In this Blood Academy video, you will learn about the structure of the Royal College of Pathology, FRCPath Haematology exams. We also speak to 5 haematology trainees based in the UK who recently passed these challenging exams to get their tips on passing. Subcribe Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and social media pages […]
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COVID-19, a potentially severe infection, is caused by the highly-infectious virus SARS-CoV-2. Since first being detected in Wuhan, China in November 2019 SARS-CoV-2 has proliferated and spread all over the world resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic – the most significant since the 1918 H1N1 (“Spanish Flu”) pandemic. The severity of COVID-19 infection in people varies […]
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COVID-19, a disease caused by a virus SARS-CoV-2, was first detected in patients in Wuhan China in November 2019. Since then SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in patients in over 100 countries and has caused a pandemic that has shaken the world economy and almost every country’s individual healthcare system. Not since the H1N1 (“Spanish Flu”) […]
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The ‘Fellowship Examination of the Royal College of Pathologists’ (FRCPath) is a stringent set of examinations, structured into two parts, designed to test and ensure competence for want-to-be Haematology Consultants. Successful completion of the FRCPath is a requirement for obtaining the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) for Haematology. Upon passing your FRCPath part one […]
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FRCPath Haematology Examinations explained The ‘Fellowship Examination of the Royal College of Pathologists’ (FRCPath) are a stringent set of examinations, structured into two parts, designed to test and ensure competence for want-to-be Haematology Consultants. Successfully completing the FRCPath is a requirement for obtaining the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) for Haematology. FRCPath haematology part […]
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In the background are eosinophils, increased myeloid precursors and increased small lymphocytes and plasma cells. Cell A is a binucleate Reed‐Sternberg (RS) cells but can easily mis-diagnosed as a binucleate plasma cell (cell B). RS cells are characteristic of classical Hodgkin lymphoma. The diagnosis was confirmed by trephine biopsy with the Hodgkin and Reed‐Sternberg cells […]
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The worm like trypomastigote form has a slender form with a central nucleus and large kinetoplast (circular DNA inside a large mitochondrian) Curved, usually S or U shaped Worms are uniform in size Clinically Causes Chagas disease, think big heart (cardiomyopathy), big gut (enlarged colon/oesphagus) Acute and chronic disease can occur In the acute disease, […]
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I’ve just finished my second year studying Biomedical Science at Cardiff University and here’s a little about my experience so far. Biomedical Science is a broad degree, underpinning medical science. It aims to equip graduates with advanced laboratory skills and the ability to apply their scientific knowledge to a range of complex situations. It’s typically […]
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Here is a nice example of metastatic disease, specifically prostate cancer in the bone marrow You can appreciate the clumping of cells typical of non-haematopoeitic cells The bone marrow trephine also shows a very abnormal infiltrate The reason why the procedure was done because the serum PSA was low and pancytopenia Poorly differentiated prostate cancers […]
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This was a case of Plasmodium Vivax although Ovale is also a good call: A. Trophozite – often multiply infected with large chromatin dots B. Trophozite – Schuffner dot’s can be seen (in Gimesa stained films) C. Schizont – 12-14 merozites clustered around dark brown pigment D. Gemetocyte – large and fill the cell, pigmented […]
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The images show intact malignant B-ALL cells penetrating normal megakaryocytes What is emperipolesis? It is the active penetration of one haematopoietic cell by another cell, which remains intact It is not the same as phagoctosis. The integrity and viability of the engulfed cell differentiates the process from phagocytosis in which lysosomal enzymatic destruction ensues, and […]
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The FRCPath, or ‘Fellowship Examination of the Royal College of Pathologists’, is a recognised postgraduate qualification in the field of pathology (including haematology) consisting of two parts. If you are a student undertaking the FRCPath haematology examinations you have already successfully completed a Medicine or Healthcare Sciences degree and are likely looking to take further […]
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This is of course Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia – a diagnosis not to get wrong! Not suspecting and treating this will have fatal consequences due to thrombosis and/or bleeding. If in doubt give ATRA! Urgent tests that should be requested: coagulation screen (including fibrinogen), bone marrow examination including karyotype, FISH/PCR for APL-RARA, immunophenotyping, tumour lysis bloods […]
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Rare but usually seen in autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) More likely to form with cells of the monocyte Form via interaction of surface Fc receptors with IgG1 or IgG3 decorated erythrocytes Rosettes have been proposed to represent a physiologic intermediate in extravascular red blood cell destruction and strongly predict clinical AIHA There existed a laboratory […]
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An interesting blood film from a patient with primary myelofibrosis with the typical features of leucoerythroblastosis. Note the rainbow of cells (and arrows ): GREEN – blast cell RED – tear drop poikilocyte or dacrocyte BLUE – large platelet/megakaryocyte fragment YELLOW – myelocyte i.e. left shifted granulocyte BROWN – nucleated red cell Patients with this […]
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Howell-Jolly bodies in neutrophils! Yes, they can occur representing detached nuclear fragments. They are most commonly seen in HIV Immunosuppressive drugs Chemotherapy Remember-always correlate with the clinical history, it will save you a lot of hassle! ________________________________________________ Subscribe today at www.blood-academy.com to continue your learning
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Automated digital analysers of blood smears has been on the rise due to the ever-progressing field of digital image analysis (by means of machine learning). Manual analysis of blood smears using light microscopy has been (and still is) the standard approach by practitioners, however, this manual method has its drawbacks such as: labour intensiveness. Require continuous […]
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These are oval-spherical in shape with a clear halo (that’s the capsule) invading neutrophils. There is also a sneaky nucleated red cell. Pseudohyphae +/- budding can also be seen from the cells (use Gomori’s methenamine silver stain to highlight them) Blastomyces dermatitidis and Cryptococcus neoformans looks similar Also look for: Haemophagocytosis Increased plasma cells Granulomas […]
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Why choose haematology as a career? For medical professionals, the specialty of haematology in the United Kingdom (UK) provides an extraordinary career option. Clinical haematology is also unique by requiring expertise in both laboratory and clinical expertise in this dynamic specialty. The potential haematology career options also reflect this, from a generalist in a district […]
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Rare but often very treatable with the purine analogue cladrabine Look long and hard for them in all patients with cytopenia(s) especially where there is also splenomegaly These lymphocytes: are medium sized have fine irregular projections contain a condensed nuclear chromatin structure and absent nucleoli are often very few in the peripheral blood What is […]
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