Gastrointestinal Science Flashcards
Name the two directions of food movement in the GI tract.
Aboral (oral to anal) and oral (anal to oral)
Name the organs of the alimentary tract and the accessory GI organs.
Tongue, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, colon, appendix, rectum, anus, salivary glands, biliary tree
What is the purpose of the mouth and oropharynx?
Chops and lubricates food, and begins digestion of carbohydrates
What are the two main purposes of the stomach?
Physical and chemical digestion
Describe the makeup of the small intestine.
Duodenum, jejunum, ileum. Connects by the caecum
Describe the makeup of the large intestine.
Connects by caecum. Then appendix, colon
Name the two components of the rectum and describe the purpose of the rectum and anus.
Sigmoid and descending.
Regulates expulsion of faeces
What are the accessory structures of the GI tract?
Liver, gallbladder, salivary glands, pancreas
Name the histological layers of the GI tract.
Mucosa (epithelium (NOT endo), lamina propria), submucosa, muscularis externa (circular and longitudinal muscle)
Name the two nerve plexuses of the GI tract. Where are they located?
Submucous (submucosal), myenteric (muscularis externa)
What are the four functions of the GI tract?
Motility (movement), secretion, digestion, absorption
Describe the muscle makeup of the alimentary tract.
Smooth muscle except at the extreme ends of the tract (oral and anal) where it is skeletal
Describe how muscle in the GI tract allows motility.
By circular muscle (makes lumen longer/narrower), longitudinal (shorter/fatter), very outer musclaris externa (change in absorptive area, mixing)
What is the name of food when it reaches the duodenum?
Chyme
What is the name of the pacemaker cells of the alimentary canal?
Interstital cells of Cajal
Which cellular component allows spread of action potential in the gut?
Gap junctions
Describe how an action potential is created in the gut.
‘Slow waves’ are constantly being created by pacemaker cells. When they reach above the membrane potential threshold they fire calcium APs
Describe the effect of prolonged firing of APs.
Greater force, which means greater muscle tension
Which stimuli increase the ‘resting potential’ of ICC action potentials, making it more likely for the threshold to be reached?
Neuronal, hormonal, mechanical
Describe the parasympathetic supply of the gut.
Vagus nerve, and sacral nerves S2 - S4
Describe the effects of parasympathetic and sympathetic supply to the alimentary tract.
Parasympathetic - increases digestion/secretion, relaxes sphincters/stomach.
Sympathetic - increases sphincter tone, decreases blood flow/secretion
What are the main purposes of the GI plexuses?
Myenteric - motility and sphincter control
Submucous - epithelium, blood vessels
Name the three components of GI reflex circuits.
Sensory, interneurons, effectors
Name the three types of GI reflex circuit.
Local, short, long
What is the name of a reflex which takes place entirely within the vagus nerve?
Vaso-vagal
What is glycogenesis?
Formation of glycogen
What is glycogenolysis?
Splitting of glycogen to form glucose
What is gluconeogenesis?
Formation of glucose from amino acid, glycerol, or lactic acid precursors
Describe the difference between glycogen stored in the liver and muscle cells.
In the liver it is used to regulate blood sugar. In muscle it is not available to the blood stream, just for glycolysis
Name and describe the two types of link in glycogen.
Alpha 1-4 glycosidic = straight chain
Alpha 1-6 glycosidic = branches
Which enzyme attaches primers to glucose residues for binding to glycogen?
Glycogenin
Name the intermediates of the metabolic pathway for glycogenesis.
G6P, G1P, UDP-glucose, [glucose]n+1
Name the three main enzymes in glycogenesis.
Glucophosphomutase, UTP-glucose phosphorylase, glycogen synthase
Name the main enzyme in glycogenolysis.
Glycogen phosphorylase (although many other enzymes are required to debranch glycogen)
Name the three main enzymes in gluconeogenesis, and which reactions they catalyse.
Phosphenol pyruvate carboxy kinase (PEPCK); pyruvate -> phosphenol pyruvate
Fructose-1,6-phosphatase (F1,6bP -> F6P)
Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P -> glucose)
Which enzymes do the gluconeogenesis enzymes bypass?
Pyruvate kinase, phosphofructokinase, hexokinase
What is the name of the cycle which converts muscle lactic acid back to glucose?
Cori cycle
Why is fat an essential energy source?
Stores lots of energy, provides essential fatty acids, and for fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
What is an essential fatty acid?
One the body needs but cannot synthesise
What are the chemical properties of lipids, TAGs, and fatty acids?
Non-polar, usually straight chain, usually cis, compact, alipathic (doesn’t form rings)
Name the three main fatty acids and their configuration.
Palmitic acid (16:0), Stearic acid (18:0), Oleic acid (18:1)
What are the alpha, beta, and omega carbons of fatty acids?
Alpha - adjacent to the carbon of the carboxyl group
Beta - adjacent to alpha
Omega - furthest from carboxyl group
Describe the process by which fat is absorbed into the mucosa.
