Ischaemia Flashcards
How are glucose and amino acids moved across the blood brain barrier?
Carried mediated active transport
What is the circle of willis?
Structure in the brain where cerebral arteries meet
What is the purpose of the circle of willis?
Collateral circulation - all areas of the brain still perfused if one cerebral artery becomes blocked
Which cerebral artery is the most commonly occluded during strokes?
Middle cerebral artery
What happens in the hypoxia-inducible factor under normoxic conditions?
Cells continually produce HIF-1a and HIF-1b
In normoxic conditions, oxygen sensors detect oxygen
Prolyl Hydroxylase adds a hydroxyl group onto HIF-1a
Ubiquitin ligase adds a ubiquitin tail onto HIG-1a
HIF-1a is degraded by a proteasome
What happens in the hypoxia-inducible factor under hypoxic conditions?
HIF-1a forms a complex with HIF-1b called the HIF-1 transcription factor
HIF-1 translocates to the nucleus and transcribes genes for angiogenesis, glycolysis and cell proliferation such as VEGF and EPO
What is t-PA and what does it do?
Tissue plasminogen activator
Type of serine protease
Converts plasminogen into plasmin
Name two drugs that may be given as treatment to stroke patients
Recombinant t-PA
Alteplase
What is the name of the procedure during which a stent is inserted?
Percutaneous coronary intervention
or Coronary angioplasty
What kind of drug might a drug-eluting stent be coated in?
An immunosuppressant, that prevents smooth muscle cell proliferation by causing cell cycle arrest in G1/S phase
What are the steps of the extrinsic coagulation cascade?
Damaged cells release tissue factor
Trauma activates factor 7 –> 7a
Tissue factor and factor 7a form a complex in the presence of calcium ions and negative phospholipids
The complex activate factor 10 –> 10a
What are the steps of the intrinsic coagulation cascade?
Blood comes into contact with subendothelial cells Kallikrein activates factor 12 --> 12a Factor 12a activates factor 11 --> 11a Factor 11a activate factor 9 --> 9a Factor 9a joins with it's cofactor 8a 9a + 8a activates factor 10 --> 10a
Which clotting factor is also known as Hageman factor?
Factor 12a
What is the common pathway of clot formation?
Factor 10a joins with it’s cofactor 5a to form the prothrombinase complex
10a + 5a activates prothrombin –> thrombin
Thrombin activates fibrinogen –> fibrin
Fibrin forms a cross-linked mesh
Aggregates with platelets to form a clot
What are the four steps of atheroma formation?
Endothelial Dysfunction
Stable Plaque Formation
T cell activation
Ulceration and thrombus formation
Explain the step of endothelial dysfunction
Damage to the endothelium can occur from many causes
Monocytes adhere via VCAM-1 and migrate into tunica intima
Monocytes differentiate into macrophages
Macrophages phagocytose Oxidised or glycated LDL, forming fatty streaks made of foam cells
Explain the step of stable plaque formation
Smooth muscle cells migrate from the tunica media to tunica intima
They proliferate and act like myofibroblasts to produce collagen, which forms a fibrous cap, which can last many years with no symptoms
Explain the step of T cell activation
T helper cells 1 and 2 become recruited and activated
They release proinflammatory cytokines and cause foam cells to release MMPs
MMPs breakdown the fibrous cap so it becomes unstable…
Explain the step of ulceration and thrombus formation
As the MMPs breakdown the collagen, the damaged endothelium exposes/releases tissue factor, initiating the extrinsic coagulation cascade
A blood clot forms, breaks off and travels up to the brain…
What should blood pH be maintained at?
7.35-7.45
What 3 methods control blood pH?
Breathing rate
Bicarbonate buffer system
Bicarbonate reabsorption in the kidney
Write out the bicarbonate buffer system equation
CO2 + H2O –> H2CO3 –> HCO3- + H+
If blood pH becomes too low, will breathing rate increase or decrease?
Low pH indicates lots of CO2
Breathing rate will increase to remove the CO2
If blood pH becomes too low, will there be more bicarbonate reabsorption or less?
There will be more bicarbonate ion reabsorption
Bicarbonate ions combine with H+
Shift the equation right
CO2 exhaled
How is bicarbonate reabsorbed in the kidney?
H+/Na+ antiporters pump H+ into the lumen
H+ combines with the bicarbonate ions
Forms H2O and CO2
CO2 diffuses into cells as it is lipid soluble
Reforms bicarbonate in the cell
Where is the respiratory centre located?
Medulla oblongata and pons