Download Red blood cells - Net Start Class

BLOOD
© Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc.
Little Known Fact:
The average time that it takes for a red blood cell to
go through the entire body is twenty seconds.
Cool Facts About Blood
Blood is the only fluid tissue in the body.
 Blood distributes nearly everything that is carried from one area
in the body to another place within the body.
 For instance, hormones are transported from the endocrine
organs to their target organs.
 Blood helps maintain body temperature and normal pH levels in
body tissues.
 The protective functions of blood include clot formation and the
prevention of infection.
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Components of
Blood
Plasma
 Red Blood Cells
 White Blood Cells
 Platelets
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Plasma
92% is water
 plasma also contains proteins
 8% is dissolved food particles
 Plasma is responsible for transporting things
around the body and for maintaining the
temperature levels within the body.
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http://www.nicksnowden.net/Module_2_common_pages/blood_vessels_cells_and_tissue_fluid.html
http://www.shelfieldpeonline.co.uk/html/the_circulatory_system.html
Red blood cells
primary function of red blood cells is to
transport oxygen from the lungs to the
cells of the body
 contain a protein called hemoglobin that
actually carries the oxygen
 biconcave shape (disk with squished in
middle)
 no nucleus (in mature cells)
 transport respiratory gases (oxygen & CO2)
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White blood cells
almost four times larger than red blood
cells
 different types of white blood cells
 some are responsible for destroying
bacteria
 some for repairing body tissue
 some produce chemicals in order to fight
infection
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Although there are
several types of
white blood cells,
there are many
more RBC than
white blood cells.
Once a white cell has left the blood vessel and
migrated to the enemy, the next job is to EAT the
microbe. This human macrophage is a professional
"phagocyte" or eating cell (phago = "eating", cyte
= "cell"). The macrophage is using its internal
cytoskeleton to envelop cells of the fungus Candida
albicans.
Platelets
Platelets are cell fragments.
 When we are injured, platelets
gather at the site of the injury
and stick to the edges of the
wound.
 Platelets release chemicals that
help start the process of blood
clotting so that bleeding will stop.
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http://health.howstuffworks.com/blood8.html
Lymph
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not part of the blood, but a fluid within the body
tissue fluid (lymph) bathes all cells in the body
provides cells with nutrients and removes wastes
liquid and dissolved substances can pass
through walls of capillaries
red blood cells and proteins are too large to pass
through
WBC can alter shape to squeeze through the
walls
Blood Types
Everybody has a blood type.
 The most common blood type
classification system is the ABO (say "A-BO") system discovered by Karl Landsteiner
in the early 1900s.
 There are four types of blood in the ABO
system: A, B, AB, and O.
 Your blood type is established before you
are born, by specific genes inherited from
your parents.
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Why do Blood Types Matter?
Before we knew about blood types, many
people died after receiving blood
transfusions, because…
In a blood transfusion, the blood type of the
donor and the blood type of the person receiving
the transfusion must be compatible.
 If the blood types don't match, special
antibodies in the recipient's blood, called
agglutinins, will attack the donated blood
causing blood clots to form in a reaction called
agglutination.
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