SBA Flashcards
A 40-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with sudden, crushing chest pain radiating down her left arm and jaw. She also reports feeling nauseous and sweating. Based on her symptoms, which of the following areas is LEAST likely to be another site of pain?
A)Lower back
B)Right shoulder blade
C)Left upper arm
D)Upper abdomen
A
During a routine check-up, your patient, a 30-year-old healthy woman, asks about the different blood vessels supplying her vital organs. You explain that the aorta, the largest artery in the body, has branches that deliver blood to various regions. Which of the following branches of the aorta would NOT supply blood directly to the brain?
A)Brachiocephalic artery
B) Descending thoracic aorta
C) Left common carotid artery
D) Left subclavian artery
B
During an embryology lecture, your professor discusses the development of the aortic arches. You recall that these early embryonic structures contribute to the formation of important arteries in adults. Which of the following pairs of arteries arises from the same embryonic aortic arch?
A)Brachiocephalic artery and left subclavian artery
B)Left common carotid artery and right common carotid artery
C)Left subclavian artery and descending aorta
D) Aorta and pulmonary artery
B
You are monitoring a healthy 30-year-old patient during an exercise stress test. You notice their heart rate increases as the intensity of the exercise increases. Which of the following events occurs DURING systole, the contraction phase of the heart cycle?
A)Blood flows passively from the atria into the ventricles.
B) The atrioventricular valves (mitral and tricuspid) open.
C) The pressure in the ventricles is higher than the pressure in the arteries.
D) The semilunar valves (aortic and pulmonary) close.
C
During a lecture on cardiovascular physiology, your professor discusses Starling’s Law of the Heart, which explains the relationship between ventricular filling and stroke volume. You recall that increased venous return leads to increased stroke volume, up to a certain point. Which of the following factors is LEAST likely to contribute to an increased stroke volume according to Starling’s Law?
A)Increased preload
B)Increased contractility of the heart muscle
C) Increased afterload
D)Increased heart rate
C
Which cranial nerve monitors the carotid body and sinus chemo-
and baroreceptors?
a) Vagus
b) Accessory
c) Glossopharyngeal
d) Facial
e) Hypoglossal
C
What do the 3rd aortic arches form?
a) Minor vessels in the head
b) Left and right subclavian arteries
c) Left - aorta. Right - Right subclavian artery.
d) Left - left pulmonary artery and ductus arteriosus. Right -
right pulmonary artery.
e) The common carotid arteries
E
What does the T wave on ECG represent?
a) Ventricular depolarisation
b) Ventricular repolarisation
c) Atrial repolarisation
d) Atrial depolarisation
B
Which of these is not a layer in the arterial wall?
a) Serosa
b) Tunica intima
c) Tunica media
d) Tunica externa/adventitia
A
A 25-year-old male sustains a deep laceration on his arm during a fall. Bleeding
is brisk, so you apply direct pressure and activate emergency services. While waiting
for the ambulance, you consider the body’s clotting mechanisms.
Which of the following factors is NOT directly involved in the intrinsic pathway of the
coagulation cascade?
A) Factor VIII (FVIII)
B) Factor IX (FIX)
C) Tissue factor (TF)
D) Contact with subendothelium
E) Activated platelet phospholipids
C
Mitosis is the process by which a parent cell produces two genetically identical daughter cells. In which phase of mitosis do chromosomes line up along the equatorial plane of the parent cell?
a) Interphase b) Prophase c) Metaphase d) Anaphase e) Telophase
C
Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disorder which manifests in the homozygous state. If two carrier parents have a healthy offspring, what is the chance that this offspring is a carrier of the defective gene?
a) 0%
b) 25% c) 33.3% d) 50% e) 66.7%
E
A protein is a large polypeptide. In which stage of structure does the amino acid chain fold to form α-helices and β-pleated sheets?
a) b) c) d) e)
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Quaternary
Quinary
B
Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy is a disorder which occurs when a point mutation on a particular gene produces a premature stop codon, resulting in an incomplete and non-functional protein. What type of DNA mutation is this?
