Intro to Cells and Compartments Flashcards
What is physiology?
The study of the normal functioning of a living organism and its component parts, including all its chemical and phyiscal processes.
What are the 3 most important conditions within the body?
Temperature, oxygen and water
The body has three fluid compartments. What are they?
Plasma, interstitial fluid and intracellular fluid
What are the two types of membranes that create compartments?
- Tissues that line cavities or separate two compartments (i.e., mucous membranes, pleural membrane)
- Phospholipid-protein boundary layers
What are phospholipid-protein boundary layers?
Channels, which allow things to through cell membranes
What is cell physiology?
Biochemical and biophysiological processes that occur within cells
What is system physiology?
Regulation of physiological processes within body by homeostatic reflexes
What is pathophysiology?
When homeostatic reflexes fail
What is pharmacology?
Effects of drugs to restore homeostasis
What are gap junctions?
Specialized intercellular channel that permits direct cell to cell transfer of ions and small particles.
What are tight junctions?
Two neighboring cells join to form a barrier to larger molecules and water that pass between the cells
Keeps certain things in and other things out.
What are desmosomes?
Intercellular junctions that provide strong adhesion between cells.
Give an example of how gap junctions work.
Gap junctions are how all the cells in our heart are joined and they make their intercellular space consistent. This is important because when your heart contracts, you don’t want individual cells contracting. You want every cell to contract at the same time. A gap junction will allow that muscle to work as a whole.
What is the rate of diffusion determined by?
Temperature, size of molecules, steepness of concentration, distance to travel
Describe isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic blood cells.
Isotonic: normal
Hypertonic: dehydrated blood cells
Hypotonic: swelled blood cells that may burst
