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A&P2: exam 1
what are erythrocytes?
RBCs
what are erythrocytes shaped like?
pepto bismol pills (biconcave disc)
what is the function of erythrocytes?
transporting O2
what is O2 transported in?
hemoglobin
what is hemoglobin?
a protein that transports O2
what does erythropoiesis get rid of?
most organelles
why does erythropoiesis strip RBCs of organelles?
to focus on one function (transporting gases)
what is hemoglobin made of?
heme
what is heme made of?
a molecule/atom of iron
what does the iron do?
allows the oxygen to bind with heme
what is oxyhemoglobin?
hemoglobin bound with O2 (HbO2)
what color is oxyhemoglobin?
bright red
what is deoxyhemoglobin?
hemoglobin without O2
what color is deoxyhemoglobin?
dark red
why are veins blue?
because of light reflection
what is erythropoiesis?
the formation of erythrocytes
where does erythropoiesis occur?
red bone marrow (of spongy bone)
what percent of RBCs are replaced daily?
1% (25 billion per day)
how long do erythrocytes last?
~120 days
where do erythrocytes pick up O2?
lungs
where do erythrocytes drop off O2?
tissues
what are the 2 ways erythrocytes can die?
hemolysis or recycled
what is hemolysis?
plasma membrane ruptures; internal contents spew into blood
what happens during erythrocyte recycling?
cycles break and open them and recycles the contents
what do cell contents get recycled into?
carbs, lipids, proteins, electrolytes: turned into new cells
iron (from hemoglobin): released into blood and reused
heme (from hemoglobin): chemically digested and excreted
what creates color?
hemoglobin and byproducts
what happens to heme when digested?
turns into bilirubin
where is bilirubin absorbed?
in the liver
what color is bilirubin?
yellow
what color is bile?
green
what breaks down bilirubin?
bacteria
what is present in feces and urine that makes it yellow?
urobilins
what is present in feces that makes it brown?
stercobilins
what is hematuria?
excess RBC hemolysis
what happens during hematuria?
blood is found in urine
what is jaundice?
when whites of eyes/skin tone turns yellow
what causes jaundice?
increased bilirubin
what organ stores bilirubin?
liver
what happens to the liver during jaundice?
cannot keep up with production of bilirubin
where does bilirubin overflow into?
blood
what is anemia?
insufficient RBCs to meet oxygen demand
what are the types of anemia?
iron deficiency, hemolytic, sickle cell, vitamin deficiency
what are the effects of anemia?
low erythrocyte count, low O2 transport, fatigue
