Topics to Review for the Test
Topics to Review for the Test
Heart Anatomy
Know the superior vena cava, aorta, pulmonary veins, right and left atriums, and ventricles.
Be familiar with tricuspid and bicuspid valves (only these will be tested).
Understand which structures lead to the body and the lungs.
Study the gas exchange structure and its importance during development.
Digestive System
Review a diagram of the digestive system and understand its components.
Respiratory System
Learn the physical and functional differences between bronchi and bronchioles.
Understand the structure and role of gas exchange in the lungs.
Physical and Functional Differences: Bronchi vs. Bronchioles
Bronchi:
Larger, tube-like structures.
Contain cartilage in their walls to keep them open.
Lined with ciliated epithelium and goblet cells to trap and move particles out of the respiratory tract.
Function: Conduct air between the trachea and lungs, acting as the primary air passageways.
Bronchioles:
Smaller, narrower airways that branch off the bronchi.
Lack cartilage; walls are made of smooth muscle, allowing for constriction and dilation.
No goblet cells or cilia in the smallest bronchioles.
Function: Regulate airflow into the alveoli through smooth muscle contraction and relaxation.
Structure and Role of Gas Exchange in the Lungs
Structure of Gas Exchange:
Takes place in the alveoli, which are small air sacs at the end of the bronchioles.
Alveoli are surrounded by capillaries, enabling close contact between blood and air.
The walls of the alveoli are extremely thin (one-cell thick) and made of simple squamous epithelium to allow easy diffusion.
Role of Gas Exchange:
Oxygen (O₂): Diffuses from the air in the alveoli into the blood in the capillaries.
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂): Diffuses from the blood in the capillaries into the air in the alveoli.
This process ensures oxygenation of the blood and removal of carbon dioxide, maintaining proper blood gas levels for cellular function.
Proteins in Plasma
Know the proteins in plasma ranked from greatest to least.
Proteins in Plasma (Ranked Greatest to Least)
Albumin
Most abundant protein in plasma.
Functions: Maintains osmotic pressure and transports hormones, drugs, and ions.
Globulins
Includes alpha, beta, and gamma globulins.
Functions: Involved in immune responses (antibodies), lipid transport, and clotting.
Fibrinogen
Third most abundant.
Functions: Essential for blood clotting (converted to fibrin during coagulation).
Other Proteins
Includes enzymes, hormones, and complement proteins.
Functions: Diverse roles in metabolism, signaling, and immune defense.
Mnemonic to Remember the Order
"A Giant Frog Overeats."
A = Albumin (Most abundant)
G = Globulins (Second)
F = Fibrinogen (Third)
O = Other Proteins (Least abundant)
How to Remember Their Functions
Albumin = "Absorbs and carries stuff"
Absorbs water to maintain osmotic pressure (keeps water in your bloodstream).
Carries hormones, drugs, and ions like a transport truck on a highway.
Memory hook: Think of "Albumin = Absorber & Carrier" — it absorbs water and carries stuff.
Globulins = "Guards and Grease"
Guards the body as part of the immune system (antibodies).
Grease = Lipid transport (fats = grease).
Memory hook: Picture a Globe with a superhero shield protecting it (immune system), and the "globe" is covered in grease (lipid transport).
Fibrinogen = "Fibers for Clotting"
Forms fibers to help with clotting (fibrin is the sticky web that clots blood).
Memory hook: Think of "Fiber Net" catching blood cells like a net to create a blood clot.
Other Proteins = "Odd Jobs"
Includes enzymes, hormones, and complement proteins.
They do all the random stuff (metabolism, signaling, and immune defense).
Memory hook: Imagine a group of "odd job workers" at a construction site — they have no set role, but they do whatever needs to be done.
Full Mnemonic Story
Picture this:
A giant frog named Albumin is driving a big truck (because he absorbs water and carries hormones, drugs, and ions). He drives across a globe that’s covered in grease (Globulins protect the globe and transport lipids).
Suddenly, the truck gets stuck in a fiber net that forms out of nowhere (Fibrinogen creates a clot to stop the truck). The frog calls for help, and a crew of "odd job workers" arrives to help clear the scene (Other Proteins handle random jobs like signaling, metabolism, and immune defense).
