Principles of Physiology and Pharmacology Flashcards
Which is the myelinating cell-type in the PNS?
Schwann cell
What does excitation-contraction coupling start with?
Propagation of APs along sarcolemma
Concerning body fluids and osmolality, select the incorrect statement
a) Plasma osmolality is 290mosmol/kg H2O
b) Isotonic saline has 150mmol/L of NaCl
c) 500ml of water containing 20mmol of CaCl2 has an osmolarity of 80mosmol/kg H2O
d) Normal blood has a haematocrit of 0.47 in adult males
500ml of water containing 20mmol of CaCl2 has an osmolarity of 80mosmol/kg H2O
Renal clearance values…
a) For insulin are a measure of GFR
b) Greater than the GFR indicates tubular secretion
c) Less than GFR are always indicative of tubular reabsorption
d) Can be measured non-invasively
Greater than the GFR indicates tubular secretion
How long is a cardiac action potential?
200 to 400 milliseconds
What type of Ca channels are found at the T-tubule membrane?
L-type/Dihydropyridine (DHP) receptors
What cells does omeprazole act on?
Parietal cells
Where are components of Herring bodies synthesised?
Preoptic and paraventricular nuclei of hypothalamus
What is the terminal cisternae?
The area where the sarcoplasmic reticulum on the myofibrils meet
What is nebulin?
Actin-binding protein that extends from Z band along length of actin filament
Acts as template to regulate actin length
What is titin?
Protein than extends Z-line to M-line
Anchors myosin to maintain central position in sarcomere
What are the 3 functional stages of the sarcomere?
Resting Stage
Contracting Stage
Stretched Stage
What type of contraction is present in the contracting stage of the sarcomere?
Concentric contraction
What type of contraction is present in the stretched stage of the sarcomere?
Eccentric contraction
What complex on tropomyosin blocks the head of actin?
Troponin
What does Calcium bind to when released into the sarcoplasm?
Troponin complex (Troponin C)
How many stages are there to muscle contraction and what they called?
5 stages Attachment Release Bending Force Generation Reattachment
How does muscle relax?
Calcium AT into sarcoplasmic reticulum to remove from cytosol
Stops binding to troponin
What are the 3 types of muscle fibres?
Slow twitch - oxidative type 1
Fast twitch - oxidative, glycolytic type 2A
Fast twitch - glycolytic type 2B
What is the length-tension relationship in a muscle?
Tension a muscle can generate related no of cross bridges formed between thick and thin filaments
What percentage of our body weight is water and what is it made up of?
60% water (42L) 40% of water - intracellular space (28L) (3.5L of which is blood cells) 15% is interstitial space (10.5L) 5% is plasma space (3.5L)
What is the water content of lean tissue?
0.7L/kg
How to calculate interstitial space?
Interstitial space = ECS - plasma volume
How to calculate intracellular space?
Intracellular space = TBW - ECS
How would you measure plasma volume?
What does the substance have to be like?
Something that can’t cross capillaries
Evans Blue, labelled Inulin, Albumin
How would you measure extracellular space?
What does the substance have to be like?
Something that doesn’t enter cell easily
Na-24, Sucrose
How would you measure total body weight?
What does the substance have to be like?
Something that distributes with all water
H2O-8
What is the difference between osmolarity and osmolality?
Osmolarity - 1 osmole p/litre
Osmolality - 1 osmole p/kg
What causes crystalloid osmotic pressure?
Due to small diffusable ions (e.g. Na, Cl, K in body fluid)
What causes oncotic osmotic pressure?
Proteins that can’t cross cell membranes and displace water molecules
What is the main ion in plasma and what does it control?
Sodium, Blood volume
What is the main ion in intracellular fluid and what does it control?
Potassium, Cell volume
What are the 3 plasma proteins and what do they do?
Albumin - oncotic osmotic pressure, buffering of pH,
Alpha, beta, gamma globulins - haemostasis, transport, immune system
Fibringon - haemostasis
What is the lifespan of RBC?
120 days
What percentage of leucocytes is lymphocytes and what do they do?
20-40%
Produce immunoglobins
What percentage of leucocytes is monocytes and what do they do?
2-8%
Form macrophages
What makes up granulocytes in leucocytes and what does each do?
Neutrophils - 50-70%, phagocytosis, chemotactic
Eosinophils - 1-4%, phagocytosis, allergy
Basophils - ~0.5%, release His + heparin
What are platelets?
Fragments of megakaryocytes
What are the 3 types of negative feedback?
Neuronal
Endocrinal
Local
What is normalization?
Change in variable being regulated is compared against a set-point
Causes a response that tends to move variables back to the set point
What is amplification?
Change in variable triggers a response that causes further change in that variable
Where are the neuronal integrating centres for physiological control located?
Midbrain and Brain-stem
What are the endocrine organs (8)?
