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Anatomy & Physiology: Cardiovascular, Lymphatic, and Immune Systems

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Terms in this set (30)

  • Pulmonary circuit function
    Right side of heart receives oxygen-poor blood from body tissues and pumps it to lungs to eliminate CO2 and pick up O2.
  • Systemic circuit function
    Left side of heart receives oxygenated blood from lungs and pumps it to body tissues to deliver O2 and pick up CO2.
  • Heart wall layers
    Epicardium (visceral serous pericardium), myocardium (cardiac muscle with fibrous skeleton), and endocardium (endothelial lining).
  • Atrioventricular (AV) valves
    Prevent backflow into atria during ventricular contraction; tricuspid valve on right, mitral (bicuspid) valve on left.
  • Semilunar (SL) valves
    Prevent backflow from arteries into ventricles; pulmonary valve on right, aortic valve on left; each has three crescent-shaped cusps.
  • Coronary circulation
    Supplies blood to heart muscle; includes left and right coronary arteries and cardiac veins draining into coronary sinus.
  • Intrinsic conduction system sequence
    SA node → AV node → AV bundle (bundle of His) → right and left bundle branches → Purkinje fibers.
  • Pacemaker potential
    Unstable resting potential in pacemaker cells caused by closing K+ channels and opening slow Na+ channels, leading to gradual depolarization.
  • Cardiac cycle phases
    Includes ventricular filling, isovolumic contraction, ventricular ejection, and isovolumic relaxation.
  • Frank-Starling law of the heart
    Stroke volume increases with increased preload due to greater stretch of cardiac muscle fibers before contraction.
  • Tunica intima
    Innermost blood vessel layer; endothelium and subendothelial layer; continuous with heart endocardium.
  • Tunica media
    Middle vessel layer; mostly circular smooth muscle; controls vasoconstriction and vasodilation.
  • Tunica externa
    Outermost vessel layer; collagen fibers that protect and anchor vessels; contains vasa vasorum in large vessels.
  • Elastic arteries
    Large arteries near heart with thick walls and elastin; act as pressure reservoirs to maintain continuous blood flow.
  • Capillary types
    Continuous (least permeable), fenestrated (pores for filtration), and sinusoidal (most permeable, found in liver, bone marrow).
  • Precapillary sphincters
    Smooth muscle cuffs that regulate blood flow into true capillaries based on local chemical conditions.
  • Venous valves
    Prevent backflow of blood in veins; especially abundant in limbs; assist venous return to heart.
  • Vascular anastomoses
    Interconnections between blood vessels providing alternate pathways for blood flow to ensure tissue perfusion.
  • Net filtration pressure (NFP)
    Determines fluid movement across capillaries; positive at arterial end (filtration), negative at venous end (reabsorption).
  • Lymphatic system functions
    Returns excess interstitial fluid to blood, transports fats from intestines, and filters lymph through lymph nodes.
  • Lymphatic capillaries
    Blind-ended vessels with one-way minivalves; highly permeable to proteins, debris, pathogens, and cancer cells.
  • Phagocytosis process
    Phagocyte binds particle, encloses it in phagosome, fuses with lysosome to form phagolysosome, then digests contents.
  • Natural killer (NK) cells
    Nonphagocytic lymphocytes that kill virus-infected and cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and secreting inflammatory chemicals.
  • Inflammation benefits
    Prevents pathogen spread, disposes of debris, alerts immune system, and sets stage for tissue repair.
  • Complement system
    Plasma proteins activated via classical, lectin, or alternative pathways; promote inflammation, opsonization, and cell lysis.
  • Fever advantages
    Enhances immune cell migration, increases metabolic rate and repair, and inhibits bacterial growth by reducing metal ion availability.
  • MHC proteins
    Self-antigens on cell surfaces; Class I present endogenous antigens to CD8 T cells; Class II present exogenous antigens to CD4 T cells.
  • Helper T cells functions
    Activate CD8 cytotoxic T cells, amplify innate defenses, and mobilize other immune cells via cytokine secretion.
  • Cytotoxic T cells
    Directly kill infected, cancerous, or foreign cells by releasing perforins and granzymes to induce apoptosis.
  • Active vs passive humoral immunity
    Active: B cells produce antibodies after antigen exposure; Passive: antibodies received from another source, no memory formed.