Respiratory System

Question 1

What two membranes are present in the respiratory system?

Answer 1

A Mucous membrane which lines the conducting portion of the respiratory tract.

Serous membranes which line the pleural sacs which envelope each lung

Question 2

What are the names of the two pleural layers surrounding the lungs?

Answer 2

Visceral (nearer to lungs) and Parietal (further from lungs)

Question 3

What is the pleural cavity?

Answer 3

The space between the visceral and parietal layers

Question 4

What is a pneumothorax?

Answer 4

Air in the space between the layers

Question 5

What is a haemothorax?

Answer 5

Blood in the space between the two pleural layers

Question 6

What is an empyema?

Answer 6

Pus in the space between the two pleural layers

Question 7

What is a pleural effusion?

Answer 7

A watery transudate or exudate in the pleural space

Question 8

Where is a needle usually inserted to drain fluid from the pleural cavity?

Answer 8

The 7th intercostal space posteriorly

Question 9

What can cancer in the apex of the lung lead to?

Answer 9

Impingement on the brachial plexus causing wasting of the muscles of the lower arm

Question 10

What is Horner’s syndrome?

Caused by impingement on nerves in the sympathetic trunk

Answer 10

Miosis (constricted pupil)

Ptosis (weak, droopy upper eyelid)

Apparent anhidrosis (localised decreased swelling)

Question 11

What can impingement on the left recurrent laryngeal nerve cause?

Answer 11

A hoarse voice

Question 12

What is the conducting portion of the respiratory tract?

Answer 12

The nasal cavity to bronchioles

Nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, primary + secondary bronchi, bronchioles and terminal bronchioles

Question 13

What is the respiratory portion of the respiratory tract?

Answer 13

The respiratory bronchioles to alveoli

Alveolar ducts

Question 14

What lines the airways from the nasal cavity to the largest bronchioles?

Answer 14

Pseudostratified epithelium with cilia and goblet cells

Question 15

What lines the terminal bronchioles?

Answer 15

Simple columnar epithelium with cilia and Clara cells.

Question 16

What lines the respiratory bronchioles and alveolar ducts?

Answer 16

Simple cuboidal epithelium with Clara cells and sparse cilia

Question 17

What lines the alveoli?

Answer 17

Simple squamous and septal cells

Question 18

What are the two regions of the nasal cavities?

Answer 18

Non-olfactory regions and Olfactory regions

Question 19

Structural characteristics of the Olfactory region:

Answer 19

Pseudostratified epithelium

No mucus secreting goblet cells

Cilia non-motile

Olfactory cells (bipolar neurons)

The lamina propria blends with submucosa containing bowmans glands

Question 20

What are the ventricular folds of the larynx lined by?

Answer 20

Pseudostratified epithelium containing mucous glands and lymph nodes.

Question 21

What makes up each vocal cord?

Answer 21

A vocal ligament (large bundle of elastic fibres)

A vocalis muscle (bundle of skeletal muscle)

Question 22

What shape is the cartilage in the trachea?

Answer 22

C shaped

Question 23

What shape are the cartilage rings in the primary bronchi?

Answer 23

Circular

Question 24

What appears histologically in COPD?

Answer 24

Goblet cell hyperplasia

Smaller proportion of ciliates cells

Hypertrophy of submucous glands

(More mucus and fewer cilia)

Question 25

What occurs in cystic fibrosis?

Answer 25

The CFTR ion channel is not present in the apical membranes of epithelial cells. Chloride ion transport across the membrane is compromised. Water does not leave he resp tract to hydrate the mucus. Mucus becomes more viscous, infection often happens

Question 26

What prevents bronchiolar walls to stick during expiration?

Answer 26

A surfactant lipoprotein secreted by Clara cells

Question 27

Alveoli can open into:

Answer 27

A respiratory bronchiole An alveolar duct An alveolar sac Another alveolus (via an alveolar pore)

Question 28

Characteristics of alveolar walls:

Answer 28

Have abundant capillaries Are supported by a basketwork of elastic and reticular fibres Have a covering composed chiefly of type I pneumocytes Have a scattering of intervening type II pneumocytes

Question 29

What cells cover most of the surface area of alveoli?

Answer 29

Squamous cells (90%) Other 10% is cuboidal surfactant secreting

Question 30

Characteristics of emphysema:

Answer 30

Destruction of alveolar walls and permanent enlargement of air spaces. Bronchioles collapse making it difficult for lungs to empty. Air becomes trapped in the alveoli. Purses lipped breathing is a hallmark

Question 31

Characteristics of pneumonia:

Answer 31

Inflammation of the lung caused by bacteria. The lung consolidates as the alveoli fill with inflammatory cells. Most common is streptococcus pneumoniae