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Anatomy & Terminology > Digestive System > Flashcards

Digestive System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the main function(s) of the digestive system?

A

-break down foods
-release the nutrients
-absorb the nutrients

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2
Q

Where does the GI tract begin/end?

A

begins at the mouth and ends at the anus

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3
Q

True or false: food/waste within the alimentary canal is considered to be outside the body.

A

True

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4
Q

How are mechanical and chemical digestion begun in the mouth?

A

Teeth and tongue begin mechanical, salivary glands begin chemical.

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5
Q

What are the four main tissues that comprise the alimentary tract?

A

Mucosa, Submucosa, Muscularis, Serosa

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6
Q

What is the mucosa comprised of?

A

-Epithelium (in contact with digested food)
-Lamina propria (layer of connective tissue)
-Muscularis mucosa (thin smooth muscle layer)

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7
Q

What is the predominant epithelium in the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, and anal canal?

A

Non-keratinized stratified squamous

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8
Q

What is the predominant epithelium in the stomach and intestines?

A

Simple columnar epithelium

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9
Q

What other two cells are found among the epithelium and what are their functions?

A

-Goblet cells: secreting mucus and fluid into the lumen
-Enteroendocrine cells: secreting hormones into the interstitial spaces between cells

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10
Q

What does the lamina propria consist of, and what does it do?

A

-Loose connective tissue
-Numerous blood and lymphatic vessels that transport nutrients
-Serves as an immune function by housing clusters of lymphocytes (makes up the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, aka MALT)

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11
Q

What are Peyer’s Patches?

A

Lymphocyte clusters in the distal ileum that protect the body from foodborne bacteria/other foreign matter

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12
Q

What is the submucosa?

A

-Immediately beneath the mucosa
-Dense connective tissue
-Connects the mucosa to the muscularis
-Includes blood/lymphatic vessels and submucosal glands that release digestive secretions

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13
Q

What is the muscularis externa?

A

-Third layer of the alimentary canal
-Double layer of smooth muscle: inner circular layer + outer longitudinal layer
-Contracts to move food (peristalsis)

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14
Q

What is the serosa?

A

-Superficial to the muscularis
-Present only within the abdominal cavity
-Consists of a layer of visceral peritoneum + a layer of loose connective tissue
-Holds the alimentary canal near the ventral surface of the vertebral column

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15
Q

What is the peritoneum?

A

-Holds digestive organs within the abdominal cavity
-Broad serous membrane made up of squamous tissue surrounded by connective tissue
-Parietal peritoneum lines the abdominal wall
-Visceral peritoneum envelops the abdominal organs

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16
Q

What is the function of the mouth?

A

-Chewing & mixing food
-Begins chemical and mechanical breakdown of food
-Moistens and dissolves
-Cleans & lubricates the teeth/oral cavity
-Some antimicrobial activity

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17
Q

What is the function of the pharynx?

A

-Propels food from oral cavity to esophagus
-Lubricates food & passageways

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18
Q

What is the function of the esophagus?

A

-Propels food to the stomach via peristalsis
-Lubricates food & passageways

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19
Q

What is the function of the stomach?

A

-Mixes food to form chyme
-Chemical breakdown of proteins (HCl)
-Low pH is antimicrobial
-Secretes intrinsic factor required for vitamin B12 absorption in small intestine

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20
Q

What is the function of the small intestine?

A

-Mixes chyme with digestive juices
-Propels food slowly for digestion & absorption
-Absorbs broken down carbs, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, vitamins/minerals, & water

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21
Q

What is the function of the large intestine?

A

-Further food breakdown
-Absorbs most residual water, electrolytes, & vitamins produced by enteric bacteria
-Propels feces to rectum
-Eliminates feces

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22
Q

What is segmentation?

A

Smooth muscle contractions in intestines that moves food back and forth

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23
Q

What are the accessory organs to the digestive system?

A

Liver, gallbladder, pancreas

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24
Q

What are the six activities of digestive processes?

