Lectures 1 and 2 Flashcards
What is gestation?
It is the period between conception (fertilization) and birth
Typically 9 months for humans
What is a fetus?
Latin word for offspring
What is pre-natal?
Before birth
What is mesenchyme?
General term for embryonic connective tissue
Will develop into a lot of parts of the body
What is oogenesis?
Formation of a mature oocyte/egg from a small germ cell precursor initiated during the embryonic period
What is a polar body?
One of two small cells produced in the ovum during meiosis and then degenerates
It cannot be fertilized
It is necessary for fertilization and then goes away
What is a ploidy?
Number
What is a diploid?
Double number
Double the number of chromosomes found in a mature germ cell (sperm or egg)
Human cells are diploid
46 chromosomes
What is a haploid?
Germ cells (sperm or egg)
Only 23 chromosomes
What are germ cells?
Egg and sperm
When does development of humans begin?
Fertilization
What does fertilization result in?
A zygote
What is a zygote?
A single celled organism that will continue to divide and develop
What does a zygote turn into 3-4 days after fertilization?
Morula
Where is the morula typically located in the body?
Entering the uterine cavity
What does a morula turn into?
Blastocyst
What is a blastocyst?
It is when cells arrange themselves into an inner and outer cell mass
Where are blastocysts located?
Implants into the uterus
Can there be pregnancy without implantation?
No
What are the carnegie stages of development?
A system used to describe the apparent maturity of embryos
Based on physical features
Not dependent on chronological age or size of embryo
What is postovulatory age?
Used by clinicians to describe the maturity of an embryo
Refers to the length of time since the last ovulation before pregnancy
What can postovulatory age predict?
Due date of baby
Why is it important to know the postovulatory age?
Important to know to meet all pregnancy milestones
What are the three stages of development?
Pre-embryonic period
Embryonic period
Fetal period
What is the pre-embryonic period?
After fertilization to about the end of the 2nd week of gestation
Germ cells (three germ layers) develop
What is the embryonic period?
About the 3rd to the 8th week of gestation
Major period of organ development
What is the fetal period?
About the 3rd month (9 weeks) post-fertilization to birth
Rapid growth and maturation
What develops during the pre-embryonic period?
The three germ cells
What are the germ cells?
They are comprised of three layers
Give rise to all fetal tissues and organs
Besides the germ cells, what else develops during the pre-embryonic stage?
Nervous and cardiovascular system
Start 3rd week of development
Why do the nervous system and cardiovascular system develops so early?
They are very important for sustaining life
What two layers does the inner cell mass divide into during the beginning of the second week?
Epiblast and hypoblast
When does gastrulation start?
The third week of development
What happens during gastrulation?
The rapid process by which the blastocyst becomes a gastrula
The three germ layers are acquired
What is the source of all three germ layers?
The epiblast
T/F: the hypoblast sort of becomes part of the endoderm
True
What marks the start of gastrulation around day 15 of development?
The primitive streak
What is the primitive streak?
An elongated groove originating from the anterior epiblast
What is the primitive node?
A node situated at the cranial tip of the primitive streak
Acts as an embryonic organizer
What is the primitive node consisted of?
Mesoderm cells that give rise to the notochord (primitive backbone)
What is the function of the primitive node?
It organizes cells during development
It tells cells where they need to be
What is the depression of the primitive node called?
Primitive pit
Gastrulation
What does ectoderm give rise to?
CNS
PNS
Schwann cells and meninges
Sensory epithelium of the ear, nose, and eye
Lens of the eye
Subcutaneous glands and pituitary gland
Bones and connective tissue of craniofacial structures
Epidermis (outermost skin layer)
Hair and nails
Enamel of teeth
What does mesoderm give rise to?
Supporting tissue (cartilage and bone)
Dermis
Straited and smooth muscle
Blood and lymph cells
Walls of the heart, blood, and lymph vessels
Kidneys, gonads, and corresponding ducts
Spleen
What does the endoderm give rise to?
The gastrointestinal system (main one)
The epithelial lining of respiratory tract
Epithelial lining of the lymphatic cavity and eustachian tube
The parenchymal cells of the thyroid and parathyroids, liver, and pancreas
What develops during the embryonic period?
All major organ systems begin and/or undergo major development
Why is the embryonic period of development critical?
Exposure to teratogens (drugs, infections, or toxins) can result in either death of the embryo or major congenital anomalies affecting multi-organ systems
Which organs are affected the most by teratogens?
It depends on when the exposure occurred and which system was at the most crucial stage of development at the time
Is radiation typically a big problem at the embryonic stage of development?
Yes
Do some teratogens only effect certain organs and structures?
Yes
Such as thalidomide only effecting limbs
What is organogenesis?
When the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm develop into the internal organs
Cells of each layer proliferate, migrate, reaggregate, and differentiate into various tissues that form organs
When does organogenesis happen?
During the embryonic period
When does development of the brain and spinal cord begin?
Week 3
What does the CNS develop from?
The neural tube
What does the PNS develop from?
Neural crest cells
Where are neural crest cells located?
Along the sides of the spinal cord
What are the divisions of the primitive brain?
Prosencephalon (forebrain), Mesencephalon (midbrain), and Rhombencephalon (hindbrain)
How is the neural tube formed?
By the closure of ectodermal tissue
Where are neural crest cells located?
Dorsolateral to the developing spinal cord
Do neural crest cells separate into clusters?
Yes, these clusters develop into a variety of tissues
Incomplete development of the neural tube results in what?
Spina bifida
What is spina bifida?
Some vertebrae overlaying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open
If the opening is large enough, a portion of the spinal cord will protrude through the opening in the bones
There may or may not be a fluid filled sac surrounding the spinal cord
Is spina bifida common?
It is one of the most common birth defects (1 in every 1000 births)
Can spina bifida be surgically closed/corrected?
Yes, but it does not restore normal function to the affected part of the spinal cord
Could result in paralysis
What is believed to be the cause of spina bifida?
Combination of environmental and genetic factors
After having one child with the condition, risk for a second increases by 4%
Incidence can decrease up to 70% when the mother starts taking folic acid supplements early in pregnancy
What is the most common location for spina bifida?
Lower back
Can you carry a gene, but never get the disease due to environmental factors?
Yes
What results when other parts of the brain remain unfused?
Encephalocele
What is the most common location for encephalocele?
Lower back and sacral areas
What is the most common encephalocele?
Myelomeningocele, leads to disability in most effected individuals