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The average red blood cell contains 250 million hemoglobin molecules. [7] Hemoglobin contains a globin protein unit with four prosthetic heme groups (hence the name heme-o-globin); each heme is capable of reversibly binding with one gaseous molecule (oxygen, carbon monoxide, cyanide, etc.), [8] therefore a typical red blood cell may carry up to one billion gas molecules.
Anemia is a condition in which blood has a lower-than-normal amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin. [1] Anemia in pregnancy is a decrease in the total red blood cells (RBCs) or hemoglobin in the blood during pregnancy. Anemia is an extremely common condition in pregnancy world-wide, conferring a number of health risks to mother and child. [2]
Hemoglobin's oxygen binding affinity (see oxygen–haemoglobin dissociation curve) is inversely related both to acidity and to the concentration of carbon dioxide. [1] That is, the Bohr effect refers to the shift in the oxygen dissociation curve caused by changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide or the pH of the environment.
The bicarbonate buffer system is an acid-base homeostatic mechanism involving the balance of carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3), bicarbonate ion (HCO − 3 ), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in order to maintain pH in the blood and duodenum , among other tissues, to support proper metabolic function. [ 1 ]
CO competes with oxygen at the heme binding site. Hemoglobin's binding affinity for CO is 250 times greater than its affinity for oxygen, [69] [70] Since carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, and poses a potentially fatal threat, carbon monoxide detectors have become commercially available to warn of dangerous levels in ...
During pregnancy the plasma volume increases by 40-50% and the red blood cell volume increases only by 20–30%. [22] These changes occur mostly in the second trimester and prior to 32 weeks gestation. [24] Due to dilution, the net result is a decrease in hematocrit or hemoglobin, which are measures of red blood cell concentration.
For example, Hemoglobin F has a lower P50 than hemoglobin A. This means that if we have the same amount of hemoglobin F and hemoglobin A in the blood and add oxygen to it, half of hemoglobin F will bind to oxygen before half of hemoglobin A manages to do so. Therefore, a lower P50 means stronger binding or higher affinity for oxygen.
This removes adult hemoglobin, but not foetal hemoglobin, from the red blood cells. Subsequent staining, using Shepard's method, [ 5 ] makes fetal cells (containing foetal hemoglobin) appear rose-pink in color, while adult red blood cells are only seen as "ghosts". 2000 cells are counted under the microscope and a percentage of foetal to ...