Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is the technique for taking a patient’s pulse at the wrist?
Palpation
What is the difference between Anatomy and Physiology?
- Anatomy: study of the body structure
- Physiology: Study of the function of an organism
What is the inductive method?
It is a method where you study the process of drawing conclusions and making predictions from repeated observations
What are some important things to consider when designing an experiment?
- Sample size
- Controls
- Psychosomatic Effects
- Experimenter Bias
- Statistical Testing
What is the hierarchy of complexity?
Atom Molecule Macromolecule Organelle Cell Tissue Organs Organ System Organism
What are some characteristics of life?
- Organization
- Cellular Composition
- Metabolism
- Responsiveness
- Movement
- Homeostasis
- Development
- Reproduction
- Evolution of a Population
What is homeostasis and how is it maintained?
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)
What are the components of a feedback loop?
- Receptor: senses changes in the body
- Integrating: control center that processes the sensory information, makes decisions, directs response
- Effector: cell or organ that carries out the final corrective action to restore homeostasis
What is the difference between negative and positive feedback loops? Give a physiologic example of each.
- Negative Feedback: opposes the change and goes in the opposite direction; temperature
- Positive Feedback: goes in the same direction and amplifies it; child birth
What imaging technique scans dense structures?
X-ray
What imaging techniques scans blood vessel structure?
Angiography
What imaging techniques scans to determine age of fetus?
Sonography
What imaging techniques scans for cellular activity?
Positron Emission Tomography
What imaging techniques scans high-quality images of soft tissues?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
What imaging techniques scans soft tissue, bone, and blood vessels?
Computed Tomography
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.
A sonogram is not an x-ray. It is just sound waves.
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?
Negative feedback; loss of water causes you to be thirsty which causes you to drink and for it to go back up.
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?
- Sample size, placebo effect
- Ask patients about what they ate over their lifetime
Describe some sources of potential bias in biomedical research. What are some ways of minimizing such bias?
- Sample Size, knowing who is given the placebo
- Making sure to sample enough people, double-blind experiment
