SCB-203 Human Anatomy and Physiology I - Introduction and Basic Chemistry

Introductory vocabulary flashcards for SCB-203 Human Anatomy and Physiology I, including course info, body organization, homeostasis, and basic chemistry.

Anatomy

The study of the structure of an organism.

Systemic Anatomy

The study of the human body at the organ system level.

Gross Anatomy (Macroscopic Anatomy)

Studies organs and systems visible to the unaided eye.

Microscopic Anatomy

The study of structures that require a microscope to see.

Histology

The study of tissues.

Cytology

The study of cells.

Physiology

The study of the function of an organism.

Pathophysiology

A unique discipline within physiology that studies diseases.

Metabolism

All the chemical reactions of an organism.

Anabolic reactions

Chemical reactions that "build up" structures.

Catabolic reactions

Chemical reactions that "break down" structures.

Excretion

The process of removing waste products produced from metabolic processes.

Responsiveness (Irritability)

The ability to sense and react to changes in the environment.

Chemical Level

The smallest level in the human body, ranging from atoms to complex molecules.

Cellular Level

The level of organization where living characteristics are first observed; cells are composed of organelles.

Tissue Level

A group of similar cells including its extracellular matrix that performs a common function.

Organ Level

Consists of two or more tissue types to form an organ that performs a specialized task.

Organ System Level

Consists of two or more organs grouped together to carry out a broad function.

Organism Level

The highest level where organ systems function together to make a working human body.

Integumentary System

Includes hair, skin, and nails; functions to protect the body, produce vitamin D, retain water, and regulate body temperature.

Skeletal System

Includes bones, cartilage, and joints; functions to support the body, protect internal organs, provide leverage for movement, produce blood cells, and store calcium salts.

Muscular System

Includes skeletal muscles; functions to produce movement, control body openings, and generate heat.

Nervous System

Includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves; regulates body functions and provides for sensation, movement, automatic, and higher mental functions.

Endocrine System

Includes glands (pineal, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, adrenal) and the pancreas; regulates body functions through the secretion of chemicals called hormones.

Cardiovascular System

Includes the heart and blood vessels; pumps and delivers oxygen-poor blood to lungs and oxygen-rich blood to tissues while removing wastes.

Lymphatic System

Includes tonsils, lymph nodes, thymus, spleen, and lymphatic vessels; provides immunity and returns excess tissue fluid to the cardiovascular system.

Respiratory System

Includes the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and lungs; delivers oxygen to blood and removes carbon dioxide while maintaining acid-base balance.

Digestive System

Includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines; digests food, absorbs nutrients, and removes food waste.

Urinary System

Includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra; removes metabolic wastes from blood and stimulates blood cell production.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of the body's internal environment.

Negative Feedback Loops

The most common feedback mechanism where a change in a variable in one direction results in a change in the opposite direction to return to a set point.

Positive Feedback Loops

A less common mechanism where the effector increases the initial stimulus, such as in blood clotting or childbirth.

Stimulus

Occurs when a regulated variable is outside its normal range.

Receptor

A cellular structure that detects information about variables in the environment.

Control Center

Receives information from a receptor and sends signals to effectors.

Effector

Cells or organs that cause a response to return a variable to the normal homeostatic range.

Principle of Complementarity of Structure and Function

The concept that form follows function; structure and function are related at all levels of organization.

Gradient

Present when more of something (temperature, concentration, or pressure) exists in one area than another and the two areas are connected.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space, existing as a solid, liquid, or gas.

Atom

The smallest unit of matter that still retains its original properties.

Protons ($p^+$)

Positively charged subatomic particles located in the nucleus.

Neutrons ($n^0$)

Subatomic particles in the nucleus with a neutral charge.

Electrons ($e^-$)

Negatively charged subatomic particles located outside the nucleus in electron shells.

Octet Rule

The principle that an atom's third electron shell is stable with $8$ electrons.

Atomic Number

Refers to the number of protons that an atom contains.

Atomic Mass

The sum of the number of protons plus the number of neutrons in an atom.

Element

A pure substance consisting of only one type of atom that cannot be broken down by ordinary chemical means.

Isotopes

Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Suspension

A mixture of a liquid and a solid where particles are visible and eventually settle out.

Colloid

A mixture where tiny particles are evenly dispersed, appearing opaque, and do not settle out.

Solution

A homogeneous mixture where a solute dissolves completely in a solvent and particles do not settle out.

Chemical Bond

The force that holds atoms together through the sharing or transferring of electrons.

Molecule

A group of two or more atoms bonded together.

Compound

A type of molecule consisting of atoms from different elements bonded together.

Macromolecule

A large molecule typically composed of repeating structural units called monomers.

Valence Electrons

Electrons in the outermost shell that determine how an atom interacts and forms bonds.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another, creating oppositely charged ions.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons; generally stronger than ionic bonds.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where electrons are shared equally between two atoms.

Polar Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where electrons are shared unequally, resulting in partial positive ($\delta+$) and partial negative ($\delta-$) charges.

Hydrogen Bonds

Weak attractions that form when polar molecules are mixed together and their partial positive and negative ends attract one another.