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Haem > Blood Cell Physiology > Flashcards

Blood Cell Physiology Flashcards

1
Q

What are all blood cells ultimate derived from?

A

Pluripotent haematopoietic stem cells

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2
Q

What two lineages can this give rise to?

A

Lymphoid

Myeloid

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3
Q

What cells are derived from myeloid precursors?

A

Megakaryocytes
Granulocyte/Monocyte
Erythroid

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4
Q

What cells are derived from the lymphoid precursors?

A

T cells
B cells
NK cells

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5
Q

What are some common features of blasts?

A

They have a large nucleus and a small amount of cytoplasm

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6
Q

How does the colour of red cells change as they mature?

A

When they are immature they are more blue/purple As they mature they become pinker

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7
Q

Which cells produce Erythropoietin (EPO)? What can trigger the production of EPO?

A

EPO is mainly produced in the kidneys by the juxtatubular interstitial cells It is also produced to a lesser extent by the liver EPO production is stimulated by hypoxia

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8
Q

What is the life span of a red blood cell?

A

120 Days

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9
Q

What feature allows red blood cells to wriggle through small holes in the capillaries in the spleen?

A

As they lack a nucleus, red blood cells have an extensive cytoskeleton meaning that it is very flexible and can fit through small gaps As the cells get older, they becomes less flexible and less able to pass through the capillaries into the sinuses in the spleen This means that they are more likely to be retained in the spleen and phagocytosed

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10
Q

Define anisocytosis and poikilocytosis

A

Anisocytosis = red cells show more variation in SIZE than is normal Poikilocytosis = red cells show more variation in SHAPE than is normal

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11
Q

What can be used as a reference in a blood film to determine whether the red blood cells are microcytic or macrocytic?

A

Lymphocytes are generally all the same size - so compare them to those

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12
Q

Define hypochromia.

A

The red cells have a larger area of central pallor than normal NOTE: normal red cells have a central pallor that covers around 1/3 of the red cell diameter
NOTE: hypochromia and microcytosis tend to go together

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13
Q

State two important types of hyperchromatic cells.

A

Spherocytes

Irregularly Contracted Cells

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14
Q

What is responsible for the round shape of the spherocytes in spherocytosis?

A

It is caused by a loss of cell membrane that is not accompanied by an equivalent loss of cytoplasm

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15
Q

State a cause of spherocytosis.

A

Hereditary spherocytosis

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16
Q

What usually causes the formation of irregularly contracted cells?

A

Oxidant damage

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17
Q

Define polychromasia.

A

An increased blue tinge to the cytoplasm of a cell

18
Q

What can reticulocytes be stained with?

A

Methylene blue

19
Q

State six different types of poikilocytosis.

A 
Spherocytes 
Elliptocytes 
Fragments 
Irregularly contracted cells 
Target cells 
Sickle cells
20
Q

What are target cells? State some causes of target cells in the blood film.

A

Target cells have an accumulation of haemoglobin in the middle of the central pallor It is caused by obstructive jaundice, hyposplenism, liver disease, haemoglobinopathies

21
Q

State two causes of eliptocytosis.

A 
Hereditary eliptocytosis 
Iron deficiency (also hypochromic)
22
Q

What biochemical phenomenon causes the sickling of red blood cells?

A

Polymerisation of haemoglobin S when present in a high concentration

23
Q

What is another name for fragments?

A

Schistocytes

24
Q

State two different ways in which red blood cells can clump together and describe why they happen.

A

Rouleaux – like a stack of coins – it is caused by a change in plasma proteins pushing the red cells together

Agglutinates – irregular clumps – caused by antibodies on the cell surface making the cells stick together

25
Q

What is a Howell-Jolly Body and what is it usually caused by?

A

This is a nuclear remnant in the red cells This is most commonly caused by a lack of splenic function (the spleen should remove these tiny bits of nuclear material)

26
Q

Which cytokines are important in the differentiation of myeloblasts to granulocytes and monocytes?

A

G-CSF
M-CSF
GM-CSF
Interleukins

Note: A CSF is a colony-stimulating factor

27
Q

How long do neutrophils survive for in the circulation?

A

7-10 hours

28
Q

What is the main role of eosinophils?

A

Parasitic infections

29
Q

Describe the shape of the nucleus of an eosinophil.

A

Eosinophils have a bilobed nucleus

30
Q

What is the main role of basophils?

A

They are involve in the allergic response

31
Q

Describe the appearance of basophils.

A

They have lots of dark blue dots in the cytoplasm (granules) Often there are so many blue dots that you can’t even see the nucleus

32
Q

Describe the appearance of monocytes.

A

They have a kidney bean shaped nucleus They are large

33
Q

Other than phagocytosis, what is another role of macrophages?

A

They store and release iron

34
Q

How long do platelets survive for in the circulation?

A

10 Days

35
Q

What term is used to describe having too many white blood cells?

A

Leucocytosis

36
Q

What term is used to describe having too many platelets?

A

Thrombocytosis

37
Q

Describe the appearance of an atypical lymphocyte. What can cause these to appear in a blood film?

A

An atypical lymphocyte will have a large nucleus and a large amount of faint cytoplasm This is typical of having a viral infection and is seen in glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis)

38
Q

What is ‘left shift’?

A

An increase in the number of non-segmented neutrophils or that there are a lot of neutrophil precursors in the blood One of the first steps in segmenting is that it becomes a slightly more squashed looking nucleus that has more of a band shape If someone’s blood film has a lot of these band form nuclei then there has been a left shift

39
Q

What is toxic granulation? What can cause it?

A

This is the heavy granulation of neutrophils It results from infection, inflammation and tissue necrosis It is also a feature of normal pregnancy

40
Q

What is hypersegmentation of neutrophils? What can cause it?

A

An increase in the average number of neutrophil lobes or segments It usually relies on a lack of Vitamin B12 or folic acid

Haem (11 decks)

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