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Physiology with pharmacology - L1 > The integumentary system > Flashcards

The integumentary system Flashcards

1
Q

What is the integumentary system?

A

The skin system, sensory nerves & accessory organs:
- hairs
- nails
- cutaneous glands (sweat, sebaceous mammary)

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2
Q

What % does the largest organ in the body (skin) make up of the total body weight?

A

12-15%

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3
Q

What is the use of skin?

A
  • barrier to external
  • insight to internal health
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4
Q

How does the integumentary system provide an insight into internal health?

A

shows blue veins if the heart isn’t pumping hard enough

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5
Q

What are the 2 structures of the skin?

A
  • Epidermis (uppermost) epithelia layer
  • dermis
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6
Q

What is thicker - dermis or epidermis?

A

dermis

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7
Q

How thick is the dermis?

A

0.2mm - 2mm

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8
Q

What do fibroblasts produce?

A

ECM (extracellular matrix) - mainly collagen

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9
Q

What are the 2 layers of the ECM (extracellular matrix)?

A
  • papillary layer
  • reticular layer
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10
Q

What is in the papillary layer?

A

thin loose connective tissue region (areolar) - mobility of leukocytes, mast & macrophage cells.

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11
Q

What is the function of the papillary layers?

A

Mobility of leukocytes, mast & macrophage cells.

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12
Q

What is in the reticular layer?

A

thick dense irregular connective tissue layer - less cells + adipocyte clusters

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13
Q

Which has more cells the papillary layer or reticular layer?

A

papillary layer

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14
Q

What type of clusters can be found in the reticular layer?

A

Adipocyte clusters

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15
Q

What are the accessory organs of the integumentary system?

A

Hair, nails, oil + sweat glands

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16
Q

What is the use of having a rich layer of blood & lymphatic vessels, including arteriovenous anastomoses in the accessory organs?

A

thermoregulation

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17
Q

What does the dermal (epidermal boundary look like)?

A

‘wavy’ boundary of finger-like projections increasing connection (interdigitation)

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18
Q

What do dermal papillae create?

A

raised areas - e.g. fingerprint

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19
Q

What facilities nerve fibres reaching close to the surface in highly sensitive areas?

A

Tall dermal papillae

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20
Q

What type of epithelium is found in the epidermis?

A

Keratinised stratified squamous epithelium

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21
Q

Describe the protein content in the upper layers of the epidermis

A

there is a high protein content in the upper layers of the epidermis

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22
Q

Describe the layers of the epidermis (top to bottom)

A

stratum corneum
stratum lucidum (translucent)
stratum granulosum
stratum spinosum
stratum basale
stratified

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23
Q

What are the 2 skin types?

A
  • Thick skin
  • Thin skin
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24
Q

Describe what thick skin can be found

A
  • Palms (fingertips)
  • Feet - no hair (glabrous)
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25
Q

How many layers (strata) does thick skin have?

A

5

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26
Q

Where is thin skin found?

A

the rest of the body (non-glabrous - areas with hair)

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27
Q

How many layers does thin skin?

A

4

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28
Q

Describe how many blood vessels are found in thin skin?

A

Lacks blood vessels - diffusion from underlying connective tissue

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29
Q

What is another name given to the stratum basale?

A

germinativum

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30
Q

What are the 3 type of cells found in the stratum basale?

A
  • keratinocytes (most prevalent)
  • melanocytes
  • tactile/Merkel cells
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31
Q

What is the role of keratinocytes?

A

they are mitotically active in touch with BM (stem cells)

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32
Q

what is the role of melanocytes?

A

gives skin colour - pheomelanin/eumelanin - brown insoluble pigment
- protects skin from UV damage

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33
Q

What is the role of tactile/Merkel cells?

A

connected to sensory nerves (sense of touch)

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34
Q

What colour pigment is pheomelanin?

A

red/yellow pigment

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35
Q

What colour pigment is eumelanin?

A

brown/black pigment

36
Q

What 2 pigments make up skin pigmentation?

A

melanin +
- carotene pigments (orange-yellow) - heels/corns of the feet
- blood perfusion + O2 content - haemoglobin (red)

37
Q

What are melanosomes?

A

organelles responsible for the synthesis, storage & transport of melanin

38
Q

What is usually the thickest layer in the epidermis?

A

stratum spinosum

39
Q

What does the stratum spinosum produce?

A

keratin filaments (flatten)

40
Q

What structures strongly link keratinoctyes?

A

desmosomes?

41
Q

What is the advantage of having tight junctions within the stratum spinosum?

A

ensures water retention of skin

42
Q

What is the function of the dendritic cells present in the stratum spinosum?

A

they are immune cells

43
Q

How many layers of keratinocytes do stratum granulosum?

A

3-5 layers

44
Q

What do the dark-staining granules found in stratum granulosum bind to?

A

bind to cytoskeleton (keratin precursor)

45
Q

What type of vesicles are produced in the stratum granulosum?

