Midterm 1 Flashcards
what is the average blood volume? How much of it is erythrocytes, neutrophils, and platelets?
5 L
- erythrocytes (hematocrit) ~ 40%
- WBCs (leukocytes) < 5% -> neutrophils make up 50-70% of WBCs
- thrombocytes (platelets) < 1%
what electrolytes are present in plasma and why are they important?
- Na+ (APs)
- K+ (APs)
- Ca2+ (muscle contraction)
- Mg2+ (bound to ATP)
- H+ (regulate pH -> 7.35-7.45)
- HCO3- (regulate pH)
what is plasma made of?
- 92% water (electrolytes, nutrients)
- 7% proteins
what nutrients are present in plasma?
- glucose
- lipids
- cholesterol
- vitamins
- FFAs
what proteins are present in plasma?
- albumin (transports FFAs)
- globulin
- fibrinogen (clotting)
what gases are present in plasma?
- CO2
- O2
- N2
what are the approximate cellular constituent numbers and how much of the blood volume do they take up?
- RBCs: 5 mil/uL
- WBCs: 7000/uL
- platelets: 250000/uL
40-45% blood volume
how much of each cell is produced daily through hematopoiesis?
75% cells produced:
- leukocytes (lifespan is from hours-days)
20-25% cells produced:
- erythrocytes (lifespan is from 90-120 days)
- produced in bone marrow
what are the cytokines that regulate hematopoiesis?
- colony stimulating factors - leukocytes
- erythropoeitin (EPO) - erythrocytes
- thrombopoeitin (TPO) - platelets
what does Hb production require?
- iron
- B12
- folic acid
what is the structure of Hb and how does it work?
has 4 globin subunits
- each subunit has a heme group containing Fe to which oxygen binds
Hb binds 4 oxygen molecules
- binding is co-operative (binding of one oxygen molecule facilitates binding of another)
what does the oxygen dissociation curve represent?
- good saturation/binding in lungs (loading)
- poor saturation/binding in capillaries (unloading)
sigmoidal relationship
what factors influence hematocrit?
- lower in females (increased by testosterone)
- higher at altitude
- higher in athletes
what pathophysiological term would you use to describe a hematocrit of 80%?
polycythemia
what factors regulate hematocrit?
- oxygen (via EPO)
- nutritional status
- menstruation/hemorrhage
- hormones
- vit B12 complex
- folic acid
what is anemia and what are the different types?
insufficient Hb
- hypochromic (low Hb in RBCs, Fe deficiency)
- megaloblastic (pernicious (low B12) and non-pernicious (low folic acid)) -> increased size of RBCs
- hemolytic (fragile RBCs ex. sickle cell anemia)
- aplastic (low RBC production ex. from chemotherapy radiation damage)
what is hyperbilirubinaemia?
when you cannot excrete bilirubin (byproduct of old RBCs) and it builds up in the blood
- causes jaundice
- can be reversed through urinary excretion
what is the normal state of cells without clotting?
endothelial cell lining intact generate prostacyclin which promotes vasodilation (and thus blood flow) and inhibits platelet activation (and thus clotting) by keeping them soluble
how does clotting occur after endothelial cell lining is damaged?
- injury to endothelial cells reduces prostacyclin (platelets no longer soluble); collagen is exposed and binds and activates platelets
- following this activation, platelet factors such as 5-HT, ADP and thromboxane A2 are released
- factors attract more platelets causing them to aggregate and form a platelet plug
- during this temporary hemostasis, coagulation cascade is triggered: factors I-XIII activate which convert prothrombin to thrombin, thrombin converts fibrinogen to fibrin, ultimately clotting and reinforcing the platelet plug
what are PMNs?
- neutrophils
- eosinophils
- basophils
what is the function of neutrophils?
neutralize foreign substances
what is the function of eosinophils?
destroy invading parasites and cells
what do basophils form and what is their function?
- form mast cells (can enter tissues and trigger histamine release; where injury occurs causes vasodilation)
- mediate allergic response and inflammation
what do monocytes differentiate into?
macrophages
- “big eaters” -> ingest invaders
what are the types of lymphocytes?
- B cells (create antibodies)
- T cells
- natural cell killers
what is the annulus fibrosis?
supports valve integrity to prevent prolapse and strengthen electrical insulation
- separates electrical current of atria and ventricles
what are the layers of the ventricular wall from inner to outer?
- endocardium
- myocardium
- epicardium
how can cardiomyocytes change in size?
pressure overload (ex. with hypertension or weight lifting)
- increased cell width
- more parallel sarcomeres
volume overload (ex. valve failure or aerobic exercise)
- increased cell length
- stretching sarcomeres
what are the properties of the Z-line?
- forms sarcomere boundary
- thin actin filaments run through
- contains a-actinin (forms it)
what are the properties of the I band?
- shortens with contraction
- lengthens with relaxation
- contains only actin filaments
what are the properties of the A band?
- measures only myosin filaments
- doesn’t change with contraction
what are the properties of the H zone/band?
- centre of A band
- no overlapping thin filaments
why is there more mitochondria in cardiac myocytes?
FFAs are the heart’s primary energy source, not glucose
how are cardiomyocytes coupled?
