Blood Anatomy and Physiology Flashcards

A comprehensive vocabulary review of blood composition, hematopoiesis, and the specific characteristics and functions of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes based on the lecture transcript.

Blood

A connective tissue that performs three main functions: transportation, regulation, and defense.

Blood pH

$$7.4$$

Plasma

The liquid portion of blood containing water, proteins (albumin, globulin, and fibrinogen), nutrients, ions, gases, and waste products.

Serum

Whole blood liquid minus blood cells and clotting elements; it is characterized by the absence of fibrinogen.

Hematopoiesis

The continuous process of producing all blood cells, occurring primarily in the red bone marrow of adults.

Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell (PPSCs)

The common ancestor to all blood cells that can undergo irreversible differentiation via cytokines.

Erythropoietin (EPO)

A cytokine produced by the kidneys in response to hypoxia that stimulates the division and maturation of erythroid precursor cells.

Biconcave Disc

The shape of mature mammalian erythrocytes which provides more membrane surface area for the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Bilirubin

The product of hemoglobin breakdown and a factor in the varying degrees of yellow appearance in plasma.

Extravascular hemolysis

The destruction of approximately $90\%$ of normal Red Blood Cells (RBCs) by macrophages outside of the cardiovascular system.

Granulocytes

A classification of leukocytes that contain specific staining cytoplasmic granules, including neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils.

Agranulocytes

Leukocytes that do not have specific staining granules in their cytoplasm, categorized as monocytes and lymphocytes.

Neutrophils

The predominant White Blood Cell (WBC) in dogs, characterized by a polymorphonuclear (3-5 lobes) nucleus and fine, diffuse granules.

Heterophils

Functional equivalents to neutrophils found in avian, reptile, and some fish species, containing distinct rod-shaped, red-staining granules.

Eosinophils

Granulocytes primarily involved in immunity against parasitic infections and the modulation of allergic inflammatory responses.

Basophils

The least common White Blood Cell (WBC) type; its granules store and release heparin (an anticoagulant) and histamine (a vasodilator).

Monocytes

The largest agranulocytes, possessing blue-gray "ground-glass" cytoplasm; they differentiate into macrophages upon entering tissue.

Lymphocytes

The predominant White Blood Cell (WBC) in ruminants and pigs, consisting of T-cells, B-cells, and Natural killer (NK) cells.

Thrombocytes

Also known as platelets; they are pieces of cytoplasm isolated and released from giant, multinucleated megakaryocytes in the bone marrow.

Hemostasis

The primary function of thrombocytes, which involves stopping hemorrhage through the clotting process and platelet plug formation.