Blood & Hemopoiesis Flashcards
During a red blood cell count test, what is a normal range?
4.7-6.1
What are the units of red blood cells?
X 1,000,000/microliters
During a white blood cell count test, what is a normal range?
4.8-10.8
What are the units of white blood cells?
X 1,000/microliters
During a hematocrit test, what is a normal range?
42%-52%
During a platelet count test, what is a normal range?
160-360
What are the units for platelet counts?
X 1,000/microliters
During a red cell distribution width (RDW) test, what is a normal range?
11.6%-14.6%
What can cause red cell distribution width to change?
some disorders
Blood is composed of more ____ substance than cells.
ground
What is the ground substance of blood?
blood plasma
Why are erythrocytes (red blood cells) typically not considered cells and how can they be considered cells on the same token?
Erythrocytes do not have a nucleus but they do have a nucleus at some point in their lifetime, so they can be considered cells.
What is a routine blood test called which physicians can perform to test for red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets?
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
How is blood usually prepared on a slide and what stain is used?
blood film or blood smear
Wright’s stain
What is Wright’s stain composed of?
methylene blue, methylene azure, and eosin
When chosen to study blood cells in bone marrow or tissue sections, what is the stain of choice?
Giemsa stain
Blood is composed of roughly 45% ____, and 55% ____.
formed elements; blood plasma
What are the formed elements that compose 45% of blood?
- erythrocytes (37-52%)
- platelets (<1%)
- leukocytes (<1%)
What is the composition of blood plasma?
- water (92%)
- mixture of proteins, nutrients, electrolytes, wastes, gases, enzymes, and hormones (8%)
What derives from plasma cells which develops from one of the white blood cell types (B lymphocytes)?
gamma globuins
When a blood vessel is injured, a complex cascade of reactions converts this to a sticky protein, ____, which constitutes the matrix of a blood clot. If blood is allowed to clot, then centrifuged to separate the clot from the remaining fluid, that fluid is called ____ ____.
fibrin; blood serum
What is the primary function of erythrocytes (RBCs)?
to transport oxygen to parts of the body and carbon dioxide away from parts of the body
What are red blood cells primarily composed of which they synthesize during their development in the red bone marrow?
hemoglobin
What happens when the nucleus degenrates in RBCs?
The center of the RBC collapses (doughnut shape)
What organelle do red blood cells lack that makes them entirely reliant on anaerobic fermentation to meet their ATP needs?
mitochondria
What prevents red blood cells from consuming the oxygen which they must carry around the body?
anaerobic fermentation
What “tags” old red blood cells to be destroyed by macrophages?
oligosaccharide surface tags
Which parts of the body degrade liberated hemoglobin after macrophage destructuion of RBCs?
the spleen and liver
When RBCs are being broken down at a rapid rate, as in malaria and other hemolytic diseases, the spleen becomes markedly enlarged. ____ is therefore a clinical indication of a possible hemolytic disorder.
splenomegaly
How many red blood cells does a healthy adult produce per second?
2.5 million/second
What is the replacement process that occurs in the bone marrow called?
erythropoiesis
What cell does erythropoisis begin with?
multipotent hemopoietic stem cell
Which kind of cells are involved in defense of the body in one way or another?
leukocytes (white blood cells, WBCs)
What are the two major classifications of white blood cells?
- granulocytes
- agranulocytes
All WBCs contain nonspecific ____ which are organelles such as lysosomes that are near the threshold of resolution of the light microscope.
granules
Only agranulocytes have nonspecific granules
Which WBC is easiest to find on a blood film and have very small specific granules containing lysozymes, peroxidase, and other antibotic agents? It constitutes 60-70% of the entire WBC count.
neutrophils
Which WBC makes up 2-4% of the entire WBC count and typically have a bilobed nucleus?
eosinophils
typically have rosy or orange acidophillic granules
What is the rarest of WBC types where the basophil nucleus is usually U or S shaped but this is characteristic of little use?
basophils
What are the smallest but second most abundant WBCs with three classes of sizes: small, medium, and large?
lymphocytes
Which kind of lymphocytes attack precancerous cells, destroying them before they can form tumors or spread infection to other cells?
natural killer (NK)
Which kind of lymphocytes become plasma cells in the connective tissue and secrete antibodies?
B cells
Which kind of lymphocytes directly attack pathogens and are central actors in cellular immunity?
T cells
What are the largest WBCs and consititue about 3-8% of the WBC count? The nucleus usually stains light blue or pink and is often C-shaped or kidney-shaped.
Monocytes
Monocytes become functional only after migrating into the connective tissues and becoming ____.
macrophages
What is the production of white blood cells called?
leukopoiesis
____ are small cytoplasmic fragments of giant bone marrow cells called megakaryoctes.
platelets
Platlets contribute to the production of ____, an enzyme that dissolves old clots.
plasmin
