Chapter 9.1

Flashcards related to blood and the immune system.

What is the main function of blood?

To transport important substances all throughout the body.

What are some of the important substances that blood transports?

Gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide), nutrients, electrolytes, vitamins, hormones, and other waste products.

What are the two protective components of blood?

Protection from foreign invaders and clotting.

How do platelets protect us?

Helps to patch up a broken area on a blood vessel and clot the blood so that we do not hemorrhage out and bleed to death.

Why are cells in the blood referred to as formed elements?

They are formed at the bone marrow. They are incomplete cells or cell fragments.

What is plasma?

The liquid portion of the blood that the cells are floating around in.

What is serum?

The liquid portion of the blood (plasma) after the removal of clotting factors, proteins, and the actual formed elements or blood cells.

What happens when blood is centrifuged?

Centrifuging blood separates the components based on size and weight, resulting in a separation of plasma (55%) and formed elements (45%).

What are the different cell types in the blood?

Erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells), and platelets.

What's the job of Erythrocytes?

Carry around oxygen primarily.

What's the job of Leukocytes?

Provide immune system protection.

What's the job of Thrombocytes (platelets)?

Small cell fragments responsible for clotting.

What is bone marrow?

A connective tissue inside the hollow spaces of a bone that produces blood cells.

What is hematopoiesis?

The process of forming blood cells.

What is erythropoietin (EPO)?

A hormone produced by the kidneys that stimulates red blood cell production.

What is the spleen?

An organ responsible for filtering blood and destroying old red blood cells.

What is hemoglobin (HB)?

A red pigmented protein that binds to oxygen in red blood cells.

What are ABO blood types?

A type of protein receptor on the surface of red blood cells that determines blood type (A, B, AB, or O).

What is the Rh factor?

A type of receptor on the outside of the red blood cell where 85% of the US population has this receptor and are positive. The other 15% does not produce the receptor, making them negative.

What is a macrocyte?

A large erythrocyte and sometimes that is indicative of a problem, like a blood disorder.

What do Leukocytes do?

Your protectors that protect us against foreign pathogens and substances.

What are the two categories of leukocytes?

Granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils) and agranulocytes (lymphocytes, monocytes).

What are neutrophils?

A type of granulocyte that equally absorbs acidic and basic dyes.

What is polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)?

An alternate name for neutrophils based on its segmented nuclei.

What are eosinophils?

A type of granulocyte that is attracted to acidic dyes (eosin).

What are basophils?

A type of granulocyte that is attracted to basic dyes.

What are lymphocytes?

A type of agranulocyte that can mature into T cells or B cells, providing sophisticated immune responses.

What do B cells make for you?

Little proteins that target pathogens for destruction, helping to keep us very, very healthy.

What do T cells do?

Can nature into cytotoxic killer cells that kills the bad things that enter the body.

What are monocytes?

A type of agranulocyte that can move out of the blood and enter body tissues, becoming macrophages.

What are neutrophils known for?

The most abundant type of leukocyte, first responders to a site of trauma or infection.

What are eosinophils good for?

Good at fighting against parasitic worm infections and serve as markers of inflammation.

What are clotting factors?

Molecules floating around in the blood that are involved in the clotting process.

What is coagulation?

A stage in the blood clotting process where blood changes from a liquid to a solid state.

What is fibrin?

A protein fiber in the blood that produces a solid seal over a damaged vessel to prevent blood loss.

What is fibrinogen?

The inactive state for of fibrin that exists in blood plasma.