1) myocyte branching
- provides longitudinal and diagonal coupling
- coupled at intercalated discs
2) macula adherens/desmosomes
- cytoskeletal proteins
- physical coupling
3) gap junctions
- connexins
- electrical coupling
- create a functional syncytium
what is the structure of gap junctions?
- 2 connexons per gap junction
- a connexon is a hexamer of 6 connexins
what is titin?
- from M-line to Z-line (half sarcomere)
- acts like a spring (more tense in cardiac muscle)
- stabilizes position of contractile elements
- returns stretched muscle to resting length
what is nebulin?
- from Z-line to thin filament ends
- aligns thin filament
what are the states of cross-bridge cycling?
1) attached state
2) released state
3) cocked state
4) cross-bridge state
5) power-stroke state
what is the attached state?
resting state; myosin is attached to actin (ADP released from previous contraction)
what is the released state?
ATP binds to the myosin head, causing myosin to dissociate from actin
what is the cocked state?
ATP is hydrolyzed, causing myosin heads to enter a cocked position (ADP + Pi attached)
what is the cross-bridge state?
a cross-bridge forms and the myosin head binds to a new position on actin
what is the power-stroke state?
Pi is released; myosin head changes conformation, resulting in the power stroke, the filaments slide past eachother
what does the force pCa curve represent?
more Ca2+ increases tension
what is the structure of TnC?
TnC has 4 binding sites (dumbbell):
- site I: dysfunctional in cardiac muscle
- site II: binds Ca2+ -> initiates contraction
- sites III and IV: high affinity; always occupied
what makes up the troponin (Tn) complex?
- TnT: binds tropomyosin
- TnC: binds Ca2+
- TnI: binds actin; inhibits cross-bridge cycling by covering binding site
how does Ca2+ bind to Tn to initiate contraction?
- [Ca2+] increases
- Ca2+ binds TnC
- TnI and tropomyosin move
- exposes myosin binding site
- crossbridge cycling
- contraction
what are the myosin heavy chains?
- 2 chains form coiled helix
- tail and 2 heads
- heads = S1
- head has 2 binding sites: ATP and actin
what are the myosin light chains?
- 2 pairs
- regulatory (phosphorylatble)
- essential (alkali)
what are the isoforms of myosin heavy chains?
different rates of ATP breakdown and contraction
- V1 (a-a) - fastest
- V2 (a-B)
- V3 (B-B) - slowest (human isoform)
what does thyroxine do?
hormonal treatment that changes gene expression of myosin chains -> creates more a-B and a-a isoforms, increasing heart rate
what does the active portion of the cardiac length-tension curve represent?
there is an optimal sarcomere length (~2.3 um) -> optimal cross-bridges are formed
- any more or less will decrease tension
what contributes to the L-T rising phase?
1) overlap of actin and myosin
2) increased myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity
3) geometric changes: stretch decreases spacing between filaments
4) stretch-activated Ca2+ channel activation
5) increased SR Ca2+ release
what does the passive portion of the cardiac length-tension curve represent?
prevents from overstretching and decreased force: titin increases sarcomere stiffness
- increased resistance
- maintain force generation
how does cardiac L-T relationship differ from skeletal?
- skeletal has a greater range of active force
- skeletal has more distensible non-contractile components than cardiac (different isoform of titin) making its passive force minimal
how does the Frank-Starling law apply to L-T relationship?
- reflects combination of active and passive tension
- no descending phase due to titin and connective tissue (protects heart muscle from overstretching)
- EDV represents length
- SV represents tension
- maintenance of high level of force and stroke volume as we increase EDV
- heart muscle adapts to venous return
what factors increase EDV?
- exercise
- venous constriction
- decreased heart rate (more filling time)
what is preload?
EDV (pre-contraction)
- the force that stretches the relaxed muscle cells (ex. blood filling and stretching the myocardium in the ventricular wall during diastole)
- can be increased by greater filling of the left ventricle during diastole (increasing EDV)
- maximum systolic pressure is reached at optimal preload (further increases will decrease peak pressure)
what is afterload?
blood pressure
- the force against which the contracting muscle must act (ex. the aortic pressure that must be overcome to open the aortic valve and eject blood)
- increasing afterload can lead to higher systolic pressure (ex. by increasing peripheral resistance)
- continued increases in afterload lead to increased isovolumetric systole
what determines Vmax?
by the rate of cross-bridge cycling
what is the structure of Na+ channels?
- 24 transmembrane segments per a subunit (1 a subunit per Na+ channel)
- one gene product
- 1 domain = 6 transmembrane segments; 4 domains per voltage-gated channel
- membrane-spanning B1 and B2 subunits
what is the structure of K+ channels?
- 1 domain = 6 transmembrane segments; 4 domains per voltage-gated channel
- 6 transmembrane segments per a subunit (4 a subunits per K+ channel)
- 4 gene products
- 4 cytoplasmic B subunits
what is the structure of Ca2+ channels?
- cytoplasmic B subunit
- transmembrane y subunit
- transmembrane a1 subunit, a2-delta subunit (joined by S-S bond)
what is Ohm’s Law?
V=IR
R=1/G, so V=I/G
I=deltaVG
what are V1 and V2?
- V1= membrane potential (Vm)
- V2 = equilibrium potential for that ion (ex. Ek)