BTEC Assessment Record Sheet
The blood is made up of solids and liquids. The liquid is known as plasma and is made of salts,
protein and water. The solid part found in blood contains white blood cells, red blood cells and
platelets.
Red blood cells
They are also called erythrocytes and the function of RBC is to carry the oxygen around the body
and deliver carbon dioxide to the lungs. Has a biconcave shape and the sides of the cell’s surface
are curved such as the interior of the sphere. This biconcave shape could squeeze throughout the
blood vessels to deliver oxygen to the tissues and organs. RBC doesn’t have any organelles such
as nucleus, chloroplast, or mitochondria and the absence of these types of structures leave the
space for haemoglobins found in the RBC.RBC are very important in finding human blood type
where the blood is determined by the absence or presence of antigens found on the red blood
cells. Antigens help the human immune system to observe its red blood type. RBC is flexible and
helps to increase the surface area to volume ratio. RBC contain a lot of haemoglobin which is also
called protein. Haemoglobin has an important role in the attributes red colour of blood.
Leukocytes
White blood cells, popularly called leukocytes, can ensure your body is clean. White blood cells
flow in your bloodstream as components of your immune system that respond to damage or
infection. White blood cells defend your body against infection. When the white blood cells move
throughout the blood and tissues, they indicate the presence of an illness to notify white blood
cells of their location to aid protect your body against an unidentified organism's attack. Once the
white blood cell arrives, it attacks the invader by releasing antibody proteins that attach to and
eliminate the organism. According to the title, white blood cells are monochrome, but when
examined under a microscope or stained, they can show a very light purple to pinkish tint. These
extremely small cells are spherical and have a distinct central membrane (nucleus).
, BTEC Assessment Record Sheet
Thrombocytes
Thrombocytes are pieces of megakaryocytes, that were very massive cells in the bone marrow.
They help in the blood coagulation clots, which slow or prevent bleeding and contribute to the
healing of wounds. Possessing too many or too few thrombocytes, or platelets which do not
operate normally may cause complications. Circulating inactivated platelets are biconvex discoid
(lens-shaped) structures with a maximum diameter of 2–3 m. Cell membrane extensions cover the
surface of activated platelets.
Plasma and serum
Serum and plasma are both obtained from the water phase of the blood that remains after cells
have indeed been eliminated, but the similarities end here. The fluid that remains after the blood
has clotted is called serum. Plasma is the fluid that remains once clotting is avoided with an
anticoagulant. To clot blood, a sequence of proteolytic enzymes is triggered, resulting in the
transformation of prothrombin to thrombin, an enzyme that converts fibrinogen into fibrin. Platelets
are stimulated throughout the process, producing compounds which naturally change proteins in
the bloodstream. The serum is the fluid component of the blood that persists after coagulation.
Plasma is a transparent, yellowish fluid part of the circulatory system.
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