Final answer:
A blood specimen may appear cloudy or milky due to high levels of lipids or a high concentration of white blood cells, as seen in leukocytosis. After blood clots in a tube, serum is separated for analysis. Cloudy bodily fluids can be diagnostic of various conditions, including infections or cancer.
Step-by-step explanation:
A blood specimen has been collected on a patient and it looks cloudy/milky because of the presence of high levels of lipids or other substances such as proteins. In particular, a milky appearance can indicate a condition known as lipemia, which is an abnormal increase of lipids in the blood. When a patient has leukocytosis, the increase in white blood cells can also give the blood a cloudy appearance as they are part of the body's immune response and can be present in higher amounts during infection or inflammation.
During the hour that the blood sample was in the glass tube, it would have had time to clot, with the blood cells and clotting proteins forming a clot at the bottom of the tube. This process leaves a clear, straw-colored fluid called serum, which is used for further analysis. The serum is devoid of blood cells and clotting factors since they are contained within the clot.
In the context of urine analysis, cloudy urine can be indicative of the presence of white blood cells, which might suggest a urinary tract infection (UTI) or other abnormalities. Conditions such as cancer could also lead to changes in the appearance of bodily fluids. Thus, the appearance of bodily fluids can provide important diagnostic clues in medicine.