Gi system flashcards regular

Vocabulary flashcards for gastrointestinal function and related medications in veterinary medicine.

Monogastric

Animals that have a stomach with one compartment, such as dogs and cats.

Ruminants

Animals that chew the cud and have a stomach with four chambers to help digest plant material.

Reticulum

One of the four chambers in a ruminant's stomach that stores chewed plant material.

Rumen

One of the four chambers in a ruminant's stomach where bacteria digest plant material.

Omasum

One of the four chambers in a ruminant's stomach that receives material from the rumen.

Abomasum

The 'true' stomach; the fourth chamber in a ruminant's stomach.

Crop

A pouch on the esophagus of birds where food is stored.

Proventriculus

The stomach of birds where food is mixed with acids.

Ventriculus (Gizzard)

The stomach of birds where food is ground up.

Chyme

The name given to food once it enters an animal’s small intestine.

Peristaltic Waves

Contractions that move chyme through the intestines.

Segmentation

Division of chyme into small sections for mixing in the intestines.

Villi

Small fingerlike projections covering the surface of the intestines to increase absorption.

Mass-action Contraction

Contractions in the colon that move waste matter out of the body (defecation or bowel movement).

Gastrin

A gastrointestinal hormone that helps control the gastrointestinal system through controlling gastric secretions.

Secretin

A gastrointestinal hormone that helps control the gastrointestinal system through emptying the gallbladder.

Cholecystokinin

A gastrointestinal hormone that helps control the gastrointestinal system through controlling gastric emptying.

Emetic Center (Vomiting Center)

A center in the medulla of the brain stem that controls vomiting.

Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone (CRTZ)

A zone connected to the emetic center in the brain that can trigger vomiting.

Emetics

Drugs used to cause vomiting.

Antiemetics

Drugs used to help control vomiting.

Hematemesis

Vomiting of blood.

Melena

Dark, tarry stools in bowel movements.

H2 Receptor Antagonists

A class of antiulcer medications that block the stimulation of H2 receptors to slow or stop acid production.

Proton-Pump Inhibitors

A class of antiulcer medications that bind irreversibly to the proton pump to stop acid production.

Antacids

A class of antiulcer medications that bind directly with acid in the stomach and neutralize it locally, but don’t decrease the production of new acid.

Gastromucosal Protectants

A class of antiulcer medications that become a paste when ingested and coat stomach ulcers to promote healing.

Prostaglandin E-1 Analogs

A class of antiulcer medications that work by inhibiting secretion of acid from the parietal cell and are also protective of the stomach lining.

Diarrhea

The passage of loose or liquid stools.

Hypermotility

Greater-than-normal movement in the gastrointestinal tract.

Hypomotility

Less-than-normal movement in the gastrointestinal tract.

Antidiarrheals

Drugs used to control diarrhea.

Laxatives

Drugs used to loosen the bowel contents and encourage their expulsion from the body.

Cathartics/Purgatives

Laxatives with a strong effect.

GI Prokinetics/Stimulants

Drugs that increase the motility of part of the gastrointestinal system to increase the speed of materials through the tract.

Enteroliths

Growths around small objects trapped in the intestines

SLUD

Salivation, lacrimation (excessive tears), urination, defecation.

Probiotics

Contribute to good health by contributing beneficial bacteria to the gastrointestinal system.

Appetite stimulants

Used in cats and dogs with loss of appetite due to disease, including cancers.