Hypothalamus Pituitary Thyroid Parathyroid Adrenal cortex + medulla Pancreas Testes Ovaries
What are the releasing hormones of the hypothalamus?
GHRH - Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone
CRH - Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone
TRH - Thyrotrophin Releasing Hormone
GnRH - Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone
What are the inhibiting hormones of the hypothalamus?
Somastostatin
Dopamine
What hormones are secreted by the posterior pituitary?
Neuroendocrine
Oxytocin
ADH - anti-diuretic hormone
What hormones are secreted by the anterior pituitary?
Endocrine GH - Growth hormone Prolactin FSH - Follicle Stimulating Hormone LH - Luteinizing Hormone TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ACTH - Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone
What are the types of hormones?
Peptides Polypeptides Glycopeptides AA derivatives Steroids
What hormones have tyrosine as a derivative?
Thyroxine T4 (in the thyroid) Adrenaline (adrenal medulla)
What hormones do the ovaries secrete?
Progesterone
Estrogens
What type of hormones do the testes secrete?
Androgens e.g testosterone
What hormones does the adrenal cortex secrete?
Glucocorticoids e.g. Cortisol
Mineralocortocoids e.g. Aldosterone
What hormones have their receptor location in the plasma membrane and mechanism of action?
Peptides, Proteins, Glycoproteins, Catecholamines
Secondary messengers to change enzyme activity
What hormones have their receptor location in the intracellular (cyto/nucleus) and mechanism of action?
Steroids, thyroid hormones
Alter gene transcription
What is a natural example of positive feedback?
Parturition - contraction of uterus to expel fetus
What are the 2 types of circulation?
Pulmonary circulation - in series with systemic
Systemic circulation - mostly parallel with each other
How to calculate cardiac output?
Cardiac Output = Stroke Volume x Heart Rate
What is laminar flow?
Viscous drag at sides of tube slows fluid
Fastest in centre
What is the Fahraeus-Lindquist effect?
Cells tend to become aligned in fast-moving fluid
Axial streaming
What is turbulence?
Partial narrowing of artery
What can turbulence trigger?
Can trigger production of reactive oxygen species
Induce proliferation and migration of vascular sm cells
In the left ventricle, what does the pressure oscillate between?
0-120 mmHg
In the right ventricle, what does the pressure oscillate between?
0-20 mmHg
How are electrical events in cells measured?
Intracellular - Electrode inside cell
Extracellular - Electrode outside cell
Patch Clamping - Electrode sealed to cell surface
What types of medical diagnostic tools use extracellular recordings?
ECG - Electrocardiogram
EMG - Electromyograph
EEG - Electroencephalogram
When a membrane is at rest, what ion is it more permeable to?
Potassium
What is the difference between permeability and conductance?
Permeability - ease with which an ion can enter a membrane, (no of open channels)
Conductance - measure of current that gets across cell membrane
How many subunits does a potassium channel have?
4
A transmembrane current can either be…?
Resistive - ion flows through channels
Capacitative - ion approaches 1 surface of membrane and another is expelled from other side
What is a consequence of demyelination?
Current dissipates over a distance
What are heart cells connected by?
Intercalated discs
What are MEPPs?
Sub Threshold Minature Endplate Potentials
small depolarisations of post-synaptic terminals caused by release of single vesicle into synaptic cleft
What response can MEPPs cause?
EPSP - Excitatory Post-Synaptic Potential
IPSP - Inhibitatory Post-Synaptic Potential
Between skeletal and cardiac muscle, which one is triad and which one is dyad?
Skeletal - Triad
Cardiac - Dyad
Why is a cardiac action potential longer than a skeletal?
Prevents tetany (involuntary contraction of muscle) Protects against re-entrant arrhythmias
What type of receptor is present on Ca release channels?
Ryanodine receptors
How is Ca removed from the sarcoplasm?
Via SERCA (sarco/endoplasmic Ca ATP-ase) Via sarcolemmal Na/Ca exchanger
What is the force-frequency effect (in heart)?
Increasing rate of cardiac contraction results in an increased tension development Gives treppe (staircase) effect on slow chart recorder
Do smooth muscle cells have striations?
No
What type of receptor does noradrenaline bind to and what does it activate?
Alpha 1 receptor
G-protein - activates phospholipase C - breakdown PIP2 (phosphatidyl inositol 4,5 biphosphate)
What receptor does adrenaline bind to?
Beta 1/2
What is unitary smooth muscle?
Not all cells have synaptic input
Excitation spreads through tissue by gap junctions
What is multi-unit smooth muscle?
Each smooth muscle cell has a synaptic input
Allows finer control of muscle
What g-protein is alpha-1 adrenergic receptor associated with and what does it stimulate?
Gq
IP3/Ca + DAG secondary messenger pathways to raise cellular [Ca]