Blood Plasma

Blood is a liquid connective tissue composed of cells and an extracellular matrix. The matrix is the blood ______, a clear, light yellow fluid constituting a little over half of the blood volume. Suspended in the plasma are the _______ ________--cells and cell fragments including the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The term formed elements alludes to the fact that these are membrane-enclosed bodies with a definite structure visible w/ a microscope. There are seven kinds of formed elements: the erythrocytes, platelets, and five finds of leukocytes, which are divided into granulocytes and agranulocytes.

plasma; formed elements

_______ is the smallest and most abundant plasma protein. It serves to transport various solutes and buffer the pH of the plasma. It also makes a major contribution to two physical properties of blood: its viscosity and osmolarity. Through its effect on these two variables, changes in albumin concentration can significantly affect blood volume, pressure and flow. _________ are divided into three subclasses; from smallest to largest in molecular weight, they are alpha, beta, and gamma " ". _________ (same) play various roles in solute transport, clotting, and immunity. __________ is a soluble precursor of ______, a sticky protein that forms the framework of a blood clot. The _____ produces as much as 4g of plasma protein per hour, contributing to all of the major proteins except gamma globulins, which come from ______ cells--connective tissue cells that are descended from WBCs called B lymphocytes.

Albumin; Globulins; Globulins; Fibrinogen; fibrin; liver

____________ are another important component of the blood plasma. Sodium ions constitute about 90% of the plasma cations. Sodium is more important than any other solute for the osmolarity of blood. As such, it has a major influence on blood volume and pressure; people with high blood pressure are often advised to limit their sodium intake. Electrolyte concentrations are carefully regulated by the body and have rather stable concentrations in the plasma.

Electrolytes

______ is a complex mixture of water, proteins, nutrients, electrolytes, nitrogenous wastes, hormones, and gases. When the blood clots and the solids are removed, the remaining fluid is the blood _____, which is essentially identical to plasma except for the absence of the clotting protein fibrinogen. _______ is the most abundant plasma solute by weight. Plasma proteins play a variety of roles including clotting, defense, and transport of other solutes such as iron, copper, lipids, and hydrophobic hormones. There are three major categories of plasma proteins: _______, _________, and __________.

Plasma; serum; Protein; albumin, globulins, fibrinogen

Two important properties of blood arise from the formed elements and plasma composition. _________ is the resistance of a fluid to flow, resulting from the cohesion of its particles. Loosely speaking, it is the thickness or stickiness of a fluid. Whole blood is 4.5-5.5x as viscous as water, mainly because of the ____; plasma alone is 2x as viscous as water, mainly because of the _______. This property is important in circulatory function because it partially governs the flow of blood through the vessels. An RBC or protein deficiency ________ viscosity and causes blood to flow too easily, whereas an _______ causes blood to flow too sluggishly. Either of these conditions puts a strain on the heart that may lead to serious cardiovascular problems if not corrected.

Viscosity; RBCs; protein; reduces; excess

REGULATION. By absorbing or giving off fluid under different conditions, the blood ___________ help to stabilize fluid distribution in the body. By buffering acids and bases, blood ________ help to stabilize the pH of the extracellular fluids. Shifts in blood ____ help to regulate body temperature by routing blood to the skin for heat loss or retaining it deeper to the body to conserve heat.

capillaries; proteins; flow

The ___________ system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood. The _____________ system refers only to the heart and blood vessels. The study of blood is called __________. The functions of the circulatory system are: _________, ___________, and __________.

circulatory; cardiovascular; hematology; transport; protection; regulation

The ratio of formed elements to plasma can be seen by taking a sample of blood in a tube and spinning it in a centrifuge. ____________, the densest elements settle to the bottom of the tube and typically constitute about 37-52% of the total volume--a value called the __________. WBCs and platelets settle into a narrow cream- or buff-colored zone called the _____ ____ just above the RBCs; they total 1% or less of the blood volume. At the top of the tube is the _______, which accounts for about 47-63% of the volume.

erythrocytes; hematocrit; buffy coat; plasma

PROTECTION. The blood plays several roles in ______________, a mechanism for limiting the spread of infection. ______ blood cells destroy microorganisms and cancer cells. __________ and other blood proteins neutralize toxins and help to destroy pathogens. ________ secrete factors that initiate blood clotting and other processes for minimizing blood loss.

inflammation; white; antibodies; platelets

In addition to protein, the blood plasma contains such nitrogen-containing compounds as free amino acids and ___________ ______, which are toxic end products of catabolism. The most abundant of these is ____, a product o famine acid catabolism. These wastes are normally excreted by the ________ at a rate that balances their production.

nitrogenous wastes; urea; kidneys

The plasma also transports _________ absorbed by the digestive tract, including glucose, amino acids, fats, cholesterol, phospholipids, vitamins, and minerals. It transports dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

nutrients

Two important properties of blood arise from the formed elements and plasma composition. The __________ of blood is the total molarity of dissolved particles that cannot pass through the blood vessel wall. In order to nourish surrounding cells and remove their wastes, substances must pass between the bloodstream and tissue fluid through the capillary walls. This transfer of fluids depends on a balance between the filtration of fluid from the capillary and its reabsorption by osmosis. The rate of reabsorption is governed by the relative osmolarity of the blood versus the tissue fluid. If the blood osmolarity is too ____, the bloodstream absorbs too much water. This raises the blood volume, resulting in high blood pressured a potentially dangerous strain on the heart and arteries. If its osmolarity drops too low, too much water remains in the tissues. They become edematous (swollen) and the blood pressure may drop to dangerously low levels b/c of the water lost from the bloodstream. It is therefore important that the blood maintain an optimal osmolarity. The osmolarity of the blood is a product mainly of its sodium ions, protein, and erythrocytes. The contribution of protein to blood osmotic pressure--called the _______ _______ ________ (COP)--is especially important, as we see from the effects of low-protein diets.

osmolarity; high; colloid osmotic pressure

TRANSPORT. The blood carries _______ from the lungs to all of the body's tissues, while it picks up ______ _______ from those tissues and carries it to the lungs to be removed from the body. It picks up _________ from the digestive tract and delivers them to all of the body's tissues. It carries _________ ______ to the kidneys for removal. It carries ________ from endocrine cells to their target organs. It transports a variety of ____ cells from the bone marrow and other origins to the tissues where they lodge and mature.

oxygen; carbon dioxide; nutrients; metabolic wastes; hormones; stem