Out-of-frame deletion
In-frame deletion
Mis-sense mutation
Non-sense mutation
Splice-site mutation
D
To achieve homeostasis, cells must communicate with each other. Which type of communication involves chemical messengers between cells, which are released into the extracellular fluid and travel short distances, such as at neuromuscular junctions?
Autocrine
Paracrine
Endocrine
Exocrine
Immune
B
Fluid compartments in the body are said to be in osmotic equilibrium. Which of the following definitions correctly describes osmotic pressure?
a) b) c)
d) e)
Measure of the number of dissolved particles per kilogram of fluid
Measure of the number of dissolved particles per litre of fluid
Pressure applied to a solution, by a pure solvent, required to prevent inward osmosis, through a semipermeable membrane
Pressure exerted by a protein, that tends to pull fluid into its solution, through a semipermeable membrane
Pressure difference between capillary blood and interstitial fluid
C
In which of the following conversions, found in the Kreb’s cycle, is ATP produced?
a) Oxaloacetate to citrate
b) Citrate to isocitrate
c) Isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate
d) α-ketoglutarate to succinyl-CoA
e) Succinyl-CoA to succinate
E
- In theoretically optimal conditions, what is the total number of produced by the glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle and oxidative phosphorylation of a single glucose molecule?
a) 2
b) 19
c) 38
d) 76
e) 146
C
- Ketogenesis occurs in liver hepatocytes when high levels of acetyl-CoA are generated, which exceed the capacity of the Kreb’s cycle. Where in the hepatocytes does this process occur?
a) Cytosol
b) Mitochondrial matrix
c) Inner mitochondrial membrane
d) Ribosomes
e) All of the above
B
- Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, it forms a scaffold to provide strength and structure. Which type is found in basement membranes?
a) Type I
b) Type II
c) Type III
d) Type IV
e) Type V
D
- A 23-year-old man presents to his GP complaining of acid reflux. Which of the following cell types is responsible for secreting hydrochloric acid in the stomach?
a) Mucous cell
b) Parietal cell
c) Chief cell
d) Enteroendocrine cell
e) Goblet cell
B
- A 31-year-old is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. As part of her diagnosis, she undergoes a small bowel biopsy. What is the type of epithelium seen in a normal small intestine?
a) Simple columnar
b) Stratified squamous non-keratinising
c) Stratified squamous keratinising
d) Pseudostratified columnar
e) Simple cuboidal
A
- What is the main blood supply to the midgut?
a) Coeliac trunk
b) Superior mesenteric artery
c) Renal artery
d) Inferior mesenteric artery
e) Popliteal artery
B
- The small intestine is responsible for the absorption of many vitamins and minerals. Which of the following is not an example of a fat-soluble vitamin?
a) Vitamin A
b) Vitamin B
c) Vitamin D
d) Vitamin E
e) Vitamin K
B
- A patient complaining of heartburn undergoes an oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy, a gastric ulcer is noted. Which of the following definitions best describes an ulcer?
a) A painful collection of pus
b) A communication between lumens
c) A breach in a mucosal surface
d) A new growth of tissue in which cell multiplication is uncontrolled and progressive
e) A strand of fibrous connective tissue attaching muscle to bone
C
- Which of the following is not one of the body’s mechanisms to protect the gastric mucosa against the stomach acid?
a) Alkaline mucous on luminal surface
b) Tight junctions between epithelial cells
c) Replacement of damaged cells
d) Feedback loops that control gastric acid secretion
e) Secretion of sodium alginate
E
- The gag reflex is the reflex elevation of the pharynx, triggered by irritation of the oropharynx. Which pair of cranial nerves make up the afferent and efferent limbs of this reflex?
a) Trigeminal (V) and facial (VII)
b) Vestibulocochlear (VIII) and facial (VII)
c) Glossopharyngeal (IX) and vagus (X)
d) Vagus (X) and accessory (XI)
e) Accessory (XI) and hypoglossal (XII)
C
- A healthy adult requires 40-50g of protein a day to supply the body with essential amino acids. In which part of the gastrointestinal tract is the bulk of protein absorbed?
