Hematology & Erythropoiesis Flashcards
What are the main functions of blood?
Transport, maintain body temperature and pH, and protection in the form of clot formation and prevention of infection
What kind of tissue is blood classified as?
Connective tissue
What is the normal percent bodyweight of most animals’ blood volume?
About 7%
The normal blood volume of most animals is about _____mL/kg
70
The normal blood volume of most cats is about _____mL/kg
40
Blood is made of about 40% _________ and 60% ________
formed elements; plasma
About what percentage of plasma is water?
91-92%
About what percentage of plasma is protein?
7-8%
What is the largest protein in blood and what is its function?
Fibrinogen; it is made in the liver and its main purpose is to clot blood
What cells are globulins made by?
Plasma cells (B lymphocytes)
What is the smallest protein in blood and what is its function?
Albumin; it is made in the liver and it maintains oncotic pressure
Approximately 1-2% of blood is made of other solutes (not water or protein), what are some of those other solutes?
Electrolytes, non protein nitrogenous waste products, nutrients, and regulatory substances
What is the difference between serum and plasma?
Serum is plasma without the clotting factors (fibrinogen)
_______ are located exclusively in the vascular system, whereas _______ are located mainly outside the vascular system
Erythrocytes; leukocytes
What is the function of thrombocytes?
Hemostasis
Acidic stains bind to ______ compounds and stain (color)
Basic; red
Basic stains stain ______ structures and stain (color)
Acidic; blue
All bone marrow is hematopoietic in early life, but upon maturing, the demand for red blood cells decreases, and red bone marrow moves mainly from the _______ skeleton to the _______ skeleton
Appendicular; axial
This is the type of cell that erythrocytes, megakaryocytes, granulocytes, and lymphocytes all derive from
Pluripotential stem cell
From what organ is erythropoietin secreted?
Kidneys
What stimulates erythropoietin secretion?
Renal hypoxia
Approximately how many days to RBCs spend in the red bone marrow before entering circulation?
5-6 days
While the RBCs are maturing in the bone marrow, why does their cytoplasm change color from blue to red?
Because as RBCs mature, they begin to lose their RNA. RNA, being acidic, stains blue. As it begins to leave the maturing RBCs, the cytoplasm becomes less acidic and more basic, staining red
What is the average life span of a red blood cell?
90-120 days
What is the first morphologically identifiable erythroid precursor?
Rubriblast
What color to rubriblasts stain?
Blue
Is the chromatin pattern of a rubriblast loose or tight?
Loose
What is similar to a rubriblast, but slightly smaller, has a very blue cytoplasm, a round nucleus, and no identifiable nucleolus?
Prorubricyte
Rubricytes generally have a ____ located, ____ nucleus
Centrally; round
This cell is the last stage of developing erythrocyte that is able to divide mytotically
Rubricyte
Metarubricytes have cytoplasm that is beginning to become ___________
Polychromatophilic; meaning stainable with more than one type of stain and especially with both acid and basic dyes
What type of cell is known as a “reticulocyte” when it is stained with New Methylene Blue?
Polychromatophilic erythrocyte
What is the only species that has punctate reticulocytes?
Cat
What species never circulates reticulocytes?
Horses
What type of animal circulates reticulocytes if they’re anemic?
Ruminants
What species has the smallest erythrocytes?
Goats
What species’ RBCs have the most distinct central pallor?
Dogs
What is the diameter of a normal erythrocyte?
4-8 micrometers
What does it mean that it’s normal for RBC’s to have a slight anisocytosis?
That the cells have a slight variation in size
What does rouleax formation indicate?
High protein
What species shows the greatest degree of rouleaux?
Horses
In what species is rouleax formation not found?
Bovine
What species normally has spindle form and fusiform RBCs?
Angora goats
What types of animals normally have elliptical, nucleated RBCs?
Birds, amphibians, fish, and reptiles
What genus of animals normally have elliptical, anucleated RBCs?
Camelidae
What type of animals normally have sickle shaped RBCs?
Deer
What is the main function of an erythrocyte?
To carry hemoglobin for the transport of oxygen and the removal of carbon dioxide
