Anatomy and Physiology Fundamentals

Flashcards covering anatomy and physiology definitions, structural levels, life processes, homeostasis, 11 body systems, body positions, regional/directional terminology, body planes, cavities, abdominopelvic divisions, and anatomical movements.

What is anatomy?

Anatomy is the science of body structures and the relationships among structures.

What is embryology?

The study of the first eight weeks of development after fertilization.

What is developmental biology?

The study of the complete development of an individual from fertilization.

What is cell biology?

The study of cellular structure and functions.

What is histology?

The study of microscopic structure of tissues.

What is gross anatomy?

The study of structures that can be examined without a microscope.

What is systemic anatomy?

The study of the structure of specific systems of the body such as the nervous or respiratory system.

What is regional anatomy?

The study of specific regions of the body such as the head or chest.

What is surface anatomy?

The study of surface markings of the body to understand internal anatomy through visualization and palpation.

What is radiographic anatomy?

The study of body structures that can be visualized with techniques such as x-rays, MRI, and CT scans.

What is pathological anatomy?

The study of structural changes associated with diseases (gross to microscopic).

What is physiology?

Physiology is the science of body functions.

What is neurophysiology?

The study of functional properties of nerve cell.

What is endocrinology?

The study of hormones and how they control body functions.

What is cardiovascular physiology?

The study of functions of the heart and blood vessels.

What is immunology?

The study of the body's defenses against disease-causing agents.

What is respiratory physiology?

The study of functions of the air passageways and lungs.

What is renal physiology?

The study of functions of the kidneys.

What is exercise physiology?

The study of changes in cell and organ functions due to muscular activity.

What is pathophysiology?

The study of functional changes associated with disease and aging.

What are the six levels of structural organization in the human body?

Chemical level, cellular level, tissue level, organ level, system level, and organismal level.

What is defined at the chemical level of structural organization?

It includes atoms (smallest units) and molecules (two or more atoms joined together).

What is defined at the cellular level of structural organization?

Molecules combine to form cells, which are the basic structural and functional units of a living organism.

What is a tissue?

Tissues are groups of cells and the materials surrounding them that work together to perform a particular function.

What is an organ?

Organs are composed of two or more different types of tissues, have specific functions, and usually have recognizable shapes.

What is a system level in body organization?

A system consists of related organs with a common function.

What is an organism?

An organism is any living individual.

What are the six basic life processes described in the lecture?

Metabolism, responsiveness, movement, growth, differentiation, and reproduction.

What is metabolism?

Metabolism is the sum of all chemical processes that occur in the body.

What is responsiveness?

Responsiveness is the body's ability to detect and respond to changes.

What does movement include as a basic life process?

Motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, and even tiny structures inside cells.

What is growth?

Growth is an increase in body size that results from an increase in the size of existing cells, an increase in the number of cells, or both.

What is differentiation?

Differentiation is the development of a cell from an unspecialized to a specialized state.

What does reproduction refer to in human life processes?

Reproduction refers either to the formation of new cells for tissue growth or the production of a new individual.

What is homeostasis?

Homeostasis is the condition of equilibrium in the body's internal environment due to the constant interaction of the body's many regulatory processes.

What are the three basic components of a feedback system?

A receptor, a control center, and an effector.

What process is illustrated in this diagram?

A feedback system where a stimulus disrupts a controlled condition, monitored by receptors sending input via afferent pathway to a control center, which sends output via efferent pathway to effectors to produce a response.

What is the function of a receptor in a feedback system?

A receptor is a body structure that monitors changes in a controlled condition and sends input to a control center via an afferent pathway.

What is the role of a control center in homeostasis?

A control center, such as the brain, receives input from receptors, evaluates it, and sends commands through an efferent pathway when needed to maintain a controlled condition within a normal range.

What is an effector?

An effector is a body structure that receives output from the control center and produces a response or effect that changes the controlled condition.

What is the difference between negative and positive feedback?

In a negative feedback system, the response reduces a change, whereas in a positive feedback system, the response increases it.

What are the 11 body systems of the human organism?

Integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems.

What are the components and functions of the integumentary system?

Components: skin, hair, fingernails, toenails, sweat glands, and oil glands. Functions: protects body, regulates body temperature, eliminates wastes, helps make vitamin D, detects sensations, stores fat, and provides insulation.

What are the components and functions of the skeletal system?

Components: bones, joints, and associated cartilages. Functions: supports/protects body, provides muscle attachment surface, aids movements, houses blood cell-producing cells, and stores minerals and lipids.

What are the components and functions of the muscular system?

Components: skeletal muscle tissue, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle. Functions: participates in body movements, maintains posture, and produces heat.

What are the components and functions of the nervous system?

Components: brain, spinal cord, nerves, and special sense organs. Functions: generates action potentials, detects/interprets internal and external changes, and responds via muscle contractions or glandular secretions.

What glands make up the endocrine system?

Pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thymus, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries, and testes.

What are the components and functions of the lymphatic system?

Components: lymphatic fluid, vessels, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, tonsils, and B/T cells. Functions: returns proteins/fluid to blood, carries lipids from GI tract, and contains sites of B cell and T cell maturation and proliferation.

What are the functions of the cardiovascular system?

Pumps blood through vessels; carries oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and wastes; regulates acid-base balance and temperature; maintains water content; defends against disease; and repairs damaged blood vessels.

What are the components and functions of the respiratory system?

Components: lungs and air passageways (pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchial tubes). Functions: transfers oxygen to blood and carbon dioxide from blood, regulates acid-base balance, and produces vocal sounds.

What organs form the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs of the digestive system?

GI tract organs: mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, anus. Accessory organs: salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, pancreas.

