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Serial dilutions are used in biological and chemical laboratories primarily for experimental purposes. These dilutions are often done in a logarithmic fashion or completed by factors of 10's. Most often bacteria, cells or solutes are diluted to act as controls in experiments. Dilutions serve as an accurate control when used in dose-response experiments since all samples originated from the same lot. In addition, dilutions might be necessary to reduce the number of particles in a sample for use in automated equipment. Serial dilutions are completed by taking a small volume from the original sample and placing it in a new…
Sugars and salts are integral to the healthy functioning of our bodies. To gain a better understanding of how our bodies work, scientists will try and recreate the concentrations of sugars and salts in the blood, essential for understanding diseases, such as diabetes where blood sugar is not being broken down correctly. The easiest way to experiment is by diluting serum glucose with a saline -- salt and water -- solution. Serum glucose tends to be used in low concentrations to replicate its levels in our blood.
Serum glucose is commonly used in laboratory experiments for determining the effect of substances or processes on blood sugar levels. Serum glucose is the closest approximation to the make-up of glucose contained in human plasma, and these experiments can be vital for aiding those suffering from diseases such as diabetes. As blood glucose levels are comparatively low in our blood, serum glucose needs to be diluted with water to make it experimentally useful.
Knowing how to perform dilutions is essential for scientists making solutions. It is also important for the laboratory scientist or technician to understand how to perform the calculations to set up and finalize the dilution. The type of dilution that you perform depends on the ratio that you want for your final volume of the diluted solution. In the case of glucose dilutions, the glucose concentration is normally too high to be detected by a test; therefore, serial dilutions are necessary.
Glucose serum is more commonly referred to as blood sugar, and it refers to the concentration of sugar, or glucose, in the bloodstream. The carbohydrates you eat are converted to glucose, which is the human body's primary source of energy. If glucose levels are too high or too low overall, health problems result, the most prevalent of which is diabetes.
A glucose serum test determines the amount of sugar in your blood. A low glucose serum level can be a sign of a condition called hypoglycemia.
