Human Anatomy and Physiology - Flashcards (100)

100-question set covering foundational concepts from the provided lecture notes on human anatomy and physiology.

1. What does anatomy study?

The structure of the body parts and their relations to one another.

2. What does physiology study?

The function of the body parts and how they work, including chemical and physical processes.

3. What does the prefix ANA mean in anatomy?

Apart.

4. What does the suffix TOMY mean (from Greek)?

To cut or to dissect.

5. How are anatomy and physiology described in relation to each other?

They are complimentary; structure dictates function.

6. Give an example of how structure relates to function (brain).

Brain is located in the upper part of the body, protected by the skull, and its delicate structure relates to its complex functions.

7. What are the benefits of studying anatomy and physiology for patient care?

Helps care for clients more effectively and identify abnormal signs and symptoms.

8. What is a sign in clinical terms?

Manifestation of disease that is perceived by the physician; objective (e.g., lab results).

9. What is a symptom in clinical terms?

Manifestation of disease perceived by the patient; subjective.

10. What is gross or macroscopic anatomy?

Parts visible to the naked eye; regional, surface, and systemic anatomy.

11. What is microscopic anatomy.

Aided with microscopes; cytology (cells) and histology (tissues).

12. What is developmental anatomy called?

Embryology; study of fetal development and changes before death.

13. Name a level of physiology.

Cell physiology (also systemic, neurophysiology, cardiovascular, exercise physiology).

14. How are anatomy and physiology related at the organ level?

Structure determines function; e.g., lungs exchange gases due to thin walls, while the heart pumps blood via muscular chambers.

15. What is the chemical level in structural organization?

Study of atoms and molecules; interactions form molecules and organelles.

16. What is the cellular level?

Cells are the basic structural and functional units; about 200 cell types.

17. What is the tissue level?

A tissue is composed of similar cells and surrounding materials; four primary tissues: epithelial, connective, muscle, nervous.

18. What is the organ level?

An organ is made of two or more tissue types that perform one or more functions.

19. What is the organ system level?

A group of organs that together perform a common function.

20. What is the organism level?

Any living thing considered as a whole; humans are a complex organism dependent on organ systems.

21. What does the integumentary system include and do?

Hair, skin, nails; protects, synthesizes vitamin D, houses receptors; contains sweat and oil glands.

22. What are the primary components of the skeletal system?

Bones and joints; protects and supports organs; forms framework for movement; bone marrow forms blood; stores minerals.

23. What is the main function of the muscular system?

Allows manipulation of the environment, locomotion, posture, heat production; includes skeletal muscle.

24. What is the primary role of the nervous system?

Fast-acting control system; responds to internal and external changes by activating muscles and glands.

25. What does the endocrine system do, in general?

Glands secrete hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, and metabolism.

26. What is the pituitary gland commonly known as?

The master gland that regulates other endocrine glands by releasing hormones; releases oxytocin during labor.

27. What is the cardiovascular system responsible for?

Transports blood through vessels; the heart pumps blood; carries oxygen, nutrients, wastes.

28. What is the lymphatic system’s role in immunity?

Picks up fluid from tissues and returns it to blood; houses lymphocytes; immune response against foreign substances.

29. What is the primary function of the respiratory system?

Keeps blood supplied with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide via gas exchange in the lungs.

30. What does the digestive system do?

Breaks down food into absorbable units that enter the blood for distribution to cells.

31. What is the urinary system’s main function?

Eliminates nitrogenous wastes and regulates water, electrolytes, and acid-base balance.

32. What is the male reproductive system’s overall function?

Production of offspring; testes produce sperm and hormones; ducts/glands aid in delivery.

33. What is the female reproductive system’s overall function?

Production of eggs and hormones; sites for fertilization and fetal development; mammary glands nourish newborns.

34. How do the nervous and muscular systems coordinate movement?

Nervous system sends signals to muscles; muscles contract; brain processes sensory input to adjust movement.

35. Why is homeostasis important?

Maintenance of relatively stable internal conditions essential for function.

36. What is negative feedback, in simple terms?

A mechanism that reduces the effect of a stimulus to restore balance.

37. Give an example of a negative feedback process.

Regulation of body temperature, breathing rate, or blood glucose levels.

38. What is positive feedback?

A mechanism in which the response increases the deviation from the set point; e.g., labor contractions, blood clotting.

39. What are the three components of negative feedback?

Receptor, control center, and effector.

40. What is a cell?

The basic unit of structure and function; about 200 cell types; made of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and trace elements.

41. What are the three main parts of a cell?

Plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus.

42. What is the plasma membrane’s role?

Outer boundary that interacts with the environment; controls entry/exit; contains receptors and markers.

43. What is the nucleus and its function?

Control center of the cell; contains DNA; enclosed by a double membrane with pores.

44. What are ribosomes and where are they located?

Sites of protein synthesis; composed of rRNA and proteins; can be free or attached to rough ER.

45. What is the rough endoplasmic reticulum responsible for?

Synthesizes proteins and transports them to the Golgi apparatus.

46. What does the smooth endoplasmic reticulum do?

Manufactures lipids and carbohydrates; detoxifies; stores calcium.

47. What is the Golgi apparatus’s role?

Modifies, packages, and distributes proteins and lipids for secretion or internal use.

