The most significant elements of plasma are albumin,
albumin, a plasma protein responsible for osmotic pressure and transport of many types of molecules;
immunoglobulins, or antibodies, which are important parts of the immune system;
Fibrinogen - responsible for blood clotting.
transferrin - which carries iron.
complement - a group of immune system proteins that, when activated, destroy target cells by puncturing their membranes.
Electrolytes include the major ions of plasma.
All blood cells are formed in the bone marrow from the division of long-lived progenitors called stem cells.
An average adult has 5 to 6 L of blood.
Plasma constitutes 55% of the volume of blood.
Plasma - It is 90% water, with the rest made up of dissolved
proteins, amino acids, gases, electrolytes, sugars, hormones, lipids, and vitamins, plus waste products.
an anticoagulant, a chemical that keeps blood from clotting.
The plasma is the straw-to-yellow color fluid that floats on top of the cells in the sample.
Plasma
light blue, royal blue, pink, pearl, gray, green, light green, or tan.
These samples are collected in a green-top tube.
They are also used for coagulation tests, which are
collected in a blue-top tube.
Serum samples are collected in tubes with a top that is one of these colors:
orange, royal blue, red, gold, or tiger-speckled (red and gold).
The formed elements constitute 45% of blood volume.
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Of these, 99% are red blood cells (RBCs), with white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets making up the rest.
There are 5 million RBCs in a microliter (mL) of whole blood.
An RBC initially contains a cell nucleus, but this is expelled
shortly after formation, at which stage the RBC is known as a reticulocyte.
The reticulocyte count, a common laboratory test, provides the physician with an indirect measure of how well the bone marrow is producing RBCs.
Once released into the peripheral circulation, within a day or two, it
matures into an erythrocyte.
A single RBC remains in the peripheral circulation about 120 days before being removed by the liver, bone marrow, or spleen.
RBC destruction results in three major breakdown products: iron,
amino acids, and bilirubin.
The iron and amino acids are recycled.
The only waste product, bilirubin, is transported to the liver for elimination from the body.
The iron-containing heme groups are recycled to make new hemoglobin for packing into new RBCs.
White blood cells or leukocytes protect the body against infection.
WBCs are produced in the bone marrow and lymph nodes and undergo a complex maturation process, which may involve
the thymus and other organs.
There are 5000-10,000 WBCs in 1 mL of whole blood.
At any time, most WBCs are not in the blood but in the peripheral tissues and lymphatic system.
An important feature of all WBCs is their ability to recognize specific molecules on the surface of infectious agents and to distinguish them from markers on the body’s own cells.
Granulocytes get their name because of the presence of visible
granules in their cytoplasm.
The granulocytes include neutrophils-eosinophils-basophils.
Mononuclear leukocytes have larger, unsegmented nuclei.
They all contain powerful chemicals that destroy foreign cells and signal other parts of the immune system - ML
Neutrophils, so called because their granules do not take up either acidic or basic dyes.
Neutrophils make up 40% to 60% of all leukocytes in the blood
Neutrophils - They are phagocytes, whose role is to attack and digest bacteria, and their numbers increase during a bacterial infection.