Question: Blood smear slides should be rinsed with _____ after staining with Wright’s stain and buffer.
Answer: Distilled water. 14.
Question: The arrow in the stained blood smear is pointing to a(n) _____.
Answer: Erythrocyte (red blood cell). 15.
Question: The blood typing results shown indicate type _____ blood.
Answer: A-positive. 16.
Question: Why is erythropoietin (EPO) a popular doping drug for athletes?
Answer: EPO increases red blood cell production, increasing oxygen delivery to muscles and potentially improving endurance and athletic performance. 17.
Question: Describe the function and appearance of the five main types of leukocytes. Which types were present in your stained slide?
Answer: Neutrophils and monocytes destroy pathogens by phagocytosis; lymphocytes produce antibodies and coordinate immune responses; eosinophils help fight parasites and participate in allergies; basophils release histamine during inflammation and allergic responses. The leukocytes were visible in the slide, although the specific types could not all be distinguished confidently. 18.
Question: Which cells on the labeled slide contain hemoglobin? Relate the numbers of these cells appearing in the photo to their function.
Answer: Erythrocytes contain hemoglobin and transport oxygen and some carbon dioxide. They are much more numerous than leukocytes and platelets because large numbers are needed for continuous oxygen transport. 19.
Question: What is the function of platelets? How did these elements appear in the provided blood smear?
Answer: Platelets help blood clot by forming platelet plugs at damaged vessels. They appear as very small purple-staining cell fragments among the larger red blood cells. Blood Typing 20.
Question: What determines blood type?
Answer: Blood type is determined by the presence or absence of A, B, and Rh antigens on red blood cells. The lab result indicated A-negative blood. 21.
Question: What causes agglutination? How was it observed in this exercise?
Answer: Agglutination occurs when antibodies bind to matching antigens on red blood cells and cause visible clumping. Clumping was observed in the anti-A section. 22.
Question: Based on the blood typing results, which types of blood could you receive to avoid an antibody/antigen reaction?
Answer: A-negative and O-negative. 23.
Question: Based on the blood typing results, which blood types could you safely donate blood to?
Answer: A-negative, A-positive, AB-negative, and AB-positive. Electrolytes and Acid-Base Balance 24.