Master Whole Blood Composition with Picmonic for Medicine

Blood composition can be divided up into three fractions, obtained by centrifugation. The first consists of red blood cells, which have hemoglobin and transport oxygen from the alveolus throughout the entire body. The majority of blood is in the second fraction, which is blood plasma. Blood plasma is the liquid component that holds blood cells in suspension. Plasma contains water, electrolytes and proteins. The most abundant plasma protein is albumin, which regulates osmotic pressure by affecting fluid transfer in capillaries. Albumin is too large to move through the capillary membrane, so it stays within the capillary keeping plasma concentration high enough to retain fluid. The second prominent plasma protein is the antibody, a protein that recognizes and binds to the antigens of foreign cells. It either neutralizes the target directly, or signals other immune cells to eliminate the foreign cell. The third major plasma protein is fibrinogen, which is involved in blood clot formation. A normal coagulation cascade activates prothrombin by converting it into thrombin. Thrombin then activates fibrinogen by converting it into insoluble fibrin strands which are cross-linked to form a blood clot. Fibrinogen is produced in the liver by hepatocytes.The final fraction of blood is called the buffy coat, which contains two major cell types. Platelets assist in blood clotting, and white blood cells (leukocytes) circulate the blood looking for foreign pathogens to attack.