Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Year 2 Medicine > Introduction to the Endocrine System > Flashcards

Introduction to the Endocrine System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the role of hormones?

A

Hormones contribute to the function of everything in our body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are three things hormones do?

A
  1. Turn children into adults
  2. Affect our passions
  3. Govern our appetites
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

The discovery of hormones - people had know that animals that were … could not develop secondary … characteristic

A

castrated

sexual

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Arnold Adolph Berthold (1803-1861) performed what experiment with roosters?

A

testes transplanted into abdomens emasculated birds develop secondary sexual characterises indicating that the testes functioned effectively normally

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

in the experiment with roosters, what happened to the testes on autopsy?

A

they had developed a new vasculature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

conclusion of experiment on roosters: whatever was controlling the secondary sexual characteristics was transported from … via the … This was considered to be what?

A

testes via the bloodstream

  • this was the sexual hormone
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Define ‘Hormone’

A

chemical messengers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

The endocrine system is a system of … … which secrete chemical messengers (…) into the blood

A

ductless glands hormones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

hormones are carried in the … and are able to act on cells possessing the appropriate hormone … (… …) Each hormone may act on several of these

A

blood receptors target tissues

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Where are the endocrine glands?

A

distributed throughout the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is this image showing?

A

The endocrine glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Where is the pituitary gland situated?

A

Below the brain, encased in skull

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How much does the pituitary gland weigh?

A

0.5 grams

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Hormones secreted from the pituitary gland help to control what? (9 things)

A
  1. Growth
  2. Blood Pressue
  3. Energy Management
  4. All Functions of the Sex Organs
  5. Thyroid Glands (therefore metabolism)
  6. Aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding
  7. Water/Salt concentration of the Kidneys
  8. Temperature Regulation
  9. Pain Relief
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Christopher Paul Greener had pituitary …

A

gigantism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Christopher Paul Greener - where was his tumour?

A

pituitary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Christopher Paul Greener - what cured his tumour?

A

radiation cured the tumour - he stopped growing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Where are the thyroid and parathyroid glands situated?

A

In the neck

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are the thyroid and parathyroid glands important for?

A

Control of metabolic rate and calcium homeostasis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is this image showing?

A

Thyroid gland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What gland can you see from the front only?

What gland can you see from the back only?

A

Thyroid

Parathryoid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How many parathyroid glands are there?

A

4

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

First successful treatment in endocrinology was for a disease related to the mysfunction of what gland?

A

thyroid gland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is myxedema?

A

severely advanced hypothryoidism

The term also applies to the effects that hypothyroidism can have on the skin, making it appear swollen and puffy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is Cretinism?

A

a severe deficiency of thyroid hormone in newborns.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What disease is present in this person?

A

Myxedema / Cretinism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What did Victor Horsley discover after removing thyroid glands in monkeys?

A

They developed myxedema.

Lost hair, skin swollen and easily damaged.

He knew that thyroid glands were therefore responsible for this illness.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What did Victor Horsley propose after his discovery?

Did it work?

A

he proposed transplant of sheep thryoids -> dangerous surgery

no - effect only lasted one week

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What did George Murray do in 1891? (Thyroid glands)

A

He prepared sheep thyroid juice and gave it to patients - it worked

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Was George Murray’s experiement a success?

A

Yes - patients were cured

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Where is the pancreas located?

A

In the abdomen behind the stomach

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What are the two main functions of the pancreas?

A

Endocrine function

Exocrine function

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Explain the endocrine function of the pancreas

A

Secretes the hormone insulin and glucagon into the blood

Both hormones regulate blood glucose concentration and glucose utilisation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Explain the exocrine function of the pancreas

A

Secretes digestive enzymes directly into GI tract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What two hormones are secreted by the pancreas?

A

insulin and glucagon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

In diabetes, what hormone is not made/not made enough/doesnt work properly?

A

insulin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

There used to be no cure for diabetes. Who discovered a cure?

A

Frederick Banting.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

Why is having no insulin a problem?