TAGs degraded by lipases to fatty acids. These bind with monoacylglycerols, crossing the membrane to form TAGs again. These bind with other lipids/proteins to form chylomicrons
Describe the first stage of energy release from fatty acids (i.e. cytoplasmic).
Fatty acid + CoA -> acyl-CoA.
Acyl-CoA + carnatine -> acyl-carnatine + CoA
Acyl-carnatine crosses the mitochondrial matrix
Describe the second stage of energy release from fatty acids (i.e. mitochondrial matrix).
Acyl-carnatine + CoA -> acyl-CoA + carnatine
Acyl-CoA -> acetyl-CoA, FADH2, NADH, shortened acyl-CoA
Name the process by which acyl-CoA is transported into the mitochondrial matrix.
The carnatine shuttle
By which process is acyl-CoA broken down in the mitochondrial matrix?
Beta oxidation
What is the main purpose of ketones in respiration?
Can be converted to acetyl-CoA in starvation/diabetes
What are the clinical signs of ketone use in respiration?
Severe acidosis, breath smells of acetone
How are fatty acids created from acetyl-CoA?
Citrate transports to cytoplasm. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase converts to malonyl-CoA. This, plus NADH and fatty acid synthase creates fatty acids.
Which two substances promote acetyl-CoA carboxylase?
Insulin and citrate
Which three substances inhibit acetyl-CoA carboxylase?
Glucagon, adrenaline, palmitoyl-CoA
Under which conditions is lipogenesis most likely to occur?
The fed state, with a supply of carbohydrates, energy, and citrate
How are excess fatty acids stored?
In adipose, by VLDL
Why are amino acids that are not in use degraded?
There is no way to store them
Where in the GI tract are proteins degraded, how, and what into?
Stomach - proteolytic enzymes, and single amino acids or di-/tripeptides
When may degradation of proteins pose a problem to the liver?
High concentrations of nitrogen in side groups - NH4+/NH3 is toxic
Describe the transamination stage of amino acid catabolism.
An alpha-amino acid transfers the alpha-group to ketoglutarate, forming an alpha-keto acid. Also formed is glutamic acid
How is glutamic acid (the product of deamination) tranferred to the liver?
As alanine (w/ pyruvate) or glutamine (with NH4+)
Describe the de-amination step of amino acid catabolism.
Glutamate breaks off NH4+ (NAD accepting an electron to become NADH). A ketoglutarate is also formed
Describe the reactants and products of the urea cycle.
Reactants - NH4+, aspartic acid, ATP
Products - urea, fumerate, carbon skeletons
Describe how carbon skeletons of the urea cycle may be used.
Ketogenic - forms acetyl-CoA or fatty acids
Glucogenic - forms pyruvate or glucose
What is the name of the condition that blocks degradation of phenylalanine and tyrosine?
Alcaptonuria
Describe maple syrup urine disease.
Urine smells of maple syrup. Blocks valine, isoleucine, and leucine. Treated by diet, otherwise mental/physical retardation occurs
Describe phenylketouria.
Buildup of phenylalanine. Can cause severe mental retardation. Limit phenylalanine in the diet
How may a urea cycle defect be treated?
Drugs that remove nitrogen, gene therapy, low protein diet
What is the epithelium of the oral cavity and oropharynx?
Stratified squamous
What is the epithelium of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx?
Respiratory - keratinized pseudostratified columnar
Name the four papillae of the tongue.
Fungiform, circumvallate, foliale, filiform
Name the main feature of the posterior 1/3 of the tongue.
Associated with lymphoid aggregates
Name the four tonsils.
Palatine, lingual, tubual, pharyngeal
Name the three areas of the stomach.
Cardia, body, pylorus
Describe the difference between the epithelium of the isthmus and fundus of the stomach.
Isthmus mostly parietal cells
Fundus mostly chief cells
Describe the gastric pits of the cardia, fundus, and pylorus.
Cardia - deep, loose, tortous
Fundus, shallow, straight, long
Pylorus - deep, branched, coiled, high density
Describe how the pyloric sphincter differs from the pylorus.
More smooth muscle
Describe the two main features of the small intestine’s epithelium.
Microvili, crypts of Lieberkuhn
Where are Brunner’s glands, and what do they do?
Duodenum. Protect duodenum from gastric juices and neutralise chyme
What are Peyer’s patches?
Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT)
Name two unique cells found in the crypts of Lieberkuhn.
Paneth cells - immune role
Stem cells - replenish the epithelium
Name the five main type of cell found in the small intestine.
Enterocyte, enteroendocrine, goblet, Paneth, stem
What two main types of cell are found in the colon?
Absorptive and goblet (lubricates)
Describe the smooth muscle alignment in the colon.
Not continuous - three strips teniae coli
How does the appendix’s histology differ from the colon?
Fewer crypts. Circular lymphoid tissue
Describe the epithelium of the anal canal.
Non-keratinized stratified squamous (becomes keratinized after the anus)
What is the main endothelium of the liver?
