Blood

Question 1

What is the purpose of blood?

Answer 1

transportation and protection. transports nutrients, gases, picks up wastes, also transports hormones and the blood proteins. in protection, it transports white blood cells which are needed for immunity

Question 2

How much blood is in the body?

Answer 2

About 5 litres

Question 3

What cells/formed element is the blood made up of? How much of the blood is made up of these cells?

Answer 3

• erythrocytes (red blood cells)
• leukocytes (white blood cells)
• thrombocytes (platelets; clotting cells)
  makes up 45% of blood volume

Question 4

What makes up the remaining 55% of blood volume? What is found in this?

Answer 4

Plasma (straw coloured)
made up of/transports (ANYTHING BUT BLOOD CELLS):
- water
- proteins
- sugar
- salts
- hormones
- lipids
- vitamins

Question 5

red blood cells (erythrocytes) structure:

Answer 5

disk-shaped, no nuclei

Question 6

red blood cells (erythrocytes) functions:

Answer 6

transport oxygen and carbon dioxide

Question 7

Where are red blood cells (erythrocytes) formed?

Answer 7

in red bone marrow (RBM)

Question 8

how long does each red blood cell live for?

Answer 8

about 120 days

Question 9

What is the hematocrit test?

Answer 9

a medical test in which a centrifuge is used to separate whole blood into formed elements and liquid fraction. RBC level on bottom, takes up about 44%, Buffy layer 1% (white blood cells and platelets) and plasma 55%

Question 10

What is hemoglobin?

Answer 10

red blood cells contain a unique protein called hemoglobin. hemoglobin is composed of heme (iron-containing pigment) and globin (protein)

Question 11

What is the function of hemoglobin? how does it affect the colour of blood?

Answer 11

enables red blood cells to carry oxygen. the combination of O2 and hemoglobin (called oxyhemoglobin) produces the bright red colour of blood

Question 12

What are the 2 types of white blood cells?

Answer 12

1 - granulocytes

2 - agranulocytes

Question 13

What are granulocytes? What are the 3 types and what do they do?

Answer 13

has granules, all cell types here end in ‘-Phil’

• basophils: contain heparin to prevent blood clotting, and histamine for inflammation
• eosinophils: phagocytes for allergic reactions or parasites
• neutrophils: phagocytes accumulated at the site of an infection (dies every time they kill bacteria)

Question 14

What are agranulocytes?

Answer 14

no granules, all cell types end in ‘-cytes’

• monocytes: become macrophages, digest multiple bacteria before dying
• lymphocytes: control immune response, make antibodies to antigens

Question 15

What are platelets?

Answer 15

Also called thrombocytes, play an essential role in blood clotting

Question 16

What is the blood clot formation process?

Answer 16

• platelets aggregate and get sticky
• prothrombin activator released at the site of the injury
• when prothrombin combines with calcium, prothrombin is converted to thrombin
• thrombin reacts with fibrinogen to create fibrin, a mesh which traps RBCs to form a blood clot

Question 17

Examples of plasma proteins

Answer 17

• albumin
• globulins: immunoglobulins (ANTIBODIES)
• fibrinogen
• prothrombin

Question 18

What is an antigen?

Answer 18

substance that can activate immune system (ei. virus, bacteria, fungus, allergen… - bad to other people)

Question 19

What is an antibody?

Answer 19

substance (protein) made by body in response to stimulation by an antigen

Question 20

Type A blood:

Answer 20

A antigens and B antibodies

Question 21

Type B blood:

Answer 21

B antigens and A antibodies

Question 22

Type AB blood:

Answer 22

A and B antigens and no antibodies (universal recipient)

Question 23

Type O blood:

Answer 23

No antigens but A and B antibodies (universal donor)

Question 24

Rh-positive (Rhesus) blood:

Answer 24

Rh factor antigen present in red blood cells

*positive cannot give to negative

Question 25

Rh-negative (Rhesus) blood:

Answer 25

no Rh factor present in red blood cells

*positive cannot give to negative

Question 26

What is hemolysis? Describe this process

Answer 26

Breakdown of red blood cells.

• Once they reach 120 days old, macrophages in the spleen, liver and bone marrow break down hemoglobin into Heme and Globin portions
• heme releases iron and decomposes into byproduct called Bilirubin, an orange yellow pigment
• Bilirubin is excreted into bile by the liver, and is excreted in stool

Question 27

What does an excess of red blood cell destruction release?

Answer 27

large amounts of Bilirubin, which explains jaundice

Question 28

What is anemia?

Answer 28

a deficiency in erythrocytes or hemoglobin.

- most common type is iron deficiency anemia (lack of iron)

Question 29

What other types of anemia are there?

Answer 29

• aplastic anemia
• hemolytic anemia
• pernicious anemia
• sickle cell anemia

Question 30

What is aplastic anemia?

Answer 30

failure of blood cell production (not just red) due to aplasia or absence of cell formation of bone marrow cells

Question 31

What is hemolytic anemia?

Answer 31

reduction in red cells due to excessive destruction

Question 32

What is pernicious anemia?

Answer 32

lack of mature erythrocytes caused by inability to absorb vitamin B12 into the blood stream

Question 33

What is sickle cell anemia?

Answer 33

hereditary disorder of abnormal hemoglobin producing sickle shaped erythrocytes and hemolysis

Question 34

What is leukemia?

Answer 34

an increase in cancerous white blood cells