Blood and Cardiovascular System

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1. A) Describe the cellular and the non-cellular components of human blood and how they move around the body. The circulatory system is responsible for the transport of blood throughout the body and consists of the heart (a pump), the lungs (a gas exchanger) and the vascular system of arteries, capillaries and veins (plumbing). Blood, which runs through this vascular system, contains both cellular and non-cellular components. The major cell type found in blood is red blood cells, whose role is to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide into and out of the body. The circulatory system also plays a secondary role as one of the routes immune cells use for transport around the body. Blood contains many types of what are called white blood cells, which are made up of mainly neutrophils, but also monocytes, T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. Human blood is made up of two different components known as, cells and fluid. The cellular portion of blood includes red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Generally, the fluid portion of the blood is called plasma and is made up of various non-cellular materials. Together, these blood components make up whole blood. The cellular part of blood contains several different types of cells and cell fragments. Red blood cells, also called erythrocytes, are the most numerous of these. The red blood cells use a molecule called hemoglobin to transport oxygen from the lungs to tissues in the body and to help move carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be removed. Mature red blood cells lack nuclei and organelles, and have a distinct biconcave shape that greatly increases surface area. In addition, the cellular blood component contains white blood cells, also called leukocytes. White blood cells are quite rare compared to red blood cells. They are the main actors in secondary and tertiary immunity. Platelets also are present in

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