Science Flashcards
What are the three body planes?
*Sagital/lateral- left and right
*transverse/ axial- top and bottom
*coronal/frontal- front and back
What is the difference between medial and lateral?
medial means nearer to the midline of the body. Lateral refers to structures further away from the body midline, at the sides.
what does proximal mean and what term of anatomic direction is the opposite?
proximal refers to structures closer to the center of the body. Distal refers to structures further away from the center of the body.
what do the terms anterior, posterior, and inferior mean, respectively?
*anterior- structures in front
*posterior- structures behind
*superior- above, or closer to the head
*inferior- below, or closer to the feet
What are the abdominal quadrants?
divide into 4 quadrants with the umbilicus at the center.
*right upper
*right lower
*left upper
*left lower
What structures comprise the respiratory system and what is its primary function?
it includes the nose, mouth, nasal cavity, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchial tree, and lungs. These organs facilitate the delivery of oxygen to the cells of the body for use in cellular respiration and help remove waste in the form of carbon dioxide.
Secondary functions of the respiratory system include pH regulation of the blood, thermoregulation, odor detection, and production of speech.
What is the generalized structure of the lungs?
The lungs are spongy, porous organs that occupy most of the thoracic cavity? A serous membrane called the pleura lines the thoracic cavity (parietal pleura) as well as the surface of the lungs (visceral pleura).
The three-lobed right lung is separated by from the two-lobed left lung by the mediastinum.
The trachea forks into primary bronchi which enter the left and right lung (along with blood and lymphatic vessels) at the region called the hilum.
What are the divisions of the passages to the lungs?
The trachea splits into two primary bronchi (one for each lung), which splits repeatedly into secondary branch, tertiary bronchi, and bronchioles to form the bronchial tree. The terminal bronchioles further divide into respiratory bronchioles, which are characterized by the presence of some alveoli. The respiratory bronchioles lead into alveolar ducts, which terminate in alveolar sacs.
What is the general mechanism for breathing?
When the diaphragm and external intercostals contract, the volume of the thoracic cavity increases, and the rib cage and sternum elevate and expand outward.
The increase in volume results in a decrease in intrapleural pressure, and the air enters the lungs in a process called inspiration.
As the volume of the thoracic cavity decreases, intrapleural pressure increases, and air leaves the lungs in the more passive process of expiration.
How is the circulatory system involved in thermoregulation?
Thermoreceptors detect changes in temperature and send impulses to the hypothalamus, which then sends signals to the effectors (smooth muscles that surround cutaneous arterioles). if the body temperature is too warm, the smooth muscle relaxes, and the arterioles dilate to allow more blood to flow through the capillary beds near the surface of the skin, so more heat is lost to the surroundings. if the temperature is too cool, the opposite occurs.
What are the three layers of the heart?
The outer layer is the epicardium, which protects the heart and secretes lubricating serous fluid. The middle layer is the muscular myocardium, which contracts to pump blood. The innermost layer is the endocardium, which lines the chambers and valves.
What are the different valves of the heart and their respective functions?
The tricuspid valve (right AV valve) prevents back flow into he atrium when the ventricle contracts. The pulmonary semilunar valve prevents the return of blood into the right ventricle. The bicuspid valve (also called the left AV valve or mitral valve) prevents blood from entering the left atrium when the ventricle contracts. The aortic semilunar valve stops the backflow of the blood into the left ventricle as it leaves through the aorta.
What is blood pressure, and what do the two numbers indicate?
The force per unit area that is exerted by the blood on the walls of the vessels. The first number refers to the systolic pressure, or the maximum pressure when the ventricles contract, forcing blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Diastole is the period in which the ventricles relax and blood pressure is at its lowest point; diastolic pressure is the bottom number.
What are the primary differences between the systemic and pulmonary circulation?
Because the systemic circuit is much longer than the pulmonary circuit, blood pressure is higher. In the systemic circuit, blood in the arteries carries more oxygen than blood in the veins (the opposite is true for pulmonary circulation). When oxygen levels are low, vessels in the systemic circuit dilate to promote blood flow to tissues that need it, but in pulmonary circulation low blood oxygen triggers vasoconstriction, which redirects blood to better ventilated parts of the lung.
What are the components of the ECG, and what cardiac events do they correspond to?
The P wave represents depolarization of the atria on an ECG. This is followed by the QRS interval, which represents depolarization of the ventricle> Next follows the ST segments and T wave, corresponding to depolarization of the ventricle. A small U wave may follow the T wave and represents further depolarization of the ventricle.
What is the structure and function of elastic arteries?
They are the largest arteries (includes the aorta and major branches). They stretch when blood is forced out of the heart, and recoil under low pressure.
The tunica media (the middle layer) has more elastin than any other vessels.
What are the three types of capillaries?
- continuous capillaries- have a nonporous continuous endothelium; most common type, most impermeable.
- fenestrated capillaries- have pores that increase their permeability; found in the kidneys and small intestines.
- sinusoidal capillaries- have a discontinuous endothelium that permits the passage of large particles and even blood cells; most permeable capillaries.
What is peripheral resistance and what are the main factors that affect it?
The resistance of the vessels to the flow of blood as a result of friction. As resistance increases, blood flow rate decreases. The main factors that affect peripheral resistance are diameter and length of the vessels, and volume and viscosity of the blood.
Resistance is most affected by changes in the diameter of the vessel. The relationship is inverse; as radius decreases, the resistance increases proportionally to the fourth power of the radius.
What is the approximate composition of blood?
- 55% plasma (a solution of water, plasma proteins (albumin, antibodies, clotting proteins), carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, vitamins, salts, gases, hormones, and waste products. About 92% of plasma water)
- 45% formed elements: red (42-46%) and white blood cells and platelets (together less than 1%)
How is heart rate controlled?
The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system increases the heart rate by releasing norepinephrine (NE), which acts on the SA node. The parasympathetic division has the opposite effect. The vagus nerves that innervate the heart release acetylcholine (Ach), which slows HR. Central and peripheral chemoreceptors also help to regulate heart rate by monitoring levels of pH, carbon dioxide and oxygen.
How does the body control blood pressure?
By baroreceptors in the aortic arch and carotid arteries (both of which detect high blood pressure) and also the vena cavae, pulmonary veins, and atrial walls (all of which detect low blood pressure). BP is also regulated by hormones. When BP drops, the kidneys secrete renin, which initiates a series of reactions that ultimately cause the release of aldosterone from the adrenal glands. Aldosterone promotes the reabsorption of water, increasing the plasma volume.
How does ingested food move through the digestive tract?
*swallowing, which consists of three phases: the voluntary buccal phase and the involuntary pharyngeal and esophageal phases.
*peristalsis: involuntary radial contraction and relaxation of the muscularis externa of the digestive tract.
* segmentation of the small intestine and haustral contractions in the large intestine: non-adjacent portions of the intestines involuntarily contract and relax to move the chyme.
What are the four types of cells in the gastric glands of the stomach mucosa?
*Endocrine cells (G cells) release hormones such as gastrin into the blood.
* Parietal cells secrete intrinsic factor (required for the absorption of vitamin B12 in the small intestine), and hydrochloric acid (HCl), which lowers pH of gastric juice.
* Chief cells secrete pepsinogen and gastric lipase.
*Mucous cells secrete bicarbonate-containing mucus to protect the stomach from the acidity and digestive enzymes.
What are the four main regions of stomach?
- Cardiac region: area where food is emptied into the stomach.
*Fundus: most superior region of the stomach. - Body: the largest, most central region, curves toward the right to form a “J” shape, with a lesser curvature and greater curvature.
*Pylorus: funnel-shaped region below the body. The pyloric sphincter is the valve that regulates the release of small amounts of chyme into the small intestine.