Platelets+-+CG

= Introduction = toc Imagine that you have a piggy bank full with coins. you run to your mom to show her how many coins that you have collected. The plug to piggy banks keep all the coins in the bank and without it, all the coins would fall out. That’s what platelets do, they become a plug to stop blood cells from flowing out and keep germs outside the bursted blood vessel.

= The Functions of Platelets =

Without platelets we would just slowly bleed out depending on the size of the cut. For example, if i was to get a medium sized cut then the wound would get infected before i would bleed out, all because i didn't have platelets. A platelet cell would flow against the side of the blood vessel because the other two blood cell push it to the outside. If the body has a giant cut that bursts the blood vessel, then when the platelets get to the cut they are sucked into the cut. when there, the platelet then activates and starts to become a net for the red blood cells that were also sucked into the cut. When the platelets activate, they start to look like very weird octopuses that combine together with the red blood cells to create a blood clot or thrombus which is like a plug to stop bleeding. soon after a week, depending on the wound, the clot starts to dry out and become a crusty red color. with this clot plug, most of the bacteria can’t get into the cut but when they do there are the white blood cells to eat that bacteria. After time the skin cells start to reform and the scab falls off. Even Dr. Marlene Williams, a CICU director, states "When you get a cut, for example, the platelets bind to the site of the damaged vessel, thereby causing a blood clot. There’s an evolutionary reason why they’re there. It’s to stop us from bleeding.”

= The Structures of Platelets =

First off platelets are bits and pieces of old red blood cells that were chopped up in the bone marrow. Every single platelet doesn’t have a nucleus or a control center for cells. But what platelets do have are little worm like things call fibrin that help make a net to make a blood clot and hold the cells together. What's also in the cell are granules which make the fibrin. Platelets don’t have a specific shape that they are in but when they get to a cut they become a mutant octopus that is mixed with a net. Below are two pictures, one not activated and the other is activated. deactivated platelets  activated platelets holding a red blood cell. go to link below for ouhsc, then search for platelets, click on the first thing for a few more pictures on platelets and more info =media type="custom" key="28339397" height="19.5"= this is a video by a youtuber named ted ed on how a wound heals itself. this is a diagram of a platelet's structure = Diseases of Platelets = Thrombocytopenia, what is it? Thrombocytopenia is a disorder when the bone marrow doesn’t create enough platelets or when there are too many platelets. If there are too little platelets then if you get a cut or a scratch then the cut or scratch won’t heal fast enough and the cut/scratch might get infected. If there are too many platelets then the platelets will start to clot up at the wrong times when there isn’t an injury, clogging the blood stream so the heart and everything else that needs blood. A way to stop the clotting at wrong times is by aspirin but the downside to that is that it can lower the platelet count. If a cut or scratch doesn’t get covered with a scab then you will have to go see a doctor and depending on the situation, the doctor might use a special glue to heal up a cut, or the doctor might give you stitches which is thread that hold the wound close. After a week you will go back to the doctor who will take the thread out. There is a thread that the doctor might use which dissolves after some time after the glue or stitches are gone then, in the place of the cut, there will be a scar but if the wound wasn’t healed properly then the scar won’t be as visible. To learn more about thrombocytopenia click on http://www.ouhsc.edu/platelets/platelets/platelets%20intro.html

= Conclusion = Platelets are very important, without them then we will just bleed out without stitches or glue. But if you have too many platelets and you take aspirin to lower the platelet count make sure to talk to your doctor for some ways to get your platelet count back to normal. Remember, you need that plug to keep all of your precious coins safe to show mom.media type="youtube" key="UlucOL3ejKo" width="340" height="197" This is a little thing that i created and had some obstacles but i got it done. thanks for reading hope you enjoyed it. = References = = = Works Cited Baily, Regina. “Platelets.” about education. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. . Barwell, Janet. “Acquired Platelet Function Disorder.” Healthline. N.p., 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. . “Checking out cuts, scratches and abrasions.” KidsHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. . Latham, Donna. Cells, Tissues, and Organs. Chicago, Illinois: Raintree, 2009. Print. Page, Evaren, ed. “platelets.” Platelets on the Web. N.p., 6 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. . Types of Blood Cells FortunaPix, 2015. Video Segment Discovery Education. Web. 18/2/2016. . Williams, Marlene. “What are Platelets and Why are They Important?” John Hopkins medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2016. . = =