Physiology Flashcards
Organs are made up of how many types of primary tissues that function together to form a particular function?
Two or more types of primary tissue
What is a body system?
A group of organs that perform related functions and work together to achieve common goals
What is essential for normal cell and body function?
A stable internal environment called ‘homeostasis’
What type of homeostatic mechanisms cause disease?
Deficient, inappropriate or excessive homeostatic mechanisms
In order to maintain homeostasis, a control system must be able to:
- sense deviations from normal in the internal environment that need to be held within narrow limits
- integrate this information with other relevant information
- make appropriate adjustments in order to restore a controlled variable to its desired value
Homeostatic control systems are grouped into two classes:
Intrinsic controls and extrinsic controls
Intrinsic controls
Local controls that are inherent in an organ
Extrinsic controls
Regulatory mechanisms initiated outside an organ and are accomplished by nervous and endocrine systems
Feedforward
A term used for responses made in anticipation of a change. It usually acts in combination with negative feedback
Feedback
Refers to responses made after a change has been detected
Positive feedback
Amplifies an initial change (uterine contractions during labour become increasingly stronger until the birth of a baby)
Negative feedback systems
Oppose an initial change
Negative feedback promotes..?
Stability by regulation of a controlled variable through flow of information along a closed loop
What is blood pressure?
The outwards pressure exerted by the blood vessel walls
How can systemic arterial blood pressure be expressed?
By systolic and diastolic blood pressures
What is arterial blood pressure?
The pressure exerted on the walls of the aorta and systemic arteries when the heart contracts. Usually under 140
What is the diastolic arterial blood pressure?
The pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the aorta and systemic arterial when the heart relaxes. Normally under 90mmHg
Hypertension
A clinical blood pressure of over 140/90 and a day time average of over 135/85
Pulse pressure
The difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Normally between 30 and 50mmHg
Mean Arterial blood pressure
The average arterial blood pressure during a single cardiac cycle which involves the contraction and relaxation
Why is the MAP not obtained by averaging the systolic and diastolic pressures?
Because the diastolic portion of the cardiac cycle is twice as long as the systolic portion of the cardiac cycle
How to calculate MAP (more complicated)
MAP = (2x diastolic +systolic) divided by three
How to calculate the MAP (easier)
MAP = DBP + 1/3 pulse pressure
Normal range of MAP
Between 70 and 105 mmHg
What are baroreceptors?
They are receptors sensitive to changes in pressure and stretch
What are the sensors in the baroreceptor reflex?
Baroreceptor afferent neurons
What are afferent neurons?
Sensory neurons that carry nerve impulses from sensory stimuli towards the central nervous system and brain
Firing rate in baroreceptor afferent neurons…
Increases when the mean arterial blood pressure increases
Decreases when the mean arterial blood pressure decreases
what does the CV control centre do?
it receives CVS afferent information, generates vagal outflow to heart and regulates spinal sympathetic neurones
MAP calculation using cardiac output and SVR
MAP = CO x SVR
What is the cardiac output?
The volume of blood pumped by each ventricle of the heart per minute
How to calculate cardiac output
CO = SV x HR