Red Blood Cells- Creation, Function and Destruction

Question 1

How much blood is there in the body?

Answer 1

5 litres

Question 2

What is haematocrit?

Answer 2

The ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood.

Question 3

how many more times is RBC more common than WBC?

Answer 3

500x

Usually 2.4x10^33

Question 4

What is the shape of a red blood cell?

Answer 4

Biconcave

Pliable

Question 5

What can RBC not do?

Answer 5

Divide or make new proteins

Question 6

What are the main functions of RBC?

Answer 6

Oxygen and carbon dioxide transport

Acid/base balance

Question 7

What are the growth factors of RBC?

Answer 7

Interleukin 3

Erythropoietin

Androgens

Growth hormone

Thyroxine

Question 8

What are reticulocytes?

Answer 8

Immature RBC

Question 9

What is reticulin?

Answer 9

Remnants of mRNA left once the nucleus of a maturing RBC has been extruded

Question 10

What removes reticulin?

Answer 10

The spleen within 1-2 days

Question 11

What is reticulocytes a good measure of?

Answer 11

A useful measure of marrow response to anaemia or treatment

Question 12

What do you use to stain reticulocytes?

Answer 12

Methylene blue

Question 13

How much iron in the body?

Answer 13

3000-5000mg of iron

Question 14

What percentage of iron is used in Hb?

Answer 14

2/3

Question 15

Where is iron transported into?

Answer 15

Duodenal enterocytes

Question 16

How much iron is required in the diet?

Answer 16

10-20mg of which 1-2mg are absorbed in ferrous form

Question 17

What does hepcidin regulate?

Answer 17

Iron absorption and release from macrophages

Question 18

How does the body excrete iron?

Answer 18

It can’t

Question 19

What can cause iron loss?

Answer 19

Menstrual loss

Minor trauma

GI

Blood sampling

Urine

Shedding skin

Question 20

What is the function of transferrin?

Answer 20

Moving iron from the duodenal enterocytes to the spleen

Question 21

Describe the process of transferrin

Answer 21

Transferrin receptors on macrophages

Transferrin latches onto those receptors

Get internalized

The iron is stripped of the transferrin

Transferrin is pushed out of the cell

Question 22

What transports iron?

Answer 22

Macrophages

Question 23

What is the function of ferritin?

Answer 23

Storage of iron

Question 24

What is the average requirement of folic acid?

Answer 24

0.1mg

Question 25

Where is folic acid absorbed?

Answer 25

Upper small bowel

Question 26

Where is folic acid stored?

Answer 26

10-20mg

Question 27

What is the daily requirement of B12?

Answer 27

1mg

Question 28

What is B12 also known as/

Answer 28

Cobalamin

Question 29

Where is B12 absorbed?

Answer 29

Terminal ileum

Question 30

What binds b12?

Answer 30

Gastric parietal cells produce intrinsic factor which binds

Question 31

What is pernicious anaemia?

Answer 31

B12 deficiency

Question 32

What are B12 and folic acid required for?

Answer 32

RBC production

Question 33

What is erythropoietin?

Answer 33

165 amino acid protein

Question 34

What is the function of erythropoietin?

Answer 34

Driver of manufacture of Hb

Question 35

What drive erythropoietin? This is also known as EPO

Answer 35

Tissue hypoxia Anaemia High altitude EPO producing tumours

Question 36

What gives RBC its structure?

Answer 36

Spectrin

Question 37

Where do the 2-alpha chains come from in Hb?

Answer 37

Chromosome 16

Question 38

Where do the 2 beta chains come from?

Answer 38

Chromosome 11

Question 39

What is thalassaemia?

Answer 39

An inherited defect in globin chain production

Question 40

What enzyme deficiencies can cause anaemia by haemolysis?

Answer 40

Pyruvate kinase G6PD

Question 41

What are on the axis of oxygen saturation curve?

Answer 41

Y axis -Oxyhaemoglobin saturation percentage X axis- p02

Question 42

What releases oxygen from haemoglobin?

Answer 42

2,3 Diphosphoglycerate

Question 43

What is myoglobin?

Answer 43

Store of oxygen in skeletal muscle

Question 44

What is the dissociation oxygen curve of myoglobin?

Answer 44

Moved heavily to the left

Question 45

What is pH regulated by in the body?

Answer 45

Free hydrogen ions in body fluids

Question 46

Why Is acid-base balance important?

Answer 46

Neurones become less able to transmit in acidosis Hyperactive in alkalosis

Question 47

What catalyses the control of production of water and hydrogen ions through bicarbonate?

Answer 47

Carbonic anhydrase

Question 48

Where is carbonic anhydrase found?

Answer 48

RBC

Question 49

Describe the pathway carbonic anhydrase is used in?

Answer 49

CO2 from the tissue pass through the endothelium an enter the RBC CO2 combines with oxygen catalysed by carbonic anhydrase, producing bicarbonate which is then converted to carbonate ion and hydrogen ions

Question 50

What percentage of the buffer system does bicarbonate make up?

Answer 50

60%

Question 51

What percentage of the buffer system does haemoglobin make up?

Answer 51

30%

Question 52

How does haemoglobin act as a buffer?

Answer 52

Combines with hydrogen ions when oxygen is released

Question 53

What happens when RBC age?

Answer 53

Membrane becomes more rigid There is a loss of glycolytic enzymes Neoantigens exposed on cell surface

Question 54

Where does RBC energy come from?

Answer 54

Glycolytic pathway ending in lactate and pyruvate

Question 55

What do RBC need energy for?

Answer 55

Maintaining membrane integrity Prevent oxidation of enzymes and iron Maintain ion gradients of potassium and calcium

Question 56

What happens to haemoglobin when a RBC dies?

Answer 56

Mopped up by haptoglobin and cleared by liver Can be excreted in urine

Question 57

What happens to iron when a RBC dies?

Answer 57

The iron is bound to transferring and returned to macrophages

Question 58

What happens to the porphyrin ring?

Answer 58

It turns into bilirubin which is bound to albumin and conjugated to glucuronide This is then excreted in bile

Question 59

What is bilirubin?

Answer 59

The breakdown of RBC Hyperbilirubinemia is a sign of liver failure

Question 60

What is haemolytic anaemia?

Answer 60

Anaemia caused by RBC destruction

Question 61

What is the function of albumin?

Answer 61

Helps repair and maintain body tissue, builds enzymes and hormones, transports nutrients, and assists in blood clotting