Comprehensive Anatomy, Nursing Theory, and Biochemistry Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Human Anatomy & Physiology, Theoretical Foundations of Nursing, and Biochemistry lecture material.

Chemical Level

The structural level of the human organism that involves how atoms interact and combine into molecules.

Cell

The basic structural and functional living unit of all organisms.

Tissue

A group of similar cells and the materials surrounding them that perform specific functions.

Organ

A structure composed of two or more tissues that work together to perform one or more common functions.

Organ System

A group of organs classified as a unit because of a common function or set of functions.

Organism

A complex of organ systems that are mutually dependent upon one another.

Integumentary System

Organ system that provides protection, regulates temperature, prevents water loss, and helps produce vitamin D.

Skeletal System

Organ system that provides protection and support, allows body movements, produces blood cells, and stores minerals and adipose tissue.

Muscular System

Organ system that produces body movements, maintains posture, and produces body heat.

Nervous System

Major regulatory system that detects sensations, controls movements, physiological processes, and intellectual functions.

Cardiovascular System

Organ system that transports nutrients, waste products, gases, and hormones throughout the body, while playing a role in immune response and temperature regulation.

Lymphatic System

Organ system that removes foreign substances from blood and lymph, combats disease, maintains tissue fluid balance, and absorbs dietary fats.

Respiratory System

Organ system that exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and air and regulates blood pH.

Digestive System

Organ system that performs mechanical and chemical processes of digestion, absorption of nutrients, and elimination of waste.

Urinary System

Organ system that removes waste products from the blood and regulates blood pH, ion balance, and water balance.

Reproductive System

Organ system that produces oocytes in females and sperm cells in males for reproduction, and secretes hormones influencing sexual functions.

Metabolism

The ability of an organism to use energy to perform vital functions such as growth, movement, and reproduction.

Responsiveness

The ability of an organism to sense changes in the environment and make adjustments to maintain life.

Negative Feedback Mechanism

Primary regulatory mechanism in the body where any deviation from a set point is resisted or made smaller to return the body to normal.

Positive Feedback Mechanism

Mechanism in which an initial stimulus further amplifies the response until a specific event is completed, such as blood clotting.

Anatomical Position

Standard body posture where a person stands upright facing forward, upper limbs hanging at the sides, and palms facing forward.

Sagittal Plane

A vertical body plane that separates the body into right and left portions.

Median Plane

A vertical body plane passing directly through the midline, dividing the body into equal right and left halves.

Transverse Plane

A horizontal body plane running parallel to the ground that divides the body into superior and inferior portions.

Frontal Plane

A vertical body plane running from right to left that divides the body into anterior and posterior portions.

Visceral Serous Membrane

Inner layer of a serous membrane that is in direct contact with the surface of internal organs.

Parietal Serous Membrane

Outer layer of a serous membrane that lines the walls of body cavities.

Mitochondria

Membrane-bound organelles serving as the primary sites of aerobic respiration and major ATP synthesis.

Facilitated Diffusion

Passive transport process moving solutes from higher to lower concentration via membrane proteins without requiring ATP.

Transcription

The nuclear process where DNA sequence information is read to produce complementary messenger RNA (mRNA).

Translation

The ribosomal process where nucleotide sequences in mRNA are decoded to synthesize proteins.

Mitosis

Nuclear division process yielding two identical daughter cells with the same chromosome number as the parent cell.

Apoptosis

Genetically programmed cell death that regulates cell population numbers within tissues.

Histology

The microscopic study of tissue structures.

Tight Junctions

Intercellular connections that anchor adjacent cell membranes together to prevent pass-through of extracellular materials.

Gap Junctions

Protein channels between adjacent cells that permit direct passage of ions and small molecules for cellular communication.

Exocrine Glands

Glands with ducts that secrete their products onto body surfaces or into internal cavities.

Endocrine Glands

Ductless glands that release hormones directly into the bloodstream.

Notes on Nursing

1859 landmark publication by Florence Nightingale outlining core concepts of environmental control and nursing practice.

Rationalism

Epistemological view holding that knowledge arises from reason and deductive logic (general to specific).

