Plasma

Question 1

How much water is in the average 70kg man?

Answer 1

60L

Question 2

What are the proportions of water In Each compartment?

Answer 2

Intracellular
23L 55%

Interstitial
19L 45%

Blood plasma
3L 7%

Trans cellular fluid
1L 2%

Question 3

What is the intracellular fluid?

Answer 3

Cytoplasm

Question 4

What is the large compartment of extracellular fluid?

Answer 4

Interstitial fluid

Carries oxygen and nutrients to cells, and a vehicle for the removal of cellular waste products

Drained in lymphatic vessels where it is called lymph

Question 5

What is the medium compartment of extrastitial fluid?

Answer 5

Plasma

Contains much more protein that interstitial fluid

Question 6

What is the smallest compartment of extracellular fluid?

Answer 6

Trans cellular fluid

Includes ocular fluids and CSF

Question 7

What is the simple definition of plasma?

Answer 7

The liquid component of blood

Around 55% of total blood volume

Question 8

If you treat blood with an anticoagulant and centrifuge it what happens?

Answer 8

The cellular components separate from the plasma

Top: plasma 55%

Middle: buffy coat <1%
Platelets and leukocytes

Bottom: red blood cells 45%

Question 9

What is apheresis?

Answer 9

“To take away”

Blood of a donee is removed and centrifuged to remove a particular cellular component. The remainder is returned to the donor

Question 10

What can therapeutic apheresis be used to treat?

Answer 10

Plasma exchange
MS and myeloma

Low density lipid removal
Patients with Atherosclerosis

Red cell exchange
Sickle cell

Platelet depletion
Disorders of homeostasis

White blood cell depletion
Leukaemia

Question 11

What is the difference between plasma and serum

Answer 11

Serum is generated by letting blood clot, depleting the plasma of clotting factors and trapping cells and platelets within the clot

Plasma is quicker to prepare but serum generates a cleaner sample

Question 12

What are some of the functions of plasma?

Answer 12

Clotting - clotting factors and VWF are found in plasma

immune defence - antibodies and complement proteins

Osmotic pressure maintenance - proteins such as albumin help maintain colloidal osmotic pressure

Metabolism - glucose amino acids and vitamins

Endocrine - hormones

Excretion - waste products such as urea travel to the kidneys in plasma

Question 13

How much of plasma is proteins?

Answer 13

7%

These can be assayed by electrophoresis

Question 14

What are the two main types of plasma proteins?

Answer 14

Serum albumin and globulins

Question 15

Where is serum albumin produced?

Answer 15

The liver

Makes up 55% of all plasma proteins

Question 16

What are the key functions of serum albumin

Answer 16

Transport of lipids, hormones and ions

Maintaining the osmotic pressure of plasma

Transporting fatty acids around the body for use by other tissues in B-oxidation

Question 17

What are the theee types of globulins in plasma?

Answer 17

Alpha

Beta

Gamma

Question 18

Alpha globulins can be separated into Alpha-1 and alpha-2

What is the alpha-1 globulin in plasma and what does it do?

Answer 18

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT)

Produced by the liver
Inhibits protest enzymes. Protecting tissues form a range of enzymes, notably neutrophil elastase, released by neutrophils during inflammation

A1AT deficiency can damage the lungs leading to a loss of deficiency

Question 19

What are the alpha-2 globulins In plasma?

Answer 19

Haptoglobin and a2-macroglobilin

Haptoglobin binds to haemoglobin releases from erythrocytes and the resulting complex is removed by the spleen
Measuring levels of haptoglobin is useful in the diagnosis of haemolytic anemia

A2-macroglobulin is a broadly active protease inhibitor which can I activate fibrinolysis

Question 20

What are the beta globulins?

Answer 20

Includes complement proteins C3 and C4

Transferrin
Plays a role in the transport of iron

Question 21

What are the gamma globulins in plasma?

Answer 21

Immunoglobulins (antibodies) and the acute phase protein C-reactive protein

Increased proportions of these can suggest increased immune activity, associated with infection

Question 22

What is the role of electrolytes in plasma?

Answer 22

Although only 1%

Play a key role in osmolarity

Question 23

What are the concentrations in mmol/L of the main ions in plasma?

Answer 23

Plasma           Blood
Na+     150                 5
K+        5                     140 
Ca2+   3                     1e-4
Mg2+  2                     0.5

Cl- 110 10

Question 24

What are the roles of intracellular calcium and magnesium ions?

Answer 24

Calcium-cell signalling

Magnesium-co factor for many enzymes

Question 25

How is the electrolyte gradient that keeps cells alive kept in balance?

Answer 25

Na+-k+ pump

Active transport of ions via the sodium potassium pump

Question 26

Why is the sodium potassium pump also called the sodium potassium ATPase?

Answer 26

The hydrolysis of ATP is required to provide the energy for transportation

Question 27

How much of the ATP consumed during rest is but the sodium potassium ATPase?

Answer 27

1/3

Question 28

How does the sodium pay assign pump work?

Answer 28

3 sodium out
2 potassium in

Using energy from the hydrolysis if ATP

Question 29

What happens to cells when ATP is depleated?

Answer 29

The sodium potassium ATPase stops working, so there is an influx of Sodium ions and water. This causes cells to become more round