A
  1. Ingestion
  2. Propulsion
  3. Mechanical/physical digestion
  4. Chemical digestion
  5. Absorption
  6. Defecation
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25
What are the three major salivary glands?
-Submandibular glands -Sublingual glands -Parotid glands
26
What is saliva?
-95.5% water -Contains salivary amylase for digestion -Initiates carbohydrate breakdown -Contains lingual lipase
27
Where are the major salivary glands located?
Outside the oral mucosa and deliver saliva through ducts
28
What does the stomach mucosa epithelial lining consist of, and what does it do?
Surface mucous cells that secrete protective alkaline mucous
29
What are gastric pits/glands?
-Gastric pits dot the surface of the stomach epithelium -They lead to gastric glands which secrete gastric juice
30
What protects the stomach from pathogens?
-MALT (mucosa associated lymphoid tissue) -Peyer's patches
31
What are parietal cells?
Produce HCl and intrinsic factor (allows SI to absorb vitamins)
32
What is the purpose of HCl in the stomach?
The high acidity (pH 1.5-3.5) and is needed to activate pepsinogen into pepsin
33
What are chief cells?
Secrete pepsinogen, an inactive proenzyme form of pepsin
34
Where does the most absorption occur in the digestive system?
Small intestine
35
Why is the large surface area of the small intestine necessary?
For complex processes of digestion and absorption
36
What are the three sections of the small intestine?
1. Duodenum 2. Jejunum 3. Ileum
37
What differentiates the mucosa/submucosa of the small intestine from other mucosae?
-Circular folds -Villi -Microvilli (brush border)
38
What is the purpose of villi//microvilli in the small intestine?
Increasing the surface area more than 600X
39
Describe chemical digestion in the small intestine:
-Completion of the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates that began in the stomach -Lipids arrive mostly undigested, so they are focused on with bile and the enzyme pancreatic juice -Intestinal juice combines with pancreatic juice -Most water is absorbed by osmosis
40
What are the four major organic compounds?
-Carbohydrates -Proteins -Fats -Nucleic acid
41
What are the four main regions of the large intestine?
-Cecum -Colon -Rectum -Anus
42
Describe the histology of the large intestine:
-Few enzyme-secreting cells -No circular folds or villi -Mucosa is simple columnar epithelium made mostly of enterocytes and goblet cells -Goblet cells secrete mucus to ease the movement of feces -Enterocytes absorb water and salts as well as vitamins produced by intestinal bacteria
43
Which vitamins are absorbed in the large intestine due to bacterial activity?
B & K
44
What are most bacteria that enter the alimentary canal killed by?
-Lysozyme -Defensins -HCl -Protein-digesting enzymes
45
What is referred to as bacterial flora?
Trillions of bacteria living within the large intestine
46
What do many bacterial flora do?
-Facilitate chemical digestion and absorption -Synthesize certain vitamins: mainly biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin K
47
What is the largest gland in the body?
The liver-inferior to the diaphragm in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity, protected by the ribs
48
What is the porta hepatis?
-"Gate to the liver" -Where the hepatic artery and hepatic portal vein enter the liver
49
What does the hepatic portal vein do?
-Delivers partially deoxygenated blood containing nutrients absorbed from the small intestine -Supplies more oxygen to the liver than the smaller hepatic arteries
50
What type of capillary is common in the liver?
Sinusoids
51
What are the three main components of the liver?
-Hepatocytes -Bile canaliculi -Hepatic sinusoids
52
What are hepatic laminae?
Plates of hepatocytes that radiate outward from the portal vein in each hepatic lobule
53
What happens to the bile produced by hepatocytes?
-Small ducts accumulate the bile -Flows first into bile ductules then bile ducts -Bile ducts unite to form the right and left hepatic ducts -R & L hepatic ducts merge & exit the liver as the common hepatic duct -This joins with the cystic duct from the gallbladder forming the common bile duct that brings the bile to the small intestine
54
What is the purpose of bile?
-Lipids are hydrophobic -Must be broken down before the watery small intestine -Bile emulsifies lipids into smaller globules
55
