Glucose Metabolism

Question 1

___________ is an endocrine hormone secreted by the _______ cells of the islets of Langerhans in the ____________.

Answer 1

Insulin
Beta
Pancreas

Question 2

What is the principal function of insulin?

Answer 2

To assist the transport of glucose across the cellular membrane

Question 3

What is hypoglycemia?

Answer 3

Low blood sugar

Question 4

What causes hypoglycemia (in terms of insulin)?

Answer 4

Too much insulin (causes decrease in blood sugar)

Question 5

What is hyperglycemia and what causes it?

Answer 5

High blood sugar

Too little insulin (not enough sugar entering cells)

Question 6

What is the normal concentration for blood glucose?

Answer 6

60 mg/dl to 140 mg/dl

Question 7

What disease can be caused by a lack of insulin?

Answer 7

Diabetes mellitus

Question 8

A lack of insulin can cause diabetes mellitus. This fact can be demonstrated by either removing the pancreas of an experimental animal (or _______________________) or destroying the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans with a chemical toxin like _____________, an inhibitor of beta cells.

Answer 8

Pancreatectomy

Alloxan

Question 9

What are the typical symptoms of diabetes?

Answer 9

High blood glucose levels and excretion of glucose in the urine

Question 10

Define glucosuria.

Answer 10

Urinary excretion of glucose

Question 11

Glucosuria occurs when the concentration of blood glucose ____________ the threshold level for total ____________ by the ____________.

Answer 11

Exceeds
Reabsorption
Kidney

Question 12

Increased osmolarity of urine can lead to excess water excretion or ___________ and excessive water intake or ________________.

Answer 12

Polyuria

Polydipsia

Question 13

What are the three main characteristics of diabetes?

Answer 13

Glucosuria, polyuria, and polydispia

Question 14

Diabetes mellitus received its name because the body of the diabetic was visualized as ____________ and ____________ out via the ____________ urine.

Answer 14

Melting
Flowing
Sweet-tasting

Question 15

Why is the diabetic usually thin?

Answer 15

Because when insulin is deficient, the cells compensate by increasing their metabolism of fats and proteins

Question 16

The increased metabolism of __________ releases into the blood large quantities of __________, which are intermediates of fat breakdown. They are excreted in the urine and have the easily recognizable odor of ____________. They are also _____________ and can lead to a ___________ in pH levels and _________________.

Answer 16

Fats
Ketone bodies
Acetone
Acidic
Drops
Acidosis

Question 17

What does hyperinsulinism cause?

Answer 17

Weakness, tremor, hunger, irritability

Question 18

Insulin __________ can occur if blood glucose levels fall to very low levels.

Answer 18

Shock

Question 19

What tests are used to diagnose diabetes?

Answer 19

Tests for urinary glucose levels, urinary ketone bodies, fasting blood glucose level, insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance

Question 20

What is the glucose tolerance test?

Answer 20

It assays the ability of the body, notably the pancreas, to respond to an excess ingestion of glucose. The changes in blood glucose levels following such ingestion are markedly different in the normal and diabetic person

Question 21

In the normal person, blood glucose levels rise from about _____ mg/dl to ______ mg/dl in one hour and then return to normal after a glucose tolerance test.

Answer 21

90

140

Question 22

In the diabetic person, blood glucose levels rise from about ______ and ______ mg/dl to as high as ______ and then slowly fall to fasting diabetic levels after a glucose tolerance test.

Answer 22

120 and 160

300

Question 23

What causes the diabetic’s abnormal response?

Answer 23

The inability of the pancreas to secrete additional insulin in response to elevated blood glucose levels

Question 24

What does a glucometer do?

Answer 24

It measures blood glucose levels

Question 25

Explain the basic procedure for the glucose metabolism lab.

Answer 25

1. ) Fast
2. ) Take fasting blood glucose levels with glucometer and/or complete fasting urinalysis via pH
3. ) Drink a very sugary substance
4. ) Repeat glucometer readings every 30 minutes
5. ) At the end, an additional urinalysis may be performed