Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

MEH A > Session 6 Lecture 1 > Flashcards

Session 6 Lecture 1 Flashcards

(91 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Where is the spleen located?

A

Left upper quadrant of the abdomen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does the spleen consist of?

A

Red pulp and white pulp

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is red pulp?

A

Sinuses lined by endothelial macrophages and cords

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is white pulp?

A

Similar structure to lymphoid follicles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the main role of the spleen?

A

To filter the blood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Describe the blood supply to the spleen?

A

Blood enters the spleen via the splenic artery

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What passes through the white pulp?

A

White cells and plasma preferentially pass through white pulp

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What passes through the red pulp?

A

Res cells preferentially pass through the red pulp

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the function of the red pulp?

A

Removes old red cells and metabolises the haemoglobin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the function of the white pulp?

A

Synthesises antibodies and removed antibody-coated bacteria and blood cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the different function of the spleen?

A

Sequestration and phagocytosis
Blood pooling
Extramedullary haemopoiesis
Immunological function

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Describe the sequestration and phagocytic function of the spleen?

A

Old/abnormal red cell are removed by macrophages

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Describe the blood pooling function of the spleen?

A

Platelets and red cell can be rapidly mobilised during bleeding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the extra-medullary haemopoiesis function of the spleen?

A

Pluripotent stem cells proliferate during haematological stress of if marrow fails

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the immunological function of the spleen?

A

25% of T cells and 15% of B cells are present in the spleen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is splenomegaly?

A

Enlargement of spleen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is splenomegaly typically associated with?

A

Increased workload eg haemolytic anaemia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is haemolytic anaemia?

A

An increased number of defective red cells are removed form the circulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Is it ever normal to feel the spleen?

A

No

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Why would the spleen grow?

A

Haemolytic anaemia
Portal hypertension (back pressure)
Infiltration by leukaemia/lymphoma
Accumulation of waste products of metabolism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are the different types of splenomegaly?

A

Massive, moderate, mild

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What can occur due to pooling of the blood in an enlarged spleen?

A

Pancytpenia or thrombocytopenia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is hypersplenism?

A

This is overactivity of the spleen.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What are you at risk of if you have splenomegaly?

