A&P Lecture 1 and 2 Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental human anatomy, physiological system functions, homeostasis, and essential biochemical concepts from PET3322.

Anatomy

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

Physiology

The study of the function of body parts and how they work to carry out life-sustaining activities.

Contractility

Movement occurring at the cellular level.

Responsiveness

The ability of an organism or system to sense and respond to stimuli.

Digestion

The breakdown of ingested foodstuffs, followed by the absorption of simple molecules into the blood.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions that occur in body cells, comprising both catabolism (breakdown) and anabolism (synthesis).

Excretion

The removal of metabolic and digestive wastes from the body, such as urea, carbon dioxide, and feces.

Integumentary System

Organ system that forms the external body covering, protects deeper tissues, synthesizes vitamin D, and houses cutaneous receptors and sweat/oil glands.

Nervous System

Fast-acting control system of the body that responds to internal and external changes by activating appropriate muscles and glands.

Muscular System

Organ system that allows manipulation of the environment, locomotion, facial expression, maintains posture, and produces heat.

Skeletal System

Organ system that protects and supports body organs, provides a framework for muscle movement, forms blood cells within bones, and stores minerals such as $\text{Ca}^{2+}$.

Cardiovascular System

Organ system consisting of the heart and blood vessels that pumps and transports blood carrying oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and wastes.

Lymphatic System

Organ system that picks up fluid leaked from blood vessels, disposes of debris, houses white blood cells (lymphocytes), and mounts attacks against foreign substances.

Respiratory System

Organ system that keeps blood constantly supplied with oxygen, removes carbon dioxide, and conducts gas exchange through lung air sacs.

Endocrine System

Organ system made of glands that secrete hormones regulating processes such as growth, reproduction, and nutrient metabolism by body cells.

Digestive System

Organ system that breaks down food into absorbable units that enter the blood for distribution to cells, and eliminates indigestible matter as feces.

Urinary System

Organ system that eliminates nitrogenous wastes and regulates water, electrolyte, and acid-base balance of the blood.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of relatively stable internal conditions despite continuous changes in the environment.

Receptor

Sensor component of homeostatic control that monitors the environment and detects stimuli.

Control Center

Component of homeostatic control that determines the set point, receives input from receptors, and determines appropriate responses.

Effector

End organ (generally a muscle or gland) that receives output from the control center and provides the means to respond to a stimulus.

Negative Feedback

The most-used homeostatic mechanism where the response reduces or shuts off the original stimulus, moving the variable in the direction opposite to initial change.

Positive Feedback

Feedback mechanism where the response enhances or exaggerates the original stimulus, causing the variable to continue in the same direction as the initial change.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

Energy

The capacity to do work or put matter into motion.

Chemical Energy

Form of energy stored in the bonds of chemical substances.

Electrical Energy

Form of energy resulting from the movement of charged particles.

Mechanical Energy

Form of energy directly involved in moving matter.

Radiant Energy

Form of energy that travels in waves, including heat, visible light, ultraviolet light, and X-rays.

Kinetic Energy

Energy in action.

Potential Energy

Stored, inactive energy that has the capacity to be transformed into action.

Element

A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical methods.

Atom

Unique building block of an element and the smallest particle of an element that retains its specific physical and chemical properties.

Molecule

Two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.

Compound

A molecule composed of two or more different kinds of atoms bonded together.

Reactants

Substances that enter into a chemical reaction together.

Products

The resulting chemical end products formed by a chemical reaction.

Synthesis Reaction

An anabolic chemical reaction in which smaller atoms or molecules combine to form a larger, more complex molecule ($A + B \rightarrow AB$).

Decomposition Reaction

A catabolic chemical reaction in which bonds in a larger molecule are broken to yield smaller molecules or constituent atoms ($AB \rightarrow A + B$).

Exchange Reaction

A reaction involving both synthesis and decomposition where bonds are both made and broken ($AB + C \rightarrow AC + B$).

Catalysts

Substances that increase the rate of chemical reactions without being chemically changed or becoming part of the product.

Organic Compounds

Covalently bonded, carbon-containing compounds that are typically large, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Inorganic Compounds

Compounds that generally do not contain carbon, such as water, salts, acids, and bases.

Dehydration Synthesis

Chemical reaction where monomers are joined into polymers accompanied by the release of a water molecule.

Hydrolysis

Chemical reaction in which polymers are broken down into monomers by adding a water molecule to the broken bonds.

Monosaccharides

Single sugar molecules that serve as the fundamental building blocks (monomers) of carbohydrates.

Triglycerides

Neutral fats composed of three fatty acid chains bonded to a glycerol molecule, functioning in energy storage, insulation, and protection.

Phospholipids

Modified triglycerides composed of glycerol, two fatty acids, and a phosphorus-containing group, possessing a polar hydrophilic head and nonpolar hydrophobic tails.

Steroids

Lipids consisting of four interlocking ring structures, exemplified by cholesterol.

Eicosanoids

Lipids derived from arachidonic acid in cell membranes, including prostaglandins, that play roles in blood clotting, blood pressure control, inflammation, and labor.

Fibrous Proteins

Structural, strand-like, water-insoluble, stable proteins that provide mechanical support and tensile strength (e.g., collagen, keratin).

Globular Proteins

Functional, compact, spherical, water-soluble proteins that possess specific active sites (e.g., enzymes, antibodies, hormones).

Enzymes

Globular proteins that act as biological catalysts by lowering the activation energy required for chemical reactions.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

An adenine-containing RNA nucleotide with two additional phosphate groups that directly powers chemical work and reactions within body cells.