{
  "site": "Lab Intel",
  "url": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/glossary-index.json",
  "dateModified": "2026-05-30",
  "scope": "Machine-readable glossary index for Lab Intel lab-test terminology. Definitions mirror the visible glossary guide and are intended for search, internal discovery, and AI citation triage; cite the canonical glossary term URL for context and source links.",
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  "medicalBoundary": "Glossary definitions are educational language support. They do not diagnose, treat, interpret personal results, decide whether a reader needs a test, or replace qualified care.",
  "deferredScope": "Narrow STI semen-exposure long-tail drafts are intentionally excluded from public crawler surfaces and this glossary index.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "MedlinePlus: How to Understand Your Lab Results",
      "url": "https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/how-to-understand-your-lab-results/"
    },
    {
      "name": "MedlinePlus: Laboratory Tests",
      "url": "https://medlineplus.gov/laboratorytests.html"
    },
    {
      "name": "MedlinePlus: What You Need to Know About Blood Testing",
      "url": "https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/what-you-need-to-know-about-blood-testing/"
    },
    {
      "name": "FDA: Home Use Tests Glossary",
      "url": "https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/home-use-tests/home-use-tests-glossary"
    },
    {
      "name": "FDA: Tests Used in Clinical Care",
      "url": "https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/tests-used-clinical-care"
    },
    {
      "name": "FDA: Nucleic Acid Based Tests",
      "url": "https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/nucleic-acid-based-tests"
    },
    {
      "name": "National Human Genome Research Institute: Variant of Uncertain Significance",
      "url": "https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Variant-of-Uncertain-Significance-VUS"
    }
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      "name": "Report basics",
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    {
      "position": 1,
      "term": "Reference range",
      "definition": "The high and low values a lab uses to flag many numeric results. Ranges vary by lab method, specimen, age, sex, and other factors, so compare your result with the range printed on your own report.",
      "category": "Report basics",
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    {
      "position": 2,
      "term": "Abnormal flag",
      "definition": "A label such as high, low, positive, detected, or out of range. A flag says the result needs context; it does not automatically prove a disease.",
      "category": "Report basics",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#report-basics",
      "url": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#abnormal-flag",
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    {
      "position": 3,
      "term": "Units",
      "definition": "The measurement scale attached to a result, such as mg/dL, ng/mL, IU/L, or copies/mL. The same marker can look very different if the units are different.",
      "category": "Report basics",
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    },
    {
      "position": 4,
      "term": "Specimen",
      "definition": "The sample tested, such as blood, serum, plasma, urine, saliva, stool, a swab, or tissue. The right specimen matters because a negative result from the wrong body site can be misleading.",
      "category": "Report basics",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#report-basics",
      "url": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#specimen",
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    },
    {
      "position": 5,
      "term": "Fasting",
      "definition": "A pre-test instruction to avoid food, and sometimes certain drinks, for a set period. Fasting can matter for some metabolic tests, but many tests do not require it.",
      "category": "Report basics",
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      "url": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#fasting",
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    {
      "position": 6,
      "term": "Screening test",
      "definition": "A test used to look for possible risk or disease before a diagnosis is established. A positive screen often means more evaluation is needed.",
      "category": "How tests are used",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#how-tests-are-used",
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      "term": "Diagnostic test",
      "definition": "A test used to help explain symptoms, confirm or rule out a suspected condition, or classify a known problem.",
      "category": "How tests are used",
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    {
      "position": 8,
      "term": "Confirmatory test",
      "definition": "A follow-up test used when a first result needs verification, a more specific method, or a different specimen type.",
      "category": "How tests are used",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#how-tests-are-used",
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    {
      "position": 9,
      "term": "Reflex test",
      "definition": "An additional test the lab automatically performs when the first result meets a predefined rule, such as adding a microscopic review after certain CBC findings.",
      "category": "How tests are used",
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    {
      "position": 10,
      "term": "Panel",
      "definition": "A group of related tests ordered together. Panels can be efficient, but a broad panel may also return borderline findings that were not the original question.",
      "category": "How tests are used",
