2- VM Flashcards

Question 1

Q

What are the components of plasma?

Answer

A

water
electrolytes such as Na, Cl, K, PO4 and HCO3 ions
glucose, amino acids, immunoglobulin, complement proteins, steroids and clotting factors

Question 2

Q

What shape are rbcs? Why do rbcs have a pale staining center?

Answer

A

biconcave disc

center of rbc stains pale because there is less material in this thin part

Question 3

Q

What is the function of the erythrocytes biconcave shape?

Answer

A

maximizes the surface-to-volume ratio facilitating gas exchange

Question 4

Q

What cytoskeletal elements maintain the erythrocyte’s shape?

Answer

A

spectrin, actin, ankyrin

Question 5

Q

Based on the shape of these erythrocytes, can you identify this blood disorder?

Answer

A

sicke cell disease

Question 6

Q

What are the symptoms of sickle cell disease?

Answer

A

severe anemia
- sickled cells are fragile and lyse
vaso-occlusive complications
- normal appearing cells whose membranes have been altered by repeated sickling adhere to the endothelium causing narrowing of small vessels which leads to:
  - trapping of sickled cells
  - vascular occlusion
  - ischemic tissue damage which manifests as painful crisis
chronic hyperbilirubinemia
- large amounts of bilirubin in blood. manifests as jaundice

Question 7

Q

do RBCs have nuclei?

Question 8

Q

What is the lifespan of erythrocytes?

Question 9

Q

Some patients may have increased reticulocytes in their peripheral blood indicating an increased demand for erythrocytes. Based on what you’ve learned about the functions of erythrocytes, what conditions might produce the premature release of reticulocytes from the bone marrow into peripheral blood?

Answer

A

reticuloctes may appear in the blood as a result of hemorrhage

loss of rbc’s, anemia

loss of rbc’s ascent to high altitude

increased O2 demand

Question 10

Q

What is the neutrophil appendage of female neutrophils?

Answer

A

inactive X chromosome (Barr body)

Question 11

Q

What are 3 substances within specific granules of neutrophils? What about non-specific granules of neutrophils?

Answer

A

specific (secondary) granules contain alkaline phosphatase, amino peptidase, collagenase, other enzymes
non-specific (primary) granules are lysosomes containing acid hydrolases, lysozyme, other enzymes;

Question 12

Q

What are known functions of neutrophils?

Answer

A

neutrophil functions include phagocytosis and destruction of microorganisms and initiation of the inflammatory process

Question 13

Q

What are 2 functions of neutrophils?

Answer

A

Eosinophils are increased in number in parasitic worm infections and allergic reactions.

Question 14

Q

Eosinophils function outside of the circulation in which tissues? Why are eosinophils in the tissue spaces rather than in blood vessels?

Answer

A

Eosinophils can be found in the dermis of the skin and in connective tissue components of the respiratory tree, gastrointestinal tract, uterus and vagina. They are within tissue spaces so that they can encounter foreign microorganisms and antigens.

Question 15

Q

How might antihistamines affect basophiles?

Answer

A

antihistamines inhibit degranulation of basophils

Question 16

Q

When monocytes enter peripheral tissues, they differentiate into what?

Answer

A

Macrophages

Question 17

Q

The larger lymphocytes may be activated B cells which secrete _______

Answer

A

antibodies

Question 18

Q

Where are platelets derived from?

Answer

A

Platelets are derived from large cells in the bone marrow callded megakaryocytes

Question 19

Q

What is the function of platelets?

Answer

A

Clotting cascade

Question 20

Q

How many nuclei are present in platelets? How about megakaryocytes?

Answer

A

platelets: 0 nuclei
megakaryocytes: 1 nuclei

Question 21

Q

What is the princial symtom of thrombocytopenia?

Answer

A

Thromboctopenia is a condition in which there is an abnormally low number of platelts in the peripheral blood

The principal symptom is mucocutaneous bleeding

Question 22

Q

What product is synthesized by the polyribosomes in the cells in the early stages of erythrocyte production?

Answer

A

Hemoglobin

Question 23

Q

Why does the cytoplasm change color as the cell in the erythropoietic series differentiate?

Answer

A

the increase in hemoglobin protein content leads to increased red staining, the decrease in polyribosome (Hb mRNA) content leads to decreased blue staining

Question 24

Q

How might iron deficiency affect the morphology of erythrocytes?

Answer

A

iron deficiency results in rbcs which are microcytic (smaller than normal) and exibit hypochromasia (less hemoglobin leads to decreased redness in the rbcs; they tend to have staining only at the periphery of the cell due to increased central pallor)