42 Activity 11 What Is in My Blood ld the 6 The average dia

42 Activity 11 | What Is in My Blood? ld the 6. The average diameter of an erythrocyte is 7.7 m. How many meters wou erythrocytes from the average human span if placed end to end? (For reference, an American-football field is approximately 91 m in length!) 7. The average density of whole human blood is 1.06 g/mL and the sodium and potassium concentrations were given in Problem 1. a) What is the concentration of sodium in the blood expressed in parts per million? b) What is the concentration of potassium in the blood expressed in parts per million?

Solution

Solution 6:

Production of erythrocytes in the marrow occurs at the staggering rate of more than 2 million cells per second. For this production to occur, a number of raw materials must be present in adequate amounts. These include the same nutrients that are essential to the production and maintenance of any cell, such as glucose, lipids, and amino acids. However, erythrocyte production also requires several trace elements: iron, copper, zinc, B vitamins. Erythrocytes live up to 120 days in the circulation, after which the worn-out cells are removed by a type of myeloid phagocytic cell called a macrophage, located primarily within the bone marrow, liver, and spleen.