Tag: blood science
-
Beth talks blood: Part 8
What is cardiovascular disease?Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. It is typically associated with a build of fatty deposits inside blood vessels known as atherosclerosis and an increased risk of blood clots known as thrombosis [1-2]. It can also be associated with damage to arteries in…
-
Beth talks blood: part 7
Blood & the immune system:The immune system is essential for our survival, without it our bodies would be open to attack from bacteria, viruses, parasites and more. It is made of up of organs, cells and chemicals that fight infection. It can distinguish our tissue from foreign tissue i.e. self from non-self. Dead and faulty…
-
Beth talks blood: Part 5
We all know that I’m a platelet girl at heart but we mustn’t forget the blood coagulation cascade, it is a vital part of haemostasis. Platelets and coagulation factors work together to prevent bleeding in incidences such as vascular injury. So one can’t be without the other and like most systems in the body, it…
-
Beth talks blood: Part 4
Platelets (or thrombocytes) are tiny blood cells that help our body to form clots to stop bleeding! Platelets are pretty important for normal haemostasis (arrest of bleeding), without platelets we’d bleed out from the smallest of injuries [1, 2]. Max Schultze in 1865 first described platelets as “spherules” which he noted were much smaller…
-
Beth Talks Blood: Part 3
The blood circulatory system (cardiovascular system) delivers oxygen and nutrients to all the cells in the body. It is comprised of the heart and blood vessels that run through the entire body. Blood is circulated around the body through blood vessels by the pumping action of the heart [1]. In animals with lungs, arterial blood…
-
Beth talks blood: Part 2
Blood is constantly being made by the cells inside our bone marrow. This means our bodies can usually replace any blood lost through small cuts or wounds. However, when a lot of blood is lost through larger wounds it needs to be replaces via a blood transfusion (donated by other people). In 1628 British physician…
beth + biology = bethology 