Chapter 17 Review Questions 01/06/2011

1. What are the main components of plasma? 

 Water (>90%)
 Dissolved solutes
o 6% protein
o 2% solutes (ions, nutrients, wastes, gases, hormones)

What are the 3 most common types of proteins found in plasma and
what is the function of each?
 Albumin (60%)
o Transport nutrients and waste,
o Albumin and Na+ are the primary determinant of osmotic
pressure
 Globulin (36%)
o Alpha & beta -> transport function
o Gamma -> immune function (produced by WBC)
 Fibrinogen (4%)
o Soluble fiber that is converted to solid mesh needed to trap
blood cells to form a blood clot

Where are most of the plasma proteins produced?  

- Liver

Which protein is most abundant?

 - Albumin

Which contributes significantly to plasma osmotic (oncotic)

pressure?
- Albumin (plus sodium)

What is the difference between plasma and serum?

 Serum – Plasma minus the clotting proteins

2. How to estimate a persons blood volume? 

 Body weight (kg) X 0.08

What type of information is provided in a hematocrit (PCV), CBC and

differential count?  
 Hematocrit (PCV) – Measure of the percentage (by volume) of cells
within whole blood. PCV is affected by age, gender, and altitude.
 CBC – Determination of the number of WBCs, RBCs, and platelets.
 Differential Count – Determination of the number of each of the 5
types of WBCs (usually reported as % of the total WBCs)

Know how to calculate a hematocrit.

 In a test tube, centrifuge a sample of blood.
 The cells are packed at the bottom of the test tube, and plasma is on
top.
  Amount of cells in volume compared with the amount of plasma

3. Describe the key physical characteristic of RBCs, platelets, and each

of the different types of WBCs.  List the function(s) of each of these elements?  
 RBCs – Erythrocytes.
o Characteristics: Smallest and most numerous, biconcave disk,
lack a nucleus, ribosomes & mitochondria, don’t consume
oxygen, contain hemoglobin protein molecules.
o Function: Transport of blood gases. (oxygen)
 WBCs – Leukocytes.
o Characteristics: Complete cell, few in number, migrate by
amoeboid motion, found outside of blood vessels in tissue of
the lymphatic system, are chemotaxis.
o Function in defense, immunity.
 Neutrophils (65-75%)
 Lymphocytes (20-25%)
 Monocytes (3-8%)
 Eosinophils (1-2%)
 Basophils (0.5-1%)
 Platelets – Function in homeostasis

4. What is the importance of the biconcave shape of RBCs to its

function?
 Large surface area/volume ratio
  Increases flexibility – allows them to squeeze through the capillaries
which are smaller in diameter then the RBC.

5. What is the stem cell for all blood cells called?  

 Hematopoietic stem cells called hemocytoblasts in the bone marrow.

What is the average life span of a RBC? 

 120 days.

What is the main hormone that stimulates RBC production

(erythropoiesis)?
 Erythropoietin 
Where does this hormone come from?
 Erythropoietin is produced by the kidneys
What stimulates its release? 
 Erythropoietin is released into circulation in response to hypoxia.

Explain how damaged or aged RBC are recycled.  

 Old and damaged RBCs are removed by phagocytic cells in the
spleen, liver and bone marrow.
 Globulin chains are broken down to amino acids that can be reused
to make new proteins
 6. Describe the structure and function of hemoglobin. 
 Hemoglobin: Protein for oxygen transport
Made up of 4 globulin chains: 2 alpha and 2 beta. Each globulin chain
contain a heme group.

Which formed elements contain hemoglobin?

 RBC’s

What happens to the components of hemoglobin?  

- Each heme can bind one molecule of oxygen to form oxyhemoglobin
(bright red). When hemoglobin gives up its bound oxygen is converted back to
the reduced state deoxyhemoglobin (very dark red-appears blue through the
skin)

How are the degradation products removed from the circulation or

body?  
- Globulin chains are broken down to amino acids that can be reused to
make new proteins
- Iron is removed from heme and the rest of the heme molecule is
converted to bilirubin. Removed from circulation by the liver, or filtered by
the kidney.

7. Explain the importance of blood typing on the basis of ABO and Rh

compatibility in transfusion reactions.
 Incompatibility can result in severe immune reactions
 A person’s plasma naturally contains antibodies against antigens not
present on its own blood cells.
 The antibodies react with the foreign antigens producing
agglutination (clumping of red blood cells)

Describe the antigens and antibodies (agglutinins) found in each blood

type. 
  Type A
o Antigen: A
o Plasma Antibody: Anti B
 Type B
o Antigen: B
o Plasma Antibody: Anti A
 Type AB
o Antigen: A & B
o Plasma Antibody: none
 Type O
o No antigens
o Plasma Antibody: Anti A & Anti B

What is a significant difference between A&B agglutinins and Rh

agglutinins?
Different families of proteins.

Which blood group is considered the universal donor (explain why)? 

 Universal donor: Type O – has neither A or B antigens, so type O
blood can be accepted by all individuals without causing an immune
reaction.

Which blood group is the universal recipient (explain why)?  

  Universal recipient: Type AB – Has no antibodies to A or B antigens,
so an individual with this blood type can receive any type of blood
without having an immune response.

What is the pathological basis of erythroblastosis fetalis?

