Digestive System Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary and terminology covering anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the digestive system based on Chapter 5 lecture notes.

Ingestion

The process of taking food material into the mouth.

Digestion

The breakdown of food, mechanically and chemically, as it travels through the gastrointestinal tract.

Absorption

The passage of materials through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream.

Elimination

The act of removal of solid waste materials from the body that cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Amino acids

Small building blocks of proteins; released when proteins are digested.

Glucose

A simple sugar produced when sugars are digested.

Fatty acids (triglycerides)

Substances produced when fats are digested; a category of lipids.

Villi

Microscopic projections in the wall of the small intestine that absorb nutrients into the bloodstream.

Bile

Digestive juice made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder; breaks up large fat globules; composed of bile pigments, cholesterol, and bile salts.

Bilirubin

Pigment released by the liver in bile.

Hyperbilirubinemia

A condition occurring when bilirubin cannot leave the body and remains in the bloodstream.

Deglutition

The medical term for swallowing.

Mastication

The medical term for chewing.

Peristalsis

Rhythmic contractions of the tubular organs.

Rugae

Ridges located on the hard palate and the wall of the stomach.

Cecum

The first part of the large intestine.

Duodenum

The first part of the small intestine, measuring $12\,\text{inches}$ long.

Jejunum

The second part of the small intestine.

Ileum

The third part of the small intestine.

Amylase

Enzyme secreted by the pancreas and salivary glands to digest starch.

Lipase

Pancreatic enzyme needed to digest fats.

Protease

Enzyme that digests protein.

Insulin

Hormone produced by endocrine cells of the pancreas; transports sugar from the blood into cells.

Glycogen

Starch; the form in which glucose is stored in liver cells.

Hydrochloric acid

Substance produced in the stomach necessary for the digestion of food.

Lower esophageal sphincter (LES)

Ring of muscles between the esophagus and stomach.

Pyloric sphincter

Ring of muscle at the end of the stomach, near the duodenum, that opens when a wave of peristalsis passes over it.

Emulsification

Physical process of breaking up large fat globules into smaller globules.

Dentin

Primary material found in teeth, covered by enamel in the crown.

an/o

Combining form meaning anus.

bucc/o

Combining form meaning cheek.

cholecyst/o

Combining form meaning gallbladder.

choledoch/o

Combining form meaning common bile duct.

enter/o

Combining form meaning intestines, usually the small intestine.

hepat/o

Combining form meaning liver.

lapar/o

Combining form meaning abdomen.

sialaden/o

Combining form meaning salivary gland.

steat/o

Combining form meaning fat.

Anorexia

Symptom characterized by a lack of appetite.

Ascites

Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen.

Borborygmi

Rumbling or gurgling noises produced by the movement of gas, fluid, or both in the GI tract.

Dysphagia

Difficulty in swallowing.

Eructation

Gas expelled from the stomach through the mouth.

Hematochezia

Passage of fresh, bright red blood from the rectum.

Jaundice (icterus)

Yellow-orange coloration of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by high levels of bilirubin in the blood.

Melena

Black, tarry stools; feces containing digested blood.

Steatorrhea

Fat in the feces; frothy, foul-smelling fecal matter.

Aphthous stomatitis

Inflammation of the mouth with small, painful ulcers.

Oral leukoplakia

White plaques or patches on the oral mucosa.

Achalasia

Failure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle to relax.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Condition where solids and fluids return to the mouth from the stomach.

Anal fistula

Abnormal tubelike passageway near the anus.

Crohn disease

Chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.

Diverticulosis

Abnormal side pockets (outpouchings) in the intestinal wall.

Ileus

Failure of peristalsis with resulting obstruction of the intestines.

Intussusception

Telescoping of the intestines.

Volvulus

Twisting of the intestines on itself.

Cirrhosis

Chronic degenerative disease of the liver.

Cholelithiasis

Gallstones in the gallbladder.