Cardiovascular and Renal Physiology: Blood Pressure, Vasoconstriction, and Kidney Function

A pharmacist is counseling a patient with hypertension who is starting an ACE inhibitor. The pharmacist explains that this drug works by blocking the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II.

Decreased vasoconstriction → lower blood pressure

Which of the following factor is an active vasoconstrictor?

Angiogensin II

Under resting conditions, which of the following blood vessel(s) has/have the lowest velocity.

Capillaries

Which of the following factor has the BIGGEST impact for blood pressure?

-change of blood viscosity

-change of red blood cell count

-change of blood vessel length change of blood vessel diameter

-change of blood vessel diameter

change of blood vessel diameter

Which of the following event can lead to blood pressure decrease?

Vasodilation

A pharmacist is counseling a group of pharmacy students about the basic strategies to lower blood pressure. The pharmacist explains that blood pressure depends on cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance, and different therapies can target these factors.

Which of the following strategies correctly describes how blood pressure can be lowered?

-Decrease blood volume to reduce cardiac output

-All of the above

-Relax arterial smooth muscle to reduce systemic vascular resistance

-Decrease cardiac contractility to reduce cardiac output

All of the above

A pharmacist is reviewing the lab results of a patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The patient has developed anemia due to decreased stimulation of red blood cell production. The pharmacist explains that this condition occurs because the kidneys are unable to produce sufficient levels of which hormone that stimulates erythropoiesis?

Erythropoietin (EPO)

A pharmacist is reviewing a patient's complete blood count (CBC). The patient has a fever, sore throat, and elevated white blood cell count after being exposed to influenza. The pharmacist explains that the immune system relies on which type of blood cell to mount the primary defense against bacterial and viral infections?

Leukocytes

Which of the following is the reason why RBCs do not utilize TCA cycle for ATP production?

RBCs do not have mitochondria.

Sodium is actively reabsorbed from the renal tubule in which of the following nephron segments?

-all of the above

-proximal tubule

-thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle

-distal tubule

all of the above

At which sites would the concentration of creatinine be expected to be highest? (Note: assume the person is normally hydrated.)

urine

A pharmacist is educating a student about how SGLT2 inhibitors (e.g., empagliflozin) lower blood glucose. The pharmacist explains that in a healthy person not on therapy, glucose is freely filtered at the glomerulus and then reabsorbed in the proximal tubule.

At which nephron site is the tubular fluid glucose concentration normally the highest?

Bowman's capsule

Which nephron segment is responsible for creating a dilute (hypotonic) tubular fluid by reabsorbing solutes without water?

Thick ascending limb of Henle

Which hormone stimulates sodium reabsorption and potassium secretion in the distal nephron (distal tubule and collecting duct)?

Aldosterone

Which part of the nephron is impermeable to water, regardless of hormone influence?

Thick ascending limb of Henley

After a person exhales as forcefully as possible, a small amount of air still remains in the lungs. What is this volume called?

Residual volume

In premature infants, respiratory distress syndrome often occurs because their lungs lack sufficient surfactant. What is the primary function of surfactant in the alveoli?

to lower surface tension and prevent alveolar collapse

65-year-old man with COPD is admitted to the hospital for worsening shortness of breath. His arterial blood gases show:

pH: 7.31

PaCO₂: 58 mmHg (elevated)

PaO₂: 78 mmHg (slightly low)

The respiratory therapist notes that the patient's breathing rate is significantly increased.

Question:Which factor is most responsible for stimulating this patient's increased respiratory rate under normal physiologic control?

Elevated blood PCO₂

A pharmacist is monitoring a patient in the ICU who experienced significant blood loss after surgery. The patient's blood pressure has dropped, and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is activated. Which enzyme initiates the cascade by converting angiotensinogen to angiotensin I?

Renin

A pharmacist is educating a group of students on the body's response to acute hypotension. The pharmacist explains that sympathetic nervous system activation during low blood pressure has what effect on the kidney?

Decreases renal blood flow and increases sodium reabsorption

A pharmacist is counseling a patient newly diagnosed with hypertension and mild edema. The pharmacist explains that diuretics lower blood pressure by acting on the kidney to reduce blood volume, which in turn lowers cardiac output and decreases strain on the heart.

Which of the following best describes the primary strategy by which diuretics lower blood pressure?

Increase sodium and water excretion → reduce blood volume and cardiac output