 A pregnant women who is Rh negative will often produce antibodies
to Rh factor after birth of an Rh positive child. This occurs because
some of the childs blood can enter the maternal circulation at the
time of childbirth
 If the women carries a second child who is Rh positive, the maternal
Rh antibodies can cross the placenta and cause hemolysis of the fetal
RBCs, a condition called erythroblastosis fetalis.

8. Which formed elements are produced from the lymphoid stem cell
line?
- Lymphocytes (WBC)
Which from the myeloid stem cell line?
- RBC and platelets

List the WBCs in order of abundance in the circulation.  

- Neutrophils 65-75%
- Lymphocytes 20-25%
- Monocytes 3-8%
- Eosinophils 2-5%
- Basophils <1%

Which WBCs become macrophages?  

 Monocytes
 Which WBCs are considered granulocytes?
 Neutrophils, eosinophils & basophils  
Which WBCs are most important to phagocytosis of bacteria?  
 Neutrophils
Which WBCs are most important in eliminating parasites and
allergens?  
 Eosinophils
Which WBCs are involved in the specific immune responses?  
 Lymphocytes
Which WBCs are similar to mast cells (release histamine)?
 Basophils

9. What type of cell is responsible for making platelets? 

 Megakaryocytes (found in the bone marrow)
 Function in homeostasis and blood clotting

10. Describe the 3 phases of blood hemostasis.  

 Phase 1: Vascular phase
o Vascular spasm – initiated directly by the injury to the smooth
muscle and indirectly by chemicals released by damaged
tissues and platelets that are attracted to the area.
o tissue compression – escape of blood into the surrounding
tissues causes compression around the vessel
 o Results in constriction of the vessel.
 Phase 2: Platelet Phase
o Activated platelets swell, change shape and become sticky
which allows them to adhere to the damage area and to each
other (aggregation) forming a platelet plug.
 Phase 3: Coagulation phase
o Conversion of soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin mesh,
which traps the RBCs forming a blood clot which reinforces the
platelet plug.

Distinguish between the extrinsic and intrinsic coagulation pathways

(you do not need to know all the individuals steps, but you need to know what
initiates each pathway and the common final pathway ). 

- Intrinsic pathway: All the procoagulant are found in an inactive form

within the blood. The first enzyme in the cascade is activated by exposure to
collagen underneath the endothelium.

- Extrinsic pathway: The first factor, called tissue factor III or tissue
thromboplastin is released by the damaged tissue outside the blood vessel.
This pathway is faster than intrinsic.

- Both pathways converge into a final common pathway. Lead to

production of factor X.

Explain the role of each of the following in blood coagulation:

prothrombin, prothrombin activator, thrombin, fibrinogen, fibrin, tissue factor
III (tissue thromboplastin), activated factor X

- Tissue factor III (tissue thromboplastin) – the first factor in the

extrinsic pathway that is released by the damaged tissue outside the blood
vessel.
- Activated factor X – part of the formation of prothrombin activator.
 - Prothrombin – inactive form of thrombin
- Prothrombin activator – made up of factor X, calcium, platelet factor III
and factor V. Converts prothrombin into thrombin
- Thrombin – converts fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin.
- Fibrinogen
- Fibrin – forms a mesh that traps RBCs and form the blood clot.

11. Which vitamin is needed for the production of clotting factors?  

 Vitamin K
Where are most clotting factors produced?
 Produced in the liver

12. What is fibrinolysis? What compound is needed for fibrinolysis? 

Where does tissue plasminogen activator come from? 
- Fibrinolysis is the dissolution of the blood clot.
- Requires activation of plasminogen. Activation occurs with the
presence of thrombi and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).
- tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is release by damaged tissues .
 13. What are some of the checks that control blood clotting and prevent
excess or accidental stimulation of the clotting cascade?
 Anticoagulants
 Perfectly smooth endothelial walls do not allow platelet adhesion or
stimulation of the cascade
 WBC and the endothelial cells produce chemicals (e.g. prostacyclins,
nitric oxide) which prevents platelet adhesion

Quiz

1. Place the events associated with hemostasis in the correct

order.

Vascular spasm
Formation of Thrombin
Formation of blood clot
Tissue thromboplastin activation of extrinsic
pathway
Formation of Fibrin
Platelet plug formation
  

2. The WBCs that are highly mobile and particularly good at

phagocytizing bacteria are the

Basophils
Eosinophils
Lymphocytes
Neutrophils

3. What is the second most abundant type of circulating

WBC?

Monocyte
Eosinophil
Neutrophil
Lymphocyte

4. What is the average life span for a RBC?

3 months
2 months
< 10 days
1 month
  

5. A hematocrit of 45 % indicates 

that 55% of whole blood is cellular

elements.
that 45% of whole blood is cellular
elements.
that 45% of all blood cells are RBCs.
that 55% of all the cellular elements is
RBCs.

6. During RBC recycling each heme unit is stripped of its iron

and the remainder of the pigment is converted to

iron
transferrin
ferritin
bilirubin
  

7. The plasma protein that is involved in the transport of

iron ions is

Transferin
Hemosiderin
Fibrinogen
Ferritin

8. Plasma is serum minus the clotting proteins/factors.

True
False

9. Another name for RBC is

Erythrocyte
Leukocyte
Thrombocyte
Monocyte
 

10. Which WBC is classified as an agranulocyte?

Basophil
Neutrophil
Lymphocyte
Eosinophil