What is the pancreas?
-Lies transversely in the retroperitoneum behind the stomach -Head nestles into the curvature of the duodenum -Body extends to the left about 15cm -Mix of endocrine and exocrine
56
What is pancreatic juice?
-Pancreas produces over a liter per day -Clear and mostly water, & some salts, Na bicarbonate, digestive enzymes -Slightly alkaline (pH 7.1-8.2) to buffer acidic gastric juice -Inactivates pepsin -Pancreatic enzymes active in digestion of sugars, proteins, and fats
57
What are pancreatic enzymes?
-Pancreas produces protein-digesting enzymes in inactive forms (zymogen) -Enzymes activated in the duodenum
58
What does enteropeptidase do and what is the result?
-Stimulates the activation of trypsin from trypsinogen -This in turn changes procarboxypeptidase and chymotrypsinogen into carboxypeptidase and chymotrypsin
59
What is the gallbladder?
-8-10cm long -Nested in a shallow area on the posterior aspect of the right lobe of the liver -Stores, concentrates, and propels the bile into the duodenum via the common bile duct
60
What is chemical digestion?
-Large food molecules must be broken down into subunits that are small enough to be absorbed -This is accomplished by enzymes through hydrolysis
61
What are the three most readily absorbed monosaccharides?
Glucose, galactose, fructose
62
What carbohydrates can the digestive system break down?
Sucrose, lactose, maltose, glycogen, starch
63
What enzyme does most of the starch and carbohydrate digestion in the small intestine?
Pancreatic amylase
64
What do sucrase, maltase, and lactase do?
Sucrase: splits sucrose into 1 fructose and 1 glucose Maltase: splits maltose into 2 glucose Lactase: splits lactose into 1 glucose and 1 galactose
65
What are proteins?
Polymers composed of amino acids linked by peptide bonds to form long chains
66
How does digestion of protein begin?
In the stomach where HCl and pepsin break them into smaller polypeptides
67
How are proteins digested in the small intestine?
Pancreatic enzymes including chymotrypsin and trypsin, which act on specific bonds
68
How are cells of the brush border involved in protein digestion?
Secrete enzymes like aminopeptidase and dipeptidase, which make the peptide chains small enough to enter the blood stream
69
What are the most common dietary lipids?
Triglycerides, a glycerol molecule bound to three fatty acid chains
70
What three lipases are responsible for lipid digestion?
Lingual lipase, gastric lipase, pancreatic lipase
70
What three lipases are responsible for lipid digestion?
Lingual lipase, gastric lipase, pancreatic lipase
71
Where does virtually all lipid digestion occur?
Small intestine
72
What is the only consequential source of lipase?
Pancreas
73
What does pancreatic lipase do to each triglyceride?
Breaks it down into two free fatty acids and a monoglyceride
74
What two types of pancreatic nuclease are responsible for digesting nucleic acids?
Deoxyribonuclease Ribonuclease
75
What are nucleotides further broken down into and by what brush border enzymes?
Broken down into pentoses, phosphates, and nitrogenous bases by nucleosidase and phosphatase
76
Roughly how much water enters the small intestine daily, and how much is from foods/beverages?
9 liters, 2.3 liters from food/beverages
77
What is water absorption driven by?
The concentration gradient of water: higher concentration in chyme than in epithelial cells
78
What does the combining form an/o mean?
Anus
79
What does the combining form append/o and appendic/o mean?
Appendix
80
What does the combining form cholecyst/o mean?
Gallbladder
81
What does the combining form col/o and colon/o mean?
Colon
82
What does the combining form duoden/o mean?
Duodenum
83
What does the combining form esophag/o mean?
Esophagus
84
What does the combining form gastr/o mean?
Stomach
85
What does the combining form hepat/o mean?
Liver
86
What does the combining form ile/o mean?
Ileum
87
What does the combining form jejun/o mean?
Jejunum
88
What does the combining form or/o mean?
Mouth
89
What does the combining form pancreat/o mean?
Pancreas
90
What does the combining form pharyng/o mean?
Pharynx
91
What does the combining form proct/o mean?
Anus + rectum
92
What does the combining form rect/o mean?
Rectum
93
What does the combining form sigmoid/o mean?
Sigmoid colon
94
What does the combining form stomat/o mean?
mouth
95
What is cholelithiasis?