A

Risk of rupture because the spleen will not longer be protected by the rib cage. Can lead to haemorrhage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is hyposplenism?
Describes reduced splenic function
26
What are you at risk of if you have hyposplenism?
Risk of overwhelming sepsis
27
What are the causes of hyposplenism?
Underlying diseases which destroy spleen tissue such as sickle-cell disease and sickle cell disease. Spelectomy
28
Why might someone have a splenectomy?
Splenic rupture from trauma or because of tumour.
29
What will a blood film from someone with hyposplenism present as?
Howell jolly bodies
30
What are Howell-jolly bodies?
Basophilic nuclear remnants (clusters of DNA) in circulating erythrocytes.
31
How do you get Howell-jolly bodies ?
Normally erythrocytes expel their nuclei but in some cases small portions of DNA remain. Normally these cells would be removed by the spleen.
32
Define cytopenia
Describes a reduction in the number of blood cells
33
What is anaemia?
Low red cell count
34
What is low white blood count?
Leucopenia
35
What is low neutrophil count?
Neutropenia
36
What is low platelet count?
Thrombocytopenia
37
What is low red cell, white cell and platelet?
Pancytopenia
38
How is an increase in number of blood cells denoted?
Suffix cytosis or philia
39
What is a high red cell count?
Erythrocytosis
40
What is a high white cell count?
Leucocytosis
41
What is a high neutrophil count?
Neutrophilia
42
What is a high lymphocyte count?
Lymphocytosis
43
What is a high platelet count?
Thrombocytosis
44
What are the most abundant type of leukocyte?
Neutrophils
45
What colour do neutrophils stain?
Pink
46
What does a neutrophil look like on a blood film?
Stains pink with H&E | Lobed nucleus 2-5 lobes
47
What is neutrophil function controlled by?
Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)
48
What does G-CSF do?
Increases the production of neutrophils in the bone marrow and decreases their maturation time. Enhances chemotaxis and phagocytosis
49
What is neutrophillia?
High number of neutrophils in the blood
50
How can you get neutrophilia?
Results from bacterial infection, acute inflammation, drugs, smoking or acute haemorrhage
51
What is neutropenia?
Low number of neutrophils in the blood
52
How can you get neutropenia?
Can result in life threatening bacterial or fungal infection. Inc removal due to immune destruction or splenic pooling
53
What is neutropenic sepsis?
Often in patients with cancer who have received chemotherapy. Life threatening medical emergency
54
How would you treat a patient who had sever neutropenia?
Administer recombinant manufactured GCSF- this helps the bone marrow recover
55
What are the causes of neutropenia?
Reduced production or increased removal/use
56
Why might you get reduced production of neutrophils?
``` B12/folate deficiency Infiltration of bone marrow Asplastic anaemia Radiation Drugs Viral infection Congenital disorders ```
57
What are the consequences of neutropenia?
Sever life threatening bacterial infection, fungal infection and painful mouth ulcers
58
What are the largest leukocyte in the body?
Monocytes
59
What happens to monocytes once they have been made?
They circulate in the blood for 1-3 days before moving into tissues and differentiating into tissue resident macrophages or dendritic cells.
60
What happens to about half of the monocyte population?
Stored as a reserve in the red pulp of the spleen
61
What are the main function of monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells?
Phagocytosis, antigen presentation and cytokines production
62
When are monocytes released?
In response to inflammation and antigenic stimuli
63
What is monocytosis?
Increase in a number of monocytes
64
When does monocytosis often occur?
During chronic inflammatory conditions eg rheumatoid arthritis, crohns, UC. Also myoproliferative, malignancies, leukaemia
65
How can you identify an eosinophil on a blood film?
Bilobed nucelus and stain red with H&E.
66
What is the function of eosinophils?
Important in the immune response to multicellular parasite such as helminths.
67
How do eosinophils work?
Release their granular contents which constrains enzymes such as elastase, ROS and leukotrienes and cytokines. These aid destruction and subsequent phagocytosis
68
What is eosinophilia?
Abnormally high eosinophil count.
69
What are the non haematological causes of eosinophilia?
Allergic disease - asthma, eczema Drug hypersensitivity Parasitic infection Skin diseases
70
What are the haemotological causes of eosinophilia?
Hodgkin lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, myeloproliferative conditions, eosinophilia leukaemia
71
Is eosinophilia itself a disorder?
No it is a sign of an underlying disease
72
What are basophils?
Least numerous leukocyte
73
What do basophils look like on a blood film?
Contain large cytoplasmic granules which may obscure the cell nucleus.
74
What do the granules n basophils contain?
Vasodilator histamine and heparin. They are released following the binding of IgE to surface receptors.
75
When are basophils important?
They play an important role in both parasitic and allergic reactions.
76
What causes basophilia?
Inflammatory conditions such as UC and rheumatoid arthritis and also sensitivity reactions to drugs, foods or inhalants etc.
77
What are the different types of lymphocytes?
B cells, T cells and natural killer cells.
78
What is the function of natural killer cells?
Cell mediated cytotoxic innate immunity
79
What is the function of T cells?
They facilitate cell-mediated adaptive immunity
80
What is the function of B cells?
Facilitate humoral antibody driven adaptive immunity
81
What is lypmphocytosis?
Increase in the number of lymphocytes in the blood
82
What causes lymphocytosis?
Common feature of infection. In elderly people - it is associated with lymphoproliferative malignancies including.
83
What is pancytpenia?
Describes the condition where there is a reduction in the number of erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets
84
What can cause pancytopenia?
Reduced production or increased removal
85
Why might you get reduced production of blood cells?
``` B12/folate deficiency Malignancy or fibrosis Idiopathic immune aplastic anaemia Drugs Viruses Congenital bone marrow failure ```
86
Why might you get increased removal of blood cells?
Hypersplenism Irradiation Drug insult Acute viral infection
87
What are some symptoms of pancytopenia?
You basically get all the symptoms of anaemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia
88
What are the main symptoms of anaemia?
Fatigue, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breast
89
What are the main symptoms of thrombocytopenia?
Bleeding, bruising etc
90
What are the symptoms of neutropenia?
Infection, ulcers and fevers
91
What is asplastic anaemia?
Pancytopenia with a hypocellular bone marrow in the absence of an abnormal infiltrate and with no increase in reticulin (fibrosis)

MEH A (19 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions