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CARDIO & RESPIRATORY > Structure And Function of the Airways > Flashcards

Structure And Function of the Airways Flashcards

1
Q

What is meant by dichotomous branching?

A

Where each part of the bronchi splits into two

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2
Q

What does the cartilage around the bronchi provide?

A

Mechanical stability

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3
Q

What is the main unbranched part of the airway called?

A

Trachea

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4
Q

What is the first branch of the trachea called?

A

Primary bronchus

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5
Q

What is the carina?

A

A ridge at the base of the trachea (windpipe) that separates the openings of the right and left main bronchi (the large air passages that lead from the trachea to the lungs).

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6
Q

What is an alveolar duct?

A

Ducts that connect the alveolar sacs to the bronchioles

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7
Q

Do the respiratory bronchioles contain cartilage?

A

no - they are non-cartilaginous

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8
Q

What do Type II Pneumocytes secrete and why?

A

Surfactant - in order to reduce surface tension

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9
Q

What happens to Type II cells if Type I cells become damaged?

A

They form type 1 cells

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10
Q

What do the anti-proteases produced by Type 2 pneumocytes do?

A

They degrade foreign proteases which may have entered into the airways

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11
Q

Which type of alveolar cell is involved in xenobiotic metabolism?

A

Type 2

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12
Q

Describe the structure of Type 1 alveolar cells?

A

They are thin, and very flat that form a barrier between alveolus and capillaries

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13
Q

What percentage of the alveolar surface do type 1 cells cover?

A

95%

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14
Q

What percentage of the alveolar surface do type 2 cells cover?

A

5%

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15
Q

Are there more type 1 or type 2 alveolar cells?

A

Type 2

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16
Q

What are the two basic functions of the respiratory airway?

A

Conducting oxygen to the alveoli and conducting carbon dioxide out the lungs

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17
Q

What are the three things which facilitate the efficient gas exchange?

A
  • Mechanical stability from cartilage
  • Control of calibre from smooth muscle
  • Protection and cleaning to remove foreign particles
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18
Q

What are the three regions of the pharynx?

A

Nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharnx

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19
Q

What is the pharynx?

A

A common passageway for food, liquids and air

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20
Q

What do the conchae found in the nose do?

A

They contribute to the warming and humidification of intra-nasally-inhaled air

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21
Q

Why must the air be warmed before being breathed in?

A

Cool air damages the alveoli

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22
Q

What property of the conchae makes them able to humidify nasally inhaled air?

A

They are highly vascular

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23
Q

What filters out large particles from nasally inhaled air?

A

Nasal hairs

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24
Q

What is the main function of the goblet cells?

A

To produce mucus

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25
Q

What are the 7 types of airway cell types?

A 
Lining cells
Contractile
Secretory
Neuroendocrine
Connective tissue
Vascular
Immune
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26
Q

What is contained within the granules found in the goblet cells?

27
Q

Why do the cillia contain many mitochondria?

A

They need ATP to power their movement

28
Q

What happens after the granules recieve a stimuli tht they need to secrete their mucin?

A

The secretory cells take on alot of water, causing the granules to expand and release their mucus

29
Q

What part of the granule attracts the large volume of water?

A

The glycans

30
Q

What type of secretion do mucins show?

A

Constituitive

31
Q

What can stimulate mucin secretion?

A

Dust and smoke

32
Q

What is mucocilliary clearance?

A

The process by which mucus is swept by the cilia of the respiratory epithelium and propelled out the lungs and into the pharynx which results in the removal of debris and pathogens from the airways

33
Q

What do mucous cells in the airways secrete?

34
Q

What do serous cells in the airways secrete?

A

Anti-bacterial enzymes like lysozyme

35
Q

What is the 9+2 arrangement?

A

Refers to how the microtubules are arranged in the cillia

Helps the cilia to move rhythmically

36
Q

How many cilia are there per ciliated cell?

A

Approx 200

37
Q

What is the name given to the rhythm which cilia move by?

A

Metachondral rhythm

38
Q

What does nitric oxide synthase do?

A

produces nitric oxide

39
Q

What does nitric oxide do?

A

Interacts with the calcium ions to facilitate the beating of the cilia

40
Q

What is the purpose of smooth muscle in the airways?

A

So that it an contract to stop accidentally inhaled particles from going to far down which could result in choking - contraction means it can be coughed up

41
Q

What does the smooth muscle in the airways secrete?

A

Mediators, cytokines and chemokines

42
Q

What are some bronchoconstrictor mediators that are released from mast cells?

A

Histamine, cys-LTs and PGD2

43
Q

what are mitogens?

A

Peptides that induce cell division

44
Q

What do fibrotic mediators do?

45
Q

Thicken the tissue

46
Q

What is the blood flow levels to the airway mucosa?

A

100-150mL/min/100g

47
Q

Where do bronchial arteries arise from?

A

Many sites on the aorta and intercostal arteries

48
Q

How does the blood return from tracheal circulation?

A

Via systemic veins

49
Q

How does blood return from bronchial circulation?

A

Via bronchial and pulmonary veins

50
Q

What are the function of the tracheo-bronchial circulation?

A
  • gas exchange
  • warming and humidification of air
  • clears inflammatory mediators
  • clears inhaled drugs
  • supplies airways tissue with inflammatory cells and proteinaceous plasma
51
Q

What is plasma exudation?

A

The leak of plasma into the airway tissue and lumen

52
Q

What are the four mechanisms of the control of airway function?

A

Nerves
Proteases
Reactive gas species eg NO
Regulatory and inflammatory mediators

53
Q

What type of control is the airway function under?

A

Parasympathetic

54
Q

What effect does nitric oxide gas have on the smooth muscle in the airway?

A

It causes it to relax

55
Q

What is the predominant parasympathetic neurotransmitter in the airway?

A

Acetylcholine

56
Q

What does acetylcholine regulate?

A

Bronchoconstriction and mucus secretion

57
Q

How many mediators do regulatory-inflammatory cells produce?

A

They can produce more than 1

58
Q

What are the regulatory-inflammatory cells which are found in the airways?

A

Eosinophils, Neutrophils, Macrophages, Mast cells and T Cells

59
Q

What are the functions of he regulatory-inflammatory cells found in the airways?

A 
Contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle
Secretions
Plasma exudation
Neural modulation
Chemotaxis
Remodelling
60
Q

What percentage of the population suffers from ashtma?

61
Q

What event is common with asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis?

A

An increase in airway inflammation

62
Q

Why is it helpful for surfactant to be released by the alveolar cells?

A

Surfactant helps to create a moist surface for gas exchange to occur over as it is easier for oxygen to diffuse across the alveolar membranes when dissolved in a liquid

63
Q

How does alveolar surfactant ensure that all the alveoli inflate at roughly the same time?

A

When the alveoli inflate with air, the surfactant becomes spread out. Smaller alveoli have more surfactant per area which reduces surface tension and allows faster inflation; eventually they all inflate at the same time

64
Q

What is xenobiotic metabolism?

A

The metabolism of Nox-ous chemicals which might get into the airways

CARDIO & RESPIRATORY (26 decks)

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