Each chapter closes with Critical Thinking Questions (listed below) as a review of chapter material that focuses on the role of the medical assistant.

1. While performing a routine examination of a urine specimen, you find that it is colorless and that the odor is fruity. What pathologic condition could cause this reaction, and which reagent strip tests could you perform to confirm the cause?

2. A 26-year-old woman provides a random urine specimen that is reddish-colored, is turbid in appearance, and shows large blood on the reagent strip. What question(s) might you ask this patient that could provide significant information about these test results?

3. What types of casts may be seen in the microscopic examination of urine specimens, and what is their significance?