Blood Flashcards
what is plasma
the majority blood component, liquid base of blood contains plasma proteins, albumin, coagulation factors, antibodies, glucose, electrolytes
which are the granulocytes?
neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils
which are the lymphocytes?
T cells, B cells, NK cells
what are platelets?
fragments of cytoplasm enclosed in a plasma membrane, anuclear and SUPER SMALL
what is the difference between plasma and serum
serum is the liquid part of blood after it has coagulated, so devoid of clotting factors (fibrinogen), whereas plasma is the liquid part of blood that has been anticoagulated (treated or in bloodstream)
commonly used blood tests?
hematocrit, CBC, CBC with Diff, morphology analysis
what is hematocrit?
the fraction of whole blood composed of RBC
common causes of decreased hematocrit?
anemias, bleeding, RBC destruction, infection, pregnancy
common causes of increased hematocrit?
exercise, dehydration, congenital heart disease, cor pulmonale, erthrocytosis, hypoxia (low oxygen)
what could changes in hematocrit indicate?
anemia, erythrocytosis, changes in plasma volume
what does CBC test
quantity of blood cells (hemoglobin) through hemocytometer by hand or flow cytometry
what stains are usually used for morphology analysis
wright, giemsa, methylene blue
describe RBC
anucleate biconcave discs, cause a spot of pallor in the middle
life span RBC
120 days
what removes RBC from circulation?
macrophages in the spleen (and other)
what are reticulocytes
immature RBC that are slightly larger than mature RBC, no nucleus
what is clearly visible with methylene blue stain in a reticulocyte?
reticular, mesh like network of rRNA
when would you see acutely increased reticulocytes
after destruction of RBC that bone marrow needs to replace
when would you see chronically increased reticulocytes?
chronic hemolytic anemia
what would indicate that the bone marrow is damaged or faulty?
if there is anemia with low turnover of RBC synthesis, bone marrow is not functioning
what makes RBC?
bone marrow
what is the main protein that contributes to the biconcave shape of the RBC?
spectrin
what occurs if there is disruption in spectrin?
RBC loses biconcave shape and becomes sphere, seen in spherocytosis, decreases lifespan of the cell
what is the function of glycoproteins and band 3 protein on the surface of RBC?
antigens determine blood type, prevent RBC aggregation, function as cation channels
what are the key membrane components of the RBC?
glycophorins and band 3 protein
what proteins maintain membrane structure through their interaction with the cytoskeleton?
spectrin, ankyrin
how is hemoglobin measured?
CBC
what is rouleaux formation?
RBC stacked together in long chains
cause of rouleaux formation?
increased plasma proteins, particularly fibrinogen and immunoglobulin
surface charge of RBC
negative, keeps RBC separated
consequence of increased globulins on surface of RBC
globulins neutralize the surface and make it sticky
what is sickle cell
narrow, curved cells with pointed ends, caused by mutation of 6th AA of betaHb from glu to val (makes neutral)
what is thalassemia?
inherited disorder of Hb synthesis, disordered production of alpha or beta
what is characteristic of thalassemia?
target cells
what is hereditary spherocytosis associated with
deficiencies in spectrin, band 3, protein 4.2, or combined spectrin/ankyrin deficiency
consequence of spherocytosis
hemolytic anemia, so releases more reticulocytes
where are nucleated RBC found
newborns, rarely in older age
when (disease states) are increased nucleated RBC found?
premature release from marrow due to neoplasms or heart failure
when would howell-jolly bodies be seen?
hyposplenism, megaloblastic anemia, hemolytic anemia
what are howell-jolly bodies?
inclusions of nuclear chromatin remnants/fragmented nuclear chromatin
what are the granular leukocytes?
basophils, neutrophils, eosinophils
what are the agranular leukocytes?
lymphocytes, monocytes
where are B cells derived from?
bone marrow
what is the function of B cells
producing antibodies, responsible for humoral immunity
what do B cells differentiate into?
plasma cells
what are T cells derived from?
bone marrow, and mature in the thymus