Anatomy and Physiology - Tissues, Musculoskeletal & Cardiovascular Systems

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical terminology, body planes, tissue types, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, skeletal muscle structure, cardiac muscle function, and the cardiovascular system based on lecture transcripts.

Anatomical Position

The standard reference position of the body (standing upright, facing forward, arms at sides, palms facing forward) used by healthcare professionals to communicate locations consistently.

Antecubital Fossa

The triangular-shaped depression located on the anterior aspect (in front) of the elbow.

Supine

A body position in which a person is lying flat on their back, facing upward.

Prone

A body position in which a person is lying flat face down.

Forearm Supination

Rotation of the forearm so that the palm faces anteriorly or upward ('palms up').

Forearm Pronation

Rotation of the forearm so that the palm faces posteriorly or downward ('palms down').

Sagittal Plane

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

Frontal Plane

A vertical anatomical plane that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions; also known as the coronal plane.

Transverse Plane

A horizontal anatomical plane that divides the body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions; also known as the horizontal plane.

Medial

Directional term meaning toward the midline or middle of the body.

Lateral

Directional term meaning away from the midline, toward the outer side of the body.

Proximal

Directional term used on appendages meaning closer to the origin or point of attachment to the axial skeleton.

Distal

Directional term used on appendages meaning farther from the origin or point of attachment to the axial skeleton.

Ipsilateral

Term referring to structures located on the same side of the body.

Contralateral

Term referring to structures located on opposite sides of the body.

Extracellular Matrix (ECM)

The non-living material surrounding cells within a tissue, composed of ground substance, fluid, and fibers, that provides structural support and framing.

Epithelial Tissue

A basic tissue class that covers body surfaces, lines hollow organs and cavities, forms glands, and functions in protection, secretion, and absorption.

Tight Junction

An intercellular junction where membranes of adjacent epithelial cells are so closely fused that fluid cannot leak past, found in the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts.

Desmosome

A cell junction providing strong cell-to-cell mechanical adhesion, abundant in tissues subject to high physical stress like the skin and cardiac muscle.

Gap Junction

An intercellular channel connecting adjacent cells that permits direct movement of ions and small molecules for rapid communication and electrical signal flow.

Exocrine Gland

A gland that secretes its products onto an epithelial body surface or into ducts rather than directly into the bloodstream.

Endocrine Gland

A ductless gland that secretes regulatory chemical signals (hormones) directly into the bloodstream.

Areolar Connective Tissue

A loose connective tissue proper containing a gel-like matrix with collagen and elastic fibers, widely distributed beneath epithelia to cushion organs and convey tissue fluid.

Reticular Connective Tissue

A loose connective tissue forming a dark-staining mesh framework (stroma) that supports blood cells in lymphoid organs like the spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow.

Tendon

A dense regular connective tissue structure that connects skeletal muscle to bone to transmit mechanical pulling forces.

Ligament

A dense regular connective tissue structure connecting one bone to an adjacent bone at a joint to provide stability and limit joint range of motion.

Chondrocyte

A mature cartilage cell that resides inside a small cavity called a lacuna and maintains the cartilage matrix.

Hyaline Cartilage

The most abundant cartilage type in the body, featuring an amorphous, glassy matrix that provides smooth, low-friction surfaces for synovial joints, costal cartilages, and respiratory structures.

Fibrocartilage

A tough cartilage type packed with thick, parallel collagen fiber bundles that absorbs compressive shock and resists heavy tensile loads, located in intervertebral discs and knee menisci.

Elastic Cartilage

A highly flexible cartilage type rich in dark elastic fibers that maintains structural shape while allowing great bendability, found in the epiglottis and outer ear pinna.

Chondromalacia

Softening of articular cartilage that precedes osteoarthritis.

Autograft

A surgical tissue graft taken from one part of a patient's body and transplanted to another site on the same individual.

Allograft

A tissue graft transplanted between genetically non-identical individuals of the same species.

Contractility

The inherent ability of all muscle tissue types to shorten their overall length and generate pulling force.

Sarcolemma

The specialized plasma membrane surrounding a muscle fiber (myocyte).

Sarcoplasm

The specialized cytoplasm of a muscle fiber containing myoglobin, organelles, and myofilaments.

Type I Muscle Fiber

A slow-twitch, red skeletal muscle fiber rich in myoglobin, mitochondria, and capillaries, specialized for aerobic endurance activities and fatigue resistance.

Type IIb Muscle Fiber

A fast-twitch, white skeletal muscle fiber with low myoglobin and capillary density, reliant on anaerobic metabolism for quick, explosive force production that fatigues rapidly.

Sarcomere

The functional contractile unit of a myofibril, defined as the segment bounded between two adjacent Z discs.

Epimysium

The outer layer of dense connective tissue surrounding an entire skeletal muscle.

Perimysium

The middle connective tissue layer that bundles individual skeletal muscle fibers into groups called fascicles.

Endomysium

The innermost connective tissue sheath that wraps around each individual muscle fiber.

Hypertrophy

An increase in muscle mass or volume caused by the addition of sarcomeres and expansion of existing muscle cells.

Compartment Syndrome

A condition in which elevated pressure and excess inflammation within a closed fascial compartment compromise local blood flow, sensation, and tissue health.

Rhabdomyolysis

Severe breakdown of damaged skeletal muscle myocytes that causes the release of myoglobin and intracellular chemicals into the bloodstream, posing a life-threatening risk to kidney function.

Mediastinum

The central compartment of the thoracic cavity situated between the lungs that houses the heart and pericardium.

Fibrous Pericardium

The tough, non-elastic outer connective tissue layer of the pericardium that protects and anchors the heart within the chest.

Epicardium

The visceral layer of the serous pericardium that tightly covers the outer surface of the heart wall.

Endocardium

The inner endothelial lining of the heart chambers and valves that maintains a smooth surface to prevent blood clot formation.

Sinoatrial (SA) Node

Specialized auto-impulse generating tissue located in the right atrium that acts as the primary pacemaker of the heart.

Atrioventricular (AV) Node

A specialized node of the cardiac conduction system that briefly interrupts and delays the electrical impulse before ventricular depolarization, ensuring proper rhythmic cardiac pumping.

Systole

The contraction phase of the cardiac cycle in which blood is forcefully ejected from the ventricles into the pulmonary artery and aorta.

Diastole

The relaxation phase of the cardiac cycle during which cardiac chambers fill with blood.

Frank-Starling Law

The physiological principle stating that increased ventricular blood volume stretches cardiac muscle fibers, resulting in a stronger force of myocardial contraction.

Coronary Arteries

Blood vessels originating directly off the ascending aorta above the aortic valve that supply oxygenated blood and nutrients to the myocardium.

Myocardial Infarction

The medical term for a heart attack, characterized by ischemic injury and necrosis of cardiac muscle tissue due to restricted coronary blood flow.

Troponin

A regulatory protein complex associated with actin and myosin filaments whose elevated levels in the bloodstream serve as a cardiac biomarker for myocardial infarction.