Chapter 22
Blood
The cardiovascular system is a vital transportation system in the body. It comprises the heart and blood vessels and facilitates the exchange of…
Blood is specialized connective tissue comprising about 8% of the body mass. It has a thick, liquid extracellular matrix that contains cells,…
The blood in our bodies comprises three major components: blood plasma, formed elements, and the extracellular matrix. Blood plasma is a yellowish…
Blood plasma is a fluid that contains approximately 92% water and 8% solutes. The solutes include various types of proteins, which constitute about…
Hematopoiesis, or blood cell production, is a vital biological process that begins early in embryonic development and continues throughout life. This…
Hemangioblasts are multipotent stem cells originating from the mesoderm. They give rise to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which undergo…
Hematopoietic growth factors are molecules that regulate the differentiation rate of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Erythropoietin (EPO), primarily…
Red blood cells (RBCs) transport oxygen to all body tissues. These cells survive only for 120 days and then need to be replenished.…
The cardiovascular system regulates the number of erythrocytes in the bloodstream to ensure optimal oxygen transport. It also prevents…
There are between 4.2 and 6 million erythrocytes, also known as red blood cells, in every microliter of blood. These cells are small, flattened…
Hemoglobin is a globular protein made up of four subunits. Two of these subunits are alpha chains, and the other two are beta chains. Each subunit…
Erythrocytes, also known as red blood cells, constantly move through blood capillaries. As a result, they damage their plasma membrane due to the…
Disorders of erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs), include a range of conditions affecting their number, shape, or function.
Erythrocyte disorders…
An adult in good health typically has between 4,500 and 11,000 leukocytes, or white blood cells, per microliter of blood, which constitutes about 1%…
Leukocytes are classified into two groups based on the presence or absence of cytoplasmic granules. Granular leukocytes, which contain granules,…
Leukocyte disorders can lead to either leukopenia, characterized by an abnormally low leukocyte count, or leukocytosis, marked by a very high…
The cell fragments known as platelets are disc-shaped, with an average diameter of about 3 μm and a thickness of roughly 1 μm. They play a…
Hemostasis is a complex physiological process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. It's crucial for maintaining the…
The vascular phase, also known as vasospasm, is the initial stage of hemostasis, crucial for preventing excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is…
The platelet phase, the second stage of hemostasis, commences around 15-20 seconds after an injury. It follows and overlaps with the vascular phase,…
The coagulation phase is a critical part of the body's process to prevent blood loss following injury to blood vessels. It involves chemical…
Blood clotting or coagulation involves extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, which ultimately merge into the common pathway, forming a fibrin clot.
The…
After a fibrin clot is formed, the next step is clot retraction, a vital process facilitated by platelet contractile proteins, such as actin and…
Hemostasis, the process that stops bleeding after a blood vessel injury, is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the circulatory system. However,…
The ABO blood group system is a critical element of transfusion medicine, essential for determining blood compatibility in transfusions and organ…
The Rhesus (Rh) antigen is crucial in determining blood groups and ensuring compatibility during blood transfusions.
The Rhesus Antigen and Blood…
Understanding an individual's blood group is a critical component of transfusion medicine. It ensures compatibility in blood transfusions, organ…
Blood transfusion is a critical medical procedure that saves lives and treats various medical conditions. It involves transferring blood from a donor…
Bone marrow transplant is a potential cure for several diseases, including cancer and specific genetic disorders. Notably, this procedure is…
Clonal hematopoiesis is a prevalent age-associated condition that results from the accumulation of somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem and…
The bone marrow (BM) is the soft tissue found within bones where hematopoiesis, the process by which new blood cells are generated, primarily occurs.…
Robust point-of-care methods are required to estimate anemia at the population level. The accurate methods are lab-based and cannot be used at the…
