red marrow

(noun)

Red marrow or medulla ossium rubra, consists mainly of hematopoietic tissue, and gives rise to red blood cells (RBCs), platelets and most white blood cells (WBCs).

Related Terms

  • hematopoeisis
  • musculoskeletal system

Examples of red marrow in the following topics:

  • Overview of the Musculoskeletal System

    • Located in long bones are two distinctions of bone marrow: yellow and red.
    • The yellow marrow has fatty connective tissue and is found in the marrow cavity.
    • In times of starvation, the body uses the fat in yellow marrow for energy.
    • The red marrow of some bones is an important site for hematopoeisis or blood cell production that replaces cells that have been destroyed by the liver.
    • Here, all erythrocytes, platelets, and most leukocytes form in bone marrow from where they migrate to the circulation.
  • RBC Life Cycle

    • Erythrocytes are continuously produced in the red bone marrow of large bones at a rate of about 2 million cells per second in a healthy adult.
    • Erythrocytes differentiate from erythrotropietic bone marrow cells, a type of hemopoietic stem cell found in bone marrow.
    • Unlike mature RBCs, bone marrow cells contain a nucleus.
    • Shown on the left, the erythrocyte, or red blood cell, has a round, donut-like shape.
    • Outline the life cycle of erythrocytes (red blood cells, or RBCs)
  • Complete Blood Count

    • Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells, typically composing about 1% of the red cells in the human body.
    • Reticulocytes develop and mature in the red bone marrow and then circulate for about a day in the blood stream before developing into mature red blood cells.
    • Like mature red blood cells, reticulocytes do not have a cell nucleus.
    • Calculating the reticulocyte production index indicates whether or not the bone marrow is producing new blood cells at a rate that will correct the anemia, and can also be used to monitor the progress of treatment for anemia.
    • When there is an increased production of red blood cells to overcome chronic or severe loss of mature red blood cells, such as in a hemolytic anemia, people often have a markedly high number and percentage of reticulocytes.
  • Bone Marrow Examination

    • In patients with suspected peripheral blood or bone marrow diseases, a bone marrow biopsy can isolate bone marrow for an examination.
    • Bone marrow examination is the pathologic analysis of samples of bone marrow obtained by bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration.
    • The bone marrow produces the cellular elements of the blood, including platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells.
    • Once the needle is in the marrow cavity, a syringe is attached and used to aspirate ("suck out") liquid bone marrow.
    • Any worsening pain, redness, fever, bleeding, or swelling may suggest a complication.
  • Leukemia

    • Children with acute leukemia may be candidates for bone marrow transplants.
    • She later provided bone marrow for a transplant for her older sister.
    • In myeloid or myelogenous leukemia, the cancerous change takes place in a type of marrow cell that normally goes on to form red blood cells, some other types of white cells, and platelets.
    • Finally, the red blood cell deficiency leads to anemia, which may cause dyspnea and pallor.
    • In some cases, a bone marrow transplant is useful.
  • WBC Formation

    • Haematopoiesis refers to the formation of blood cellular components, including both white and red blood cells.
    • All cellular blood components are derived from haematopoietic stem cells located within the bone marrow.
    • When bone marrow develops, it eventually assumes the task of forming most of the blood cells for the entire organism.
    • In children, haematopoiesis occurs in the marrow of the long bones such as the femur and tibia.
    • During fetal development, the liver functions as the main haematopoetic organ since bones and marrow develop later.
  • Development of Blood

    • Hematopoietic stem cells reside in the bone marrow and have the unique ability to differentiate into all mature blood cell types.
    • Erythrocytes are oxygen-carrying red blood cells derived from common myeloid progenitors.
    • When bone marrow develops, it eventually assumes the task of forming most of the blood cells for the entire organism.
    • In children, hematopoiesis occurs in the marrow of the long bones, such as the femur and tibia.
    • Red and white blood cell production is regulated with great precision in healthy humans, and the production of granulocytes is rapidly increased during infection.
  • Sickle-Cell Disease

    • This crisis is triggered by parvovirus B19, which directly affects erythropoiesis (production of red blood cells) by invading the red cell precursors and multiplying in them and destroying them.
    • The red blood cells break down at a faster rate.
    • In HbSS, the full blood count reveals hemoglobin levels in the range of 6–8 g/dL with a high reticulocyte count (as the bone marrow compensates for the destruction of sickle cells by producing more red blood cells).
    • This scanning electron micrograph shows red blood cells.
    • Figure A shows normal red blood cells flowing freely in a blood vessel.
  • Maturation of T Cells

    • T cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow and undergo positive and negative selection in the thymus to mature.
    • T cells are produced in the bone marrow but travel to the thymus to mature.
    • All T cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, which are capable of differentiating into any type of white blood cell.
    • Scanning electron micrograph of T lymphocyte (right), a platelet (center), and a red blood cell (left).
  • Medical Uses of Hematopoietic Growth Factors

    • Hemopoetic growth factors regulate the growth, differentiation, and proliferation of progenitor cells in the blood and bone marrow.
    • Recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) is very effective in treating the diminished red blood cell production that accompanies end-stage kidney disease.
    • CSFs and thrombopoietin also improve the outcome of patients who receive bone marrow transplants.
    • Thrombopoietin is a glycoprotein hormone produced mainly by the liver and the kidney that regulates the production of platelets by the bone marrow.
    • GCSF is a glycoprotein growth factor that stimulates the bone marrow and is used therapeutically in certain cancer patients to accelerate recovery from neutropenia after chemotherapy.
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