Blood Types And Carbohydrates Essay

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Chemistry Link To Health: Blood Types and Carbohydrates
According to Karen C. Timberlake, “every individual’s blood can be typed as one of four blood groups” (556). The differences in blood is what makes every human body different from the next. Studies have shown that “people have either blood group A, B, AB, or O, with each type occurring at different frequencies in populations around the world” (Ananthaswamy 15). An individual with one type of blood cannot share blood or organs with an individual of a different blood type. Failure to distinguish different blood types can cause reject when a patient receives the wrong type from a donor. Certain methods are used in determining what type of blood a patient has. However, there are certain blood types that can accept any type of blood, and there are also blood types that can be used for any type of patient. There are many different characteristics used for categorizing blood, such as blood types, agglutination, carbohydrates, antigens and antibodies.
Blood types can be categorized in many different ways. Karl Landsteiner categorized “the first three blood groups…[as] A, B and C (subsequently renamed O from the German word “ohne” which means “without”)” (Franchini 1545). Each of these blood groups also have unique properties that give the blood an inability to mix with other blood types. For example, Landsteiner has found out that type-A red blood cells contains an A-antigen and anti-B in its serum (Franchini 1545). Type A blood contains the monosaccharides N-acetylglucosamine, galactose, fructose, and “a N-acetylgalactosamine attached to galactose” (Timberlake 556).The A-antigen is used as an identifier for the body to determine whether something in the bodies system belongs or ...

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...ical practitioners to give patients the correct blood when needed.
Blood types, agglutination, carbohydrates, antigens and antibodies are all used to classify blood in health situations. There are four different types of blood types; type A, type B, type AB, and type O blood. Each of these blood types have specific antigen markers used for identification purposes, except type O, which contains no antigens. They also include antibodies that attack foreign invaders, except type AB, which contains no antibodies. The monosaccharide of each blood cell contains N-acetylglucosamine, galactose, and fructose. Type A, type B, and type AB has additional monosaccharides that differentiates itself from other blood types. Blood types can be determined by using the slide test method or test tube method, in which medical practitioners add antiserums and look for agglutination.

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