Histology Workshop

Question 1

What does an anticoagulant do?

Answer 1

Prevent blood from clotting

Question 2

Describe the layers of blood cells after centrifugation?

Answer 2

Plasma (55%)
Buffy coat (<1%)
Red blood cells/ Erythrocytes (45%)

Question 3

Buffy coat

Answer 3

white cells and platelets

Question 4

Nucleus stain

Answer 4

basophilic- nucleus- blue

Question 5

Most common blood cell

Answer 5

red blood cell, has no nucleus

Question 6

Most common white blood cell

Answer 6

Neutrophil

Question 7

Blood cells with no nucleus

Answer 7

red blood cells

platelets

Question 8

Haematoxylin

Answer 8

stains cell nuclei blue

Question 9

Eoison

Answer 9

stains cytoplasm or connective tissue red

Absorbed by red blood cells

Question 10

Two classifications of white blood cells

Answer 10

agranulocytes- monocyte, lymphocyte

granulocytes- neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils

Question 11

Abundance of white blood cells (most to least)

Answer 11

Neutrophil
Lymphocyte
Monocyte
Eosinophil
Basophil

Question 12

Acronym for remembering white blood cell abundance

Answer 12

Never let me eat biscuits

Question 13

Neutrophil

Answer 13

• cytoplasm contains lots of granules
• stains poorly with acidic/basic dyes
• multi lobed nucleus
• short lived in blood
• produced by bone marrow
• circulate in inactive state but if stimulated by presence of bacteria, enter tissue as phagocytes
• nucleus is segmented

Question 14

lymphocyte

Answer 14

• huge nucleus fills entirety of the small cell
• nucleus is round and not segmented
• 2 types (T and B, cannot differentiate with stains)
• both types of lymphocytes arise in bone marrow, T matures in Thymus gland & B matures in Bone marrow
• B lymphocytes secrete antibodies
• T lymphocytes perform defence functions

Question 15

Monocyte

Answer 15

-kidney shaped, non-lobed, non- segmented nucleus
-largest white blood cell
(like mono is a really big club- monocyte is really big WBC)
-holes in cytoplasm represent phagocytic vacuoles
-precursors of macrophages- monocyte + macrophage= mononuclear phagocyte system
- no granules

Question 16

Eosinophils

Answer 16

• RED granules (affinity for acidic dye eoisin)
• released from bone marrow, circulate for 8-12 hours before moving into tissue-spleen, lymph nodes, GI tract
• bilobed nucleus
• important in inflammation , allergic reactions, asthma, fighting parasitic infections

Question 17

Basophil

Answer 17

• blue granules (affinity for methylene blue)
• bilobed nucleus, cannot see nucleus
• granules contain histamine, inflammatory mediatores
• basophils are effector cells in allergic reactions
• IgE receptors in cell membrane , when they bing, basophils are stimulated to release granules= hay fever, allergic, asthma etc…

Question 18

Platelet clumping

Answer 18

Brings down platelet count falsely

there is no clinical significance if there is a low platelet count and platelet clumping

Question 19

Comparison of red and white blood cell size

Answer 19

Red blood cell size is same as nucleus of a mature lymphocyte

Question 20

Red blood cells aka erythrocytes

Answer 20

biconcave discs
have no nucleus
7 microns in diameter
Mature RBC are not true cells as they have no organelles
1/3 of their volume taken by iron containing haemoglobin

Question 21

How long to red blood cells last?

Answer 21

last 4 months in circulation

Question 22

How are aged red blood cells removed?

Answer 22

Spleen and liver

Question 23

What allows red blood cells to slip through spaces smaller than themselves?

Answer 23

Network of flexible cytoskeletal elements

Question 24

What can red blood cell size be expressed as?

Answer 24

Mean cellular volume

Question 25

What is the name for a lack of red cells?

Answer 25

Anaemia

Question 26

What happens in anaemia?

Answer 26

Cell size can change

Question 27

Top tips fro examining film

Answer 27

Look at red cells, look at spaces between red cells and look at white cells

Question 28

Sign of anaemia on film?

Answer 28

Spaces between red blood cells

Question 29

When you have an increased white cell count what do you do?

Answer 29

State which type of white blood cell is high

Question 30

What white cell is high in Pneumonia?

Answer 30

Neutrophil count is increased- neutrophilia

Question 31

What is the highest white cell in a count of a foetus?

Answer 31

Lymphocyte

Question 32

What is the highest white cell in a count of an adult?

Answer 32

Neutrophil

Question 33

What is always more visible in a lymphocyte fighting a viral infection?

Answer 33

the cytoplasm is more visible because lymphocytes become activated and produce more protein

Question 34

Which is the most common lymphocyte subset?

Answer 34

T lymphocyte

Question 35

What can you not distinguish from a microscope

Answer 35

If it is a T or a B lymphocyte

Question 36

When is there a high eosinophil count?

Answer 36

In an allergic reaction (rash)

If picked up a parasitic infection (test for foreign travel)

Question 37

Mean cellular volume (MCV)

Answer 37

Tool to assess red blood cell size

Question 38

Problem with small red cells (microcytic)

Answer 38

Cells cannot make haemoglobin

Question 39

Normocytic anaemia

Answer 39

If blood loss is sudden = CHRONIC illness

Question 40

Macrocytic

Answer 40

Red blood cell is bigger

Question 41

What is a normal red blood cell size the same as

Answer 41

The nucleus of a mature lymphocyte

Question 42

Vomiting blood can be a sign of

Answer 42

Normocytic anaemia

Question 43

Platelets

Answer 43

small cell fragments, 2 microns in diameter, key role in hemostasis (prevention of blood loss), have no nucleus, involved in clotting

Question 44

resident cells in cartilage

Answer 44

chondrocytes