Cell Membrane Transport Mechanisms and Biosafety Waste Management

Vocabulary flashcards covering cell membrane transport, tonicity, active transport pumps, lethal injection mechanisms, and biosafety waste management guidelines.

Cholesterol

A lipid embedded in the phospholipid bilayer that adds strength and stability while regulating membrane fluidity to keep it from becoming too rigid or too fluid.

Solute

The dissolved substance in a solution.

Solvent

Water, which serves as the medium in a solution.

Osmosis

The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration, following the solute gradient.

Hypotonic Solution

A solution with a lower solute concentration outside the cell than inside, causing water to move into the cell by osmosis, which causes the cell to swell and potentially rupture.

Haemolysis

The destruction or rupturing of red blood cells before their normal 120-day lifespan ends.

Isotonic Solution

A solution with an equal solute concentration inside and outside the cell, resulting in no net water movement and allowing the cell to keep its normal shape.

Hypertonic Solution

A solution with a higher solute concentration outside the cell than inside, causing water to move out of the cell and the cell to shrink.

Crenation

The shrinking of red blood cells when exposed to a hypertonic solution.

Facilitated Diffusion

Passive transport that moves a substance from higher to lower concentration across the membrane without ATP, using a carrier protein or channel whose selectivity depends on size, shape, and charge.

GLUT Transporters

Specific carrier proteins through which glucose enters cells via facilitated diffusion.

Insulin

The primary hormone that signals cells to take up glucose from the blood for energy use or storage.

Diabetes Mellitus

A condition resulting from insufficient or ineffective insulin activity.

Active Transport

A membrane transport process that requires ATP to move substances against their concentration gradient.

Sodium-Potassium Pump

An active transport pump found in essentially all cell membranes that hydrolyzes ATP into ADP + inorganic phosphate, pumping $3\text{ Na}^+$ out of the cell and $2\text{ K}^+$ into the cell per cycle.

PISO

A mnemonic standing for 'Potassium In, Sodium Out' that describes the directional ion movement of the sodium-potassium pump.

Hyperkalemia

Abnormally high blood potassium levels, which primarily affect the heart and cause dangerous arrhythmias.

Hypokalemia

Abnormally low blood potassium levels, which primarily affect the heart and cause dangerous arrhythmias.

Lethal Injection Sequence

A three-step administration consisting of a sedative/anaesthetic to induce unconsciousness, a paralytic agent to stop breathing, and potassium chloride to massively disrupt the $\text{Na}^+/\text{K}^+$ gradient and stop the heart.

Secondary Active Transport

Transport that uses the electrochemical gradient created by primary active transport (like the sodium-potassium pump) rather than direct ATP to move another substance via symport or antiport carriers.

Phagocytosis

A form of endocytosis known as 'cell eating,' such as white blood cells engulfing pathogens or debris.

Pinocytosis

A form of endocytosis known as 'cell drinking,' involving the uptake of extracellular fluid and dissolved solutes.

Bleach Solution Dilution

A $1:10$ ratio consisting of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, which provides effective potency for decontaminating surfaces and spills.

Yellow Waste

The color-coded waste classification for infectious waste, which must be segregated into a yellow bag and incinerated.

Black Waste

The color-coded waste classification for general, non-infectious waste.

Green Waste

The color-coded waste classification for vegetable peelings and biodegradable waste.

Orange Waste

The color-coded waste classification for radioactive waste.

Sharp Waste Disposal

The biosafety requirement that sharp waste must be shredded or grinded first before it is incinerated.