A 40-year-old female patient presents with mild

anemia and reticulocytosis (increased number of reticulocytes in the blood),

which worsens intermittently. In addition, splenomegaly and icterus (yellow

discoloration of the sclera and mucous membranes) are present during physical

examination. A blood smear was performed for these non-specific symptoms and it

was evident by looking at it that some of the erythrocytes lacked central

pallor. The diagnosis is hereditary spherocytosis, a genetic disease caused by

a defect in the gene for the structural proteins of the erythrocyte

cytoskeleton and membrane. The surface of the erythrocyte is reduced relative

to its internal volume, causing a change in shape from biconcave to

spherical. What are the names of the basic structural proteins of the

erythrocyte membrane cytoskeleton?

During successful resuscitation, a 68-year-old

female patient suffered fractures of several ribs. The extracellular matrix of

the hyaline cartilage, which connects the bony part of the rib to the sternum,

calcifies in older age (is encrusted with calcium salts). This makes the

cartilage less elastic and even brittle, making it more susceptible to

fractures. Which of the sulfated glycosaminoglycans is most abundant in the

extracellular matrix of cartilage?

A 55-year-old former athlete develops severe

secondary knee arthritis as a result of repeated injuries and surgeries. The

condition is so severe and limits the man's normal life that he decides to

undergo total knee arthroplasty (knee replacement). All tissues are replaced,

including the menisci. Which description most closely matches the histological

composition of the meniscal tissue?

Due to family history, the

newborn underwent genetic tests and was diagnosed with osteopetrosis. It is a

rare disease that limits the function of osteoclasts. These do not fulfill

their function, and therefore immature bone tissue cannot remodel and cannot be

replaced by definitive lamellar bone. Although bones grow and enlarge, only

primary fibrillar bone tissue is formed. In addition, there is increased

mineralization of bone tissue. Which of the following statements will be true

about bone tissue in this disease?

The family is at home on a Saturday afternoon

playing board games together. Already during the afternoon, two family members

have a headache and feel slightly dizzy. In the evening, the situation worsens

and the younger daughter starts vomiting and is noticeably sleepy. The parents

take her and her older sister, who is also unwell, to the emergency. There, it

is discovered that the cause is carbon monoxide poisoning, which the whole family

has poisoned during the afternoon and evening thanks to the broken tankless gas

water heater in the bathroom. Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin about 210

times more strongly than oxygen, forming carboxyhemoglobin and occupying oxygen-binding sites. The result is tissue anoxia. Which of these parameters will be

reduced as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning?

A 21-year-old patient is brought to the physician because of

a 1-week history of fever and fatigue. During this period,

he has also had decreased appetite and a weight loss (around 1.5

kg). His temperature is 39.2°C, pulse is 118/min, respirations are 16/min,

and blood pressure is 110/70 mmHg. Physical examination shows enlarged

lymph nodes in the neck area. Laboratory studies show a hemoglobin

concentration of 150 g/l, a leukocyte count of 21,000/mm

A 31-year-old female patient presents to her GP

suffering from increasing fatigue, shortness of breath on exertion, and

weakness. During the physical examination, the physician notes marked pallor of

the skin and mucous membranes as well as tachycardia. From these symptoms, the

physician suspects anemia, so he takes the patient's blood and has a basic

blood count, among other things, done. The results are particularly

interesting: erythrocytes 2.9*10

A 7-week-old infant

is brought to the emergency department for severe hypothermia. Such a small

child does not have enough muscle mass to produce heat through muscle tremors,

and at the same time, his body has a large surface area causing easier heat

loss. Newborns and infants have a special way of producing heat through

non-shivering thermogenesis using brown adipose tissue. What does the basic

structure of this tissue look like?

A 60-year-old woman comes to the physician because of

a 4-week history of a severely itchy rash. She initially noticed

a small, itchy bump that gradually became a generalized rash. She reports that

the itching is extremely bothersome and often wakes her up at night. Yesterday,

she also noticed a lump in the left axilla. Examination shows diffuse reddening

of the skin with fine scales involving the neck, shoulders, back, abdomen,

and extremities. The nails appear normal. A peripheral blood smear shows

significant multiplication of one cell type which is shown in the picture. Which

of the following cell types is it?

The 69-year-old man's condition has deteriorated

greatly in the last few days. He feels very tired, faint, and weak. For the

third day, he still has a fever that is not responding to medication, but he

has no other symptoms of infection. He has developed small petechiae (spotty

bleeding) on his limbs and has had epistaxis (nosebleeds) several times. He is

now coming to the doctor because these symptoms are compounded by shortness of

breath and non-specific neurological symptoms. The GP immediately sends the

patient to the hospital, where the results of the blood count suggest a lot

about the patient's diagnosis. The patient has anaemia, thrombocytopenia and

leukopenia, but immature forms of white blood cells, called blasts, are present

in the blood. It is very likely that this patient has some form of acute

leukaemia. However, red bone marrow sampling is necessary to confirm and

establish a specific diagnosis. In which bones in adulthood does red bone marrow

remain and is it therefore possible to perform the necessary sampling from

them?