Week 1

Question 1

List the various types of haematology lab tests

Answer 1

Blood counts
Blood films
Blood coagulation tests
Bone marrow examinations

Question 2

List some of common haematological abnormalities

Answer 2

Anaemia 
Leucopenia
Thrombocytopenia 
Defective coagulation 
Malignancies (cancer)

Question 3

List some potential haematological side effects of drugs

Answer 3

• Bone marrow aplasia (abnormal function)
• Associated with chloramphenicol (idiosyncratic), cytotoxins
• Haemolytic anaemia
• Associated with cephalosporins, penicillin’s
• Leucopenia/agranulocytosis
• Associated with phenothiazines, sulphonamides
• Thrombocytopenia
• Associated with quinine, thiazide diuretics

Question 4

Provide 3 examples of inherited blood disorders:

Red cell disorders

Answer 4

• Disorders of the membrane
• hereditary spherocytosis and elliptocytosis
• Disorders of haemoglobin
• Thalassemia’s and sickle cell anaemia
• Disorders of metabolism
• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase deficiencies

Question 5

Provide 3 examples of inherited blood disorders:

Coagulation disorders

Answer 5

• Factor deficiency
• Haemophilia A, Haemophilia B, etc.
• Combined factor and platelet abnormality
• Von Willebrand disease
• Platelet abnormality
• Bernard-Soulier Syndrome

Question 6

Initial pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into 1 of 2 progenitor cells. These are known as what?

Answer 6

Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells

or Common Lymphoid Progenitor Cell

Question 7

What are some of the key distinguishing features of proerythroblast and mature erythrocytes?

Answer 7

Size, shape, presence of fully formed nucleus.

Question 8

List, in order, the 6 stages of Erythropoiesis (erythrocyte development).

Answer 8

1. Proerythroblast
   2.Basophillic Normoblast
   Polychromatic Normoblast
2. Orthochromatic Normoblast
   5.Reticulocyte
   6.Erythrocyte

Question 9

Which stages of Erythropoiesis are found in the bone marrow and which in the blood?

Answer 9

The first 3-4 are found in the bone marrow (proerythroblast, basophilic normoblast, polychromatic normoblast, orthochromatic normoblast)
Reticulocytes are found in the bone marrow AND blood.
Erythrocytes are found predominantely in the blood.

Question 10

How long does erythropoiesis take?

Answer 10

7 days

Question 11

What is erythropoietin?

Answer 11

Erythropoietin is a protein and a growth factor. Erythropoietin binds to the receptor and acts to stimulate gene transcription. It plays an important role in developing erythrocytes.

Question 12

Where is erythropoietin produced in the body?

Answer 12

It is produced in the kidney, in response to oxygen supply. The kidney can sense O2 levels and stimulate the development of erythropoietin.
Travels in bloodstream to bone marrow where it stimulates pronormoblasts.

Question 13

What is the purpose of a bone marrow examination? What can you detect?

Answer 13

• Needed to categorize various diseases particularly malignanices
• the aspirate can be fixed and stained and also used for cytogenetics, immunophenotyping and molecular genetic testing.

Question 14

What is the acute phase response?

Answer 14

The body’s response to tissue damage

Question 15

What does the acute phase response suggest?

Answer 15

A physical cause for symptoms such as trauma, infections, neoplasia (new abnormal growth of tissue) and autoimmune disease.

Question 16

Acute phase response:

CRP

Answer 16

CRP = C-rective protein

CRP is raised in most types of tissue injury

Question 17

Acute phase response:

Plasma Viscosity

Answer 17

Indirect measure of acute phase that correlates with fibrinogen and immunoglobulin levels

Question 18

Acute Phase Response:

ESR

Answer 18

ESR= Erythrocyte sedimentation rate

Measures rate of red cell settling in a thin tube over 1 hour

Question 19

Erythrocyte

Answer 19

A red blood cell, which (in humans) is typically a biconcave disc without a nucleus. Erythrocytes contain the pigment haemoglobin, which imparts the red colour to blood, and transport oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the tissues.

Question 20

Macrophages

Answer 20

Macrophages are specialised cells involved in the detection, phagocytosis and destruction of bacteria and other harmful organisms.
In addition, they can also present antigens to T cells and initiate inflammation by releasing molecules (known as cytokines) that activate other cells.

Question 21

Neutrophils

Answer 21

Neutrophils are the first white blood cells recruited to sites of acute inflammation.
They travel to the site of infection, where they destroy the microorganisms by ingesting them and releasing enzymes that kill them.
Neutrophils also boost the response of other immune cells.
A neutrophil is a type of granulocyte and a type of phagocyte.

Question 22

Bone Marrow Stroma

Answer 22

The bone marrow stroma consists of a heterogeneous population of cells that provide the structural and physiological support for hematopoietic cells.

Question 23

Lymphocytes