Blood & Lymphatic System Lab

BLOOD & LYMPHATIC SYSTEM LAB 

 

Blood

Erythrocytes and Leukocytes

                     

Erythrocytes

Basophil

Neutrophil

1. Make an alphabetical list of every type of leukocyte and state the function of each. Use your text or other resources.

1. a.       Basophils - Basophils play a major role in inflammation, especially allergic reactions. They store histamine, a substance that dilates blood vessels and allows blood to flow into the tissues, causing inflammation.
   b.      Eosinophils - Eosinophils combat infections, especially those from small parasites. They are also important in fighting off viral infections.
   
   c.       Lymphocytes - Lymphocytes are part of the adaptive immune system, which is able to recognize foreign matter and destroy it quickly. Lymphocytes include natural killer cells, which are able to recognize and destroy altered cells, such as cancerous or infected cells. T cells and B cells are also types of lymphocytes.
   
   d.      Monocytes - Monocytes are important in the innate immune system, the part of the immune system that removes infections without requiring any memory of the attacking organism. Monocytes protect tissues from invading foreign substances and can rapidly move through the body to sites of infection.
   
   e.      Neutrophils - Neutrophils are often the first responders in cases of injury or infection and are involved in early inflammation. Neutrophils are able to fight off bacterial and fungal infections by ingesting the invading organisms, which are killed and eliminated from the body.

Sickle Cell Disease

 Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease make hemoglobin S or C. Red blood cells containing mostly hemoglobin S do not live as long as normal red blood cells (normally about 16 days). They also become stiff, distorted in shape and have difficulty passing through the body’s small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease. There is currently no universal cure for sickle cell disease.

What is the connection between protection from malaria and being a carrier of the sickle cell gene?

                Individuals who are carriers for the sickle cell disease (with one sickle gene and one normal hemoglobin gene, also known as sickle cell trait) have some protective advantage against malaria. As a result, the frequencies of sickle cell carriers are high in malaria-endemic areas.

It’s been determined that the sickle cell trait provides 60% protection against overall mortality. Most of this protection occurs between 2-16 months of life, before the onset of clinical immunity in areas with intense transmission of malaria.

Blood Typing

The most well-known and medically important blood types are in the ABO group. Karl Landsteiner discovered them in 1900 at the University of Vienna. All humans and many other primates can be typed for the ABO blood group. There are four principal types: A, B, AB, and O. There are two antigens and two antibodies that are mostly responsible for the ABO types. The specific combination of these four components determines an individual's type in most cases.

It is easy to determine an individual's ABO type from a few drops of blood. A serum containing antibody A (anti-A) is mixed with some of the blood. Another serum with antibody B (anti-B) is mixed with another sample. Whether or not agglutination occurs in either sample indicates the blood type. For instance, if an individual's blood sample is agglutinated by antibody A, but not antibody B, it means that the A antigen is present but not the B antigen. Therefore, the blood type is A.

Rh factor is another red blood cell surface protein. A person can have two copies of Rh⁺, two copies of Rh^- (meaning no antigen is made), or one copy of each. When an Rh^- individual makes contact with the Rh⁺ factor (as is the case with an Rh^- fetus carried by an Rh^- mother), the Rh factor is recognized as foreign, and an immune response begins and small amounts of Rh antibodies and lymphocytes are made. Keep in mind that the fetus’s blood and the mother’s blood do not mix during the gestation, but they do during the birthing process, so a future contact with the antigen signals circulating antibodies to create an intense and effective attack against the Rh⁺ factor.

Some patients require a closer blood match than that provided by the ABO positive/negative blood typing. For example, sometimes if the donor and recipient are from the same ethnic background the chance of a reaction can be reduced. That’s why an African-American blood donation may be the best hope for the needs of patients with sickle cell disease, 98 percent of whom are of African-American descent.

It’s inherited. Like eye color, blood type is passed genetically from your parents. Whether your blood group is type A, B, AB or O is based on the blood types of your mother and father.

Blood Typing

    Play the Blood Typing

How did you do? Blood Results “3” Did you get it right the first time? No

a.       Go on to Transfusion. Be sure to scroll through all the choices of blood bags. How did you do? Killed patient twice before getting the hang of it. Redid it a second time and results were “5”

 Describe how a particular blood antigen composition would respond to receiving a non-compatible blood type (the transfusion reaction).                                                                               If given the wrong blood type the patient’s life expectancy is zero patient would die.

 Define the terms antigen and antibody.

a.       Antigen – A substance or part of a substance (living or nonliving) that the immune system recognizes as foreign.  It activates the immune system and reacts with immune cells or their products, such as antibodies.

b.      Antibody – A protein molecule released by a B cell or a plasma cell that binds to a specific antigen.

