Chapter 1: Basics of Anatomy & Physiology - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from Chapter 1 lecture notes covering foundational concepts in anatomy and physiology, including levels of organization, directional terminology, body planes, cavities, serous membranes, clinical and anatomical regions, homeostasis, and medical imaging techniques.

Anatomy

The study of biological structures and their physical relationships with other structures

What is the Greek word for anatomy and its meaning

Anatome, to cut up

What is the Greek word for Physiology and its meaning

Physiogia, nature

Physiology

The study of how body structures function and carry out biological processes,

Terminologia Anatomica

The international standard for human anatomical terminology released in 1998 by the FCAT and IFAA, containing approximately 7,500 descriptive anatomical terms.

Terminologia Histologica

The official terminology standard published in 2008 containing 4,745 histology terms.

Surface Anatomy

A branch of anatomy involving the study of anatomical landmarks through surface examination

Palpation

A physical examination technique that involves feeling the body at the surface level, such as feeling lymph nodes during a doctor visit.

Percussion

A surface evaluation technique where sound rebounds from tapping over hollow body organs, such as tapping over the abdomen.

Auscultation

A physical diagnostic technique of listening to internal body sounds or blood flow, such as checking blood pressure (Korotkoff sounds) or listening to heart sounds (lub/dub).

Gross Anatomy

The examination of anatomical structures large enough to be seen with the naked eye without the use of a microscope, such as the heart, brain, and large muscles.

Systemic Anatomy

An anatomical approach that studies the body structure system by system, such as examining the digestive system or endocrine system independently.

Regional Anatomy

An anatomical approach that focuses on the study of all structures situated within one specific region or area of the body.

Microscopic Anatomy

The study of small biological structures that cannot be seen with the naked eye, such as blood cells, neurons, and biome cells.

Pathological Anatomy

The study of how disease causes structural changes in the physical organization of the body.

Developmental Anatomy

The study of structural changes from fertilization through development, including embryology and completion of organogenesis by week 8.

Congenital Defects

Birth defects caused by inherited mutated genes passed from parents, such as hemophilia, color blindness, sickle cell anemia, and type 1 diabetes.

Teratological Defects

Birth defects caused by external environmental factors known as teratogens, including rubella virus, alcohol, cocaine, pesticides, and mercury.

Thalidomide

A drug historically used as a sedative and for morning sickness that acts as a teratogen causing phocomelia (missing limb segments).

Amelia

A congenital condition characterized by the complete absence of limbs.

Osmolarity

The total solute concentration per liter of solution, calculated

$$\text{osmols} = \text{moles} \times \text{\text{\#} of particles

Levels of Structural Organization

The six hierarchical levels of body organization: chemical level, cellular level, tissue level, organ level, system level, and organismal level.

Anatomical Position

The standardized reference position where the person stands erect, eyes gazing forward, arms straight at sides, palms facing forward, fingers extended, legs slightly apart, and feet flat with toes pointed forward.

Sagittal Plane

A vertical plane that divides the body or an organ into right and left sides.

Mid-sagittal Line

A vertical sagittal line passing directly through the umbilicus (navel) that divides the body into equal left and right halves.

Parasagittal Plane

A vertical plane that divides the body into unequal left and right portions.

Coronal Plane

A vertical plane, also termed the frontal plane, that divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) portions.

Transverse Plane

A horizontal plane, also called cross-sectional or horizontal plane, that divides the body into top (superior) and bottom (inferior) portions.

Oblique Plane

A plane that cuts through the body or an organ at an angle other than a right angle relative to horizontal and vertical planes.

Superior

A directional term indicating a position above or toward the top/head; also known as cranial.

Inferior

A directional term indicating a position below or toward the bottom/feet; also known as caudal.

Anterior

A directional term indicating toward the front side or belly side of the body; also known as ventral.

Posterior

A directional term indicating toward the back side or vertebral side of the body; also known as dorsal.

Medial

A directional term meaning toward the midline or middle of the body.

Lateral

A directional term meaning toward the side or away from the midline of the body.

Proximal

A directional term describing a structure closer to the trunk of the body or the point of attachment of a limb.

Distal

A directional term describing a structure farther away from the trunk of the body or the point of attachment of a limb.

Superficial

A directional term meaning closer to the surface of the body.

Deep

A directional term meaning farther away from the surface of the body.

Dorsal Cavity

A closed body cavity located toward the back, containing the cranial cavity (encasing brain) and spinal/vertebral cavity (encasing spinal cord).

Ventral Body Cavity

A closed body cavity located toward the front, divided by the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity and abdominopelvic cavity.

Serous Membrane

A double-layered membrane lining closed ventral cavities that secretes serous fluid between its parietal and visceral layers to reduce organ movement friction.

Parietal Serosa

The outer layer of a serous membrane that lines the inner wall of a ventral body cavity.

Visceral Serosa

The inner layer of a serous membrane that directly covers and encases internal organs (viscera).

Pleura

The serous membrane of the thoracic cavity that encases each lung.

Pericardium

The serous membrane in the thoracic cavity that encases the heart.

Peritoneum

The serous membrane in the abdominopelvic cavity that encases abdominal and pelvic organs.

Retroperitoneal

The anatomical position behind the peritoneum outside the peritoneal sac, characteristic of the kidneys and pancreas.

Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)

A clinical division containing most of the liver, gallbladder, right kidney, right ureter, small portion of pancreas, portion of stomach, small intestine, and portions of transverse/ascending colon.

Epigastric Region

An anatomical region lying superior to the stomach that contains the liver, stomach, pancreas, duodenum, spleen, and adrenal glands.

Homeostasis

The state of dynamic balance maintaining various biological variables within physiological limits, a concept described by Claude Bernard (1849) and named in 1926 by Walter Bradford Cannon.

Negative Feedback Mechanism

A homeostatic control mechanism operating continuously to reverse a stimulus deviation and restore a biological variable back to normal limits (e.g., insulin lowering blood glucose).

Positive Feedback Mechanism

A homeostatic control mechanism that amplifies or enhances the original stimulus, activated occasionally during specific processes (e.g., blood clotting, childbirth, milk ejection reflex).

Conventional radiography

X rays used on hard bony structures

Computed Tomography (CT)

A diagnostic imaging technique using rotating radiation beams to produce detailed cross-sectional views of body structures.

Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR)

A CT-based imaging scanner capable of producing 3D visualizations of rapid organ movements and volume changes during cycles like cardiac contraction.

Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)

A vascular imaging technique that takes radiographs before and after contrast injection, subtracting the initial image to isolate blood vessels and reveal blockages or narrowing.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A functional imaging procedure evaluating cellular metabolic activity by tracking positrons released by a radioactive tracer as they collide with electrons to emit gamma rays.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A non-ionizing imaging technique utilizing powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to generate high-resolution images of soft tissues containing water hydrogen ions ($H^+$).

Ultrasound (US)

A non-radiation imaging modality using high-frequency sound waves that travel through tissues and bounce back as echoes picked up by a transducer to build dynamic moving images.