Blood Characteristics and Composition

Flashcards about blood characteristics, composition, and related medical terms.

What are the primary functions of blood?

Maintaining a constant environment for body tissues, transporting oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells, carrying away waste, distributing heat, and defending against infection.

How many litres of blood are in the human body?

4–6 litres

About what percentage of blood is plasma?

Approximately 55%

What are the components of plasma?

Proteins, sugars, wastes, salts, hormones, lipids, and vitamins

What are some types of proteins found in plasma?

Albumin, globulins, fibrinogen, and prothrombin

What are erythrocytes?

Red blood cells that carry oxygen to the body tissues and contain hemoglobin.

What is the lifespan of erythrocytes?

Approximately 120 days

Where are worn-out erythrocytes broken down?

The liver, spleen, and bone marrow.

What are leukocytes?

White blood cells that protect the body against infection and disease.

What are the five kinds of white blood cells?

Neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, basophils, and lymphocytes.

What is the function of Neutrophils?

Kill and digest bacteria and fungi.

What is the function of Basophils?

Small cells that have an alarm that goes off when infectious agents invade the blood.

What is the function of Eosinophils?

Attack and kill parasites and cancer cells, and help with allergic responses.

What is the function of Monocytes?

Help to break down bacteria.

What is the function of Lymphocytes?

Protect the body against infection and directly attack foreign matter

What are thrombocytes?

Platelets that help blood to clot, or coagulate, and work to prevent blood loss, or hemostasis.

What is hematopoiesis?

The production/formation of blood.

What cells do erythrocytes develop from?

Proerythroblast, basophilic erythroblast, polychromatic erythroblast, orthochromatic erythroblast, and reticulocyte

What cells do platelets form through?

Myeloid stem cell, megakaryoblast, and megakaryocyte

What cells are included in granulocytes?

Eosinophils, basophils, and neutrophils

What cells are included in agranulocytes?

Lymphocytes and monocytes

What antigens and antibodies are present in each of the four major ABO blood groups?

Type A: A antigen, Anti-B antibody; Type B: B antigen, Anti-A antibody; Type AB: both A and B antigen, no antibodies; Type O: no antigens, both Anti-A and Anti-B antibodies

What blood type can a 'Type A positive' person receive?

A positive, A negative, O positive, O negative

What indicates that blood is Rh-positive?

If the Rh antigen is present on the RBCs.

What fibers retract to bring the edges of a wound closer together and speed healing?

Fibrin

What does the suffix -emia mean?

Blood condition

What does the suffix -poiesis mean?

Formation

What does the suffix -globin mean?

Protein

What does the suffix -lytic; or -lysis mean?

Destruction; loosening; breakdown

What does the suffix -gen mean?

Substance that produces

What does the prefix A-; or an- mean?

No, not; without

What does the prefix Macro- mean?

Large

How Blood is composed?

Blood is composed of cells (45% of blood volume), or formed elements, suspended in a clear, straw-colored liquid called plasma (55% of blood volume).

What is plasma?

A solution of water, proteins, sugar, salts, hormones, lipids, and vitamins.