A

glycolipid-filled vesicles (lamellar bodies/granules) - spread over cell surface - waterproof barrier between Stratum spinosum

46
Q

Describe the cells in Stratum corneum

A

most part are dead and high in proteins & don’t contain nucleus

47
Q

How many layers does the Stratum corneum have?

48
Q

What are the 2 parts of the Stratum corneum?

A
  • stratum disjunctum
  • stratum compactum
49
Q

What is the most superficial layer of the Stratum corneum made of?

A

15-30 layers of flattened corneocytes/squames

50
Q

What are squames?

A

enucleated terminally differentiated dead keratinocytes

51
Q

What is the role of Stratum disjunctum in the stratum corneum?

A

contains corneodesmosomes which regulate desquamation

52
Q

What is the role of the stratum compactum in the stratum corneum?

A

focuses on cohesion

53
Q

What are the keratins in the stratum corneum enclosed in?

A

insoluble amalgam of cross-linked proteins

54
Q

What layer of the epidermis are nails derivatives of?

A

stratum corneum

55
Q

What are nails formed of?

A

dead scaly cells that are densely packed with “hard” keratin fibres.

56
Q

How are new cells added to nails?

A

mitosis in the nail matrix

57
Q

What is an underlying health issue that could be indicated as a result of having flat or concave nails?

A

iron deficiency

58
Q

What is an underlying health issue that could be indicated as a result of having clubbed nails?

A

long term hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels)

59
Q

What are the 3 names given to hair (pilus) throughout its lifetime)?

A

languo –> vellus –> terminal androgenic

60
Q

Describe how hair forms?

A

hair bulb grow around bud of vascular connective tissue - dermal papilla

61
Q

What part of hair is mitotically active, whilst the remainder is dead?

A

hair matrix

62
Q

What are the 3 layers in hair?

A

Medulla - loosely arranged cells
Cortex - keratinised cuboidal cells
Cuticle - surface layer of scaly cells

63
Q

What are the 5 types of skin gland types?

A
  • eccrine/merocrine (sweat glands)
  • apocrine sweat glands
  • holocrine sebaceous glands
  • ceruminous glands (external ear - wax)
  • mammary glands (females)
64
Q

What cells are involved in holocrine secretion?

65
Q

What are sebocytes?

A

differentiated epithelial cells accumulate lipids, eventually rupture to release sebum

66
Q

How many microflora does skin have?

A

1000 species

67
Q

How does skin act as a physical barrier?

A

cross-linked keratin layer on keratinocyte scaffold (cuts/burns/vectors/breach)

68
Q

How dies skin act as a biochemical barrier preventing water loss?

A
  • mildly acidic (pH 4-6)
  • contain sebaceous gland seboctyes (sebum)
  • C6H can inhibit induction of antibiotic resistance
69
Q

What cells are used in skin to act as an immunological barrier?

A

Epidermal Langerhans Cells (LC)

70
Q

What layer of the Epidermis are Epidermal Langerhans Cells (LC) located?

A

stratum spinosum (able to self-renew)

71
Q

How does skin process antigens?

A
  • migrate to lymph nodes for antigen presentation
  • present antigens to skin lymphocytes
72
Q

What can be found in dermal cells?

A
  • macrophages + monocytes
  • mast cells
  • eosinophils
  • neutrophils
  • B + T lymphocytes
  • may have role in tissue remodelling, repair & proliferation
73
Q

Describe the process of Vitamin D synthesis

A
  • increases intestinal absorption of calcium
74
Q

Why is calcium homeostasis?

A

bone development + maintenance

75
Q

What type of hormone is vitamin D?

A

fat-soluble hormone

76
Q

What type of receptor allows the synthesis of vitamin D?

A

Nuclear receptor

77
Q

What photochemical reaction is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D?

A

UVB radiation

78
Q

What 4 things are involved in thermoregulation?

A
  • receptors
  • insulation (piloerection)
  • sweating
  • vasodilation/vasoconstriction
79
Q

What volume of skin blood dissipates heat at rest?

80
Q

How many kcal an hour is required for thermoregulation?

81
Q

Where are central warm + cold receptors located?

A

preoptic anterior hypothalamus

82
Q

Between what two blood flows does countercurrent heat exchangers occur?

A

arterial & venous blood flow

83
Q

What type of skin is arteriole out anastomoses found?

A

Apical skin

84
Q

How does a reduction in core temperature lead to a reduction in blood flow?

A

reduction in core temperature = increase in sympathetic tone = reduction in blood flow

85
Q

How does an increase in core temperature lead to a increase in blood flow?

A

increase in core temperature = decrease in sympathetic tone = increase in blood flow

86
Q

How is non-apical skin thought to act via sympathetic nervous system (SNS) to affect ACh release?

A

eccrine sweat glands –> vasoactive molecules –> relax VSMC –> increase in perfusion + heat loss

Physiology with pharmacology - L1 (17 decks)

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