Respiratory System

Question 1

Upper respiratory system

Answer 1

Paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, nose, pharynx

Question 2

Lower respiratory system

Answer 2

Larynx, trachea, bronchi, right and left lung

Question 3

Respiratory functions

Answer 3

Supplies o2
removes co2
produces sound
Circulates air for olfaction
Protects and defends against pathogens

Question 4

Respiratory mucosa (respiratory epithelium)

Answer 4

Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium

Mucus traps debris and cilia sweeps it toward the pharynx to expel debris

Question 5

Nose

Answer 5

Provides airway (external nares = nostrils)
Moistens and warms air
Resonating chamber for speech

Question 6

Vibrissae

Answer 6

Nose hairs
Filter air as it enters vestibule

Question 7

What does chemoreceptors do in olfaction

Answer 7

Chemoreceptors in olfactory mucosa bind odour molecules

Question 8

What does nasal conchae do

Answer 8

Create swirling air currents
Facilitates olfaction/filtering

Question 9

Lining

Answer 9

Respiratory mucosa + olfactory mucosa
Serous cells (secrete watery fluid)
Goblet cells (secrete mucus)

Question 10

Anosmia

Answer 10

Loss of the sense of smell

Question 11

Pharynx (throat)

Answer 11

Nasopharynx, oropharynx, laryngopharynx

Question 12

Nasopharynx

Answer 12

Drains nasal cavity and pharyngotympanic tube
Uvula prevents food from entering nasal cavity
Pharyngeal tonsil (adenoid) in nasopharynx

Question 13

Oropharynx

Answer 13

Common passage for food and air
Lingual + palantine tonsils here

Question 14

Laryngopharynx

Answer 14

Opening to esophagus and larynx here

Question 15

Larynx (voicebox)

Answer 15

Provides open airway (continuous with trachea)
Houses vocal folds (“true vocal cords”)

Question 16

Structure of larynx

Answer 16

9 cartilages (linked by membranes + ligaments anchored to hyoid bone)
Thyroid cartilage + cricoid cartilage + 3 smaller pair of cartilage (hyaline cartilage) + epiglottal cartilage (elastic cartilage)

Question 17

Epiglottis (guardian of airway)

Answer 17

Blocks glottis (entrance to trachea)
Prevents food from entering trachea when swallowing

Question 18

Vocal folds (true vocal cords)

Answer 18

Ligaments (elastic tissue) vibrates to produce sounds

Question 19

Glottis

Answer 19

Air passes through this opening to trachea

Question 20

Vestibular folds

Answer 20

“False vocal cords”
Not involved in sound production

Question 21

Why does the male voice change during puberty?

Answer 21

Cartilages enlarge; must learn to adjust tension on vocal folds

Question 22

Trachea (windpipe)

Answer 22

16 - 20 c shaped rings of hyalin cartilage (linked by membranes and smooth muscle)

Question 23

Bronchial tree

Answer 23

Primary bronchus - to each lung
Secondary bronchus - to each lobe of lung
Tertiary bronchus - to each lung segment

Question 24

Smallest branches

Answer 24

Bronchioles (<1 mm diameter)

Question 25

What does bronchioles lack?

Answer 25

Bronchioles lack cartilage; have smooth muscles that regulate air flow

Question 26

Bronchodilation

Answer 26

Sympathetic division makes the smooth muscle relax; increasing diameter

Question 27

Bronchoconstriction

Answer 27

Parasympathetic division makes smooth muscle to contract; decreasing in diameter

Question 28

What happens during an asthma attack

Answer 28

Muscles of the bronchial tubes tighten and thicken and the air passages become inflamed and mucus filed, making it difficult for air to move

Question 29

Lungs

Answer 29

Bronchioles terminate in respiratory bronchioles which leads into clusters of alveolar ducts + alveoli = lobules

Question 30

Lung alveoli (“air sacs”)

Answer 30

Simple squamous epithelium making it thin and permeable
Simple squamous cells called type 1 alveolar cells
Covered in a web of capillaries and elastic fibers
Site of gas exchange

Question 31

Where does gas exchange occur?

Answer 31

It occurs across the respiratory membrane
= alveolar epithelium + capillary endothelium + fused basal laminae

Question 32

How many lobes does the right lung have?

Answer 32

3 lobes

Question 33

How many lungs foes the left lung have and why?

Answer 33

2 lobes, the left lung is smaller because of the “cardiac notch” = to make room for the large left ventricle of the heart

Question 34

Pleural membrane of the lungs

Answer 34

Visceral pleura + parietal pleura (form fluid-filed pleural cavity)