Blood cells

Question 1

4 elements of blood and their functions

Answer 1

red blood cells (erythrocytes) - transport oxygen from lungs to peripheral tissues
white blood cells (leukocytes) - destroy infecting organisms and remove dead/damaged tissues
platelets (thrombocytes) - adhere to defects in blood vessels
plasma - proteinaceous solution in which cells circulates. carries nutrients, metabolites, hormones, proteins etc

Question 2

hemopoiesis

Answer 2

formation of cellular elements of the blood
bone marrow
most plasma proteins are made by the liver

Question 3

staining of blood

Answer 3

thin smear on glass slide
names of white cells derived from stains used
Romanovsky stain applies several dyes with affinity for different constituents
mixed with coagulent

Question 4

erythrocytes structure and histological appearance

Answer 4

6.5-8.5 um diameter
biconcave
pale in centre and darker at periphery
acidophilia due to oxyhemoglobin
no nucleus/organelles
electron-dense cytoplasm

Question 5

wax processed tissue and erythrocytes

Answer 5

appear smaller and biconcave shape isn’t discernable

Question 6

metabolic activity of erythrocytes

Answer 6

anaerobic metabolism of glucose

ATP generation by hexose monophosphate shunt

Question 7

movement of erythrocytes

Answer 7

highly deformable

able to squeeze down 3-4um diameter blood vessels

Question 8

lifespan of erythrocytes

Answer 8

100-120 days

mature erythrocyte unable to synthesise new enzymes to replace those lost during metabolism

Question 9

main factor in erythrocyte aging

Answer 9

diminishing efficiency of ion pumping mechanism

cells become less deformable until they can’t negotiate the splenic microcirculation

Question 10

what organs dispose of erythrocytes?

Answer 10

spleen, liver and bone marrow
phagocytosis
spleen most active

Question 11

what is the normal number of leukocytes in peripheral blood?

Answer 11

4-11 x 10^9/L

Question 12

types of leukocytes and proportions

Answer 12

neutrophils 40-75%
eosinophils 5%
basophils 0.5%

lymphocytes 20-50%
monocytes 1-5%

Question 13

why may proportions of leukocytes change?

Answer 13

requirement for increased activity in tissues

Question 14

granulocytes

Answer 14

neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils

prominent granules

Question 15

what may granulocytes also be called>

Answer 15

myeloid cells due to origin from bone marrow

Question 16

what may neutrophils be called?

Answer 16

polymorphonuclear leukocyte/polymorphs due to multilobed nucleus

Question 17

white blood cells

Answer 17

lymphocytes and monocytes

constituent of blood and originate from bone marrow

Question 18

where are WBCs found?

Answer 18

lymph nodes, spleen

Question 19

transformations in tissues

Answer 19

monocytes -> macrophages

basophils -> mast cells

Question 20

erythrocyte cytoskeleton

Answer 20

filamentous skeleton of spectrin anchored to CM by band 3 protein, ankyrin, band 4 protein.
short actin pieces (15 actin monomers long) link spectrin to band 4 protein

Question 21

neutrophil functions

Answer 21

circulate in resting state, enter tissue upon activation
become motile, phagocytic
ingest and destroy invading microorganisms
early stages of acute inflammatory response

Question 22

what are neutrophils a major constituent of?

Answer 22

pus

Question 23

how many neutrophils are normally in the blood?

Answer 23

1.5-10 x 10^9/L

Question 24

neutrophilia

Answer 24

rise of neutrophils above 10 x 10^9/L

bacterial infection/tissue necrosis

Question 25

neutropenia

Answer 25

neutrophils below 1.5 x 10^9/L

decreased production in bone marrow/increased destruction in tissues

Question 26

what is the danger of persistent neutropenia?

Answer 26

vulnerability to severe bacterial infections

Question 27

neutrophil nucleus

Answer 27

2-5 distinct lobes
joined to one another by fine strands of nuclear material
develops w/ cellular maturity
chromatin highly condensed

Question 28

neutrophil nucleus in females

Answer 28

3% of nuclei have small condensed nuclear appendage (drumstick chromosome)
represents quiescent X chromosome (Barr body)

Question 29

primary granules function and appearance

Answer 29

similar to lysosomes
first to appear
as cell matures, their number falls compared to secondary granules

difficult to see w/ light microscopy
electron microscopy: large, electron dense

Question 30

contents of primary granules

Answer 30

acid hydrolases
antibacterial and digestive substances
myeloperoxidase

Question 31

how is myeloperoxidase useful?

Answer 31

can be detected by peroxidase stain
light microscopic marker
marks granules and cell lineage in leukemias