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    {
      "position": 11,
      "term": "Sensitivity",
      "definition": "How well a test detects what it is designed to detect. A highly sensitive test is less likely to miss the target when it is present, but timing and specimen quality still matter.",
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      "term": "Specificity",
      "definition": "How well a test avoids calling something positive when it is not present. A highly specific test is less likely to create a false positive.",
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      "term": "False positive",
      "definition": "A result that says the target was found or suggested when it is not truly present.",
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      "term": "False negative",
      "definition": "A result that says the target was not found even though it is truly present. Testing too early, using the wrong specimen, or low levels of the target can contribute.",
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      "position": 15,
      "term": "Inconclusive or indeterminate",
      "definition": "A result that is not clearly positive or negative. It often leads to repeat testing, a different method, or interpretation with other information.",
      "category": "Accuracy language",
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      "position": 16,
      "term": "Qualitative result",
      "definition": "A result reported as categories, such as positive or negative, detected or not detected, reactive or nonreactive.",
      "category": "Methods and result types",
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      "position": 17,
      "term": "Quantitative result",
      "definition": "A result reported as a number. Blood markers, viral loads, hormone levels, and many chemistry tests are quantitative.",
      "category": "Methods and result types",
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    {
      "position": 18,
      "term": "PCR or NAAT",
      "definition": "Nucleic acid tests look for genetic material from a target organism or gene. PCR is one type of nucleic acid amplification method.",
      "category": "Methods and result types",
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    {
      "position": 19,
      "term": "Culture",
      "definition": "A method that attempts to grow an organism from a sample. Culture can be slower than molecular testing, but it may help when susceptibility testing or organism viability matters.",
      "category": "Methods and result types",
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      "position": 20,
      "term": "Antibody",
      "definition": "A protein made by the immune system after exposure, infection, vaccination, or autoimmune activity. Antibody timing can make early negatives hard to interpret.",
      "category": "Methods and result types",
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      "term": "Antigen",
      "definition": "A part of an organism or substance that a test is designed to detect directly.",
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      "term": "Genetic variant",
      "definition": "A difference in DNA sequence. A variant can be harmless, disease-associated, uncertain, or important only in a specific medical context.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#genetics-and-newer-biometrics",
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      "term": "Variant of uncertain significance",
      "definition": "A genetic finding whose relationship to disease is not clear yet. It usually should not be treated like a confirmed harmful variant.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#genetics-and-newer-biometrics",
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    {
      "position": 24,
      "term": "Germline versus somatic",
      "definition": "Germline findings are inherited and may matter for family members. Somatic findings are acquired in certain cells, such as tumor cells, and may not be inherited.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#genetics-and-newer-biometrics",
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      "term": "Biomarker",
      "definition": "A measurable signal related to biology or health. Useful biomarkers have a clear measurement method, clinical meaning, and decision context.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
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      "term": "Baseline",
      "definition": "Your usual value or pattern before a change. Baselines are often more useful when measured repeatedly under similar conditions.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
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    {
      "position": 27,
      "term": "Trend",
      "definition": "The direction of results over time. A trend can be more informative than one borderline value, especially when the same lab and method are used.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
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    {
      "position": 28,
      "term": "Readiness or recovery score",
      "definition": "A consumer-facing composite score, often from wearable data. These scores can summarize patterns but may not be validated as diagnostic tests.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
      "categoryUrl": "https://mainstreetbloodlab.com/articles/lab-test-glossary.html#genetics-and-newer-biometrics",
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    {
      "position": 29,
      "term": "Microbiome diversity score",
      "definition": "A summary metric from stool sequencing or related methods. Diversity can be interesting, but consumer reports may overstate what a single score can prove about health.",
      "category": "Genetics and newer biometrics",
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