Blood- The River Of Life

Question 1

Blood characteristics

Answer 1

Approx 8% body weight
5-6 Litres Males
4-5 Litres Females

Question 2

Functions and what is Transported

Answer 2

Transport, Defence, Homeostasis

Gasses, Nutrients, Fats, Wastes, Hormones

Question 3

Blood and defence

Answer 3

Contains immune cells and antibodies

Thrombocytes seal breaches in skin

Question 4

What is it made of?

Answer 4

55% plasma
-92% water, 8% albumin and solutes
45% formed elements
-99.9%erythrocytes, then leukocytes and thrombocytes

Question 5

Plasma vs serum

Answer 5

Serum is clotted plasma.

They are different and some tests require plasma while others require serum.

Question 6

Plasma proteins

Produced mostly by the liver

Answer 6

60% Albumin 
-plasma osmotic pressure 
-carrier molecule: free fatty acids, some drugs and steroids 
35% Globulins 
-Antibodies (immunoglobulins)
-TRANSPORT PROTEINS 
4% Clotting factor 
-Fibrinogen = most abundant 
1% Regulatory 
-Enzymes, Hormones

Question 7

Electrolytes

Answer 7

Sodium ions
-most abundant cation intercellular. Water balance. Muscle and nerve function
Chloride ions
-most abundant cation extracellular.
Potassium ions
-most abundant cation extracellular. Nerve and muscle activation
Calcium ions
-healthy bones and teeth, blood clotting, nerve transmission and muscle contraction
Phosphate ions
-health bones and teeth. Buffer intracellular fluid
Bicarbonate ions
-buffer extracellular

Question 8

How is the efficiency of pulmonary gas exchange determined?

Answer 8

Blood collection for analysis

• venipuncture
• capillary puncture
• arterial puncture

Question 9

Why term them formed elements? Not cells?

Answer 9

Only leukocytes are full cells
Erythrocytes have no nuclei or organelles
Platelets are cell fragments

Question 10

Where do the formed elements come from

Answer 10

Haematopiesis
Haematopoietic stem cells give rise to all the formed elements
-abundant in umbilical cord

Question 11

Haemotopoeisis occurs where

Answer 11

This is the production of erythrocytes.
At the end of long bones and in flat, irregular bones.
Skull, sternum, vertebra, pelvis, ribs

Bone marrow that no longer produces blood cells is called patty yellow marrow.

Question 12

Fate of RBCS

Answer 12

Last around 100-120 days
Macrophages phagocytose worn out RBCs in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow
Broken into haem and globin. Iron from haem is recycled, the rest of the haem is broken down into bilirubin excreted in bile. Globin is broken into amino acids and released into blood stream.

Question 13

Name of immature erythrocyte

Answer 13

Reticulocyte

Question 14

What is erythropoietin and what does it do

Answer 14

A hormone released by the kidneys which stimulates the production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis)

Question 15

Leukocytes

Answer 15

Less than 1% total blood volume
“Leukocyte rolling” is them moving out of blood to infection
Two categories: Granulocyte & Agranulocyte
Neutrophils, eosinophil, basophil. Leukocyte, monocyte>macrophage

Question 16

Neutrophil

Answer 16

40-75% leukocytes 
Also known as polymorphonuclear 
Usually first to arrive 
Active against BACTERIA mainly 
Phagocytic 
Lifespan 30min-10hours

Question 17

Eosinophils

Answer 17

Modulators of the immune response> help reduce inflammation
Active agains PARASITIC WORMS too big to be phagocytosed
Bilobed nuclei

Question 18

Basophils

Answer 18

Induce inflammatory response by releasing histamine> vasodilation> inflammation
This also attracts other leukocytes

Question 19

Leukocytes

Answer 19

20-50% leukocytes
Crucial to specific immunity> most in lymphoid tissue not blood stream
Three types: T cell (viruses and tumours), B cell and cytotoxic cell
Large round nuclei

Question 20

Monocytes

Answer 20

2-10%
Largest leukocyte (differentiate in phagocytes in tissue)
Actively motile
Large, purple, kidney shaped nuclei
VIRUSES, intracellular bacteria, parasites, chronic infections

Question 21

Platelets

Answer 21

Formed from glial cells (remember the supporting neuronal cells
Lots of granules, lysosomes and mitochondria

Question 22

Haemostasis

Answer 22

1. Vascular spasm
2. Platelet plug formation
3. Coagulation> fibrin threads

Question 23

Clot retraction and repair

Answer 23

Clot retraction
-Contraction of actin and myosin in platelets> squeezes serum from clot
Clot repair
-platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulates division of smooth muscle and fibroblasts
-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates endothelial cells to multiply and restore lining

Question 24

Blood disorders

Answer 24

Leukocytosis- increased numbers
- maybe due to infection or marrow abnormality
Leukopenia- decreased numbers
Leukaemia
-bone marrow occupied by cancerous leukocytes, immature, nonfunctional WBCs
Thrombocytosis- too many
-results on thrombosis (clotting in vessels)
Thrombocytopenia
-results in bleeding