In premature babies born earlier than the 30th week of pregnancy, type II pneumocytes are usually not fully developed, so they do not carry out their function normally. What is a possible consequence of this? The number of alveoli reduces. The size of the alveoli increases. Capillary networks do not develop fully and oxygen is not absorbed. Surface tension between alveoli does not decrease and the alveoli stick together.
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Surfactant is a substance that reduces surface tension in the alveoli, preventing them from collapsing during exhalation and promoting efficient gas exchange. If type II pneumocytes are not fully developed and do not function normally, it means that surfactant Show more…
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Studies of oxygen transport in pregnant mammals have shown that the O2-saturation curves of fetal and maternal blood are markedly different when measured under the same conditions. Fetal erythrocytes contain a structural variant of hemoglobin, HbF, consisting of two γ and two β subunits (γ2β2), whereas maternal erythrocytes contain HbA (α2β2). When all the BPG is carefully removed from samples of HbA and HbF, the measured O2-saturation curves (and consequently the O2 affinities) are displaced to the left. However, HbA now has a greater affinity for oxygen than does HbF. When BPG is reintroduced, the O2-saturation curves return to normal. What is the effect of BPG on the O2 affinity of hemoglobin and why are HbA and HbF impacted differently by BPG?
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If a baby is born prematurely before type II cells produce sufficient pulmonary surfactant, which of the following might you expect? a. difficulty expressing fluid b. difficulty inflating the lungs c. difficulty with pulmonary capillary flow d. no difficulty as type I cells can provide enough surfactant for normal breathing
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