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Anatomy & Physiology Basics

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  • What is anatomy?

    Anatomy is the study of the structure and shape of the body and its parts.

  • What is physiology?

    Physiology is the study of the function of the body parts and how they work together.

  • How are anatomy and physiology related?

    They are related because the structure of a body part (anatomy) often determines its function (physiology).

  • What is palpation in healthcare assessment?

    Palpation is examining the body by touching to assess condition or abnormalities.

  • What is auscultation?

    Auscultation is listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually with a stethoscope.

  • What is percussion in physical assessment?

    Percussion is tapping on a body surface to listen to the resulting echo to assess underlying structures.

  • Order the levels of body organization from smallest to largest.

    Atom < Cell < Tissue < Organ < Organ system < Organism

  • Name the 11 body systems (initial letters).

    D, R, S, L, I, M, C, U, R, E, N (e.g., Digestive, Respiratory, Skeletal, etc.)

  • What is the anatomical position?

    Body is upright, facing forward, arms at sides, palms facing forward.

  • What are the four abdominal quadrants?

    Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ), Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ), Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ), Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

  • What does 'anterior' mean in anatomical directional terms?

    Anterior means towards the front of the body.

  • What does 'posterior' mean?

    Posterior means towards the back of the body.

  • Define 'superior' and 'inferior'.

    Superior means towards the head; Inferior means towards the feet.

  • What do 'medial' and 'lateral' mean?

    Medial means towards the midline of the body; Lateral means away from the midline.

  • Explain 'proximal' and 'distal'.

    Proximal means closer to the point of attachment to the trunk; Distal means farther from it.

  • What do 'superficial' and 'deep' mean?

    Superficial means towards or on the surface of the body; Deep means away from the surface.

  • Define 'ipsilateral' and 'contralateral'.

    Ipsilateral means on the same side of the body as another structure; Contralateral means on the opposite side.

  • What are the three main body planes?

    Frontal (divides front and back), Sagittal (divides left and right), Transverse (divides top and bottom).

  • What does the frontal plane divide?

    The body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) parts.

  • What does the sagittal plane divide?

    The body into left and right parts.

  • What does the transverse plane divide?

    The body into superior (top) and inferior (bottom) parts.

  • Name the three major trunk body cavities.

    Thoracic cavity, Abdominal cavity, Pelvic cavity.

  • What separates the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities?

    The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominopelvic cavity.

  • What are the subdivisions of the thoracic cavity?

    Pleural cavities (lungs), Pericardial cavity (heart), and the mediastinum (central area).

  • What organs are in the abdominal cavity?

    Liver, spleen, stomach, intestines.

  • What organs are in the pelvic cavity?

    Bladder and reproductive organs.

  • What are serous membranes?

    Membranes with two layers: parietal (outer) and visceral (inner), with serous fluid between to reduce friction.

  • Name the three serous membrane cavities.

    Pleura (lungs), Pericardium (heart), Peritoneum (abdominal organs).

  • What is homeostasis?

    Maintaining stable internal conditions necessary for survival.

  • What is negative feedback?

    A mechanism that reverses a change to maintain homeostasis; it is the primary feedback mechanism.

  • What is positive feedback?

    A mechanism that amplifies a change rather than reversing it; it is relatively rare.