Blood Composition and Function Quiz

Study Notes

Blood is a specialized body fluid with diverse functions, including transporting oxygen and nutrients, carrying infection-fighting cells, removing waste, and regulating temperature.
Whole blood is a mixture of approximately 55% plasma and 45% blood cells. A significant portion (7-8%) of a person's total body weight is blood.
Blood is a highly specialized tissue consisting of over 4000 components.
The most crucial components are red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma.

Also known as erythrocytes, these are flattened, bi-concave cells.
RBCs transport oxygen.
A typical count ranges from 4 to 6 million cells per cubic millimeter of blood.
RBCs are produced continuously in the bone marrow.
Each RBC lives approximately 120 days before being destroyed in the liver or spleen.

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood, primarily 90% water.
It contains dissolved materials like proteins, glucose, ions, hormones, and gases.
Plasma acts as a buffer, maintaining a pH near 7.4

The procedure typically involves obtaining a blood sample via finger puncture.
A thin blood film (smear) is created by spreading a small blood droplet on a glass slide.
The film is stained using Leishman's stain. This stain has components (eosin and methylene blue) that target certain aspects of the cells and their components, enabling differentiation.
The stained film is examined under a microscope.

Granulocytes (including neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils) have granules in their cytoplasm.
Polymorphonuclear cells have multiple lobes in their nuclei.
Agranulocytes (including monocytes and lymphocytes) lack cytoplasmic granules.
Monocytes and lymphocytes are mononuclear.
Neutrophils are the most abundant type of WBC (60-70%).
Basophils are less than 1% of WBCs.
Eosinophils account for 2-4% of WBCs.
Monocytes make up 3-8% of WBCs.
Lymphocytes contribute 20% of WBCs.