Blood Unit Flashcards
What are the 3 functions of blood?
- Distribution
- Regulation
- Protection
What does blood transport?
Oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and metabolic waste.
Define hematocrit.
The percentage of RBCs out of the total blood volume
How long do RBCs circulate in the body?
About 120 days.
What is the function of erythrocytes?
Carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it throughout our body. AKA RBCs
What is Hemoglobin made of?
It’s made of the protein globin, made up of two alpha and two beta chains, each bound to a heme group
What is hematopoiesis?
Blood cell formation.
Where does hematopoiesis occur?
Hematopoiesis occurs in the axial skeleton and girdles, and epiphyses of the humerus femur.
What are the 3 phases in the production of erythrocytes?
Phase 1 is ribosome synthesis
Phase 2 is hemoglobin accumulation
Phase 3 is ejection of nucleus
What happens during ribosome synthesis?
Starts making a bunch of ribosomes (ribosomes make protein)
What happens during hemoglobin accumulation?
Makes hemoglobin, then gets rid of the extra crap
What happens during the ejection of the nucleus?
Develops into true red blood cells, just carry oxygen
What happens to old erythrocytes?
They are phagocytized in the spleen or liver
What is anemia?
Blood that has abnormally low oxygen
What are 3 potential causes for anemia?
Insufficient RBCs
Decreased Hb content
Abnormal Hb
What are thalassemias?
Absent or faulty globin chain in hemoglobin
What are sickle-cell anemia?
Results from a defective gene coding for an abnormal Hb called hemoglobin S (HbS)
What are reticulocytes?
Immature red blood cells that circulate for about a day before maturing
What are polycythemia?
Excess RBCs that increase blood viscosity.
What are the 2 leukocyte types?
Granulocytes and agranulocytes
What is leukemia?
Cancer involving white blood cells
What do platelets do?
Function in the clotting mechanism by forming a temporary plug that helps seal breaks in blood vessels
What is the stem cell for platelets?
Hemocytoblasts
What is hemostasis?
A series of reactions designed for stoppage of bleeding
What are the 3 phases of hemostasis?
- Constriction via vascular spasms
- Platelet plug formation
- Coagulation (blood clotting)
Platelets stick to collagen - T or F?
True!
What initiates intrinsic pathways?
Initiated by platelets upon damage to inside of vessel wall. 5 steps
What initiates extrinsic pathways?
Initiated by damage outside of vessel. 2 steps
What is clot retraction?
Stabilization of the clot by squeezing serum from the fibrin strand.
What is a thrombus?
A clot that develops and persist in an unbroken blood vessel
What is an embolus?
A thrombus freely floating in the blood stream
What term best describes the function of blood when considering the presence of carbon dioxide and endocrine hormones?
Transportation
What color is oxygen-poor blood?
Dark red
Blood is how many degrees higher or lower than body temperature?
1 degree higher, because of the friction of it moving.
Is blood plasma slight basic or acidic?
Basic
If pH drifts out of the normal range, dire consequences can result from alterations in the structure of __________.
Protein
The “buffy coat” in a centrifuged blood sample is composed of _______
Platelets and leuocytes
The clinical definition of the hematocrit refers to the percentage of
Erythrocytes in the blood
What percent of a centrifuged sample of whole blood is plasma?
55%
Sodium, calcium, and bicarbonate are all described as plasma:
Electrolytes
What is an unhealthy effect of blood doping?
Increase in viscosity of the blood
In hemopoiesis, granulocytes such as neutrophils are formed in what?
The myeloid line
How many globins (protein building blocks) are found in a single hemoglobin molecule?
4
What are T lymphocytes?
Leukocytes, also called T cells
During platelet plug formation, platelets begin to stick to:
Collagen with the assistance of von Willebrand factor
Dendritic cells of the skin are derived from:
Monocytes
What are cytokines and what do they do?
They are proteins, and they act as chemical messengers
Interferons are one of the classes of:
Cytokines
A delayed response to a specific antigen is provided by:
Adaptive Immunity
“Complement” refers to a group of:
Plasma proteins
What does a virus-infected cell release to prevent spread of infection?
Interferon
What are the cardinal signs of inflammation?
Heat, redness, loss of function, and swelling
Helper T-lymphocytes are also known as:
CD4+ cells
Does a red blood cell have a nucleus?
No
How does hemoglobin work (how does it bond with oxygen)?
In each molecule of hemoglobin there are four iron atoms. Each iron atom binds with one molecule of oxygen. The iron in hemoglobin is what gives blood its red color.
What is EPO?
(Erythropoietin) a hormone produced by the kidney that promotes the formation of red blood cells by the bone marrow. The kidney cells that make erythropoietin are sensitive to low oxygen levels in the blood that travels through the kidney.
What determines a person’s blood type?
Genes and antigens present
Hemostasis is another way of saying:
Blood clotting
What are the three steps to hemostasis?
Blood vessels constrict, platelet plug formation, blood coagulation (where fibrinogen act as a glue for platelets to stick)
What is agglutination?
Clumping of blood cells in response to a reaction between an antibody and an antigen
