Final Exam Practice Questions Flashcards
Which cell type is particularly susceptible to damage during chemotherapy?
a) enteric neurons
b) interstitial cells of Cajal
c) enterocytes
d) commensal bacteria
e) vascular endothelium
c) enterocytes
Diarrhea results from…
a) dysfunctional internal anal sphincter
b) increased colonic water absorption
c) enhanced colonic segmentation activity
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
e) none of the above
Hepatitis leads to…
a) infection by 3 viruses
b) increased portal pressure
c) increased lipid absorption
d) increased colonic bile salt absorption
e) none of the above
b) increased portal pressure
Which of the following is not a symptom of Thiamine deficiency?
a) ST memory loss
b) weakness
c) heart failure
d) peripheral neuropathy
e) anemia
e) anemia
Which GI pathogen produces a toxin that indirectly stimulates the CFTR Cl- channel?
a) C. difficile
b) H. pylori
c) V. cholera
d) E. coli 0157
e) Fecalibacterium prausnitzii
c) V. cholera
Which mediators have been implicated in pain due to IBS?
a) acetylcholine and histamine
b) acetylcholine and serotonin
c) GLP-1 and serotonin
d) acetylcholine and microbial proteases
e) serotonin and histamine
e) serotonin and histamine
Blocking the actions of which mediator or signaling pathway would not be expected to reduce IBD severity?
a) TNF alpha
b) IL-23
c) TGF beta
d) alpha 4 beta 7 integrin
e) JAK
e) JAK
Case 1: John - 40yo teacher has burning sensation in chest’s center. Sometimes he gets a flood of bitter tasting fluid in his mouth that burns his throat. He was on proton pump inhibitors for a while and they helped, but now his symptoms are getting worse.
What might be the cause of these symptoms?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease with a possible gastric ulcer
What regulates lower esophageal sphincter tone?
- Myogenic tone e.g. its default state is contraction/closure, blocks food passage between stomach and esophagus except during a meal, belching or vomiting
- Reflux = loss of myogenic tone
What are the molecular targets of drugs that inhibit acid secretion?
- K+ H= ATPase (aka proton pump)
- Histamine reception - 2 antagonist
- Antacids provide temporary relief
What is a microbial cause of gastric ulceration? Describe how this microbe is thought to cause ulcers?
- Helicobacter pylori (distal stomach)
- Chemotaxis and flagellae - swims deeper into mucous and away from acid
- Urease - converts urea to CO2 + ammonia
- Evokes inflammatory response and release of gastrin, which causes acid secretion
What diseases present with diarrhea?
- Infectious disease
- IBD
- IBS
- Food sensitivities
Is weight loss more common among patients with IBS, IBD, or celiac disease?
IBD or celiac disease
What changes in motility and absorption/secretion cause diarrhea?
- Increased motility reduces time for fluid absorption
- Damage to mucosa leads to decreased fluid absorption
- Increased water and electrolyte secretion e.g. cholera
Describe the pain pathways from the gut? How are gut stimuli sensed?
- Sensory axons in gut lack specialized endings but can respond directly to changes in tension/inflammation - activated by release of enteroendocrine substances e.g. serotonin (pain relation)
- Subset of DRG neurons respond to noxious stimuli e.g. nociceptors
What are the causes of these 3 diseases: celiac disease, IBD, and IBS?
Are there differences in the parts of the GI tract affected? Are there systemic manifestations?
Celiac disease - small intestine
- Autoimmune inflammation following injection of BROW
- Systemic manifestations (rash)
IBD - any part of GI tract (mouth to anus)
- Autoimmune disease (not quite - more like chronic inflammation)
- Systemic manifestations
IBS - small and large intestines
- Functional disorder (no obvious tissue damage)
- Other pain syndromes, anxiety and depression (associations not necessarily result of IBS)
True of False? We have >800 billion cells in our brain
True
True or False? Brain messages travel as fast as 400km/hour
True
True or False? We only use 10% of our brain
False
True of False? Once we reach adult age, our brain’s structure does not change anymore
False
True or False? A spermaceti whale has the largest brain in the world
True
What is the main excitatory NT?
Glutamate
What is the main inhibitory NT?
GABA
What are the 3 types of pain?
- Cutaneous - shock, trauma, burn
- Somatic - tendon, muscle, joint
- Visceral - organs
What is allodynia?
Pain triggered by a stimulus that is normally painless e.g. sunburn
- Clinically important due to inability to do daily dask e.g. getting dressed
What is hyperalgesia?
Increased pain to painful stimulus e.g. hammer
What is the resting potential of neurons?
-60 to -80mV
What type of nerve fiber is the main nerve transmitting pain?
C (mechanical, thermal, and chemical pain) - non-myelinated (smallest diameter and slowest conduction speed)
What are the 3 main receptors of glutamate?
- AMPA receptor
- NMDA receptor - blocks MG pore so AMPA signals
- Metabotropic receptor (GPCR)
Afferent neuron - transfer info. orthodromic vs antidromic way?
In general afferent - ascending pathway = periphery to brain
Orthodromic - periphery to brain
Antidromic - brain to periphery
What does the term “sprout” mean?
Lamina III grow into Lamina II = pain sensation (consq. = touch perceived as painful)
What are the steps for neuro-immune interaction?
- Tissue damage (cut skin)
- Significant cell death (local)
- Immune cell influx
- Activation of immune cells
- Releases pro-inflamm mediators
- Activation and sensitization of sensory fibers
What is gate theory?
- Beta sensory fibers inhibit C fibers
- Massage sore area
E.g. phantom limb (touching does not change level of pain due to massive A-B fiber sprouting)
How is acupuncture related to this course?
- Stimulates A beta and A alpha fibers (activates inhibitory neuron in spinal cord like rubbing)
- Releases GABA (explains acute effect)
What is pain?
Not a stimulus but an experience - interpretation of the brain
*Expression of an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience involving existing or potential tissue damage
- # 1 MD consultation
- Acute = danger detection
- Can be chronic = pathology
- Precise location, emotion, and context dependent
What are the stages of pain transmission?
Transduction: Conversion of painful stimuli into electrical impulses by sensory receptors.
- Coding to be routed in poterior horn of spinal cord
Transmission: Conduction of these impulses along nerves to the spinal cord and brain.
- Marrow to thalamus
Modulation: Regulation of pain signals in the spinal cord and brain, either amplifying or dampening them.
- Plasticity - local and central sensitization/negative feedback pathway
Perception: Processing of the impulses in the brain, resulting in the conscious experience of pain.
- Brain - emotional component
What are pain receptors?
Also known as nociceptors - specalized sensory receptors detecting potentially harmful stimuli and transmit signals to brain, resulting in perception of pain.
E.g. ionoceptors (ion channels nociceptors) and GPCR (metabotropic nociceptors)