SEC S20W2 || Hemoglobina - Modulo 2

Rafael Rangal

Rafael Rangel was a brilliant scientist who was born in 1858. According to Wikipedia In Venezuela, he was among trailblazers in the field of parasitology, bacteriology and bio analysis.

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During his life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, he had done a lot of research work on the tropical diseases which were widely spreading in his country. Along with the identification of causes he worked the development of vaccines to cure these diseases.

Another important work on his behalf is to improved the hygienic condition. It is said that his efforts left a remarkable impact on the overall the health condition of Venezuelan citizens.
He set up the first ever lab for vaccine production and laid the foundation of the Venezuelan institute of bacteriology.

The notable scientist had many problems in his professional and personal life. He was expecting a scholarship for a long time which wasn't granted, his wife's death, insufficient facilities for his research work, useless criticism and envy of his colleagues led him to a depressing state of mind. A day before his death, he delivered a lecture on Mycetoma and during the lecture, he started to cry.

The very next day, he took a regent used to test the level of hemoglobin in blood. The regent he consumed contains potassium ferricyanide. Cyanide can bind with hemoglobin and destroys the RBCs which cut the normal oxygen supply to the vital organs and leads to heart failure. In a very tragic way, a talented man ended his life.

Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is a macromolecular carrier protein which is present in the erythrocytes (i.e., red blood cells) in the human blood stream. This imparts the typical red color to the blood. It is present in nearly all the vertebrates species.

Structure

Hemoglobin is constitutes on the four subunits. Each unit consistent on a globular polypeptide chain and a prosthetic heme group. Out of four polypeptide chains two Alpha and two beta chains. All the four units arrange in a tetrahedron.

Function

The main function of hemoglobin is transportation of gases. It carries oxygen from lungs to all the body cells and carbon dioxide from cells to lungs. Basically, the Ferrous atom at heme group provides the site which binds oxygen in a reversible fashion. Because each hemoglobin molecule has a heme group, it can bind four oxygen at a time.

Types

Various types of hemoglobin present in humans which impact differently.

• HbA: This is present in a healthy being and is almost 95 to 98 percent normally.
• HbA2: This type exists in 2 to 3 percent in a normal human.
• HbC: this type of hemoglobin is involved in the destruction of normal Reb blood cells and a cause of anemia.
• HbF:this is rarely present in normal people. But in an unborn baby, this HbF is the main type of hemoglobin
• HbS:This type of hemoglobin can cause sickle cell anemia. The RBCs deformed due to its presence and are more dangerous than HbC.

HbC , HbF are abnormal type of hemoglobin.

Automatic and manual hematocrit

As we know, our blood includes various types of components, but hematocrit deal with only red blood cells. It is simply defined as volume of RBCs in a given sample of blood.Hematocrit can be performed manually as well as automatically. Below is a little comparison of both types.

Automatic hematocrit	Manual hematocrit.
A high tech machine is used to determine the total RBCs count in blood sample.	Here a one end sealed capillary is filled with blood sample(along with reagent)and centrifuged to separate the components.
Results are calculated within seconds and appear on screen.	By observation and analysis results calculated manually.
Workers don't affect the operation.	Workers can affect the operation.
Low chances of error	High chances of error because of human interaction.
Time saving.	Time consuming
Used in labs where only results are concerned like hospitals.	Used in labs where procedure and mechanisms are required to understand.
High cost becoz of expensive equipment.	Economical because of low cost equipment.

Examples of Hematocrit

This is going to a little childish example of hematocrit. In a jug of clear water we add orbeez of different color.

Red color = red blood cells

Blue color=white blood cells

Yellow color= platelets

Water in jug=plasma

So by counting the number of red orbeez we can calculate the numbers of Rbcs in given quantity of blood.

Similarly, soap dissolve in water. It forms a colloidal solution like blood. Soap particles can be RBcs which turbid the water and separated by using some salt.

Q/A done.

Inviting @dave-hanny, @meriseptriyanti @djvijay for SEC S20W2 || HematologyHemoglobina - Modulo 2