Quick Recap
Albumin = Absorbs water & Carries stuff
Globulins = Guards (immune system) & Grease (lipid transport)
Fibrinogen = Forms Fiber Nets (clotting)
Other Proteins = Odd Jobs (enzymes, hormones, complement proteins)
White Blood Cells
Identify the type of white blood cell that becomes most prominent during an infection.
Leukocytes (White Blood Cells):
Protect from infections; function outside bloodstream.
Originate in the bone marrow.
Two main types: Granulocytes (e.g., neutrophils) and Agranulocytes (e.g., lymphocytes).
Platelets: Cell fragments involved in blood clotting.
Types of Leukocytes
Granulocytes (Neutrophils, Eosinophils,Basophils)
Agranulocytes (Lymphocytes, Monocytes)
Mnemonic:
“Never Let Monkeys Eat Bananas”
This represents the relative abundance of leukocytes from most to least abundant:
Neutrophils > Lymphocytes > Monocytes > Eosinophils > Basophils
Brain Anatomy
Be able to label the four lobes of the brain and know their basic functions.
The four lobes of the brain are:
Frontal Lobe
Functions: Decision-making, problem-solving, emotions, personality, voluntary movement, and speech (Broca's area).
Parietal Lobe
Functions: Sensory perception, spatial awareness, touch, pain, and temperature processing.
Temporal Lobe
Functions: Hearing, language comprehension (Wernicke's area), memory, and emotions.
Occipital Lobe
Functions: Visual processing, interpreting visual information from the eyes.
Here’s a way to relate the names of the four lobes of the brain to their functions using associations that connect the name of each lobe to what it controls.
1. Frontal Lobe
Memory Hook:
"Front = Future (thinking ahead)"
Why it works:
Frontal is like the "front" of your head, where you "face" the future.
This lobe is responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, and personality — all things you need to think ahead for.
Movement is also controlled here, and you "move forward" in life.
Speech (Broca's area) is in the frontal lobe, and when you speak, you face forward toward people.
Summary:
Think of facing forward, moving forward, and thinking about the future — all functions of the frontal lobe.
2. Parietal Lobe
Memory Hook:
"Parietal = Physical Perception"
Why it works:
The "P" in Parietal matches with Physical sensations like touch, pain, and temperature.
Imagine "feeling a pair of gloves" on your hands (touch, temperature, and pain) — "PAIR" sounds like "PAR" in Parietal.
Spatial awareness also happens here, and you need to be aware of where your body parts are in space to interact with your environment.
Summary:
Think of a "pair of gloves" to remember that the Parietal Lobe is responsible for processing touch, pain, and spatial awareness.
3. Temporal Lobe
Memory Hook:
"Tempo = Time and Sound"
Why it works:
"Tempo" relates to music, sound, and rhythm, which is controlled by the Temporal Lobe (hearing and sound processing).
The temporal lobe also manages language comprehension (Wernicke’s area) — when you listen to someone talking, you process the tempo of their speech.
Memory is stored here, and memories are tied to moments in time (think "time capsule" = memories).
Summary:
Think of "tempo" (music, time, and sound) — all functions of the Temporal Lobe.
4. Occipital Lobe
Memory Hook:
"Occipital = Optics"
Why it works:
"OCC" sounds like "OCU" from words like ocular (eyes) or optics (vision).
The Occipital Lobe processes all visual information from your eyes.
Imagine a pair of "ocular goggles" on the back of your head, where the occipital lobe is located, and you can "see" things clearly.
Summary:
Link "Occipital" to "Optics" (vision, eyes) — both deal with visual processing.
Complete Mnemonic
To remember the four lobes and their functions, think of:
"Frank's Pair of Tempo Optics"
Frank = Frontal (Forward-thinking, movement, and decision-making)
Pair = Parietal (Touch, pain, spatial awareness, physical sensations)
Tempo = Temporal (Sound, hearing, language, and memory — like tempo in music)
Optics = Occipital (Vision, eyes, visual processing — like optics in glasses)