Chapter 1

Question 1

What is the technique for taking a patient’s pulse at the wrist?

Answer 1

Palpation

Question 2

What is the difference between Anatomy and Physiology?

Answer 2

• Anatomy: study of the body structure

- Physiology: Study of the function of an organism

Question 3

What is the inductive method?

Answer 3

It is a method where you study the process of drawing conclusions and making predictions from repeated observations

Question 4

What are some important things to consider when designing an experiment?

Answer 4

• Sample size
• Controls
• Psychosomatic Effects
• Experimenter Bias
• Statistical Testing

Question 5

What is the hierarchy of complexity?

Answer 5

Atom
Molecule
Macromolecule
Organelle
Cell
Tissue
Organs
Organ System
Organism

Question 6

What are some characteristics of life?

Answer 6

• Organization
• Cellular Composition
• Metabolism
• Responsiveness
• Movement
• Homeostasis
• Development
• Reproduction
• Evolution of a Population

Question 7

What is homeostasis and how is it maintained?

Answer 7

The ability to maintain a relatively stable internal environment in spite of changes in the external environment.
It is maintained by feedback loops (positive and negative)

Question 8

What are the components of a feedback loop?

Answer 8

1. Receptor: senses changes in the body
2. Integrating: control center that processes the sensory information, makes decisions, directs response
3. Effector: cell or organ that carries out the final corrective action to restore homeostasis

Question 9

What is the difference between negative and positive feedback loops? Give a physiologic example of each.

Answer 9

• Negative Feedback: opposes the change and goes in the opposite direction; temperature
• Positive Feedback: goes in the same direction and amplifies it; child birth

Question 10

What imaging technique scans dense structures?

Answer 10

X-ray

Question 11

What imaging techniques scans blood vessel structure?

Answer 11

Angiography

Question 12

What imaging techniques scans to determine age of fetus?

Answer 12

Sonography

Question 13

What imaging techniques scans for cellular activity?

Answer 13

Positron Emission Tomography

Question 14

What imaging techniques scans high-quality images of soft tissues?

Answer 14

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Question 15

What imaging techniques scans soft tissue, bone, and blood vessels?

Answer 15

Computed Tomography

Question 16

Ellen is pregnant and tells Janet, one of her coworkers, that she is scheduled to get a fetal sonogram. Janet expresses alarm and warns Ellen about the danger of exposing a fetus to X-rays. Discuss why you think Janet’s concern is warranted or unwarranted.

Answer 16

A sonogram is not an x-ray. It is just sound waves.

Question 17

Suppose you have been doing heavy yard work on a hot day and sweating profusely. You become very thirsty, so you drink a tall glass of lemonade. Explain how your thirst relates to the concept of homeostasis. Which type of feedback – positive or negative – does this illustrate?

Answer 17

Negative feedback; loss of water causes you to be thirsty which causes you to drink and for it to go back up.

Question 18

There is a claim that lycopene, the reddish substance in tomatoes and peppers, is of value in protecting people from Alzheimer Disease. How would you, as a scientist, go about substantiating or refuting this suggestion?

Answer 18

• Sample size, placebo effect

- Ask patients about what they ate over their lifetime

Question 19

Describe some sources of potential bias in biomedical research. What are some ways of minimizing such bias?

Answer 19

• Sample Size, knowing who is given the placebo

- Making sure to sample enough people, double-blind experiment