How It Is Done
The health professional drawing blood.
Results
The 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 Electrophoresis
Total 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

15. 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

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