a) Stomach
b) Duodenum
c) Ileum
d) Ascending colon
e) Transverse colon
B
- Which of the following is not secreted by the stomach?
a) Amylase
b) Pepsinogen
c) Intrinsic factor
d) Somatostatin
e) Gastrin
A
- The majority of saliva is produced by the parotid, submandibular and sublingual salivary glands. Which of the following is not a function of saliva?
a) Lubrication for mastication
b) Maintaining the oral pH
c) Starch digestion
d) Production of ghrelin
e) Anti-bacterial properties
D
- A 53-year-old man presents to A&E via ambulance, he complains of chest pain. Occlusion of which coronary artery is most likely to result in a fatal heart attack?
a) Left anterior descending artery
b) Circumflex artery
c) Left main coronary artery
d) Right main coronary artery
e) Posterior descending artery
C
- A radiologist is reviewing a patient’s CT scan. What is/are the first branch(es) of the normal Aorta?
a) Left subclavian artery
b) Brachiocephalic trunk
c) Right subclavian artery
d) Coronary arteries
e) Left common carotid artery
D
- Joseph is a 63-year-old man who has recently been diagnosed with hypertension. His doctor explains that his average blood pressure is determined by multiple body processes, including action by the heart, nervous system and blood vessels. In the clinic today, Joseph’s blood pressure is 150/95.
Given these figures, what is Joseph’s mean arterial pressure (MAP)?
a) 76.7 mmHg
b) 113.3 mmHg
c) 55 mmHg
d) 122.5 mmHg
e) 102.5 mmHg
B
- Which one of the following structures does not lie within the right atrium?
a) Trabeculae carnae
b) Musculi pectinati
c) Fossa ovalis
d) Tricuspid valve
e) Crista terminalis
A
- You are working in A&E and are asked to see a 31-year-old man in resus. During your initial assessment, you notice that he is bleeding profusely. A crossmatch shows that his blood type is A-
Which of the following blood types could he safely receive by transfusion?
a) Only O-
b) A+ and A-
c) A-, AB- and O-
d) A- and O-
e) All types
D
- Which of the following options correctly shows the normal pathway of conduction through the heart?SAN = Sinoatrial node AVN = Atrioventricular node
a) SAN -> atrial contraction -> AVN -> Purkinje fibres -> bundle of His -> ventricular contraction
b) SAN -> Purkinje fibres -> atrial contraction -> AVN -> bundle of His -> ventricular contraction
c) SAN -> atrial contraction -> AVN -> bundle of His -> Purkinje fibres -> ventricular contraction
d) AVN -> atrial contraction -> SAN -> Purkinje fibres -> ventricular contraction -> bundle of His
e) SAN -> bundle of His -> AVN -> Purkinje fibres -> ventricular contraction
C
- During phase 3 of ventricular cardiomyocyte action potential, the cells repolarise. Which of the following best describes how repolarisation occurs?
a) Influx of K+ ions
b) Efflux of K+ ions
c) Influx of Na+ ions
d) Influx of Ca2+ ions
e) Efflux of Na+ ions
B
- The movement of which ion is responsible for the upstroke of the sino-atrial node action potential?
a) Ca2+ influx
b) Na+ influx
c) K+ efflux
d) Cl- efflux
e) Na+ efflux
A
- You are observing an ECHO scan in clinic, the cardiologist shows you the four chambers of the heart and asks you about the cardiac cycle. During which phase does most ventricular filling occur?
a) Atrial systole
b) Isovolumetric relaxation of the ventricles
c) Isovolumetric contraction of the ventricles
d) Diastole
e) Ventricular systole
D
- A pathologist is examining a section of a blood vessel. Which of these is found in the tunica media of a blood vessel?
a) Vase vasorum
b) Collagen
c) Smooth muscle
d) Endothelium
e) Elastic lamina
C