What are the components and functions of the urinary system?

Components: kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, urethra. Functions: produces/stores/eliminates urine, eliminates wastes, regulates blood volume and chemical composition, maintains acid-base and mineral balance, and regulates red blood cell production.

What are the male and female components of the reproductive system?

Female: ovaries, uterine (fallopian) tubes, uterus, vagina, mammary glands. Male: testes, epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate, penis.

What is the standard anatomical position?

Subject stands erect, facing the observer with head level, eyes facing directly forward, lower limbs parallel with feet flat on the floor and directed forward, and upper limbs at the sides with palms turned forward.

What is the difference between supine and prone positions?

Supine position is lying face-up; prone position is lying facedown.

What are the major regions into which the human body is divided?

Head, neck, trunk, upper limbs, lower limbs, and groin.

What is the groin?

The area on the front surface of the body marked by a crease on each side, where the trunk attaches to the thighs.

What are the anatomical terms for armpit, arm, front of elbow, forearm, wrist, and palm?

Axillary (armpit), brachial (arm), antecubital (front of elbow), antebrachial (forearm), carpal (wrist), and palmar (palm).

What are the anatomical terms for thigh, knee (anterior surface), leg, ankle, and foot?

Femoral (thigh), patellar (anterior surface of knee), crural (leg), tarsal (ankle), and pedal (foot).

What are the anatomical terms for shoulder blade, back, loin, buttock, hollow behind knee, calf, sole, and heel?

Scapular (shoulder blade), dorsal (back), lumbar (loin), gluteal (buttock), popliteal (hollow behind knee), sural (calf), plantar (sole), and calcaneal (heel).

What does Superior (cephalic/cranial) mean?

Toward the head, or the upper part of a structure.

What does Inferior (caudal) mean?

Away from the head, or the lower part of a structure.

What does Anterior (ventral) mean?

Nearer to or at the front of the body.

What does Posterior (dorsal) mean?

Nearer to or at the back of the body.

What does Medial mean?

Nearer to the midline (divides the body into equal right and left sides).

What does Lateral mean?

Farther from the midline.

What does Intermediate mean?

Between two structures.

What directional terms are depicted in this image?

Ipsilateral (on the same side of the body as another structure) and Contralateral (on the opposite side of the body from another structure).

What do Proximal and Distal mean?

Proximal means nearer to the origination of a structure; Distal means farther from the origination of a structure.

What is the difference between Superficial and Deep?

Superficial (external) means toward or on the surface of the body; Deep (internal) means away from the surface of the body.

What is a sagittal plane, and how do midsagittal and parasagittal planes differ?

A sagittal plane is a vertical plane dividing the body/organ into right and left sides. A midsagittal (median) plane lies exactly in the midline dividing it into equal sides, while a parasagittal plane divides it into unequal right and left sides.

Which body planes are illustrated in this diagram?

Sagittal plane, coronal (frontal) plane, and transverse plane.

What is a frontal or coronal plane?

Divides the body/organ into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions.

What is a transverse plane?

Divides the body/organ into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions; also called cross-sectional or horizontal plane.

What is an oblique plane?

Passes through the body/organ at an oblique angle (diagonally between horizontal and vertical planes).

What are the subdivisions of the dorsal body cavity?

Cranial cavity (encases the brain) and Vertebral/spinal cavity (encloses the spinal cord).

What fluid-filled spaces are located in the thoracic cavity?

Pleural cavities (fluid-filled spaces around each lung) and Pericardial cavity (fluid-filled space surrounding the heart).

What organs are contained in the abdominal and pelvic cavities?

Abdominal cavity: stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, and most of large intestine. Pelvic cavity: urinary bladder, portions of large intestine, and internal reproductive organs.

What is a serous membrane and its two layers?

A slippery, double-layered membrane that does not open directly to the exterior. It consists of parietal serosa (lines cavity walls) and visceral serosa (covers viscera).

What are the four abdominopelvic quadrants shown in this diagram?

Right upper quadrant (RUQ), left upper quadrant (LUQ), right lower quadrant (RLQ), and left lower quadrant (LLQ).

What are the nine abdominopelvic regions depicted in this diagram?

Right hypochondriac region, epigastric region, left hypochondriac region, right lumbar region, umbilical region, left lumbar region, right iliac (inguinal) region, hypogastric (pubic) region, and left iliac (inguinal) region.

What are flexion and extension?

Flexion is bending of ventral surfaces with formation of an angle. Extension is when ventral surfaces move away from each other.

What are abduction and adduction?

Abduction is moving away from the midline. Adduction is moving toward the midline.

What is circumduction?

Combined rotatory movements involving flexion/extension with abduction/adduction.

What is the difference between medial rotation and lateral rotation?

Medial rotation is moving the ventral surface toward the midline. Lateral rotation is moving the ventral surface away from the midline.

What are elevation, depression, protraction, and retraction?

Elevation is moving up. Depression is moving down. Protraction is moving anteriorly. Retraction is moving posteriorly.

What are pronation and supination?

Pronation is medial rotation of the forearm, so the palm faces backwards. Supination is lateral rotation of the forearm, so the palm faces forwards.

What are plantar flexion and dorsiflexion?

Plantar flexion is as standing on toe tips. Dorsiflexion is as standing on the heel.

What are inversion and eversion of the foot?

Inversion is movement of the foot so that the sole faces inwards. Eversion is movement of the foot so that the sole faces outwards.

What ocular movements are depicted in this diagram?

Intorsion (incycloduction) and extorsion (excycloduction), which are rotations of the eyeball around the antero-posterior axis passing through the pupil.

What is opposition?

Opposition is the movement by which the tip of the thumb touches the tips of the other fingers.