Introduction to Physiology AQ

Question 1

Organelles are not listed as one of the levels of organization of life. Why are they not part of the hierarchy of life?

Answer 1

Organelles are structures within cells. Developed within cells formed from molecules. They are not stand alone structures

Question 2

What is reductionism?

Answer 2

Understanding how a whole organism works and each part of it.

Question 3

Explain the organization of the cardiovascular system using all levels of hierarchical organization.

Answer 3

Atoms combine to form molecules, these cells bind together to form cardiac muscle tissue. Muscle tissue, and other tissues, begin to combine to form the heart. The heart then pumps blood into the other organs which deliver blood to all the organs in the human body (aka organism)

Question 4

Correctly describe the heart in relation to the pericardial cavity.

Answer 4

The pericardial cavity surrounds the heart and contains serous fluid.

Question 5

A cardiothoracic surgeon cracks open a patient’s thoracic cavity, and needs to cut through the pericardial sac. What is the proper sequence of the pericardial layers they must cut through to get to the surface of the heart?

Answer 5

Fibrous pericardium, serous pericardium (parietal pericardial membrane, visceral pericardial membrane)

Question 6

How many layers will the surgeon cut through until serous fluid starts to ooze out?

Answer 6

2 - the fibrous pericardium and parietal pericardial membrane

Question 7

What are the three cavities named that surround the heart, lungs, and viscera?

Answer 7

Heart - pericardial cavity
Lungs - pleural cavity
Viscera - peritoneal cavity

Question 8

What is a mesentery?

Answer 8

A mesentery is a double layer of visceral peritoneum. It contains connective tissue, vasculature and nerve fibers.

Question 9

What future complications will a patient face if they have a cut to their major mesentery if it is not repaired?

Answer 9

1. The motility function of their GI tract will be reduced as peristalsis cannot occur without nerve innervation.
2. Not be able to absorb nutrients to keep themselves alive, or deliver the oxygen to the small intestines to keep them alive
3. Their intestines would have impaired structural support within the abdominal cavity.

Question 10

Where is most of the water located in a female body? (~30 liters)

Answer 10

The intracellular compartment (i.e - the inside of your cells, intracellular fluid (ICF)

Question 11

Approximate volume of the interstitial fluid (ISF)

Answer 11

11 L

Question 12

Approximate volume of the extracellular fluid (ECF)

Answer 12

14 L

Question 13

Approximate volume of the intracellular fluid (ICF)

Answer 13

18 L

Question 14

Approximate volume of the intravascular fluid (IVF)

Answer 14

3 L

Question 15

What is extracellular fluid? (ECF)

Answer 15

ECF = ISF + IVF

Question 16

How would the fluid compartments change, in volume, if someone with hypertension decreases their salt intake?

Answer 16

The solute concentration of the plasma would decrease. This would cause water to leave the bloodstream and enter the ECF.

Question 17

A man lost 5 liters of water during a marathon. How many cups of water would he have to drink to replace this volume of water? (Show work)

Answer 17

20 cups (5 L/0.25) (.255 cups = 1 L)

Question 18

A woman has the flu and loses 6% of her TBW. How many cups of water does she need to replace the volume of water lost? (Show work)

Answer 18

7.2 cups (30 x 0.06 = 1.8 L) (1.8/.25 L) (.25 cups = 1 L)

Question 19

What is vasoconstrict?

Answer 19

The narrowing (constriction) of blood vessels by small muscles in their walls.

Question 19

An alien was discovered to vasoconstrict in response to an increase in its body temperature. Is this response human-like? What type of feedback does this represent and how?

Answer 19

In a human, an increase in body temperature leads to vasodilation. Therefore, this response in the alien is not human-like.
This response is positive feedback because it works to increase conditions away from homeostasis.

Question 19

You spent the last 12 years living in Antartica, but you decided to visit Florida. Your body senses the change in temperature and sends signals to your brain, nerve, and skin. Your forehead is wet with sweat. What process is your body going through to prevent you from overheating?