Empiricism

Epistemological view holding that knowledge originates from sensory experience and inductive observation (specific to general).

Nursing Metaparadigm

The most abstract domain of nursing knowledge, consisting of four primary concepts: Person, Environment, Health, and Nursing.

Transpersonal Caring

Jean Watson's concept of a deep, human-to-human caring relationship centered on spiritual presence, empathy, and holistic connection.

Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition

Framework adapted by Patricia Benner to describe the progression of clinical expertise across five stages over time.

Theory of Bureaucratic Caring

Marilyn Anne Ray's nursing model exploring caring dynamics across eight distinct organizational dimensions in complex systems.

Theory of Caritative Caring

Katie Eriksson's theory defining caritas (love and charity) as the core of nursing and identifying suffering related to illness, care, and life.

Conservation Model

Myra Estrin Levine's model focusing on preserving structural, personal, social, and energy integrity to promote holistic adaptation.

Science of Unitary Human Beings

Martha E. Rogers' nursing model viewing humans and environments as indivisible, dynamic, non-linear energy fields.

Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory

Dorothea Orem's theory explaining nursing intervention requirements when a individual's self-care demands exceed their self-care agency.

Goal Attainment Theory

Imogene King's interpersonal theory asserting that nurse-patient interactions lead to mutual goal setting and goal achievement.

Systems Model (Neuman)

Betty Neuman's framework viewing client systems as whole entities interacting with internal and external environmental stressors.

Adaptation Model

Sister Callista Roy's framework viewing the patient as an adaptive system responding to focal, contextual, and residual stimuli.

Theory of Interpersonal Relations

Hildegard Peplau's theory defining four distinct phases of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship and six primary nursing roles.

Deliberative Nursing Process Theory

Ida Jean Orlando's theory centered on identifying and resolving immediate patient distress through validated nursing actions.

Molecular Anatomy

The static aspect of biochemistry that investigates the composition and structure of cellular biomolecules.

Molecular Physiology

The dynamic aspect of biochemistry focused on metabolic activities and functional mechanisms of biomolecules.

Biotransformation

Metabolic conversion of a chemical compound into another form within living organisms.

Amphoteric

Chemical property describing a molecule's capability to act as either an acid or a base depending on the medium.

Ionization Constant of Water ($Kw$)

Equilibrium constant representing the self-ionization of water, defined as $Kw = [H_3O^+][OH^-] = 1 \times 10^{-14}$ at $25\,^\circ C$.

Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation

Mathematical equation used to calculate buffer pH: $pH = pKa + \log\left(\frac{[\text{Conjugate Base}]}{[\text{Acid}]}\right)$.

Buffer

Solution containing a weak electrolyte and its salt that resists drastic shifts in pH upon adding small amounts of strong acid or base.

Metabolic Acidosis

Acid-base imbalance characterized by a primary decrease in $HCO_3^-$ caused by DKA, severe ketosis, or renal bicarbonate loss.

ROME Method

Diagnostic mnemonic for ABG interpretation indicating Respiratory Opposite (pH and $PaCO_2$ move in opposite directions) and Metabolic Equal (pH and $HCO_3^-$ move in same direction).

Zwitterion

A dipolar amino acid molecule bearing equal positive and negative charges simultaneously at physiological pH.

Isoelectric Point ($pI$)

The specific pH level at which an amino acid possesses net zero electrical charge and does not migrate in an electric field.

Essential Amino Acids

Ten amino acids that cannot be synthesized endogenously and must be ingested in the diet (PVT TIM HALL).

Kwashiorkor

Severe form of protein malnutrition characterized by wet edema, preserved subcutaneous fat, and an enlarged fatty liver.

Marasmus

Severe form of combined protein and calorie malnutrition characterized by dry muscle wasting, absence of edema, and severe fat depletion.

Glutathione

Endogenous tripeptide present in most living cells that acts as an antioxidant and tissue growth activator.

Denaturation

Disruption of higher-order protein structures (secondary, tertiary, quaternary) resulting in loss of biological function without breaking primary peptide bonds.