Anatomy and Physiology: Organization, Integument, Bones, Cartilage, and Muscle

Vocabulary flashcards covering structural planes, anatomical directions, cellular organelles, skin integument, bone histology, cartilage, and muscle mechanics based on lecture notes.

Coronal (Frontal) Plane

A structural plane that divides the body or an organ into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions.

Transverse Plane

A structural plane that divides the body or an organ into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions.

Sagittal Plane

A structural plane that divides the body or an organ into right and left portions.

Oblique Plane

A structural plane that passes through the body or an organ at an angle between transverse and sagittal or coronal planes.

Anterior (Ventral)

Anatomical direction referring to toward the front of the body.

Posterior (Dorsal)

Anatomical direction referring to toward the back of the body.

Proximal vs. Distal

Anatomical directional terms applied to limbs, where proximal refers to closer to the trunk/point of attachment and distal refers to farther away.

Visceral vs. Parietal

Anatomical directional terms where visceral refers to an inner layer directly covering organ structures and parietal refers to an outer layer lining body cavity walls.

Plasma Membrane

Cellular outer boundary consisting of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins.

Rough ER

Membrane-bound endoplasmic reticulum organelle studded with ribosomes involved in protein synthesis and transport vesicles.

Smooth ER

Membrane-bound endoplasmic reticulum organelle lacking ribosomes, responsible for lipid synthesis and metabolic functions.

Golgi Apparatus

Membrane-bound organelle that processes end products into plasma membrane components, secretory vesicles, and lysosomes in a one-way process.

Mitochondria

The powerhouse of the cell with a double membrane containing cristae, involved in producing ATP and containing its own DNA.

Interphase

The non-mitotic phase of the cell cycle consisting of G1, S, and G2 phases.

Keratinocytes

Epithelial cells of the epidermis that produce keratin and progress through differentiation to form dead corneocytes.

Melanocytes

Epidermal cells located in the stratum basale that produce melanin pigment.

Stratum Basale (Stratum Germinativum)

Deepest layer of the epidermis anchored to the basement membrane, containing keratinocyte stem cells, melanocytes, and tactile cells.

Stratum Spinosum

Epidermal layer located above the stratum basale, containing keratinocytes and Langerhans cells.

Stratum Granulosum

Epidermal layer in which keratinocytes undergo the process of keratinization.

Stratum Corneum

Outermost layer of the epidermis consisting of dead keratinocytes known as corneocytes.

Papillary Layer

Superficial layer of the dermis containing connective tissue, dermal papillae, sensory receptors, and capillaries.

Reticular Layer

Deeper layer of the dermis containing connective tissue and specialized structures including hair follicles and sweat glands.

Arrector Pili Muscle

Smooth muscle associated with a hair follicle that causes hair erection.

Apocrine Sweat Glands

Sudoriferous glands that begin functioning at puberty and secrete into hair follicles in specific locations.

Merocrine Sweat Glands

Abundant sudoriferous glands involved in thermoregulation and body surface secretions.

Subcutaneous Layer (Hypodermis)

Layer located beneath the dermis composed of connective tissues, serving as a site for subcutaneous injections.

Periosteum

Outer connective tissue membrane surrounding the surface of a bone.

Epiphysis

The end region of a long bone containing spongy bone and the epiphyseal line/plate.

Diaphysis

The main tubular shaft of a long bone containing red marrow and a medullary cavity lined by endosteum.

Osteoblasts

Bone-building cells responsible for synthesizing bone extracellular matrix during development and fracture repair hard callus formation.

Osteocytes

Mature bone cells located inside lacunae within the bone matrix.

Osteoclasts

Bone-resorbing cells involved in bone extracellular matrix breakdown and remodeling.

Osteon (Haversian System)

The fundamental structural unit of compact bone, composed of concentric lamellae, lacunae, canaliculi, and a central canal.

Perforating Canals (Volkmann Canals)

Channels in compact bone that run perpendicular to central canals to connect blood and nerve supply.

Trabeculae

Structural meshwork of inter-connecting bony plates found in spongy bone.

Hemopoiesis

The process of blood cell formation that occurs within red bone marrow.

Endochondral Bone Development

Bone formation process where hyaline cartilage forms a temporary model that is gradually replaced by bone tissue.

Chondroblasts

Cartilage-forming cells that produce extracellular matrix elements like fibers and ground substance.

Intercalated Discs

Specialized microscopic junctions connecting individual cardiac muscle cells to coordinate contraction.

Epimysium

Connective tissue layer surrounding an entire skeletal muscle organ.

Perimysium

Connective tissue layer surrounding muscle fascicles within a skeletal muscle.

Endomysium

Innermost connective tissue layer wrapping individual skeletal muscle fibers.

Sarcolemma

The plasma membrane of a muscle fiber cell.

Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

Specialized smooth endoplasmic reticulum in muscle fibers that stores and releases calcium ions for muscle contraction.

Sarcomere

The repeating functional contractile unit of a muscle myofibril delimited by Z-lines.

T-tubules

Transverse invaginations of the sarcolemma that conduct neuromuscular stimulation impulses to trigger calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Motor Unit

A single motor neuron and all the individual skeletal muscle fibers it innervates.

Rigor Mortis

Postmortem muscle state characterized by initial rigidity followed by eventual loss of rigidity.