unit 20: Learning aim A Composition of blood (Distinction* Achieved)
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Course
Unit 20 - Biomedical Science
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
I have received a distinction star on all assignments for Unit 20 on Histology and Cytology, Composition of blood and Urinalysis. The assignment covered topics such as normal vs abnormal cell morphology, cancer and screenings, biopsies, and more. I met every criteria, and I was awarded a distinctio...
Introduction
In this assignment, I'll describe the many types of blood and how they work, as well as how clots form in the blood and how blood has varied compositions.
I'll do a diagnostic blood test since it assists in determining how much iron is in the blood and identifies whether there are any blood disorders or illnesses
and how they could affect the body.
,What is blood?
Blood travels around the body . one function of blood is to transport oxygen, nutrients and
hormones around the body and remove carbon dioxide and waste products from the body. Blood is a
liquid that contains several cells and proteins. Around half of the blood's composition is liquid, which
is called plasma. Moreover, plasma contains proteins that carry substances through circulation, aid in
blood clotting to stop blood loss and provide other functions. This indicates that blood plasma has
dissolved nutrients including glucose in it. (NHS Blood Donation, 2023)
Blood consists of various component such as:
- Plasma
- Red blood cells → Erythrocytes
- White blood cells → Leukocytes
- Platelets → Thrombocytes
This suggests that oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen are carried by blood together with nutrients.
This suggests that blood is essential to the body's system of material exchange.This occurs so that the
blood, which helps to carry oxygen to cells all throughout the body by absorbing oxygen from the air
in the lungs, which can also help to flush waste products including carbon dioxide out of the cells.
Additionally, the blood is made up of 45% formed elements, such as red, white, and platelets, and
55% plasma. (Body, 2023)
Blood type
There are 4 main blood types such as A, B, AB and O. This helps to determine which particular
molecules are present on the surface of blood. Therefore, blood type is categorised due to presence
or lack of antigen on the surface of the red blood cell. Blood type A has A antigens on the surface of
a red blood cell with anti-B antibodies in the plasma. Blood type B has B antigen with anti-A
antibodies in the plasma. Blood type O has no antigen, thus has anti-A and anti-B antibodies in the
plasma. Finally, blood type AB has both A and B antigen, hence has no antibodies. Moreover, A
different blood group system called the Rh factor uses the presence or absence of a certain protein
called the Rh factor to identify whether a person's blood is Rh-positive or Rh-negative. There are a
total of eight distinct blood types determined by the ABO and Rh systems: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-,
O+, and O-.(NHS Choices, 2023)
,Plasma
The plasma, the liquid portion of the blood, is composed of 90% water and the remaining 10%
contains ions, proteins, nutrients, waste products, and gases. This is so that blood PH and osmotic
equilibrium may be maintained by the ions, proteins, and other substances that make up plasma.
Consequently, plasma has a yellowish colour, and it makes about 55% of the body's blood volume.
Additionally, plasma contains more specialist functions such as hormones that operate as
far-reaching messages, antibodies that identify and kill pathogens, and blood clotting assistance. This
is referring to serum, a liquid that remains after the blood clots. (Khanacademy.org, 2023)
Plasma proteins are present in three major types such as albumin, globulins and fibrinogen which
each have a specific function which I will explain in detail.
Albumin
Albumin helps retain and regulate the blood's colloid osmotic pressure. This is since, despite making
up the highest fraction of the plasma protein, it is the smallest in size. Therefore, it is essential to
maintain an equilibrium and consistency between the water present in the tissue fluid and the
blood's colloid osmotic pressure. This is due to the fact that low levels of plasma protein cause the
water in the plasma to gradually leak out into the area around the blood vessel, which may result in
interstitial edema, renal disease, or liver illness. Additionally, albumin helps with the movement of
substances including hormones, medications, or fatty acids throughout the body.
Globulins
Alpha, beta, and gamma are the three various types of globulines. This is so because gamma globulin
are sometimes referred to as antibodies. While the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) found in alpha
globulines aid in the transfer of lipids into cells and the metabolism of energy. To emphasise even
further, HDL prevents plaque formation by regulating cholesterol transit inside the blood.
Furthermore, beta globulins which are low density lipoproteins (LDL) help to transport fat to the
cells. This further suggests that it could cause formation of plaque in the wall of blood vessels and
could be able to lead to heart disease and heart failure.
Fibrinogen
The liver produces fibrinogen, which is a form of a protein. This indicates further that the protein
may aid in the blood's ability to clot, which would reduce bleeding by assisting with blood clotting.
(News-Medical, 2018)
, Red blood cell
The red blood cells are also known
as erythrocytes, help in supplying
the body tissues and cells with
oxygen. Because of this, the red
blood cell is doughnut-shaped and
8–10 m in diameter, helping to
transport oxygen throughout the
body. However, red blood cells are
also referred to as a "bio concave
disc" and their main function is to
carry oxygen from the lungs to the
body's tissues. This further
suggests that waste products
including carbon dioxide are released or discharged by tissues after they absorb oxygen from red
blood cells. As a result, carbon dioxide will be transported by the red blood cell back to the lung and
subsequently expelled by the body.
Red blood cells have a bright red colour due to protein such as haemoglobin as it allows to
transport oxygen throughout the body and deliver it to other organs. The blood has a biconcave
structure, which is occasionally known as a doughnut since it is round with a hollow in the middle.
Without a nucleus, red blood cells carry more oxygen across the body by allowing more oxygen to
attach to haemoglobin. (Clinic, 2021)
Therefore, the role of the erythrocyte is
to carry oxygen from the respiratory
system to the tissues. In order to do this,
red blood cells link oxygen to the heme
group of haemoglobin, which contains
iron. The erythrocytes are produced in
the bone marrow which are shaped as
biconcave dishes which help to increase
the surface area to volume ratio.
Additionally, the absence of a nucleus in
red blood means that room will be
available for oxygen to bond.Additionally, male has within 5.4 million red blood cells per microliter,
while female has about 4.8 million. In addition, the absence of mitochondria and the lack of a
nucleus in red blood cells also implies that more room will be accessible for oxygen to attach.
Moreover, red blood cells also have a 120-day lifespan. This further illustrates that while new red
blood cells are created in the bone marrow, the liver or spleen is going to eliminate the old red blood
cells. Erythropoietin, which is a hormone released by the kidney, also controls and monitors the
synthesis of red blood cells, maintaining a balanced quantity of oxygen. (OpenStaxCollege, 2013)
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