Answer 19

Negative feedback

Question 19

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose >100 mg/dl), what is the sensory information?

Answer 19

Glucose

Question 20

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose >100 mg/dl), what is the receptor?

Answer 20

Pancreatic beta cell

Question 21

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose >100 mg/dl), what is the control center?

Answer 21

Pancreatic beta cell

Question 21

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose >100 mg/dl), what is the afferent information?

Answer 21

Downstream signaling pathways in the beta cell

Question 22

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose >100 mg/dl), what is the efferent information?

Answer 22

Insulin

Question 23

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose >100 mg/dl), what are the effector cells?

Answer 23

Fat cells (adipocytes) Liver cells (hypatocytes) Skeletal musicle cells (myocytes)

Question 24

What do each of these effector cells do to drop blood glucose cells?

Answer 24

Adipocytes remove glucose from the blood and converts it to fat to form triglycerides (lipogenesis) Hepatocytes remove glucose from the blood and stores it as glycogen (glycogenesis) Myocytes remove glucose from the blood and stores as glycogen (glycogenesis)

Question 25

What cells are insulin-sensitive that require insulin stimulation for them to update glucose?

Answer 25

Adipocyte and skeletal muscle celll

Question 26

How do these cells uptake glucose from the ISF?

Answer 26

Facilitated diffusion with glucose transporters (GLUTs)

Question 27

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose <70 mg/dl), what is the sensory information?

Answer 27

Glucose

Question 28

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose <70 mg/dl), what is the receptor?

Answer 28

Pancreatic alpha cell

Question 29

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose <70 mg/dl), what is the control center?

Answer 29

Pancreatic alpha cell

Question 30

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose <70 mg/dl), what is the afferent information?

Answer 30

Downstream signaling pathways in the alpha cell

Question 31

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose <70 mg/dl), what is the efferent information?

Answer 31

Glucagon

Question 32

In a response to an acute hyperglycemic episode (blood glucose <70 mg/dl), what is the effector cell?

Answer 32

Hepatocytes

Question 33

What does the effector cell do to increase blood glucose?

Answer 33

Hepatocytes release glucose into the blood by way of breaking down glycogen (glycogenolysis) and by making glucose from amino acid skeletons (gluconeogenesis)

Question 34

What does metformin do for a type II diabetic?

Answer 34

Metformin inhibits gluconeogenesis and thereby reduces hepatic output of glucose into the blood

Question 35

You ate a kit-kat bar before basketball practice. You feel a sugar rush when trying to focus, and slowly you come down and feel normal. This is an example of what?

Answer 35

An acute hyperglycemic response. Your body is trying to bring plasma glucose back down by way of negative feedback.

Question 36

What is/are the effector(s) in the positive feedback regulation loop of parturition?

Answer 36

The effectors are the smooth muscle cells of the uterus

Question 37

What is the afferent information?

Answer 37

The afferent information is the nerve signals traveling from the stretch receptors in the cervix (receptor) to the hypothalamus (control center/integrator)

Question 38

How is efferent information transmitted to the effector(s)?

Answer 38

The efferent information is oxytocin. It is released by the pituitary glad and is transmitted via the cardiovascular system (in an endocrine fashion) to the uterus.

Question 39

What is Pitocin?

Answer 39

Pitocin is the synthetic version of human oxytocin

Question 40

How does Pitocin work?

Answer 40

Pitocin stimulates the smooth muscle cells of the uterus to contract and further push the fetus' head towards the cervix

Question 41

Feedforward information

Answer 41

Information sent ahead in a pathway in anticipation for an event that has not yet occurred. Example: When you merely look at food, your stomach can start gurgling.

Question 42

How is feedforward information transmitted from your eyes to your stomach?

Answer 42

The information is transmitted by the nervous system via the vagus nerve (a parasympathetic nerve)