Human Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, and Homeostasis Review Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic principles of human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry (inorganic/organic compounds, reaction types, carbohydrates), and homeostatic control mechanisms.

Anatomy

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

Physiology

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

Principle of Complementarity of Structure and Function

The principle stating that anatomy and physiology are inseparable because function always reflects structure, meaning what a structure can do depends on its specific form.

Gross Anatomy

The subdivision of anatomy that studies large body structures visible to the naked eye, including regional, systemic, and surface anatomy.

Cytology

The microscopic study of cells.

Histology

The microscopic study of tissues.

Embryology

The subdivision of developmental anatomy that studies structural changes occurring before birth.

Reference Male and Female Values

Standard physiological reference values correspond to a healthy young male weighing $155\text{ lb}$ ($70\text{ kg}$) or a healthy young female weighing $125\text{ lb}$ ($57\text{ kg}$).

Biochemistry

The study of the chemical composition and reactions of living matter.

Inorganic Compounds

Chemical compounds that do not contain carbon (with exceptions such as $CO_2$ and $CO$), including water, salts, and many acids and bases.

Organic Compounds

Carbon-containing molecules that are usually large and covalently bonded, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

High Heat Capacity of Water

The ability of water to absorb and release large amounts of heat with little temperature change, preventing sudden changes in temperature within living cells.

High Heat of Vaporization of Water

The property of water requiring large amounts of heat to evaporate, providing an effective cooling mechanism for the body.

Salts

Ionic compounds that dissociate into separate cations and anions in water, excluding hydrogen ions ($H^+$) and hydroxyl ions ($OH^-$).

Electrolytes

All ions that can conduct electrical currents in solution.

Acids

Proton donors that ionize and dissociate in water, releasing hydrogen ions ($H^+$).

Bases

Proton acceptors that pick up hydrogen ions ($H^+$) in solution and release hydroxyl ions ($OH^-$) when dissolved.

pH

A measurement of hydrogen ion concentration calculated as the negative logarithm of $[H^+]$ in moles per liter, ranging from 0 to 14.

Neutralization Reaction

A displacement reaction in which an acid and a base mix to form a salt and water, such as $HCl + NaOH \rightarrow NaCl + H_2O$.

Buffers

Chemical systems that resist abrupt and large swings in pH by releasing hydrogen ions if pH rises or binding hydrogen ions if pH falls.

Dehydration Synthesis

A synthetic reaction where monomers are joined together covalently by removing an $OH$ group from one monomer and an $H$ from another, releasing a molecule of $H_2O$.

Hydrolysis

A decomposition reaction in which polymers are broken down into monomers by adding a water molecule ($H_2O$), returning an $OH$ group to one monomer and an $H$ to the other.

Monomers

Small, similar chemical units that serve as building blocks for polymers.

Carbohydrates

Organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with a $2:1$ ratio of hydrogen to oxygen, providing an easily used energy source for the body.

Monosaccharides

Simple sugars containing three to seven carbon atoms with the general formula $(CH_2O)_n$, serving as the monomers of carbohydrates.

Disaccharides

Double sugars formed by dehydration synthesis of two monosaccharides (such as sucrose, maltose, and lactose) that are too large to pass through cell membranes.

Polysaccharides

Large, insoluble polymers of monosaccharides formed by dehydration synthesis, including starch in plants and glycogen in animals.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of relatively stable internal conditions despite continuous changes in the environment, representing a dynamic state of equilibrium.

Law of Mass Balance

The principle stating that to maintain a steady state, the total amount of a substance taken in by the body must equal the total amount lost.

Receptor (Sensor)

A homeostatic control component that monitors the environment, detects changes in a variable (stimuli), and sends input to the control center.

Control Center

A homeostatic component that receives input from the receptor, determines the set point, and sends output signals to the effector.

Effector

A homeostatic component (muscle or gland) that receives output from the control center and provides the means to respond to the stimulus.

Negative Feedback

The primary homeostatic control mechanism where the response reduces or shuts off the original stimulus, moving the variable in the opposite direction of initial change.

Positive Feedback

A homeostatic control mechanism where the response enhances or exaggerates the original stimulus, causing the variable to shift in the same direction.

Feedforward Response

An anticipatory physiological response that occurs before an actual change in the internal environment, such as salivation triggered by the smell of food.

Homeostatic Imbalance

A disturbance of homeostasis that increases the risk of disease, contributes to aging-related changes, and can allow destructive positive feedback mechanisms to take over.