A

No insulin = body cannot use the glucose that you ingest to make energy / energy reserves.

Glucose passed out in urine instead

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

If you prepare an extract of pancreas you get nothing, why?

What does the pancreas do that affects this working?

A

Pancreas produces enzymes which degrade insulin

40
Q

What did Frederick Banting come up with to treat diabetes?

A

Ligate pancreatic duct - enzymatic producing cells die

Extract is enriched of insulin

1922 - tested in patient and cured

41
Q

When was the first diabetes treatment tested?

A

1922 - tested in patient and cured

42
Q

What is this image showing?

A

A patient before and after treatment with insulin for diabetes

43
Q

Where are the adrenal glands located? (also known as suprarenal glands)

A

They lie on top of the kidneys.

44
Q

What are the two main regions of the adrenal glands? (visible if you make a transverse cut of the kidneys)

A

The cortex and the medulla

45
Q

What is the medulla of the kidneys concerned with? (1)

A

The stress response

46
Q

What is the cortex of the kidneys concerned with? (3)

A

Stress, sodium and glucose homeostasis

47
Q

What are the gonads? (male v female)

A

Testes and ovaries

48
Q

What do the testes and ovaries secrete?

A

The male and female reproductive hormones respectively

49
Q

What are the gonaads responsible for?

A

The development of secondary sexual characteristics and reproduction.

50
Q

What is this image showing?

A

The gonads

51
Q

Hormones can be divided into two broad classes, what are they?

A

Peptide hormones

Steroid hormones (+thyroid hormone)

52
Q

Peptide hormones are made of chains of what?

What does this mean in terms of their solubility?

A

amino acids

highly water soluble

53
Q

What are peptide hormones susceptible to?

A

Protease attack

54
Q

Are peptide hormones able to cross the cell membrane?

A

No

55
Q

What do peptide hormones act on?

A

Cell-membrane receptors

56
Q

What does protease attack mean?

A

When hormone is in the blood, enzymes can be degraded by proteases

57
Q

Solubility of Steroid and Thyroid Hormones

Are they lipid soluble?

Are they water soluble?

A

Highly lipid soluble

Poorly water soluble

58
Q

How must Steroid and Thyroid Hormones be transported in the blood?

A

Bound to plasma protein

59
Q

Is bound or unbound steroid/thyroid hormone biologically active?

A

only the unbound hormone is biologically active

60
Q

Are steroid and thyroid hormones able to cross the cell membrane?

Where do they act?

A

Yes

Intracellular receptors

61
Q

What are the 5 characteristics of Peptide hormones in terms of their:

1) solubility
2) onset of action
3) plasma half-life
4) duration of action
5) orally active ?

A

Water soluble

rapid onset of action

short plasma half-life

short duration of action

not orally active

62
Q

Anaphylaxia - use what?

A

Epinephrine pen - extremely fast, injectible, rapid response.

63
Q

What are the 5 characteristics of Steroid and Thyroid hormones in terms of their:

1) solubility
2) onset of action
3) plasma half-life
4) duration of action
5) orally active ?

A

Poorly water soluble

Slow onset of action

Long plasma half-life

Long duration of action

Orally active

64
Q

What hormone is generated by the thyroid gland?

A

Thyroxine (T4)

65
Q

How is thyroxine (T4) administered?

How long does the effect last?

A

Orally (as tablets)

About 7 days before action vanishes - dependent on dose

66
Q

What do hormones act on?

A

target tissues

67
Q

How do hormones produce their effects?

A

via interaction with receptors

68
Q

What are the two types of receptors which hormones interact with?

A

Intracellular receptors

Cell-surface receptors

69
Q

What are the 3 major classes of receptors? (with regards to hormones)

A
  1. G-Protein Couples Receptors
  2. Tyrosine Kinase Receptors
  3. Steroid Hormone Receptors
70
Q

Where are G-Protein Coupled Receptors and Tyrosine Kinase Receptors?

A

In the membrane of cells

71
Q

Where are Steroid Hormone Receptors?

