Lesson 9: Blood and Blood Vessels

Question 1

what are blood vessels? what does it allow for?

Answer 1

expansive network of tubes in the body designed to TRANSPORT BLOOD TO AND FROM THE BODY AND LUNGS
- allows for transport of materials (co2, nutrients, etc) to and from every cell in the body

Question 2

what are arteries? what does it do?

Answer 2

a blood vessel that carries BLOOD AWAY FROM THE HEART towards the body tissues
- arteries are mostly carrying oxygenated blood

Question 3

what is the one exception to the rule that arteries carries oxygenated blood?

Answer 3

pulmonary arteries: it carries deoxygenated blood from right atrium to the lungs

Question 4

what is the largest artery in the body?

Answer 4

the aorta

Question 5

how many layers of tissues make up the walls of arteries? what are these tissues?

Answer 5

3 layers of tissues
- outer layer of connective tissue
- middle layer of smooth muscle
- inner layer of epithelial cells

Question 6

what are you feeling when you feel your pulse?

Answer 6

blood being forced through your arteries due to the contraction of your heart

Question 7

what are arterioles? what do they do? what do they do this for

Answer 7

as arteries branch off, they get smaller and smaller along the way- these smaller vessels are arterioles
- these vessels can open (vasodilate) or close (vasoconstrict) to control your internal body temperature

Question 8

what are capillaries? what do they do and where are they located?

Answer 8

when an arteriole reaches the body tissue, it branches into the smallest vessel called capillaries
- capillaries connect the arteries with the veins
- these vessels provide oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body
- found in networks called capillaries beds

Question 9

what do capillaries do/facilitate?

Answer 9

capillaries facilitate the exchange of wastes, nutrients, gases, and hormones between the blood and the body cells

Question 10

what are venules? what do they do?

Answer 10

venules are small vessels which connects to larger vessels called veins
- venules carry wastes and carbon dioxide back to the heart and lungs where it can be expelled

Question 11

what do veins do?

Answer 11

veins almost always carry deoxygenated blood away from the tissues and towards the heart

Question 12

what is the exception of veins (in terms of carrying deoxygenated blood away from tissues and towards heart)

Answer 12

pulmonary vein- carries oxygenated blood away from lungs and towards the heart (left atrium)

Question 13

how many layers do veins have?

Answer 13

3, just like arteries- they have thinner layer of muscle and a wider opening though

Question 14

difference between arteries and veins

Answer 14

ARTERIES:
- arteries have thicker and stretchier muscular walls; this is so they can handle the high pressure of blood moving through them and transporting the blood to all body tissues
- arteries have a much more narrow lumen; this is the inside space in the tubular structure
VEINS:
- veins are thinner and less stretchy; for this reason, veins can carry a larger volume of blood in comparison to arteries
- veins have a more broad lumen which allows for them to handle larger volumes of blood

Question 15

what is blood and what is its function?

Answer 15

blood is the fluid that circulates throughout our blood vessels
- its function is to act as the fluid in our body’s transport system, along with other functions

Question 16

what are red blood cells (called), and what is their function?

Answer 16

called erythrocytes, and are a biconcave disk shaped cell
- main function is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the body and co2 from the body back to the lungs

Question 17

what makes the red blood cell’s shape advantageous?

Answer 17

the shape increases the surface area which allows for more gas exchange

Question 18

where are red blood cells formed?

Answer 18

formed in stem cells in the marrow of the vertebrate, ribs, breastbone, skull, and arm and leg bones

Question 19

what are white blood cells (called), and what is their function?

Answer 19

called leukocytes, and they are the body’s first line of defense against harmful bacteria, viruses, and organisms
- acts as our bodies security guards

Question 20

what do white blood cells do when they come across something they want to destroy? what is this process called?

Answer 20

they engulf and destroy the target through a process called PHAGOCYTOSIS

Question 21

what are platelets (where are they produced), and what is their function?

Answer 21

small cell fragments that are produced from stem cells in the bone marrow
- they are essential in blood clotting

Question 22

what do platelets do when a blood vessel is broken?

Answer 22

they form a clot so that too much blood is not lost

Question 23

what is plasma, and what is it made up of? what is its colour?

Answer 23

plasma is a protein rich liquid in which blood cells and platelets are suspended
- made up of water, with many dissolved substances in it including oxygen, proteins, glucose, minerals, etc.
- yellow in colour

Question 24

what is the composition of blood?

Answer 24

• plasma (55%)
• red blood cells (40-45%)
• white blood cells (0.7-1%)
• platelets (less than 1%)

Question 25

what are the different blood types?

Answer 25

A, B, AB, O (each has a positive and negative type)

Question 26

Type B blood

Answer 26

• you have B antigens on your blood cells (antibodies for type A)

Question 27

Type A blood

Answer 27

• your red blood cells have A antigens on them (your antibodies would atack type B)

Question 28

Type AB blood

Answer 28

both A and B antigens on blood cells (antibodies for none)

Question 29

Type O Blood

Answer 29

• has neither kinds of antigen (antibodies for both A and B)

Question 30

if your red blood cells have the Rh antigens on them, you are….

Answer 30

Rh positive

Question 31

if your red blood cells do not have the Rh antigens on them, you are….

Answer 31

Rh negative

Question 32

what is rhesus disease? and when does it occur?

Answer 32

disease that occurs when the immune system of the mother attacks the fetus
OCCURS WHEN:
- the mothers Rh is negative
- the baby Rh is positive
- the mother previously has been exposed to Rh+ blood and developed an immune response to Rh antigen

Question 33

can Rhesus disease be prevented?

Answer 33

yes, with a transfusion of Harrison’s blood

Question 34

what is Rh factor?

Answer 34

it is a protein that can be found on the surface of your red blood cells; if you have protein, you are Rh +, and if you don’t, you are Rh -

Question 35

What’s a CBC?

Answer 35

CBC is a blood count, which essentially estimates the amount of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets in a particular volume of blood.

Question 36

what is the difference between the blood types?

Answer 36

types of antigens on your blood cells and the antibodies it attacks

Question 37

what are blood substitutes?

Answer 37

there is no official blood substitute as scientists are currently struggling to find some, but an ideal blood substitude would:
- Not induce an antibody reaction in the recipient
- Eliminate or greatly reduce the possibility of transmitting infections
- Be capable of delivering adequate oxygen
- Be readily available, capable of being stored at room temperature, and have a long shelf life

Question 38

examples of artificial blood?

Answer 38

• hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers and perfluorcarbon emulsions
• HBOCs may contain human or cow blood
• PFCEs are totally synthetic

Question 39

what type of blood is known as the universal donor?

Answer 39

type O blood

Question 40

what type of blood is known as the universal recipient?

Answer 40

type AB blood