Red Blood Cells

Question 1

what are blood smears usually stained in

Answer 1

Giemsa staining

Question 2

(erythrocytes) RBC structures

Answer 2

. biconcave (provides large surface-to-volume
ratio and facilitates gas exchange)
. lacks nuclei
. filled with protein haemoglobin (When combined with O2
or CO2 it forms oxyhemoglobin/ carbaminohemoglobin)

Question 3

what happens when you have anaemia

Answer 3

low rbc count. Tissues are unable to receive adequate O2.
.

Question 4

why do erythrocytes need to be flexible

Answer 4

permits them to bend and adapt to the small diameters and irregular turns in capillaries.

Question 5

what happens during erythrocyte terminal differation

Answer 5

loss of the nucleus and organelles then the cells are released by bone marrow into the circulation. Lacks mitochondria, so they rely on anaerobic glycolysis for their energy needs. lacks nuclei, so they cannot replace defective proteins.

Question 6

what happens when rbc die

Answer 6

worn-out RBCs (have shape abnormalities) are recognized and
removed from circulation, mainly by macrophages from spleen liver bone marrow