What is serum ?

Options

A. Blood without the blood corpuscles
B. Blood without the plasma
C. Blood without the clotting factors
D. Plasma without the clotting factors

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Blood Composition:**
- Blood is a liquid viscous fluid that consists of two main components: formed elements and plasma.
- Formed elements include red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets (thrombocytes).

2. **Defining Plasma:**
- Plasma is the liquid portion of blood that remains after the formed elements are removed.
- It contains water, electrolytes, proteins, hormones, and waste products.

3. **Identifying Clotting Factors:**
- Plasma contains clotting factors, which are essential for blood coagulation.
- Key clotting factors include fibrinogen and thromboplastin.

4. **Defining Serum:**
- Serum is the liquid portion of plasma that remains after the clotting factors have been removed.
- It contains proteins, antibodies, and electrolytes but lacks clotting factors.

5. **Conclusion:**
- Therefore, serum can be defined as "plasma without the clotting factors."

6. **Correct Option:**
- Among the given options, the correct definition of serum is "plasma without the clotting factors."

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