Simple squamous, fenestrated
Name the main components of the hepatic lobules.
Portal tracts/triads, sinusoids, space of Disse, Kupffer cells, hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells
Describe the composition of the portal tract/triad.
Hepatic artery, portal vein, and bile duct
What is the purpose of hepatic stellate cells?
Makes connective tissue and stores vitamin A
What are Kupffer cells?
Macrophages in the liver
Describe the composition of bile.
Bilrubin (pigment of Hb that makes faeces brown), and bile salts
Which liver cells modify bile?
Cholangiocytes
Which cellular structures allow movement of bile?
Bile canaliculi
Describe the epithelium of the gall bladder.
Simple columnar
How does the gall bladder get rid of bile?
Pumps Na/Cl between epithelial cells. Osmotic pressure change causes water to rush in and remove bile
Which two main factors stimulate gallbladder action?
Vagus nerve, hormone cholecystokinin
What is the name for gallstones?
Cholecystitis
Describe the white blood cell components at each end of the pancreas. Why is this the case?
Basal end - basophilic, due to much RER
Apical end - eosinophilic, due to zymogen
How does the digestive cascade begin?
An enteropeptidase converts trypsinogen to trypsin
What is the name of pancreatic duct cells in the cavity (acini)?
Centroacinar cells
Where does the pancreas join the duodenum?
Hepatopancreatic ampulla (of Vater)
Which group of joints open the mouth?
Temporomandibular joints (TMJs)
Name the four TMJs. Which opens the mouth?
Medial pterygoid, lateral pterygoid, temporous, masseter. Lateral pterygoid opens
Describe the classification of teeth.
Upper jaw is maxillary, lower is mandibular.
1, 2: Incisors. 3: canine. 4, 5: premolar. 6,7,8: molar.
Which cranial nerves supply general sensation of the mouth?
CN V2 (maxillary trigeminal) and CN V3 (mandibular trigeminal)
Name the three salivary glands.
Parotid, sublingual, submandibular.
What is the name for the gums?
Gingiva
Describe the routes of the 2nd and 3rd division of the trigeminal nerve.
2 -> pons, foramen rotundum, face
3 -> pons, foramen ovale, TMJs
Name the four tongue muscles.
Palatoglossus, styloglossus, hypoglossus, genioglossus
Describe the nerve supply of the tongue.
Anterior 2/3: general sens V3, special sens VII
Posterior 1/3: general & special sens both IX
Tongue muscles (except palatoglossus) supplied by XII
Describe the route taken by cranial nerve VII, the facial nerve.
Pontomedullary junction, temporal bone via internal acoustic meatus, stylomastoid foramen, anterior tongue with muscles for facial expression and mouth
Name CN IX and XII.
IX - glossopharyngeal (tongue and pharynx)
XII - hypoglossal (tongue muscle)
Describe the muscle and nerve anatomy of the oesophagus.
Circular constrictor muscles overlap each other. All connect to the midline raphe. X supplies voluntary. IX and X supply involuntary. Plexus is present
Name the three types of GI contraction.
Cervical (head), thoracic, diaphragmatic
Describe the two sphincters of the oesophagus.
Top sphincter - anatomical. Bottom - z line, physiological. Intragastric pressure < intrathoracic pressure
Which condition will reduce efficacy of the oesophageal lower sphincter?
A hernia
Describe how food is swallowed. Also give the cranial nerves involved.
Lips close (VII), bolus pushed to oesophagus (XII), soft palate and larynx elevate (X), oesophagus contracts (IX, X), the pharynx raises and shortens, and peristalsis occurs
What are the three general areas of the GI tract, derived from embryological origin?
Foregut (up to pylorus, 1/2 pancreas), midgut (to proximal end of transverse colon, 1/2 pancreas), hindgut (descending colon to anus)
Name the nine areas on the ‘chest grid’.
Top row - hypochondrium, epigastric (RH, E, LH)
Middle - lumber (flank), umbilical (RL, U, LL)
Bottom - iliac fossa, pelvic (RI, P, LI)
Give descriptive words for the peritoneum.
Thin, transparent, semi-permeable
Name the three categories of peritoneal organ.
Intraperitoneal (entirely visceral), retroperitoneal (visceral in anterior only), mesentery (double visceral wrap)
Where does communication between the greater and lesser stomach sac occur?
Omental foramen
Which nerve fibres do visceral afferents travel back to the CNS with?
Sympathetic
Name the visceral afferent spinal outlets for the three Gi categories.
Foregut - T6-9, Midgut - T 8-12, Hindgut - T10 - L2
Name the four fibres in which somatic motor, somatic sensory, and sympathetic fibres are conveyed in.
Thoracoabdominal, subcostal, iliohypogastric, ilioinguinal (7-11th ICs, T12. two halves of L1)
Describe the progression of pain felt in appendicitis.
Dull and aching to sharp stabbing in right inguinal area
What is ascites?
Collection of fluid in the peritoneal cavity.