Ch. 12 Blood Lecture Notecards

What are the functions of blood?

• Transports substances throughout the body

• Maintains homeostasis

• Distributes heat

• Transports nutrients and oxygen to the body cells, and removes metabolic wastes & carbon dioxide

What is the normal blood pH?

7.35-7.45

What are considered the formed elements of the blood?

Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Plasma makes up how much of the blood volume?

55%

What’s the usual percentage of the formed elements in the blood?

45%

An average-sized adult has a blood volume of?

5 liters.

What is the percentage of formed elements in the blood called, and what’s it made up most of?

Hematocrit, and it’s mostly made of red blood cells.

Why can’t Red blood cells reproduce?

They dispose of their nuclei and most of their organelles during their development, and cannot produce proteins.

What is hematopoiesis?

Creation of new blood cells from hemocytoblasts; occurs in the red bone marrow.

What are hemocytoblasts?

Hematopoietic stem cells

What metal is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin?

Iron; which is cycled back to red bone marrow to synthesize new RBC.

What happens to damaged/old RBC and their products?

• Macrophages in the liver & spleen phagocytize damaged RBC

• Hemoglobin from damaged RBC, converted into heme & globin

• Heme → iron and the pigment biliverdin → bilirubin, both pigments are excreted in bile

• Globin → amino acids, & is reused.

What is the Red blood cells’ function?

Respiratory gas transport

What is the white blood cells function?

Fighting infection by leaving the bloodstream; also does diapedesis.

Diapedesis

WBC (leukocytes) squeezes between cells of wall of small blood vessels

What are the platelets’ function?

Stopping bleeding, assists in repairing damaged blood vessels by adhering to broken edges

What is plasma’s function?

liquid matrix; transports nutrients and gases, regulates fluid and electrolyte balance, and maintains optimal pH

What are the different types of white blood cells?

Granulocytes & Agranulocytes

Granulocytes:

• Granular cytoplasm

• Short life span (12hr)

• Types: Neutrophils, Eosinophils, Basophils

Agranulocytes:

• Do not have granular cytoplasm

• Longer life-span

• Types: Monocyte, Lymphocyte

Characteristics of Neutrophils  

• Granulocyte

• Fine, purple staining cytoplasmic granules

• Nucleus has 2-5 lobes; comprised of 50-70%

• Strong phagocytes

Characteristics of Eosinophils

• Granulocyte

• Coarse granules, stains deep red

• Bilobed nucleus; makes up 1 to 3% of circulating leukocytes

• Kill certain parasites and moderates inflammation

Characteristics of Basophils

• Granulocyte

• Fewer granules than eosinophils

• Bilobed/S-shaped nucleus, obscured by dark, blue-stained granules stain

• Accounts for <1% of leukocytes

• Promotes inflammation by secreting heparin and histamine

Characteristics of Monocytes

• Agranulocytes

• Largest circulating blood cells

• Variably shaped nuclei, makes up 3-9% of circulating leukocytes

• Lifespan of weeks to months

• Strong phagocytes; migrates to some tissues and differentiates into macrophages

Characteristics of Lymphocyte

• Agranulocytes

• Long-lived (many years)

• Smallest of WBC; has large-round nucleus

• Accounts for 25 to 33% of circulating leukocytes

• Responsible for immunity

• Attacks certain foreign pathogens; types includes: B cells, T cells, and NK cells

What conditions cause abnormal WBC counts?

Illness, leukocytosis, leukopenia

Thrombocytosis

• Leads to abnormal platelet levels

• Causes high platelet count

• Caused by infection or genetic defect.

Thrombocytopenia

• Causes abnormal platelet levels

• Low platelet count

• Caused by genetic condition, leukemia, radiation, some medications, toxic chemicals, excess alcohol, certain pathogens, certain autoimmune diseases

• Increases risk of internal bleeding

What is plasma?

Clear, straw-colored liquid part of blood

Hemostasis

• Is the stoppage of bleeding

• There are 3 processes to prevent/slow blood loss: vascular spasm/vasospasm, platelet plug formation, blood coagulation.

Vascular spasm/vasospasm

• Cutting a small blood vessel causes the muscle in its walls to contract

• Decreases the blood loss at the site of injury

• Serotonin is released at that time to constrict smooth muscle in blood vessel walls

Platelet Plug Formation

• Platelets adhere to the exposed edges of damaged blood vessels

• Forms a network with spiny processes protruding from their membranes

• Platelets stick to eachother, forming a platelet plug at the site of a break in a blood vessel

• Effective on a small vessel

Blood Coagulation

• Most effective hemostasis

• Series of chemical reactions cause blood clot

• The response is temporary, aiding in minimizing blood loss and returning to a homeostatic internal environment.

What are the four ABO blood types?

A, B, AB, O

Blood Type A’s Antigens

A

Blood Type A’s Plasma Antibodies

Anti-B

Blood Type B’s RBC Antigens

B

Blood Type B’s Plasma Antibodies

Anti-A

Blood Type AB’s RBC Antigens

A & B

Blood Type AB’s Plasma Antibodies

Neither anti-A nor anti-B

Blood Type O’s RBC Antigens

Neither A nor B

Blood Type O’s Plasma Antibodies

Both anti-A and anti-B

What is an abnormal clot formation called?

A thrombus

What conditions can a thrombus lead to?

Coronary thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, infarction, atherosclerosis

What is Coronary thrombosis?

Clot in a vessel that supplies the heart

What is Pulmonary embolism?

Traveling blood clot that blocks part of a lung

Infarction

Clot that blocks blood flow and kills tissue supplied by that vessel; myocardial infarction is a heart attack.

Atherosclerosis

Build up of fatty deposits in walls of arteries can sometimes lead to abnormal formation of clots

What blood type is considered the universal recipient?

Blood Type AB

What blood type is considered the universal donor?

Blood type O

What is Rh factor?

The inherited protein found on the surface of RBCs. Can be positive or negative.

What is erythoblastosis fetalis/hemolytic disease of the fetus?

When a pregnant woman has the opposite Rh factor to her fetus, and produces antibodies that would harm her future fetus.

Aggulation

clumping;

Antigen

a molecule that evokes an immune response

Antibody

a protein produced by the immune system to attack a specific antigen not found on the person’s own cells.