Endocrinology Session 1 Flashcards
What do homeostatic mechanisms do?
Counteract changes in the internal environment so that conditions remain stable.
What happens when homeostasis fails to happen?
Disease
What are the characteristics of a control system?*
- Communication
- Control centre
- Receptor
- Effector
- Feedback
What is the role of communication?
Allows signal release (hormones) or action potentials in the nervous system. Afferent branches signal towards the brain while efferent branches signal the motor output away from the brain.
What is the role of the control centre?
Determining the reference set point, analysing the input and producing an appropriate set point.
What are the 2 control centres and what is their involvement?
- Hypothalamus (diencephalon)
Endocrine system control - Medulla oblongata (brain stem)
Ventilation and cardiovascular system
What is the role of the receptor?
- Required to detect stimuli
- Specialised nerve endings (chemoreceptors/thermoreceptors/proprioceptors/nociceptors)
- Communicate via afferent nerves
What is the role of the effector?
- Causing change
- Receive communication from efferent pathways
- e.g. sweat glands
What is negative feedback?*
- Response in a way to reverse the direction of change and bring it back to normal.
- Overshoots set point several times until resting at the set point.
What is a long loop in the negative feedback system?*
The last released hormone can feed back on either one of the components of the pathway.
What is a short loop in the negative feedback system?*
Hormone feeding back to the first component (eg. TSH to hypothalamus to prevent release of TRH)
What is positive feedback?
Stimulus produces a response in which the effect is increased rather than counteracted. Easy to let out of control and can be catastrophic when inappropriate.
What are some examples of positive feedback?
- Blood clotting (failure causes haemorrhaging)
- Ovulation (buildup of FSH releases oocyte)
What is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system?*
- Hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands
- Corticotropin released from hypothalamus into local circulation
- Binds to receptors on anterior pituitary and stimulates adenocorticotrophic hormone release (ACTH)
- Transported to the cortex of adrenal glands
- Binds to receptors of zona fasciculata
- Releases CORTISOL into circulation
What are biological rhythms?*
- Variances in the set point of the control centre during the day
- ‘Biological clock’ is in the suprachiasmatic nucleus
What keeps the body on a 24-hour cycle?
Exogenous zeitgebers (cues from the environment)
- Light
- Temperature
- Exercise
- Social interactions
What hormone is responsible for setting the circadian rhythm?
- Melatonin
- Released from pineal gland
Why are circadian rhythms clinically important?
Cortisol levels vary in patients throughout the day - should be taken into consideration when measuring.
What are the water components in the body?*
50-60% of lean body mass
ICF: 2/3, around 28L ECF: 14L, divided into: - Interstitial fluid: 11L - Plasma: 3L \+ 2L of red cells to give 5L of blood.
How is osmotic pressure of blood plasma measured?
Osmoreceptors in hypothalamus
What is osmolaLity?
Numbers of osmoles per Kg of solution
What is osmolaRity?
Numbers of osmoles per L of solution
What is an osmole?
The amount of substance that dissociates in solution to form one mole of osmotically active particles (eg. 1 mM of NaCl = 2mOsm, 1 from Na and 1 from Cl)
What does one molar of solution contain?
One mole of substance in one litre.
What is the reference range for serum osmolality and when is it relevant?
- 275-295mOsmol/kg
- Treating hyponatremia
What is the role of antidiuretic hormone in body fluid homeostasis?*
- High level of osmolality detected so body needs to conserve water
- Detected by osmoreceptors in hypothalamus (supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei)
- Posterior pituitary secretes more ADH
- Increased reabsorption of water from urine into kidney collecting ducts via more aquaporins
- Normal osmolality returns
And vice versa.
Describe homeostatic control of plasma glucose*
Slide 10 :)
What is the endocrine system and what are its products?*
- Collection of glands located throughout the body
- Produces hormones