General Physiology - Lecture 1 & 2 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics from General Physiology Lectures 1 & 2, including homeostasis, cell structures and organelles, cell membrane transport mechanisms, body fluid compartments, and blood physiology.

Physiology

The science that seeks to explain the physical and chemical mechanisms that are responsible for the origin, development, and progression of life.

Human Physiology

The science that attempts to explain the specific characteristics and mechanisms of the human body that make it a living being.

Disease

A state of disrupted homeostasis in which homeostatic mechanisms continue to operate and maintain vital functions through multiple compensations.

Negative Feedback

responses opposing initiating stimulus helping return the body toward normal. most control systems of body acts by this.

Positive Feedback

initiating stimulus causing more of the same, leads to instability but it can sometimes be useful. eg. blood clotting

Cell

The basic structural and functional living unit of the body, capable of using oxygen, converting nutrients into energy, and reproducing.

Nucleus

The control center of the cell separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear membrane, containing large quantities of DNA that determine cellular proteins and control reproduction.

Cytoplasm

separated from the surrounding fluids by a cell membrane

Cell Membrane

The thin outer boundary of the cell, also called the plasma membrane, that controls what enters and leaves the cell.

Nuclear Membrane

the membrane surrounding the nucleus

Endoplasmic Reticulum

involved in protein and lipid synthesis and transport

Mitochondria

Membrane-bound organelles known as the powerhouses of the cell that extract energy from nutrients to produce ATP.

Lysosomes

Membrane-bound vesicular organelles formed by breaking off from the Golgi apparatus that contain hydrolytic enzymes for general cellular digestion.

Golgi Apparatus

A membrane-bound organelle working in association with the ER that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and lipids for cellular transport or secretion.

Fluid Mosaic Model

A model describing the cell membrane as a flexible phospholipid bilayer containing proteins, cholesterol, and carbohydrates that can move within or along the membrane.

fluid

molecules in the membrane can move sideways making the membrane flexible

Phospholipid Bilayer

A two-layered membrane structure consisting of polar hydrophilic phosphate heads facing outward and non-polar hydrophobic fatty acid tails facing inward.

Cholesterol

helps stabilize and strengthen the cell membrane

Integral Proteins

protrude all the way throught the membrane

Peripheral Proteins

attached only to one surface and do not penetrate

Glycocalyx

loose carbohyrate coat in the entire outside surface of the cell

Matrix

The inner space of a mitochondrion containing many enzymes required to extract energy from nutrients.

Cytoskeleton

microtubules in the flagellum of sperm and cilium

Cell Cytoskeleton

network of fibrillar proteins organized into filaments or tubules

Secretory Vesicles

Vesicles formed by the Golgi apparatus that store and transport substances to the cell membrane for release outside the cell via exocytosis.

Exocytosis

release of substances from the cell using vesicles

Nucleolus

found inside nucleus, accumulation of large amount of RNA and proteins

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

synthesis of lipid substances

Peroxisomes

catalyze redox reactions

Passive Transport

random molecular movement; uses energy

Simple Diffusion

kinetic movement of molecules; no interaction with carrier proteins

Facilitated Diffusion

Carrier-mediated diffusion; interacts with a carrier protein

Active Transport

movement using a carrier protein; moves molecules uphill against concentration; low to high concentration

Primary Active Transport

uses energy from ATP

Secondary Active Transport

uses energy indirectly from primary active transport

Sodium-Potassium Pump

A primary active transport protein that pumps sodium ($\text{Na}^+$) out of the cell and potassium ($\text{K}^+$) into the cell, maintaining concentration gradients and establishing a negative electrical voltage inside.

Co-Transport

A form of secondary active transport where the diffusion energy of sodium ($\text{Na}^+$) moving down its concentration gradient pulls another substance (such as glucose or amino acids) along with it in the same direction.

Counter-Transport

A form of secondary active transport where the movement of sodium ($\text{Na}^+$) into the cell releases energy to transport another substance (such as calcium or hydrogen ions) out of the cell in the opposite direction.

Intracellular Fluid

fluid of each cell contains almost the same concentration

Extracellular Fluid

interstitial fluid, plasma, transcellular fluid

osmole

number of osmotically active particles in a solution

osmolality

osmodal concentration of a solution

Osmolarity

osmoles / liter of solution

Hematocrit

The percentage of total blood volume occupied by blood cells, normally $40\text{--}50\%$ in males, $37\text{--}48\%$ in females, and $55\%$ in newborns.

Plasma

The liquid portion of blood constituting $55\%$ of whole blood volume, consisting of $98\%$ water, $7\%$ proteins (albumins, globulins, fibrinogen), and $1.5\%$ other solutes.

Hemopoiesis

The process of blood cell formation (erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes) originating from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow.

Serum

The light yellow fluid remaining after blood coagulation, differing from plasma by the absence of fibrinogen.

Diapedesis

The process by which white blood cells change shape and pass through vessel walls into the interstitial fluid.

Chemotaxis

The directional movement of white blood cells toward chemical signals such as metabolic products, antigen-antibody complexes, bacteria, or toxins.

Phagocytosis

The cellular process wherein white blood cells enclose and engulf foreign material, digesting it using intracellular enzymes.

Physiological Hemostasis

The automatic process that stops bleeding from injured blood vessels through vascular constriction, platelet plug formation, and blood coagulation.

Bleeding Time

The duration from the onset of vessel injury until automatic stoppage of bleeding, normally lasting $1\text{--}3\text{ minutes}$.