Unit 1 Learning Objectives Flashcards
Define the terms: anatomy and physiology and explain how anatomy and physiology
complement each other.
1) Anatomy: Examining the structure of the human body
2) Physiology: The study of function of the human body
3) Anatomy and physiology complement each other because of the unity of form and function
Describe gross anatomy and give 3 examples
Gross anatomy is a type of anatomy that studies structures that can be seen with the eyes. 3 examples of gross anatomy being applied in medicine are dissection, exploratory surgery, and medical imaging.
Name 3 areas of microscopic anatomy and describe them
3 areas of anatomy that study microscopic structures too small to see with your eye are histology, cytology, and ultrastructure.
Histology is the examination of tissues under a microscope.
Cytology is the study of structure and function of cells.
Ultrastructure is the study of viewing detail under an electron microscope.
Name 3 areas of physiology and describe them
3 subdisciplines of physiology are Neurophysiology (physiology of the nervous system) Endocrinology (physiology of hormones) and Pathophysiology (the study of the mechanisms of disease).
Describe the subdiscipline of comparative physiology and why it’s so important
Comparative physiology is another subdiscipline of physiology and is the study of another species to learn about body functions. Comparative physiology is important to physiology as a whole because physiology, unlike anatomy, requires live subjects due to the fact that you cannot observe function on a cadaver, so often relies on animals to perform research that will then become preliminary research for human medicine.
Describe some aspects of experimental design that help ensure objective and reliable
results.
Having a control group and an experimental group, replicating the experiment multiple times, and ensuring there’s no cross-contamination.
Give the levels of human structure from the most complex to the simplest (hierarchy of
complexity).
Organism, organ system, organ, tissue, cell, organelle, molecule, atom.
*Note: Organelles, molecules, and atoms are not considered to be alive; cells are the smallest unit of life
List the nine characteristics of life.
Organization, cellular composition, metabolism, responsiveness, movement, homeostasis, reproduction, development, and evolution of a population.
Define homeostasis
Maintaining relatively stable internal conditions [regardless of external conditions].
Define a gradient and give examples of gradients in the human body.
A gradient is defined as a difference in chemical concentration, charge, temperature, or pressure between two points.
Examples:
1) blood flowing from a place of higher pressure (near the heart) to a place of lower pressure, sodium-potassium gradients
2) heat flowing from an area of high heat (inside the body) to an area of low heat (outside the body)
3) dietary glucose flowing from an area of high concentration to low concentration (into intestinal cells).
Describe which direction do gradients flow naturally and what would be necessary if you
went “against” or “up” a gradient.
Molecules naturally flow down gradients (from areas of high concentration to low concentration). If you went against the gradient (from an area of low concentration to high), that would require a cell to use energy (ATP).
Define the terms: element, atom, molecule, and compound.
Element: The simplest form of matter with unique properties.
Atom: building blocks for each element.
Molecule: chemical particle composed of two or more atoms united by a chemical bond.
Compound: molecule composed of two or more different elements.
List the six elements that comprise 98.5% of our body weight.
Oxygen (O), Carbon (C ), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), Calcium (Ca), and Phosphorus (P).
Describe the three particles that make up an atom and their arrangement in an atom.
Neutrons have no charge, and they determine atomic mass (number of protons + number of neutrons = atomic mass). Atoms of an element with a different number of neutrons than protons are called isotopes.
Protons have a positive charge, and they determine the identity of an element as well as its atomic number (atomic number = number of protons the atom has).
Electrons have a negative charge. Atoms of an element with a different number of electrons than protons are called ions (or electrolyte), and they have a positive (cation) or negative charge (anion) (more electrons = more negative).
Neutrons and protons are found in the nucleus of an atom, whereas electrons are found in shells (or energy levels) around the nucleus. The first energy level is full with 2 electrons, and the second and third levels are full with 8 electrons. Electrons in the outermost level are called valence electrons.
Define the terms isotope and radioactive isotope.