A

In the cell

72
Q

How does a G-Protein Coupled Receptor work?

what does the hormone bind to specifically?

What does the activation of G-protein cause?

A

The hormone binds to the 7 transmembrane helices receptor, activating G protein

Causing synthesis of a second messenger, e.g inositol, triphosphate or cyclic AMP

73
Q

What do second messengers do? (with regards to G-protein coupled receptors)

2 pathways …

A

Second messengers phosphorylate intracellular, regulatory protein to influence cellular activity (e.g. cause smooth muscle contraction)

Second messengers also phosphorylate target protein that can then modify gene expression - slower

74
Q

What is a tyrosine kinase receptor?

A

A membrane-bound enzyme which is a single strand of protein

75
Q

How many tyrosine kinase receptors must be usually present for hormone action?

A

2

76
Q

Because of their kinase activity, what can tyrosine kinase receptors do?

A

phosphorylate eachother - dimerized receptor - now active

77
Q

One hormone binds to each tyrosine kinase receptor, then the receptor acts as an …. to do what to the tyrosine components?

A

enzyme

to phosphorylate tyrosine components of the intracellular, regulatory proteins

78
Q

Once the tyrosine components are phosphorylated, they can then activate what?

A

different downstream pathways

79
Q

Once phosphorylated tyrosines have activated different downstream pathways and impacted gene transcription and protein synthesis, through further signalling, what can the cell now control? (4 things)

A

cell proliferation

survival

migration

differentiation

80
Q

How does a hormone bind to a steroid hormone receptor?

what does this create?

A

Hormone crosses the cell membrane and binds to a receptor in the cytoplasm - creating a hormone-receptor complex

81
Q

Where does the hormone-receptor complex travel to? and what does it it bind to?

A

the nucleus, where it binds to the hormone-response element of the DNA to influence gene transcription.

82
Q

The G-protein coupled receptor response is faster than what response?

A

Steroid hormone receptor

83
Q

Typically, but not in all cases, the secretion of a hormone by a given gland is controlled by what?

A

the anterior pituitary gland

84
Q

the anterior pituitary gland secretes what?

A

stimulating (or trophic) hormones

85
Q

What hormone stimulates the thyroid and activates it via the anterior pituitary gland?

A

thyroid stimulating hormone

86
Q

Once the thyroid is stimulated, it secretes hormones. What hormones may be secreted?

A

T3 & T4

87
Q

What is this graph illustrating?

what does it tell us about ACTH (a stimulating hormone) vs Cortisol (hormone produced by suprarenal) ?

A

relationship between pituitary trophic hormone secretion and primary gland activity (suprarenal)

ACTH and cortisol have similar time courses but ACTH is slightly advanced compared to cortisol

88
Q

The secretion of a hormone by the anterior pituitary gland is also controlled by the

A

hypothalamus

89
Q

The hypothalamus secretes what hormones?

A

releasing hormones

90
Q

Hypothalamus secretes what releasing hormone?

This then stimulates what?

In turn, this stimulates the secretion of what?

End result is …

A

thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH)

The pituitary

Thyroid stimulating hormone - stimulating the thyroid to produce thryoid hormones (T3 and T4)

91
Q

To ensure that the correct amount of T3 and T4 are secreted, hormonal secretion is also controlled by what?

A

Feedback - usually negative feedback

92
Q

T3 and T4 produce what type of feedback onto the anterior pituitary

A

negative feedback

blocks production of TSH

93
Q

T4 produces a lesser effect on the hypothalamus via what kind of feedback?

A

negative feedback

less TRH produced

94
Q

The T3 and T4 hormones ‘inform’ the … and the … that they have achieved the correct level

A

Hypothalamus and pituitary

95
Q

A common consequence of negative feedback is cyclical variation in …

A

hormone concentration

96
Q

Leptin is secreted by cells in what tissue?

What does it act on?

What does leptin control?

A

adipose tissue

hypothalamus of the brain

it controls appetite (inhibits)

Year 2 Medicine (162 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions