BIOA02 Module 2 Lecture Notes

Medical Physiology

Focuses on understanding physiological mechanisms related to disease and treatment.

Comparative Animal Physiology

Investigates animal functions and adaptations from a non-human-oriented perspective.

August Krogh Principle

For every question in biology, there is often an ideal system to study it.

Mechanistic Physiology

Seeks to understand organ and cellular mechanisms behind physiological and biochemical processes.

Acclimatisation

A change in physiological function due to moderate-to-long-term exposure to a condition.

Adaptation

Changes that occur over generations due to long-term exposure to environmental conditions.

Feedback Systems

Physiological responses to stimuli; feedback loops can regulate hormone production.

Osmoregulation

The process by which organisms regulate water and ionic balances.

Homeothermy

The maintenance of a stable internal body temperature regardless of external conditions.

Poikilothermy

Thermoregulation where an animal's body temperature fluctuates with environmental temperatures.

Osmoconformers

Animals whose body fluids match the osmotic pressure of their environment.

Thermoneutral Zone

The range of ambient temperatures where metabolic rate remains constant.

Specific Dynamic Action

The increase in metabolic rate associated with feeding.

Diabetes Mellitus

A disease where the body's ability to produce or respond to insulin is impaired.

Asthma

A respiratory condition marked by spasms in the bronchial tubes, causing difficulty in breathing.

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a lung condition that obstructs airflow during breathing.

Melatonin

A hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, produced by the pineal gland.

Calcium Regulation

The process by which calcitonin and parathyroid hormone maintain calcium homeostasis in the body.

Neurohormones

Hormones synthesized and released from neurons that act similarly to circulating hormones.

Gastric Ulcers

Open sores in the stomach lining often caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

Hibernation

A state of inactivity and metabolic depression in endotherms during winter.