48. What is the function of lysosomes?

Contain digestive enzymes for breakdown of materials.

49. What do peroxisomes do?

Degrade lipids and amino acids; break down hydrogen peroxide.

50. What are proteasomes?

Tubelike protein complexes that degrade proteins in the cytoplasm.

51. What is the mitochondrion’s primary function?

Major site of ATP synthesis; energy production with a double membrane and cristae.

52. What are centrioles responsible for?

Centers for microtubule formation; determine cell polarity during division; form basal bodies of cilia/flagella.

53. What are cilia used for?

Move materials over the surface of cells.

54. What is the function of the flagellum in humans?

Propels spermatozoa.

55. What are microvilli?

Extensions that increase surface area for absorption and secretion.

56. What is the composition of the cell membrane?

Lipid bilayer with cholesterol, glycolipids, and proteins.

57. What is cytoplasm?

The semi-liquid inside the cell where organelles are suspended.

58. What is the primary genetic material that the nucleus contains?

DNA and RNA; DNA controls protein synthesis.

59. What is the cell cycle?

Ordered sequence of events from cell formation to division.

60. Do all cells divide at the same rate?

No; rates vary (e.g., red blood cells quick; neurons typically do not divide after fetal development).

61. What stimulates cell division?

Growth factors and other signals; density-dependent inhibition and anchorage dependence regulate division.

62. What is gene expression?

Process by which information from a gene directs protein synthesis.

63. What are the two main steps of gene expression?

Transcription and translation.

64. What is a gene?

A DNA sequence that codes for a protein or RNA.

65. Where does transcription occur and what does it produce?

In the nucleus; produces mRNA based on DNA.

66. What is RNA polymerase’s role?

Enzyme that links complementary RNA bases to the DNA during transcription.

67. What is translation?

Converting copied information into a protein at the ribosome.

68. Which types of RNA are involved in translation?

tRNA and rRNA (along with mRNA).

69. What does tRNA do?

Carries amino acids and matches its anticodon to mRNA codons during protein synthesis.

70. What is a codon?

Three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that codes for an amino acid.

71. What is an anticodon?

Three-nucleotide sequence on tRNA that pairs with a codon.

72. Which codon starts protein synthesis and what amino acid does it code for?

Start codon AUG; codes for methionine.

73. What signifies termination of protein synthesis?

A stop codon on mRNA signals the end of the protein.

74. What is the result of translation?

A chain of amino acids (polypeptide) that folds into a functional protein.

75. How is DNA related to mRNA in the process of protein synthesis?

DNA serves as the template; mRNA is the copied messenger used for protein assembly.

76. What are noncoding DNA segments?

Some DNA is noncoding and not activated in gene expression.

77. What is the difference between DNA and RNA in base pairing?

DNA uses thymine; RNA uses uracil (A pairs with U in RNA transcription).

78. What are the three main nutrient categories mentioned as survival needs?

Nutrients, oxygen, and water.

79. What percentage of body weight is water in adults?

About 60% of body weight; total body water around 60-70%.

80. Why is water essential in physiology?

Participates in metabolic and physiological processes; regulates temperature; lubricates joints; dissolves nutrients.

81. What is normal body temperature and its significance?

Approximately 98.6°F (37°C); critical for enzyme activity; deviations can cause problems.

82. What is atmospheric pressure’s role in physiology?

Supports gas exchange; helps keep respiratory processes functioning across different altitudes.

83. What is homeostasis disruption often due to?

Imbalance in the body’s regulatory mechanisms.

84. What does negative feedback stabilize?

Stabilizes the system by reducing the deviation from a set point.

85. What is the difference between receptors, control centers, and effectors in negative feedback?

Receptors detect changes, control centers process information and set a point, effectors carry out responses.

86. What is the importance of interstitial fluid?

Fluid outside cells; provides nutrients and a medium for exchange between blood and cells.

87. What are the four primary tissue types?

Epithelial, connective, muscle, nervous.

88. What governs diffusion and osmosis in passive transport?

Concentration gradients drive diffusion; water moves by osmosis; no ATP needed.

89. What is diffusion?

Movement of solutes from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration.

90. What is osmosis?

Diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane, often via aquaporins.

91. What is facilitated diffusion?

Diffusion that requires carrier or channel proteins but no ATP.

92. What is the difference between channel and carrier proteins?

Channel proteins provide passageways; carrier proteins bind and ferry substances across.

93. What is tonicity?

The ability of a solution to affect cell shape by influencing water movement (isotonic, hypertonic, hypotonic).

94. What is primary active transport?

Direct use of ATP to move substances against their concentration gradient (e.g., Na+/K+ pump, Ca2+ pump, H+ pump).

95. What is secondary active transport?

Uses the gradient created by primary active transport to move other substances; examples include symport and antiport mechanisms.

96. What is Na+/glucose co-transport an example of?

Secondary active transport (cotransport) moving glucose with sodium.

97. What is vesicular transport?

Movement of fluids/large particles across membranes via vesicles; includes exocytosis and endocytosis.

98. What are the types of endocytosis?

Phagocytosis (cell eating), pinocytosis (cell drinking), and receptor-mediated endocytosis.

99. What is differentiation in cellular terms?

The process by which cells become specialized in structure and function.

100. What is apoptosis?

Programmed cell death, a controlled process to adjust cell numbers.