 Explain, in your own words, what occurs when an Rh negative woman is carrying an Rh positive child for the second time. Refer to text.

a.       The mom has positive antibodies which in turn will see the babies’ positive blood as a foreign body and would attack the blood cells. 

Lymphatic System

Tonsil

Explain how the lymphatic system is physiologically and anatomically related to the cardiovascular system.

a.       Your cardiovascular system takes blood and the nutrients that the blood caries (oxygen, "food", etc.) around to the body, while the lymphatic system basically picks up and recirculates the fluids that the circulatory system dropped along the way. The lymphatic system makes the circulatory system not have to work as hard (otherwise, the circulatory system would have to deposit nutrients AND pick up fluids).

Nonspecific Body Defenses

Name and explain three ways the integumentary system provides the first line of defense.

a.       Skin: Acts as a barrier that protects us from injury, infection, and dehydration

b.      Tears, Saliva & Earwax: Tears lubricate the eyes and washing away particles. Tears and Saliva both contain lysozyme, an enzyme that kills many bacteria. Earwax traps small particles and microorganisms.

c.       Mucus: A thick, gel-like material secreted by cells at various surfaces of the body, including the lining of the digestive tract and branching airways of the respiratory system.  Microorganisms that come into contract with the sticky mucus become trapped and cannot gain access to the cells beneath.

 
  Explain the protective role of cilia.  From what primary tissue type do cilia arise?

a.       If you were to breath in dust through your mouth the beating of the cilia move the mucus upward so we can cough it up and spit it out or swallow it.

b.      Epithelium is the primary tissue type cilia arise.

The Process of Phagocytosis

 

1)      Phagocyte approaches and captures bacterium

2)      Phagocyte surrounds bacterium

3)      Bacterium becomes enclosed in vesicle

4)      Vesicle fuses with lysosomes

5)      Lysosomal enzymes digest bacterium

6)      Wastes and debris are discarded

Neutrophils

Eosinophil

Describe the process involved in the inflammatory response. Include all chemicals and cell types.

a.       When tissues are injured the damaged cells release chemicals as an alarm for the process to begin. These chemicals stimulate mast cells, which are connective tissue cells specialized to release histamine. Histamine dilates blood vessels and makes them leaky. Complement proteins from plasma diffuse and sometimes kill them. Attracted by histamine chemicals, phagocytes and other squeeze through the leaky capillary walls and begin attacking and engulfing bacteria and debris.

Mechanism by which complement kills bacteria

a.       Activated complement proteins from complexes of proteins that create holes in the bacterial wall.

b.      Water and salts diffuse into the bacterium through the holes

c.       The bacterium swells and eventually burst.

Specific Body Defenses

 What is the major histocompatibility complex?

a.       A group of genes that code for proteins found on the surfaces of cells that help the immune system recognize foreign substances.

Basic structure of an Antibody

   How many different types of antibodies do you have in your body?  

a.       IgG –Activate the complement system and neutralize many toxins.  They are the only antibodies that cross the placenta during pregnancy and pass on the mother’s acquired immunities to the fetus.

b.      IgM –Are the first to be released during immune responses.  They activate the complement system and cause foreign cells to agglutinate.

c.       IgA –Enter areas of the body covered by mucous membranes.  They neutralize infectious pathogens.

d.      IgD –This antibody is in the B Cell, blood & lymph.  Not sure they may play a role in the B Cell.

e.      IgE –In the B Cell, mast cells and basophils.  They activate the inflammatory response by triggering the release of histamine.

                                                                      Clonal Expansion

a.       Production of daughter cells all arising originally from a single cell.

 How does interferon operate?

a.       Stimulate the production of proteins that interfere with viral reproduction

What is the difference between cell mediated and antibody mediated immune response?

a.       B Cell produce circulating antibodies.

b.      T Cell either release chemicals that stimulate other cells of the immune system or the directly attach the foreign cell and kill it.  Secondly, the T Cell receptors cannot recognize whole antigens – they only react to small fragments or antigens.

Name the cells involved in the cell mediated immune response.

a.       C Lymphocytes

b.      B Lymphocytes

c.       Macrophages

Name the cells involved in the antibody mediate immune response.

a.       B Lymphocytes

b.      Plasma Cells

 Explain the difference between passive immunization and active immunization and give an example of each.

a.       Passive Immunization – Helps against existing or anticipated infections.  This is done by receiving a gamma globulin shot.  However protection is not as long-lasting as Active Immunization.  Passive Immunization cannot confer long-term immunity against a second exposure.   Example of Passive Immunization are Measles, Hepatitis B & Tetanus.

b.      Active Immunization - The process of activating the body’s immune system in advance.  Getting a vaccine of antigen produced from dead or weakened pathogens.  An example is the oral Polio vaccine.