Isotope: when an atom has a different number of neutrons than protons.
Radioactive isotope: an isotope that disintegrates over time and gives off energy.
Describe ways we can use radioactive isotopes in medicine
They can be used for radiation therapy and diagnostic procedures. This includes PET scans, using I-131 determine size and activity of the thyroid gland, Hida scans (Tc-99 technetium with a ½ life of 6 hours), Cobalt-60 for cancer.
Other examples of radioactive isotopes include UV radiation, X-rays, alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays.
Discuss how cations and anions are formed.
If an atom gains an electron, then it becomes an anion (negatively charged). If an atom loses an electron, then it becomes a cation (positively charged). This only happens to atoms without a full outer shell (i.e. atoms that are not noble gas elements).
List each type of chemical bond in order of relative strength from strongest to weakest.
Covalent bonds, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds.
Discuss the “octet rule” and how we apply it to predict which type of chemical bond will
be formed.
The octet rule is the concept that atoms gain or lose electrons to have full outer shell. We use this rule to help figure out if two atoms are going to share electrons and form a covalent bond, or if one atom will donate an electron to the other atom and form an ionic bond. For example we can determine if two atoms are eligible to become a cation and an anion (i.e. if one atom only has one electron in an outer shell) and by using the octet rule, we know that the atom wants to get rid of that electron, so if it gets near an atom with one missing electron, it will donate that electron to the atom with the missing electron, and the one the electron was donated to becomes an anion and the one that did the donating becomes a cation (and now both atoms have full outer shells), and now those two atoms have formed an ionic bond.
Explain the mechanism of ionic bonds, non-polar covalent bonds, polar covalent bonds,
and hydrogen bonds.
Ionic bonds: The donation of an electron from one atom to another; a bond between a cation and an anion.
Non-polar covalent bonds: Two or more atoms share electrons equally.
Polar covalent bonds: Two or more atoms share electrons unequally.
Hydrogen bonds: A weak charge attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen and a slightly negative oxygen (or nitrogen).
List a biological example of each type of bond
Hydrogen bonding: The bases in DNA form hydrogen bonds (ex: there’s two hydrogen bonds between A and T and three hydrogen bonds between C and G).
Ionic bonding: Ionic bonds help shape tertiary and quaternary structures of proteins, and NaCl is found in the human body and has an ionic bond.
Covalent bonding: Water molecules found in the human body are formed with covalent bonds, peptide bonds formed between amino acids, covalent bonds within each linear strand of DNA.
Define the terms mixture, solution, solute, solvent, colloid, and suspension.
Mixture: physically blended but not chemically combined (ex: body fluids are mixtures of chemicals).
Solution: A homogenous mixture of two or more substances (a solute and solvent) in relative amounts that can be varied continuously up to the limit of solubility.
Solute: the substance that dissolves in a solvent to produce a homogeneous mixture.
Solvent: the substance in which a solute dissolves to produce a homogeneous mixture.
Colloid: a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance.
Suspension: a heterogeneous mixture of a fluid that contains solid particles sufficiently large for sedimentation.
Describe the five biologically important properties of water.
– Solvency: ability to dissolve other chemicals; water is referred to as the ‘universal solvent’.
– Cohesion: water molecules cling to each other; water is very cohesive due to its hydrogen bonds. This in turn causes surface tension.
– Adhesion: water adheres to other substances (ex: water adheres to large membranes reducing friction around organs).
– Chemical reactivity: ability to participate in chemical reactions; water ionizes into and ionizes many other chemicals (acids and salts).
– Thermal stability:Water has high heat capacity (absorbs and releases large amounts of heat before changing temperature); this is because hydrogen bonds inhibit temperature increases by
inhibiting molecular motion. This property is what helps keep the internal temperature of our bodies stable.
Describe which types of molecules will easily mix with water and which will not.
Molecules with polar covalent bonds will easily mix with water, but molecules with nonpolar covalent bonds will not.