The Blood

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Created by
Saad

Cards (18)

  • Blood Plasma is the liquid part of the blood and in the plasma we find two different types of blood cells which are white blood cells and red blood cells.
  • We also find tiny fragments of cells and these are called platelets.
  • The blood plasmas job is to transport dissolved substances around the body.
  • Plasma transports soluble digestion products (such as glucose) from the small intestine to other organs.
  • Plasma also transports carbon dioxide (produced by aerobic respiration) from the organs to the lungs to be breathed out.
  • Lastly, plasma transports the waste-product urea from the liver to the kidneys to be excreted in urine.
  • Red blood cells transport oxygen from the lungs to the body cells and they are adapted for their function in three ways.
  • Firstly, they contain the oxygen-carrying molecule haemoglobin and haemoglobin combines with oxygen to create oxyhaemoglobin.
  • Secondly, red blood cells have no nucleus or organelles so that there is more room for haemoglobin.
  • Thirdly, red blood cells have a biconcave shape which increases surface area and allows them to carry more oxygen.
  • White blood cells defend against infection and disease.
  • White blood cells contain a nucleus and this contains DNA which encodes the instructions that the white blood cells need to do their job.
  • Platelets are tiny fragments of cells and their job is to help the blood to clot.
  • Lots of people are blood donors and donated blood has many uses in medicine. For example is it useful to replace lost during injury.
  • Proteins extracted from blood can also be useful for example antibodies.
  • There are problems with blood transfusion and one being that in a blood transfusion, we have to make sure that donated blood is the same blood type as the patient’s and this is because if they are not compatible then the bodies immune system will reject the blood and the patient could die.
  • There's lots of different diseases which can be transmitted through blood.
  • In the UK, blood is screened for infections so the risk is extremely low.