Haemopoiesis, Spleen And Bone Marrow Flashcards
What is haemopoiesis
The production of blood cells - occurs in the bone marrow
• RBC, Platelets and most WBC produced here
• Bone marrow extensive throughout the skeleton in infant
• More limited distribution in adulthood, predominantly:
Bone pain could indicate bone marrow problems
What is a bone marrow trephine biopsy?
Suck sample out of iliac crest, spread it, Examine it Core of tissue Decacified in lab Sliced thin
What is the name of the cell which all blood cells are derived from
Multipotential haematopoietic stem cell
Haemocytoblast
What do multipotential haematopoietic stem cells differentiate into?
Common lymphoid progenitor
(-> small lymphocyte -> T or B lymphocyte) - ILs/TNFs
Common myeloid progenitor
(->megakaryocyte -> thrombocytes) - TPO, GM-CSF
(-> erythrocyte) - EPO, GM-CSF
(-> myeloblast -> monocyte, basophil, neutrophil or eosinophil) - G-CSF, GM-CSF
What are properties of a HPSC?
• Has the greatest power of self-renewal compared to any other adult tissue
• It can renew itself, and .. ..can differentiate to a variety of specialised cells ..dependent on
different stimuli
• Can mobilize out of the bone marrow into circulating blood, and
• can undergo programmed cell death, apoptosis
• Research started in 1950s with experiments on mice - now HPSC transplantation is mainstream haematology activity (“bone marrow transplant”)
• Stem cells being used to encourage regeneration of a variety of tissues in the research setting
Where are HPSC collected from?
Sources of HPSC
• Aspiration of Bone Marrow - rarely done now (draining from ilium)
• Now GCSF mobilised stem cells in the peripheral blood (collected by leucopharesis; eg if donating stem cells to a sibling for a transplant or as a voluntary donor
- send blood circulating through machine, stem cells have cd34 receptor, machine recognises this, collects stem cells and returns the rets of the blood to patient)
• Umbilical Cord stem cells At time of normal delivery
What is the RES?
Reticuloendothelial system
- The RES is a network in blood and tissues which is part of the immune system (liver and spleen 2 main organs, network of blood and tissues) containing phagocytic cells:
monocytes macrophages kupffer cells tissue histiocytes microglial cells in CNS
- Cells of the RES can identify and mount an appropriate immune response to foreign antigens
- Main organs are spleen and liver
- All blood passes through the spleen, the RE cells in the spleen can dispose of blood cells (spot dead cells or cells with abnormal proteins), in particular damaged or old red cells
- Extracellular fluid travels via lymphatics to the lymph nodes
What are red pulp and white pulp?
The spleen consists of:
red pulp - sinuses lined by endothelial macrophages and cords white pulp similar structure to lymphoid follicles
What des the splenic vein drain into?
Portal vein
What enters via the splenic artery?
Blood enters via the splenic artery
White cells nad plasma preferentially pass through the white pulp
Red cells preferentially pass through the red pulp
What are functions of the spleen in adults
• Sequestration (holding onto) and phagocytosis - old/abnormal red cells removed by macrophages
• Blood pooling - platelets and red cells can be rapidly mobilised during bleeding (Proportion of circulating blood held in spleen - mobilise blood pool in spleen in injury)
• Extramedullary haemopoiesis - pluripotential stem cells proliferate during haematological stress or if marrow fails (eg myelofibrosis) (Blood production outside of bone marrow
Spleen can revert to making blood cells bc bone marrow cant)
• Immunological function 25% of T cells and 15% of B cells are present in the spleen
• More re infection
What is splenomegaly?
Enlargement of the spleen
How is splenomegaly detected?
- never normal to palpate the spleen below the costal margin
- Start to palpate in the RIF or will miss massive splenomegaly
- You feel the spleen edge move towards your hand on inspiration
- Feel for the splenic notch
- Measure in cm from costal margin in mid- clavicular line
Why would the spleen grow?
- Back pressure ~ portal hypertension in liver disease
- Over working red pulp
- Over working white pulp
- Reverting to what it used to do ~ extramedullary haemopoiesis
- Expanding as infiltrated by cells which shouldn’t be there
- Cancer cells of blood origin eg leukaemia
- Other cancer metastases
- Expanding as infiltrated by other material
- Gauchers disease, sarcoidosis
- Cancer cells of blood origin eg Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia CLL Expanded white pulp
- Expanding as infiltrated by other material
- eg sarcoidosis
What could cause the spleen to grow to different sizes?
- Massive - chronic myeloid leukaemia, myelofibrosis, malaria, schistosomiasis
- Moderate - As above, PLUS lymphoma, leukaemias, myeloproliferative disorders, liver
- Mild - As above, also infections such as infectious hepatitis, endocarditis; infiltrative disorders cirrhosis with portal hypertension, infections such as Glandular Fever caused by Epstein Barr virus such as sarcoidosis; autoimmune diseases such as AIHA, ITP, SLE
- Low blood counts can occur due to pooling of blood in the enlarged spleen = hypersplenism
- Risk of rupture if enlarged and no longer protected by rib cage !!