Physiology And Pharmacology Flashcards
Define homeostasis
Dynamic equilibrium in the internal environment of living beings
Homeostatic mechanisms
Counteract changes in internal environment
Types of homeostatic control:
Nutrient and oxygen supply Blood flow Body temperature Removal of carbon dioxide and waste PH
4 main features of body control systems
Communication
Control centre
Receptor
Effector
4 examples of communication in the body
Nervous system → action potentials
Endocrine → hormones
Paracrine → local hormones
Autocrine → signalling molecules released by the cell that act on the same cell
Role Of control centre
Determines set point for homeostasis
Analyses input and determines response
Eg brain
Receptor
Stimuli acts on a sensor that signals the control centre= afferent pathway
Afferent pathway affects brain
Effector
Control centre sends stimuli to effector - efferent pathway
Efferent pathway= brain does something to cause effect
Feed back loops
Positive and negative
Feedback loops help stop disease
Negative feedback loop
Effecter opposes stimulus
Eg thermoregulation
Thermoregulation - hyperthermia
Core temp > 37.2°c
- Signals temperature receptors in skin and hypothalamus
- Communication through afferent nerves to control centre
- Control centre has thermoregulatory centre, hypothalamus
- Response carried by efferent nerves to effector
- vasodilation
- increased sweating
Thermoregulation, hypothermic
Core temp <37.2°c
- Signals temperature receptors in skin and hypothalamus
- Communication through afferent nerves to control centre
- Control centre has thermoregulatory centre, hypothalamus
- Response carried by efferent nerves to effector
- vasoconstriction
- increases metabolism and shivering
- decreased sweating
Positive feedback
Stimulus produces response which increases effect of stimulus
Out of control system → catastrophic change
Eg- blood clotting, ovulation, muscle contraction in child birth
Circadian / diurnal rhythm
- Biological process that displays an untrainable oscillation-within an organism of about 24 hours
- things occur at different set points during the day
Circadian / diurnal rhythm examples
Blood cortisol - pecks at 7am, body gets ready for action, dips at 7pm and rises overnight to reach 7 am peak
Biological clock built into hypothalamus
Menstrual cycle
Melatonin → secreted at night levels decrease during day
Clinical applications - pyrexia (fever)
• Raises core body temp above set point to speed up immune system
PGE2 acts on thermoregulatory centre to reset the set points to a higher value
- PGE2 is formed when enzyme cycle-oxygenase 2 acts on arachidonic acid
- anti fever drugs like paracetamol block the enzyme and inhibit PGE2 production so set points and temperature can’t be increased - no fever
Chincal applications of hyperthermia and hypothermia
Artificially induced hyperthermia= used in some cancer treatments
Artificially induced hypothermia= used in treatment of stroke, traumatic head injury, brain and cardiac surgery to reduce tissue carnage
Where is water distributed
- Extracetular fluid= interstitial fluid between cells
- intracellular fluid - water in the cells
- blood plasma
Body water
70 kg mole = 42l water
Osmolarity of blood plasma
Increase osmolarity (a lot of solute compared to water)
release ADH from pituitary
Increase reabsorption of water from urine → blood
Leading to decreased osmolarity
HPA axis _ hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis
CRH released from hypornalamus
CRH stimulates secretion of ACTH from anterior pituitary gland
ACTH transported through blood and acts on adrenal cortex
-ACTH inhibits CRH release
- cortisol inhibits release of CRH and ACTH
Ligand
Small molecule that binds specifically to receptors site
Agonist
Birds to receptor and activates it
Antagonists
Bird to receptors but do not activate, block it instead