Abnormal condition of gallstones
96
What is cirrhosis?
Chronic disease of the liver with degeneration of liver cells
97
What is colonic polyposis?
Condition in which polyps protrude from the mucous membrane lining the colon
98
What is diverticulosis?
Abnormal condition of diverticula in the wall of the intestine (often the colon)
99
What is diverticulitis?
Inflammation and infection within diverticula
100
What is gastroesophageal reflux disease?
GERD is a condition in which contents of the stomach flow back into the esophagus
101
What is hepatitis?
Inflammation of the liver
102
What is inflammatory bowel disease?
IBD is the inflammation of the terminal portion of the ileum (crohn disease) or inflammation of the colon (ulcerative colitis)
103
What is irritable bowel syndrome?
IBS is a collection of symptoms that include: cramping, abdominal bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. Cause is unknown
104
What is hepatocellular carcinoma?
Liver cancer
105
What is jaundice?
Yellow colouration of the skin and other tissues caused by high levels of bilirubin in the bloodstream (hyperbilirubinemia)
106
What is abdominal computed tomography?
CT scan of the abdominal organs
107
What is abdominal magnetic resonance imaging?
MRI scan of the abdominal organs
108
What is abdominal ultrasonography?
Ultrasound of the abdomen
109
What is a barium enema?
Barium is injected into the anus and rectum, and x-ray images are taken
110
What is an upper GI series?
A barium swallow is barium ingested by mouth and x-ray images are taken of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine
111
What is a cholangiography?
X-ray examination of the bile ducts after the injection of contrast material through the liver or a catheter from the mouth, esophagus, and stomach into the bile ducts
112
What is a gastrointestinal endoscopy?
Visual examination of the gastrointestinal tract with an endoscope
113
What is a hemoccult test?
Feces are placed on paper containing the chemical guaiac which reacts with hidden (occult) blood. Screening test for colon cancer
114
What is a liver function test?
Measurements of liver enzymes and other substances in the blood, high levels indicate liver damage
115
What is a stool culture?
Feces are placed in a growth medium to test for microorganisms
116
What is a virtual colonoscopy?
CT and MRI scans to produce 2 & 3D images of the colon
117
What is anastomosis?
Surgical creation of an opening between two gastrointestinal organs
118
What is a colostomy?
Surgical creating of a new opening of the colon to the outside of the body
119
What is an ileostomy?
Surgical creation of a new opening of the ileum to the outside of the body
120
What does ALT/AST stand for?
Alanine Transaminase and Aspartate Transaminase (Liver enzymes)
121
What does BE stand for?
Barium Enema
122
What does ERCP stand for?
Endoscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreatography
123
What does GB stand for?
GallBladder
124
What does GERD stand for?
GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease
125
What does GI stand for?
GastroIntestinal
126
What does IBD stand for?
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
127
What does IBS stand for?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
128
What does LFT stand for?
Liver Function Test
129
What does NPO mean?
Nil Per Os (nothing by mouth)
130
What does TPN stand for?
Total Parenteral Nutrition
131
What part of the GI tract is this and what epithelial tissue lines the lumen of this part?
Esophagus-lined with non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelial tissue
132
Identify the organ depicted in this image, the function of the encircled structures, and the type of epithelial tissue lining these structures:
-Stomach wall -Gastric pits + glands -Simple columnar epithelium
133
What does this image depict?
Duodenum section of the small intestine
134
What does this image depict?
Jejunum section of the small intestine
135
What does this image depict?
Ileum section of the small intestine
136
What organ is depicted in this image, and what are the three layers shown in the image?
-Colon -Mucosa (darkest purple) -Submucosa (middle layer) -Muscularis (lighter purple)
137
What is depicted in this image and what is structure indicated by the circle?
-Rectum -Anal column

Anatomy & Terminology (13 decks)

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