Blood

Question 1

How much blood is contained within an average 70kg male?

Answer 1

5L

Question 2

Where is the 5L of blood found within the body?

Answer 2

3L - systematic venous circulation

1L - lungs

1l - heart and arterial circulation

Question 3

How much blood do women carry compared to males?

Answer 3

A little less

Question 4

How much blood do newborn babies contain?

Answer 4

350ml

Question 5

What are the six main functions of blood?

Answer 5

Carry physiologically active compounds

Clotting (platelets, specifically carry out this role)

Defence (white blood cells, specifically carry out this role)

Carriage of gas (red blood cells, specifically carry out this role)

Thermoregulation

Maintenance of ECF pH

Question 6

What is blood composed of?

Answer 6

Plasma

WBCs

RBCs

Platelets

Question 7

What are WBCs, RBCs and platelets referred to as?

Answer 7

Formed component of blood

Question 8

What is plasma referred to as?

Answer 8

Fluid component of blood

Question 9

Are plasma proteins taken up by cells?

Answer 9

No, they perform their function in blood plasma

Question 10

What are the three main plasma proteins?

Answer 10

Albumin
Globulin
Fibrinogen

Question 11

What is the role of albumin?

Answer 11

Transport insoluble molecules around the blood. Most abundant type of plasma protein.

Question 12

What is the role of globulin?

Answer 12

Subdivided into three categories; alpha, beta and gamma.

Alpha and beta transport insoluble molecules around the blood.

Gamma act as antibodies and protect us from infection

Question 13

What is the role of fibrinogen?

Answer 13

Involved in blood clotting. Least abundance type of plasma protein.

Question 14

What is colloid oncotic pressure?

Answer 14

Form of osmotic pressure, induced by plasma proteins.

Due to the fact that plasma proteins don’t readily cross the capillary wall, if there is an increase in plasma proteins in the vessel lumen, water needs to move from the interstitial space into the vessel lumen to decrease this concentration. When water moves into the vessel lumen, sodium ions also flow in with it. This results in the concentration of fluid remaining unchanged but the volume of plasma and ICF altering.

Question 15

What is the normal oncotic pressure?

Answer 15

25mm Hg

Question 16

What two forces cause net movement of fluid between the capillary and ICS?

Answer 16

Capillary hydrostatic pressure (CHP)- favours movement out of the capillary

Plasma protein concentration - when high, favours movement into the capillary

Question 17

What does hypoproteinanemia mean?

Answer 17

Abnormally low levels of plasma protein.

Question 18

What causes hypoproteinanemia?

Answer 18

Prolonged starvation, liver disease, intestinal disease and kidney disease

Question 19

What is the effect of hypoproteinanemia?

Answer 19

Oedema (fluid built-up in ISF) due to loss of oncotic pressure

Question 20

How are WBCs, RBCs and platelets formed? Where are they formed?

Answer 20

Haematopoiesis from haematopoietic stem cells

Bone marrow

Question 21

What are the possible types of cells that haematopoietic stem cells can commit to during haematopoiesis?

Answer 21

Lymphoid cells (lymphocytes)

Myeloid cells (RBCs, platelets, remaining WBCs)

Question 22

What is the other name for RBCs?

Answer 22

Erythrocytes

Question 23

What are the features of RBCs?

Answer 23

Highly flexible - allows them to squeeze through narrow capillaries

Bioconcave

Non-nucleated

Question 24

What structure removes old and damaged RBCs?

Answer 24

Spleen

Question 25

What protein is found in RBCs? What is its role?

Answer 25

Haemoglobin Allows RBCs to carry gases, mainly O2 but also CO2

Question 26

What do we call the haemoglobin when it is bound to oxygen? Where is this found? What colour is this structure?

Answer 26

Oxyhaemoglobin Arteries Red

Question 27

What do we call the haemoglobin when it is not bound to oxygen? Where is this found?

Answer 27

Deoxyhaemoglobin Veins

Question 28

What process forms RBCs? Where does this process occur?

Answer 28

Erythropoiesis Peritubular capillary cells (mainly) and hepatocytes

Question 29

What is erythropoiesis controlled by?

Answer 29

Erythropoietin through a negative feedback system. When we have hypoxia (low oxygen delivery) the kidneys detect this and produce more erythropoietin. Delay as erythropoiesis takes 2-3 days. When we have high oxygen delivery the kidneys detect this and produce less erythropoietin.

Question 30

What is the other name for WBCs?

Answer 30

Leukocytes

Question 31

What are the two types of WBCs?

Answer 31

Granulocytes - granules containing enzymes found in cytoplasm Agranulocytes - no granules in cytoplasm

Question 32

Name the three granulocyte WBCs

Answer 32

Neutrophils Basophils Eosinophils

Question 33

Name the two main agranulocyte WBCs

Answer 33

Lymphocytes Monocytes

Question 34

What process is used to form WBCs?

Answer 34

Leukopoiesis

Question 35

How is leukopoiesis controlled?

Answer 35

Cocktail of cytokines - proteins released from one cell and can communicate with another (signalling molecules)

Question 36

What are interleukins?

Answer 36

A group of cytokines that are abele to communicate with one another

Question 37

Why is the cocktail of cytokines dynamic?

Answer 37

It can change in composition depending on the type of infection present in the body. Induce which white blood bell will be produced in greater abundance

Question 38

How can we differentiate between infection types?

Answer 38

Carry out WBC count and see which is in greater abundance

Question 39

What are platelets?

Answer 39

Budding fragments of megakaryocytic cells. Rarely have a nucleus as they are fragments of another cell

Question 40

How is the formation of platelets regulated?

Answer 40

Hormone called thrombopoietin

Question 41

What is a haematocrit?

Answer 41

A blood test that measures the volume percentage of RBCs in blood compared to other blood cells.

Question 42

What is the normal range of a haematocrit?

Answer 42

Just under 50%, little lower for women.

Question 43

What process occurs during a haematocrit?

Answer 43

Centrifugation

Question 44

What three layers are formed when we centrifuge blood?

Answer 44

RBC layer - red WBC + platelet layer - white Plasma layer - yellow

Question 45

Why is the plasma layer of blood yellow?

Answer 45

Plasma contains a breakdown product of haemoglobin known as bilirubin.

Question 46

Why do individuals who have jaundice have a yellow skin pigment?

Answer 46

Liver is unable to process bilirubin properly, so we have a build-up of it in plasma

Question 47

What does the viscosity of blood tell us?

Answer 47

How thick it is compared to water

Question 48

What is the usual plasma viscosity?

Answer 48

1.8

Question 49

What is the usual whole blood viscosity?

Answer 49

3-4

Question 50

What does viscosity depend upon?

Answer 50

Haematocrit - 50% increase in haematocrit increases viscosity by 100% Temperature - decrease in temperature, increases viscosity Flow rate - decreased flow rate, increases viscounts