Organization and General Plan of the Body & Some Basic Chemistry

Flashcards covering vocabulary from a lecture on the organization and general plan of the body, and basic chemistry.

Anatomy

The study of body structure, including size, shape, composition, and coloration.

Physiology

The study of how the body functions.

Pathophysiology

The study of disorders of functioning.

Inorganic chemicals

Usually simple molecules made of one or two elements other than carbon.

Organic chemicals

Often very complex and always contain the elements carbon and hydrogen.

Cells

The smallest living units of structure and function.

Tissue

A group of cells with similar structure and function.

Organ

A group of tissues precisely arranged so as to accomplish specific functions.

Organ System

A group of organs that all contribute to a particular function.

Metabolism

All of the chemical reactions and physical processes that take place within the body.

Metabolic rate

The speed at which the body produces energy and heat.

Homeostasis

The ability of the body to maintain a relatively stable metabolism and to function normally despite many constant changes.

Negative feedback mechanism

A mechanism in which the body's response reverses the stimulus and keeps some aspect of the body metabolism within its normal range.

Positive feedback mechanism

A mechanism in which the response to the stimulus keeps the sequence of events going; requires an external 'brake' to interrupt it.

Anatomic position

Standing upright facing forward, arms at the sides with palms forward, and the feet slightly apart.

Plane

Imaginary flat surface that separates two portions of the body or an organ.

Section

Cutting the body or an organ in a specific way.

Elements

Simplest chemicals

Atoms

The smallest part of the element

Chemical bond

A force of attraction between positive and negative electrical charges that keeps two or more atoms closely associated with each other to form a molecule.

Ionic Bond

Involves the attraction of ions formed by the loss of one or more electrons by one atom and the gain of the electron(s) by another atom or atoms

Covalent Bond

Involves sharing Electrons between atoms.

Disulfide bond ( also called Disulfide bridge)

A covalent bond formed between two atoms of sulfur, usually within the same large protein molecule.

Hydrogen Bond

Results because of a property of hydrogen atoms. When a hydrogen atom shares its one electron in a covalent bond with another atom, its proton has a slight positive charge and may then be attracted to a nearby oxygen or nitrogen atom, which has a slight negative charge.

Chemical Reaction

A change brought about by the formation or breaking of chemical bonds.

Synthesis reaction

Bonds are formed to join two or more atoms or molecules to make a new compound.

Decomposition reaction

Bonds are broken, and a large molecule is changed to two or more smaller ones.

Acid

Substance that increases the concentration of hydrogen ions in a water solution

Base

A substance that decreases the concentration of H+ ions, which, in the case of water, has the same effect as increasing the concentration of hydroxyl ions (OH–).

pH scale

A scale of values to measure acidity or alkalinity.

Buffer system

A chemical or pair of chemicals that minimizes changes in pH by reacting with strong acids or strong bases to transform them into substances that will not drastically change pH.

Carbohydrates

Serve as sources of energy in cell respiration.

Lipids

Contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; some also contain phosphorus.

Triglycerides forms of True Fats

Storage form for excess food, that is, they are stored energy (potential energy)

Phospholipids

diglycerides with a phosphate group (PO4) in the third bonding site of glycerol

Steroids

structure is very different from that of the other lipids. important because it is made of four rings of carbon and hydrogen

Proteins

Made of smaller subunits or building blocks called amino acids, which all contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Enzymes

Catalysts, which means that they speed up chemical reactions without the need for an external source of energy such as heat.

Nucleic acids

The nucleic acids, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), are large molecules made of smaller subunits called nucleotides.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

A specialized nucleotide that consists of the base adenine, the sugar ribose, and three phosphate groups

Diffusion

The movement of molecules from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration

Osmosis

The diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane

Facilitated diffusion

Molecules move through a membrane from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration, but they need some help to do this

Active transport

Requires the energy of ATP to move molecules from an area of lesser concentration to an area of greater concentration

Filtration

Water and dissolved materials are forced through a membrane from an area of higher pressure to an area of lower pressure

Phagocytosis

Involves a cell engulfing something

Pinocytosis

A stationary cell engulfs small molecules that become adsorbed or attached to their membranes